Chapter 2898 — Zhao Qibing Arrives

"Boss Liu, my apologies—there's been a bit of a problem!" Xiao Chunjie's voice was low and grave.

"Oh? What sort of problem?" Liu Tianli was momentarily taken aback, but since the hypnotist's art had long since been planted deep in his mind, his trust in Xiao Chunjie remained absolute, without a trace of doubt.

"It's like this—there was rather a lot of cargo this time, and the snakeheads in charge of smuggling at the border have their grievances. They're refusing the price we agreed on before, and now the goods are stuck at the border and can't be moved through. What a nuisance!" Xiao Chunjie sighed, sounding rather helpless.

"Oh? How much do they want?" Liu Tianli understood well enough; after all, with more cargo, if the price stayed the same as before, any snakehead who wasn't a fool would certainly object.

"They want another two hundred million in passage fees..." Xiao Chunjie said. "Alas, this time the sum they're asking is a bit steep..."

"It's not really all that much—compared with the value of the goods, it's nothing." Though Liu Tianli's trust in Xiao Chunjie had been hypnotically implanted, he still kept a businessman's head. "Only, the situation now is that I don't have a single cent of cash left on hand, and my assets have all been mortgaged. There's no way for me to raise any more cash..."

"I see..." Xiao Chunjie thought to himself that this time Liu Tianli's funds had surely been squeezed completely dry—it was time to reel in the net. So he said, "Then let me negotiate with them again, and I'll look into things on my end as well, to see if I can scrape the money together!"

"That'll do. I'll look into things on my side too—if it really comes to it, I'll borrow some from old friends!" Liu Tianli said. "In any case, once our cigarettes come through, principal and profit will all flow right back!"

"That's certainly true. Right, let's keep in touch at all times!" Xiao Chunjie said.

After ending the call, Xiao Chunjie addressed An Liwen respectfully: "Young Master Wen, that's about it. There shouldn't be any more money to squeeze out of Liu Tianli's hands."

"Mm, he can't even come up with two hundred million—it seems he really has nothing left." An Liwen nodded. "We can proceed with the final plan. No need to discuss it—we shaft him!"

"Yes, Young Master Wen! Then let's wait a few days and see whether he can still get his hands on any money," Xiao Chunjie answered.

"Fine, handle it as you see fit. Pick a time, tell him about that last matter we planned, and then it's over—we can head home," An Liwen said.

In Donghai City, Zhao Qibing had been hiding out in the Hidden Zhao family for some time, and finding that the Hidden Yu family had done nothing to him, he breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the Geili Fuyun Bar.

In truth, the Hidden Yu family, preoccupied with the matter of Yu Shan, had no heart to make trouble for Zhao Qibing. He was, at most, a man beguiled by Yu Shan—and Yu Shan himself was the Yu family's family scandal, a thing they could hardly cover up fast enough. Why would they ever bring it up of their own accord?

So they let Zhao Qibing off. But as for the Hidden Zhao family, the Yu family no longer regarded them as in-laws as before; they severed relations with them completely, and Yu Xiaojin naturally became a sacrifice.

With the Hidden Yu family no longer behind him, Yu Xiaojin was in an instant reduced to a figure loved by neither grandmother nor uncle—he lost his former standing within the Hidden Zhao family as well, and Zhao Guangyin at last no longer had to watch Yu Xiaojin's moods.

Zhao Qilei had been feeling some regret of late. When Wei Zhao had come to the Hidden Zhao family that time and threatened to break his legs, Zhao Qibing, afraid that Wei Zhao would still make trouble for him over the Yu Ning affair, had not dared come out to meet Wei Zhao.

But now the storm had passed, and clearly nothing had come of it—the Yu family had let the matter drop, and Wei Zhao apparently had no intention of pursuing it either. Zhao Qibing felt a touch of regret: how good it would have been to come out back then! Wei Zhao could have broken his legs for him!

So the very first thing Zhao Qibing did upon returning to the Geili Fuyun Bar was to decide to pay Wei Zhao a visit at school. In Zhao Qibing's view, whether Wei Zhao agreed or not, he surely wouldn't resort to violence against him on school grounds.

Of course, the most important reason Zhao Qibing went looking for Wei Zhao was to sound things out. By the timing of the trial, Wei Zhao and Zhao Qilei should have returned by now, yet Zhao Qilei had not appeared at the Zhao family. That left Zhao Qibing uneasy—he did not know whether Zhao Qilei was alive or dead—so he meant to go to the school and see whether Wei Zhao was there.

He did not know that Wei Zhao and Zhang Naipao had been delayed several more days in the Five Fiends Wildlands.

Zhao Qibing, familiar with the way, found Wei Zhao's class and found You Panhu.

"Well, if it isn't Young Master Bing! Long time no see. I hear you've been in hiding?" Though both the Yu and Zhao families had deliberately kept the matter quiet, the You family and other hidden-level clans had still gotten wind of it.

"Haha, how could that be? Hiding? Why would I hide?" Zhao Qibing looked a little embarrassed, but his hide was thick and he did not care. "By the way, have you seen Wei Zhao?"

"Didn't Wei Zhao go to the Xuandan Sect trial?" You Panhu was briefly taken aback. "Hm? By the timing, he should be back by now. Don't tell me he's dead?"

Wei Zhao dying would have pleased You Panhu greatly. Wei Zhao's presence here grated on him, yet there was nothing he could do about it. Once Wei Zhao was dead, he could pursue Han Jingyi without the slightest scruple.

"That's what I was thinking too, so I came to ask about it. My brother Qitan hasn't come back either," Zhao Qibing said.

"That unlucky brother of yours?" You Panhu shook his head. "I don't know either. Why don't you ask Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi? She might know."

"Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi—I'm not that close with them..." Zhao Qibing was not well acquainted with Wang Xinyan or Han Jingyi, and feared that asking would be a waste of breath.

"Then there's nothing I can do." Until Wei Zhao's death was confirmed, You Panhu resolved to stay out of the matter. Past lessons had been enough; he did not want to be put in his place by Wei Zhao again.

"Forget it, I'll go ask." Having no other choice, Zhao Qibing walked over to Wang Xinyan, giving her quite a fright.

"What... what do you want?" Wang Xinyan had seen Zhao Qibing before, but was not well acquainted with him, and he was a frightening sort of person who was forever threatening to break people's legs. Naturally she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Heh heh, it's really nothing. Um... I just wanted to ask, has Wei Zhao come back?" Zhao Qibing asked.

"Wei Zhao? Why do you ask?" Wang Xinyan was somewhat on her guard, not knowing what Zhao Qibing was up to.

"I just want him to help break my legs, nothing else. Has he come back?" Zhao Qibing bared his teeth, putting on a show of being utterly harmless.