The scarred man hesitated before speaking, "Brother Long, I don't think Lin Xiaotian is a good person. And when he was dealing with me just now, his methods were extremely ruthless. Even though he had me pinned to the ground and could have taken my life at any moment, he didn't mention you."
"I only told him that I had someone else behind me who wanted to deliver a message to him."
"In the end, Lin Xiaotian gave me this thing and said, 'Courtesy demands reciprocity.' This is his return gift to you."
A sharp glint flashed in Brother Long's eyes. "Don't feed me any useless nonsense. I know exactly what kind of person you are. When I sent you to handle this, you should have known you wouldn't be able to keep a secret."
"But it's fine, I can always deny it."
"Next, I need to attend the auction at the jewelry store."
Hearing this, a look of terror appeared in the scarred man's eyes. "Brother Long, I really didn't betray you!"
Brother Long stood up. His height of about 1.9 meters made his burly physique even more imposing as he moved.
He took a few steps forward, and the scarred man couldn't help but retreat.
His eyes grew increasingly panicked, and he finally knelt down. "Brother Long, I'm truly sorry. I really didn't intend to betray you. Lin Xiaotian's methods were too brutal. If I didn't reveal your identity, I was afraid Lin Xiaotian would kill me."
"I promise I didn't say anything else besides your identity, and Lin Xiaotian did indeed ask me to give this to you."
Brother Long's thick fingers, like carrots, held the small jade gourd. It looked as if he were pinching a piece of candy.
He held the item, a mocking sneer on his face. "Don't you see? Lin Xiaotian giving me this is his way of insulting me."
"A gourd represents fortune and prosperity. But he only gave me such a small one. What does that mean?"
"And the other meaning behind him sending you back is for me to kill you directly."
The scarred man's head shot up. His eyes were filled with confusion. How could he not have understood that expression in that way?
Brother Long directly grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground, as if he were lifting a chick.
He was a martial artist himself, and an extremely powerful one at that.
Now, in his grasp, his grip tightened, and a murderous smile spread across his face.
"I hate traitors the most. Lin Xiaotian let you come back because he knew that for a traitor, there was only one outcome: death!"
With that, he suddenly tightened his grip.
"Crack..."
The sound of bone breaking echoed. The scarred man's eyes widened, his pupils slowly dilating. In his eyes, there was disbelief that he had died just like that.
Brother Long released his hand, his face cold. "Useless trash. Alive, you're just wasting food."
"I am curious, Lin Xiaotian. Besides wanting to insult me, did you have any other intentions in giving me this small item?"
As he examined the small gourd more closely, he noticed that the top was a movable clasp.
Driven by curiosity, he gently pried open the lid of the small gourd.
The next moment, a small black dot popped out from within.
Before Brother Long could react, the black dot burrowed into his ear.
A look of panic appeared on his face. He frantically tried to reach in and pull it out, only to find that the thing had already pierced his eardrum. The intense pain contorted his face.
His eyes blazed with furious rage. Now he finally understood why Lin Xiaotian had called it a return gift.
He had indeed harbored ill intentions earlier, but he never expected Lin Xiaotian to be even more ruthless, using a small insect to drill into his ear and pierce his eardrum. Blood trickled from the side of his ear.
"Lin Xiaotian, I intended to spare your dog's life after I got your treasure. I never expected you to attack me first. Since that's the case, you won't live either."
"You have no idea how powerful truly formidable experts in this world are."
"Since you're attending this auction today, I'll show you what it truly means to wish you were dead."
After saying this, he felt the small insect still wriggling deep within his ear, likely burrowing towards his brain through the cochlea.
Although he felt a slight panic, he didn't rush. He gathered all his internal energy and directed it towards his cochlea.
He originally intended to force the small insect out, but at the next moment.
He suddenly clutched his head and let out a scream.
His subordinates outside heard the commotion and rushed in, only to see Brother Long smashing his head against the table.
The solid wood tabletop was shattered on the spot, and then he slammed his head against the wall.
They reacted quickly and rushed to restrain Brother Long, but over a dozen of them couldn't hold him down.
After more than ten minutes, when Brother Long finally recovered, he found his subordinates looking terrified. Most of them had broken bones, injured when they tried to restrain him.
Brother Long took a few breaths and said, "Forgive me, brothers. I wasn't in control just now."
The terror in their eyes had not completely dissipated.
One of them couldn't help but tremble and ask, "Brother Long, what happened to you just now?"
An immense killing intent erupted in Brother Long's eyes. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but it was definitely Lin Xiaotian's doing."
"I'm going to find him now. I want to know what kind of bug that bastard put in my head."
"Today, it's either he dies, or I die!"
His voice was filled with overwhelming killing intent.
The subordinates cowered in fear.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaotian had already arrived at the jewelry store.
The jewelry store had two floors. The second floor was usually where precious items were displayed.
It had now been converted into a temporary auction venue, and Ye Wantong had invited a very limited number of guests.
"What do you think those people will bid for this treasure?" Ye Wantong asked with excitement in her eyes.
Lin Xiaotian sat in a corner, smoking a cigarette, and said with a relaxed smile, "That depends on you. As long as you showcase the treasure's capabilities, I believe many people will stop at nothing to acquire it."
"You need to be prepared. It will definitely attract envy. And before I came, someone had already gathered some information."
"They might be on their way here now. When they arrive, they might cause a scene."