Leo Li watched Ethan Li with an amused look.
His voice was indifferent, and the way he looked at Ethan Li was like he was sizing up a fat monkey.
"You’re mistaken."
Ethan Li coughed a few times on the floor, grabbed the wall for support, and staggered to his feet, still unsteady.
He looked at Leo Li, his face a mess: "I came here—Lily Zhong doesn’t know."
"She doesn’t know?"
Leo Li’s eyebrows shot up, his smile fading as he heard Ethan Li’s words.
Before Leo Li could speak, Master Walter Wan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His gaze was icy as he looked at Ethan Li, his tone full of disbelief: "The Bone-Melt Miasma has been in her body for five days. In two more days, every bone in her body will completely dissolve."
"That kind of pain, every second, right down to the bone. A woman like her—how could she possibly endure it?"
"Forget playing dumb. Compared to saving face, her life matters more, doesn’t it?"
Master Walter Wan didn’t believe for a second that Ethan Li had come here on his own.
In the face of death, how could someone as insignificant as Lily Zhong possibly stay calm?
"That’s right. Bone-Melt Miasma is brutal in its final stage. For anyone who gets hit with it, the pain is even worse than death."
Leo Li had seen Master Walter Wan use Bone-Melt Miasma before, so he knew how terrifying it was: "If Lily Zhong sent you, she’d better show some real sincerity."
He was about to keep talking.
But Ethan Li shook his head again and again: "No, you really have it wrong."
"This time, I came here without Lily Zhong’s knowledge. She’d rather die than compromise with you."
"But I can’t do that."
"Lily Zhong has been good to me, so I want to make a deal with you."
"I’ll have Angel Epoch’s Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill pulled from Oceanport’s market. I guarantee it’ll never come back. The whole market can go to your Rejuvenation Beauty Pill."
"Even all the market resources we’ve already built up—I can hand them over. As long as you agree to save Lily Zhong’s life."
Ethan Li leaned against the wall, speaking in a halting voice, his gaze locked on the people in front of him.
"So you, Ethan Li from Angel Epoch, want to make a deal with me?"
Leo Li squinted at Ethan Li, his smile gone. He slowly walked up, grabbed Ethan’s chubby face: "And Lily Zhong from Angel Epoch would rather die than bow her head to me?"
"Is that what you mean?"
Leo Li’s voice was icy, furious at this outcome.
"I can guarantee—I’ll do exactly as I said."
Ethan Li tried to keep speaking.
Bang!
Leo Li kicked him, sending Ethan Li flying across the room.
The kick was so strong that Ethan Li slammed into the wall, curling up in pain.
"Guarantee? Guarantee?"
Leo Li sneered, walked over, and stomped on Ethan’s hand: "Why would I care about your guarantee?"
"Who even wants Oceanport’s market?"
"You think I traveled all this way just for some tiny market?"
"Can you hand over the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill formula?"
"Are you even in charge?"
Leo Li pressed harder, glaring at Ethan Li lying there, his voice hoarse like a furious beast.
"Formula... I don’t have the formula."
Ethan Li tried to pull his hand out from under Leo Li’s foot, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t get free.
"No formula? You don’t have it? Then why are you here?"
Leo Li pressed down harder with his foot, making Ethan Li’s face go pale as he groaned in pain.
"Want Lily Zhong to survive? Then have her come beg me herself!"
"Make her kneel in front of me, make her beg. Who do you think you are? You’re not qualified to come here on her behalf!"
"Who the hell are you!"
The more Leo Li spoke, the angrier he got. He pressed down even harder with his foot.
Sweat poured down Ethan Li’s forehead, the pain making him cry out loud.
"Didn’t you send people to mess with us before? Huh?"
"You think Master Walter Wan, disciple of Grandmaster Victor Zhou from Hong Kong, is just for show?"
"What a joke—sending a bunch of useless guys to cause trouble. You really think we don’t know anything?"
"Hm? Now you know what pain feels like?"
Leo Li’s voice was icy cold.
Ethan Li was in so much pain he nearly passed out.
Zhao Chun watched, sneering. Deep down, he felt more and more grateful he’d chosen to follow Leo Li.
Now, it looked like Angel Epoch would soon fall into Leo Li’s hands, and Lily Zhong probably wouldn’t die. So as long as Zhao Chun could win Leo Li’s favor, maybe he’d finally get what he wanted.
The more he thought about it, the more excited Zhao Chun became.
Ethan Li looked pitiful, Leo Li showed no mercy, and Master Walter Wan sitting nearby wore a cold, arrogant expression.
He didn’t even bother to glance at Ethan Li lying on the floor.
These people had come for the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill formula. They saw its huge potential, but their Rejuvenation Beauty Pill had hidden flaws and couldn’t be mass-marketed.
"Bone-Melt Miasma will fully take effect in two days. I refuse to believe a young woman could survive those last two days."
"On the last day, I’ll go to her myself and watch her suffer, watch her beg for mercy, watch her cry her heart out and regret everything."
Master Walter Wan spoke with disdain, his voice chilling and utterly devoid of emotion.
To him, it all seemed like trivial matters.
"I’ll go in person, too."
Leo Li grinned: "I want to see with my own eyes how that woman screams."
"I want to make her beg me—beg me hard!"
"What the hell is Lily Zhong? Just a little CEO of some tiny company, does she really think she’s somebody?"
"She dares to show off in front of me? Who does she think she is?"
Leo Li’s voice was full of disdain.
"Whether she’s worthy or not, that’s not for you to decide."
A faint voice suddenly sounded.
"Who’s talking?"
Leo Li frowned and turned to Zhao Chun, who was standing nearby, grinning obsequiously: "Did you just say something?"
"I... I didn’t say anything!"
Zhao Chun was startled and hurried to explain.
"That person hasn’t arrived yet."
Master Walter Wan opened his eyes, raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Ethan Li: "Tsk tsk, looks like you’re still up to tricks—brought another clueless fool to die?"
"All those people who came before couldn’t escape my Bone-Melt Miasma. You people really are stupid."
"Stupid to death."
He grinned, his smile chilling.
Just as he started to smile, the outside suddenly grew silent.
Moments later...
Footsteps slowly echoed from outside.