170: Chapter 169 Helping You Divide the Family

Linghu Yunyi lost his previous composure. He slammed his palm onto the wheelchair's armrest and stood up abruptly, pointing at Cao Xiao and shouting, "Arrogant youth! Conceited! Domineering! Audacious! You've done such a deranged thing today, and now you're here making snide remarks, casually calling it a misunderstanding and thinking some money can settle it? The world doesn't revolve around you! Our family shed blood today—three lives! No matter how eloquently you speak or how much you lie, you cannot change the facts. A debt of blood must be paid in blood!"

"Haha! Is that what the rest of you mean as well?" Cao Xiao wiped the spittle from his face. He wasn't angry; instead, he looked at the others with a grin and asked.

"Mistakes must have consequences! A price in blood!" a middle-aged man who bore a resemblance to Linghu Yashu said forcefully.

"A fight to the death!" Linghu Jun said gloomily.

"Cao Xiao, I'll make you taste the ruin of your home and family!" Seeing his elders united against a common enemy, Linghu Yashu felt a surge of confidence and spoke with a sinister grin.

"I want all the shares of Hongdu Group, and that garden of yours isn't bad either!" another thin middle-aged man, who hadn't spoken until now, said while looking at Cao Xiao playfully.

After hearing their opinions, the smile on Cao Xiao's face faded slightly, but a trace of it remained. He sat back in his chair, propped his legs up on the conference table, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag before slowly speaking. "I said it was a misunderstanding, and I was willing to compensate. Since you don't want money and won't admit it was a misunderstanding, then I can only speak facts and handle this according to the law! According to relevant legal regulations, trespassing into a restricted military zone without a permit is punishable by over two years in prison. Violently attacking active-duty officers on duty allows for immediate lethal force without prior authorization! If sentenced, it would at least be considered attempted murder! These are ironclad facts that leave no room for your sophistry. Now, I declare that you are under arrest. I'll also grant your wish and let you experience a military court!"

"You little brat, you're framing us! That garden is just your private property; since when did it become a restricted military zone? We didn't attack any officers at all. Besides, those people were just your private bodyguards. We only wanted to go inside and didn't even lift a finger before your bodyguards brazenly opened fire and killed our people. Now you're twisting the truth and making false accusations! No one will believe your lies! This is slander! I'm going to report you to your superiors! You, soldier, go call the head of your military region here immediately! Tell him not to hide from me. If he doesn't show his face today, I'm not finished with him!" the middle-aged man resembling Linghu Yashu cursed furiously.

Cao Xiao remained unmoved. He tilted his head toward the blank-faced and dazed Zhang Qiling and said with mock sorrow, "Little Zhang! Your brother here put in a lot of effort today for your sake. Now that I'm being cursed to my face, you're just going to stand there and watch? You know, Zhou Qingxuan hasn't started work yet! If I get so angry that I forget about that matter, how could I ever face you?"

Zhang Qiling's face instantly fell upon hearing this. He looked at Cao Xiao with disdain and helplessness, then walked listlessly toward the man who had just spoken.

This middle-aged man was likely Linghu Yashu's father. Seeing Zhang Qiling approaching him, he sensed something was wrong and shouted at Cao Xiao in a panic, "Cao Xiao, you lunatic! What are you doing? Don't come over! Ah... ge... wu..."

Seeing the man open his mouth again, Zhang Qiling lunged forward. He reached out and grabbed the man's jaw joint, giving it a fierce squeeze and pull. With a 'crack,' the middle-aged man's jaw was dislocated. His face turned red with pain, the veins in his temples pulsed, and unable to speak, tears began to flow. After finishing, Zhang Qiling returned to Cao Xiao's side, standing straight as a pillar, and once again began to space out.

"Dad! How are you? Quick, call a doctor! Cao Xiao, you've gone too far!" Linghu Yashu said worriedly upon seeing his father injured.

Linghu Yunyi pointed at Cao Xiao in shock and rage. "You brat! How dare you lay a hand on him? He is the head of our Linghu Family! You..."

Cao Xiao stretched, stood up, and flicked his cigarette butt directly at Linghu Yunyi. His eyes swept over the five of them like lightning as he said lazily, "Shut up! You self-righteous old bastard! Coming out to show off at your age! And the rest of you, what even are you? 'Family head,' 'family'... what era do you think this is? I came here today wanting to settle this matter peacefully and gave you a way out, but you remained stubborn. If it weren't for my wife, all of you would be lying in line at the funeral parlor waiting for cremation today. I just can't be bothered to bicker with you. Did you really think I couldn't deal with you?"

