Zuo Chunqiu glanced at the middle-aged man: "Kui Long, what do you think?"
The middle-aged man named Kui Long was terrified and quickly bowed his head: "President, I wouldn't dare!"
"Humph, since you wouldn't dare, then ask less." Zuo Chunqiu stopped speaking further, took a glance at Feng Tianhai and the others, and said indifferently, "The Young Master had an incident here, and none of you did anything. Do you know what punishment to accept?" Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel{f}ire.net
"President!" Feng Tianhai and the others turned pale upon hearing this, bowed their heads, not daring to utter a single rebuttal.
"Enough, handle it yourselves!" Zuo Chunqiu waved his hand and strode outside. As he walked down the corridor, he suddenly stopped again: "By the way, since the Guanghan Palace has had consecutive incidents, replace the manager."
After saying that, he left without stopping.
Watching Zuo Chunqiu's departing figure, Feng Tianhai and the others sighed deeply, exchanged a look filled with struggle, and then each grabbed their own left arm with their right hand and violently twisted outward.
The sound of breaking bones rose and fell.
Amid screams, everyone present rendered their own arm useless.
The President's words were like the divine voice, not to be defied.
After leaving Guanghan Palace, Zuo Chunqiu directly instructed Kui Long to drive to the place where Zuo Zongsheng was detained.
It was a nearby villa.
Though not luxurious, it was close to Guanghan Palace and, more importantly, secluded.
The surrounding environment was naturally serene, an oasis of calm within the bustling area.
But no matter how good it was, it was a disgrace to Zuo Zongsheng.
His left eye had been treated but was permanently blind, now wrapped in bandages, destined to present a one-eyed appearance to the world.
Upon Zuo Chunqiu's arrival, Zuo Zongsheng, though indignant, stood up respectfully and called out: "Father."
Zuo Chunqiu looked at Zuo Zongsheng's resentful face, lit a cigarette, took a drag, walked to the sofa, sat down, and scrutinized Zuo Zongsheng for a while before speaking after finishing the cigarette, "What, are you dissatisfied with being confined here?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Zuo Zongsheng said, but his discontent was written all over his face.
Zuo Chunqiu didn't waste words, instead asked, "Haven't you considered my purpose in doing this?"
"Father, you are the President of the Martial Arts Association, a figure akin to a deity, I wouldn't presume to guess your intentions." Zuo Zongsheng replied sardonically.
Unperturbed, Zuo Chunqiu conversed casually, "Zongsheng, you are my youngest and most valued son. Keeping you by my side should make my intentions clear. Your brothers, whether in the Capital or the Corps, hold significant positions but lack your talent. Do you know why?"
Zuo Zongsheng snorted, "Father, say it directly, I'm still healing my blinded eye."
"It's nothing to be blinded in the eye. If your heart is blind, you're truly finished!" Zuo Chunqiu extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, his expression turned solemn, "Since your birth, your path has been too smooth. If I were to hand the Martial Arts Association to you someday, could you truly lead it to flourish?"
Seeing Zuo Chunqiu getting slightly angry, Zuo Zongsheng became nervous, "Father, I'm just frustrated! Why do you bow to that mere Ye Guichen? Though skilled in martial arts, both you and Uncle Long could easily eliminate him! Not only did you give him a Guest Elder position, but also let him take away the woman who blinded me. Did you consider my feelings? You keep saying you'll make me the President of the Martial Arts Association someday, but letting those who hurt me go, who would still respect me?"
"Wrong!" Zuo Chunqiu motioned for Zuo Zongsheng to sit down, speaking earnestly, "True strength lies in being able to endure and yield. This time, the association's future is at stake, so I had no choice but to resort to this tactic."
Zuo Zongsheng puzzled, "Father, stop being cryptic and tell me your plan."
Zuo Chunqiu didn't hide anymore but asked, "You know about the upcoming Great Tournament of the Eight Organizations, right?"
"Absolutely." Zuo Zongsheng nodded, "You mentioned earlier it's Dragon Teeth's identity, but the Corps will use it to select talents. Weren't you planning to recommend me to Boss Mo for the tournament?"
"Unexpected developments occurred." Zuo Chunqiu squinted and leaned back in his chair, "From what I know, the elite of the Corps will be on vital missions and unable to participate. Thus, they must select talents from other places. Hence, our Jinling Martial Arts Association will be one of the selection pools. Previously I was confident in recommending you, with Uncle Long protecting you, even if you couldn't achieve great results in the tournament. With your talent, it's possible to reach the threshold of the Innate Realm. But now I've learned Boss Mo personally invited Ye Guichen for the tournament, with recommendations from Wang Chaoyang and Duan Nanye."
"What? That guy's also participating?" Zuo Zongsheng growled, "If he gets chosen by the Corps, it'll be harder to move against him later!"
Zuo Chunqiu nodded, "Indeed, so now's not the time for impulsive actions."
Zuo Zongsheng hurried to his father's side, "Father, you're killing me here. What's the plan? Can't truly let him join the tournament? Now he's practically atop my head. If we don't cripple him, how do I maintain authority in the association? Today's scene, even those dogs like Feng Tianhai feared him and dared not touch him."
Zuo Chunqiu patted his shoulder, "So, this matter needs careful planning. I haven't been idle these days, gathering information. Though not fully verified, it's largely deduced that he might already be a Half-step Master."
"Half-step Master?" Zuo Zongsheng frozen, recalling how Ye Guichen easily subdued him, gritted his teeth, "So what? Uncle Long is a Cross-Training Master. With his skill, killing that guy isn't impossible even if he's a Half-step Master."
Zuo Chunqiu reassured him, "True, but killing Ye Guichen now could be adverse if Boss Mo finds out."
"Must we let him compete?" Zuo Zongsheng reluctantly spoke.