Chapter 256: The Dragon King's Ambition! A Wife in a Golden Cage!
"Young Master Shen... you said there was no need to ambush Netherworld Palace Young Master Ye Yan personally. Understood."
"Little Han wants to go home to see his family for a bit... and then return to Jinling immediately to manage the Dragon King Society for Young Master Shen. I will expand the foundation and ensure your rule over the Jiangnan underworld is absolute..."
Hearing Han Qi's respectful voice on the other end of the encrypted phone line, constantly talking about establishing a foundation for "Young Master Shen" and referring to himself as "Little Han," he sounded like the most diligent and loyal minister in history.
Shen Anyu, sitting in the back of his Maybach, raised his eyebrows. He almost laughed out loud.
"This Dragon King Son-in-law... this Child of Destiny... is truly the King of Endurance. He is indeed the type who could wash his in-laws' feet with a smile while plotting world domination."
Shen Anyu knew the truth.
This time, the elite soldiers and generals under Han Qi suffered heavy losses when they besieged the Netherworld Palace bases. Many of his loyal subordinates died as cannon fodder. Han Qi himself sustained internal injuries from overexertion.
After all, each of the ninety-nine Netherworld Palace bases was guarded by a Martial Arts Grandmaster. The top-ranked bases even had Martial Dao Grandmasters presiding over them.
It was a meat grinder.
If Han Qi hadn't had his adoptive father, Tianfeng Ichiro, to assist him in the shadows, he probably would have been defeated and killed.
However, because of this intense fighting, Tianfeng Ichiro's hidden strength as a Martial Dao Grandmaster (and approaching Great Grandmaster) was also exposed to Shen Anyu's intelligence network. Han Qi had lost a trump card.
It was easy to imagine how annoyed, resentful, and humiliated Han Qi was feeling right now. He was doing the dirty work, losing his men, and exposing his secrets, all for Shen Anyu's benefit.
But facing Shen Anyu?
No matter how much rage burned in his heart, Han Qi could only suppress it. He didn't dare to show even a hint of dissatisfaction. instead, he had to be respectful, lowering his head like a dog begging for a bone.
"Little Han," Shen Anyu interrupted him, his voice lazy and indifferent.
"You and your adoptive father... come to Jiangjing Manor in Magic City immediately. I have something to tell you face-to-face."
"But Young Master, I was planning to—"
Click.
Shen Anyu didn't wait for a reply. He directly hung up the phone, tossing it onto the seat next to him.
...
[Location: A Private Airfield near Jinling]
"Damn it!"
On the other end of the phone, Han Qi's face twisted. It turned ashen, then extremely gloomy, like layers of dark storm clouds gathering before a hurricane.
Crack!
The expensive satellite phone in his hand groaned under the pressure.
Boom!
It exploded into sparks and scrap metal, crushed by Han Qi's uncontrollable internal energy.
Tianfeng Ichiro, standing nearby in a traditional kimono, wiped the blood from his katana. He looked at his adoptive son with a cold face and deep dissatisfaction.
"Baka!"
He spat on the ground.
"That Shen Anyu... he truly treats us like servants! Like dogs! He is so arrogant and bossy!"
"I am a Sword Saint! A Martial Dao Grandmaster! Even the leaders of nations treat me with respect! Yet this junior... this rich boy... acts as if we are his household slaves to be summoned at will!"
Tianfeng Ichiro's pride as a warrior was stung. If it weren't for Han Qi's plans, he would have drawn his sword and cut Shen Anyu down long ago.
However, the gloom and anger on Han Qi's face vanished in an instant.
He took a deep breath. The mask of the "Dragon King" returned.
He quickly calmed down, a cold, calculating light flashing in his eyes as he sneered.
"Father, calm down."
"Hmph. Shen Anyu is nothing but a profligate Young Master. He is outwardly splendid but inwardly rotten. He relies on his family's money and his bodyguards."
"If not for his good luck and good birth... if he wasn't the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family... I could crush him with one hand! I could kill him ten times over!"
Han Qi opened his palm, letting the dust of the destroyed phone fall to the ground.
"However... for now, I can only endure. We must endure."
"Being under Shen Anyu's command, using his banner, is currently the most beneficial strategy for the development of the Dragon King Society. His name opens doors that would otherwise be closed to us."
Han Qi smiled, a chilling expression.
"Shen Anyu being so bossy towards us... actually indicates that he isn't wary of us. He thinks we are truly dogs. He underestimates us."
"This is a good thing. When the tiger sleeps, the dragon wakes."
Han Qi quickly analyzed the situation, his ambition burning brighter than his anger.
"Once our Dragon King Society grows stronger... once we absorb the remaining resources of the Netherworld Palace... our wings will be fully formed."
"Then, we will break away from Shen Anyu. We will no longer be at his whim."
"Perhaps... I can even use Shen Anyu's background and influence to help me reclaim the position of Emperor Capital Han Family Patriarch!"
"I will use his knife to kill my enemies. I will use his power to avenge myself against my good elder brother, Han Xiu!"
"When my power surpasses Shen Anyu's in the future... when I stand at the peak of Yanxia... all the humiliation I've suffered these days will surely be repaid a hundredfold! I will make him kneel and beg for mercy!"
Watching Han Qi's anger quickly dissipate and replaced by calm, ruthless analysis, Tianfeng Ichiro's expression flickered with a trance.
He saw the shadow of Li Qi—Han Qi's mother, the woman he loved—in the young man's face.
