171: Chapter 170 Even Chickens and Dogs Ascend to Heaven

After leaving Commander Niu's house, the smile on Cao Xiao's face completely faded.

Don't think he made it sound simple; dealing with the Linghu Family was nowhere near as easy as he described.

He could only think of one method, and it was fraught with uncertainty—he had no real plan in mind.

Actually, if this were abroad, or if the Linghu Family were a foreign power, he wouldn't have to be so constrained and put in so much effort.

Or, if he had a force behind him comparable in strength to the Linghu Family, he wouldn't have had to go through such trouble.

He could have just laid his cards on the table; today, Linghu Yunyi and the others would never have dared to look down on him so much.

If he had shown a bit of ruthlessness to scare them, these people would have conceded.

Thinking of this, he felt a longing for power—not to satisfy his own desires, but simply to live a simpler, more peaceful life.

"I say, Boss Cao, you were in there for most of the day, and now it's already nine o'clock at night! We've been waiting for you on empty stomachs! If you hadn't said you'd take me back, I would have been home by bus ages ago. Why do you have so much business!"

As soon as Ni Zhen saw Cao Xiao finally emerge, she rushed up to him, gritting her teeth.

"Hehe, you can't blame me for that. Commander Niu knew I was coming and specially prepared a table of good food to host me; he insisted on keeping me for dinner before letting me go. If I hadn't remembered that you were waiting outside, Commander Niu would have even insisted I stay the night!" Cao Xiao shamelessly made it all up.

Ni Zhen exploded upon hearing this, reaching out to pinch Cao Xiao's arm, and said angrily, "Fine! So we were waiting for you outside, dying of anticipation, while you were in there wining and dining without even calling us to join? Is that how you act as a leader?"

"Hiss! Let go! Why do you girls have such a strong grip! Ugh! You're not even a normal person! Why did I even provoke you!" Cao Xiao grimaced in pain, looking at Ni Zhen with distress.

"You're the one who's not a normal person! I'll pinch you to death, you jerk!" Ni Zhen was even angrier at this and attacked Cao Xiao again with the hand she had just lowered.

Cao Xiao wanted to slap himself; he had been enjoying the banter too much and had completely forgotten that Ni Zhen was a martial artist.

He had assumed that just because she was a girl, she wouldn't just use force, but she not only used force, she used so much strength and pinched his wound, making him tear up in pain.

He immediately begged for mercy, "Sister~ Sister! I was wrong, please let go first! I have a wound on my arm! Ouch, it's bleeding! Hiss! I admit I was wrong! I was just talking nonsense; I haven't eaten either, and I'm starving right now!"

"Cao Xiao, I'm warning you! If you ever dare to leave me aside to enjoy yourself again, or talk nonsense like that, just you wait! Our Ni Family has an ancestral technique for dislocating joints and breaking bones; if your skin gets itchy in the future, I can help you out."

Ni Zhen was genuinely angry this time; she didn't care if the wound on Cao Xiao's arm was bleeding, she fiercely grabbed his ear and warned him loudly.

"Fine, fine, fine! I won't do it again! You are the sister! The big sister! And you have the biggest fists!" Cao Xiao said, looking depressed.

Breaking free from Ni Zhen's iron grip, he turned his head to see Zhang Qiling suppressing a laugh and looking at him with glee. He said to him irritably, "What are you looking at! Is it funny? Why aren't you getting ready to leave!"

To salvage his image as a tall and imposing leader in Ni Zhen's heart, Cao Xiao took the initiative to hand her ten thousand yuan in cash when she got off the plane, saying it was compensation for her dinner.

As for Zhang Qiling, Cao Xiao shoved a hundred yuan in one-yuan bills into his hand. Watching Zhang Qiling's teeth-gritting, silent frustration, Cao Xiao felt immense pleasure. Who told him to see things he shouldn't have, and then dare to laugh at him!

Just as they entered the courtyard, they heard noise coming from the living room, accompanied by a girl's crying. Cao Xiao rushed in and saw a large group of people sitting in the middle of the living room, making a racket as if holding a big meeting.

It wasn't just his own family; the Second Aunt's family and both of his uncles' families were there too.

"I can't say it? Why not! You're older than me, what are you crying about! I'm speaking the truth! Uncle, Cousin is obviously biased. After making a fortune, he doesn't care about his own family. These wild girls all have such nice jewelry, giving away millions of dollars worth of sets to outsiders, why don't I get any!"

