You're Strong But Now You're Mine-Chapter 160 - 159: I’m Going to Die

Jing Garden, Cloudy Residence.

The old butler cautiously closed the door. Seeing a servant approach, he gestured for him to leave and not come closer.

But after a moment of thought, he called the servant over again and whispered, "Have Old Captain Liu bring two people over."

The servant was a bit surprised but didn’t ask questions, quickly tiptoeing away quietly.

"With Old Liu and me here, we should be able to handle any unforeseen events," the old butler muttered softly.

Old Captain Liu was a former officer of the Heyang Army, not only proficient in various Combat Techniques like Lingxu and Eight Slash Style, but he had also cultivated his Sword Combat Technique to the ’Peak of Perfection.’ He could be said to be the strongest in Jing Garden. He usually didn’t have to be responsible for specific safety issues in Jing Garden; he was just nominally there to retire, and even the ordinary Jing family members dared not disrespect him.

When violence mastered by a person reaches a certain level, he can receive tributes and reverence no matter where he is.

But the path of Combat Technique is indeed difficult to tread. Over the two thousand years of brilliance, countless heroes emerged, each dominating a period, pushing the Combat Technique system to its peak, merely clearing away stones on this rugged path for successors. In the past, the status of ’Peak of Perfection’ was almost legendary, and during the decline of Combat Technique, there were even less than ten such individuals nationwide. Now, each administrative zone has several ’Peak of Perfection’ martial artists guarding the borders.

However, after the invention of Firearms, the threat posed by top martial artists greatly diminished, and personal violence could no longer sway the balance of situations. Despite this, they remain esteemed guests of countless factions, easily assuming important military roles.

This is because violence is a rare resource.

A Martial Artist fights for power with fists. freewebnøvel.coɱ

A merchant fights for position with gold.

The world is bustling because, in essence, everyone is in pursuit of resources, for resources can be converted into power, and of course, power can also be converted into resources.

Therefore, possessing abundant resources equates to holding great power.

The assets, servants, and money of the Jing Family, when these resources belong to one person, then he will wield a Scepter affecting the lives and deaths of thousands!

No one can afford to disdain it!

No one can bear to miss such an opportunity!

The title of Patriarch of the Jing Family, the power it represents, is beyond the imagination of ordinary people!

"So, can it really go smoothly..." The old butler gazed worriedly at the tightly closed doors of Cloudy Residence, clasping his hands, "I hope the master is alright."

...

...

"Have you really thought it through? After tomorrow, all the Jing Family’s assets, servants, everything will belong to that boy. Everything you cherished will no longer be yours, and no one will heed what you say. No one will care about your life or death, and that boy might even have you six feet under ahead of time."

Inside Cloudy Residence, an elegantly dressed, frail old woman sat by a table, a few meters away from where Jing Qingfu lay on the bed.

Although her hair was gray, it was neatly combed, with no split ends, like a splash of ink on white paper. Her posture was dignified and graceful, her face bearing no trace of the wear and tear of age, instead radiating a mature intellectual elegance, showcasing the charm of her youth.

Yet her words were utterly unkind, sharply criticizing Jing Qingfu, her voice full of cold laughter.

Jing Qingfu sat on the bed, leaning against the soft cushion, picked up the hose of the nearby water pipe, and inhaled deeply of the milky white smoke.

"Still puffing on that," the old woman sneered, "Your lungs must be black with soot by now? I’ve seen the corpses of those who died from puffing on water pipes before, tsk tsk, cut them open and their lungs were black and rotten, stinky and disgusting. But it suits you—it’s the end you deserve."

Jing Qingfu ignored her, swallowing the white smoke like a rainbow absorbing water, the wrinkles on his face relaxing in comfort as he exhaled a cloud of grayish smoke.

The old woman grew angry, "You’re still smoking?"

"I’m dying."

Jing Qingfu responded blandly, then spoke no more.

The old woman was slightly taken aback, but didn’t dwell on it, continuing, "Have you really made up your mind? Letting that brat become the next Patriarch? You must have investigated him, right? He’s just a depraved, unlucky scoundrel. Entrusting the Jing Family to him is like burying it with him!"

"He was chased out of the Jing Family by you ten years ago. He already harbors resentment against the Jing Family and you. How can you trust him? All his enterprises were established through deceit under the Jing Family’s name. What capability does he possess?"

"But what about Xiaowu? He’s been learning from you all these years, your business skills, your ways of handling affairs, your ability to be thick-skinned and ruthless! He should be your rightful heir, yet you’ve forsaken him now for that brat!?"