She was also so calm, so rational, so ambitious. Back then, she rejected his proposal and preferred to become the concubine of the Emperor Capital Han Family's patriarch, immersing herself in the dangerous power struggles of a wealthy family.
Unfortunately, just as she was close to success, she was cruelly killed by Han Xiu, who orchestrated a car accident.
'I failed to protect her,' Tianfeng Ichiro thought bitterly.
"I will protect your son at all costs, Li Qi. Even if it means my life... I will see him sit on the throne."
Tianfeng Ichiro secretly vowed in his heart.
But Han Qi was thinking of something else.
"My biological father... the Han Family Patriarch... has been missing me more and more lately. He sent secret messages saying he wants me to go back and inherit part of the Emperor Capital Han Family's assets. He regrets letting Han Xiu run wild."
"With my current strength... with the support of my biological father... with the support of my adoptive father Tianfeng Ichiro... and with Shen Anyu as my unwitting backer..."
"I can completely contend with Han Xiu for the patriarch's throne. I can win."
Han Qi pondered.
"Should I go back now? Or accumulate more time until the situation is ripe?"
Then, a beautiful figure appeared in his mind.
His beloved wife, Liu Qingyue.
The "White Moonlight" who had stayed with him through his poverty.
His gaze instantly softened, filled with a twisted, possessive love.
"Qingyue... I told you before that your husband Han Qi is an incredible existence. I am absolutely not a useless son-in-law."
"Soon... very soon... I will let you know the truth. I will let you know that marrying me was absolutely the best decision you've ever made in your life."
"I will hold our wedding again. A grand wedding that will shock the world! I will make you the happiest bride in the entire world! Everyone who looked down on us will kneel!"
Han Qi decided. He wouldn't wait any longer. He wanted to speed things up.
He wanted his beloved wife Liu Qingyue to know that he, Han Qi, was not some useless washer of feet, but the formidable Dragon King Mr. Han, the future patriarch of the Emperor Capital Han Family.
"When we go to Shen Anyu's Jiangjing Manor later... it's best to try to gain Shen Anyu's direct support for my return to the Capital."
"With his support, seizing the position of Emperor Capital Han Family Patriarch will be as easy as turning over one's hand."
"However... gaining Shen Anyu's support is not easy. He is greedy."
"It would be best if Situ Yueying could put in a good word for me..."
A hint of guilt flashed in Han Qi's eyes.
The person he felt most guilty about was Situ Yueying—his loyal subordinate whom he had personally given to Shen Anyu as a "Honey Trap."
But for the sake of his great ambition, he had no choice. Sacrifices were necessary.
"Yueying... endure a little longer. I will definitely rescue you from Shen Anyu's hands. Definitely!"
Han Qi clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. He pulled out a burner phone and dialed Situ Yueying's number.
...
On the other side.
Inside the luxurious interior of the Maybach.
Shen Anyu saw Han Qi's actions through the [Nanometer Monitoring Robot] feed displayed on his tablet. He watched the "Dragon King" make plans to betray him.
He smiled faintly, shaking his head.
"What a clever strategy. Enduring hardship to achieve one's goals... borrowing a knife to kill... using leverage to fight."
"A true Protagonist mindset."
"But unfortunately... you won't have the chance. You are playing checkers, and I am playing 4D Chess."
Shen Anyu checked the System interface.
Han Qi's Destiny Value was already running low. It was less than half of his original total—probably around 400,000.
The protection of the Heavenly Dao was thin.
"It is enough to reel him in."
"Today, at Jiangjing Manor... I will deliver a fatal blow to Han Qi. I will completely eliminate this Dragon King Son-in-law who loves to 'Endure'."
"I will show him what true despair looks like."
Afterward, the car sped up, returning to his Jiangjing Manor in Magic City.
...
At this moment.
Inside the Jiangjing Manor, the most exclusive private estate in Magic City.
Liu Qingyue sat on the velvet sofa in the living room of the main Villa.
It was a golden cage.
The room was filled with expensive art, servants stood ready to attend to her every need, and she was wearing clothes that cost a fortune.
But she felt like a prisoner.
Her gaze was fixed on the television in front of her, but her eyes were hazy and unfocused. She wasn't watching the show; her mind was wandering, replaying the dossier Shen Anyu had sent her.
'Han Qi is the Dragon King... he used us...'
Ever since the Truth or Dare game at Liu Mi's birthday party, and the subsequent revelation of Han Qi's identity, Liu Qingyue had been brought back to the Jiangjing Manor by Shen Anyu's people "for her safety."
She wanted to leave. She wanted to go home and confront Han Qi.
And Shen Anyu hadn't confined her physically. The doors were unlocked.
But... her parents, Liu Xingsheng and He Xuemei, were practically kneeling at the door, begging her to stay. They hoped that she could stay at the Jiangjing Manor and "interact more deeply" with Young Master Shen.
They saw this as the golden opportunity to rise to the top.
Her mother's voice echoed in her ears, sickeningly sweet and cruel:
"Qingyue... listen to mom."
"Since something like that has already happened between you and Young Master Shen... since you stayed with him... you are already his."
"You should strike while the iron is hot! Become Young Master Shen's woman officially!"
"Think about it! He is the Shen Family Young Master! Wouldn't that be infinitely better than being with Han Qi, that useless, lying son-in-law?"
"Han Qi deceived us! He used us as a shield! He deserves to be abandoned!"
"Make the right choice, daughter. For the family. For yourself."
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