"Forget your lineage!"
Forget yourself!
"The old man worked hard all his life, devoting himself to the cause. Although he had selfish desires to seek benefits and positions for his family and descendants, he ultimately acted for the greater good of the country and its people. What about you? Perhaps you think about serving the country, but don't forget that this country exists because of its people!"
Li Ruiyu suddenly shouted, "Enough!"
"What?" Xu Zhengyang raised his eyebrows, his voice rising twice as high, his face serious and deep, his aura surging. "Don't you even have the courage to admit your own shortcomings?"
Both Li Ruiyu and his brother were overwhelmed by Xu Zhengyang's overwhelming power and were unable to utter a word.
"Xu Zhengyang, who do you think you are! Pointing fingers here!" Jiang Lan suddenly felt a sense of relief and was finally able to speak. She put down her water glass, pointed at Xu Zhengyang, and sneered, "Fine, fine, you are a god. Any high-ranking official or noble in the world would be afraid of your status... But so what? Didn't you want to marry my daughter? I'll die. After I'm dead, let's see how my daughter will understand you and forgive you... Hahaha!"
This is insane!
The mouth of a green bamboo snake and the stinger of a wasp are both not poisonous; the most poisonous thing is a woman's heart.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head and said softly, "Don't think that death can get you out of everything; and don't think that you can die just because you want to."
The three of them were stunned.
"Jiang Lan!" Xu Zhengyang sighed like an elder, and said earnestly, "To say such things in front of a deity is incredibly naive!"
“You…” Jiang Lan’s eyes widened as she stared blankly at Xu Zhengyang, gripping the desk, her eyes filled with terror, as if she had encountered a demon.
Your life and death are not in your own hands!
Even if you suffer hardship, misery, and humiliation for the rest of your life, you cannot escape by death; you can only endure it.
What a cruel and severe punishment this is!
“Starting today, you will return to that courtyard house in the western suburbs of Fuhe City and take charge of all the affairs there. You don’t need to worry about Huatong Company anymore…” Xu Zhengyang let out a long breath, seemingly having finally made up his mind, with a hint of mercy and helplessness in his voice. His lips curled up slightly, trembling as he looked up at a corner of the ceiling and said softly, “Bring Bingjie back. Remember, Bingjie must not know about this…” After saying this, Xu Zhengyang suddenly lowered his head, frowned, and glared at the three of them. “As for how to explain it to Bingjie, that’s your business… From now on, I will still treat you as elders through Bingjie’s eyes.”
Jiang Lan's body trembled, and tears of humiliation, or perhaps a hint of regret, streamed from the corners of her eyes.
But she was unwilling to accept it. How could she listen to Xu Zhengyang just because of his words?
However, she was afraid, apprehensive, and terrified...
"Jiang Lan, don't let your entire Jiang family be implicated because of your blasphemous sin!"
Jiang Lan was so shocked that she sat back down in her chair, completely dumbfounded!
Li Ruiyu finally couldn't help but speak up: "Xu Zhengyang, you need to know who you're saying these things to today."
Xu Zhengyang turned to look at him, then turned back with a cold smile, looking out the window. He seemed to find Li Ruiyu's words laughable and said, "If nothing changes on Bingjie's side, we're all relatives. I should call you Dad, him Uncle, and her Mom..."
"Don't overestimate your strength." Xu Zhengyang stood up and said coldly, "Do you think that the armed special police, a few snipers, or even more powerful high-tech weapons outside can have a deterrent effect? That's for people, for other countries! Not for you to use to despise God!"
"Be glad you made that decision!" Xu Zhengyang arrogantly put his hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, and looked up at the sky, saying condescendingly, "Let me tell you, the sniper who fired just now would have hit you in the head with pinpoint accuracy!"
"If it weren't for the fact that I still have a human heart, the entire Oriental Plaza would have been destroyed!"
At this point, Xu Zhengyang stepped outside. When he took his first step, he paused slightly. In his mind, he activated the Zhenqian Ruler with his divine sense, and with a slight leap into the air and a downward motion, the entire Oriental Plaza trembled slightly.
The slight tremor was clearly felt by everyone in all the buildings in Oriental Plaza—an earthquake.
A rumble of thunder echoed across the sky.
Xu Zhengyang's heart skipped a beat. The expenditure of divine power was indeed enormous, but he did not show much fatigue. He walked to the door and left a sentence: "Try to persuade them..."
