Kaze was furious. Deborah crossed the line when she threatened the lives of Hector, Agnes, and more. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Kaze did not want to sit around and wait for an attack that could put his family in danger. He would rather nip danger in the bud. After the phone call, Kaze dialed Loid’s number. “Are you cracking down on gangs or foreign entities again? Do you need my help in exerting control over the situation?” Once the call connected, Loid’s perky voice rang through. Kaze raised a brow. “Aren’t you happy? You must have good news. You don’t even mind me bothering you.” “Hahaha. I won’t call you a bother. Heck, I don’t mind helping you more.” Loid burst out laughing and said, “To be honest with you, I’m leaving the South River State soon.” “Oh? It sounds like a promotion to me. Congrats.” Kaze congratulated Loid. Loid replied with a smile, “You flatter me, Mr. God of War. It’s not exactly a promotion. “During your recent eradicat
Kaze went through the trouble of getting Loid to pass the message to avoid getting directly involved with internal affairs and stirring up gossip. He represented the military after all. “I’ll be sure to pass the message alone.” Loid was happy to help. “One more thing, Loid. Give me the resumes of those competing to be the mayor of Lilyrose.” Kaze relayed another request. Right from the start, Kaze was not going to interfere with the selection of a new mayor. He did not want to end up like Trent. However, circumstances forced his hand. Fanny was dead set on settling Miru up with Jerome to squeeze her husband into the mayoral position. The Quints’ main house, the Ridgesouth Quints, joined the race too. Even before a new mayor was announced, the Quints were ready to offer businesses to the main house in exchange for fame and privilege. It struck Kaze that the mayoral position in Lilyrose put many vested interests at stake.Lilyrose meant a lot to Kaze as a city.
Taken aback, Caleb asked, “Are you from Ryokan?” “No… Not yet, at least.” The woman clarified and said, “I was a student at the globally renowned Cousbank University. I manage Cherry Capital’s portfolio of investments. Cherry Capital runs under Cherry Bank.“But I trust my efforts will be rewarded with citizenship in Ryokan soon enough.” She was known as Violet Ren before. Rina always wished she had been born in Ryokan. Though she had not acquired citizenship there, she legally changed her name to reflect so. The woman’s abnormally fervent gaze rubbed Caleb the wrong way. “I see. Are you here on Cherry Capital’s behalf?” Caleb asked in a calm voice, the annoyance buried deep within. His personal feelings should not affect his work. It was only right to remain professional. Rina glanced at the seated stout man and said solemnly, “Mr. Leed, it’s believed that Lee Investment is putting their acquired private hospitals back into the market, and the ownership is for the may
The stout man slammed the armrest of the chair and got up with his finger up Caleb’s face. He launched into a tirade in his native language. “What did the idiot say?” Caleb asked with a grimace. Despite his unfamiliarity with the Ryokan language, he caught the familiar slur, ‘idiot’. Hence, Caleb called the stout man the same thing. Given his position as deputy mayor, Caleb would even swear to uphold the dignity and power of the mayor’s office. “Mr. Leed!” Rina yelled sternly. She said with a solemn face, “Please show some respect to Mr. Aki. “Mr. Aki heads up the investment division at Cherry Capital. His family, the Akis, is prominent in Ryokan. Caleb scoffed. “Show him respect? Are you saying that he can call me an idiot, but I can’t? “Are you from Ryokan or Acardia, Ms. Rina?” Rina scowled and said angrily, “Mr. Leed, please watch your manners. You represent the mayor’s office. “If you continue to make these personal attacks on me, I have the right to sue you
“Either way, the six hospitals are mine.” Aki, despite his short stature, spoke with an air of superiority. If the policy was a fake, another should be structured in a manner that would uniquely position Cherry Capital as the most suitable candidate.However, the policy, if real, should be abolished. He presented such demands as perfectly reasonable.“I’m calling it a day, Mr. Leed. I hope you will consider what I just said.” Aki straightened his collar and walked out. The group of men and women followed him. Nevertheless, Rina cocked her head back at the door and stared coldly at Caleb. “I hope you got the message, Mr. Leed. “You won’t be the deputy mayor for long if you can’t meet his requests. “I don’t have to elaborate on Sanwell Finances’ influence in Arcadia.” The group then strutted out. In the reception area, Caleb grimaced hard. Moments later, Lou entered the room and gasped when he learned of the incident from Caleb. “I can’t believe Sanwell Financ
“Even if the driver was acting under instructions, we need to wait for him to wake up to interrogate him.” Caleb spoke in hushed tones, “Excuse me for asking, Mr. Lee. Are you involved?” Kaze was not the only one who found the timing too coincidental. Caleb thought Kaze was behind it right away. “Yeah, right!” Kaze glared at Caleb and said with a smile, “I only said I’ll deal with the situation. Did I say anything about killing him? “Besides, if I were to do something like that, would I resort to such a crude tactic?” Crashing a car was pretty crude. However, it did get the job done. If the problem could not be solved, then the source of the problem should be addressed. Kaze had thought about adopting extreme measures. In the worst-case scenario, Kaze was going to get someone influential to get a message across to Wells. Kaze would figure something else out if he could not get through to Kai. To his surprise, Kai died. “Regardless, it is a cause for celebra
