Ten Thousand Martial Guards.

These three words caused Chu Jingyang's and Fan Yuanjun's pupils to contract, sending a chill from their heads to their toes.

Subconsciously, Chu Jingyang glanced at Fan Yuanjun, his questioning eyes flashing with a cold light.

Fan Yuanjun hung his head low, not daring to make a sound.

Ji Ping stared at Chu Jingyang and said gravely, "I'm afraid I didn't understand what you just said. Could you repeat it for me?"

Chu Jingyang's heart pounded in his chest, and cold sweat dripped down his back. He had just told everyone to get lost.

Telling the Ten Thousand Martial Guards to get lost? How could the always elusive Ten Thousand Martial Guards possibly appear here?

"Speak up!" Ji Ping's voice suddenly grew louder, his tone icy cold.

Chu Jingyang was, after all, a senior member of the Martial Association. His thoughts gradually stabilized. He pointed at Fan Yuanjun and said, "I came with him to find a man named Chen Yang."

"My words just now were impulsive. I apologize."

This statement directly shifted the responsibility onto Fan Yuanjun.

Why weren't you so quick to refuse when you were taking my money? Fan Yuanjun cursed inwardly, then quickly explained, "Sir, it's like this! My son was beaten, and I heard Chen Yang knew what happened, so I came to ask about the situation."

He didn't dare admit that the one who beat his son was Chen Yang himself. After all, it was obvious that this Chen Yang fellow had deep ties with the officer from the Ten Thousand Martial Guards.

"Asking the Governor for details? You have some nerve!" Ji Ping said coldly.

Fan Yuanjun and Chu Jingyang were left speechless.

The... the Governor? The Nine Gates Admiral?!

Their minds buzzed, trembling violently at the mere thought.

How is this possible?!

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Fan Yuanjun stumbled back several steps, his eyes wide with utter terror as he stared fixedly at Chen Yang.

My own son actually provoked such a powerful figure? Damn him!

Chu Jingyang, on the other hand, shot a venomous glare at Fan Yuanjun. You absolute liability!

If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have dared to come, not for three hundred million, not even for three billion.

Chen Yang glanced at the two with amusement and stated flatly, "His son is Fan Chen. I'm the one who beat him."

"No, that's not it!" Fan Yuanjun hurriedly denied, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "How could my son, Fan Chen, have been beaten by the Governor! I must have been mistaken. I'm so sorry, truly sorry."

Chen Yang was amused. This fellow was quicker on the uptake than he looked.

"Yes, yes, this is all a misunderstanding," Chu Jingyang hurriedly chimed in, forcing a smile. "This is like the great flood washing away the Dragon King's Temple—a terrible misunderstanding between allies! I am Chu Jingyang, one of the Eight King Kongs of the Martial Association. It is an honor to meet the Governor."

His words were a clear attempt to get on Chen Yang's good side, and by stating his identity again, he hoped Chen Yang might show the Martial Association some deference.

Just as Chen Yang was about to leave, he heard this and turned back around. He pointed at Chu Jingyang and commented, "Had you not mentioned that, I would have forgotten you were with the Martial Association."

"Governor, would you like to visit the Martial Association Headquarters sometime?" Chu Jingyang's nervousness vanished, replaced by a burgeoning pride, as if to say, 'See that? Even the Nine Gates Admiral has to show the Martial Association some respect.'

If this were indeed the case, it would certainly be something to be proud of.

What a pity, then, that Chen Yang merely smiled and then turned to Ji Ping. "I don't care about the others, but this man from the Martial Association must pay a price."

The color drained from Chu Jingyang's eyes, leaving them a ghastly white. They bulged in utter disbelief.

A moment later, he clenched his teeth and managed to ask, "Governor, may I ask why?"

"The members of the Martial Association who died in Lingjin City were all taken care of by me. Is that reason enough?"

"This..."

Chu Jingyang's pupils shrank violently, as if he had seen a ghost.

It was over. Utterly and completely over.

Chen Yang patted Ji Ping on the shoulder. "Thanks for seeing me off. Let's grab a drink when I get back to Cangyun City."

"You flatter me, Governor."

Chen Yang waved his hand and turned to leave.

Ji Ping turned around, the smile on his face instantly vanishing. "Take them both away!" he said coldly.

"Yes, sir!"

Fan Yuanjun collapsed onto the ground, his spirit broken.

Chu Jingyang bit his lip, his body trembling.

They could never have imagined that what seemed like such a simple, straightforward matter would end in such a disaster.

「Lingjin City.」

「Qin Corporation.」

"That pharmaceutical giant is back again. I heard they still want to discuss distribution with the Qin Corporation and are even offering another two percent off their original profit margin."

"Our Qin Corporation is really something else now. Even a behemoth like that has to come groveling to our door."

Discussions like this buzzed through every department of the Qin Corporation, and the employees' faces shone with pride.

However, the atmosphere in the chairman's office was thick with tension.

Qin Qiu rose from her chair, her furious gaze fixed on the middle-aged man before her.

"President Qin, there's no need to be angry," the middle-aged man said, completely unfazed as he languidly sipped his tea. "Am I not simply stating facts? Think about it. How much manpower and resources would it take for you to build your own distribution channels? I have existing channels ready to go. You supply the product, I handle the distribution. Our cooperation would be a match made in heaven."

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of working with someone like you." Qin Qiu was fuming. She had already rejected him once, yet here he was, threatening her. If she refused to cooperate, the Qin Corporation would go under? This was nothing short of thuggery. It was intolerable!

"President Qin, it seems you still fail to grasp the situation," Du Dingshan said. "You know better than I do how many people have their eyes on this prescription. Your own father died because of it."

"In the eyes of those giants, your Qin Corporation is nothing but a juicy piece of meat for the taking! Once they're ready, they can swallow you whole—and that day is fast approaching."

"If you cooperate with me, given my name—Du Dingshan—in this industry, who would dare to touch you?"

The middle-aged man, Du Dingshan, slowly set his teacup down and looked directly into Qin Qiu's eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. "President Qin is a smart woman. She should be able to weigh her options clearly."

Qin Qiu remained silent. What Du Dingshan said was indeed the dilemma she was about to face.

While the Qin Corporation seemed to be thriving, it was actually beset by crises. One false move and it would capsize completely, plummeting into an abyss with no hope of recovery.

But! This prescription had been bought with her life and her father's. How could she let someone else walk in and take half the profits for nothing?

At this thought, the struggle on Qin Qiu's face vanished, replaced by resolve. "Mr. Du, please show yourself out. You are no longer welcome at the Qin Corporation."

"Heh, it seems you still can't see the bigger picture, President Qin! But no matter. You'll understand soon enough."

Du Dingshan slid his hands into his pockets and chuckled faintly. "President Qin, what do you think would happen if construction on that new pharmaceutical plant of yours were to halt for three months?"

Qin Qiu's expression changed abruptly.

"Let me guess." Du Dingshan held up five fingers, folding them down one by one. "First, you would incur a substantial amount of additional interest. Second, the entire capital chain of the Qin Corporation would be severely impacted. Third, the money you've set aside for establishing distribution channels would have to be redirected to plug the deficit, so you won't be building those either!"

"Do you have anything to add, President Qin?"

Du Dingshan picked up his bag and started walking toward the door. "If not," he added, "then construction stops tomorrow."

Qin Qiu stood frozen.

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