Xiao Jingjing, Li Mengying, Fang Jun, and others experienced a complete mental short-circuit, feeling as if their understanding of the world was repeatedly being reconstructed and then shattered again, teetering on the brink of collapse.
The onlookers had long lost their composure—this was Zhou Tai, the heir to the Zhou Family, who didn't even blink as he declared someone's downfall as though it were nothing?
Everyone's minds went blank.
Zhou Tai's whole body twitched, intense pain spreading through his head, his brain feeling like a helicopter was roaring inside, and his vision turned dark and dull.
More than the physical pain was the trauma of a spirit on the verge of collapse.
Zhou Tai's eyes were empty, devoid of life, unable to accept the reality before him, feeling as if all his dignity had shattered like glass in an instant, leaving nothing but fragments strewn about.
In the hall, people gradually collected their thoughts, the previous scene having unfolded too quickly and swiftly.
For a moment, everyone's gaze was focused on Ling Fan as if they had seen a ghost.
At that moment, Zhou Tai was as miserable as one could be, not only with both arms broken and knee shattered but also with his jaw dislocated and nasal bones broken, his mouth filled with fresh blood and broken teeth.
Despite the excruciating pain that almost caused him to spasm, he couldn't utter a single word because the blood had blocked his throat and mouth.
Ling Fan showed no mercy, his calm presence causing the temperature in the already silent hall to drop further.
"Next time, remember, before you show off, wipe your eyes clean and don't talk so much." With that, Ling Fan turned to look at the pale Li Mengying.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the entrance.
"Who is Ling Fan?"
Hearing the voice, Zhou Tai's muddled thoughts regained a sliver of clarity, and his body trembled violently.
His father, Patriarch Zhou Zhenxiong of the Zhou Family, had arrived.
"Dad, save me!" Zhou Tai knelt on the ground, shouting as loudly as he could.
In the silent hall, his voice was exceptionally clear, filled with pain, agitation, and grievance.
Suddenly, everyone's attention shifted to the entrance.
One of Binzhou City's true bigshots, Patriarch Zhou Zhenxiong.
Ling Fan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man with a square face wearing a Sun Yat-sen suit, appearing to be in his fifties, with small but piercing and wise eyes full of experience.
He was accompanied by only one elderly man, but no one present dared to ignore him.
Patriarch Zhou stood there, an ordinary man, yet exuding an intense aura of authority that made it hard for others to breathe.
In fact, many people quickly averted their gaze after looking at Patriarch Zhou, lacking the courage to look any longer.
This was a giant who could make the whole Binzhou City quake with a single stamp of his foot!
Li Mengying's complexion changed slightly—while she was able to handle second-generation heirs like Zhou Tai with ease, facing a major figure like Patriarch Zhou Zhenxiong pressured her significantly.
"Dad, kill him, kill him!" Zhou Tai's face flushed with excitement, believing in his heart that his father was omnipotent.
Patriarch Zhou glanced at Zhou Tai and then at Ling Fan. Despite decades of Qi cultivation skill, he couldn't keep his heart from trembling at that moment.
Immediately, with a stern face, he walked step by step toward Ling Fan.
Instantly, life returned to Zhou Tai's eyes, and his blood boiled with anticipation of his father avenging him.
The others in the hall turned their gaze to Ling Fan, their expressions one of silent mourning.
Patriarch Zhou's pace was unhurried, but each step seemed heavy on the hearts of the onlookers, suffocating them.
Soon, Patriarch Zhou came face to face with Ling Fan.
In the hall, the atmosphere reached its peak of tension.
"You're the one who injured my son? What audacity! Uncle Lu, take action!" Patriarch Zhou ordered coldly, his voice barely concealing his murderous intent.
Just then, amidst the oppressive and heavy atmosphere of the hall, a series of heavy 'tap tap tap' footsteps suddenly echoed.
The crowd couldn't help but turn their heads to look, seeing a man in a suit and leather shoes with an air of distinction, who rushed in with a panicked expression!
The people in the hall looked at each other in confusion, unsure of the newcomer's identity.
"Cao Jinghui?" The elder beside Patriarch Zhou was startled and muttered to himself.
This man was the powerhouse behind the Zhou Family in Jiangbei, and it was unexpected for him to appear here so suddenly.
Ling Fan raised an eyebrow at the sight; this guy was from the Li Family managing affairs in Jiangbei and was, in a way, a subordinate of Vermilion Bird.
He had come to Binzhou City specifically to pay his respects to Vermilion Bird, who had arrived.
