Yama Reborn

Chen Nuo was actually close to surrendering inside.

The spot on his neck that was licked felt itchy, an itch that reached deep inside his heart. Not only was his skin itchy, but his flesh, bones, and even his soul were unbearably itchy—and it stirred up a wicked fire.

The Lu Xixi in his arms, with her misty eyes and charming smile, was nothing short of a siren out to claim lives.

But... But Chen Nuo didn't dare! Truly getting involved with this woman would mean he'd have to pack up and flee immediately! And besides... this definitely wasn't the right place! Okay, the main reason was the former!!

Breathing deeply, Chen Nuo summoned all his strength to suppress the fire within and pushed Empress Lu away. After a moment's thought, he removed his coat and draped it over the woman.

Looking at the woman giggling foolishly at him, Chen Nuo shook his head forcefully, picked up Lu Xixi, and jumped out the window.

Landing in the courtyard of the first floor, Chen Nuo glanced at the three on the ground.

After a moment, Chen Nuo walked over to Wang Laohu, pulled him out of the trash can with one hand, and found a cell phone on him, which he pocketed. Carrying Lu Xixi, he turned and left the courtyard.

Li Qingshan was soaking in a hot spring.

It was in a place called Tangshan on the outskirts of the eastern suburbs of Jinling City. The hot springs here were quite renowned; Kaishen once took Meiling to bathe here. Over the years, Jinling City invested heavily in the development of several hot spring resorts in this area.

Li Qingshan had also set up a small hot spring resort hotel.

Although Li Qingshan didn't dare seek revenge, he still hoped to cure his paralysis. Medical treatments failed to determine the cause, but the doctors said soaking in hot springs could improve blood circulation and muscle relaxation—surely there would be some benefits. Even though the idea seemed idealistic and mystic, Li Qingshan figured there was nothing to lose, and it would be good to give it a try.

At this moment, Li Qingshan was soaking in a hot spring pool. This outdoor pool was at a detached villa, carved out of marble, filled with spring water.

Li Qingshan was submerged in the water with a white towel over his head. On the steamy surface of the hot spring water floated a wooden board, which held a cup of wine and a small fruit plate.

Such indulgence would usually call for extra... a couple of girls would have joined him, attending on either side. One to massage and soothe Hall Master Li and another to hold his wine glass... That was the ultimate pleasure for a man. But the problem was... wasn't Hall Master Li paralyzed? In the past two months, after seeing all the famous doctors, not only did his legs lose sensation... the third leg was also out of commission!

Now, Hall Master Li soaked alone in the water, his heart unable to stop reminiscing about his past glory; the more he thought about it, the more melancholic he became.

Just as he was lost in thought, the cell phone placed near the pool suddenly rang.

Li Qingshan frowned, opening his eyes. An underling hurried over, bent down, and handed the cell phone to Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan glanced at the caller ID: Wang Laohu.

He felt somewhat reluctant to answer, not really wanting to deal with business matters, but since Wang Laohu was one of his leading men and was calling so late, there must be some issue at the venue.

Coughing once, Li Qingshan answered the call.

After barely muttering, "Hello," the voice on the other end shook Li Qingshan's hand so much that he almost dropped the phone into the pool!

"Is this Li Qingshan?" The voice on the other end was muffled, as if it came through something.

Li Qingshan's heart skipped a beat! He knew this voice all too well! In these days, whenever he woke up from a nightmare in the dead of night, it was this voice in his dream! The voice of a young man muffled by a motorcycle helmet!

With a tremble in his voice, Li Qingshan clutched the phone tightly, "You, you are... Zhang Linsheng... er, I mean, Mr. Haonan?"

Great, even to this day, Boss Li had not figured out who exactly was the one who had trampled him from head to toe.

There was a brief silence on the other end. "...It's me."

Li Qingshan immediately tensed up. "You're looking for me...?"

"It's about something."

Li Qingshan's heart thumped, and an ominous premonition emerged as thoughts raced through his mind. Why is he contacting me? Why is he using Wang Laohu's phone? Could Wang Laohu be with him? Is it good news or bad? Could Wang Laohu have offended him again? That shouldn't be! Wang Laohu was also there last time; he wouldn't dare to provoke him again.

But soon, the voice on the other end turned Li Qingshan's face pale.

"This phone belongs to one of your subordinates, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes. He's one of my followers, named Wang Laohu," Li Qingshan answered with care.

"Wang Laohu, huh? His name sounds quite imposing." The tone was not very pleasant.

Li Qingshan asked more nervously, "Mr. Haonan... did my subordinate cause any trouble for you?"

