"Why should we be the ones to pay for the feud between the Gu Family and the Qifei Group?"

Suddenly, someone roared, "We just want to do our business in peace, but you’re forcing us to break our contracts without giving us any other choice. We’ve never offended the Gu Family! Isn’t what you’re doing going a bit too far?"

Upon hearing this, everyone secretly nodded in agreement but didn’t dare say it out loud. They all knew the consequences of speaking up. Given the Gu Family’s way of doing things, once they decided on a course of action, they would never change their minds.

"Who said that?" Gu Lingshan frowned, not expecting anyone to dare defy him.

"I did!" a burly man declared as he stood up.

"Who do you think you are, daring to question my decision?" Gu Lingshan stared coldly at the burly man, a chill in his eyes. "Kill him!"

He waved his hand lightly, giving the man no chance. Do these people think I’m some kind of saint? Anyone who dared to refuse or resist him would not live to see another day.

"Yes!"

The bodyguard beside him charged forward. The burly man attempted to resist, but it was futile. A single punch slammed into his chest, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Gu Lingshan said with a faint smile, "It seems some of you don’t understand me. I’m not discussing this with you; I’m ordering you. Anyone who disobeys dies!"

Everyone drew a sharp breath, their faces turning deathly pale. He was so ruthless, killing a man in cold blood! He didn’t bother with convoluted schemes like ruining the man’s business; he simply eliminated him. This was the ultimate deterrent. It was a classic case of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.

None of the business owners here wanted to die and have their companies stolen. So, their only choice was to side with the Gu Family.

"We support Young Master Gu!"

"That’s right, we also support Young Master Gu! We choose the Gu Family!"

"We’re with Young Master Gu from now on!"

"We hope the Gu Family will look after us!"

Whether they were coerced or genuinely wanted to surrender, they had no choice but to accept. In front of this madman, in front of the Gu Family, they were nothing but mice, completely incapable of resisting.

Although many felt they were letting down the Qifei Group and Li Qingyan, they were powerless. Thankfully, the Qifei Group wasn’t as vicious as the Gu Family; at least their lives wouldn’t be on the line.

Gu Lingshan watched the terrified crowd. They could only grit their teeth, powerless against him. He laughed, thoroughly enjoying the sensation.

"Heh, Jin Xing, oh Jin Xing, you just didn’t have the brains. If you did, you wouldn’t be dead," Gu Lingshan mused, immensely proud of his methods. This way, he could take down the Qifei Group. He believed that with so many partnerships suddenly severed, the company would definitely run into trouble. Then, Li Qingyan would have to come begging for help, and he could seize the opportunity to make some outrageous demands.

"Now get lost," Gu Lingshan said, waving his hand to dismiss them. "But remember, I have your pledges of allegiance right here. If any of you dare snitch to Li Qingyan, you won’t just be ruined and disgraced. Your fate will be the same as that dead idiot’s—food for stray dogs."

He wasn’t afraid of these people informing on him, since the Qifei Group would find out sooner or later anyway.

After sending the group away, Gu Lingshan suddenly saw a figure appear in the courtyard. The man was a stranger, but he exuded a terrifying aura. His two bodyguards rushed out.

"Hold on!" Gu Lingshan shouted.

The two bodyguards abruptly stopped in their tracks.

"Are you from the Tang Sect?" Gu Lingshan asked.

"You’ve got a good eye," the newcomer said with a laugh, playing with a Flying Knife in his hand. "If you hadn’t stopped them, they’d be two corpses right now."

"Do you have business with me, sir?" Gu Lingshan asked cautiously.

"How about a partnership?" the visitor proposed. "I am Tang Xuan, an Elder of the Tang Sect. I won’t hide it from you; I’ve come to Thunder City because of the Tang Family’s affair in Sea City. Although the main culprit is the Star Shining Society, I heard the owner of the Qifei Group, Yang Qingshan, was also involved. Therefore, I also want the Qifei Group destroyed!"

Hearing this, Gu Lingshan couldn’t help but smile. It seemed many people were eyeing the juicy prize that was the Qifei Group.

"What do you want?" Gu Lingshan asked.

"Once this is done, we want half the profits from the Beauty Pill. How about it?" Tang Xuan stated.

"Deal!" Gu Lingshan agreed without a second thought.

He knew he couldn’t refuse. This Tang Xuan is an absolute expert, the kind who could kill me with a single move. If I don’t agree, I die.

"Hehe, Young Master Gu is straightforward. Let’s sign a contract then, to prevent the Gu Family from backing out later," Tang Xuan said with a smile.

"Of course!"

The two quickly signed a contract. Tang Xuan placed it in his inner pocket and then turned to leave.

"Young Master, you’re just going to let him leave like that?" the two bodyguards asked, unconvinced.

"It doesn’t matter. Our goals are aligned. Besides, the Tang Sect is powerful. If we can form an alliance with them, we won’t be at a disadvantage. In the future, we’ll have support in the southwest as well." Gu Lingshan was smart; otherwise, he wouldn’t be the most favored successor of the Gu Family.

「In a private room at the Thunder City Grand Hotel.」

Yang Qi had been summoned here by Li Qingyan, who said she had something important to discuss. However, the two of them had been staring at each other for over ten minutes already.

"I mean, President Li, can we please talk about whatever it is? My time is precious," Yang Qi said, somewhat exasperated.

"It’s not me who’s looking for you; it’s someone else," Li Qingyan said. "To be precise, they’re looking for the boss. And since you’re the boss’s son, you have to handle this."

Yang Qi scratched his head. Maybe I shouldn’t have put Dad’s name forward. Now these problems keep piling up, and I can’t just ignore them. It is my company, after all.

Another ten minutes passed before a man carefully entered the private room.

"President Li, my name is Zhang Kun. My brother, Zhang Shan, is one of your business partners," the man announced as he entered.

"Yes, I remember. Zhang Shan is a man of his word. Our company was planning a long-term partnership with yours," Li Qingyan said. "But why didn’t your brother come himself?"

"He’s dead!" Zhang Kun said, gritting his teeth. "Earlier today, Gu Lingshan gathered all of Qifei Group’s business partners and issued an order for us to betray Qifei Group and collaborate with them. My brother refused, and they brutally murdered him!"

BANG!

Yang Qi slammed his fist on the table. "That bastard is asking for it! We just got rid of Jin Xing, and now he’s in a hurry to join him in death?"

Zhang Kun wiped away tears, his eyes bloodshot. "Now my brother is gone, and the factory is in chaos. Gu Lingshan not only killed my brother but also sent men to trash our factory. They smashed a lot of our machines."