Chapter Forty-One: Reporting to General Qin!

Chu Lingyun was struck so fiercely by that kick that his knees buckled, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.

His eyes reddened as he stared in disbelief at Wu Mu, who dared to lay hands on him.

"You dare touch me?!" Chu Lingyun snarled, his tone ferocious.

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. The eldest son of the illustrious Chu family, brought to his knees by force? Did this man even understand what the name 'Chu' represented? He was courting death!

"With just a word, I could wipe your Lin family from Jiangcheng without a trace!"

"Kneel properly!"

Wu Mu delivered another brutal kick, pinning Chu Lingyun's calf to the floor, forcing him to remain kneeling.

Chu Lingyun gritted his teeth so hard they almost cracked. He could not fathom how Wu Mu had the audacity to strike him. Most people, faced with him, would already consider themselves fortunate if they weren't groveling for mercy.

But then again.

In this bustling metropolis, Chu Lingyun's imposing presence was indeed rare—a paragon among men.

Yet in the eyes of someone like Wu Mu, who had followed Qin Mu into the crucible of battle, who had witnessed life and death countless times, such so-called majesty was nothing but a joke.

As Chu Lingyun knelt, Lin Peipei felt as if shackles had been broken. Her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed. Thankfully, Qin Mu reached out and gently supported her.

"S-sorry..."

Lin Peipei lowered her head, apologizing for nearly succumbing to Chu Lingyun's pressure, despite Qin Mu's earlier praise of the Lin family's unyielding spirit. She had almost been forced to kneel.

It wasn't until a moment later that she realized, to her astonishment, Qin Mu had simply lifted her up and placed her on his lap.

Leaning against Qin Mu, the masculine scent at the tip of her nose eased the lingering dread Chu Lingyun had left in her, yet at the same time, she felt a deep shyness—her heart pounding even faster than before.

"Chu family, Chu Lingyun, is it? I have a question for you," Qin Mu said, his expression grave.

"And who are you to question me, Chu Lingyun?" Chu Lingyun spat back contemptuously.

Smack!

Wu Mu immediately slapped Chu Lingyun across the face.

"Try hitting me again? I've told you, you're not worthy!"

Smack!

Another slap, so fierce it nearly twisted Chu Lingyun's handsome features.

"You... ask," Chu Lingyun ground out between clenched teeth, hatred in his eyes.

"That incident twenty years ago—how did she die?" Qin Mu's eyes were as cold as blades, brooking no denial.

"What are you talking about? Who remembers what happened twenty years ago?" Chu Lingyun turned his head away, feigning ignorance.

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes. "How your Chu family came to where it is today—you expect me to believe you know nothing?"

At those words, realization dawned on Chu Lingyun. His face darkened still further. "You mean that woman?"

That woman of incomparable beauty, unrivaled among her peers.

Since her death, for twenty years her name had not been uttered. Even those who knew the truth avoided the topic as if it were taboo.

Yet now, this woman, on the verge of vanishing from memory, was brought up again by Qin Mu—clearly, there was a deeper connection.

"Hmph! How should I know what filthy things that wretched woman did? All I know is she finally killed herself out of guilt, and good riddance!"

Chu Lingyun spoke with brazen arrogance, as though he were entirely justified.

"And what did your Chu family do in all of this?" Qin Mu ignored his slander, pressing further.

"My Chu family stood by as idle onlookers—we never got involved," Chu Lingyun declared, as if it were gospel truth.

"Is that so?"

"Then why do the documents I have state that your Chu family repeatedly intervened in secret, severing her financial resources time and again until she was overwhelmed?"

"After her downfall, your Chu family was the first to seize and divide her assets."

The moment these words left Qin Mu's lips, Chu Lingyun's heart seized in panic.

There had always been doubts about the Chu family's meteoric rise. Twenty years ago, they were hardly even considered nouveau riche—just a fledgling firm. Yet after her collapse, they soared to become one of the top three families in the Jiangmeng Association.

Even so, under normal circumstances, no one would dare question them aloud.

But now, Qin Mu fearlessly laid bare all their secrets.

"Nonsense, pure fabrication! My Chu family has always acted with integrity—why would we covet a woman's assets?"

"I hear your family is currently auctioning off a place called Baidi Commercial City—is that true?" Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, abruptly changing tack.

"So what if we are! My family's property is ours to handle as we wish—does it require your permission?" Chu Lingyun was starting to feel Qin Mu's overwhelming pressure, and could barely string his words together.

"You dare take what isn't yours!"

Suddenly, Qin Mu slammed his palm on the table with such force that the thunderous sound compelled Chu Lingyun to bow his head.

"The scenic area she originally set aside for environmental reforestation—you Chu family have exploited it for twenty years, transforming it into a mercenary commercial district. Do you still claim it belongs to you?"

Chu Lingyun was left utterly speechless, trembling all over.

His former arrogance shattered like glass before Qin Mu. Especially now that the Chu family's darkest secrets were being exposed for all to see, he felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

"Who dares force the heir of the Chu family to kneel? Who dares act so insolently here?"

At that moment, chaos erupted outside. Chu Lingyun's father, Chu Shanhe, strode into the room, accompanied by a man in military uniform.

They had waited in the car, puzzled by Chu Lingyun's uncharacteristic delay, and sent someone to investigate.

But nothing could have prepared them for the sight of his son, pinned and forced to kneel.

How could Chu Shanhe not be enraged?

"That wretched woman hoarded so many of Jiangcheng's resources and left them idle—a crime in itself! After her death, my Chu family merely put those resources to proper use."