Chapter 61: Touching the Reverse Scale
’That brat who caused a scene at the funeral?’
Jin Tianxiang had been plagued by nightmares for the past few days, so he hadn’t found the energy to deal with Cheng Yuan. Now that his wife had reminded him, he instantly recalled the events of that day.
He remembered the brat cursing him as he left.
Ever since then, he had indeed been plagued by nightmares every single night. The suffering was unbearable!
"It has to be that brat!!"
Jin Tianxiang snatched up his phone and dialed a familiar number. "Investigate! I want you to run a check right now! By tomorrow morning, I want every piece of information you can find on Cheng Yuan!"
Jin Tianxiang brewed a strong cup of coffee to keep himself awake and forced himself to stay up until dawn. He truly didn’t dare to sleep.
After pulling another all-nighter, dark circles ringed Jin Tianxiang’s eyes. His face was ashen, his eyes were bloodshot, and his mental state was abysmal. He looked so bad he could have played a zombie without any makeup.
DING.
Jin Tianxiang received a text message.
"Boss, we’ve finished gathering the information on Cheng Yuan. His address is Huijing Garden, and his phone number is..."
Jin Tianxiang immediately dialed Cheng Yuan’s number.
RING... RING...
The call connected quickly, and Cheng Yuan’s crisp voice came through the line. "This is Cheng Yuan. Who’s calling?"
"Jin Tianxiang."
"Ah, President Jin. What can I do for you?"
"Are you the one behind this? I’m warning you, don’t play these petty tricks. I’ve had you thoroughly investigated—I know everything about you, right down to how many people are in your family and what they all do!"
Cheng Yuan’s pupils constricted, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
’Jin Tianxiang was actually threatening his family!’
This was a line that should never have been crossed.
Cheng Yuan was immensely relieved that he had already moved his parents to Villa Number One. The security measures at Long Lake District were far better than those at Huijing Garden; they should be safe.
"Go on, try it if you have the guts. If anything—and I mean *anything*—happens to my family, I will personally grind your entire family to dust and scatter their ashes!"
With that, Cheng Yuan hung up.
BEEP... BEEP...
Jin Tianxiang called back immediately. Cheng Yuan answered and said coldly, "President Jin, save the tough talk. If you have nothing else to say, I’m hanging up."
"Don’t hang up! Can you just make the nightmares stop? I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in days!"
"I can. All you have to do is go to the Disciplinary Department and give them a full report—down to the last detail—of how you colluded with those powerful figures back then. Make them pay the price they deserve!"
Jin Tianxiang was stunned. "You’re insane! Brat! You must be completely out of your mind!!"
"Whether I’m insane or not, I can’t say. But I do know that *you’re* about to go insane. Call me when you’ve made your decision. Otherwise, don’t harass me again."
With that, Cheng Yuan hung up again.
’Jin Tianxiang was practically seething with rage. ’This damn lunatic! He actually wants to pick a fight to the death with the powerful and influential?’’
Ai Yuelan asked with some concern, "Honey, what is it?"
"It’s that brat’s doing. He wants me to report the powerful figures who sent him to prison. He must have a death wish!"
"But if you don’t do what he says, that brat won’t let you off the hook. You can’t go on being plagued by these nightmares. What if we find a few scapegoats?"
Jin Tianxiang snorted. "He’s just some punk from the countryside. There’s no need to waste scapegoats on him. We have to save them for when it really counts! First, let’s go pay our respects to Mother. Then, I’ll personally pay a visit to that brat’s home and have a nice, long talk with his family!"
Ai Yuelan helped support Jin Tianxiang as they headed to the old matriarch’s bedroom.
The matriarch was the eldest daughter of the Wang Family from the Provincial City. Years ago, she had married down into the Jin Family. Now, she was the pillar that held the Jin Family up, their greatest backing, and the key reason the Jin Family had successfully become one of Luocheng’s top-tier elite families.
"Mother, I’ve come to pay my respects."
Upon entering the room, Jin Tianxiang dropped heavily to his knees.
The matriarch, still grieving the loss of her grandson, was in low spirits. "Get up. There’s no need for such ceremony, Tianxiang. Come and sit. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a proper talk, just the two of us."
"Yes."
Jin Tianxiang rose and approached the matriarch, Wang Yuanju.
Wang Yuanju gazed at her son, her heart aching for him. "Tianxiang, Pengfei is gone, and we are all heartbroken. But you must take care of yourself. I don’t want to lose my son right after losing my grandson."
"Mother, my condition... it’s not entirely because of Pengfei. Someone has put a curse on me."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"You remember that brat who caused a scene at Pengfei’s funeral a few days ago? He cursed me, said I’d be plagued by nightmares every night. And ever since then, it’s been true. I’ve been suffering from them every single night."
Wang Yuanju’s face contorted with rage.
"That damned brat! He disrupts my grandson Pengfei’s funeral and then dares to curse my son! I will not let him get away with this! Old Qian, come here. See if there’s truly something wrong with Tianxiang."
"Yes, Miss."
An expressionless old man emerged from the shadows.
This old man was Qian Tieshou, Wang Yuanju’s bodyguard. He had been by her side for over fifty years and was both the Jin Family’s strongest shield and their sharpest blade, having solved a great many problems for them.
Qian Tieshou lifted his hand and placed it on Jin Tianxiang’s wrist, channeling a stream of True Essence into him to probe his physical condition.
A moment later, Qian Tieshou withdrew his hand, his expression grave. "Tianxiang has indeed been targeted by insidious means. There is a malevolent energy within his body."
"Uncle Qian, can you neutralize this curse?"
Qian Tieshou shook his head slightly. "This technique is exceedingly bizarre. I have never encountered anything like it in all my years."
"If even you can’t solve it, Uncle Qian, does that mean I’m doomed?"
Qian Tieshou smiled. "I may not be able to neutralize it, but the one who cast it on you can. Take me to him. I find myself quite interested in this technique."
Jin Tianxiang’s whole purpose in coming to pay his respects had been to ask for Qian Tieshou’s help, so he nodded without hesitation. "Excellent. I’ll take you to see that brat right now, Uncle Qian!"
"I’m going too. I want to see this brat who’s courting death for myself!"
VROOM! VROOM!
Jin Tianxiang’s car sped off, heading straight for Huijing Garden. His plan was simple: get ahold of Cheng Yuan’s parents, and Cheng Yuan would have no choice but to yield.
...
Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan wasn’t paying Jin Tianxiang any mind. He planned to let him stew for a few more days. Once the man couldn’t take it anymore, he would inevitably compromise.
’I have to make Jin Tianxiang and those powerful figures turn on each other, dog-eat-dog style. They’ll all end up in prison, where they can experience the ’joys’ of life behind bars!’
’Of course, I’ll also put in a word with some of my ’friends’ in prison to make sure their stay is extra... ’comfortable.’’
Cheng Yuan practiced his techniques in the small courtyard for a while before dialing his mother’s number. To his surprise, the call wouldn’t go through.
Cheng Yuan’s heart sank.
’It can’t be, can it?’
’Did Jin Tianxiang move that fast?’
’Isn’t the security at Long Lake District supposed to be top-notch?’
’Aren’t outsiders forbidden from entering freely?’
Cheng Yuan quickly dialed his father’s number. Cheng Hongbing answered almost immediately. "Dad, are you with Mom? Why won’t her phone connect?"
"We’re together. We’re back at the old house, packing some things. Huh? Someone’s knocking at the door. I have to go!"