After discussing the plan, I asked Li Mazi to tell me about his relationship with Qin Yu.

The friendship of those three was really strong, after all.

They had worked together, fought together, and even chased after girls together.

Qin Yu’s family was well off; they enjoyed a much better lifestyle than Li Mazi’s and San Bao’s. During their university studies, Qin Yu’s parents had asked him to stop being friends with Li Mazi and San Bao at one point. They thought that those two were not good enough for their son. However, Qin Yu did not agree. There was one time he even threatened his parents to leave the house if they kept pushing him.

From this story, I could tell how loyal Qin Yu was to his friends.

Since Boss Ma had now total control over Qin Yu and could make him do anything, San Bao and Li Mazi were rightfully angered.

Time flew by, and we went to our appointment after dinner.

Boss Ma had told us to go to a high-end restaurant. I guessed he was worried that we would attack him, so he chose a place with a lot of people.

After we arrived at the restaurant, Boss Ma took about an hour to finally show up.

The man was stout, and his face was all smiles; he looked like a harmless human being. He didn’t show any hostility, and he greeted us warmly.

There was also Qin Yu with him, who was singing a completely different tune. His eyes were full of hatred as he threw a wicked glance at Li Mazi and San Bao. He ignored us after that quick glance.

“Qin Yu, you gave all of your shares to Boss Ma? What did he offer you in exchange?” San Bao acted just like I asked him to earlier. We had to involve Qin Yu in our conversation.

Qin Yu sneered. “San Bao, you have always coveted my shares, haven’t you? You even had an affair with my wife to trick me to get my shares! Hmph, I transferred all of my shares to Boss Ma for free. Why don’t you try to trick me now?”

San Bao took a deep breath and glared at Boss Ma. “Boss Ma, you did a good job with your silver tongue.”

Boss Ma spoke with a sense of righteousness, “San Bao, what do you mean? Mister Qin just happened to have some problems recently, so I gave him a helping hand by managing his shares. But then, as I was going over the company’s documents in the beginning, I noticed that you had taken a lot of money from the company.”

"Nonsense!” San Bao bellowed.

“You’re the one talking nonsense!” Qin Yu slapped the table as he jolted up. “San Bao, I know that you’ve been fiddling with our company’s documents. I was suspicious of you for quite a long time, I just didn’t tell you. However, you were still unsatisfied and eventually resorted to such tricks!”

San Bao sighed. “You’re hopeless.”

“Qin Yu, do you trust Boss Ma?” Li Mazi asked.

Qin Yu cast Li Mazi a sidelong glance. “More than I trust you guys. What did San Bao promise you to win you over?”

“Nothing,” Li Mazi scoffed and said, “I’m here to help you.”

While Li Mazi and San Bao were distracting Qin Yu, I discreetly implemented my plan.

I held a fish-skinning knife in my hand while making several hand seals to activate the Soul Subduing Spell. If used with the matching incantation, the spell would temporarily suppress the evil spirit in Qin Yu’s body.

We needed to know where Li Meng was being held and what Qin Yu knew. That was how we could put an end to this matter.

The quarrel between San Bao and Qin Yu was just to buy some time.

However, Boss Ma caught on fast. He was really good at talking, and he quickly cut off Li Mazi and San Bao. He said that San Bao had to sign the contract immediately, since he needed to attend a meeting right after.

Li Mazi nudged me and said, “Should we do it now? Boss Ma wants to sign the contract now.”

I couldn’t rush it, because the more I rushed, the less effective the Soul Subduing Spell would be. I could only ignore Li Mazi’s urging.

“Hmph!” Right when I was about to succeed, Boss Ma slapped the table and shot up. “Qin Yu, I feel so sorry for you! These people not only want your properties but also your life!”

Qin Yu was startled. He looked at him and asked, “Boss Ma, how can you tell?”

“See what he’s doing.” Boss Ma pointed at me and said, “He’s hiding a knife in his hand. He can kill you at any time.”

Damn. My heart sank.

Qin Yu rushed toward me with resentful eyes. “You do have guts! You want to kill me, huh? Come here, kill me if you have the balls!”

I knew I couldn’t continue since Qin Yu was about to snatch my dagger. I jumped up and kicked him to the ground. I then sat on top of him and pressed the handle of the dagger on his forehead.

Qin Yu was terrified. He raised his hands, trying to grab my upper body.

I snorted and kept reciting the spell while making hand seals. I refused to believe that I couldn’t suppress the evil spirit in Qin Yu’s body!

“You brought it upon yourselves.” Boss Ma had an evil smile on his face. He took out his phone and called a number. “Hey, do it. The negotiation didn’t go well.”

“Wait a minute!” Li Mazi freaked out. “If you touch my son’s hair, I’ll bury your whole family with you!”

“Haha! Don’t threaten me. I’m alone anyway, so I have nothing to fear. You have two choices now. Sign the contract, or everybody dies.”

Boss Ma still wore a smirk in such a critical moment. It seemed that he was certain about the outcome.

As the evil spirit in Qin Yu’s body was about to be suppressed, Boss Ma began his countdown.

I had no idea how to proceed. We’re talking about Li Meng’s life, what should we do?

“I’ll sign it. I’m signing now.” San Bao had to yield.

I was helpless when San Bao finally gave in. The evil spirit in Qin Yu’s body fought back and threw me to the side. It was such a strong blow that I felt my hand go numb. I couldn’t even hold the dagger.

Qin Yu pointed at us, cursing loudly.

I could only smile and feel sorry for Li Mazi and San Bao. If I were them, I would have died of anger already.

Qin Yu caused our plan to fail, helping the one who was trying to harm him.

I could only watch as Qin Yu kept cursing. He had cursed us all our generations, from our ancestors to our unborn children…

Boss Ma took the signed contract and left laughing.

Qin Yu hurried to follow him, but Boss Ma kicked him away. “You don’t need to follow me. You’re useless to me now!”

His kick was really powerful. Qin Yu was sent to the ground, and he couldn’t move for quite a long time. He could only clutch his stomach with a pained face.

Li Mazi immediately ran toward him, pulling Qin Yu in his embrace. “Qin Yu, are you okay?”

Qin Yu opened his eyes, glaring at Li Mazi. “I don’t need your help. You and Boss Ma really got me good. Haha, I didn’t expect that Boss Ma would also be your partner!”

Qin Yu screamed, then he blacked out as though he couldn’t bear the shock. His body crouched on the ground.

“Dammit!” San Bao was so enraged he couldn’t bear it anymore. “This guy has completely lost his mind! What is wrong with him? Why did he trust that Ma guy so much?”

Li Mazi said reluctantly, “All right, don’t hold a grudge against him. He’s not our Qin Yu right now.”

San Bao said, “I was just venting my anger. I’m still going to help him.”

They took Qin Yu to the car as they spoke.

“You guys should leave first,” Li Mazi said. “I’m going to tail Boss Ma.”

I knew Li Mazi would only calm down after knowing his son was safe.

However, it would be dangerous to let him go alone as Boss Ma wasn’t a simple fellow.

I asked San Bao to take Qin Yu to the hotel, while Li Mazi and I would track Boss Ma down.

I had left a wisp of aura on Boss Ma’s body during our encounter, so I could follow it to find his location!