However, seeing that Ryan was almost completely crippled by Ning Beichen, calling him a golden knight was, to put it bluntly, like a dead dog now.
But Ning Beichen had no intention of surrendering. Instead, he grabbed Ryan from the ground, clasped his neck with five fingers, and said word by word, "Let her go, or I'll kill him."
"You let Young Master Ryan go first, or I'll kill your woman."
The old man also fiercely pressed the muzzle of his gun against Liu Yilin's head and shouted.
"Sorry, she's not my woman. She's just my boss. If you kill her, it won't do me any good. If the boss is gone, I'll just find another one. It doesn't matter who hires me; I'll do the work just the same."
Ning Beichen said coldly.
Looking at Ning Beichen's expression, the old man hesitated, unsure if Ning Beichen was telling the truth. According to the intelligence they had gathered,
Ning Beichen was indeed just a bodyguard by Liu Yilin's side, not her boyfriend or husband.
In other words, Liu Yilin didn't seem that important to him.
However, he was still unwilling to let go of this only opportunity. Without this woman, Young Master Ryan would likely not escape today.
"Is that so? Then I'll kill her right now."
The old man tightened his grip slightly, and the gun pressed down, causing Liu Yilin to cry out in pain. She was terrified, like an innocent, pitiful lamb.
"Although I don't care about my boss's life or death, I am her bodyguard. You'd better be careful. If my boss loses a single hair, I'll make you pay with your life. Do you want to gamble?"
Ning Beichen said menacingly, showing no intention of compromising. Both of them were gambling now: one gambled that Ning Beichen cared about the woman, and the other gambled that he wouldn't dare to watch the young master of the Violet family die in his hands.
For a moment, both were in a difficult situation.
Ning Beichen naturally didn't want Liu Yilin to be harmed, as his mission was to protect her. However, he absolutely could not let the old man see that he cared about Liu Yilin.
Otherwise, the old man would use Liu Yilin to force him to capitulate. At that point, let alone saving Liu Yilin, he might even lose his own life.
However, this stalemate was not a solution; neither side was willing to compromise.
After a while, the old man said to Ning Beichen, "Have you thought it through? Young Master Ryan is the eldest son of the Violet family. If you kill him, I guarantee you won't escape the Violet family's revenge, no matter where you go on earth."
"Heh, I'm not afraid of threats. You overestimate your Violet family. I can guarantee you that if you dare to attack me, the Violet family will disappear into the annals of history."
Ning Beichen sneered. Who else could he threaten with the Violet family, but Ning Yanwang? Did he really think his moniker, Ning Yanwang, was fake? At worst, he could go to war with the Violet family. It wasn't as if he, Ning Beichen, had never done such a thing before.
But the old man heard Ning Beichen's words as a joke.
There was no one in this world with such great power as to make the Violet family disappear, unless the ruling powers intervened.
"It's not good for us to remain in this deadlock. Let's exchange one for one. You release our young master, and I'll release this woman, how about that?"
The old man said to Ning Beichen.
"Okay, how do we exchange?"
Although Ning Beichen desperately wanted to kill this bastard Ryan immediately, Liu Yilin's safety was paramount. As long as Liu Yilin was safe, he could kill Ryan whenever he pleased.
"We'll designate a place. You bring our young master to the place I designate, and I'll bring this woman to the place you designate. After both sides agree, we'll return to our original positions, and the exchange will be considered complete, what do you say?"
The old man proposed to Ning Beichen.
"Fine."
Ning Beichen was not one to waste time. He designated a spot a few meters away and had the old man bring Liu Yilin over.
Then, he also brought Ryan to the spot designated by the old man. However, as he released Ryan, a sinister smile appeared on Ning Beichen's face, hidden from the old man.
As he let go of Ryan, he poked a finger at a crucial acupoint on his body. An internal force seeped in and instantly entered Ryan's heart, lurking there.
This internal force would be like a time bomb, set to detonate an hour later, shattering his heart like a shockwave.
He had tortured Feng Wu and captured Liu Yilin. Now he thought he could get away with it? In the hands of Ning Yanwang, nothing came that easy.
Following that, both sides returned to their original positions, and Ning Beichen walked back with ease.
"The transaction is complete. Our Violet family will definitely avenge Young Master Ryan."
After the old man finished speaking, he suddenly took out a smoke bomb and released it. Instantly, the warehouse was filled with dense smoke.
Ning Beichen did not pursue him. Instead, he immediately went to Liu Yilin's side to protect her, as Ning Beichen wasn't sure if the old man had any backup plans. If there were snipers arranged outside, it would be troublesome.
Besides, he had already tampered with Ryan. Even if he was rescued, even if he didn't die, he would spend the rest of his life bedridden or in a vegetative state.
When the smoke cleared, the old man and Ryan had vanished, which was within Ning Beichen's expectations.
"Boss, how did you get caught by him?"
Ning Beichen checked Liu Yilin. After seeing that she was unharmed, he asked her.
"I... I'm sorry, Ning Beichen. I didn't mean to follow you. I just wanted to know what you were doing..."
Liu Yilin guiltily explained to Ning Beichen why she was captured.
"Boss, please never do this again. It's very dangerous, and you could lose your life."
Ning Beichen was somewhat speechless, having not expected this woman to act like this.
"It's all your fault! You're so secretive and wouldn't tell me anything. Of course, I was curious."
Liu Yilin said stubbornly.
"Yes, yes, yes. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have kept things from you. I'll tell you next time."
Ning Beichen didn't want to argue with her about it.
"Feng Wu, Feng Wu is injured, Ning Beichen."
Liu Yilin didn't want to dwell on the topic. Seeing Feng Wu nearby, she quickly called out to Ning Beichen.
"Ryan tortured her, leaving her barely alive."
Ning Beichen examined Feng Wu's condition and said through gritted teeth.
"Damn Ryan, I really misjudged him."
Liu Yilin also cursed angrily.