A moment later, Su Qingning walked in holding a painting scroll. She slowly unrolled it in front of Lin Xiao.
To be honest, when he saw Su Qingning’s mother with the scroll last night, he knew it wasn’t the Map of Mountains and Rivers he was looking for, so he didn’t pay it much mind. After all, when it came to calligraphy and paintings, Lin Xiao had plenty in his treasure chamber at Kunlun, any one of which was a priceless treasure.
After Su Qingning opened the scroll, Lin Xiao glanced over and saw that it depicted lifelike shrimps. Even without seeing the signature, he recognized at a glance that it was a painting by Mister Baishi. A quick look at the signature confirmed it.
"Qingning, congratulations," Lin Xiao said with a smile. "With this, your urgent problem is solved!"
Mister Baishi’s paintings weren’t cheap. Although this scroll of Su Qingning’s wasn’t particularly large, it was still worth tens of millions.
Su Qingning, however, rolled the scroll back up. "I don’t plan on selling it," she said in a serious tone.
To be honest, when she had asked Lin Xiao about the painting earlier, she just wanted to see what gift her father had left her and if it could be sold. She was truly short on cash right now. Once the renovations were finished, the bar’s bank account would be completely drained. But when she saw the painting and remembered it was a gift from her father for her twenty-second birthday, she immediately dismissed the idea of selling it.
Lin Xiao smiled. "It’s good that you’re not selling it." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
In truth, Lin Xiao had already made up his mind. If Su Qingning really decided to sell the painting, he would buy it himself. Then, when the time was right, he’d find a chance to give it back to her. After all, this artwork was a gift from her father for her twenty-second birthday. To Su Qingning, its value couldn’t be measured in money.
"You scoundrel, take this back to the car," Su Qingning said, handing the scroll to Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao took the scroll, walked out of the bar, and got into his car. He opened the armrest compartment, preparing to put the scroll inside. However, he suddenly noticed that one of the scroll’s rollers was loose and decided to tighten it. The moment he touched it, the roller fell off. Along with it, a palm-sized piece of sheepskin-like material tumbled out.
"What’s this?" Lin Xiao muttered. He placed the scroll on the seat and picked up the palm-sized piece of sheepskin. It was clearly ancient, covered with dense topographical markings.
"What is this thing?" he murmured again, looking it over from all angles but finding nothing unusual.
I should probably just throw it away, he thought, but then reconsidered. It was hidden inside the scroll, so it might be valuable.
He placed the small piece of sheepskin back inside the broken roller, reassembled the scroll, and locked it in the armrest compartment.
After taking care of that, he got out of the car. Just as he was about to head back to the bar, two luxury cars sped toward him and screeched to a halt. One of them was unmistakably Xue Jingdong’s. Lin Xiao didn’t recognize the other vehicle, but it had Jinling City license plates.
The car doors flew open. Xue Jingdong swaggered out, looking arrogant. The doors of the second car opened, and a young man about Lin Xiao’s age stepped out. He bore a slight resemblance to Du Shaokun, and Lin Xiao knew at once that he must be from the Du Family.
The moment Xue Jingdong saw Lin Xiao, his eyes flared with terrifying rage. He snarled at the young man behind him, "Shaojie, that’s the filthy beggar! Kill him for me!"
The young man’s gaze fixed sharply on Lin Xiao, his eyes filled with an overwhelming hatred, as if he and Lin Xiao shared some deep-seated grudge.
"Don’t worry. Today, I’ll make him regret ever being born," the young man said viciously.
Perhaps having heard the commotion, Su Qingning came rushing out of the bar with a panicked expression just as the young man finished speaking.
When Xue Jingdong saw Su Qingning, a sinister, ghastly smile spread across his face. I brought the Du Family here to deal with Lin Xiao for the sole purpose of forcing her to give in. Seeing her this panicked... how could I not be thrilled? He could already feel it. Today, he would finally get his hands on the woman he had lusted after for seven years. He had it all planned out. When he took her, he would make that filthy beggar watch. A malicious laugh echoed in Xue Jingdong’s mind.
His words, however, were even more venomous. "Filthy beggar, allow me to make an introduction. The man standing before you is a member of the Du Family. You’ve heard of the Du Family, haven’t you? A top-tier family in Jinling City. What’s more, not only is Du Shaojie here a Martial Artist, but his big brother is a member of the Martial Alliance! Killing a piece of trash like you is easier than crushing a bug!"
Of course, these words were meant for Su Qingning. I know she’s worried about this filthy beggar. The more powerful I make Du Shaojie sound, the more terrified she’ll become. She might even get on her knees and beg me any second now.
And just as he predicted, upon hearing his words, Su Qingning’s expression grew even more panicked, with a hint of terror mixed in. Seeing this, Xue Jingdong let out an extremely satisfied, malicious laugh.
The time is right, he thought. He sneered, "Su Qingning, right now, you’re the only one who can save this filthy beggar. I’ll repeat my offer: spend one night with me, and I’ll let him go. Otherwise, I’ll have Du Shaojie kill him right here, right now!"
Su Qingning trembled with rage at his words, her beautiful face contorted with fury as she glared at Xue Jingdong.
It was true, Du Shaojie’s identity and background frightened her. But to be humiliated by Xue Jingdong ... she wished for nothing more than to slap him across the face several times.
The thought had barely crossed Su Qingning’s mind when Lin Xiao struck. A huge slap cracked across Xue Jingdong’s face with such speed and force that he instantly dropped to his knees in front of her. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, completely unconscious.
And that was Lin Xiao holding back. If Su Qingning hadn’t been there, that single slap would have blown Xue Jingdong’s head clean off.
Su Qingning was stunned. I can’t believe he actually hit him! And so brutally! It’s over. This is really the end. Xue Jingdong is the type of person who seeks revenge for the smallest slight. Lin Xiao has humiliated him time and again, and now he’s knocked him unconscious. When Xue Jingdong wakes up, he definitely won’t let this go.
An overwhelming wave of panic and fear completely enveloped Su Qingning. Her face turned deathly pale, and her beautiful eyes were wide with terror.
Lin Xiao said softly, "Don’t worry, honey. Today, I’ll show you just how capable I am."
Du Shaojie suddenly sneered. "Filthy beggar, you’ve got a big mouth. In that case, I’ll let a piece of trash like you witness the power of a true Martial Artist!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Lin Xiao sent him flying with a single kick.