Chapter 136: Carving Out One's Own Path

"It seems we've been captured by the Hong Gang," Qin Feng said, a flash of cold light flickering in his eyes.

"Damn it, those bastards! I'll fight them to the death!" Zhang Hu struggled to stand, but the chains binding him caused him to stumble back to the floor with a muffled grunt.

"Save your energy, Zhang Hu," Qin Feng said calmly. "We don't know the full extent of their capabilities yet, so don't act rashly."

"Brother Feng, what do we do now?" Abu asked anxiously.

Qin Feng remained silent, quietly observing their surroundings. Suddenly, he heard the sound of light footsteps approaching from outside the door, followed by an icy voice: "Kid, you're awake?"

"Liu Qing!" A sharp glint appeared in Qin Feng's eyes.

"Oh? Looks like you're still quite lucid." Liu Qing pushed the door open and swaggered in, a sinister smile plastered on his face. "So, how does it feel to be on my turf?"

Qin Feng sneered but said nothing.

"Kid, I'll give you one last chance." Liu Qing walked up to Qin Feng, looking down at him with greedy eyes. "Hand over what you obtained from the grotto, and I might consider letting you live."

"And if I say no?" Qin Feng stared coldly at Liu Qing, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking arc.

"No?" Liu Qing laughed heartily, as if he had heard a hilarious joke. "Kid, it seems you really have no idea what your situation is!"

He leaned down abruptly, pressed close to Qin Feng's ear, and lowered his voice, enunciating every word: "On my Hong Gang's territory, no one dares to defy my orders! If you're smart, you'll hand it over obediently, otherwise..." Liu Qing paused, a flash of ruthless murderous intent in his eyes.

"Regret being born in this world? You? Are you even worth it?" Qin Feng scoffed, his tone full of disdain. He squinted at Liu Qing, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "I thought the Hong Gang was something impressive; turns out they're nothing more than this. What, picking on us because we're outnumbered? Is that how you define a hero?"

Zhang Hu and Abu, who had been worried, felt a sense of calm upon seeing Qin Feng's composure. They knew that if Brother Feng dared to speak like that, he must have a backup plan.

In reality, Qin Feng was thinking: *If I actually had a backup plan, would I have ended up getting beaten like this?* The real problem was that he hadn't expected these guys to be so cowardly as to use knockout smoke!

"You brat, you're at death's door and you're still running your mouth!" Liu Qing was thoroughly enraged by Qin Feng's words. His face turned pale with fury as he gritted his teeth. "You clearly don't shed tears until you see your own coffin! Beat him! Beat him to a pulp! Let's see how long you can keep that attitude!"

As soon as he spoke, two burly men behind him swung their rubber clubs toward Qin Feng. The clubs landed heavily on him with dull thuds.

"Brother Feng!"
"Boss!"

Zhang Hu and Abu screamed in agony, struggling desperately to break free, but they were held down firmly by the Hong Gang thugs.

Qin Feng clenched his teeth, taking every blow in silence. He knew clearly that showing weakness now would only incite them further. Only by maintaining a tough attitude could he possibly find a chance to escape.

"Kid, you're quite the tough one!" Liu Qing watched Qin Feng, now covered in blood, and instead of showing any pity, he became even more excited. "I want to see how long you can hold out! Keep hitting him! Beat him to death!"

Driven by the command, the thugs put more effort into their strikes, their blows becoming increasingly vicious. Qin Feng felt as if his bones were being shattered and his internal organs were shifting; the intense pain made his vision blur. Yet, he bit his lips, refusing to let out a single cry of agony. He knew he could not fall, and he certainly could not surrender.

The image of Mr. Long surfaced in his mind, and he prayed silently: *Mr. Long, if you don't come to save us, I swear I'll sell out every one of your secrets!*

...

He didn't know how much time had passed; the pain had faded into numbness, and his consciousness began to drift. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he heard a sudden, urgent sound of footsteps.

"Stop!"

Accompanied by a roar, the door was kicked open. A tall, middle-aged man in a black suit walked in, followed by several bodyguards in identical attire.

"Mr. Long!"

Seeing the newcomer, Qin Feng felt a surge of energy; the flicker of hope that had nearly died out flared up once more.

"Mr. Long? Which Mr. Long?" Liu Qing looked at the man, confused.

"Who do you think you are, to even know Mr. Long's name?" The lead bodyguard stepped forward and kicked Liu Qing to the ground. "Open your dog eyes and look clearly—this is our Mr. Long!"

Liu Qing scrambled up from the floor, and as he looked at the imposing middle-aged man, an ominous feeling welled up in him. "Who... who are you people? What do you want?" Liu Qing asked, his voice trembling despite his attempt to sound tough.

"What do we want?" Mr. Long sneered, walking over to Qin Feng and asking with concern, "Mr. Qin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Qin Feng shook his head and tried to stand, but Mr. Long gently pressed him back down.

"Mr. Qin, you have suffered." Mr. Long turned his gaze to Liu Qing, his eyes turning as sharp as knives. "You have quite the nerve, daring to lay a hand on someone belonging to me, Long Xiaotian!"

Hearing the name Long Xiaotian, Liu Qing felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his face turned deathly pale. He never imagined that this seemingly ordinary young man would have ties to Long Xiaotian! Everyone in the Great Xia knew who Long Xiaotian was—a man who had built his own empire from scratch without relying on any family connections.

"Hong Gang, is it? You dare touch my people? Go back and tell that man surnamed Hong that I'll be coming to settle this with him later!" Long Xiaotian's eyes swept over Liu Qing like a hawk, his tone icy. "I'll let today's incident slide. But tell that man surnamed Hong to keep his people in line. If anyone dares to touch a single hair on Mr. Qin again, I will make the entire Hong Gang pay for it with their lives!"

Liu Qing, already terrified and trembling, felt dampness seeping into his trousers. Upon hearing Long Xiaotian's words, he felt as if he had been granted an amnesty. He scrambled away, following the bodyguards out of the warehouse like a dog.

Before leaving, Qin Feng walked up to Liu Qing, looking down at him with a cold smirk. "You, surnamed Liu, remember this: we aren't finished! I will come to see you myself to settle this account. I hope you'll be just as arrogant when that time comes!"

Liu Qing didn't dare to utter another word, not even daring to lift his head, as he was dragged out of the warehouse by the bodyguards like a dead dog.