If any insiders were present to hear the conversation between Du Ziliang and the blond man, they would surely be astonished.
Du Ziliang, the genius of the Du family and its future successor, was actually connected to the numerous assassins who had attempted to kill Jiang Fei at the hunting grounds some time ago. It appeared they were part of the same organization!
The successor of a renowned family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, inheritor of the Guiling Eight Techniques, had actually joined a foreign organization with the aim of destroying TCM and abolishing it entirely.
This was truly unbelievable. If word got out, it would surely shock people to their core.
Yet, this was indeed the reality.
The blond man, who had been coldly mocked by Du Ziliang, grew somewhat angry and sneered, “What do you know? Jiang Fei’s mastery in martial arts far surpasses his medical skills—it’s almost beyond human comprehension! Even after deploying multiple S-class assassins along with advanced high-tech weaponry, we returned in defeat. Ten assassins and one undercover agent were completely wiped out; not a single one escaped successfully!”
“Failure is failure. There’s no need to make excuses. It seems you won’t be able to kill Jiang Fei. You might as well prepare to face punishment upon your return,” Du Ziliang said with a cold laugh.
“Who says we can’t kill Jiang Fei? We just need a little more time,” the blond man replied, a meaningful smile flickering in his eyes.
“Oh? Your last operation was supposedly flawless, a perfectly laid trap, yet you still failed. Do you have an even more ingenious plan or stronger assassins to send?” Du Ziliang asked.
The blond man shook his head. “Unless we mobilize the organization’s most elite ace assassins, there’s no hope of killing Jiang Fei. Sending more S-class assassins would only mean more deaths. Unfortunately, even the organization can’t command those ace assassins; they take missions entirely based on their own whims.”
“Then how can you claim you can kill Jiang Fei?”
“If we can’t do it with our own strength, that doesn’t mean we can’t use other forces to eliminate him!” the blond man said with a self-satisfied smile. “You’ve heard of Yoshiro Muramasa, haven’t you?”
“The contemporary Japanese swordsmaster?” Du Ziliang raised an eyebrow. “You’re not suggesting you plan to ask this swordsmaster to act on your behalf and kill Jiang Fei, are you? Do you even have the means to recruit him?”
“Of course, we can’t recruit him ourselves. But Jiang Fei’s reputation in the martial world is immense now; he’s called the Sword God of China after killing Miyamoto Kazuma, the foremost master of the Two-Sword Style. We don’t need to invite Muramasa—we just need to set the stage and make a few small moves. This swordsmaster will cross mountains and rivers to come to China himself to kill Jiang Fei…” the blond man explained.
Du Ziliang was clever. Hearing this, he quickly understood the underlying plan.
Indeed, they didn’t need to explicitly invite Yoshiro Muramasa. With just a few subtle manipulations, they could make this contemporary swordsmaster willingly become their pawn to eliminate Jiang Fei.
“How despicable!” Du Ziliang said with a cold laugh.
The blond man took it as a compliment and laughed heartily. “Thank you. But you should worry about yourself now. Do you really think your plan is so perfect and seamless? That a mere medical accident can bring down the TCM Association?”
“Why not?” Du Ziliang asked.
The blond man said, “I’m here today to warn you. That doctor named Min Dong, whom you bribed years ago and planted in the TCM Association, has been exposed by Jiang Fei. He’s been arrested and is under interrogation. If you don’t take action soon, the police will likely come for you.”
“What?!” Du Ziliang, who had remained calm until now, suddenly turned pale with disbelief…
——————————
When Jiang Fei applied the Divine Needle Eight Techniques, specifically targeting Min Dong’s pain points, the interrogation room echoed with Min Dong’s agonized screams.
The heart-wrenching cries were so intense that even Ye Yuanyuan, who had witnessed many such scenes, felt her eyes twitch. She thought to herself that these doctors could be ruthlessly brutal. However, she also knew that Jiang Fei was truly furious this time—both to seek justice for the deceased patient and their family and to defend the TCM Association.
Min Dong had successfully provoked Jiang Fei’s wrath.
“It seems you have a strong will, to keep your mouth so tightly shut,” Jiang Fei said as he withdrew the silver needle from Min Dong’s head. Although Min Dong was trembling in pain, sweat pouring from his forehead, he had stubbornly clenched his teeth without uttering a word.
