Chapter 162

After a good while, Lin Meng finally suppressed the volatile Yang Qi inside his body, not daring to think about Shen Yuerou’s appearance anymore.

Right now, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had originally thought that breaking through to the Refining Sun Realm was a good thing. Who knew the side effects would be this massive? Even the slightest bit of stimulation was enough to drive him mad with discomfort.

"When is this situation ever going to end?" Lin Meng sighed; both of his "heads" were throbbing.

Just then, a flurry of footsteps rang out from outside, and two figures walked into the private room one after the other.

"Sister Lingshan, you’re here!" Seeing Zhao Lingshan walk in first, Lin Meng immediately perked up.

A smile also appeared on Zhao Lingshan’s face. "Xiaomeng, let me introduce you. This is the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, Dong Feihu. He is also my benefactor."

Hearing this, Lin Meng finally looked at the middle-aged man behind her. He had a burly physique. His looks couldn’t be called handsome, but he possessed a strong masculine aura, and his body carried an indescribable ferocity.

"Hello, Mr. Lin." Dong Feihu took the initiative to step forward and politely extended his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Dong." Lin Meng shook his hand, his attitude hardly enthusiastic.

Even if this Dong Feihu was Zhao Lingshan’s benefactor, it was an undeniable fact that he had handed her over to the Bai family. Based on this point alone, it was hard for Lin Meng to have a good impression of him.

Dong Feihu noticed this as well and smiled bitterly. "It seems Mr. Lin has an issue with me. But that’s normal. I’m certainly no saint."

Zhao Lingshan wrapped her arms around Lin Meng’s arm and said softly, "Xiaomeng, although Mr. Dong isn’t a good person, he is definitely not the bad guy you think he is. He has his principles.

"Back when I was working in the county town and getting bullied, it was Mr. Dong who saved me and even gave me a sum of money.

"As for accepting his training, it was completely voluntary on my part. I grew up in a village, and my family’s conditions were poor. When I came to the county, people looked down on me. I was ostracized and bullied everywhere. I was truly terrified of being poor, so I wanted to use this method to change my destiny.

"At the time, Mr. Dong warned me about the consequences, but I couldn’t listen. I only cared about climbing the social ladder, so you really can’t blame him.

"As for the other women, they were basically all at the end of their ropes too. From beginning to end, Mr. Dong never forced them. And whether in terms of living conditions or otherwise, he always provided them with the highest treatment."

Hearing this, Lin Meng felt a little better.

Seizing the opportunity, Dong Feihu explained, "Mr. Lin, you know my sister, Qiu Ping, right? She should have told you that I was actually willing to give Miss Zhao her freedom. Unfortunately, it was truly too late by then. Because on that day, Bai Zhentian personally picked her out. Although I have some influence in the county, compared to the Bai family, I am absolutely nothing."

Lin Meng finally understood. Dong Feihu had brought Zhao Lingshan along to plead on his behalf, afraid that Lin Meng would hold a grudge against him over this matter. However, Lin Meng had a clear understanding of himself: his current self wasn’t formidable enough to make Dong Feihu this terrified. What the man truly feared must be the Bai family. Understanding this, and considering that Dong Feihu hadn’t actually harmed Zhao Lingshan, Lin Meng naturally wouldn’t hold it against him anymore. He well understood the principle that an extra friend meant an extra path in life.

"Mr. Dong, I understand the situation now. I won’t say anything else, but thank you for taking care of Sister Lingshan for all these years."

Dong Feihu let out a sigh of relief and laughed heartily. "I wouldn’t call it taking care of her. Miss Zhao has helped me a lot with my work over the years. Meeting you now, Mr. Lin, is her good fortune."

Lin Meng gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.

"By the way, Mr. Lin, I heard from my sister that you had her detain a man named Li Dabiao, is that right?" Dong Feihu asked, recalling the matter.

"Li Dabiao? Xiaomeng, why did you grab him?" Hearing this, a confused expression appeared on Zhao Lingshan’s face.

Lin Meng didn’t hide anything and recounted everything that had happened in the village over the past few days.

"Li Dahai and Li Dabiao are getting more and more outrageous!" After a moment of indignation, Zhao Lingshan calmed down and analyzed the situation. "However, Xiaomeng, it really won’t be easy for you to take down Li Dahai. He has connections up the ladder in both the town and the county."

Dong Feihu coughed lightly. "I can actually offer some help with this matter. The methods aren’t exactly clean and might cause some follow-up trouble, but it shouldn’t be a big problem."

"We’ll see about that later," Lin Meng said, shaking his head gently.

Although he really wanted to deal with Li Dahai, using the Black Tiger Gang could backfire if not handled well. It was better to use a foolproof method to ensure Li Dahai could never make a comeback.

Just as he was thinking, another flurry of footsteps rang out outside. Dong Feihu’s expression instantly turned serious, looking as though he were bracing for a formidable enemy. Lin Meng knew it had to be the Bai family.

Sure enough, in the next second, Bai Yuanzheng walked in first, followed by Bai Zhentian and Bai Li. While Bai Yuanzheng wore a smile, the expressions on Bai Zhentian and Bai Li’s faces were incredibly complex.

"Little brother Lin, we meet again," Bai Yuanzheng said, giving Lin Meng a solemn fist-and-palm salute. "Last time you cured my illness, the circumstances weren’t right, so I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you. This time, I troubled Mr. Dong to invite you over primarily because our Bai family crossed the line last time. I was afraid you wouldn’t come if we asked directly. I hope you won’t take offense."

"Elder Bai, you’re too polite. I judge the matter, not the person. No matter how the rest of the Bai family acts, your strength of character and your principle of siding with reason over family ties are worthy of my respect!" Lin Meng returned the salute in a decent manner.

These were his true thoughts. Elder Bai’s character was indeed flawless. Plus, it was obvious at a glance that he had climbed his way up from the bottom.

"Hearing you say that puts this old man’s heart at ease." A smile appeared on Elder Bai’s face, but it quickly faded as he coldly looked at Bai Zhentian and his daughter. "What are you two standing around for? Do I still need to tell you what to do?"

Bai Zhentian’s expression shifted. He stepped forward and bowed to Lin Meng. "Mr. Lin, what happened last time was my fault. I used my power to bully you. I apologize to you here and now. I’m sorry."

Lin Meng watched him coldly, not bothering to reply.

At this moment, Bai Li also walked over, followed with a bow, and said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Lin, I also want to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have looked down on you, nor should I have threatened you with the people you care about and played tricks on you. I know I was wrong. I’m sorry."

Lin Meng remained indifferent, not even sparing her a glance.

Wrong? Did they really know they were wrong? Lin Meng didn’t think so. People like them would never admit they were wrong. They were simply afraid of Elder Bai, the master who controlled their family. It could be said that in the hearts of people like them, there was no right or wrong, only the strong and the weak. Although they apologized on the surface, they were probably thinking that it wasn’t their actions that were wrong, but simply that they weren’t strong enough!