“Chairman Lee, let’s not talk about the unhappy past. Come. Enjoy the food. We should clink glasses later.” Samson made light of the conversation. The owner of Dynasty Hotel played a gracious host too. “Let’s dine.” Kaze smiled nonchalantly, not accepting Samson’s invitation to sit at the dinner table. He and the owner of Dynasty Hotel went way back. Plus, Lilyrose Commerce Guild operated in the same building, so they often came across each other. Faced with Kaze’s disrespect, Samson kept a smile on his face and did not take any offense. Food and drinks were the best way to break the ice.The owner of Dynasty Hotel excused himself, leaving the pair some space to talk. “Just get to the point, Mr. Hobbs,” Kaze said while drinking some broth. Samson said, “To be honest, Chairman Lee. I wanted to have this meeting with you in the hope we can put the past behind us. “Technically, you and I have no feud. I only went after you under the Lees’ order because I worked for
“If you can do me this favor, I will dedicate myself to helping you, Chairman Lee. I’ll be happy to serve you, and only you.” Samson stood before Kaze, his body hunched, as he looked at Kaze expectantly. Kaze sipped on the broth and said indifferently, “You expect me to hand over five percent shares to save your life while enjoying my protection as my subordinate. “You sure are asking for a lot, Mr. Hobbs. “But do you think you deserve it?” Five percent shares was a lot. Kaze could become the biggest shareholder of Lee Investment with just five percent shares. Heck, he could reestablish Lee Investment with the right tools. He could even cash in the shares for billions of dollars. Company shares owned by the Lees were sought after in the financial market. Most importantly, Samson’s survival did not matter to Kaze. Plus, they had never been friends. Kaze never saw Samson worthy as his enemy anyway. Hence, Kaze had no reason to save Samson. Samson kept his head l
After spending some time with Sasha, Kaze had already treated her like a little sister. He felt bad when he heard her painful groans. After getting permission, he went inside the room. Sasha lay face down on the bed, her bare back exposed. Seven petals of the Nine Phantom Lotus glowed faintly on her skin. Her hair was drenched in sweat, clinging to her face. Her exposed cheek was slick with moisture, deathly pale, revealing agonizing pain. Her back was also covered with thin silver needles of different lengths, almost a dozen of them. As she shuddered due to the pain, the needles flickered with a chilling gleam. Kaze knew at first glance that the needles were an enhanced version of the Ghastly Thirteen Needles. Other than Kaze, June was the only one in Herbal Spring who could perform the technique, not even Dr. Wright, deemed one of the greatest doctors in West State, could do it. Dr. Wright was a medicine specialist, not acupuncture. June was performing the treatment o
“You are really a trouble magnet,” Miru mocked Kaze. A quick sigh later, she added, “But you are right. That man is really a problem. One of his feet is in the grave already and he’s still causing problems. He thinks everyone should respect and obey him. I’ve had it with his attitude a long time ago. “But I can’t make a move on him yet. I just got news that he actually saved some big shot’s life from West State Viper’s Den, and because of that, he got strong support.” When Miru first arrived at Riverbank, she hardly saw any progress. It was after Kaze helped her acquire Bronze Sparrow that her conquest of the underworld accelerated.Now, she had become one of the most influential and powerful kingpins in the underworld of Riverbank, rivaling the big four. Her next target would obviously be the big four kingpins. Everett Techman was a suitable target for a start, but he stepped down when things went south, using Aiden’s situation to make peace with Kaze and stop going after
“The number you have dialed is not available.” On the way back, Kaze made multiple calls to Darcy, but she did not pick up. She was obviously mad at him. “Mr. Lee, what’s the matter?” Snow asked out of concern after seeing the bitterness in his expression. Kaze did not want Snow to feel bad or guilty. “It’s nothing. You should take some rest. I might have forced the poison out of your body, but it’s still hurtful to the body. I’ll take you to Herbal Spring and let Dr. Wright’s disciple check on you.” The only thing he could do now was text Darcy, hoping to explain the situation. He then called Miru. “Kaze Lee, how dare you call me now?!” Miru’s upset voice came through the phone, but she was not exactly furious. “What’s the situation at Bronze Sparrow?” Kaze asked. “A hitman infiltrated the place. Lost a few of my men, many of them injured, and he managed to take that woman away. He even said that he will go after your life next time. “Kaze, you are really a wal
