Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 94 - Making a Deal

Li Feifei drove from the suburb back to the city center at a high speed, her driving skills so advanced that an onlooker would hardly believe she was just a high school student. Despite her impressive control of the car, her face was etched with deep melancholy, her mind replaying the words she had just heard.

Upon entering the city center, she did not head towards her home. Instead, she drove to the First Central Hospital.

Li Feifei parked the car and went straight into the hospital, taking the elevator up to the intensive care unit on the ninth floor. She stopped outside one of the rooms, peering through the thick glass at the person lying inside. Soon, her face was covered in tears.

Inside the intensive care unit, a middle-aged man lay on the hospital bed, his body connected to various machines by tubes, a respirator attached to his mouth, his eyes tightly shut, and his complexion deathly pale-as if he could pass away at any moment.

A nurse, clad in protective gear, approached. Li Feifei stepped forward and grabbed her, “How is my dad?”

The nurse, accustomed to seeing Li Feifei’s tear-streaked face, seemed desensitized, as she faced the same question every day.

“The patient’s condition has not improved. Prepare for all eventualities,” the nurse replied emotionlessly, a response that was a devastating blow to Li Feifei, one she heard every day.

Leaning against the glass wall of the room, Li Feifei slowly slid to the floor. What should I do? What should I do? Tears silently fell, yet time did not stop for her sorrow.

Gradually, Li Feifei got up from the floor, wiped the tears from her face, and stood alone. As just a high school student, she was forced to bear such a heavy burden alone, with no one to help or comfort her. She wiped her own tears every time, and yet, each visit to this place inevitably ended in tears once more.

After leaving the hospital, Li Feifei drove to a high-end residential area and sat in her car outside a villa, her gaze fixed on one of the windows, reflecting a complexity far beyond her years.

“If you want your dad to get better, use your skills to tempt men!” These words echoed in her ears. Li Feifei gave one last look towards the apartment window, then started her car and sped away.

“Achoo!” Tang Jie, lying in bed, suddenly sneezed. Looking up, he realized he had forgotten to close the window. Getting up from the bed, he walked over and noticed that it had started to rain at some point.

Darn weather! He cursed inwardly, closed the window, and went back to lie down. He had been pondering whether to go to Lifedeath Cliff, and ever since the old man saved him last time, he felt as if the true qi inside his body had stalled. The lack of progress over the past few days baffled him. Could it be as Uncle Zhao said, that every master encounters an insurmountable barrier after reaching a certain realm?

Or is it that falling from one realm and trying to regain it is a hundred times more difficult than advancing to a new breakthrough?

What kind of opportunity is needed? Does he need something to help guide the true qi in his body to break through?

After some thought, Tang Jie drifted off to sleep and soon found himself dreaming. In the dream, he saw himself floating on a cloud, with a white-bearded elder, only visible from the back, in front of him, seemingly wanting to say something.

“Hey, old man, is that you?” Tang Jie called out to the white-bearded elder, noting a resemblance to his master, but the elder seemed not to hear him. Tang Jie tried to approach him but found himself unable to move closer.

Then, he watched as the white-bearded elder gradually moved away, ascending higher as if going up to the heavens. Panicking, Tang Jie tried to follow but inadvertently stepped into thin air, falling through the clouds, and then waking up on his bed.

Startled awake, Tang Jie found himself sweating profusely. Recalling the vivid dream, it felt as though it had just happened. Then, he suddenly felt a peculiar sensation in his body. Closing his eyes, he noticed the true qi flowing unusually fast inside him, and the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy felt much stronger than before, continuously streaming into his dantian.

A thrill of excitement ran through Tang Jie’s heart. Could it be that his true qi was now improving? Was that dream a hint?

Thinking of this, Tang Jie crossed his legs and sat upright, focusing on absorbing the heaven and earth spiritual energy around him. He could feel the true qi in his dantian growing stronger and stronger as waves of warmth radiated from his body. Thin wisps of pale white mist began to rise and float in the room. Tang Jie’s heart surged with joy-he felt as if he was on the brink of breaking through all prior limitations, ready to ascend to a new peak. But just as he reached this thrilling climax, a sudden, searing pain coursed through his meridians, followed by a nearly unbearable sensation, as though his entire body were about to explode.

He quickly opened his eyes and forced himself to stop absorbing the heaven and earth spiritual energy, but the explosion-like sensation continued to intensify within him. Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, Tang Jie held on for several exhausting moments until it finally began to subside.

“Whew! That was close-I almost cried out loud!” he muttered, trying not to alarm Chen Shuran. Breathing deeply to stabilize himself, he exhaled a long breath of relief once the energy within him settled down. However, his meridians still ached slightly. When the pain eased, he attempted to gather the true qi in his dantian again, only to be disappointed-there was no improvement at all. His true qi remained the same as before, with no sign of enhancement.

