"Weight? Chen Huaqin, you've lived this long. Don't you get it? Weight isn't something you claim for yourself; it's given to you by others out of respect. If you're weaker than someone else, what makes you think your words have any weight?"

Upon hearing this, Chief Luo Yuanzhi's voice came from the other end of the line. His tone, dripping with mockery and disdain, made Chen Huaqin's face fall, his expression turning to one of shock and horror.

He wasn't a fool. He knew exactly what it meant for Luo Yuanzhi, the head of a special department, to speak in such a way. Does this mean the kid's background and strength are actually greater than Luo Yuanzhi's?

The thought alone made Chen Huaqin, a former military bigwig, break out in a cold sweat. Terror surfaced in his aged eyes. He still couldn't fathom why Luo Yuanzhi, the former Commander of the Provincial Military Region of Jiangnan Province and the current head of the Republic's special department—Flying Leopard—would say such a thing.

In his eyes, is that kid—a mere twenty-something brat who hasn't even fully grown a beard—truly as terrifying as he claims? Do his words really carry more weight than Luo Yuanzhi's own?

With this thought racing through his mind, Chen Huaqin, despite being backed by the colossal Old Chen Family of the Forty-Nine City, could not suppress his panic. He spoke into the phone with a grave and anxious voice, "Brother Luo, for the sake of our shared generation and our decent past relationship… can you tell me frankly, what is that kid's background? Is he… truly as formidable as you say?"

"Sigh."

A soft sigh came from the other end. Deciding to honor their old relationship, Luo Yuanzhi shook his head and spoke earnestly, "Younger Brother Chen, since you've asked, I'll do you this favor. I know your Old Chen Family has some history, some grudges with that young man... But you never, ever should have broken the rules and harassed his mother. Don't you think that was going too far? You must understand, his mother is his Achilles' heel."

"You know about that? But the kid is Zhenguo's son! He has the blood of our Old Chen Family in his veins. Our family is in a crisis, and only Old Master Xuu can help us. As a member of the family, isn't it his duty to contribute his strength?" Hearing Luo Yuanzhi bring the matter up so directly, Chen Huaqin's expression flickered before he stated his case bluntly.

Even now, he was clinging to this deep-seated belief. In his eyes, Chen Fei was Chen Zhenguo's son, a carrier of the Old Chen Family's blood. With the family in trouble, it was only natural for him to contribute.

"A family member?"

Luo Yuanzhi on the other end shook his head, his voice laced with mockery. "Chen Huaqin, aren't you ashamed to say that? Let me ask you one thing: if that young man wasn't as exceptional as he is today, would your Chen Family have ever acknowledged him and his mother? If I recall correctly, you'd forgotten they even existed for more than twenty years. Why remember them now?"

The self-righteous look on Chen Huaqin's aged face froze. He stubbornly retorted, "The Old Chen Family has its status and position! We have no use for weaklings."

"And you still expect that kid to help the Old Chen Family out of its current predicament?"

Chief Luo Yuanzhi laughed coldly at that. "Chen Huaqin, since you're asking, I'll tell you directly. Within our Flying Leopard, his word carries more weight than mine! And do you have any idea how serious this has become? I can tell you this much: as long as he is in the right, Flying Leopard will support him to the very end, no matter who he's up against."

It's not just Flying Leopard, Luo thought to himself. As long as he's in the right, even the Xuu Family—even Old Master Xuu himself—would support him with all their might! So, the Old Chen Family? Sorry, but with the kid's current backing, he probably looks down on you. Not to mention, the truly terrifying part is that even an organization like Tiger Leopard Hall was destroyed by his hand…

"Brother Luo, you…"

Even for a man of Chen Huaqin's stature—a former military bigshot and one of the most senior elders of the Old Chen Family in the Forty-Nine City—a chill shot through him and his limbs grew cold.

After all, people at their level had all navigated the political world where you spoke differently to different audiences. They never spoke so carelessly. Often, even with ninety percent certainty, they would leave a sliver of ambiguity. It was a matter of tact.

But now, for someone like Luo Yuanzhi to speak so plainly, so thoroughly, even using a phrase like 'support him to the very end'...