Because Vermilion Bird had some business to take care of, Cao Jinghui had been caught on short notice by Vermilion Bird and was secretly following by his side, ready to serve at a moment's notice.
With Cao Jinghui's appearance in the hall, dripping with cold sweat, the Zhou Family had collided with the mysterious Young Master Ling, and without mentioning the impending misfortune of the Zhou Family, he would be in big trouble himself.
This fellow's reputation in Jiangbei was thunderous; no one was unaware of him.
However, he had always been low-key and seldom appeared in public, making him almost unrecognizable to most people.
When Zhou Zhenxiong saw the person who had walked in, his body trembled violently, and his face filled with shock.
When had Cao Jinghui come to Binzhou City? And how could he appear here suddenly without even a greeting?
All of a sudden, as if he had realized something, he heard that a very important figure had recently arrived in Binzhou, someone behind the scenes who backed the Zhou Family.
"Could it be..."
Having thought up to this point, Zhou Zhenxiong immediately composed himself, abandoned Ling Fan, and hurried over to Cao Jinghui.
"Big Brother Cao, you...." Zhou Zhenxiong greeted him excitedly.
Cao Jinghui approached him without a sideways glance, pushed him away with a single motion, and walked past him straight towards Ling Fan.
"Young Master Ling, I'm sorry, how do you wish to deal with the Zhou Family?" Cao Jinghui arrived in front of Ling Fan and said with fear and trepidation.
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Zhenxiong felt as if he had been struck by Five Thunders and nearly fell to the ground!
There was dead silence in the hall; no one knew who this newcomer was, with such a haughty tone.
Amidst this silence, under everyone's stupefied gaze, Zhou Zhenxiong 'thump' fell to his knees.
"Ling... Young Master Ling, Zhou Mou has been blind; please, Young Master, forgive me!" Zhou Zhenxiong pleaded, his face deathly pale with fear.
This... this... how could this be?
In that moment, inside the hall, it was as if there were no living souls left, not even the sound of a heartbeat or breath could be heard.
Xiao Jingjing's face turned ashen, Fang Jun and others looked as if they had been struck by a calamity, and Li Mengying had the expression of someone who had been utterly screwed over.
Only Liu Yuqiong felt like she was riding a roller coaster—nervous yet excited to an extreme, and with her hand over her mouth and eyes wide open, she was full of disbelief.
"Dad, dad, what's wrong with you? Just kill him!" After several breaths, Zhou Tai let out a miserable scream; he was going mad.
Who was this person? In the whole of Binzhou, there was nobody that his father would kneel to.
This guy had just returned from overseas, and although he was the heir to the Zhou Family, he had heard of Cao Jinghui but had never had the chance to meet him before.
"Shut your mouth, and if you spout nonsense again, I'll cripple you myself," Zhou Zhenxiong shouted angrily.
At this moment, his heart was full of turmoil and nerves. Just who had Zhou Tai offended to bring about such a dreadful situation?
Zhou Zhenxiong was furious, angry at Zhou Tai; the Zhou Family was facing an existential crisis.
Kneeling on the ground, Zhou Tai completely forgot the pain his body was experiencing, his heart filled with endless fear.
He wasn't stupid; someone before whom even his father wouldn't dare to offend, someone who would prostrate—how terrifying must that person be?
Initially, he had no need to provoke the other party, but because of a woman, he had been irrational and calamity had befallen him. Now he was filled with regret.
On the other hand, Li Mengying, who had been looking forward to this, felt a chill through her body, as though her heart had been frozen.
Who was this person? How could the Xiao Family's worthless son-in-law possess such power?
It's over!
All is over!
The Li Family is finished!
Xiao Jingjing had a pale face, with a vacant look in her eyes.
"How could this happen?"
"What, what, what is going on?"
"Isn't he just a useless son-in-law? How could he have such connections?"
Looking at Fang Jun, Liu Jian, and others, they were ashen-faced, full of regret.
The thought of how they had struck and mocked Ling Fan before made them terrified now.
Someone who even Zhou Zhenxiong wouldn't dare to offend, with a background so frightening—if Ling Fan wished, they couldn't even begin to imagine their own fates.
Ling Fan's gaze shifted, a bit surprised to discover that the Zhou Family had some connection with the Vermilion Bird.
"Enough, I won't make things difficult for the Zhou Family, but from now on, he can't be the Family Head!" Ling Fan said indifferently as he pointed at Zhou Tai.
Upon hearing these words, Zhou Zhenxiong felt a tremor in his heart, and at the same time, he let out a silent sigh of relief.
"What?"
Everyone was dumbstruck, looking at Ling Fan in disbelief, and the hall was engulfed in dead silence once again.