My Ares Son-in-Law

"Make him kneel."

Qin Xianglan did not open her eyes; her voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Yes!"

The two men responded and, with rough but skillful movements, pinned the limp man to the ground. Their knees slammed heavily against the shards of glass, making a crisp "crack" sound, clearly indicating a broken patella.

The assassin let out a suppressed groan of pain, but his head was forcibly pressed down, forcing him to kneel before Qin Xianglan in an extremely humiliating position.

Only then did Qin Xianglan slowly open her eyes.

Those eyes, once clear as a lake, now held only a cold scrutiny, devoid of any of the gentleness and smile that belonged to "Qin Xianglan," replaced only by the ruthlessness and decisiveness of the Qin family's leader.

She looked down at the disheveled assassin on the ground, her voice not loud, but carrying a penetrating power that pierced the heart:

"I'll only ask two questions."

"Who sent you?"

"Why kill me?"

The assassin struggled to raise his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with pain and arrogance. He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with tooth fragments, making a strange hoarse sound in his throat, and uttered a string of words with a strange tone and short syllables... It was an ancient dialect from Europe, which ordinary people could not understand at all.

Upon hearing this language, Qin Xianglan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly before relaxing, her eyes growing even colder, and a chilling sneer curled at the corner of her lips: "Heh, so it's those cowardly scum from the Vatican."

She slowly stood up and walked to the assassin. Her high heels made a soft "crunching" sound as they stepped on the glass shards, each step feeling like it was treading on the assassin's heart.

"You broke the contract for that batch of medieval antiques first, and deceived my Qin family with inferior goods and fakes."

"I'm demanding compensation according to the rules, and you guys are the ones who can't hold back and send this lowlife to kill me?"

Qin Xianglan looked down at him, her voice soft but each word like a knife, "If Mr. Xiao hadn't been here today, I might have really fallen into the hands of you venomous snakes who can't stand the light of day."

She turned her head slightly, and a subordinate beside her understood, silently handing her a short dagger no more than three inches long, with a blade that gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light... The dagger was made entirely of a special alloy and coated with a deadly poison that could kill on contact with blood; it was a specially made torture device of the Qin family.

Qin Xianglan took the short dagger and casually twirled it between her fingers, her movements as elegant as if she were handling a work of art, creating an eerie contrast with the dagger's fierce aura.

The next second, a cold, blue light flashed like a viper's tongue, striking the assassin's neck in a flash, so fast that only a blur remained!
The assassin's pupils suddenly dilated, as if he wanted to say something, but could only let out a weak "hoarse" sound.

A very thin red line spread and expanded rapidly across her neck. Warm blood gushed out like a flood that had been suppressed for a long time, finally finding an outlet and splashing onto the white carpet in a shocking sight.

"boom."

The body lay limp on the ground, its eyes still wide open, filled with resentment and fear.

The blood quickly spread across the light-colored carpet, forming a large dark red patch and emitting a pungent, fishy smell.

Qin Xianglan didn't even glance at the corpse before handing the dagger back to her subordinate.

Another person had already prepared a clean white silk handkerchief and respectfully handed it over.

She took the handkerchief and slowly and deliberately wiped her fingertips, which were not stained at all, one finger at a time. Her movements were elegant and composed, as if she had just wiped away a tiny speck of dust, not a life.

"Dispose of it."

She gave the order calmly, her tone regaining its usual composure, yet carrying an undeniable decisiveness: "Throw the body into the sea to feed the fish, clean up the scene thoroughly, and leave no trace."

She paused, then walked to the broken window, gazing at the still bustling and vibrant street scene outside, her eyes as deep as the night. She added, "Also, inform our branch in Europe. Everyone involved in this breach of contract, as well as any partners, intermediaries, or even those with inside information who may be related to this matter... leave no one on the list alive."

"Tell them to do it cleanly, but also let the Vatican people know that the price of angering the Qin family... is not something they can afford."

"Yes, miss!"

The two subordinates obeyed the order and quickly began to deal with the scene, their movements clean and efficient without any hesitation.

Qin Xianglan casually tossed the handkerchief she had used to wipe the blood onto the blood-stained sofa, the handkerchief contrasting sharply with the dark red bloodstains.

She stared in the direction where Xiao Chen had disappeared, her eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression.

...

As Xiao Chen stepped out of Cloudtop Cafe, the night breeze was cool, carrying the unique hustle and bustle and dust of the city, dispelling the strange smell of coffee mixed with a faint hint of blood that lingered in his nose.

He didn't immediately raise his hand to hail a taxi, but instead leaned against the dark shadow cast by the streetlights, his figure as upright as a pine tree.

His eyelids drooped slightly, and his consciousness spread out silently from him like invisible ripples... like the most sensitive radar, scanning every hidden corner.

Within a radius of 100 meters, there were at least seven auras of varying strength, all deliberately concealed, like reefs lurking in the darkness. Although they tried their best to hide, they could not escape his all-seeing perception.

These presences are scattered throughout the shadows of the surrounding street corners, the rooftops of the office buildings across the street, and even among the few civilian vehicles slowly passing by, subtly forming a loose yet tight surveillance network that is both defensive and subtly protective.

"The Qin family..."

Xiao Chen's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, and he understood.

It seems that the power hidden behind the glamorous facade of this family entrenched in the west is even deeper than he had anticipated.

This pool of water in the provincial capital is indeed a place where hidden talents reside.

The clowns of the Qingyang Sword Sect are perhaps just ripples on the surface of the water; the real crocodiles lurking in the deeper shadows are still waiting to pounce.

Just then, a black Bentley Mulsanne silently glided to a stop in front of him, the sound of its tires rolling over the road almost inaudible.

The driver rolled down the window, revealing Huang Jian's young yet composed face, his eyes filled with respect.

"Master, please get in the car."

Xiao Chen opened the car door and smoothly sat in the back seat.

The car's interior is spacious and luxurious, with excellent sound insulation that instantly shuts out the noise from the outside world.

The car smoothly merged into the traffic without any bumps.

"Master!"

While skillfully maneuvering the steering wheel, Huang Jian carefully observed Xiao Chen's expression through the rearview mirror before speaking, "Zhou Zhenshou asked me to pass on a message to you: things are getting tense in the provincial capital lately."

"All factions are somewhat restless, especially Ao Tianchen's side. Under the pretext of the re-election celebration, they have been secretly recruiting people and making frequent moves."

Zhuang Yuan suggested that, unless absolutely necessary, people should minimize going out these next few days to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Xiao Chen closed his eyes to rest, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the hilt of the Reverse Scale Sword hidden in his sleeve, offering no response. (End of Chapter)