Becoming an Evil God and Stealing His Wife - Chapter 9

Li Jiu kept his voice measured. “You are his sister-in-law, and he is an officer within an official department. Even if this isn’t his specific jurisdiction, he should still be more than capable of handling a civil issue like this.”

Hu Xiangxiang hesitated, her expression turning deeply strained. “That… I am not actually Ling Xiao’s direct, biological sister-in-law. I can’t just trouble him with every little thing. His work is incredibly demanding as it is.”

Li Jiu felt a pang of surprise, though it made perfect logical sense. No wonder Auntie Hu had been so desperately resistant to calling him. The one who actually held a close relationship with Ling Xiao must have been her late husband.

Curiosity piqued, Li Jiu pressed gently. “If you don’t mind me asking, what line of work was Uncle in? Could his old connections perhaps offer us some leverage?”

Auntie Hu lowered her eyes, her voice dropping to a somber whisper. “He… he used to be colleagues with Ling Xiao. But he is no longer of this world. He can no longer help me.”

Li Jiu’s chest tightened. He immediately bowed his head in apology. “I am terribly sorry, Auntie Hu. I didn’t mean to bring up such painful memories.”

Auntie Hu let out a long, weary sigh, patting his arm. “It’s alright. You didn’t know the circumstances. I don’t blame you.”

Li Jiu steered the conversation back to the immediate crisis. “At its core, this entire situation hinges on Zhang Li. After all, these two are merely his extended relatives, not his biological parents. If Zhang Li were present on the floor, we might actually have room to negotiate.”

“Furthermore, we haven’t even formally verified these people’s identities yet. We need Zhang Li here to confirm who they are.”

Auntie Hu’s eyes cleared. “You are entirely right.”

Turning back to face the uncle, her demeanor hardened. “The primary party involved in this matter is Zhang Li. Call him here immediately. I will only discuss terms with him face-to-face.”

The uncle sneered, waving a dismissive hand. “Zhang Li is nothing but a subordinate youth in our household. We speak on his behalf; there is absolutely no need for him to waste his time coming down here.”

Following Li Jiu’s strategic cue, Auntie Hu countered smoothly: “My only professional relationship is with Zhang Li. I do not know his uncle, nor do I know his aunt. On what legal or moral grounds do you expect me to take your word for anything?”

“For all I know, the two of you are nothing but common fraudsters.”

“We are absolutely not fraudsters!” Sensing Auntie Hu’s sudden steel resolve, the uncle turned aggressively to his wife. “Go fetch Xiao Li right now. I’ll stay here and anchor the shop.”

The aunt hesitated, looking incredibly uneasy. “Is that really a good idea? If Xiao Li finds out about this…”

“What if he finds out?” the uncle barked, cutting her off. “Does he honestly think he has a single shred of authority left to speak up in our household?”

Before the aunt could even stand up, a shadow fell across the threshold.

A young man stepped through the front door of the noodle house. His face was a mask of deathly pallor, his frame visibly gaunt, he looked infinitely more emaciated and exhausted than he had just twenty-four hours prior.

It was Zhang Li.

The predatory expressions on the aunt and uncle’s faces instantly froze.

The aunt’s complexion shifted drastically. “Xiao… Xiao Li?”

The uncle stammered, “What are you doing here?”

“Uncle, Auntie…” Zhang Li’s voice was barely a raspy whisper. He kept his head bowed, completely unable to meet Auntie Hu’s gaze out of sheer, suffocating shame. “I told you explicitly before my sudden illness has absolutely nothing to do with the proprietor. Why did you still come here to cause trouble?”

Auntie Hu had treated him with nothing but profound generosity during his employment, yet his own blood relatives had marched into her establishment to extort her. The sheer humiliation of it was tearing him apart from the inside out.

The uncle’s face flushed purple with rage as he cursed: “You miserable, ungrateful brat! What absolute garbage are you spewing? Your illness was caused precisely by this woman’s kitchen!”

Ignoring his nephew’s protests, the uncle spun back toward Hu Xiangxiang and Li Jiu, his eyes flashing with naked greed.