“Trying to force a confession through torture? I won’t admit to something I didn’t do, even if I die!” Min Dong roared.
“Impressive. I actually admire you a little now. Though you’re despicable and wicked, you have some backbone. You truly are a member of the TCM Association,” Jiang Fei nodded. “But those few needles were just the appetizer. Enduring them means nothing. The main course is next. If you can withstand that, then I’ll acknowledge your toughness.”
This time, Jiang Fei didn’t target the acupuncture points on Min Dong’s head but moved to the fingers of his hands. The head might be the most vital area, but it wasn’t necessarily the most sensitive to pain.
“The fingers are connected to the heart, as the saying goes. Now you’ll experience it firsthand,” Jiang Fei said as he slowly inserted the needle.
“Do your worst— Ahhh!!!”
Min Dong had been defiant, trying to show his courage, but as soon as Jiang Fei twisted the needle, his resolve shattered. The man who had endured several needles without a sound now let out a low, agonized groan.
Pain!
Excruciating pain!
It wasn’t just his fingers; he felt as if every part of his body was in agony. It wasn’t the pain of being torn apart but rather a sensation of his body contracting, muscles and internal organs spasming, squeezing until his bones felt on the verge of shattering!
This torment was like being in the deepest hell, worse than climbing a mountain of blades or diving into a sea of boiling oil.
Min Dong wanted to struggle, to move, but Jiang Fei had done something to him earlier, leaving him locked in the chair and completely immobilized.
His blood vessels seemed to constrict, his blood almost coagulating, unable to flow properly. Yet his seven orifices remained open, so the compressed blood began to seep out—a phenomenon known as bleeding from all seven orifices.
Blood trickled from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Min Dong longed to lose consciousness or even commit suicide, but his mind remained painfully clear. Once the pain began, biting his tongue to end it all was impossible. He was forced to endure this inhuman suffering.
Min Dong finally understood what it meant to be unable to live yet unable to die.
Time passed quickly, but for Min Dong, every second felt like an eternity. Seeing Min Dong drenched in blood and sweat, Jiang Fei asked calmly, “Thirty seconds have passed. How do you feel? If you’re willing to yield, close your eyes. If you still want to show your unyielding spirit, I don’t mind continuing.”
Bang!
Min Dong, who had resolved never to betray Du Ziliang even in death, felt all his convictions crumble. All he wanted was to escape this pain. He would do anything to make it stop.
So, upon hearing Jiang Fei’s words, Min Dong closed his eyes without hesitation.
“Not so tough after all,” Jiang Fei said with a hint of disappointment.
He had thought Min Dong would hold out longer, allowing him to vent his anger a bit more. But he had yielded so quickly. It seemed acupuncture was indeed an effective method of torture.
“Whew… Whew…”
After Jiang Fei removed the needle from Min Dong’s finger, the bleeding from his seven orifices gradually subsided. Min Dong opened his eyes, gasping for air like a drowning man finally reaching the surface.
“Start talking. I don’t have much time to waste on you. If you try any tricks, I won’t hesitate to give you another session,” Jiang Fei said, narrowing his eyes.
Min Dong’s face was covered in blood, his expression fierce yet weak. “I’ll tell you everything! But… you must guarantee the safety of my wife and daughter! Otherwise, I’d rather die than say a word!”
Jiang Fei frowned coldly. “Now you think of your family? When you killed that patient, did you think of his family?”
After a pause, Jiang Fei waved his hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll ensure your wife and daughter’s safety. As long as you step forward to prove this medical accident wasn’t a misdiagnosis and expose the Du family as the mastermind, Du Ziliang won’t have a chance to harm them.”
Min Dong shook his head. “You’re wrong. My wife and daughter are already in their hands! I need you to rescue them from the Du family!”
Jiang Fei was taken aback.
Min Dong continued weakly, “It’s true that Du Ziliang bribed me years ago. I graduated from an ordinary medical university—I don’t come from a TCM family or belong to any school of thought. The medical skills I have now were all thanks to the Du family’s support behind the scenes. But do you think I agreed to kill for them from the start? I refused initially! It wasn’t until they took my wife and daughter, threatening their lives, that I had no choice but to obey! So, President Jiang, if you can rescue my wife and daughter, I’ll do whatever you say. But if you can’t, even if I can’t withstand your torture, I will never publicly admit to my actions or expose the Du family!”
