The Plough

"Fourth Young Master, Mr. Ling dropped something," the driver spoke up not long after the car had left.

"What did he drop?" Yue Dingtang asked.

"It's a paper bag that was placed on the passenger seat. It seems to contain some food. Miss asked someone to put it in the car for Mr. Ling, but he forgot to take it," the driver explained.

Yue Dingtang was at a loss at his sister’s request.

Ling Shu was carrying so many bags and packages, it was as if he was a country relative visiting the city. He wanted to pretend he didn't see the paper bag and just say he forgot it himself when he got home. But he knew his sister would nag him about it endlessly, and his ears would be sore from listening.

Yue Dingtang sighed. "Turn around and go back. You'll get out of the car and deliver it to him later."

"Yes, sir." 

Ling Shu received a hit on his back with a stick. The force from the other side was strong and merciless, hitting him directly in the back and causing pain that penetrated his chest. 

He almost vomited blood. Even the wound on his abdomen, which had not yet healed, almost tore open again.

Judging from the punches and kicks that attacked him, there was more than one person on the other side. And from the way they attacked, it seemed like they didn't plan on leaving him alive.

The other side thought this was an easy task. After all, Ling Shu was alone and had already been captured. A few blows and he would be unconscious. 

If they added a fatal blow to his temple, by tomorrow his body would already be cold.

Even without waiting until tomorrow, in this kind of weather, a person could lose consciousness and stop breathing in just one or two hours. 

But Ling Shu didn't give them that chance. Suddenly, he curled up into a ball inside the sack and rolled to the side! 

Next to him was a flight of stairs, and he rolled straight down them. Taking advantage of the momentum, Ling Shu struggled to open the mouth of the sack and revealed half of his body.

Half of his body was enough!

He grabbed the stick that was swung at him, pulled it towards himself, and then pushed it back with force. The other person was unconsciously pulled towards him, and their grip on the stick loosened. 

In the next moment, Ling Shu snatched the stick away.

With the stick in hand, Ling Shu immediately blocked the other sticks, kicked open the sack with his legs, and struggled out of it. 

He then bent over and swept his body directly towards the opponents. The three of them were caught off guard as Ling Shu used his body as a weapon and knocked them backwards. One fell into a bush, another tumbled down the stairs, and the third tried to grab Ling Shu but was flipped over and pinned down by him. 

With one punch, then another, and a flurry of left and right hooks, his opponent saw stars and blood gushed from his nose.

Another man, sensing danger, quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed a stick, swinging it towards Ling Shu's head from behind!

The tension was palpable, the moment of truth.

A gunshot rang out.

The other man screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

Ling Shu gasped for air as he turned around and collapsed onto the ground.

His back was on fire, and he knew it was bruised and swollen.

He didn't fire the gun, but he had anticipated the blow to the back of his head and had planned to duck. He never expected someone to be faster and shoot instead.

The two thugs in black jackets scrambled to their feet and ran away without waiting for their companion.

The man who had been hit in the knee couldn't run and gave up after two steps.

In the darkness, the man in the windbreaker approached step by step. The hand holding the gun was wearing black gloves, straight and steady without any tremble. 

The headlights behind him cast a beam of light, but it was not a redemption to heaven, but more like a guide to hell. And the man in the windbreaker was the Grim Reaper. 

The face of the man couldn't help but show fear, but most of it was concealed by the darkness of the night. 

Ling Shu was angry and took the opportunity to kick him hard. The other party groaned, watching the man with the gun getting closer and closer, daring not to speak or fight back. 

Ling Shu kicked him a few more times, not holding back, directly kicking his shin bone. With each kick, the man finally screamed and begged for mercy. 

"Stop kicking, stop kicking, I was just doing someone else's bidding, it has nothing to do with me!" 

As soon as the words fell, a cold gun was pressed against his forehead. He took a deep breath and froze in place.

With a cold tone, Yue Dingtang said to him, "Go back and tell Shen Shiqi that Ling Shu is my person. If he loses a single hair, I will create trouble for the Shen family. Ask Shen Shiqi if his uncle is willing to clean up the mess for him."

