Zhu Mengmeng's outrageous words didn't cause a ripple in the room. The old man continued playing chess as if nothing had happened, while Du Lianfeng simply smiled faintly: "Miss Zhu is joking. Many men want to fawn over you, so we have to do the opposite."
He glanced at the two Calabash Brothers, a strange light flashing in his eyes, as if the mask's power was interfering with his judgment of their origins.
He didn't care, continuing, "Please sit down, everyone. We're here to discuss business."
Zhu Mengmeng wanted to say something, but Qiu Wuji pulled her back twice, and Zhu Mengmeng fell silent, sitting down angrily.
Zhong Yi and Chu Ge, the couple, sat down beside her, watching Du Lianfeng, waiting for him to reveal his hand.
Du Lianfeng gestured, and a glamorous woman in black stockings came over and began making tea for everyone.
Qiu Wuji looked at the outfit, then at Chu Ge. Chu Ge sat obediently, his expression hidden behind the mask.
Qiu Wuji pursed his lips.
The aroma of tea rose gently. Du Lianfeng leaned back on the sofa and slowly said, "Miss Zhu, you probably know that all we want is the ore, and we'll buy it at market price, or even higher..."
Zhu Mengmeng said directly, "Not for sale!"
"Why bother?" Du Lianfeng sighed. "Your father has long since changed careers. This ore is no longer of much use to him... We're all sensible people, there's no need to hide anything. This purple clay ore contains spiritual energy. Your father has probably tried to find its source over the years, but it seems he hasn't found any clues." "Since everyone wants to find it, either we should cooperate, or we should do it ourselves. What's the point of hogging the job?"
"The mine belongs to our family. What business is it of yours how we use it? Even if we really do dump our waste in it, what's it to you?" Zhu Mengmeng slammed her hand on the table. "I think you're not up to it anymore. I still really want to use your wife. Don't hogging the job. If you can't, send my bodyguard, or maybe you could give me your bodyguard and we could develop it together, how about that?" Chu Ge coughed, and Qiu Wuji glared at Zhu Mengmeng, both amused and annoyed.
Du Lianfeng remained unperturbed, simply stating, "I won't engage in this kind of verbal sparring... The fact is, if you have the ability to get me to offer you my wife, I will, including my secretary. You can take her if you want... provided you have the ability."
"Just like when you injured my father, thinking that's a skill?"
Du Lianfeng suddenly chuckled, "No need to record, the equipment will malfunction."
Zhu Mengmeng: "..."
Du Lianfeng said calmly, "Skill is making you start to weigh whether all of this is worth it... In fact, you don't need to agree to anything. When Mr. Zhu finds out I met with you, he might even contact me himself to sell the mine. Do you believe that?"
Zhu Mengmeng remained silent, recalling how her father had indeed shown remorse yesterday, fearing she would be harmed.
Weighing whether all of this is worth it...
But Zhu Mengmeng still felt a surge of anger. Must good people be forced to have guns pointed at them?
Du Lianfeng continued, "Even if Zhong Yi comes to warn me and throws me off the building... what's the use? He can't protect you forever, and you won't factor that into your own risk assessment." Zhong Yi frowned but didn't refute.
Because it was the truth.
But something seemed off, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Chu Ge was also thinking; according to Du Lianfeng's logic, there was absolutely no need for him to throw Old Zhu off the building. He was even waiting for Old Zhu to sell the mine to protect his daughter. Why kill Old Zhu for no reason? Just to demonstrate his power?
But then Du Lianfeng concluded, "So, Miss Zhu, please give us your final answer. If you don't want to sell, you can leave. We will wait for your father's other reply." Zhu Mengmeng felt a chill run down her spine. She realized that her deduction was correct. As long as the other party approached her, her father would definitely sell willingly; the other party didn't even need to do anything. The goal had already been achieved.
But how frustrating!
So angry!
Chu Ge suddenly spoke: "Mr. Du, aren't you being a bit too confident?"
"Oh?" Du Lianfeng looked at him amusedly: "What special insights does this Mr. Calabash Brother have?"
"The Zhu family has bodyguards. Maybe they didn't before, but they do now. Their risk assessment might not include Old Zhong, but it will include their own bodyguards."
"You mean, sir?"
"I mean, me."
Du Lianfeng said with amusement: "You're confident you can protect the Zhu family from further mishaps?"