"You want me to pay in blood? You want me to pay the price? A fight to the death? Ruin my home and family? You want to take Hongdu Group? Steal my Tianxing Garden? You can't even save yourselves, yet you're dreaming such beautiful dreams! If you're so capable, why don't you go to heaven? Bullshit Linghu Clan—a bunch of beasts in human clothing, sanctimonious parasites!"

"Don't even dream that anyone will come to rescue you. Once I, Cao Xiao, set my mind on something, no one can stop me! Just enjoy your sweet dreams in prison for a few years! I'll take good care of your family!"

Linghu Yunyi's eyes flickered as he said, "What are you planning to do? I'm warning you, the strength of our Linghu Family is beyond your imagination. If you dare to act recklessly, you'll definitely pay for it!"

Cao Xiao said playfully, "What am I doing? Tomorrow, I'm going to help you divide the family! Just wait for my good news! Since I'm doing such a great deed, maybe the rest of your family will be grateful to me! They might even give me a share! The stronger your family is, the more I'll get! Haha! My brain is so clever! Why didn't I realize it before? A late bloomer!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Cao Xiao, I'm going to kill you!"

"Wooo wooo wooo!"

Cao Xiao didn't even spare them a glance. He walked out the door and said to the three officers who had accompanied him, "Gentlemen, please have someone take them all away and detain them. Also, hand their communication devices over to me. Then, take me to see your commander!"

After the three officers exchanged glances, a lieutenant spoke up. "Staff Officer Cao, our commander is currently at home. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to take you there to disturb him! Please understand!"

"Please contact him first and tell him about the mark on this. He will see me!" Cao Xiao took out his Supervision Department ID. Without opening it, he pointed to an emblem of a dragon coiled around a sword on the cover and spoke to the officer.

The lieutenant frowned as he looked at the ID with doubt. He gave Cao Xiao a strange look and said to the two officers beside him, "You two take the people away. I'll go make the call."

...

Ten minutes later, Cao Xiao appeared outside a two-story small building carrying a bag of fruit and knocked on the door.

Knock~ Knock

"The door isn't locked, please come in!"

A middle-aged woman's voice came from inside. Cao Xiao pushed the door open and saw a woman around forty years old wearing an apron coming from the entryway toward the door. He said, "Ma'am, I'm looking for Commander Niu. I called earlier!"

"Please follow me." The middle-aged woman led Cao Xiao inside with a soft voice.

Cao Xiao followed her to the living room but saw no one. Thinking Commander Niu hadn't arrived yet, he placed the fruit on the coffee table and was about to sit on the sofa.

"Sir, the Commander is eating in the dining room!" Seeing Cao Xiao hadn't followed, the middle-aged woman turned back and said.

"Oh! Okay!"

The so-called dining room was just a small alcove by the window partitioned off from the kitchen. A small round table stood in the center, with five people gathered around it about to eat: a couple in their fifties, a yellow-haired young man in his early twenties, and two adorable five- or six-year-old twin girls.

"Commander Niu, hello!" Cao Xiao entered and spoke to the man in military uniform sitting directly opposite him.

"You must be Staff Officer Cao! Coming at this hour, you probably haven't eaten, right? Sit down and have some home-cooked food with us." Commander Niu stood up and gestured for Cao Xiao to sit.

"Dad, he's the one I told you about just now... Cao Xiao!" The yellow-haired youth's eyes lit up when he saw Cao Xiao. He stood up excitedly, said a word to Commander Niu, and then spoke warmly to Cao Xiao, "Brother Cao, hello! I'm Niu Neng! Please, have a seat! Isn't your engagement today? Why are you at my house now?"

"Ah! Hello! Hello everyone! I came specifically to see Commander Niu today. I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving, so I won't be polite." Cao Xiao's mouth watered looking at the food on the table. The bit of food he'd had in the morning had long since been digested. He hadn't felt that hungry before, but now he suddenly felt famished. Regardless of how Niu Neng knew him, he sat down after speaking and began to use the prepared bowl and chopsticks.

"Haha! See that? You should learn from him, otherwise you'll definitely go hungry once you start working. Let's eat too!" Commander Niu watched Cao Xiao devour the food. He didn't think Cao Xiao was being impetuous or ill-mannered; instead, he laughed and spoke to Niu Neng.

