It was Jiang Yi who needed his money and who was begging him to restore his reporter credentials. And yet, Jiang Yi had the audacity to roar at him over his own mistake?

Yuk Dalong was instantly furious. Did this bastard really think he was so great just because he took a few photos? In Tianhai, he could kill an intern like Jiang Yi a hundred times over without any trouble!

"Yuk Dalong, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?" Jiang Yi said angrily, his face darkening as he stood up.

"Heh, you dare to challenge me?" Yuk Dalong glared and, without looking back, commanded, "Er Long, give him a beating for me. Damn it, do you really think I can't handle you?"

"Who do you want to beat?"

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice reached Yuk Dalong's ears. His expression changed instantly. He had never heard this voice before. And it wasn't Er Long's voice! Yuk Dalong hurriedly turned his head.

A calm face came into view.

Familiar.

Very familiar.

Over the past few days, Yuk Dalong had seen photos of this face again and again. This… This was Xu Ke!

Yuk Dalong's complexion changed drastically as a chill shot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head.

Why is Xu Ke here? Is he out to get me?! Did he team up with Jiang Yi?! I'm done for!

The thoughts bubbled up in his mind one after another like a bout of diarrhea, and he instinctively wanted to scream for help. But what met his face was a dirty rag…

...

After subduing Yuk Dalong, Xu Ke went to deal with Er Long, who was lying on the ground. The man was too heavy for Jiang Yi to lift, so it had to be Xu Ke. Besides, he needed to make sure Er Long stayed unconscious for a while longer. As for Yuk Dalong, he was left for Jiang Yi to handle.

...

"MMMPH, MMMPH, MMMPH…"

Yuk Dalong sat on the toilet lid, his hands and feet bound by countless layers of duct tape. The stench from the bathroom rag made his face turn the color of liver. To prevent him from spitting the rag out, Jiang Yi had mercilessly added another layer of tape over his mouth. The smell alone was nearly enough to kill him.

"This should do it," Jiang Yi said, admiring his handiwork with a smug smile.

Just then, Xu Ke emerged after tossing Er Long into a stall. When he saw that Jiang Yi had completely sealed Yuk Dalong's mouth, his expression soured.

Seeing Xu Ke approach, Jiang Yi excitedly tried to curry favor. "Boss, I've handled it. He's being quite obedient now. We can start gathering the evidence."

By now, Jiang Yi completely saw himself as Xu Ke's underling. Now that he had thrown in his lot with Xu Ke, he had no intention of backing out.

But Xu Ke just asked incredulously, "What are you doing?" He was referring to the fact that Jiang Yi was still adding more tape.

"I was afraid he would cry for help and attract attention," Jiang Yi answered honestly. In truth, he was just venting. Having been tormented by a foul stench himself earlier that day, he wanted Yuk Dalong to get a taste of it.

Xu Ke let out a humorless laugh. "If you wrap his mouth that tightly, how the hell am I supposed to make him drink his medicine?"

Jiang Yi was speechless. "..."

...

RRRIP!

Xu Ke tore off the tape. Yuk Dalong was already on the verge of passing out, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Alright," Xu Ke said, tossing the tape aside before delivering a hard punch to Yuk Dalong's stomach.

THUMP.

Yuk Dalong let out a muffled cry of pain. "Oof…"

After confirming that Yuk Dalong was temporarily unable to scream, Xu Ke yanked the rag out of his mouth. Yuk Dalong immediately started to spew bile and liquor. Xu Ke took a deep breath before opening the bottle of leftover *Heat-Reducing Tea* from the afternoon.

At the sight of the pitch-black, foul-smelling liquid, Yuk Dalong's entire body recoiled, but Xu Ke gave him no choice. He forced the concoction down Yuk Dalong's throat, simultaneously pressing a series of acupoints on his body in a familiar pattern.

After he had drunk it all, Yuk Dalong was completely spent, a profound bitterness filling his mouth. That herbal medicine was disgusting.

Jiang Yi stood to the side, explaining with a triumphant sneer, "That's 'Goddess Flower Spread.' If you don't get the antidote within seven days, your entire body will rot, and you will die."

"You… You're too vicious!" Yuk Dalong's eyes bulged. He knew that stuff couldn't be anything good.

"I ask, you answer." Xu Ke tossed the empty bottle into his backpack. "Who ordered the hit?" He was verifying what Jiang Yi had told him that afternoon.

"I… I won't tell you," Yuk Dalong gritted out.

But the pain began almost immediately. It felt as if ants were crawling all over his thighs, his calves, and his stomach. It was an agonizing, numbing sensation. Just as it had been for Jiang Yi.

"AAARGH—"

Just as Yuk Dalong was about to scream, the rag was shoved back into his mouth…

...

After enduring the torture, Yuk Dalong's cowardly nature took over, and he immediately folded.

"I'll… I'll talk! It was the Li Family! The Ye Family is their backer, which essentially means both the Ye and Li Families are after you," Yuk Dalong wheezed, a look of sheer terror on his face. The memory of the pain was still fresh, and he had no desire to experience it a second time.

Xu Ke pulled a cell phone out of Yuk Dalong's pocket. Yuk Dalong tried to refuse to unlock it by closing his eyes, but after another punch from Jiang Yi, he obediently complied.

Xu Ke opened the messaging app and found that the chat history had been wiped clean. He asked calmly, "Where's the evidence?"

"If I give you the evidence, will you give me the antidote?" Yuk Dalong looked at Xu Ke, a hint of smugness in his eyes as he began to bargain. Fortunately, he had been cautious enough to delete everything. Now, that caution was his only leverage.

But Jiang Yi sold him out without a second thought. "Boss, it should be in his cloud storage. I heard my colleagues say he keeps everything in there."

The smug look on Yuk Dalong's face froze. He glared at Jiang Yi. "Are you fucking betraying me? How much did Xu Ke pay you?"

"Heh." Jiang Yi sneered, ignoring him as he stuffed the rag back into Yuk Dalong's mouth.

Xu Ke accessed the cloud storage and found everything—chat logs, transaction records, all of it.

It really is Li Lang. Xu Ke's eyes narrowed.

He immediately shared the files with Jiang Yi and took photos of the screen with his own phone for good measure. Finally, he screenshotted Li Lang's identification page to confirm his identity.

But Xu Ke was still somewhat disappointed. The evidence was only enough to incriminate the Li Family; it wasn't enough to touch the Ye Family.

"I'll give you one last chance," Xu Ke said, putting his phone away. "Provide enough evidence, and I can let you go."

Yuk Dalong nodded eagerly. Jiang Yi removed the stinking rag.

Yuk Dalong spoke in a rush. "A few days ago, Li Lang, First Master Ye, and I were drinking at Golden K. We discussed how to deal with you…"

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And… did you know this is Second Young Master Ye's territory?" Yuk Dalong suddenly changed the subject.

Xu Ke frowned. "I know. What does that have to do with anything?"

Yuk Dalong continued, "The four Ye brothers may seem harmonious, but in reality, Second Young Master Ye is at extreme odds with the hot-tempered First Master Ye. He even sees First Master Ye as a thorn in his side. Only a handful of people know this, and I happen to be one of them."

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