“Xiao Shun is injured and currently in the county hospital, he might be there too,” Zuo Bin said as he opened the car door and took the driver’s seat, lighting a cigarette.


    “Head to the county town,” Tong Li said indifferently.


    In a private room at the county hospital.


    Xiao Shun had just dialed Yao Cen’s number and was a few sentences into their conversation when he heard a knock at the door. The next moment, Fang Jinglun, apanied by his assistant, walked in.


    Xiao Shun ced his index finger on his lips in a gesture of silence.


    Fang Jinglun was taken aback, it had been a long time since anyone dared to make such a gesture at him, a high-ranking city official.


    He signaled to his assistant, who understood, ced the fruit basket he was holding onto the table next to the hospital bed, and then left the room. Meanwhile, Fang Jinglun walked over to the window of the ward, looking out while waiting for Xiao Shun to finish his call.


    “Once we wrap things up here in a couple of days, I’ll be heading back. It should be quick, mainly dealing with thepensation issues,” Xiao Shun spoke into the phone.


    “Okay, I understand.”


    “Is everything okay at home? Do you miss me?”


    “I don’t believe you.”


    “…”


    Xiao Shun ended the call with Yao Cen after a bit more banter.


    Fang Jinglun somewhat regretted staying, listening to their conversation had given him a chilling sensation, raising goosebumps. The young people these days have no shame when expressing their affections, he thought.


    “Mr. Fang, what brings you here at this hour?” Xiao Shun asked with a beaming smile.


    He looked much better than he did in the afternoon, though he still seemed a bit weak. If he was in Stillwater, he could have recovered quickly with the help of the energy from the Spirit Stone. Here, however, he could only wait for his body to slowly recover.


    “I had urgent matters to report to the higher-ups, I hope I haven’t disturbed your rest,” Fang Jinglun sat down on a chair next to the bed and said.


    “I wanted to understand the specifics of what you encountered down there. How are you feeling now? Can you borate?”


    “No problem,” Xiao Shun replied with a smile.


    He then proceeded to exin the events in the pit to Fang Jinglun in detail, of course, omitting anything rted to the Dark Roses.


    “Monsters, really?” Fang Jinglun was somewhat incredulous, though he had initially believed the description given by Zhao Xianyong. Hearing it from Xiao Shun still seemed hard to ept.


    “It’s dead now, so there’s no need to worry about that. However, the poisonous gas that has umted there over the years will take some time to dissipate. I suggest you temporarily seal the cave, about a month should do it,” Xiao Shun suggested.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    “Ten or eight dayster, a gas mask won’t be necessary, an ordinary mask would suffice. In small amounts, the poisonous gas won’t significantly affect your health.”


    “Is the monster really dead?” Fang Jinglun asked, surprised.


    “How else could we have gotten out?” Xiao Shun replied with a smile, “The corpse is still in there. I have no reason to lie.”


    “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that the way Captain Zhao described it… it sounded so terrifying…” Fang Jinglun tried to exin.


    Xiao Shun waved his hand to interrupt, “Just kidding, Mr. Fang, don’t take it seriously.”


    “Could there be anything else in there?” Fang Jinglun asked, nodding and smiling.


    “I can almost assure you there isn’t. Think about it, apart from the creature itself, other lifeforms probably couldn’t withstand the thick poison it exuded over the years,” Xiao Shun reasoned.


    “Could there be others of its kind?” Fang Jinglun asked.


    Xiao Shun thought for a moment, “That’s possible, but my intuition tells me there aren’t any more.”


    “We need to ensure this just in case, we can’t risk people’s lives,” Fang Jinglun muttered to himself.


    It seemed he would have to request military assistance.


    He then looked up at Xiao Shun, “It was Yuxu who killed the monster, right? Master Yuxu’s contribution was immense this time. We’ll have to reward him privately when we get back.”


    “Uh… yes, Yuxu indeed contributed a lot this time. If not for him, we probably wouldn’t have been able to escape,” Xiao Shun agreed with a smile.


    Thanks to Yuxu acting as a decoy, I was able to cut off the monster’s tongue in one stroke. Without that, we wouldn’t have triggered the chain of events that followed. Yuxu indeed made a significant contribution, Xiao Shun thought to himself.


    At this moment, amotion came from outside the ward. The two men turned to look at the door in unison.


    Bang!


    The door to the ward was brutally kicked open, and a group of men in ck swarmed in.


    Then they saw Tong Li and Zuo Bin stride in menacingly from the rear. Upon seeing Xiao Shun on the hospital bed, Tong Li smirked ominously.


    “ying possum with me, you coward?”


    Xiao Shun nced at Fang Jinglun, then turned to Tong Li, “Mr. Tong, did you not find the p the other day sufficient? Have you forgotten the pain so soon because your injuries healed? It seems the lesson wasn’t enough, you’ve learned nothing.”


    “Xiao Shun, you had help that day, but you don’t have any today, right? Still so arrogant?” Zuo Bin retorted coldly.


    “I won’t let you leave today without maiming you!”


    What nonsense. If I’m not arrogant, wouldn’t my character be ruined?


    With a calm smile, Xiao Shun said, “I can crush you all the same without any help.”


    “Is that so? I’d like to see how you’ll crush us. Go ahead, break one of his legs for me!” Tong Limanded, grinding his teeth.


    “Who are you people? This is a hospital! This is no ce for you to wreak havoc!”


    Fang Jinglun, unaware of the grudge between Xiao Shun and the neers, stood up to reprimand them. He could tell from his interactions with Xiao Shun the kind of person he was. And these intimidating characters before him clearly weren’t up to any good.


    Tong Li stepped forward, pped Fang Jinglun across the face, and then punched him hard in the stomach.


    With a vicious expression, he said, “You dare to interfere in this matter? This is a hospital, so what? Even if it were a police station, my Tong family could still demolish it, believe it or not?”


    Fang Jinglun drew in a sharp breath of cold air. As a schr, he couldn’t withstand such a blow. He bent over in pain, his face contorted, unable to speak.


    “Stop! Is there now anymore? No justice? Even the police station, your Tong family dares to demolish? Can your Tong family cover the sky with one hand?” Xiao Shun questioned furiously.


    Deep down, he thought: Poor Mr. Fang…


    “Law? Justice?” Tong Li sneered, “You’re right. In this hundred-mile radius around Mount Kumi, my Tong family can cover the sky with one hand. I am the king of hell. If I say you die at the third watch, you won’t survive the fifth.”


    “Scoundrel! What’s your name?” Fang Jinglun asked, straightening up and bearing the pain.


    Tong Li gave another p to Fang Jinglun’s face and shouted, “Remember this, my name is Tong Li, my father is Tong Antai.”


    It was outrageous, absolutely outrageous!


    “Stop! You think you’rewless? You even dare to threaten to demolish the police station? Can your Tong family really cover the whole world with one hand?” Xiao Shun questioned angrily.


    He couldn’t help but think: Mr. Fang, I’m sorry…


    “Law? Justice?” Tong Li sneered, “You’re right. Within a hundred miles of Mount Kumi, our Tong family can indeed cover the sky with one hand. I am Yama, the god of death. If I say you will die at the third watch, you won’t survive until the fifth.”


    “Scoundrel! What’s your name?” Fang Jinglun asked, bearing the pain and standing straight.


    Tong Li pped Fang Jinglun again and shouted, “Remember, my name is Tong Li, and my father is Tong Antai.”