Cao Xiao shoveled down a bowl of rice in a few bites and refilled it himself. His chopsticks moved incessantly across the table. To the stunned amazement of Commander Niu's family, he ate a full six bowls of rice. He ate at least half the dishes on the table and drank two bowls of soup. The rice cooker was empty, and not a single drop of soup or scrap of food remained on the table.

*Burp*~ "Much better! I'm sixty percent full; I'll have to eat another meal later. I have a bit of a large appetite, sorry for the spectacle!" Cao Xiao muttered to himself comfortably while rubbing his stomach after finishing, only to see Commander Niu's family all looking at him strangely, so he spoke up sheepishly.

"That's only sixty percent full? Brother Cao, how does your stomach hold it all? How can an engagement leave you this hungry?" Niu Neng said, speechless.

"Sigh! You have no idea what the scene was like today. There were several thousand people to host! I didn't care about the others, but my future in-laws' relatives alone numbered in the hundreds. As soon as it was time to eat, I had to go give toasts. I didn't get a single bite of food. It took a lot of effort to finally find a chance to slip out after all that trouble. Eh? I haven't seen you before. How do you know me?" Cao Xiao complained, then suddenly realized something was off. He looked Niu Neng over carefully and asked curiously.

"Brother Cao, we haven't met, but you're famous now! Look at this video! Many news websites have reposted information about your engagement scene! Your photo is right there!" Niu Neng excitedly fiddled with his phone and handed it to Cao Xiao.

"Holy crap, this is... is that any way to describe a person? Publishing my photo without my consent—they're violating my portrait rights! Not a single good word, and they've made it known to the whole world! I have to sue them! This is simply too much! Too much of a bully!" Cao Xiao scrolled through the search results. Just looking at the headlines made him furious. He clicked on several links. These reports didn't launch personal attacks, but they were all condemning him, describing him as a crude nouveau riche and saying he was far from worthy of He Yueyou. They even critiqued him from every angle, conducting deep analyses and reaching countless bizarre conclusions.

Commander Niu glared at his son and comforted Cao Xiao, "Cao Xiao, don't be angry! Don't listen to those people who spread rumors. It'll blow over in a couple of days. Didn't you have something to discuss with me? Let's talk in the study. Niu Neng, take Pingping and An'an out to play."

Niu Neng took back his phone from Cao Xiao somewhat dejectedly and said, "Brother Cao, come over to my place to play when you have time!"

...

In the study, Commander Niu brewed a cup of tea for Cao Xiao. As they sat opposite each other, Commander Niu spoke first, "Cao Xiao, Niu Neng might not look like a good kid, but his personality is very simple. Don't mind him!"

"I won't. Commander Niu, here is my ID." Cao Xiao handed his Supervision Department ID to Commander Niu.

"Supervision Office Chief? I thought you were a subordinate of that kid Zhou Xiping! Then again, the Supervision Department doesn't need to notify us of its affairs. What is it that brings you here to see me personally today?" Commander Niu said in surprise after looking at Cao Xiao's ID.

"It's like this..." Cao Xiao recounted the situation with the Linghu Family. He didn't embellish the story but placed emphasis on the several martial artists of the Linghu Family.

Commander Niu rubbed his temples and frowned. "Your actions were a bit extreme, but not unwarranted under the circumstances. However, a clan like the Linghu Family has been entrenched locally for many years, with deeply rooted connections involving all aspects of society. If they really start causing trouble, everyone will have a headache. It's not realistic to deal with them entirely. For this matter, you can only target those superpowered individuals of the Linghu Family; you don't have the authority to use the Supervision Department's power in other areas. The people at the hospital can be transferred to the military court for trial; I will pay close attention to it. They won't be able to leave prison without my order. We won't interfere in other matters, but we hope you can successfully dismantle them. Once there's an example, the other families won't dare to be so flamboyant anymore."

Cao Xiao said, "Then I'll have to trouble Commander Niu to keep an eye on things. If someone secretly lets them out, I can't guarantee I won't lose my temper and cut them down. These guys are all incredibly arrogant; they look respectable on the surface, but who knows how many heinous deeds they've done behind the scenes. If they had been more sensible today, I wouldn't have used this underhanded tactic. Tomorrow, please deploy a company of soldiers to help me maintain order. Don't worry, I won't have them take action; it's just to put pressure on the Linghu Family. Without some pressure, they won't sit down and talk properly with me."