397: Chapter 396 Zhao Lintai Kneels

Qin Yi opened both eyes, only to see the Black Python in front of him slowly retreating and re-coiling itself upon the Dragon Head Stalactite.

"Qin Yi!"

Si Yao immediately stepped forward, her slender hand tightly gripping his arm, her beautiful eyes filled with lingering fear. "Just now, you and the giant python were head-to-head, motionless. What were you doing? My heart almost jumped out of my throat! I nearly thought you were going to be..." She didn't dare say the rest, but her pale face said it all.

"Don't worry, it's fine now." Qin Yi smiled and gently patted the back of her hand, giving her a reassuring look. "I was just communicating with Mang Ge. He has already agreed to send us out. However, we have to wait until midnight!"

"Really?"

Light instantly sparked in Si Yao's eyes, but then it dimmed again as her gaze drifted toward the cave entrance. "It's just, I'm worried about whether Brother Bin can hold on until we get out..."

Thinking of Si Hongbin, her heart tightened in waves. Although Si Hongbin was an adopted son taken in by her grandfather, they were only ten years apart. Having been together for many years, they were as close as blood siblings. That tall figure from her childhood who would always carry her on his shoulders and shield her from the wind and rain was now in a state where his life or death was uncertain... How could she not be anxious as if her heart were on fire!

"Don't worry, Brother Bin has heaven's protection; he'll definitely be fine." As Qin Yi spoke, his gaze darkened, and he continued, "Besides, Mang Ge also said just now that he can't wait to grind Bai Ruoxue's bones to ashes. Once we get out, we'll go seek revenge on that woman together!"

Si Yao nodded vigorously and said through gritted teeth, "Bai Ruoxue! You better pray that Brother Bin is okay. Otherwise, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, my Si Family will never let you off!"

"Alright," Qin Yi said, raising his hand to gently pat Si Yao's arm. "There's still some time before midnight. Why don't we take advantage of the time we have left to Cultivate in this pool for a while longer?"

Si Yao nodded in response, but her gaze suddenly caught a figure slumped by the rock wall, and her steps paused. "What about Zhao Lintai?"

Zhao Lintai had already been cowering in the corner 'playing dead,' terrified that Qin Yi and that Black Python would notice him.

However, Si Yao's reminder immediately drew Qin Yi's attention!

He looked up, nervously watching Qin Yi. Seeing both Qin Yi and Si Yao looking at him, his expression tightened, and he shrank back in panic, wishing he could stuff himself into a crack in the rock.

After witnessing Qin Yi's "equal communication" with that terrifying giant python with his own eyes, Zhao Lintai finally realized that a 'real' man like Qin Yi, who could remain unfazed in front of the giant python, was not someone he, Zhao Lintai, could afford to provoke.

Only, it was too late for regrets now. The grudge had long been established, and whether he lived or died was entirely up to Qin Yi's whim.

Qin Yi walked forward slowly, looking down at him from above. There was no anger in his eyes, only an indifference as if he were looking at an ant.

This indifference terrified Zhao Lintai more than any rage, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.

He scrambled to his feet, then with a 'thud,' he knelt before Qin Yi. "Qin... Qin Yi, you're a big man with a large heart, spare me, please spare me! It was my fault, I was possessed by greed, I shouldn't have had Bai Ruoxue attack you! It's all my fault! Look, as long as you let me go, I can compensate you! One hundred million! How about one hundred million? As long as you let me go, once we're out, one hundred million will be transferred immediately! Is that okay?"

Looking at Zhao Lintai's current humble and submissive state, Qin Yi said coldly, "Zhao Lintai, you want to buy your life for a hundred million? Aren't you being a bit too naive? Do you think there's only this much grievance between us? Half a year ago, in Jingnan, what did you do? Do I need to remind you?" As Qin Yi spoke, his eyes sharpened, and his fists clenched, making a 'cracking' sound.

Zhao Lintai panicked, thinking Qin Yi felt a hundred million was too little. So he hurriedly added, "No, no need. I admit, your father's steel plant was indeed a setup I orchestrated by colluding with Jingnan Steel Group and Jingnan City Bank! Look! If a hundred million isn't enough, how about two hundred million? How about two hundred million?"

Seeing that Qin Yi still wouldn't budge, Zhao Lintai gritted his teeth as if making a huge decision. "Five hundred million! Qin Yi, as long as you let me go, five hundred million is yours!"

Watching this scene, Si Yao finally understood. It turned out that there was an old grudge between Zhao Lintai and Qin Yi! No wonder Qin Yi had immediately agreed when she asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend and learned the other party was Zhao Lintai!

Looking at this once-arrogant noble scion who was now showing such an ugly display at his feet, the long-accumulated resentment in Qin Yi's heart suddenly dissipated by more than half.

—This kind of person simply doesn't deserve to die by my hands.

"You only know how to beg for mercy when death is at your door. Don't you think it's too late?!" Qin Yi said, slowly raising his hand.

"Don't... don't kill me..." Zhao Lintai thought Qin Yi was about to kill him. He scrambled forward and hugged Qin Yi's leg, his face covered in snot and tears. "Qin Yi! I'll give you all my assets, all of them, just please spare my life..."

A flash of disgust crossed Qin Yi's eyes. As his palm fell, Si Yao instinctively wanted to stop him, only to see Qin Yi flip his wrist and strike Zhao Lintai's neck precisely with the edge of his hand.

Accompanied by a muffled groan, Zhao Lintai's wailing stopped abruptly. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground like a pile of mud.

"Kill you? That would dirty my hands! Save your pleas for mercy for the law!" After saying that, Qin Yi kicked him to the edge of the rock wall and turned back toward the pool.

