"I don't know. Jingwei said that he was adopted under their name with your consent. I beg you, save my daughter." Shopkeeper Zhao’s voice was hoarse upon seeing his daughter in increasing pain and face turning liver-colored due to strange suffocation.
Shopkeeper Zhao was distressed to the point of tears. In Datong Town, he was regarded as a dignified person. But because of his son-in-law's misbehavior, he had been reduced to begging for help. Privately, Shopkeeper Zhao's dissatisfaction with his son-in-law had escalated again.

Seeing that he seemed truly ignorant, Ling Jingxuan raised his eyebrows and, after a moment, took out two dark brown pills from his bosom. "Take it with warm water, it will take effect immediately."

He had changed his mind. He didn't want Ling Jingwei's life anymore; he wanted his life to be worse than death!

"Quick, hurry up and get water, hurry up!"

After receiving the pills, Shopkeeper Zhao yelled frantically, and the stupid assistants busied themselves in a hurry. Ling Jingxuan kept watching them coldly. One of the assistants picked up Ling Jingwei and put the pills into his mouth. When no one else was paying attention, Ling Jingxuan quietly grabbed his hand that had been pulled away and checked his pulse with two fingers. After a while, a touch of strangeness appeared in his eyes, and it seemed that things were getting more and more interesting.

"Daddy?"

About a quarter of an hour later, Ling Zhao, who had finally regained her strength, threw herself into Shopkeeper Zhao's arms, holding him and crying loudly. The woman in her twenties was crying like a child, almost exhausted, trembling uncontrollably, which showed how terribly she was frightened. Shopkeeper Zhao had no son, only this daughter in his life. Seeing her so scared, he was deeply distressed. "Good girl, it's okay, it's okay."

"Father? I—"

After waking up, Ling Jingwei looked at his wife and then at his distressed father-in-law. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything. The reason he was able to marry Shopkeeper Zhao's daughter was due to his scheme to ruin her innocence, forcing Shopkeeper Zhao to marry her to him, while publicly declaring that he valued his ability. Over the years, no matter how he tried to please him, his father-in-law always looked down on him. If it weren't for his wife's infertility for many years, making him feel guilty towards him, he might not have even been treated as well as the servants in the family. Now, things had gotten so bad that she almost died; his father-in-law probably wanted to see him even less.

No, he must not lose everything he has now. The Zhao family's property must belong to him.

"Don't call me that. I don't have a son-in-law like you who has no conscience. Who the hell gave you the guts to do something like kidnapping?"

It was better that he didn't make a sound, but when he did, Shopkeeper Zhao decisively vented his anger on him, glaring fiercely, as if he wished to see two bloody holes in his body. Of course, it wasn't all about venting; it was also because Ling Jingxuan, the God of Plague, was present. He was not an idiot. With his ruthless tactics just now, this matter could not be left unresolved. Whether for his daughter or his shop, he had to make a clean break at this moment.

In simple terms, for the sake of himself and his daughter, he had already abandoned this son-in-law whom he never liked.

"Father, wasn't I doing this for the family? If Suhua hadn't been unable to conceive for several years, how could I have thought of adopting children?"

Ling Jingwei was also shrewd, seeing the old man's plan, he quickly rushed over, rolling and crawling. At this time, he must not lose the support of the old man. As for Ling Jingxuan, he had long since forgotten about him.

"So, it's our fault? Ling Jingwei, I told you two years ago that if you wanted children, you could divorce Suhua. It's because you didn't want to, and now you are doing something illegal like kidnapping. Do you still want to blame it all on us?"
Taking a cautious glance at Ling Jingxuan, who seemed calm and indifferent, Shopkeeper Zhao sternly shouted. He couldn't let his daughter face another life-and-death catastrophe. Though young, this man was decisive, vicious, and frightening. The sight of him exuding an aura of death made Zhao fearful. If he had been a step later... No, he didn't dare to think about it. He knew he couldn't bear that.

"Father, Suhua and I have loved each other as husband and wife since we got married. How could I divorce her just because of the child? Besides, didn't you agree to adopt the child earlier?"

"Adopt? You are robbing!"

"I just brought the children here first, and I will tell Jingxuan in person tomorrow at the latest."

"You!"

