Chapter 934: Release Him Now!
"You? Want to repay the silver for his son?"
Li Shengxiong carefully scrutinized Long Yue, finding her more and more appealing, and suddenly laughed slyly: "I, Mr. Li, am not short of silver. How about you switch places with his son?"
Even though Liu Ran’er was younger, Long Yue carried the unique charm of a mature woman, which caught Li Shengxiong’s eye.
Upon hearing this, Li Qingmu’s expression darkened. No matter who it was, anyone who dared to covet his woman would not be forgiven, so he prepared to go teach that old guy a lesson. To his surprise, Long Yue stopped him.
"It’s not the right time for you to act, let’s talk about it later." Long Yue pulled Li Qingmu’s arm, her eyebrows showing a hint of provocation: "Mr. Li, dare to play dice with me?"
Old Liu’s son was captured because he lost money, and Long Yue planned to use the same method to get him back. Although she had never played dice before, Li Qingmu’s martial skills were so adept that he could determine the dice score just by listening.
Li Shengxiong usually enjoyed a few rounds at the gambling den, and upon hearing Long Yue’s challenge, he was immediately excited: "Sure! But let’s add some stakes. If I lose, I’ll release Old Liu’s son. If you lose, you marry me, how about that?"
"Alright!" Long Yue agreed immediately and gave Li Qingmu a calm-down look, signaling him to hold back for a bit.
Li Shengxiong then signaled his men to bring out a set of dice rigged with lead, laughingly saying: "I won’t bully you, three rounds, best of two, how about it?"
"No problem, but my man will roll the dice cup, I don’t trust yours." Long Yue gestured for Li Qingmu to take the dice.
Since the dice were tampered with, Li Shengxiong worried Li Qingmu would notice, but seeing him take just a glance without a word, he was reassured: "Alright, since you’re so pretty, I’ll let you have a little advantage."
Furniture was moved from Old Liu’s house for the setup, and Li Qingmu lightly shook the dice cup, his ears moving rhythmically in a barely noticeable manner.
He pre-arranged a signal with Madam; tilting his head left meant big, and right meant small. He then sped up his movements, the shaking becoming so brisk it left an afterimage.
Li Shengxiong was dazzled by Li Qingmu’s speed, forgetting to guess the dice value until the cup finally stopped, then he looked at his men.
The henchman with a big mole at the corner of his mouth winked at him, also a signal meaning big.
Li Qingmu chuckled, his sarcasm evident.
"Big! It’s big!" Li Shengxiong shouted, eyes wide, staring intently at the dice cup on the table.
But Long Yue playfully said, "Small, it’s definitely small."
At this moment, Li Qingmu glanced at both of them and slowly lifted the dice cup.
To everyone’s surprise, the three dice inside were crushed to dust, but there were three small metal glints.
"Ha, none at all, it’s small!" Long Yue cheerfully declared.
Li Shengxiong’s face turned ugly, shouting in dissatisfaction, "That kid cheated! The dice were crushed, there’s no count, this doesn’t count!"
However, Li Qingmu slowly sifted the dice powder, picking out the tiny metal beads, questioning, "I cheated? Weren’t these your dice? You filled them with lead, you’re the one who cheated!"
At this point, Long Yue cheerfully asked, "According to gambling rules, those who cheat get their hands cut off. A Mu, chop off his right hand!"
Upon this, Li Qingmu moved instantly, so fast that it was a blur, pinning Li Shengxiong on the table by the collar and holding his right hand forcefully, leaving him unable to escape!
"Oh, please spare me, great heroes! You can’t chop my hand off!" Li Shengxiong, with his neck and right hand pinned, had no room for resistance and begged for mercy urgently.
His men immediately surrounded them, but a single glare from Li Qingmu made them retreat in fear: "Anyone who dares come forward, I’ll chop his head off and kick it like a ball!"
This small-town bully dared to lust after his wife, truly a death wish!
Li Shengxiong’s men did not dare to move recklessly, sweat dripping from his forehead with urgency, he could only say, "Can I concede? I’ll release him, I won’t trouble Old Liu, and I won’t marry his daughter. Please, let me go!"
Upon hearing this, Old Liu and his wife cried tears of joy, kneeling loudly to thank Li Qingmu and Long Yue, praising them as saviors.
Fang Shijie watched the whole scene unfold, deeply admiring Long Yue’s intelligence and resourcefulness. For a scoundrel like Li Shengxiong, giving him money would only fuel his arrogance, and besides, coming up with 750 taels at once wasn’t easy either.
Moreover, Li Qingmu’s methods also opened Fang Shijie’s eyes; surprisingly, this seemingly frail man possessed greater power than him.
No one could tell from the outside, but those dice were shattered by inner strength.
Qi Jingyu quietly watched the Imperial Uncle and Aunt steal the limelight, enjoying a bit of leisure. With his style, he might not have tangled with Li Shengxiong like this and would have directly used force to knock him down.
But on second thought, this approach of reasoning might be more suitable for handling court affairs; after all, to truly win people over, mere force is not enough.
Li Qingmu followed Li Shengxiong’s advice, telling him to first send men back to fetch the son before releasing him.
Half an hour later, his men returned with a bloodied man. Seeing their son beaten all over, Old Liu and his wife immediately rushed over in distress.
But Liu Ran’er just snorted coldly, turned her head away, unwilling to even look.
A seven-foot man lost money and tried to flee, pushing his own sister into the pit. Such a brother is not worth having at all!
Old Liu’s son, upon seeing his parents, immediately knelt and pleaded for rescue: "Father, Mother, save me! They’re going to kill me, please save me!"
This man, with his shifty-looking eyes and petty thief demeanor, made Long Yue turn away in disgust after just one glance. For such a waste, letting him die would be better.
If she hadn’t felt pity for Old Liu and his wife’s plight, she wouldn’t have saved this spineless coward!
Long Yue, with one foot on a wooden chair, laughed as she looked at Li Shengxiong: "Aren’t you going to have your men release him?"
"Release him! Release! Release!" Li Shengxiong shouted loudly, with his life in their hands, he dared not disobey.
Watching Old Liu’s family reunite, Long Yue felt the matter had come to an end and signaled to Li Qingmu to let go of the old rogue Li Shengxiong.
However, as soon as he ran out, the old scoundrel turned hostile, shouting, "Slay these bastards for me!"