Indeed, this old woman is Zhengwu’s mother, the lady who was separated from Jing Qingfu. Decades ago, the Tai family’s business association ranked in the top ten of Silver Blood’s major commercial gatherings, and the marriage of Jing Qingfu and the lady was a combination of two powerful entities, a merger of groups.

However, as years passed, the Tai Family’s Patriarch mismanaged the business, causing the Tai Family to decline, now roughly at mid-level within the Silver Blood Association. But this evidently didn’t affect the lady enjoying life. Even after leaving Jing Qingfu, she remains the sister of the Tai Family Patriarch, with a substantial wealth.

As long as one has money, a woman remains a princess post-divorce.

Moreover, despite their separation, Jing Qingfu did not retaliate against her but rather showed much leniency from the Jing Family. Other people couldn’t comprehend their hidden machinations, naturally not daring to slight the lady. Thus, post-divorce, the lady became even more arrogant, holding tea parties with other wives, engaging in flower arranging discussions, enjoying sheer happiness without needing a man.

Yet, she did care about the Jing Family, especially her biological son Jing Zhengwu. Not only did she undermine her own Tai Family but also sent people like Haohai Jing to work for her son, while continuously hiring assassins to target Zhengwei, who once slapped her.

Actually, the lady didn’t particularly value Zhengwei, as his mother’s family had declined, and Jing Qingfu didn’t favor Zhengwei, having expelled him from the family as a teenager, clearly losing the right to inherit. The lady didn’t truly wish to kill him, merely annoyed by the slap, so spent a little to pester him.

If Zhengwei truly died, it would be an unexpected joy. After all, he’s just a bastard son born to Jing Qingfu and that woman. Why should it matter to her?

But the lady never anticipated the events of these past two months, the tides turning, as the long-overlooked Zhengwei gained fame in Xuanzhu County through Youth Daily, while her charming, polite, perfect son faced continual failures!

Now, Jing Qingfu even considered giving the position of Patriarch to Zhengwei!

If Jing Qingfu doesn’t change his mind, that brat will truly become the Jing Family’s Patriarch, leaving no room for her son’s return!

"I know what you are thinking!" The lady raised her head, "You don’t just think Zhengwei is ruthless and merciless, adept at manipulation, fitting your so-called hero fantasy, so you consider him the most suitable choice? Please, you still don’t understand the fantasy and reality, do you? Zhengwei is not business material; he’s a gambler who merely won a bet! Can you ensure he’ll always win?"

"But Xiaowu is different; just give Xiaowu a little more time, and he’ll surely deliver a satisfactory answer!"

"I’m dying."

Jing Qingfu sighed deeply, biting the tube, exhaling white mist.

The lady paused, breath catching, then said after a moment of silence, "You stubbornly doing this won’t garner support."

"From top to bottom, half of the Jing Family sees Xiaowu’s potential, while the other half favors the disgraced man bewitched by maids... Forcing Zhengwei to the forefront will only lead to the Jing Family’s chaos."

"Perhaps, the Jing Family falling apart is just around the corner."

"I understand your thoughts; I’m aware of your regard for Zhengwei. Youth Daily is indeed quite formidable; many business associations have tried to establish newspapers over the years, but only Youth Daily has rapidly grown to rival Xuanzhu News in just two months... Zhengwei is indeed talented, I won’t deny it."

"Compared to other business associations, the Jing Family has a poor reputation, lacking public influence. Youth Daily fills this gap; if it emerged a decade earlier... Even if your generation couldn’t become Silver Blood’s chairman, the next generation’s Jing Family Patriarch could."

"But the Jing Family now needs not a trailblazer but a preserver." The lady sighed, "The Jing Family is too bloated, with tangled internal relationships and myriad interests. It’s a massive cumbersome machine, needing someone to organize, repair, maintain it so it can continue operating for a long time."

"This is a meticulous technical job. Xiaowu followed you all these years just to learn this technical work."

"Even if it’s not Xiaowu, choosing that disgraced man distracted by seducers or even a bastard born outside, would be better than Zhengwei — at least they understand that the Jing Family is an urgent old machine needing repair and wouldn’t act recklessly."

"But Zhengwei..." The lady said seriously, "He’ll only crazily start up this Jing Family machine, running wild towards his selfish ambitions—don’t think I can’t see the ulterior motives in various articles from Youth Daily; he definitely isn’t limited to just being the Jing Family Patriarch, nor is he content with that!"

"Qingfu, the Jing Family has over two hundred years of history; do you wish for it to be ruined like this? You’ve hesitated so long, endured sickness and lived on tenuously just to hand the Jing Family to a madman, a gambler, a, a..."

"I’m dying."

Jing Qingfu softly said.