Chapter 610: Friends Who Don’t Trust Each Other

“Hahaha…”

Seeing the two of them looking confused, Xu Shaochen burst into laughter and put his arms around their shoulders.

“You two, I was just joking around. Did I scare you?”

“Relax. I already said we’re friends. Since we’re friends, I will definitely help you.”

Zhao Li and Liang Huan forced a smile. They couldn’t trust Xu Shaochen at all right now. Who the hell knew which of his words were the truth?

Seeing them remain silent, Xu Shaochen didn’t get angry and continued, “Since we’re friends, it’s only right that we help each other out. Will you two be willing to help me?”

“Young Master Xu, Zhao Li already explained our situation earlier. It’s not that we don’t want to help, it’s that we simply can’t.” Liang Huan said, looking troubled.

“No, no, no.” Xu Shaochen shook his head. “As long as you two sincerely want to help, I can figure out a way. All I need is for you to nod.”

Zhao Li and Liang Huan hesitated because they didn’t know what kind of negative consequences Xu Shaochen’s plan would bring, so they didn’t dare to agree rashly.

“Friends help each other. If you don’t want to help, then you’re clearly not treating me sincerely as a friend. And if we’re not friends, that makes us enemies…”

“I’ll help! I’ll help!”

Zhao Li gritted his teeth, interrupting Xu Shaochen’s words, silently cursing all of Xu Shaochen’s ancestors.

The guy was threatening them. What other choice did he have but to agree? He was now filled with deep regret, wishing he had been more restrained earlier that night. That way, he would have never ended up entangled with such a troublesome guy.

Hearing this, Xu Shaochen smiled in satisfaction, patting him on the shoulder. Then he turned to Liang Huan and asked, “What about you, Young Master Liang?”

“If we’re friends, then we stand together through thick and thin. If I can help, then I will.” Liang Huan forced a smile, one that looked worse than a grimace.

“Don’t worry. I would never make things difficult for my friends. You’ll certainly be able to do this.”

Xu Shaochen’s voice was gentle, but to Liang Huan and Zhao Li, it felt like the voice of a devil delivering their death sentence.

“Earlier, you said that, given your positions in your families, your families wouldn’t sever ties with the Kong Family over your issues, correct?”

Xu Shaochen asked as he looked at the two of them.

The two were somewhat confused as to why he asked but nodded nonetheless.

Xu Shaochen smiled meaningfully and said, “But what if the Kong Family is determined to sever those ties and go after your families?”

“Xu… Xu Shao, what exactly do you mean by that?”

An ominous feeling rose in their hearts. Both their faces turned pale, and their bodies stiffened involuntarily.

“Don’t be so tense. Relax a little. I’m your friend, not a man-eating tiger.”

Seeing the two so nervous, Xu Shaochen patted their shoulders.

They forced a smile but didn’t respond. While Xu Shaochen wasn’t a tiger, he was much scarier and more ruthless than one.

“Kong Biao from the Kong Family is in Jiangzhou too. According to Chen Ju, Kong Biao’s status in the family is second only to the family head, Kong Xiang, and he has a very good relationship with his brother…”

Before Xu Shaochen could finish, Zhao Li and Liang Huan were already trembling uncontrollably.

Xu Shaochen flashed a cold smile, “So, if Kong Biao were to die at your hands, would the Kong Family go insane?”

“No! We can’t do that! If I kill Kong Biao, Kong Xiang will never let me go. The Liang Family would most likely cast me out, leaving me to fend for myself. They wouldn’t go against a crazed Kong Family for me.”

Liang Huan was pale with fear, his face drained of all color.

“Young Master Liang, if you killed Kong Biao alone, you’d probably be right. Since the strength of the Liang and Kong Families is about equal, both sides would suffer too much from an outright battle. That’s why your family would rather hand you over than fight.”

“But don’t forget—I’m talking about you and Zhao Li killing Kong Biao together. With the Zhao Family joining the fight, would the Liang and Zhao Families cave to the Kong Family then?”

Xu Shaochen remained calm and composed as he analyzed the situation for them.

Hearing this, Zhao Li and Liang Huan began to calm down a bit. After thinking it over, it did make some sense.

“No, wait.” Zhao Li suddenly voiced. “Even the Kong Family wouldn’t want to simultaneously face off against both the Zhao and Liang Families. Even if Kong Xiang were mad, he wouldn’t be that reckless.”

“If it’s just the Liang Family alone, Kong Xiang would want to fight to the death because he knows your family wouldn’t willingly suffer mutual destruction and would give in.”

“But if it were the Zhao and Liang Families together, the Kong Family would have no chance of winning. No matter how furious Kong Xiang was, he’d have to swallow his pride.”

Xu Shaochen coldly said, “But what if Kong Tianjing dies too? Even if that idiot’s worthless, he’s still Kong Xiang’s son. His brother and son both dead—would he still keep his composure?”

“Hiss—”

Upon hearing this, both Liang Huan and Zhao Li gasped, looking at Xu Shaochen with clear dread in their eyes.

“I’ve said it before—we’re all fundamentally the same.” Zhao Li muttered as he looked at Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen smiled faintly and didn’t deny it. After all, it wasn’t like the Kong Family was leaving him any wiggle room. They were determined to get their hands on the Special Medicine Formula.

When you need to be ruthless, you have to be.

Otherwise, when the Kong Family makes the first move, you’ll find yourself on the losing end.

Liang Huan took a deep breath and clearly laid out his thoughts. “If both Kong Biao and Kong Tianjing die, Kong Xiang will definitely seek revenge. If he doesn’t, anyone would dare trample on the Kong Family. Letting this happen would mean losing their foothold in Jingcheng.”

After a pause, Liang Huan looked at Xu Shaochen and said, “If Zhao Li and I kill Kong Biao and Kong Tianjing, three families would inevitably clash. Even if the Zhao and Liang Families win, they’d be severely weakened.”

“That would mean Zhao Li and I must take the blame for the strife between our families. We’ll lose any chance of inheriting leadership. Sure, you’ll get rid of the Kong Family, but what about us? We gain nothing. That’s unfair.”

Hearing this, Xu Shaochen smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you both receive a great reward, one big enough to earn merit for your families and balance out the harm caused by the conflict.”

“Young Master Xu, that’s just talk. We can’t take your word for it. We can’t even imagine what kind of merit would make up for starting a war between three families.”

Zhao Li’s meaning was clear. They didn’t trust Xu Shaochen. They wanted something to guarantee their safety. After all, what if Xu Shaochen tricked them? The three of them didn’t trust each other, yet somehow, they were still together, making the situation incredibly bizarre.