“Strange… What on earth is going on?” Tang Jie thought, frowning. The peculiar sensation from earlier had made him believe he was about to achieve a breakthrough, and that the explosion-like feeling might have been a precursor to leveling up, just like the last time. But now, it seemed as though he’d made no progress at all.

He tried once more, only to meet the same disappointing result. Baffled, he mulled it over and over but couldn’t figure anything out. Finally, he decided to let it go for now, resolving to look for a solution later.

At the entrance of a tall building, a car pulled up. The door opened, and a man in a white jacket stepped out. His expression was cold and detached. Spotting him approaching, the security guard at the door immediately stepped forward and asked, “Excuse me, sir, who are you looking for?”

The man cast a cool glance at the security guard. A flicker of cold light flashed in his narrow, sharp eyes. “I’m here to see Qin Tian,” he replied flatly.

Hearing this, the security guard sized him up. The man looked to be in his early twenties, yet he dared to speak of their chairman by name, without a hint of formality. The guard’s face quickly showed a trace of disdain.

“Our chairman isn’t someone just anyone can meet,” the guard said dismissively. He was about to turn around and walk away when he suddenly felt a hand clamp around his wrist. Before he could react, a sharp pain surged through his arm, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

“Who… who are you?” the security guard stammered, his voice trembling with pain as he stared at the eerily composed young man before him.

“Just tell Qin Tian that Chen Nan is here to see him,” Chen Nan said, his tone still calm. He released the guard’s wrist and stood there coolly. The guard, now thoroughly intimidated, didn’t dare to argue further and scrambled back inside to inform his superiors.

Qin Tian sat in his sleek office, his fingers lightly tapping the surface of his desk. When he heard the security guard over the intercom relaying the message, a trace of puzzlement flashed across his face. “Chen Nan?” he muttered, rolling the name over in his mind. After a moment of consideration, he nodded. “Let him come up.”

Not long after, the security guard returned with Chen Nan in tow, leading him into the spacious office.

“Mr. Qin, a pleasure to meet you.” As Chen Nan stepped into the room and caught sight of Qin Tian, his tone was detached, his words laced with unmistakable arrogance.

Qin Tian, being a man of experience, brushed off Chen Nan’s attitude with ease. He gestured for Chen Nan to sit, maintaining the polite, composed demeanor of a seasoned businessman; surface-level courtesy was something he had mastered long ago.

“So, you must be Chen Nan. The Chen family’s reputation precedes you-I’ve heard the stories. Your family is said to be full of exceptional martial arts masters. But tell me, what brings you to my office today?” Qin Tian asked, studying Chen Nan carefully.

The young man, barely past twenty, was casually but respectably dressed. His face, however, bore an unmistakable sharpness, with a simmering hostility in his expression. Those cold, penetrating eyes, brimming with an almost predatory intent, were particularly hard to ignore.

“I’ve come to discuss a deal,” Chen Nan replied bluntly, cutting straight to the point. He clearly had no intention of sugarcoating things.

Qin Tian raised an eyebrow in slight surprise before responding, his tone measured. “I may have a deep respect for martial arts culture and its teachings, but I’m a businessman at heart. I’m curious-what kind of deal does someone like you want to strike with someone like me?”

Qin Tian’s message was clear: he was open to business if that’s what this was, but if this so-called “deal” involved leveraging threats or intimidation, Chen Nan had better choose his words carefully.

Chen Nan smirked faintly, his gaze leveling on Qin Tian. “Your nemesis is Chen Jiankai, isn’t he?”

“He’s simply a competitor in business,” Qin Tian replied evenly, a subtle smile playing on his lips. “It’s perfectly normal for people in business to have rivals. Competition drives growth and innovation, after all.” While Qin Tian’s words were calm, his instincts as a seasoned businessman had already picked up on Chen Nan’s true intentions. However, he wasn’t about to tip his hand first.

This was the hallmark of a shrewd entrepreneur-always maintaining composure and guarding against potential pitfalls.

“What if I told you I could eliminate your nemesis for you? All I ask in return is that you agree to one condition,” Chen Nan said, dropping his offer like a bombshell. His cold tone was as unsettling as his expression was calm.

Qin Tian froze for a second before bursting into laughter. “What a bold joke! How could I possibly ‘eliminate’ my business rival? The market is like a battlefield-sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It’s this competition that fosters progress. So, you see…”

“Think it over and call me if you change your mind,” Chen Nan interrupted abruptly, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. He tossed the small note, scrawled with a phone number, onto the desk. Without waiting for Qin Tian’s response, Chen Nan turned on his heel and slipped out of the room with a swift, confident stride.

Qin Tian’s polite smile faded as he watched Chen Nan disappear through the doorway. For a long time, his gaze lingered on the note that had landed on his desk. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked over, slowly picked it up, and began to study it carefully.