Kaze was Juan’s master?! A few words from Kaze and Juan’s heirloom, The Oracle, was completed? His future generations would worship Kaze as their benefactor?! …The news struck Cyan and Draig like a bolt of lightning, leaving them speechless. Juan intervened and dealt with the Ryokanians, not because of Draig, but because of Kaze! Kaze beat up the security guards and the monks because he was in the position to teach them a lesson, not bragging. The only boastful person around was Draig. It was difficult for the two of them to digest the news. They were stunned and unable to recover their composure for quite some time. Juan ignored the two of them and went up to Kaze with a respectful smile. “Master, it’s not often that you visit Emerald Bull Palace. Why don’t you stay for a bit and have a taste of our famous vegetarian meal? Ms. Frost is also welcome.” “I’ll pass on the meal. I have something else to take care of.” Kaze dismissed Juan with a wave of his hand and th
After a round of applause, the worshippers scattered away. Draig got up from the ground and scoffed. “So this is all a show? Juan came up with this act to dissolve the matter but you’ve practically let Kaze off this time. “Kaze Lee, you should thank Juan for this because he wants to protect the reputation and image of Emerald Bull Palace, or else you will end up terribly…” Before he could finish, Juan slapped him in the face with his whisk. “Smack!” The smack pushed him a few steps back before he fell onto the ground once more. Draig held his face and saw blood on his palm. Infuriated, he shouted, “What is the meaning of this, Juan Kawasky?! Are you trying to start a war with the Tenby family from Uleania? If so, just give me the word!” Cyan was also shocked by Juan’s action. Why did Juan treat Draig this harshly and protect Kaze? Kaze was the one who beat the monks and the security guards, yet Juan did not even hold him responsible. Was it because Kaze remained quiet
“I just found out that my useless nephew and the security guards have been abusing their power, taking advantage of the worshippers here. “But they hid it from me well as I got caught up with my busy work. It’s my fault for not managing Emerald Bull Palace well enough, that’s why this happened. “Given how they conduct things, even if they were not beaten up today, they will be beaten up tomorrow. Worse, if they continue, they will be killed one day. “As the owner of Emerald Bull Palace, I should be expressing my gratitude and not taking revenge.” Right after he gave a righteous speech in front of everyone, Juan bowed at Kaze and then stared at his nephew and his disciples. “Get over here!” “Uncle!” “Master!” The nephew and the other monks came over immediately. Juan bellowed, “Kneel to the person who beat you up.” “Uncle, why…” The nephew widened his eyes in disbelief, unable to accept the order. He was ready to admit his mistake but kneeling before Kaze was out
“Ugh!” The searing pain on Draig’s back felt like a bolt of lightning coursing through his body. It felt as if bones had shattered. He fell onto the ground with a heavy thud. Huh? The crowd was astonished. No one expected Juan to hit Draig. To their surprise, as the son of the grandmaster of Uleania, Draig could not even last one hit from Juan. He collapsed to the ground and could not get up. A single thought appeared in everyone’s mind while looking at him—weak! He was ridiculously weak, to the point that he could not even take one hit! “W-What? How did this happen?” Cyan looked at Draig on the ground with widened eyes filled with disbelief. She felt like her beliefs were crumbling. A moment ago, Draig bragged that he could take responsibility for everything, yet he was struck down by Juan with just one hit. He did not even stand a chance! Reality made his words sound like a joke. “Master Juan, what is the meaning of this?” Draig recovered his composure and
Juan was displeased by Draig’s pretentious manner. All his disciples clenched their fists and teeth, infuriated by Draig’s arrogant words, hoping that they could teach him a lesson. Draig might be physically powerful but they, too, were trained martial artists and they had the advantage of numbers. They were not afraid of him. One word from their master and they would all jump on Draig to rip him apart. Looking at how “responsible” Draig was, stepping up to deal with the matter, Cyan somehow felt bad for him. She looked at Kaze once more, who wore a nonchalant look as if he was not part of the situation. Her eyes at him filled with anger and contempt. She stepped up and humbly said, “Master Juan, I saw what happened. I think I should speak up for Draig. “It’s not Draig, it’s Kaze. The security guards and your disciples, it was all Kaze! Draig claimed that he did it because he was trying to protect me and Snow, but I believe Master Juan is a fair and just person. You shoul
“Master, that guy is being completely disrespectful of you…” The monks and the others knelt before Juan, crying and complaining about what Kaze had done to them. Seeing his disciples kneel in front of the public, speaking in an embarrassing way, Juan’s expression turned ashen. He wished he could slap them off the face of the earth to save himself from the humiliation. However, his reaction looked like anger to the others instead of embarrassment. His reaction made the atmosphere even more stiff and tense. No one dared to interrupt or make a noise, afraid of suffering the master’s wrath. Cyan carefully looked at Draig, hoping that he could step up and mitigate the problem. Otherwise, once Juan flew into a rage, punishing Kaze alone might not solve the problem. After all, the monks made it clear that Cyan and the others were with Kaze, so there was no way they could escape anymore. Draig looked at Kaze who remained calm and confident and Snow who was expressionless. He