"Oh, no, he didn't." The other side's response slightly eased Li Qingshan.

But the following conversation sent Li Qingshan straight to the eighteenth level of hell!

"He hasn't offended me. However, today he took a woman from the street, brought her back to your Wind Shelter Hall, and proceeded to drug her and force her to drink."

Li Qingshan felt something was off, and with forced bravado, he asked, "That lady is..."

"My wife."

SPLASH!

Li Qingshan's phone went straight into the hot spring.

The old man felt his mind go blank, the world spinning around him!

My God!! Wang Laohu, are you trying to dig my grave!! Last time, I only kidnapped that little girl, didn't even lay a finger on her... and I ended up losing both my legs! This time Wang Laohu abducted another man's wife, drugged her? Got her drunk?? Tell me, how many legs would it take to balance this account??

Li Qingshan felt his whole body shivering, his complexion turning deathly pale.

Just then, one of his men ran into the courtyard, his face a picture of panic. It was Li Qingshan's most trusted and close aide, that middle-aged man.

Upon entering, the middle-aged man's face was grim, "Boss, something big has happened!"

"What else could possibly happen!!" Li Qingshan screamed.

The middle-aged man was startled—The boss's reaction was off.

Still, he pressed on urgently, "Our old home was raided! Wang Laohu was thrown from the third floor! Right at Wind Shelter Hall!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingshan turned his head to stare straight at the middle-aged man, his eyes bloodshot, "Is he dead?"

"He's not dead. He's been taken to the hospital. It's nothing serious, just a few fractures. Luckily, he's resilient!"

Li Qingshan suddenly roared, "Why isn't he dead!!! Why isn't he dead!!!! Lucky? What the hell is lucky to me!!!"

The middle-aged man gaped at his boss, at a loss for words.

Li Qingshan burst out in rage, "Not dead, is that it? If he's not dead, then kill him for me!! Beat him to death! Right now!!"

"Ah?"

Li Qingshan's face twisted, "What 'ah'? Hurry up!!"

Seeing Li Qingshan's near-cannibalistic expression, the middle-aged man shuddered and quickly turned to leave.

After he had taken a few steps, Li Qingshan suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

The middle-aged man turned around, looking at his boss.

Li Qingshan, sitting in the water, was panting heavily. Despite the twisted muscles on his face, it was clear he was struggling to suppress his raging temper.

"Come back first! Help me up!" Li Qingshan said through gritted teeth.

The middle-aged man quickly turned around and personally helped Li Qingshan out of the pool, then wrapped him in a bath towel and took him back to his room.

Two women walked in, one to wipe the old man's body, the other to dry his hair.

Li Qingshan kept his eyes closed, his face gloomy, his thoughts inscrutable. The middle-aged man simply stood by, hands at his sides, not daring to speak.

After a while, Hall Master Li had put on a bathrobe, and his hair was dry. He waved his hand, "Everyone, get out, except for Number Seven."

Number Seven was the middle-aged man.

In the few minutes it took to wipe his body and dry his hair, Li Qingshan had calmed down. After all, with half a lifetime in the underworld, he wouldn't have reached his current status without some level of composure.

"Wang Laohu made a mess today," Li Qingshan said in a deep voice.

"What?"

"He brought a woman back from outside during the day. You know what he had in mind; with his nature, he can't help himself around beautiful women."

Number Seven quickly put two and two together, "Is there an issue with the woman's identity?"

Li Qingshan forced a wry smile, "She's 'that man's' wife."

"Which man?"

"That man!"

Number Seven inhaled sharply!

Unlike Wang Laohu, who, up to today, had only witnessed Chen Yanluo's skills once, Number Seven had seen it twice! The first time was in Li Qingshan's riverside lodge, during the incident involving Bald Lei. That time, Number Seven clashed with Chen Yanluo and was thrown into the river in a single encounter! Number Seven was Li Qingshan's top fighter... a legitimate practitioner with nearly twenty years of training, a real martial artist. The more of a martial artist one was, the better Number Seven understood how fearsome this opponent was!

"Now, immediately go find out what happened today! Clarify every key point!" Li Qingshan said slowly. "I'm giving you half an hour! Get the information first! Can you do it in half an hour?"

"Yes!" Number Seven gritted his teeth.

"Second, bring Wang Laohu back to me, here. I don't care how badly he's injured, even if he's near death, bring him to me!!"

"Okay! I'll do it right away!"

Number Seven turned and hurried off quickly.

Li Qingshan's teeth chattered a few times. He took a few deep breaths, then picked up a spare phone and dialed Wang Laohu's number. His phone had fallen into the water, cutting the call halfway through. He had to quickly explain a few things to the other party. Too late, and it might just cost his own life!

