Chapter 1696 - 1696: Unable to Escape the Five Finger Mountain

"No more waiting."

Ying Zheng's expression remained calm, smiling as he took a sip of wine.

The other twelve were instantly astonished!

They keenly sensed something unusual in Ying Zheng's words.

Since the fourteen sworn brothers came together, never once during a gathering did they start eating or drinking without everyone present. This was not a good sign.

They followed Ying Zheng and took a sip of wine, and then someone asked, "Eldest Brother, what's going on? Is Fourteenth Brother not coming today?"

Ying Zheng casually continued plating meat into the hotpot with a blue and white porcelain dish as he laughed, "He's not only unable to come today, but he can't come ever again."

As soon as these words landed, the brothers were even more shocked!

Someone quickly asked, "Eldest Brother, what happened? Did Fourteenth Brother make a mistake, and you're kicking him out? Don't do this; although Fourteenth Brother is a bit lazy and carefree, he has been loyal to us, and he's our brother!"

"That's right! Eldest Brother! If Fourteenth Brother did something that angered you, we plead on his behalf, don't kick him out of the circle!"

Several brothers quickly joined in pleading for Duanmu Zhe.

It was apparent that Duanmu Zhe had maintained fairly good relationships over the years, and everyone was reluctant to lose him.

"Do you think I haven't taken care of him sufficiently over these years?"

After finishing with the meat, Ying Zheng coldly smiled, "I even supported him more than you did. But this time, it's not just repeated failures in his tasks that were disappointing to me; the crucial point is that he can't come because he already hung yesterday night."

"What?!!!"

Hearing this, the brothers were even more shocked, standing up in disbelief!

"Eldest Brother, are you serious? Fourteenth Brother actually..."

"When did this happen, why haven't we heard anything about it?!"

"Preposterous! How does anyone in China dare to kill Fourteenth Brother? They must have a death wish!"

"But this doesn't make sense—even if the murderer doesn't know Fourteenth Brother's relation to us, they should know he's the heir to the Duanmu Family. Who would dare move against him?"

Ying Zheng's expression bore contempt as he looked at the indignant fellow brothers, "I understand your feelings. In fact, when I first heard the news, I was just as shocked by Fourteenth Brother's mishap."

"But, regarding the Duanmu Family you mentioned, from now on, they've reached their limit.

"Eldest Brother, what do you mean by that?" asked a brother sitting very close to Ying Zheng, clearly in a significantly lower status.

Ying Zheng finally wiped the cold smile off his face and disdainfully said, "With such a big incident concerning Fourteenth Brother, old man Duanmu Mian didn't come to consult me. He even chose to apologize to the one who killed Fourteenth Brother without my consent! He chose to let bygones be bygones. How self-assured for his old age!"

"What?!!"

Upon hearing this, the brothers were even more incredulous, as if hearing a wild tale!

Is this true?!

Someone killed Duanmu Zhe, and Duanmu Mian, who always favored Duanmu Zhe the most, is not seeking revenge but apologizing and burying the hatchet?!

"Eldest Brother, are you sure? Is Duanmu Mian senile doing such a thing?" the incredulous brothers asked.

Ying Zheng squinted, dodging the question, "Duanmu Mian's action tarnished not just his face, but mine, and the entire Capital City's face!"

"However, for the sake of Fourteenth Brother, I'm not blaming him. The path he chose is his own; from now on, the Duanmu Family will be silenced, and they can forget about rising alongside my Ying Family. Families like theirs, that flash briefly in Capital City, aren't unprecedented."

"But what's irking me now is that I've finally confirmed something: an old enemy of mine has returned and he's transformed. Fourteenth Brother died at his hands!"

"An enemy?!"

The brothers were horrified, unable to sit still anymore.

In China, there aren't many who Ying Zheng considers an enemy!

And Ying Zheng revealed these astounding truths one after another, leaving them completely devoid of appetite!

"You know this enemy as well."

At the scene, only Ying Zheng remained unperturbed, seated at the table as he picked up a piece of cooked lamb, mixing it in a bowl of special sauce: "His surname is Jiang."

The surname Jiang?!!

The brothers exchanged glances, dumbfounded.

Among those they grew up with and swore brothers, the only person with the surname Jiang still remembered was undoubtedly Jiang Feng of the Jiang Family!

But wasn't Jiang Feng expelled from the Jiang Family, discarded, and sent away overnight as a cast-off?

Afterward, Ying Zheng personally made arrangements, finding out the location of his exile, sending people over to eliminate him, thus eradicating future issues.

After so many years, how could he possibly still be alive and return?

"Eldest Brother, didn't you say it was eliminated thoroughly back then, but how come..." astonished the previous brother surnamed Suo asked.

"What, are you scared?"

Ying Zheng teasingly smiled, calmly placing that lamb piece into his mouth, "Looks like you all still have shadows because of him, feeling dread even now, right?"

The brothers immediately fell silent.

They indeed have shadows of Jiang Feng!

The power of the Jiang Family was comparable to the Ying Family at the time, and Jiang Feng was the true Jiang Family's Demon Lord of Mayhem!

Since he was young, he contended with Ying Zheng, and the twelve present who had long sided with Ying Zheng often suffered under Jiang Feng.

There were even times they were chased and beaten, while others had pee forced into their mouths, and they dared not speak!

Seemed that with Jiang Feng's death, the Capital City was finally at peace, no longer fearing anyone threatening Ying Zheng's position.

But now, Ying Zheng suddenly proclaimed he's alive, what madness is this?!

"Rest assured, the sky won't fall down."

Ying Zheng looked at their uneasy expressions, laughing, "Hasn't the sky of China been under the Ying name for the past eight years? Hoping for a man revived from death to stir a tempest—he might as well be Sun the Monkey, yet he can't even jump out of my Five Finger Mountain!"

"That makes sense!"

Upon hearing this, the brothers finally eased their fears.

They only have childhood shadows, but the present is vastly different now, and they're not the same as their childhood days; there's no need to fear Jiang Feng!

"Eldest Brother is right! Even if Jiang Feng is truly alive, he's merely a wild stray with no family protection; considering our current status, why fear him?"

"Haha, precisely! Just now, I was almost panicking. Thinking about it now, I could likely crush him with a single finger, right?"

"It's unbelievable he's still alive, but such a man is always a threat; he should be eliminated further, don't you think?"