Hearing this, Jiang Fei’s frown deepened. He hadn’t expected Du Ziliang to be so thorough! Planting Min Dong as a mole was already cunning enough—without Ye Yuanyuan’s extensive connections and skills, no one would have uncovered it.
But that wasn’t enough for Du Ziliang. He had anticipated Min Dong might be exposed, so he preemptively kidnapped Min Dong’s family!
No wonder Min Dong was so obedient, refusing to betray Du Ziliang even under torture.
Jiang Fei suspected that Du Ziliang kept Min Dong alive only because his death would draw attention from the TCM Association, potentially leading back to Du Ziliang. Otherwise, given Du Ziliang’s methods, Min Dong would likely have been silenced long ago, and Ye Yuanyuan would never have found him.
If this was true, then Min Dong wasn’t entirely despicable. After all, everyone has selfish instincts. Even a doctor with high moral standards might compromise when their family’s lives are threatened.
“Do you know where your wife and daughter are?” Jiang Fei asked.
Min Dong shook his head bitterly. “How would I know? To keep me in line, the Du family naturally hid them well. So, President Jiang, if you can rescue them, I’ll cooperate fully. If not… just kill me.”
Under the circumstances, Jiang Fei had to agree to Min Dong’s request. If Min Dong were purely evil, harsh methods would be justified. But now that he showed a glimmer of humanity, Jiang Fei found it harder to be merciless.
“Alright. I promise to help rescue your wife and daughter,” Jiang Fei said, nodding. “But to do that, you need to give me some information. When were they taken? Where? And are you sure it was Du Ziliang who kidnapped them?”
Min Dong perked up, not daring to withhold any details—his family’s lives were at stake.
“The mastermind behind this is definitely the Du family. As for whether it was Du Ziliang, their future successor, I can’t say for certain. The person who contacted me and gave orders was never Du Ziliang himself. But I suspect it’s almost certainly him; it’s unlikely to be anyone else.”
After finishing the questions, Jiang Fei temporarily left Min Dong and exited the interrogation room with Ye Yuanyuan.
“What’s your next move?” Ye Yuanyuan asked.
“First, we need to investigate the whereabouts of Min Dong’s wife and daughter and do everything we can to rescue them. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to get Min Dong to confess publicly,” Jiang Fei said.
“I’ll arrange for someone to look into it immediately. As long as his wife and daughter are still in Beijing, we’ll find them,” Ye Yuanyuan assured him. With the time and location of the kidnapping, tracking down the perpetrators wouldn’t be too difficult.
In today’s world, with surveillance cameras everywhere, investigations had become much simpler.
“What about Du Ziliang? When do we confront him?” Ye Yuanyuan asked next.
Jiang Fei’s expression turned serious. “The first time I met Du Ziliang, I could tell he was cunning, ruthless, and vicious. But I didn’t expect him to be so meticulous, leaving no loose ends! Even Min Dong has no direct evidence against him. If we confront him now, we won’t have a solid case…”
Ye Yuanyuan feigned surprise. “Since when do you need a solid case to act? Are you saying you won’t go after him without ironclad proof?”
Jiang Fei gave her a helpless look. “Must you be so blunt? After we find Min Dong’s wife and daughter, we’ll pay a visit to the Du family’s successor!”
Waiting for concrete evidence? That was for the police on TV.
Jiang Fei was one hundred percent certain Du Ziliang was the mastermind. If he waited for undeniable proof, he’d be a fool.
Without evidence now, he could always find some along the way…
——————————
After receiving the news from the blond foreigner in the organization, Du Ziliang sprang into action.
With Min Dong arrested, his carefully orchestrated plan to destroy the TCM Association and traditional Chinese medicine itself was losing its impact.
Given Jiang Fei’s capabilities, he might even turn the tables and strike back!
This was something Du Ziliang couldn’t afford to ignore.
Fortunately, he had always been cautious. As a precaution, he had kidnapped Min Dong’s wife and daughter. This meant he hadn’t completely lost yet—there was still a chance!
Since Min Dong was his pawn, Du Ziliang knew his character well. As long as he held Min Dong’s family hostage, Min Dong wouldn’t dare expose him!
