Chapter 25: I Am Willing to Be a Dog Under Your Command

"Three!"

Ye Huan reached three. Seeing that the butler had not only failed to vanish from his sight but was instead launching a sweeping kick at his legs, Ye Huan immediately lifted his foot and stomped precisely onto the butler’s shin.

"Crack!"

With a bone-chilling snap, the butler's lower leg was broken clean through by the force of the stomp.

"Ah..."

The butler let out a shrill scream. His other leg, still intact, acted like a spring, propelling him backward more than a meter. He stared at Ye Huan in utter shock. He knew exactly how fast his sweeping kick had been; the fact that Ye Huan could land such a precise blow proved he had underestimated his opponent. Ye Huan was strong—stronger than him!

"This..."

Jin Jiu and Jin Peng watched as the butler failed to land two consecutive attacks, only to have his leg shattered by Ye Huan. The twisted grins on their faces vanished. They realized at once that Ye Huan’s strength was formidable, certainly not inferior to the butler’s, and quite possibly even greater.

*This is bad. We’ve kicked a steel plate,* Jin Jiu thought to himself.

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it," Ye Huan said coldly. He picked up the Tang sword the butler had dropped while scrambling backward and walked slowly toward him.

"Don't come over! Stay away..." The butler panicked, hopping backward on one leg while stammering in terror, "I'm leaving! I'll disappear from your sight right now!"

As he spoke, his back struck the television set; there was nowhere left to retreat. Terrified, he shrieked, "Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me..."

"Take one last look at this world."

Ye Huan swung the blade coldly.

With a look of extreme fear and regret etched onto his face, the butler’s head rolled onto the floor, and blood erupted from his neck like a fountain.

"Ah..."

Seeing Ye Huan kill the butler—and in such a brutal, decapitating fashion—Jin Jiu and Jin Peng gasped in horror. They finally realized that Ye Huan was no ordinary man. An average person would never dare to kill, let alone with such decisive ease. It was clear that Ye Huan had killed many people before.

At that realization, they were seized by panic.

"Why is it that so many people in this world seem to think their lives are too long?"

***

Ye Huan held the blood-stained blade and looked at Jin Jiu. "Do you believe now that I have the power to cripple you?"

Jin Jiu dropped to his knees. "Spare me! Please, spare me! I have money—I have a lot of money! As long as you don't kill me, I’ll give you whatever you want. No, I’ll give you all of it! Just please, don't kill my son or me..."

As a titan of the underground world, Jin Jiu understood the art of bending when necessary. When facing the weak, he was ruthless; when facing the strong, he would kneel, beg, and pay whatever price was required. He would do anything to survive.

"You deserve to die."

Ye Huan walked up to Jin Jiu and raised his blade. He hadn't intended to kill anyone originally, but since the butler was already dead, he might as well finish off Jin Jiu too. He would consider it a good deed, ridding Peng City of this blight!

"Stay your hand!"

Just as the blade was about to fall, and just as Jin Jiu was so frightened he lost control of his bladder, a sharp voice rang out from the entrance.

A moment later, Hong Luan rushed in. "Stay your hand! Do not kill him!"

Jin Jiu and Jin Peng were stunned as they watched Hong Luan storm in. *Hong Luan!* How did one of the eight Great War Gods of the nation end up here?

"Why? Doesn't he deserve to die?" Ye Huan asked coldly.

"He does, but he must die at the hands of the law," Hong Luan said urgently. "Jin Jiu has committed countless crimes and deserves death, but he is a prominent figure in the business world and the founder and chairman of the Jin Group. His influence is too vast. If he dies under mysterious circumstances, it will trigger a series of chain reactions."

"What kind of chain reactions?" Ye Huan asked.

Hong Luan caught her breath before replying:

"First, if Jin Jiu dies mysteriously, many in the Peng City business community will lose faith in the local legal system. Specifically, those who aren't clean will likely withdraw their capital and flee, which will cause economic turmoil in the city.

"Second, if Jin Jiu dies, the Jin Group will be left leaderless. Banks and many of their business partners will cut ties, causing the group to collapse and leaving a massive number of employees unemployed.

"Third, if Jin Jiu dies, the group will descend into an internal power struggle, causing ongoing projects to be shelved, which will trigger even greater consequences..."

Ye Huan listened silently. He felt he had learned something new today—he hadn't realized that killing one person could involve so many complications.

"Do me a favor and don't kill Jin Jiu. I will uncover all evidence of his illegal activities and bring him to justice through the proper legal channels, minimizing the fallout," Hong Luan said, looking at Ye Huan with pleading eyes.

Jin Jiu and Jin Peng were shaken to their cores. They looked at Ye Huan in disbelief, wondering who on earth this man was. He had killed a butler, yet Hong Luan, a national War God, didn't even intervene. To save Jin Jiu, she was actually begging Ye Huan for a favor.

"I see Jin Jiu and Jin Peng are quite curious about my identity. Why don't you tell them?" Ye Huan said. This was his indirect way of agreeing not to kill Jin Jiu.

***

"He is the Underworld King," Hong Luan said, finally relaxing.

"What?"

Jin Jiu and Jin Peng fainted instantly from the shock!

"Wake them up," Ye Huan commanded.

"Understood!" Hong Luan quickly grabbed a basin of cold water from the restroom and splashed it onto their faces.

"Spare us! Underworld King, please spare us..." Once they came to, Jin Jiu and Jin Peng knelt on the floor, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Jin Peng had even forgotten the excruciating pain in his severed arm; the terror in his heart had completely eclipsed his physical agony. They had heard too many legends about the Underworld King! To offend the Underworld King didn't just mean death—it meant the total annihilation of one’s entire family!

"How about you work for me from now on?" Ye Huan asked, lifting Jin Jiu's chin with the tip of his shoe.

"Huh?"

Jin Jiu had been shaking in every cell of his body, but upon hearing this, he felt as if a refreshing rain had just nourished his entire being. He had offended the Underworld King, and not only was he not being killed, but he was being taken on as a subordinate? The highs and lows of life were truly—too damn exciting!

"Are you unwilling?" Ye Huan asked.

"I'm willing!" Jin Jiu let out a cry, his voice filled with fervor. "I'm willing! From this moment on, I, Jin Jiu, am your dog. I will be loyal until the day I die!"

"Get up," Ye Huan said, satisfied with Jin Jiu's attitude. He nodded and added, "From now on, you are not to trouble Lin Xi ever again."

Jin Jiu stood up, standing at rigid attention. "As you command!"