Chen Nuo placed Lu Xixi in the living room of his home. Lu Xixi was becoming more and more incoherent, intoxicated by alcohol and under the influence of drugs. The woman twisted and turned on the sofa like a fish out of water.

Chen Nuo took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the lid, and forcefully held Lu Xixi down, making her gulp down more than half the bottle in one breath.

In fact, when it comes to drunkenness, remedies like sobering pills aren't really effective and can even harm the body. To sober up, there is one simplest and fastest method: drink a large amount of water! A large amount of water dilutes the concentration of alcohol in the blood.

After making Lu Xixi drink more than half a bottle of water and seeing that the woman was still restless, squirming and trying to hug him, Chen Nuo slapped his forehead. He went to the room to find a blanket and wrapped the woman up with it… just like he had wrapped Li Yingwan before, he rolled her up and secured her with a rope.

Chen Nuo sighed in relief. If she continued to twist like that, he feared he couldn't hold back any longer.

At that moment, his phone rang. It was the phone he had retrieved from Wang Laohu, now lying on the table.

Chen Nuo picked it up and answered, "Hall Master Li?"

"Mr. Haonan, it's me." Li Qingshan's voice was very respectful.

Chen Nuo smiled. "Just now, why did you cut off halfway?"

"You must be laughing at me. My hands shook and I dropped the phone into the water when I heard your words," came the reply.

Huh? Chen Nuo was struck by a thought. This Li Qingshan… was quite cunning. He made it quite clear to me... Whether the words were true or false, the message was clear: he was showing weakness! And it was an all-out display of weakness! The posture couldn't be lower, almost like bowing his head to the ground and laying prostrate in complete surrender. The meaning was: I fear you! I fear you completely! I was so frightened by your previous words that my hands even shook! For a leader to assume such a stance was to truly surrender—at least on the surface.

"Alright then, let's continue talking," Chen Nuo said indifferently.

"First, I have to ask... your wife, is she unharmed?" Li Qingshan asked cautiously at the other end.

Chen Nuo glanced at Lu Xixi lying on the sofa. "...Yeah, she's fine."

On the other end of the phone, Li Qingshan heaved a sigh of relief! She was fine! That meant there was room for negotiation! Otherwise, if Wang Laohu had truly harmed this fearsome man's wife, Li Qingshan wouldn't need to say anything further; he would have had to pack his bags and flee that very night!

After a moment's silence, Li Qingshan spoke respectfully, "Mr. Haonan... I really didn't know about this... Even if I had the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard, I wouldn't dare to offend you again! I've been recuperating outside these days and haven't been interfering much with home affairs. Look... I need one night to clarify things. Once I understand the situation, rest assured… I will give you an explanation! Just give me time to find out what truly happened... then, whether you want to kill or punish, it's all up to you! Is that acceptable?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine, I'll give you one night. You better thoroughly investigate today's incident, especially where Wang Laohu abducted my wife. Ask about it in detail."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll get back to you with the information!"

Chen Nuo hung up the phone.

Seeing that Lu Xixi finally settled down for a while, he quickly went over to her again and fed her another half bottle of water.

"Honey~" Lu Xixi's face was so red it seemed to bleed. "I'm so hot..."

"Drink water, drink water. You won't feel hot after drinking water."

SLAP!

Suddenly, Lu Xixi shuddered; the sheet wrapped around her and the rope that tied her snapped inch by inch!

Chen Nuo was startled and immediately realized... This was Empress Lu! Not some long-legged girl! Forget the rope, even a steel reinforcement bar couldn't hold her!

Before he could react, Lu Xixi had already sprung up, grabbing Chen Nuo's arm.

"Honey... hold me... just hold me..."

Sister, I really dare not hold you! It will cause trouble...

Without listening to any excuses, Lu Xixi suddenly pounced onto Chen Nuo, her soft, fragrant body entangling him like an octopus.

Chen Nuo struggled for a few moments but couldn't break free...

Fortunately, Lu Xixi's movements stopped there. It was as if, by embracing Chen Nuo, the woman felt at ease, just quietly holding on, refusing to let go, but her breathing gradually steadied.

Chen Nuo looked down and saw that Lu Xixi had closed her eyes...

"Phew..." Chen Nuo let out a breath, waited a while longer, and seeing that Lu Xixi seemed to have fallen asleep, he tried to pry her hands away. But as soon as he moved, Lu Xixi's eyelids fluttered and opened slightly.

Chen Nuo quickly let go, not daring to move...

Well, I guess I'll just hold her. After all... it's not like I haven't held her before.