However, besides ensuring Min Dong’s family remained under his control to prevent the TCM Association from recovering, Du Ziliang also needed to distance himself from the incident.
Jiang Fei undoubtedly knew he was the mastermind now. Even if the TCM Association collapsed, Du Ziliang’s life would become difficult. With Jiang Fei’s extraordinary skills, if provoked, he might even attempt an assassination!
After all, the useless assassins from the organization had failed to kill Jiang Fei despite multiple attempts. Now they had to rely on some Japanese swordsmaster. Du Ziliang certainly had no desire to face Jiang Fei directly.
“What should I do…” Du Ziliang murmured, sitting on his sofa with a steaming cup of tea, eyes narrowed in thought.
Suddenly, an image of his good-for-nothing younger brother flashed in his mind. After a moment, he made a decision.
A smile spread across Du Ziliang’s face as he took a sip of tea, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
Half an hour later.
Du Zikang, with obvious dark circles under his eyes, drove to the villa. He entered wearily. “What did you need, bro?”
Du Ziliang looked at him with an amiable smile. “Out partying all night again?”
“With all the media coverage lately and Jiang Fei looking so overwhelmed, I felt like celebrating. So I went out and had some fun,” Du Zikang said with a grin, sinking into the sofa opposite Du Ziliang. “And I met this incredible girl last night. But I heard her boyfriend is some official’s son in Beijing—a real troublemaker. I’m giving you a heads-up now, bro. If things get messy, you’ll have to bail me out.”
Since childhood, whenever Du Zikang got into trouble, Du Ziliang had always cleaned up after him. This long-standing habit had turned Du Zikang into a spoiled, irresponsible playboy. He was used to relying on his brother to fix his problems.
“You’re not a kid anymore. How can you keep fooling around like this? Our Du family will depend on both of us in the future,” Du Ziliang said, pouring his brother a cup of tea. “Have some tea to refresh yourself. It’s good.”
Du Zikang downed the tea in one gulp. He was well-versed in alcohol and enjoyed drinking, but tea wasn’t his thing. “You’re enough to handle the family affairs, bro. I’ll just enjoy life.”
He didn’t notice the unusually frantic look in his brother’s eyes as he watched him drink the tea.
After a moment, Du Zikang rubbed his temples. “Why do I suddenly feel so dizzy…”
Du Ziliang’s smile widened. “Little brother, you hate Jiang Fei, don’t you? You want him dead?”
“Of course!” Du Zikang replied, puzzled by the obvious question.
Du Ziliang nodded. “Good. Then your death won’t be in vain.”
“Bro, what are you talking about…” Du Zikang’s head felt heavier, and he shook it in confusion.
“Don’t shake your head. If you feel dizzy, just sleep. I poisoned your tea,” Du Ziliang said calmly.
“Bro, you’re joking, right?”
Du Zikang’s drowsiness momentarily lifted at the shocking news. He couldn’t believe it.
“Do I seem like someone who jokes?” Du Ziliang retorted.
Du Zikang froze, stunned. He looked at the teacup, then at his current state, and suddenly understood…
Du Ziliang remained unmoved. “Don’t worry, your sacrifice won’t be in vain. Your death will help me greatly and cause Jiang Fei a lot of trouble. And soon, Jiang Fei will die too…”
“Bro, please! Spare me! I don’t want to die!”
Though Du Zikang didn’t fully grasp the situation, he knew he was dying.
Terrified, he struggled to stand, wanting to beg his revered brother, but his strength failed him. He collapsed back onto the sofa.
“My dear brother, don’t be afraid. Remember when you were seven, and I made you cry? Father kicked me so hard I couldn’t get out of bed for a month. From that day on, I wanted to kill you. But I let you live a carefree life all these years. Killing you now is more than you deserve…” Du Ziliang said softly.
Du Zikang felt despair. He tried to crawl but couldn’t. He wanted to sleep but fought to keep his eyes open, his face contorted with rage. “Du Ziliang, you son of a bitch!” he cursed.
Then, he fell asleep.
Du Ziliang sat motionless on the sofa, murmuring to himself, “Ah, I’ve always wanted to fuck your mother anyway. That vixen is so beautiful and seductive, with such a large rear…”