So that's why... Chen Huaqin finally understood. Now I get why Luo Yuanzhi suddenly acted like a madman and went after my son. Offending that kid is the same as offending Luo Yuanzhi and the entire Flying Leopard special department under his command. He even said it himself: 'Within our Flying Leopard, his word carries more weight than mine.' His word? The kid's...?

The mere thought made Chen Huaqin's aged body tremble in fear, his lips quivering uncontrollably.

"As for how serious this is... do you know how much his mother means to him? I'll say this: if that kid finds out what your Old Chen Family did back then, how you drove him and his mother out of the Forty-Nine City, I'm afraid… Well, enough said. Younger Brother Chen, don't call me again. I need to avoid any conflict of interest." With that, Luo Yuanzhi abruptly hung up.

Avoiding a conflict of interest?

Hearing the dial tone, Chen Huaqin's face twitched. A surge of rage washed over him and he slammed his hand on the desk. CRACK! The corner of the heavy desk nearly splintered off.

He truly, truly never expected to hear such words from Luo Yuanzhi. Avoiding a conflict of interest? Was he looking down on him, Chen Huaqin? On the Old Chen Family?

"I... you..."

Though his fury was boiling, an undeniable flicker of panic flashed through Chen Huaqin's trembling eyes, growing more intense by the second.

This matter was far more complex than he had imagined. Even someone like Luo Yuanzhi—a former commander of the Provincial Military Region of Jiangnan Province and the current head of the Flying Leopard—was willing to go head-to-head with the Old Chen Family and with him, Chen Huaqin, without leaving any room for negotiation. What did that mean?

It meant that what Luo Yuanzhi said was likely true. That kid now looked down on the Old Chen Family… and he had the qualifications to do so.

Otherwise, why would a crafty old fox like Luo Yuanzhi speak so decisively? Fully support him?

Damn it, how did it come to this! That bastard born to a country woman, a low-life, inherently inferior… how did he climb to where he is today?

"Husband... how is it? Is Luo Yuanzhi willing to let Weishan go?" his wife, who had been standing by his side the whole time, asked anxiously, her eyes welling with tears.

"Let him go? Fat chance!" Chen Huaqin snarled, his face dark.

Let him go? From that phone call, the message was crystal clear. Releasing his son was absolutely impossible… at least, not until this matter was completely resolved. The thought sent a wave of irritation and profound panic through him.

With that kid's personality, and things having escalated this far... would he really let Weishan go?

Meanwhile, in a high-end hotel in Chengyang County, Northern Mountain City, a terrified and trembling Chen Weishan was dragged, nearly limp, into a room.

"Are you Chen Weishan?" inside the room, Chen Fei sat with his legs crossed, his face expressionless as he looked at the newcomer. However, his gaze harbored a chill as cold as ice shards, which seemed to envelop the room and cause the temperature to plummet. The cold made Chen Weishan, who had been dragged in, shudder with a deep-seated fear, his mouth quivering uncontrollably.

"Who… who are you? Do you know who I am? My dad is Chen Huaqin! What… what do you want?" Chen Weishan stammered, trying to sound tough.

"What do I want? It's simple." The cold smirk on Chen Fei's lips widened as he spoke with a chilling finality. "Right now, I want to kill you."

"What… what did you say?"

Hearing such incomprehensibly arrogant words, Chen Weishan felt a chill creep up his spine. But at the same time, he couldn't help but burst into scornful laughter, his face twisting with mockery. "Kill me? Kid, who do you think you are? Do you know who I am? You motherf—"

SLAP! SLAP!

Before he could finish, a figure appeared before him like a phantom. It was Wang Dashan. His eyes gleamed with a terrifying light as he raised his hand and swung twice without hesitation.

Wang Dashan was a genuine Strong Innate Ancient Martial Artist, and a ruthless character known as the 'Smiling Tiger'. How could he hold back when enraged? The two strikes nearly sent Chen Weishan flying into the wall, sending a spray of blood and teeth from his mouth. In an instant, his mouth and half his face had swollen grotesquely.

"You… I…" Chen Weishan could only whimper, his face a mask of utter shock. He clutched his swollen face, howling in agony, his eyes filled with pleading and terror.

Only now did he seem to finally realize that these people were serious.

"Who… who in the world are you?" he asked, his face a canvas of terror.

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