“Now that Xiao Li is physically present, we can finally talk numbers. I’ll give you a final choice between my two original conditions: either you remit his monthly medical expenses and lost wages indefinitely, or you write us a single, lump-sum check right now for 100,000 credits!”

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers bottlenecked at the entrance.

100,000 credits!

Li Jiu rapidly calculated the figure in his head. His current monthly salary was a modest 1,500 credits. Even if he didn’t spend a single copper on food, water, or rent, it would take him over five and a half years of continuous labor to accumulate that sum. In a city like Wangdong, that amount of capital could sustain a comfortable lifestyle for an incredibly long time.

Even the consistently mild-mannered Auntie Hu stared back in utter disbelief. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

“Uncle!” Zhang Li cried out, his voice cracking.

The uncle turned a cold, impassive gaze onto him. “Xiao Li, your uncle is doing this entirely for your own good.”

Those words—for your own good—seemed to act as the final, crushing weight on Zhang Li’s breaking point. His shoulders collapsed, his spine bending as if buckling under an invisible boulder.

The uncle paid absolutely zero attention to his nephew’s psychological collapse. “You are chronically ill,” he continued righteously. “You require life-long medication, and your sole source of income has been completely terminated. What else can you possibly do now? Without significant capital, you won’t just fail to afford your prescriptions, you’ll starve to death on the streets.”

“Do you honestly expect us to siphon our own pockets to maintain a useless invalid?”

“But my condition has absolutely zero correlation to my labor here!” Zhang Li hissed, his voice trembling with a sudden, raw desperation. “It has nothing to do with Auntie Hu! She and this new brother were the ones who physically carried me to the hospital ward. If it wasn’t for their immediate intervention, I would already be a corpse! How can you possibly justify demanding her money?”

“This employment was an incredible blessing. The labor was manageable, and the compensation was consistently fair. Didn’t the two of you constantly praise it before? My resignation was submitted entirely due to my own personal, private reasons!”

The uncle scoffed loudly. “Zero correlation? You worked in this building. A perfectly healthy body entered this kitchen, and a broken one came out. If we don’t hold her accountable, who else is there to blame?”

“Look at the state of you! Why are you still putting on pathetic airs of righteousness? Our household does not possess a single spare cent to feed a useless, broken tool.”

The sheer emotional cruelty of his words hit Zhang Li like a physical blow. He suddenly doubled over, a violent spasm racking his chest as he violently retched, coughing up a small splatter of dark, crimson blood onto the floorboards. “It’s my fault… it’s all my fault…”

Li Jiu’s eyes narrowed instantly.

Auntie Hu gasped, stepping forward. “Xiao Zhang! Are you alright?”

The aunt shrieked in terror, instinctively taking several large steps back to distance herself from the mess. “Xiao Li, what on earth is happening to you?!”

Even the boisterous uncle was momentarily rattled, stammering, “You… your temper is far too volatile!”

Zhang Li let out a hollow, bitter laugh, wiping the blood from his lip with a trembling hand.

“For so many years… the two of you have constantly claimed that every single restriction was ‘for my own good.'”

“When my biological parents perished in that horrific accident, you claimed that seizing and ‘safeguarding’ their entire inheritance was for my own good. When I was a growing teenager, you claimed that keeping my portions small and leaving me starved was for my own good.”

“When Cousin Xiaoyou was preparing for marriage and needed to purchase expensive household gifts and property, the family was suddenly desperate for capital. The vast majority of my monthly wages were handed directly over to your custody under the guise of ‘savings,’ yet I never saw a single copper of it return. I forced myself to swallow all of it. But now… now you are using my broken health as a weapon, entirely against my explicit wishes, to extort a woman who has done nothing but support me. You don’t even care if your logic holds up to basic scrutiny.”

“Tell me… is this vile display also ‘for my own good’?”

A wave of loud, unified boos and jeers immediately erupted from the crowd of neighbors watching from the street.