Half an hour later, Number Seven had a general understanding of the situation. After he made a call back to Wind Shelter Hall, some of the subordinates who had gone out with Wang Laohu and Xiao Yong recounted the incident, and Number Seven got the gist of it.

Then, the information was summarized and presented to Li Qingshan.

"...So, you're saying that Wang Laohu took in that guy named Gu Kang as his little brother. Then he stood up for Gu Kang to extort some money from the kid's brother… and went to the kindergarten to bring the kid back? And snatched that woman at the kindergarten's entrance?"

"That woman was with the kid's godmother."

Li Qingshan first clarified Gu Kang's affair, then shook his head and sneered coldly, "This Gu Kang really is inhuman. Wang Laohu must be going crazy for money to take in such useless scum."

Li Qingshan thought he had the situation figured out almost perfectly. Wang Laohu collaborated with Gu Kang to take away the kid, hoping to extort some money from the kid's brother. Then, at the kindergarten, they ran into the kid's godmother and her friend (Brother Haonan's wife). Wang Laohu got lustful ideas and lured the woman back to Wind Shelter Hall along with them. Soon after, Brother Haonan arrived, took down Wang Laohu and the others, and took away the woman, as well as the child and the child's godmother.

Well… Li Qingshan thought he had understood the whole story.

Moreover, according to Wang Laohu, what reassured Li Qingshan was that the woman indeed hadn't suffered the slightest harm.

As long as she's unharmed, that's good! Li Qingshan felt a huge sense of relief.

Not only had she not suffered, but according to what Wang Laohu said… that woman was quite skilled! Wang Laohu, Xiao Yong, and Gu Kang, all three were no match for that woman. Xiao Yong was personally thrown down from the third floor by that woman.

This news didn't surprise Li Qingshan much. That killer's wife… it's no wonder she's not ordinary. A killer paired with another killer. All one could say… Wang Laohu just had bad luck! But damn it, if you're unlucky, don't bring me down with you!

Li Qingshan gritted his teeth.

"Boss, we've brought Wang Laohu back. Do you want to meet him?" Number Seven asked from the side.

"No need," Li Qingshan shook his head. "Make sure he stays alive for me… I still need to use him to give an explanation to that person."

As he spoke, Li Qingshan gestured for Number Seven to leave, but suddenly called him back, "Wait!"

"Ah? Boss, is there something else?"

It's not right! There's a detail that I almost overlooked. Look… that killer's wife knows the kid's godmother, right? How did they become related? What is their relationship? This matter is probably not simple! Especially when that person pointed it out to me over the phone. That person said to make sure I found out where Wang Laohu abducted the woman. From the kindergarten, right? Why would he specifically mention that? This matter, it's related to that kid!

Li Qingshan said, "That Gu Kang, wasn't he trying to kidnap his own daughter to extort the child's brother? What's the brother's identity?"

Number Seven immediately nodded, "I'll find out!"

This time it was much simpler; they quickly grabbed Gu Kang and got the answer!

When Number Seven returned to Li Qingshan, his face had turned quite ugly.

"Boss, I've got it. The kid's brother is called Chen Nuo, a student at No. 8 Middle School!"

Li Qingshan's expression changed.

There it is! The root of the problem!

The last time shots were fired at Chen Yanluo, Li Qingshan wasn't completely inactive afterwards. He also secretly inquired about Brother Haonan's background: Zhang Linsheng, also called Brother Haonan, from Jinling No. 8 Middle School. Although he didn't dare take revenge, he still investigated the matter.

And now, Li Qingshan believed he had found the root of the problem.

Why would that killer, Haonan's wife, be acquainted with the kid's godmother? Because Brother Haonan and the kid's brother are schoolmates at the same school! Dammit!

Li Qingshan sighed helplessly.

It turned out that the root was not Wang Laohu, but Gu Kang! Gu Kang had a grudge against Chen Nuo and sought Wang Laohu's help against Chen Nuo, only to find out that Chen Nuo and that killer were classmates, and that killer's wife was even a friend of Chen Nuo's sister's godmother… How convoluted is this!!!! So… Wang Laohu definitely needed to be dealt with! But this matter wasn't just about Wang Laohu harassing that killer's wife. There was also Gu Kang's involvement! Therefore, it wasn't just about dealing with Wang Laohu; that Gu Kang absolutely couldn't be let off either.

As expected of an old hand in the underworld and a big shot, his mind was indeed sharp enough. Although he got some key information wrong, he had found the right direction nonetheless.

[BANG BANG BANG, asking for votes~

Due to family matters during the New Year these past two days, updates have been later.

I will try to update a bit earlier tomorrow.]