Chu Ge calmly said: "No one can guarantee there won't be any mishaps... but I can guarantee that if they have another mishap, you will die."
Du Lianfeng was stunned. The old man beside him, who had been engrossed in playing chess, also paused, looking up at Chu Ge.
Even Zhong Yi and Zhu Mengmeng looked at Chu Ge in surprise, as if they couldn't believe these words came from his mouth, and... that tone—indifferent, calm, as if standing on a cloud, overlooking your life and death.
The only one who wasn't surprised was Qiu Wuji.
Less than an hour ago, the sunrise his true self had seen in the book world had arrived early.
A supreme being who controls the world, looking down upon all living beings as insignificant as ants—Chu Ge isn't a schizophrenic; this quality will inevitably manifest in his reality sooner or later.
The more someone tries to transgress the rules and provoke this aspect, the more it will provoke his unbridled, rule-breaking condescension.
Especially when…behind the mask, it seems he can effortlessly transform that sunny, smiling face into one of cold indifference.
"In fact, I'm not just talking about the Zhu family, but the entire Nanjiang. Every time a case occurs, I'll come to you," Chu Ge said slowly. "You say you want to be based in Nanjiang permanently, so your residence and company can't be hidden. I'd like to use your words to make you reconsider whether it's worth it." Du Lianfeng squinted at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "Interesting… haha… actually, Zhong Yi tried to tell me this last night too. That's how I got all these injuries, but I still don't think it's enough to scare me. I'd like to know what method you'll use to overcome these injuries and make me consider whether it's worth it?" Chu Ge looked at the chessboard on the coffee table: "I heard you often use gambling as a form of competition, both to determine ownership of items and to show off your strength?" Du Lianfeng laughed: "What, you want to play chess with Lao Qi? That's meaningless. Even if you beat Lao Qi, it won't make us afraid of you."
"That's not necessarily true," Chu Ge said calmly. "At least the police won't know how he died… and you could die the same way." Du Lianfeng's expression finally changed. He truly sensed the man's murderous intent; it wasn't the warning and admonishment Zhong Yi had given him, but a genuine threat of death.
Where did such a desperado come from in Nanjiang?
The old man, Qi Chengtai, finally spoke: "How do you intend to wager?"
Chu Ge said, "Your name is Qi Chengtai, and you've been obsessed with chess since childhood, playing for seventy years… I know your special ability isn't just about coaxing people into playing chess; it can forcibly drag people into a game, ending with one side's defeat. Once someone loses, at best their soul will scatter and they'll fall into a coma, at worst their soul will dissipate and they'll die, right?"
Qi Chengtai's heart skipped a beat. Even Zhong Yi didn't know this much; how did this man know?
He remained extremely confident in his ability, calmly stating, "That's right. There's only one way to break through my chessboard: to truly defeat me in chess. Even if your other abilities surpass mine a hundredfold, it's meaningless." Zhong Yi quickly tugged at Chu Ge, urgently whispering, "This man has played chess his entire life. It's pointless to compete with him in chess. Don't choose this."
Chu Ge calmly replied, "Ability is never about causality. Breaking his chessboard doesn't necessarily require playing chess; we just need to show him what backlash is."
He was absolutely confident that his opponent couldn't withstand the backlash of an entire world.
In fact, he was confident even in terms of playing chess alone, because he could cheat—by having the immortal chess player from the book play this game.
Qi Chengtai sneered, "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Since you're courting death, then come on."
"Wait." Qiu Wuji, who had remained silent, suddenly grabbed Chu Ge's hand: "I'll play this game."
Chu Ge was stunned.
Qiu Wuji transmitted his voice secretly: "It's just a game of chess. He's played for seventy years, I've played for ten thousand. Besides, how can he compare to the calculation power of immortals? Even a thousand of them couldn't out-calculate me..." Chu Ge knew Qiu Wuji had no reason to lose. Even if he lost, what right did the opponent have to injure the soul of a Tribulation Transcending cultivator? If Qiu Qiu wanted to intervene, it would be a complete rout.
But he still couldn't help being curious: "Why did you insist on this game?"
"Firstly, because he's the one who injured Mengmeng's father, and I want to teach him a lesson personally. Secondly..." Qiu Wuji glanced at Du Lianfeng: "Du Lianfeng, who can drag people into the Chu-Han Contention, is the kind of opponent you should be trying to play against."