The man was about to argue, but he heard a low "get lost" and instinctively struggled to get up, ignoring his broken leg and gunshot wound as he limped away.

He walked far enough until he couldn't see Yue Dingtang and the other person, then he breathed a sigh of relief and slowly turned the corner, where a car was parked.

The car's headlights were off, but there was still someone inside.

"Mr. Shen..."

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing half of Shen Shiqi's face. "What's wrong? You didn't finish the job, and where is your partner?" Shen Shiqi could already guess the result from the disheveled appearance of the jacketed man.

"They all ran away!" The jacketed man lamented, "Someone suddenly appeared, claiming to be named Yue Dingtang, and even pointed a gun at me. I really had no choice. And look, I'm injured. This job tonight..."

Before he could finish bargaining, he was hit hard on the back of his head and immediately collapsed, held up by someone's arms under his armpits.

"Mr. Shen, how should we deal with him?" The driver asked in a low voice.

"Whatever, just don't let me see him again!" Shen Shiqi said fiercely, looking at the man with disgust, as if he were looking at a pile of dirty garbage. 

"Pathetic! Three against one and they still failed. And now they have the nerve to ask for payment? I'll feed them to the dogs! I won't hire anyone from the Qing gang again. They can't even handle a simple task. Uncle, find me some new people. Actually, I'll go see Mr. Cheng. He'll have a solution!"

The driver wisely refrained from interrupting his boss's rant. 

After Shen Shiqi had finished venting, he calmly asked, "What about the Yue family? They've already intervened. This situation can't be made public. Is it worth offending the Yue family over Ling Shu?"

In the end, it was just Shen Shiqi's jealousy that had caused this mess. He looked down on everyone, thinking he could control the winds and rain. 

But suddenly, Ling Shu appeared, who was inferior to him in every way. Ling Shu relied on his good looks to catch the eye of He You'an, even though in the eyes of Shen Shiqi, He You'an was just a plaything. 

Shen Shiqi couldn't tolerate anyone or anything that was not under his control, and even the slightest discomfort made him unhappy.

Ling Shu was like a thorn stuck in his finger, not painful but uncomfortable, and he had to pull it out.

This was a common problem among those who were used to being high and mighty, and Shen Shiqi was no exception. Perhaps in the eyes of the real big shots in Shanghai, he was nothing, but he thought he had more than enough ability to deal with someone like Ling Shu.

But suddenly, Yue Dingtang appeared, becoming a variable in his otherwise foolproof plan. 

Shen Shiqi remained silent for a long time before reluctantly uttering, "Let's put that guy Ling's life on hold for now. We'll settle the score with him later!"

"Thank you, General Yue, for saving my life. Would you like me to offer myself to you?" Ling Shu still had that nonchalant tone and a hint of a smile on his face.

If Yue Dingtang hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he might have actually believed that Ling Shu was completely unscathed.

"You still have the energy to joke around. Why don't you stand up on your own?" Yue Dingtang gave him a disdainful look and only extended his hand when he saw Ling Shu wince in pain.

Ling Shu grabbed his hand without hesitation and used his strength to stand up abruptly.

It's better to endure short-term pain than long-term pain.

Even so, he still let out a hoarse cry of pain.

It seems that his back is swollen.

Luckily, it wasn't a metal rod, or else he would have internal injuries by now. Ling Shu seemed to have had a string of bad luck lately, always getting injured. And it seemed that it was only after he ran into someone with the surname Yue that things started to go wrong again.

It must be because this Yue person had a dark mole on his forehead that brought bad luck to Ling Shu.

Yue Dingtang didn't know what Ling Shu was thinking.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

Ling Shu sighed, "I have to be able to, it's not like my legs are injured."

But every step he took seemed to aggravate his injuries.

His back, his stomach, the pain was like being caught between ice and fire.

Suddenly, Yue Dingtang pulled him up onto his back and carried him effortlessly towards the car.

The driver hurried over, wanting to help, but Yue Dingtang lifted his chin and pointed towards the entrance of Ling Shu's house.

"Go tell Aunt Hong that this guy will be staying over at my place tonight."