Though he felt a bit helpless about Gu Lao’s stubbornness, Ye Fan deeply admired him.
Without that conviction in his heart, Ye Fan likely wouldn’t have risked coming to rescue him.
Earlier, at Xiao Ran Pavilion, Ye Fan had noticed that despite the old man’s stubbornness, his genuine passion for antiques was undeniable.
Upon hearing Gu Lao’s words, the leader flew into a rage.
“Gu Lao, I think you’re refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. I’ve tried reasoning with you, but you’re ungrateful. If that’s the case, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”
With that, the leader coldly commanded, “Take good care of Gu Lao. Just keep him alive.”
Hearing the leader’s words, his subordinates let out excited roars, clearly filled with anger towards Gu Lao.
Since the old man wouldn't budge, they wouldn’t show any mercy.
The leader let out a cold snort and walked towards the outside.
Ye Fan, meanwhile, gritted his teeth, keeping his breathing as steady as possible. He was hidden right by the doorway, an ideal position to strike the leader.
Once the leader was captured, he could be used to threaten the others.
Otherwise, rescuing Gu Lao would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Moreover, even if Gu Lao were rescued, these men would surely pursue them relentlessly. Dragging Gu Lao, a burden, would inevitably lead to harm.
Therefore, abducting the leader of these men was the best plan.
The leader’s face was contorted with anger, gloom, and coldness.
He walked out slowly. The moment he stepped through the doorway and turned, a dark figure suddenly lunged before him, raising a hand to deliver a fierce palm strike to his neck.
He didn’t even have time to see who it was before his vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious.
Ye Fan caught him by the waist without making a sound.
The leader, with his handlebar mustache and triangular eyes, exuded an air of insidious cunning.
However, with his eyes now tightly shut, no matter how insidious or cunning he was, it was of no use.
Gripping the leader with one hand, Ye Fan slowly dragged him into the room.
As soon as they appeared at the doorway, the people inside noticed him.
“Second boss, you’re….”
Before they could finish speaking, they realized something was wrong. The person before them was definitely not the Second Boss.
“Who are you?”
The four men abruptly stood in front of Gu Lao, blocking him, and glared at Ye Fan.
“Release our boss, or we’ll make sure you have no place to be buried!”
Another subordinate roared angrily.
Seeing the four men on high alert, Ye Fan sneered, looking at them as if they were idiots.
“Release him? If I could release him, why would I have captured him? Is your brain waterlogged?”
Looking at the man with disdain, Ye Fan’s words were laced with mockery.
Hearing Ye Fan’s taunts, the men’s faces grew even darker.
“Let’s make a deal. Release the old man behind you, and I’ll release your boss. A fair trade, what do you say?”
In this situation, he had to maintain the initiative. Otherwise, if these men gained the upper hand, Gu Lao would surely die.
The four men frowned. They had received strict orders from above to keep Gu Lao secure and allow no mishaps.
If they released Gu Lao, they feared their superiors would not spare them.
But now, if they didn’t release Gu Lao, their boss would be in danger.
Although these men were hired thugs of the Feng family, they were ultimately brought up by their boss and felt a deep loyalty to him.
“What? You don’t want to make this deal? Fine, I’ll send him to the next life right now.”
A cold glint flashed in Ye Fan’s eyes as he tightened his grip on the leader’s throat.
Even in his unconscious state, the leader felt a suffocating sensation.
Death seemed imminent, making his face turn red with suffocation.
Under such circumstances, no one could remain indifferent.
“Stop!”
Seeing this, one subordinate rushed forward, attempting to snatch his boss.
But how could Ye Fan give him such an opportunity? He dodged and simultaneously kicked out fiercely at the subordinate.
The subordinate’s speed couldn’t match Ye Fan’s, and he was instantly kicked in the chest, flying backward.
“I’m giving you only one chance. If you don’t cherish it, then this person will surely die. As for you all, while I can’t guarantee killing every one of you here, taking the four of you away is not difficult.”
As he spoke, Ye Fan applied more pressure. At that moment, the leader was jolted awake by the intense suffocation.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
The intense feeling of suffocation made him cough, but he couldn’t breathe, as if his throat was blocked, and he was just waiting to be suffocated to death.
“Wait a moment.”
Seeing that Ye Fan was truly about to kill him, another subordinate hastily spoke up.
They absolutely could not let their boss die like this at Ye Fan’s hands.
Especially since they couldn't stand by and watch their boss die without acting.
The bond between these men and their boss was extremely deep. Though not blood relatives, they were not far from it.
Ye Fan paused slightly, then sneered, “What? Have you come to your senses?”
Looking at the men, Ye Fan asked coldly.
The subordinates’ faces were grim, their eyes filled with malice.
Seeing Ye Fan’s fearless demeanor, they were forced to yield.
“Alright, we can let go of this old geezer, but you must release our boss immediately.”
Shrugging, Ye Fan looked at the subordinate with a cold smile.
“Do I look like a fool to you? If I release him, you’ll immediately attack me. What then? As long as you release Gu Lao, once we leave here, I promise to release your boss. After all, this idiot is of no use to me.”
If it came to shrewdness, these men combined wouldn’t be Ye Fan’s match.
After all, with Ye Fan’s methods, toying with them would be like a cat playing with a mouse.
The men frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse, but seeing their boss gasping for breath in Ye Fan’s hands, they could only choose to yield.
“Let him go.”
Helplessly, they could only comply.
At this moment, the leader’s triangular eyes had opened. Hearing his subordinates’ words, he immediately shouted angrily, “Don’t let him go….”
Enduring the feeling of suffocation, the triangular-eyed man uttered this sentence furiously, and then went silent.
“Are you looking for death?”
Hearing the triangular-eyed man’s words, Ye Fan flew into a rage and slapped him several times.
Blood flowed from the corners of the triangular-eyed man’s mouth, and his body trembled violently.
Having been ambushed by Ye Fan repeatedly, no matter how tough he was, his head drooped at this moment.
“Stop!”
The subordinates cried out in alarm, “We’ll release him immediately, but if you dare to lay another hand on our boss, we’ll fight to the bitter end, even if it means our own destruction, to make sure you pay dearly!”
Anger was evident on the faces of the subordinates.