The aunt’s face burned with intense public embarrassment, while the uncle’s complexion shifted through a rapid kaleidoscope of rage. He pointed a shaking, accusatory finger directly at Zhang Li’s face. “Fine! Exceptional! So this is how you truly view the elders who raised you!”

“I don’t care what standard of morality you’re clinging to. No matter what, I am walking out of this district with that capital in my hands!”

The domestic dispute within the Zhang family had reached an absolute, toxic gridlock. The neighborhood onlookers had completely parsed the truth of the situation by now, openly shouting insults at the older couple’s shamelessness. Yet, at the end of the day, this remained a private matter between the Zhang family and Hu Xiangxiang. If the city’s official constabulary wouldn’t intervene, the local civilians certainly weren’t going to stick their necks out to resolve it.

Sensing the perfect tactical opening, Li Jiu caught Auntie Hu’s eye. Receiving a subtle nod of permission from her, he stepped forward and addressed the young man. “Zhang Li, can we step away to have a private word?”

Li Jiu originally intended to guide him into the quiet sanctuary of the rear break room, but the moment Zhang Li looked toward the interior of the shop, his entire frame began to vibrate with an intense, pathological terror. He flatly refused to take a single step deeper into the building.

“Can we… can we please speak outside?” Zhang Li pleaded, his eyes darting frantically toward the kitchen corridor.

He was still deeply terrified of the noodle house or rather, the horrifying anomalous entity he had encountered within its walls. Recognizing this acute symptom of supernatural trauma, Li Jiu offered a calm nod. “Of course. Let’s step out.”

A Quiet Corner

They stepped out onto the bustling thoroughfare of the commercial block. Li Jiu scanned the dense flow of pedestrian traffic; finding a location completely shielded from prying ears in this sector was no small feat.

Once they were clear of the shop’s threshold, the suffocating panic binding Zhang Li’s chest seemed to ease significantly. “I am so incredibly sorry,” he murmured, his head hanging low.

Li Jiu navigated them toward a secluded, narrow alleyway located a short distance away from the main path. Ensuring they were entirely out of earshot, he turned back. “Don’t worry about it. I wanted to pull you aside to get an accurate reading on your actual perspective.”

Zhang Li followed him into the shadows, his face burning with absolute mortification. “The fault lies entirely with me. I never envisioned my relatives would bring such massive, destructive chaos to Auntie Hu’s doorstep. Please, tell her she must absolutely ignore every single one of their demands. I will find a way to make them listen to reason.”

“Do you honestly believe you possess the leverage to persuade them?” Li Jiu asked flatly.

Zhang Li opened his blood-stained lips to offer a defense, but no words came out. He slowly deflated, closing his mouth in silent defeat. He knew better than anyone that he had zero authority over his elders.

Li Jiu carefully monitored the surrounding environment, keeping his posture entirely natural as he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “To be completely frank with you, Auntie Hu actually possesses a definitive method to eradicate this problem permanently.”

“I’m sure you vividly recall that imposing gentleman dressed in the heavy black trench coat whom we encountered in your hospital ward yesterday. You’ve likely seen him visiting the noodle house prior to your illness, correct?”

Zhang Li nodded slowly, his voice dropping to match Li Jiu’s volume. “Yes… I remember him. He’s a relative of the proprietor, isn’t he?”

“Given the specialized nature of yesterday’s hospital procedures, you’ve likely deduced that he is a high-ranking operative within an elite official department,” Li Jiu stated, tracking the young man’s micro-expressions with clinical precision. “Resolving a low-level extortion attempt like this would be laughably simple for someone of his stature. Auntie Hu would merely need to request a very minor, unofficial favor from him.”

He paused, letting the weight of the implication hang in the air before adding softly, “However… the ultimate fate of your aunt and uncle under his jurisdiction… would likely be exceptionally grim.”

A flash of acute agony crossed Zhang Li’s eyes. “I am well aware of how monstrously they are acting… but is there any possible way to spare them? Despite everything they’ve stolen from me… they are the only remaining family I have left in this world.”