Having said that, Xu Zhengyang strode out, how heroic and valiant he was!
Inside the room, Li Ruiyu and his brother, along with Jiang Lan, couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah!"
The three were speechless.
Because they could see clearly that the seat where Xu Zhengyang had been sitting was now occupied by an elderly man with white hair and beard, whose face was serene yet exuded an incomparably awe-inspiring aura.
Yes, it is indeed the current acting judge of the Fuhe City God Temple—Li Haidong, Old Master Li!
At this moment, none of the plainclothes bodyguards inside Huatong Company, the armed special police outside the company, or the snipers lurking in various hidden corners could have imagined that, in addition to their respective equipment and clothing, they were also carrying a... ghost messenger!
Xu Zhengyang is not the kind of foolish, impulsive, or reckless person; everything he does is planned!
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 223: Kill One to Warn a Hundred
As the saying goes, "Hearing is believing, seeing is believing."
People often subconsciously confuse what they see with what they think, know, and hear, creating contradictions within themselves, without realizing this instinctive self-awareness.
Despite feeling fear, worry, and inexplicable dread towards Xu Zhengyang, he could still sit with him calmly, get angry, get annoyed, or let him act arrogantly and domineeringly without restraint. Even if he suffered some grievances, it had nothing to do with the fear inherent in human nature.
Because they can see Xu Zhengyang, even though they know he has the identity of a god, Xu Zhengyang is always a figure within reach in people's subconscious.
However, after Xu Zhengyang left, an unexpected person appeared in the room: Old Li!
A ghost!
This had a tremendous and direct visual and psychological impact on the three people, who were already under immense psychological pressure. It was a genuine, primal fear and shock!
It's a ghost!
Don't assume that people like them are inherently hardened, powerful, or fearless of ghosts and demons. When they truly encounter a ghost, especially after someone of some divine authority has stripped away their facade of strength, revealing their true vulnerability, guilt, and cowardice, and then suddenly they see a ghost…
Their psychological terror was no different from that of ordinary people.
This world is truly amazing, so damn colorful, it has everything.
The old man didn't rush to speak, or perhaps he was also feeling grateful for the opportunity to reunite with his family again, so he didn't know what to say for a moment.
So the room was very quiet, eerily quiet.
After Xu Zhengyang left, two bodyguards rushed into the house after hearing three people's terrified cries from inside, but were instinctively shooed away by Li Ruiyu.
Now, Li Ruiyu finally spoke first: "Dad, you..."
The words were on the tip of Li Ruiyu's tongue, but he didn't know what to say. He even began to wonder if the old man sitting on the sofa in front of him—or rather, the "old ghost"—was really his father. Or perhaps it was a terrifying illusion created by Xu Zhengyang's magic?
"Don't have any other ideas..." The old man seemed quite exhausted, his expression weary, but his eyes still shone brightly. "Compromise."
The three did not reply, but their eyes, which had been filled with fear, gradually turned to more and more doubt as they looked at the old man.
The old man sighed and said, "Do as Xu Zhengyang says... Don't push him step by step to the point that you don't want to see and are most afraid of seeing. Now, it's not too late."
"What exactly is he trying to do?" Li Ruiyu asked, frowning.
"You should all ask yourselves honestly what you're going to do, and what Xu Zhengyang has done before." The old man turned his gaze to Jiang Lan, "Especially you, Xiao Lan..."
Jiang Lan shook her head violently, her face pale and bluish, her eyes filled with unspeakable terror. She stammered, "No, no, I don't want to listen to him. He's a devil..."
The old man spoke softly, as if talking to himself: "Xu Zhengyang, from the very beginning, he had no great ambitions or aspirations; he simply wanted to live a carefree and happy life with a pure heart; and with the innate chivalrous nature of a farm boy, he occasionally did things to uphold justice..."
At this point, the old man's voice trailed off, perhaps because he dared not utter any disrespectful words towards Xu Zhengyang.
However, Li Ruiyu, Li Ruiqing, and Jiang Lan could all understand what the old man meant.
Yes, Xu Zhengyang was originally someone whose vision, conduct, and ideas would never be too lofty, and he would never pose any threat to people of their social class. This is because he lacked sufficient cultural knowledge, did not have a privileged background, and was not influenced by the family environment he had grown up in.
He was originally just a farmer living at the very bottom of society.
