Chapter 76: Chen Dong's Contempt
Upon hearing this, He Wanyong fixed his cold, stern gaze on Yuan Wenwen.
A few beads of cold sweat trickled down Yuan Wenwen's face. Realizing she had misspoken, she quickly tried to salvage the situation. "Li Jianwen and I were together for a while, and he had a habit of always keeping important items on his person. If he's the one who poisoned Brother Yu, then the proof must be on him!"
He Wanyong shot Yuan Wenwen a sideways glance, deciding to believe her for the time being. He commanded, "Search him."
Two members of the He Family went up and began patting down Li Jianwen.
Li Jianwen didn't dare resist, firmly believing in his own innocence.
But his face quickly drained of all color. The He Family members didn't even need to search carefully before they pulled a ring from the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
A poison needle was embedded in the ring!
The old woman who had been examining He Kaiyu's body took the ring. After inspecting it, she concluded, "Patriarch, the poison on this needle matches the one that killed Kaiyu. We also found a needle mark on Kaiyu's wrist."
Hearing this, Li Jianwen's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, his eyes filled with despair. 'This ring isn't mine! Someone must have slipped it into my pocket when they were beating me.'
He Wanyong scrutinized Li Jianwen. There was a witness and physical evidence, many of He Kaiyu's bodyguards could testify to their conflict, and numerous guests were watching.
So, He Wanyong said coldly, "A life for a life. I will have you pay for my grandson's life right now. As for your Li Family, I'll deal with them at my leisure."
As he spoke, he picked up the ring with the poison needle and moved to stab Li Jianwen.
Chen Dong had been enjoying the gossip about Li Jianwen, not expecting this twist in his story. But if he didn't step in now, Li Jianwen would surely die.
After all, Li Jianwen was his father-in-law, at least in name. Even if the man was prejudiced against him, he couldn't just stand by and watch him be killed.
He immediately channeled his True Qi and shouted, "Wait!"
He Wanyong froze, looking toward the source of the voice. The crowd parted, revealing Chen Dong.
He had heard the considerable True Qi in the voice and thought some expert had a point to make. But when he looked, all he saw was some young brat he didn't even recognize.
He scrutinized Chen Dong. "Why did you speak up, boy?"
Li Jianwen, who had been resigned to his fate, was startled to see Chen Dong emerge from the crowd. He immediately shouted, "Xiaodong, go back! Tell Huiran and the others to run! We can't afford to provoke the He Family!"
Hearing this, Chen Dong chuckled. "You didn't kill anyone, so why should you pay with your life? Besides, it's just the He Family. What's so special about them?"
More and more guests were gathering around. Chen Dong's words were, without a doubt, a slap in the face to the He Family.
For He Wanyong, it no longer mattered whether Li Jianwen was the killer. 'This brat,' he thought, 'must pay a heavy price today.'
He Wanyong's eyes narrowed, and he unleashed his full aura. "Such nerve!" he roared. "How dare you look down on my Lower River He Family! Your life will serve as my birthday gift today!"
The Huang Family father and son, watching from the crowd, were thrilled. 'To think that Chen Dong would jump out right now and directly challenge the He Family.'
He was practically begging for a quick death.
At He Wanyong's command, the He Family Martial Artists immediately surrounded Chen Dong. Two Grandmaster experts stood by to lock down the area, while He Wanyong himself, a Celestial Spirit Realm master, watched Chen Dong's every move.
Chen Dong paid them no mind, his eyes filled with scorn as he burst out laughing.
"Haha! The Lower River He Family? More like the Lower River fools! You're all about to be wiped out, and you don't even realize it. Men on the verge of death are threatening me? How pathetic!"
The crowd was baffled. Faced with such an intimidating display, was this kid just putting on a brave face, or did he really have an ace up his sleeve?
"Still spouting such arrogance when you're about to die! Kill this brat on the spot!" He Wanyong commanded, his voice laced with killing intent.
"Patriarch, wait!" Another group of guests arrived, among them Tributor Zhao from the Jiangzhou Hotel. It was he who had just called out.
Tributor Zhao quickly walked to He Wanyong's side and whispered in his ear, "Patriarch, if you can avoid offending this man, you should. I've crossed blades with him before, and I was no match for him. I suspect he's in the Celestial Spirit Realm!"
'A Celestial Spirit Realm master this young?' He Wanyong couldn't help but size up Chen Dong again. 'Has Tributor Zhao gone senile? But even if he isn't in the Celestial Spirit Realm, to be a match for Tributor Zhao means he has to be a Grandmaster at least. A Grandmaster this young must have an extraordinary power backing him.'
'But with so many people watching... this brat insulted my He Family. What would that do to our reputation? Even if he really is in the Celestial Spirit Realm and has some immense power behind him, I can't just let him walk away today.'
After a moment's thought, He Wanyong's tone softened slightly. "Tributor Zhao has reminded me that it would be improper to go on a killing spree on my own birthday. If you are willing to apologize for insulting the He Family, I will take your youth into account and let this matter go."
The guests were stunned. Since when was the Patriarch of the He Family so reasonable? Was it really because of his birthday? The last time he took a concubine, he'd had no qualms about killing. The bride's parents, worried their daughter would be mistreated, had said just a few words—not even insulting the He Family—and he had them killed on the spot.
But now, this brat had openly cursed the He Family, and all he needed to do was apologize to be let go! Everyone was utterly shocked.
Chen Dong looked upon the members of the He Family with contempt and said softly, "Do I need to apologize?"