Though Li Jiu personally felt that such parasitical, toxic relatives served absolutely zero structural purpose alive, Zhang Li’s predictable, empathetic reaction was precisely the psychological leverage he needed.

“Because of your long, dedicated service to the shop, Auntie Hu genuinely wishes to avoid an ugly, violent escalation,” Li Jiu noted smoothly. “But she is simultaneously terrified that their daily scenes will permanently bankrupt her business. That’s why she asked me if there was an alternative path.”

“If we can engineer a different solution, there might still be a chance to resolve this cleanly.”

A desperate spark of hope ignited in Zhang Li’s eyes. “Do you… do you truly have a strategy in mind?”

“Not a definitive one just yet,” Li Jiu replied casually. “But I need to ask you a few contextual questions first. If your answers provide enough structural data, I might be able to piece together a viable solution.”

“Ask me anything,” Zhang Li urged immediately. “I’ll tell you whatever you need.”

Li Jiu proceeded to run through a series of foundational questions regarding the uncle and aunt’s employment history, their primary sources of income, and their general household dynamics. Zhang Li answered each prompt with absolute transparency.

As the data compiled, Li Jiu nodded neutrally, having already formulated a highly effective method to neutralize the extortionists using the civilian information. However, he didn’t terminate the interview there. After performing a subtle, seamless sweep of the surrounding alleyway to guarantee absolute privacy, he shifted his tone to an entirely organic, casual register.

“Can you walk me through the exact sequence of events that transpired in the back kitchen before you collapsed? Why did your health deteriorate so suddenly?”

The moment the question left Li Jiu’s lips, Zhang Li stiffened. He cast a terrified, paranoid look around the alley walls.

“That… that officer in the trench coat explicitly commanded me never to speak a single word regarding those events to anyone. He made it entirely clear that if I violated the nondisclosure protocol and was discovered, I would be held legally accountable. I could be thrown into a state penitentiary.”

“Is that so?” Li Jiu noted, his expression a mask of mild, sympathetic surprise though internally, he wasn’t shocked at all.

His hypothesis regarding the Quality Inspection Department or whatever covert branch governed this state was entirely correct. The authorities were systematically suppressing all public knowledge regarding the existence of anomalous entities. They clearly prioritized preserving the fragile illusion of regular societal order at all costs to prevent widespread panic.

“Have those details sparked an alternative solution in your mind?” Zhang Li asked anxiously, staring at him.

Li Jiu let out a slow, deliberate sigh, shaking his head with an expression of deep, manufactured regret. He took a step back, subtly shifting his body language to simulate an intent to abandon the discussion and return to the shop.

“While I’ve mapped out a few potential angles, the operational data is simply too fragmented. Especially regarding the specific nature of your pathology… I’m incredibly sorry, Zhang Li.”

“We’ve been out here for a considerable amount of time. Continuing to run circles around the same lack of information is functionally meaningless. We should probably head back inside and let Auntie Hu make her call.”

“Wait!” Zhang Li panicked, lunging forward to catch Li Jiu’s sleeve. “If… if I explicitly recount exactly what I witnessed… would that information actually provide the breakthrough you need to save my family?”

Li Jiu halted his retreat, turning back with a look of measured reluctance. “Well… technically speaking, turning the matter over to Ling Xiao’s jurisdiction isn’t the end of the world. We could always try pleading for mercy on your relatives’ behalf afterward. Perhaps he won’t be entirely ruthless with them.”

He looked directly into Zhang Li’s eyes. “You’ve encountered him face-to-face in the shop before. What is your assessment of his temperament?”

Recalling Ling Xiao’s freezing, razor-sharp aura and his terrifyingly efficient, ruthless demeanor during the crisis, Zhang Li shuddered. He harbored an absolute certainty that if that man intervened, his relatives wouldn’t just be reprimanded they would be utterly destroyed out of malicious spite.

“No,” Zhang Li gasped, his voice cracking with sheer desperation. “We cannot involve him under any circumstances.”

“I will tell you everything. I will tell you exactly what happened in that kitchen but you must swear an absolute oath to keep it between us. Especially from him. Please… I cannot go to prison.”