Ignoring the presence of Ling Jingxuan, the others, and the servants in the room, the two began to argue. Shopkeeper Zhao desperately wanted to distance himself from the kidnapping incident, but Ling Jingwei wanted to tie them together. Neither was willing to give in, providing Ling Jingxuan and the others a good show.

"Since you are so sure of yourself, why did the children's father call?"

During the debate, Shopkeeper Zhao suddenly pointed at Ling Jingxuan and roared. Everyone's attention turned to him in an instant. Ling Jingwei was startled, then remembered Ling Jingxuan's presence. He turned almost mechanically, and when he met Ling Jingxuan's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling, his body trembled reflexively, and a touch of fear quickly climbed into his eyes.

"Jing...Jingxuan, I really just wanted to bring the children to show Dad and Suhua. It's nothing else."

Standing up and looking at him, Ling Jingwei had no choice but to stammer with a cheeky face.

"Hmm, what else?"

Leaning on the shelf, Ling Jingxuan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly. No one could guess what he was thinking. Ling Jingwei looked at him timidly and continued with a stiff neck: "Your life has not been easy these years. If the two children hadn’t been helped by Second Uncle and Second Aunt, they might have starved to death. You don’t want them to continue to endure hardships with you, do you? Although I don’t have much ability, it’s not a problem to feed them. They could go to a private school to study, or I could hire a master to teach them at home. In the future, they would be able to make a fortune when they grow up, right?"

Ling Jingwei became more confident as he spoke, not noticing the sneer on Ling Jingxuan's lips. Was it really better for them to cooperate with him?

"Clap clap."

As soon as the voice fell, applause rang out. Facing Ling Jingwei's self-righteous eyes, Ling Jingxuan said with a mocking smile, "As expected of the young shopkeeper of the grocery store, you are quite smooth-spoken. Ling Jingwei, do you think too highly of yourself or me? Are you worthy to be Xiaowen's adoptive father? Even if your Zhao family owned more than just a grocery store, even if you owned the entire Datong Town, you are not qualified to have anything to do with my sons."

Even if his guess about Yan Shengrui's identity was wrong, Yan was not the only great general in the Qing Dynasty. With his own abilities alone, few people could surpass him in the future. Ling Jingwei wanting to adopt his child? There was no way, even in the next life.

"You? It's fine if you don't want to. We've always been cousins. Today, the second brother was reckless. Let's pretend this never happened."

Ling Jingwei was furious, but then he thought of Ling Jingxuan's previous cruelty and terror. He stepped forward to win over their relationship with a sheepish expression.

"Tsk tsk... I thought you were a little clever just now, but now you are as stupid as a pig? Ling Jingwei, do you think this matter is still up to you? If you don't make things clear to me today, I will make sure you don't see the sun tomorrow."

With two soft clicks, Ling Jingxuan's long, narrow Danfeng eyes suddenly opened, and the coldness in his eyes shot out instantly, scaring Ling Jingwei back several steps reflexively, his body as stiff as a stone.

"Don't be afraid. As long as you tell me honestly who else is involved in this matter, and put it in writing with a signed agreement, I won't make things difficult for you."

At least not now!

"No, no one else. As I said, I just brought the two children over to play. Is it wrong for me, their uncle, to take them to play at home?"

Despite his fear, Ling Jingwei did not lose all reason. Admitting to bringing the children was one thing; admitting to kidnapping was another. The former could be excused as an uncle's affection for his nephews. The latter would result in a lawsuit. His father-in-law had made it clear he did not want to be involved in this matter, so Ling Jingwei would never admit to the kidnapping.
"Pick up the kids for fun? Why didn't I, their father, know about this? Didn't your master scholar teach you that using other people's things requires the owner's approval? Or do you really think I'm a three-year-old kid you can fool? Since that's the case, I heard that County Magistrate Hu happens to be in Datong Town. Let's go together and ask him to explain the difference."

If he were fooled by such a thing, then Ling Jingxuan would indeed be a fool. He didn't want Ling Jingwei's life, but he never intended to let him go either. If he dared to touch his child, he had to be prepared to bear the consequences.

"No, no!"

Hearing this, Ling Jingwei yelled in horror, instantly losing his composure. His body shook uncontrollably. Ling Jingxuan's face was covered with naked sarcasm. How dare he provoke him with such little guts?