"I asked you to talk to Cousin and get him to give me some money to invest in a business, but you kept pushing me off, saying you couldn't make the decision. If you can't make the decision, fine—give me that watch on your wrist, and I'll go talk to Cousin myself. I don't believe he'd dare not give it to me!"

"If he doesn't give it to me, I'll tell everyone how he turned his back on his poor relatives after making a fortune, siding with outsiders, and being ungrateful!"

The one speaking was Cao Xiao's cousin, Li Long. He was sitting on the coffee table with a rogue-like attitude, speaking hooligan-style to Cao Jingde. The younger uncle was pulling his arm, anxiously trying to dissuade him, while the younger aunt was observing the reactions of Cao Xiao's parents.

Liu Chang, Mi Fan, An Ni, and the other seven girls were looking at Li Long with hatred, their eyes shimmering with tears. Cao Xiao's parents were also about to cry from anxiety, while the eldest uncle's family and the Second Aunt's family were looking at Li Long with dark, gloomy expressions.

"I'm here now. Why don't you repeat what you just said for me to hear?" Cao Xiao walked up close, his eyes turning red, and said loudly to Li Long's back, his teeth clenched tight.

When Liu Chang saw Cao Xiao appear, her tears couldn't stop flowing. She wailed and threw herself into Cao Xiao's arms, saying, "Brother! He bullied us. He said we were your mistresses. I'm your cousin, how could he even say such a thing! He's an animal! He even tried to take advantage of us just now! And he wanted to hit my dad! Brother, you have to help us get revenge..."

"Xiao Xiao, don't be impulsive. After all, we're all family; let's talk things out!" Li Fengmei stood up to advise him.

Li Long didn't care about Cao Xiao's murderous gaze; he pointed at Cao Xiao arrogantly and said dismissively, "So what if I said it? If you dare to lay a finger on me, I'll call the police! You can do it, but I'm not allowed to talk about it? I'm going to have a good talk with you!"

"A few years ago, your family took money from ours to do business. Now that you've made a fortune, you want to keep it all for yourself after paying back the principal! My parents are honest and put up with you, but I can't!"

"The things that should have been mine—you don't give them to me, and instead, you use them to support your little lovers, and so many of them at that! If you don't return the share that belongs to my family and compensate me for my losses, I won't let this go."

"Let me tell you, I have dozens of friends waiting outside. If you don't pay me, I'll have them come in and collect. They're all cold-blooded killers. Give me an answer right now, or I'll call them in! It'll be too late to regret it then!"

Cao Xiao laughed upon hearing this. He slowly let out a breath, as if putting down a heavy burden, and laughed loudly, saying, "Haha! Since you've put it that way, I can finally rest easy. Call your cold-blooded, thuggish friends in now! I'd like to see just how capable you really are!"

"Fine! You forced my hand! I was going to leave you a way to make a living out of respect for our family ties, but since you're so unappreciative, don't blame me for not leaving you a way out!" Li Long narrowed his eyes viciously at Cao Xiao, taking out his phone to make a call as he spoke.

Cao Xiao ignored Li Long and looked at the younger aunt with great heartache. "Aunt, have I, Cao Xiao, ever done anything to wrong you all these years?"

"My family used to be poor, and my dad was sick. We had no choice but to borrow money from relatives and friends. You and Uncle were able to lend us money to help us get through the hard times, and I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. I, Cao Xiao, am not an ungrateful person."

"Now that I have some money, even without considering that we are close relatives, just based on that kindness alone, I would ensure you live a prosperous life. But people shouldn't be too greedy. Can you handle things that aren't yours?"

"I'll ask you one thing now: if you saw our family living on the streets, would you have the heart for it?"

The uncle, a man in his forties or fifties, was now crying like a child. He said to Cao Xiao in shame, "Xiao Xiao, this is my failure in discipline. They were blinded by money. I didn't know they would dare to do this. I will give you an explanation for today's events. Tomorrow, I will divorce her, and if those bastards dare to come later, I will fight them to the death!"

"As for that son of mine, I'll consider him never born. I'm going to call the police right now, expose all the bad things he's done, and have him spend the rest of his life in prison!"

The younger aunt looked displeased and spoke earnestly to Cao Xiao, "Xiao Xiao, it's not that we're greedy. As the saying goes, 'When one person attains the Tao, their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.' You've made a huge fortune now; why can't you share some with your cousin? Little Long is your own cousin!"

