Tearing off the mask, wishing for death rather than life

In the business world, people resort to all sorts of methods to win contracts, and the Jiang family was no exception.

Yet, she never expected that one day such tactics would be turned against her own flesh and blood.

"Dad, Lu Fan is our benefactor. He is..."

Before she could finish, stretching out her hands to block their path, Jiang's father struck her fiercely across the face.

The blow was delivered with merciless fury and tremendous force. Jiang Ruxue was sent crashing to the ground, her head striking the corner of a table. Frail as she was, she lost consciousness instantly.

Before blacking out, only a single thought echoed in her mind: It's all over!

Lu Fan was someone who must never, under any circumstances, be offended.

Though she still did not know whose disciple he was, possessing such supreme medical mastery meant he was clearly no ordinary sect disciple.

Behind him stood not only the Lin family but also the Qin family. Doing this to him was absolute madness.

Yet, before she could utter a single word of warning, her consciousness faded completely.

Men die for wealth, as birds die for food.

Convinced that Lu Fan must still possess countless top-grade pills, how could the Jiang family simply let him go?

Combined with the unsettled score regarding Lin Ziyu, old accounts and new ones would be settled all at once!

At that moment, Lu Fan's body was utterly exhausted, and any struggle on his part would have been entirely in vain.

"Stop! Don't touch my things."

Jiang's father snatched the bundle away and opened it. Sure enough, there were pills inside.

A look of uncontainable greed flashed across his eyes. "They are mid-grade detox pills! And great restorative pills, ascension pills, and more! Even though there are no top-grade ones, mid-grade pills like these fetch millions each on the black market."

Jiang's father handed all the pills to the old master. "Dad, take a look! So many fine treasures."

Leaning heavily on his cane, Elder Jiang walked step by step toward Lu Fan. "Lu Fan, just who are you? Where did these pills come from?"

The place where his master resided was an overseas wonderland teeming with spiritual energy. Once exposed, greedy mortals would flock there like swarms of bees.

The greater one's fame, the more it would invite utter destruction upon one's clan if one lacked the strength for self-protection.

The people before him were a vivid example. The eyes of the Jiang family were filled with boundless desire.

Elder Jiang seized him by the collar. "Boy, where did you learn this medical skill of yours? Does your sect hold even more top-grade pills?"

"I've already told you, I am an orphan. By sheer coincidence, I crossed paths with a hermit of transcendent wisdom who taught me a style of acupuncture. The pills were given to me by him, and now these are all that remain."

"Slap!"

Jiang's father raised his hand and struck him across the face. "You brat, you still expect to deceive us? Do you really think we are that easily fooled? We intended to bring you aboard our ship, but since you spurn our goodwill and refuse to be our Jiang family's son-in-law, you shall serve as our stepping stone instead! Tell us everything you know, or else..."

"What? Do you intend to kill me?" Lu Fan laughed coldly. "Don't forget that your son still requires acupuncture. If you kill me, no one can save him."

"No. A parent's love for their child prompts deep calculations for their future. I know you dote on your daughter, but if I cannot bear to harm you, do you think I cannot bear to harm her?" Jiang's father smiled sinisterly, his twisted expression terrifying to behold.

Lu Fan's complexion shifted drastically. "Have you lost your mind? Xiaoyou is your granddaughter—your own flesh and blood!"

"So what? She's just a worthless burden. But if she can make you change your mind, she will have served some small purpose."

Lu Fan had already notified Lin Ziyu to pick up the child, and he prayed she had already been safely retrieved.

Originally, he had intended to make a clean break with the Jiang family this time, but he had still underestimated them.

Veins bulged on the back of Lu Fan's hands with rage. For the first time, a face usually so refined wore an expression of such freezing malice.

"If any of you dare to lay a single hair on my daughter's head, don't blame me for casting away all ties of the past!"

"Hah, I'd love to see just how you, Lu Fan, plan to cast away ties of the past! Aside from this medical skill of yours, you can't even defeat a first-tier martial artist. It's a complete joke! If you don't want anything bad to happen to your daughter, tell us the truth."

"I've already told you everything I know."

"Slap!"

Jiang's father dealt Lu Fan another blow across the face. "This is what happens when you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Elder Jiang glanced at Jiang's father. "Enough. This is a hospital. Don't forget that he has the backing of the Qin and Lin families; don't push things too far."

"Yes, Father. Have Ruzhu discharged immediately, and bring both Lu Fan and that little girl back to the Jiang residence."

Did that mean Xiaoyou had truly fallen into their hands?

Lu Fan glanced to the side, where Jiang Ruxue lay motionless on the ground, her head bleeding from the impact, with no one caring whether she lived or died.

The Jiang family was nothing short of a demon's lair!

They did not even spare their own flesh and blood, let alone Xiaoyou, who was of the younger generation.

Had he known this would happen, why on earth would he have bothered to repay their kindness?

Such people were utterly unworthy.

Conversely, Jiang Rushan, having been treated by Lu Fan, seemed like a changed man. "Dad, Lu Fan is my brother-in-law after all. Aren't you going too far by doing this?"

"You truly are a foolish boy. Do you know how much the pills in his possession are worth? Behind him lie countless top-grade pills. How many alchemists today can successfully refine top-grade pills? If we can acquire the pills from his sect, the Jiang family will soar to the pinnacle in no time."

"But Dad, if that's true, aren't you afraid of retribution from his sect?"

"Retribution? He hasn't returned to his sect in five years, and no one has come looking for him. That shows he is no one of great consequence. As long as he reveals the location and brings us in from the inside and outside, we might reap an even greater harvest."

Jiang Rushan was, after all, young and immature, feeling that such actions were far too dishonorable.

Jiang's father patted his shoulder. "In any case, you need not concern yourself with this. You need only know that everything I do is for you and for the Jiang family. Are you content to be suppressed by the Lin family for the rest of your life? Once we possess countless top-grade pills, even the Qin family will have to crawl and grovel before us."

Harboring such grand illusions, the Jiang family brought Lu Fan back to the basement of their ancestral estate.

"Considering our ties as relatives, if you confess in detail right now, we will still acknowledge you as our son-in-law. If you remain stubborn and unyielding, don't blame us for being ruthless."

Lifting his weary eyes, Lu Fan said coldly, "I have nothing to say."

"Such a stubborn spine! Bring his daughter here."

Soon, a bodyguard hurried in to report: "I'm sorry, sir, but when we went to pick her up, we ran into Lin Ziyu, who had already taken Miss Xiaoyou away. We didn't dare clash with her head-on, so..."

"Useless trash!"

Elder Jiang struck the floor fiercely with his cane in rage. "That is a child of our family! It is entirely right and proper for us to retrieve her. What were you afraid of?"

What were they afraid of? Naturally, they feared Lin Ziyu's fists. Given the disparity in martial prowess, they stood no chance against her.

Hearing this news, Lu Fan finally exhaled a breath of relief. Fortunately, Xiaoyou had not fallen into their clutches.

That meant he had nothing left to fear.

Catching the cold smile at the corner of Lu Fan's mouth, Elder Jiang spoke in a low, grim voice: "Do you think that without a hostage, we wouldn't dare do anything to you? As long as we don't cripple your hands, we have plenty of ways to torture you!"

Holding a red-hot branding iron, Jiang's father stepped closer to Lu Fan.

"Not talking, are you? Want to taste the branding iron? It won't kill you, but it will make you wish you were dead!"