Ling Jingpeng and Zhao Dalong hugged the children tightly. From beginning to end, they didn't say a word. Although they were shocked by Ling Jingxuan's cruelty, they were also angry at the other's despicableness. The tension finally began to dissipate slowly, but Shopkeeper Zhao, who also saw this scene, shook his head helplessly. Their standards were not on the same level. If Ling Jingwei could not clearly realize this, he would be played to death by the other party sooner or later.

"I'll give you one last chance. Say it!" His voice changed abruptly, and the hostility that Ling Jingxuan had subdued not long ago swarmed out again. His refined face was full of coldness and murder.

"You have to promise me first that you will never report to the police." His body trembled again. At this point, Ling Jingwei had no more choices.

"I promise you!" If he thought he could only report to officials, then he was very wrong.

"Okay, I'll say it."

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Ling Jingwei clenched his fists tightly and said without choice: "After seeing how clever and cute the two children were yesterday, I became more determined to adopt them. So, I asked someone to bring a letter to my mother in town, and I told her my thoughts, hoping she could help me. Who knew? She sent me another message this morning, saying that you have changed a lot since you woke up and are eager to cut ties with us. It is absolutely impossible to adopt the children to me. Because of this, I hurried back to discuss a solution with my parents. Originally, we planned to find you directly, but we ran into the children on the way, and then..."
In the end, Ling Jingwei really couldn't go on talking—not because of his conscience, but because the darker people are, the more they fear facing the light and being exposed for their wicked deeds. At this moment, he didn't dare think about what his father-in-law and wife would think of him, or what consequences he would bear.

"Ling Jingwei, at this point, you still want to play games with me? Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

Just when everyone thought it was time to end this matter, Ling Jingxuan grabbed him by the collar, leaned in close, and said coldly, word by word.

"I've said everything I need to say. What else do you want?"

Subconsciously avoiding his menacing gaze, Ling Jingwei stammered, while the sarcasm in Ling Jingxuan's eyes was evident. "If it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, how could the children have been drugged and unconscious until now? With just you and your parents, how could it have been done so silently?"

No one knew how angry and terrified he was when he learned that Xiao Baozi was missing. He would not make it easy for anyone involved in this matter. He had to avenge this wrong.

"I said, I'll say it."

Ling Jingwei, who still wanted to quibble, saw him raise his left hand again, fearing that he would use the same poison on him again. Ling Jingwei no longer dared to hold back and said tremblingly, "Mother made it very clear—you are no longer the Ling Jingxuan we could control. It is impossible for you to agree to adoptive children, so I hired two ruffians from Datong Town, bought drugs, and sneaked back to Lingjia Village to ambush, planning to take the child by force when they were alone. I thought it might take a lot of effort to get them, but who knew the opportunity would come in the afternoon, so I just—"

"Did you drug them and take them away without hesitation?"

"Bang!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ling Jingxuan interrupted coldly, then threw him aside. Ling Jingwei's body fell to the ground. Though he tried hard to get up, when he met Ling Jingxuan's eyes, his body seemed paralyzed, unable to move. Ling Jingxuan walked over and looked down at him condescendingly.

"What are the names of those two ruffians? Do your parents know about this? Is there anyone else involved?"

"Wang Er and Zeng Da. My mother knew about it, but she tried to stop me. Really, Jingxuan, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me."

At this moment, Ling Jingwei's psychological defense finally completely collapsed. This feeling of a slow knife cutting flesh was far more painful than the previous poison. He was afraid, truly afraid...

"Hmph, now you know fear? Where was that fear when you were doing those things earlier?"

With a cold snort of disdain, Ling Jingxuan turned on his heels and nodded to Ling Jingpeng and Zhao Dalong, who were waiting on the side. Just when everyone thought they were leaving and the matter was finally over, Ling Jingxuan turned around suddenly.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, for the sake of your reasonableness, let me give you a big gift. Ling Jingwei has a cold personality, and he will never be a father in his life."

"What?!"

After speaking, the three menacingly opened the door and walked away. Behind him, Shopkeeper Zhao's roar almost shook the roof. Before getting on the bullock cart, Ling Jingxuan took the children from Zhao Dalong's hands, hugged him, and looked coldly at the grocery store with its door open. If you want to completely destroy a person, you don't have to take his life. This is just the beginning. There will be more to come.