"Besides, if we hadn't lent money to your family back then, you wouldn't be where you are today! Not only are you unwilling to give him anything, but you also give such valuable things to outsiders—it pains me just thinking about it. Take your aunt's advice: give half of your money to Little Long, and I guarantee he won't cause any trouble."

"Heh!" Cao Xiao sneered, glancing at the younger aunt, silently cursing in his heart: Stupid woman.

Cao Xiao only now realized that his aunt and cousin were so intellectually challenged, thinking they could threaten and extort his wealth with a few thugs.

Putting aside his own strength, even if he were a soft pushover with no background, they wouldn't be able to touch him. Just the fact that he was the son-in-law of the chairman of Hongdu Group meant that few people in Huanghe City would dare to target him!

He really didn't know how their eyes were grown. So many high-ranking dignitaries attended his engagement ceremony today; anyone pulled out at random could crush Li Long and his band of thugs with one hand.

And they actually mistook the gunshots from today for firecrackers? Did they really think Cao Xiao was still the poor loser who could be easily manipulated? They were adorably stupid! It was like a starving dog going to the outhouse—eager to find death!

They were so stupid and heartless that Cao Xiao wouldn't consider family ties anymore. If there were any family ties, they would have started with the uncle, but now the uncle was in such a miserable state, about to divorce the aunt and disown the son, so where would the family ties come from?

Besides, Cao Xiao and Li Long never had any affection for each other; they had never gotten along since they were kids. He had thought that Li Long might have gained some common sense by now, but it seemed he was beyond saving.

"Mom, let me hold my daughter."

Cao Xiao acted as if nothing was wrong, taking little Guoer from his mother's arms. Guoer was only four months old. Despite the noise, she wasn't crying or fussing; she opened her big eyes, curiously looking at everyone and giggling.

Cao Xiao looked at those pure eyes, happily teasing little Guoer, and the gloom in his heart slowly faded into peace.

"My friends will be here soon. It'll be too late for you to regret it then! You still have the mood to laugh? In a moment, I'll make you cry until you can't even make a sound!" Li Long sneered, watching the smiling Cao Xiao.

"Heh!" Cao Xiao glanced at Li Long with the look one would give a fool. He reached into his pocket with one hand, pulled out a miniature walkie-talkie, and whispered into the microphone, "Let them in, but don't draw your guns."

"Understood!"

Cao Xiao handed little Guoer to his mother and said to the girls, "All of you, follow me."

"Cao Xiao, don't think about running away. My friends have blocked the road; where can you hide!"

Ignoring the shouting from Li Long behind him, Cao Xiao led the girls to the corner of the basement stairs. He pressed firmly on a tile on the wall, and a gap popped open instantly. Cao Xiao reached into the gap and pushed it to the side, revealing a secret compartment about half a square meter in size.

"Girls, no matter what others think, since you call me brother, I treat you like my own sisters. This place is your home, and no one is allowed to talk nonsense to you here. No matter who it is, even if it's my relative, if they are disrespectful to my parents here or use dirty language toward you, you have the right and the obligation to beat them out."

"If you can't chase them away, call the guards. I have guards arranged around our house at all times. They are guards, not security, and in critical situations, they will kill those who invade this place. But for the kind of rogues we encountered today, especially since they are my relatives, they won't appear until the critical moment."

"So you need to protect yourselves, and also protect our home and family from harm. This is a gift from your brother, and also a promise to you. I hope that in the future, when you encounter such situations, you won't cry anymore. Take it, and drive out any jerk who dares to come to our home and cause trouble—dead or alive!"

Cao Xiao took a small box out of the secret compartment. When he opened it, what was revealed to the girls were neatly arranged, colorful little pistols.

These pistols were small ladies' pistols that Cao Xiao had produced by modifying the Walther PPK as a prototype. The Walther PPK was already known for being compact and lightweight, originally standard equipment for intelligence personnel.

The modified Walther PPK automatic pistol was not only smaller and lighter than the original, but also had much greater power. Furthermore, the recoil was significantly reduced, making it very suitable for women with less physical strength. Moreover, the surface was plated with bright colors, making it look even more beautiful.

"Brother, killing people isn't good! I don't want it." An Ni said to Cao Xiao, feeling a bit scared.

"Brother, what if I hurt someone using it? I want to go out right now and shoot that animal in the head!" Liu Chang, however, was extremely excited and worried at the same time.