Si Yao breathed a sigh of relief. "Qin Yi, I really thought you were going to kill him..."

"Kill him?" Qin Yi sneered. "Dying so easily would be too good for him! For a noble scion like him who only knows how to bully others and use power for personal gain, the most painful punishment isn't death. It's making him watch as the wealth, power, and Family he relies on completely crumble because of him, spending the rest of his life in despair."

Seeing the fleeting pain in Qin Yi's eyes, Si Yao's heart stirred, and she said softly, "You did the right thing!"

The two smiled at each other. Then, they walked side by side toward the pool. After sitting cross-legged, they each operated their Cultivation Technique, using the spiritual liquid formed from the Black Dragon Essence Blood to continue their respective Cultivation.

...

At the foot of Zhuilong Valley, the Martial Artists of the Si Family had also arrived. Dressed in tight-fitting outfits, they charged into the depths of the dense forest in groups of three to five.

The officer from the Southwest Military Region in charge of the outer perimeter saw the leading Si Family Martial Artists and immediately raised his hand to signal the soldiers to clear a path.

On the way there, they had already received a call from the military region headquarters, which repeatedly emphasized to them: if the Si Family sent people into the mountains to search for someone, they must not be blocked!

By now, it was dark, but Zhuilong Valley was illuminated as bright as day by countless searchlights.

At the foot of the mountain, armored vehicles and transport trucks formed a winding dragon. Thousands of soldiers armed with live ammunition set up a cordon along the mountain. Their steel helmets glinted coldly under the lights, truly achieving a post every ten steps and a sentry every five.

In the dense mountain forest, lights flickered as dense crowds of figures shuttled through the woods.

Those nocturnal animals, having never seen such a commotion, all huddled in their dens, not daring to come out.

In front of the marshland, several Swamp Hovercraft were already prepared and waiting.

"Move out! Check the condition of the wounded on the opposite bank first!" the leading Armed Police shouted with a wave of his hand.

A hovercraft carrying over ten Armed Police pushed through the swamp mud and headed toward the opposite bank.

Arriving at the opposite bank of the marsh, the Armed Police immediately went forward to check the vital signs of the seven Si Family members who had been killed by Bai Ruoxue.

Suddenly, an Armed Police raised his hand and shouted, "Captain! There's a survivor here!"

Immediately after, two people ran toward that Armed Police. One of them used a military walkie-talkie to call for aerial rescue, reporting the specific location coordinates.

Before long, the roar of a helicopter came from the night sky. A Rescue Helicopter hovered in mid-air, and a rope ladder was slowly lowered. The Armed Police carefully secured the unconscious Si Hongbin to his back, gripped the ladder, and quickly climbed up.

The others quickly checked the breathing of the remaining six. After checking the last person, the Armed Police looked at each other and shook their heads. Among these seven, besides Si Hongbin who was barely hanging on by a thread, the others had already been dead for quite some time.

"Two stay behind and transport these six down the mountain!" The leading Armed Police sighed. "The rest of you, continue searching upward with me!"

Two Armed Police moved the six bodies onto the hovercraft and then headed toward the opposite bank of the marsh.

Just as the hovercraft reached the opposite bank, the Si Family Martial Artists arrived. Seeing the bodies being moved on the hovercraft, the crowd instantly fell into a dead silence.

"It's Old Third and the others..." A Martial Artist tremblingly reached out to touch the cold cheek of a corpse. Looking at the various wounds on their bodies, his voice choked up.

These were all good brothers who had trained together since childhood and spent every day together, yet now they had met such an end.

While the Martial Artists were filled with grief and indignation, a voice rang out: "Where's Brother Bin? Why isn't Brother Bin among them?"

"The Brother Bin you're talking about should be that unconscious survivor," explained an Armed Police officer who was moving the bodies off the boat. "He has already been sent onto the Rescue Helicopter. However, too much time has passed, and combined with the excessive blood loss, whether he can be saved... is still an unknown."

Hearing that Si Hongbin wasn't dead, everyone finally felt relieved. The leader immediately commanded, "A few stay behind to take our brothers home! Then, call the Head of the Family and report the situation here! Say that Brother Bin has been picked up by the Southwest Military Region's Rescue Helicopter! Other people continue up the mountain with me to find the Young Miss!"

The Martial Artists responded in unison. With a tap of their toes, they glided across the marsh, their figures lightly touching the water's surface like swimming dragons. The nearby Armed Police could only stare in amazement—is this the strength of the Si Family Martial Artists? This is even more exaggerated than wirework in movies.

...

Meanwhile, high above the mountain peak, the Si Family's civilian helicopter braved intense magnetic interference and stubbornly hovered in the sky.

The cabin door opened, and Si Hongxiao, carrying a parachute, jumped down without hesitation.

His eyes were fixed on the mountain peak platform below. When he was about ten meters from the ground, he suddenly pulled the parachute. At the same time, he activated the 'Swimming Dragon Movement Technique,' his body pausing in mid-air before he landed safely on the platform.

"Yaoyao—! Mr. Qin—! Where are you?"

Si Hongxiao shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in the valley, but only startling countless birds.

He was anxious as if his heart were on fire and didn't dare delay for a moment. While shouting, he quickly searched the mountain peak. Soon, he discovered some footprints near that cave entrance emitting white mist.

Could it be that Yaoyao and Mr. Qin entered this cave?

Thinking this, he leaned closer to the cave entrance and looked down, but the night and the mist blocked all vision.

There was no other way!

He quickly took out a professional rope, firmly secured one end to a tree trunk, and threw the other end forcefully into the bottomless cave. Then, taking a deep breath, he slid down along the rope.

...