Chapter 204 - 202: Empathy

"Where the hell have you been all these years, kid? Not a single word!

"You’re too much! If you were alive, you could’ve at least sent a message! Do you have any idea how worried the brothers were when we thought you died?!"

The King of the Underworld’s attitude toward Ye Xuan left everyone dumbfounded. What was going on? Was this man really the King of the Underworld, the underground ruler of Jingcheng? Why was he treating Ye Xuan with such care? Furthermore, judging by his tone, the relationship between the two of them was far from simple.

Naturally, the most bewildered person of all was Guo Xiang. Although the King of the Underworld had mentioned before that he and the Cyan Dragon Chief were sworn brothers who had braved life and death together, hadn’t the Cyan Dragon Chief disappeared five years ago? Who would have thought that a random guy he bumped into on the street would turn out to be the Cyan Dragon Chief? What the hell was this?! This was just too damn unlucky!

"I can tell you about that later. Right now, I think it’s necessary to resolve this issue with your godson." Ye Xuan smiled coldly at the King of the Underworld. He didn’t bother catching up but instead shifted the topic to Guo Xiang.

Five years was enough time to change many things. Despite the King of the Underworld calling him brother right now, God knew what he was actually scheming. This was a man even Ye Xuan wouldn’t dare underestimate. If the King of the Underworld was still the same as he was five years ago—wholeheartedly standing by Ye Xuan’s side—then perhaps he was still worth forging a deeper alliance with. But if Ye Xuan detected even the slightest shift in his loyalties, their brotherhood would have to be reevaluated.

"That’s easy enough!" Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, the King of the Underworld paused for a moment before turning his head to glare at Guo Xiang, barking out a harsh reprimand. "You little brat, get your ass over here right now! Kneel down and apologize to the Cyan Dragon Chief!"

Guo Xiang was already terrified of the King of the Underworld. Seeing his fierce demeanor now made Guo Xiang’s legs turn completely to jelly. Swallowing hard, he scrambled over to Ye Xuan and the King of the Underworld, falling to his knees with a loud THUD.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, you are a magnanimous man! I was blind and foolish not to recognize who you were, and I offended you.

"Please give me a chance to turn over a new leaf. Forgive me just this once!"

After saying that, Guo Xiang kowtowed to Ye Xuan three times—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. His attitude couldn’t have been more sincere.

Seeing him like this, the King of the Underworld’s expression softened slightly. However, he didn’t dare tell Guo Xiang to get up directly. Instead, he turned to gauge Ye Xuan’s reaction. "Ye Xuan, what do you think of..."

"He’s passed my test, but he still hasn’t paid his debt to the Wang Family." Ye Xuan glanced at Guo Xiang, his tone icy.

Although he didn’t know the exact grudge between Guo Xiang and the Wang Family, judging from their attitude toward Guo Xiang, it was definitely no trivial matter.

Guo Xiang’s face drained of all color upon hearing Ye Xuan’s words. He never imagined that Ye Xuan would stand up for the Wang Family.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, what happened with the Wang Family back then is all in the past! We already compensated them. This matter..." Guo Xiang looked up at Ye Xuan, explaining frantically.

But before he could even finish, Ye Xuan waved a hand to cut him off. "I know how you people handle things. Your so-called compensation was definitely forced upon the Wang Family to make them compromise.

"Today, I want you to do exactly as the Wang Family says."

This single sentence plunged Guo Xiang into complete despair. Doing exactly as the Wang Family said—wasn’t that tantamount to asking for his life? He had turned Wang Qiao’er into a cripple. There was no way in hell the Wang Family would let him off easily.

"Godfather! Godfather, please say something for me! You were the one who stepped in and handled the Wang Family’s matter back then!

"Are you really going to make me listen to the Wang Family? They’ll kill me!"

Guo Xiang grabbed onto the King of the Underworld’s leg, begging through snot and tears. His godfather was his only hope now.

"This..." Looking at Guo Xiang’s pathetic state, the King of the Underworld also found himself in a very difficult position. He had handled the Wang Family incident single-handedly back then, so he naturally knew just how much they hated Guo Xiang. If he truly handed Guo Xiang over to the Wang Family, the boy would undoubtedly die.

"Ye Xuan, I didn’t handle this matter well. I was too hasty back then," the King of the Underworld said.

"How about this? I’ll give the Wang Family another three hundred million as compensation, and at the same time, I’ll hand over that plot of land in Dongcheng District for the Wang Family to develop.

"I wonder if these conditions will satisfy them?"

Under normal circumstances, such generous terms would definitely make the Wang Family green with envy. But when it came to the matter regarding Wang Qiao’er, they would not yield. Guo Xiang had crippled Wang Siming’s sister, leaving her in her current depressed and joyless state. This was absolutely not something money could fix.

"There’s no point telling me this. You need to ask the Wang Family if they agree. As long as they accept your terms, I have no problem with it." Ye Xuan glanced at Old Mrs. Wang and Wang Siming, handing the decision-making power over to them.

"Old Mrs. Wang, are you satisfied with these terms?" the King of the Underworld turned his gaze to the old woman, asking with a faint smile.

"We do not accept these terms."

Everyone originally thought the Wang Family would surely be tempted, accept the conditions, and let Guo Xiang go. But who could have known that Old Mrs. Wang wouldn’t care for it at all? She flatly rejected him.

"Although our Wang Family isn’t considered one of the great Noble Families, and our wealth and power cannot compare to yours as the underground king," Old Mrs. Wang declared, "we are not a family lacking in money either. We don’t care about your three hundred million or your plot of land.

"I only want the wicked to be punished!"

Wang Siming looked at his visibly indignant mother, using his silence to endorse her decision.

The King of the Underworld’s face instantly darkened, his heart filled with a mix of anger and helplessness. "This... Then, Old Mrs. Wang, how exactly do you wish to punish my godson?" He emphasized the word ’godson’ heavily, making it sound like both a reminder and a warning.

Old Mrs. Wang froze for a moment, a flicker of hesitation flashing through her eyes.

"King of the Underworld, shut up." Ye Xuan, who had also caught the underlying threat in the King of the Underworld’s words, shot him an icy glare and rebuked him in a low voice.

Being scolded like this, the King of the Underworld didn’t dare push any further. He could only stare intently at Old Mrs. Wang, waiting for her to speak.

With Ye Xuan backing her up, the worries in Old Mrs. Wang’s heart instantly vanished. She glared resentfully at Guo Xiang. The hatred she had accumulated over the years was finally released in this very moment.

"Our Wang Family isn’t ruthless. We won’t take your life, but you must receive an equal punishment.

"You turned my daughter into a cripple, so I want you to break both of your own legs! Just like my daughter, you will spend the rest of your life living in a wheelchair!"

The best way to make a wicked person realize their mistakes was to make them experience it for themselves. Only by treating him the exact same way could he truly understand the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon others.