218: Chapter 218 How Have I Treated You?

When the Three Liu Brothers heard Tian Chunming's voice, their expressions were as if they had just seen Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Liu Qing himself felt as if he had grabbed a lifeline while drowning, and hurriedly asked, "Mr. Tian, where are you?"

"I'm at the entrance of the village, encountering a little trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I've run into a bit of trouble, and I'm currently considering whether to go back and continue helping you, or to just retreat now."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads.

Liu Qing was instantly stunned into silence.

Sensing something amiss, Liu Jian hurriedly leaned toward the phone: "Mr. Tian, let's talk this over properly. Don't be like this. Han Jingyang has already killed his way to the floor below. If you don't show up, we're all going to become wanted criminals."

Tian Chunming chuckled: "It doesn't matter to me. I've long been a wanted criminal, and not just in one country. Some people have even issued a bounty for my head. A few more charges from you lot won't make a difference, and missing a few won't either, so don't try to threaten me with that."

Liu Jian was instantly speechless.

Liu Xin jumped in: "Mr. Tian, you can't just abandon us Three Liu Brothers and walk away like this. Putting everything else aside, we haven't treated you badly, have we? If you wanted money, we gave you money; if you wanted things, we gave you things; if you wanted people, we gave you people. Isn't it a bit lacking in... professional ethics for you to just walk away like this?"

Tian Chunming laughed even louder, making the phone speaker crackle: "Professional ethics? You want to talk about professional ethics with a heinous villain like me?"

Liu Qing finally came to his senses at this moment and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Tian, I know what you want. How about this: you come back and settle the situation, and I'll give you another ten million."

"Ten million? Not enough."

"How much do you want?"

"At least fifty million."

"Fine. Once it's done, I'll transfer it to your account immediately."

"Pay first, at least half—that's twenty-five million. Once the money hits the account, I'll come over and settle things for you, including that little bastard Han Jingyang. I'll make sure he can never cause you trouble again."

"This..."

"Don't stall. Either agree or I'm leaving. Let me tell you, that little bastard Han Jingyang might not be a good person, but he's quite capable and has a trump card. Even for me, dealing with him will take quite a bit of effort."

Liu Qing gritted his teeth, not daring to make a sound. Listening to the murmurs outside the window and the sound of bricks smashing against walls and glass, he hardened his heart and nodded: "Fine, I'll transfer the money now. If you dare to take the money and not do the job, I'll kill you even if it costs me my entire fortune."

"Hahaha, good. Once the money is in, I'll head over immediately. Five minutes at most."

He hung up the phone.

Liu Qing slammed his fist onto the table hard: "Damn that Tian Chunming!"

Liu Jian sighed: "Third brother, I'm afraid this matter won't end well. That guy surnamed Tian is no good; we'd better think of a plan early."

Liu Qing nodded: "The money still has to be paid. If he can come, that's for the best; his strength is unquestionable. But we can't just sit and wait for death either. We need to come up with a contingency plan, at least to leave a seed for the Liu family so we aren't completely wiped out."

Liu Jian nodded heavily: "Right!"

Then, Liu Qing and Liu Jian's gazes shifted to Liu Xin.

Liu Qing patted Liu Xin on the shoulder: "Second brother, how have I treated you all these years?"

Downstairs, in the courtyard.

The lid of the luxurious golden Phoebe wood coffin was slowly lifted.

A foul stench instantly permeated the entire courtyard.

Han Jingyang covered his nose and took two steps back.

The village chief stepped forward, leaned in to take a look, his expression changed immediately, and he quickly called for people to act: "Hurry and move him out."

Liu Jingyun was moved out of the coffin and placed on the ground.

He didn't move at all.

He looked like he was asleep, and also like he was dead.

The village chief squatted down to check his breath, then felt his chest. His expression shifted, and he was speechless for a moment.

The villagers gathered around, whispering to each other.

"Is he dead?"

"Looks like he's dead. If he were really alive, could he hold his breath in a coffin for that long?"

"Even if he was alive originally, he must have suffocated by now."

"That's not right. If Old Man Liu was still alive when he was put in the coffin, he definitely would have struggled after holding his breath for so long, but he didn't move at all. This doesn't make sense."

"Did he take sleeping pills?"

"Even if he took sleeping pills, he would still have a heartbeat and breathing. So, Old Man Liu must be dead. The only question is whether he was alive or dead when he was put in the coffin."

"Could we have fallen for a trap?"

"It's possible this young man is just spouting nonsense."

"Then what is he after?"

"He probably has a grudge against the Three Liu Brothers. He wants to make sure the old couple can't rest in peace even in death, and by creating such a huge rumor, he'll make the Three Liu Brothers carry the blame for a lifetime. Anyway, since they're dead, the Three Liu Brothers won't be able to explain it clearly even if they wanted to."

"Damn, we've been tricked. We were scared by this kid."

"Kill this little bastard, he dared to come to our Xiaohe Village looking for trouble."

"Close the gate, don't let him run."

"..."

The villagers' emotions gradually grew agitated, and their gazes toward Han Jingyang and the others became increasingly ferocious.

The village chief also slowly looked up at Han Jingyang.

Han Jingyang said to Xu Xin: "This old man must have been hit with some kind of secret technique, similar to the Tortoise Breathing Technique. Several of his major acupoints have been sealed. Old Xu, press on him, start from the chest; there's a breath blocked there."

Xu Xin walked without hesitation to where Liu Jingyun, who was wearing burial clothes, lay. He knelt on one knee and placed his hand on Liu Jingyun's chest, starting to massage.

This action made the restless villagers quiet down.

Only the Liu family relatives were a little uneasy. If Liu Jingyun really came back to life, even if they weren't accomplices, they wouldn't have the face to see anyone in the future. Moreover, most of them relied on Liu Qing for their livelihood. If the charge of Liu Qing murdering his mother and father was confirmed, what would happen to their future livelihood?

If this matter were truly confirmed, these relatives would not only lose face but it would also affect their personal interests.

Therefore, seeing Xu Xin start massaging, a chubby man in the crowd suddenly shouted: "Even if there's a problem, we should call the police to handle it. Send him to the hospital if needed, do whatever needs to be done. What are you doing taking matters into your own hands? What if the old man isn't dead, but you massage him to death? What then?"

That... actually made sense.

The crowd of villagers and Liu Qing's relatives instantly found theoretical support.

"Exactly, hurry to the hospital."

"Don't let them mess around. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to explain it."

"Make them leave."

"I'll go get the car."

At this moment, the Three Liu Brothers, having heard the commotion, pushed the door open and came out. Facing the various gazes of the crowd, Liu Qing said calmly: "At this point, I don't want to say anything. Let's call the police. Only the police can sort out right from wrong. Before the police arrive, no one is allowed to touch a single finger of my father. Whoever disagrees is someone with a guilty conscience."

The crowd nodded repeatedly.

"Right, call the police."

"I believe the police."

"Exactly, even just any random local police officer is more trustworthy than these young guys from who knows where."

"That's right, that's right."

"Besides, even if there is a problem, it should be handed over to the police, not solved privately."

"We are in a society ruled by law now. Even if Liu Qing really did something, it should be handled by the police, not hastily judged by some random person."

"Surround them, surround them. Call 110 and 120 at the same time."