540: blackmail

He had basically figured out the combat strength of the entire Imperial Capital.

Chen De was currently at the Great Perfection of the Profound Realm and the peak of the Diamond Rank.

He was only one step away from entering the King Level realm.

But undeniably, the energy required to take this step was immense.

He didn't know how many Diamonds he would have to target; the best way was still to take down a King.

As for which one specifically, those in the Imperial Palace were inconvenient to strike. As for those outside... Chen De thought of Grand General Grand General, whose other grandson had mysteriously disappeared.

It hadn't been long, so the people in the estate hadn't noticed yet.

But once they realized, it would definitely alarm this second-stage King Level expert.

Furthermore, one of his granddaughters-in-law was one of Chen De's people, and Lin Jie seemed to be a Pure Love Warrior.

Under normal circumstances, Chen De could at most deal with a first-stage King Level, but with these conditions, it might not be impossible to weaken him first.

Suddenly, countless medicinal prescriptions surfaced in his mind.

With Chen De's research, it wouldn't be a problem to use the currently available materials to create what he needed... "Grandpa, drink this cup of tea quickly."

"Alright, alright, Grandpa will drink it, Grandpa will drink it."

Grand General looked at his filial grandson, Lin Jie, with a face full of gratification.

This grandson had been easy to raise since he was a child; he had great talent and was polite, reaching the fourth-stage Diamond Rank at this age.

Back then, at this age, he had seemingly only just broken through to platinum.

However, Grand General didn't notice the flash of blood-red light deep within Lin Jie's eyes.

Grand General readily picked up the teacup, his Adam's apple bobbing as he downed every last drop of tea in the cup in one go.

Lin Jie watched from the side, observing how Grand General finished the cup of water.

"Let me pour another cup for Grandpa."

"Good, good, then another cup it is."

"Drink more, Grandpa. It makes me happy."

"Then how about Grandpa finishes the whole pot?"

"Great, Grandpa, I'll pour it for you!"

Then, as Grand General drank one cup, Lin Jie would indeed pour another.

From the looks of it, was he really going to finish the whole pot?

But since the words were already spoken, Grand General naturally wouldn't take them back.

It was just a pot of tea; there was no reason he couldn't drink it, though it was a bit strange.

So, Grand General really intended to drink the entire pot of tea clean.

Seeing Grand General gulping down cup after cup, Lin Jie chuckled inwardly.

The task Chen De had given him was just to trick him into drinking one cup.

But he had already had seven or eight cups; he had truly over-delivered on the mission.

Just as he was about to finish, with only the last cup left, shouting came from outside the room.

"Father, this is bad!"

"Father, this is bad!"

"Father, this is bad!"

Hearing this, Grand General frowned, seeing his son rushing over in a panic.

"Who's in trouble? Speak clearly!"

"You're getting on in years, yet you're still so reckless. Didn't you see Little Jie is here?"

"Look at you, you're not even as composed as a child!"

"Wait until I finish this cup of water."

Seeing Grand General still drinking water, the newly arrived Lin Jiang was stunned. Had he come too early?

So, he decided to wait until Grand General finished drinking before speaking.

But Grand General saw that he had been in a frantic rush a moment ago, yet now he remained silent.

He handed the cup to him, "Why don't you have a cup first to calm down?"

Lin Jiang waved his hand, "No, no, Father, you should drink first. I'll speak after you're done."

Seeing Lin Jiang finally showing some composure, Grand General's expression softened. He drained the tea in one gulp and said, "Speak, what is it that has you so anxious?"

Only then did Lin Jiang reveal the reason for his visit, "It's Little Lang. Little Lang has been kidnapped!"

"Cough..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Grand General almost choked on the tea he had just drunk.

"Little Lang was kidnapped? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Lin Lang was also a grandson Grand General was quite fond of, but because his talent wasn't as great as Lin Jie's, he received relatively less attention.

But for Grand General, it was still a significant matter.

Lin Jiang smiled bitterly and helplessly, "Father, you were the one who said to wait until you finished the water."

"You..." Grand General was nearly fuming at his son, but he took a deep breath. "Is the news confirmed? Is it true?"

"Confirmed." Lin Jiang nodded and took something out of his pocket, placing it on the table. "This is one of Little Lang's ears and a finger. The other party wrapped them in a ransom note and threw it in front of our estate gate."

"I've verified it; these are indeed from Little Lang."

Looking at these things, a flash of pain crossed Grand General's eyes. Little Lang was his grandson; how could he not feel distressed seeing him endure such mistreatment?

Grand General took the ransom note and glanced at it. "The other party is really demanding an exorbitant price. Interesting, how interesting."

Both people present could feel that the old man was about to be unable to suppress the killing intent within him.

Who was Grand General?

The Grand General of the Great Firmament!

He had fought his way to his current position, one blade strike at a time, on the battlefield.

He had likely killed more people than many would see in their entire lives.

How could such a person be some kind-hearted soul?

"Heh, blackmailing the Grand Generals Estate? How truly interesting."

He put down the ransom note and said in a low voice, "Since the other party wants the things in the letter, then we'll give them what's in the letter."

"Jiang'er, go down and make the preparations."

At this moment, Lin Jie suddenly spoke up, "Grandpa, could there be any danger in this?"

"You're getting on in years. What if you get hurt? How about I go with Father this time, and you stay at home?"

"The other party wants things; they shouldn't take our lives."

As soon as these words were spoken, Grand General's blood was instantly fired up. Even if he hadn't needed to go originally, he would now insist on making the trip.

At this time, Lin Jiang also chimed in, "Yes, Father. You're old now. If you can avoid fighting, try to do so as much as possible. Your old bones can't handle the strain."

The two of them went back and forth, both advising Grand General not to go, all using reasons like old age and physical frailty.

Bang!

Grand General slammed the table hard, settling the matter once and for all. "I'm going personally this time. My mind is made up; you two don't need to say another word."

"This..."

Lin Jiang and Lin Jie looked at each other and could only respond helplessly, "Yes!"

Yes, the plan was just that simple and crude.

Chen De was a straightforward person; he didn't understand those twists and turns or schemes and intrigues.

Everything was laid out on the table; this plan was good, and there was no need to complicate a simple problem.

For example, would Grand General suspect his own son of lying to him or his own grandson of poisoning him?

Of course not!

It was just that Chen De used his own morality to turn the impossible into the possible.

For anyone else, this matter might have become complicated.

Chen De had the ability to make a matter simple.