Just as they have always believed, how high can a mud crab climb even after it has climbed ashore?
Looking back now, even after becoming a god, Xu Zhengyang was never arrogant or domineering. He always lived cautiously, trying his best not to touch anything he shouldn't. Only occasionally, in moments of impulsiveness, would he get into fights, make a little money, and gain a small degree of fame… He wasn't particularly great, but he lived more like a real person, happily and contentedly living in his own little world, finding joy in his own company. He never wanted to be an enemy of these high and mighty people, nor did he ever consider challenging the powerful state apparatus.
Thinking about it carefully, if Li Bingjie marries him, she can truly live a happy life, which is much better than living in a family like theirs!
Even if Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie were dating, that's their freedom. Did he offend any of you?
No!
On the contrary, it was you who started pressuring Xu Zhengyang, threatening him, revealing his secrets, and testing his bottom line, even when Mr. Li was still alive.
Even now, they're still thinking about how to take advantage of him.
Step by step, we've reached this point where we're almost at each other's throats.
Even now, Xu Zhengyang has left you a way out, unwilling to completely break with you and become your enemy.
Call Xu Zhengyang indecisive or not, but he's still stronger than someone with a heart of steel. With his current abilities, killing a few people, regardless of who they are, would be effortless for him.
And as the old man said, don't push him any further. If you really force Xu Zhengyang to harden his mind and develop huge ambitions and aspirations, it will be too late.
"Xiao Lan, you really should... atone for your sins, alas."
...
As the white Audi A4 was about to leave the Oriental Trade City, Xu Zhengyang turned his head and looked out the window at the solemn buildings. His expression conveyed a sense of weathered composure, his brows slightly furrowed and his lips pursed together.
He knew that after this incident, Jiang Lan's lifespan was nearing its end.
It wasn't that Xu Zhengyang wanted to use Jiang Lan as a scapegoat to vent his anger, but rather that Jiang Lan's blasphemy and disrespect towards God this time had truly gone too far.
The wrath of Heaven is unforgivable.
Even Li Bingjie could not blame or resent Xu Zhengyang for this.
Xu Zhengyang took out his phone, found Dong Wenqi's number, and dialed it, only to find that the number was no longer in service. Thinking about it, it had been over two years; Dong Wenqi had probably changed her phone number. Frustrated, Xu Zhengyang decided to call Deng Wenjing to ask if she knew Dong Wenqi's current phone number.
Deng Wenjing hurriedly said, "Sir, oh no, Chairman, Wenqi is right next to me. She went back to the company. Would you like her to answer the phone?"
"Hmm," Xu Zhengyang replied calmly.
Soon, Dong Wenqi's excited, slightly choked voice came through the phone: "Xu Zhengyang, Chairman Xu, you're really better... I heard it from them, but I didn't believe it. I wanted to see you. They said you went to Beijing. Now, almost all the company's operations are paralyzed. Most of Jinghui Logistics' original employees have been laid off..."
“I know all of that,” Xu Zhengyang interrupted Dong Wenqi, who seemed to have endless grievances.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Chairman." Dong Wenqi realized what was happening and quickly said, "You, you wanted to see me about something?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask you, will you forgive Lin Shasha?" Xu Zhengyang asked softly.
"Lin Shasha? Humph, I will never forgive her!" Dong Wenqi said through gritted teeth.
Back when Lin Shasha was confronted and questioned by Dong Wenqi, she arrogantly and nonchalantly said, "Wenqi, for the sake of our friendship, I can make your job easier, or even give you a promotion. Why are you turning against me over someone else's company?"
"Lin Shasha, I, Dong Wenqi, don't have a friend like you!"
"Whatever..." Lin Shasha said dismissively.
"Wait, wait until Chairman Xu recovers, then you, you..."
"Hehe, Dong Wenqi, you're too naive. With just that mud crab, even if he doesn't get sick, Jinghui Logistics Company's fate won't change at all."
The past events flashed before her eyes, Lin Shasha's words seemed to still echo in her ears, and Dong Wenqi was furious at the mere mention of Lin Shasha's name. Little did she realize that her seemingly casual remark, born of anger, had essentially decided Lin Shasha's fate!
"Okay, get back to work." Xu Zhengyang hung up and closed his eyes.
In his mind, Xu Zhengyang softly instructed, "After Lin Shasha dies, bring her ghost to the City God's Mansion."