The gray-robed elder named Elder Wu snorted, and the crowd's vision blurred again. Elder Wu had already returned to his original standing position, and Zhou Tengyun had staggered back two steps following the elder's cold snort, his face flushed. Liu Hui was greatly alarmed; this seemingly ordinary old man was actually so formidable that a mere cold snort could force Zhou Tengyun back two steps. Just how high was his level of power?

"Heh heh, this murderous person before you, should be named Zhou Tengyun, correct? But I am truly curious: how did a man who was gravely wounded, on the brink of death, supposedly suffering from extensive, severe burns all over his body, manage to recover to such a robust and vigorous state? And there doesn't appear to be a single scar on him. Of course, you will surely claim this is a proprietary business secret and won't tell me. It doesn't matter if you won't tell me, because that isn't the crux of my inquiry. The critical question I want to ask is: why does your third man, Zhou Tengyun, want to kill the young master of the Lu family from Shuzhou Province?" Guo Jia sneered coldly.

"Oh, Zhou Tengyun killed someone? I don't think so! Or are you saying that whoever you declare a murderer must be one? Everything requires evidence. I apologize; discussing evidence with you seems rather absurd. I shouldn't have been so naive," Liu Hui replied unhurriedly, speaking slowly.

"Heh heh, evidence, you ask? That's quite easy to obtain, actually. Remember when the Japanese attacked your hospital last time? Zhou Tengyun gained considerable notoriety, single-handedly dispatching countless Japanese soldiers and saving the hospital, demonstrating his supreme personal capability. Although we couldn't view the surveillance footage from that night, we have learned of legends concerning his divine might through other channels. According to our investigation, Zhou Tengyun’s wife and daughter are deceased; both were indirectly killed by Young Master Lu, meaning Young Master Lu and Zhou Tengyun share an irreconcilable, mortal feud, thus providing Zhou Tengyun with the motive to kill him. Coupled with his heroic performance in slaying the Japanese that night, he possessed the means to commit the act. Furthermore, at the graves of his wife and daughter, we discovered the severed head of Young Master Lu buried there, complete with signs of recent worship offerings. Motive, capability, and physical evidence—would you not consider this a complete body of evidence proving murder?" Guo Jia chuckled.

"That sounds airtight, truly, your storytelling skills are quite brilliant; you certainly have the potential to be a seasoned bard. But after all this talk, you still lack direct proof of Zhou Tengyun committing the murder, right? In the eyes of the law, that wouldn't stand as valid evidence, would it? You must understand, Zhou Tengyun is an exceptionally honest man here; we are even preparing to award him the 'Employee of the Year' medal," Liu Hui countered with a smile.

"We don't need evidence at all. Merely releasing this news, and the Lu family, who must be going mad searching for the killer, will certainly come to verify it themselves. However, I hear the Lu family members are rather uncivilized. Your 'brother' went in whole, but whether he comes out intact is another matter—that is, if he manages to come out at all," Guo Jia stated with utter nonchalance.

"Heh heh, you don't need to trouble yourself with that. We handle our own affairs. For instance, Zhou Tengyun is currently missing, or perhaps he burned to death in some conflagration—in short, he’s untraceable. So where will the Lu family search for him then?" Liu Hui laughed.

Liu Hui and Guo Jia exchanged smiles while discussing Zhou Tengyun, their words laced with hidden menace. Yet, the subject of their discussion, Zhou Tengyun, remained expressionless, letting them dissect him at will.

"Heh heh, if the Lu family can't find Zhou Tengyun, they won't even be able to find his family members to vent their anger, as his entire family is dead. It seems they are powerless against you, at most they can only harass you and disrupt your business operations. I'll leave the matter of Zhou Tengyun to you for now. But what about your second brother, Mei Peng? Do you intend to ignore him?" Guo Jia maintained his smile.

"What about Mei Peng? Are you saying he's in trouble?" Liu Hui finally gasped in alarm.

"Oh dear, the nation is cracking down on organized crime syndicates lately. These dark forces are truly tumors on the state, presenting a massive hidden danger to public safety and disturbing the harmonious atmosphere of stability and unity. The nation is determined to eradicate them. I simply never imagined that the promising Director Mei would be involved with the triads. If he goes down this time, I suspect it will be extremely difficult for him to ever get out," Guo Jia feigned an expression of pity.

"Just tell me plainly how my brother ended up affiliated with organized crime," Liu Hui scoffed. The honest Mei Peng would never join a triad; something must have gone seriously wrong.

"Your brother has been quite blessed recently. He accompanied his girlfriend to visit her maternal in-laws. But upon arrival, they discovered that his mother-in-law's house was slated for compulsory demolition. Given Director Mei's salary, the compensation offered by the property developer was insignificant to him, so the negotiations for his in-laws’ house were swift, with no haggling, and they signed quickly. However, his mother-in-law was later persuaded by old neighbors, feeling she had been wronged, and organized a protest with other residents facing demolition, blocking traffic in front of the local county government building, severely impeding its operations. Your good brother failed to stop his mother-in-law. Later, seeing the cold weather, and wanting to make a good impression, he brought his mother-in-law clothes and food. Heh heh, what an unfortunate coincidence! The local Public Security Bureau received a tip claiming that organized crime forces were manipulating this protest to achieve their nefarious objectives, providing supplies to sustain the demonstration longer. Consequently, the local police immediately dispatched officers to arrest these criminal elements and happened to catch your good brother red-handed. I imagine he is currently repenting in a detention center," Guo Jia narrated Mei Peng’s predicament as if recounting a hilarious anecdote.

"So, they just used this incident to label Mei Peng as an organized criminal element, is that it?" Liu Hui inquired.

"Exactly. If not a full-fledged triad member, then certainly guilty of the offense of organizing criminal elements. If he's not a criminal, how else would he be supplying goods to the front lines to keep them fighting longer? Either way, Mei Peng will likely be imprisoned until he's an old man," Guo Jia chuckled.

"If Mei Peng goes to jail, I will visit him daily with prison meals, preparing a rotating menu of gourmet dishes for him every day. I must ensure he can live out his retirement peacefully inside! Moreover, I’ll hire people to go in and take his orders, letting him experience being a boss again, and he can even decide who gets to play hide-and-seek or have nightmares. Perhaps prison will suit him better than the outside world," Liu Hui mused, finding the prospect of Mei Peng’s incarceration quite appealing.

"It seems brothers are just brothers after all; they can be easily sold out and disregarded at a critical moment. But what if it were your parents in prison? How would you feel then?" Guo Jia inquired with a smile.

"Oh? What has happened to my parents now? Old Guo, I truly admire you. You’ve gone to such lengths for my hospital!" Liu Hui replied with a placid smile.

"It didn't take much effort, really. Merely uncovering some interesting developments at the factory where your father works."

"Oh? What interesting things could happen to my elderly father?"

"Heh heh, nothing major, just that we discovered your father embezzled a small sum of money—truly small, less than a hundred thousand," Guo Jia mocked.

"To slander an honest and sincere man as a corrupt official—that must have taken tremendous resolve. And gathering that evidence couldn't have been easy! You must remember my father is just a quality inspector; his entire life, apart from his salary, he never had any access to other money. You actually managed to achieve this; I truly admire you," Liu Hui sneered.

"Actually, your father's issue isn't the main problem; you can pay some money and he’ll be released. The critical issue is your mother. Your esteemed mother’s charges are far more serious. Her life has been truly splendid; it can be described in one word: legendary!" Guo Jia declared with an air of mystery.