Divorce Only Makes a Son-in-Law Stronger-Chapter 27, Relic

「North City Commercial District.」

Walking down the bustling pedestrian street, Lin Fan stared at a large pawnshop by the roadside and murmured to himself, Mom, after a full four years, I can finally redeem your precious ring...

Four years ago, the Su family had gone completely bankrupt. Su Mengqing’s gambling-addicted father, Su Guang, had vanished without a trace, while her brother, Su Gang, was seized by debt collectors, hung in a basement, and beaten to within an inch of his life. Zhang Meili and Su Mengqing begged their relatives and friends for money, only to be refused at every turn.

In desperation, Zhang Meili had run to the Suxin Clinic and knelt before Lin Fan’s mother, Lin Suxin, weeping and pleading for help. She had once inadvertently seen a treasured ring of considerable value that Lin Suxin owned.

And so, Lin Suxin had pawned the ring to pay off Su Gang’s gambling debts.

But as the Su family recovered and began to prosper, no one made any plans to redeem Lin Suxin’s ring. Though Lin Fan mentioned it to Su Mengqing several times, he was instead cursed by Zhang Meili and Su Gang, who accused him of holding the favor over their heads.

Clutching the yellowed pawn ticket, Lin Fan approached the counter. Before he could speak, the manager seated inside let out a cold, sarcastic sneer. "Well, well. You’re here again?"

"I’m here to redeem the ring. Here’s the ticket," Lin Fan said, his expression grim as he handed it over.

The fat, balding man before him was utterly shameless. Every time Lin Fan had secretly scrimped and saved enough for the redemption price, the man would deliberately hike it up. Fortunately, this time, he had brought several times the required amount. He was determined to get his mother’s relic back, no matter what.

"Kid, seeing as you’re so filial, I’ll be generous today and give you back your mother’s ring," the manager said with a sneer, raising and shaking three fingers. "Three hundred thousand. That’s the final price. If you have the money, you get it right away. Otherwise, no deal!"

Three hundred thousand? That was another fifty thousand added to last year’s price. It was now more than triple the original pawn amount.

BANG!

Without a word, Lin Fan took three thick stacks of cash from a black plastic bag and slammed them onto the counter.

"Eh... Struck it rich, have we, kid?" The manager was momentarily stunned, then hastily gave the three hundred thousand in cash a cursory look.

"I’ve paid you. Give me the ring," Lin Fan stated, emphasizing each word.

This lowlife had jacked up the price on a whim time and time again, clearly making things difficult on purpose. If his mother hadn’t insisted that he keep his abilities hidden and never reveal them, Lin Fan would have loved nothing more than to smash the fat bastard’s smug face in.

"Who said that’s enough? I’ve changed my mind." The manager glanced at the black plastic bag in Lin Fan’s hand, greed glinting in his beady eyes.

"Don’t push it. The ticket is for a redeemable loan. Even after four years, the price couldn’t possibly rise to three hundred thousand," Lin Fan said, taking a step forward with his fists clenched tight.

"Alright, alright. Seeing how persistent you are... just give me all the money in that bag, and we have a deal," the manager said, forcing a smile as he leisurely took a sip of his tea. At his signal, the two burly men with tattooed arms guarding the entrance understood immediately. They stepped forward, blocking Lin Fan’s path with menacing expressions.

BANG!

Unwilling to cause a major scene, Lin Fan simply tossed the entire black plastic bag over to them. Besides, the Yuan family was holding his mother’s funeral, and he needed to get there as soon as possible.

"Good! Very decisive!" The manager opened the plastic bag, and upon seeing the bricks of cash inside, he couldn’t hide his grin. "Go to the storeroom and get the ring from under locker number four!"

A few moments later, a subordinate placed an exquisite jewelry box in front of Lin Fan.

"The deal is done. We’re not responsible for anything once you leave the counter!" the manager said slowly, pointedly focusing on his tea as Lin Fan picked up the box and prepared to open it.

"...This isn’t my mother’s precious ring. Are you messing with me?"

Lin Fan had lifted the lid. Inside lay a rusty iron ring. Its craftsmanship was crude; it was obviously a piece of junk from a roadside stall worth next to nothing. The corner of his eye twitched violently as he glared at the manager. Five hundred thousand for this piece of junk? No wonder the man had been so difficult. The original precious ring had long been swapped out.

"What are you getting so worked up about, kid? You dare to bark at me?" The manager’s chubby face hardened, though he continued to sip his tea leisurely. "If I say the ring is real, it’s real. You should ask around. Our Jucaili Pawnshop is the property of Black Tiger Hall!"

At his words, the two tattooed henchmen smirked with arrogance, their arms crossed. They clearly intended to pass off the fake as genuine, confident that Lin Fan wouldn’t dare cause trouble on Black Tiger Hall’s turf.

"Heh. Black Tiger Hall, you say?"

CLANG!

Rage surged through him. Lin Fan laughed in fury, snatched the iron ring, and hurled it forward with all his might.

"Agh... my mouth, my eyes! Ah... AHHH!"

A black shadow shot forward, instantly piercing the white porcelain teacup and exploding right next to the manager’s mouth. Sharp, tiny ceramic shards sprayed out like a sudden storm, slicing his fleshy face into a bloody mess. His beady eyes, once filled with mockery, were punctured and burst, turning into two dark, gory holes.

HISS!

The sudden turn of events left the two tattooed henchmen gasping in shock, unable to react for a moment. Only the manager was left, writhing on the floor and clutching his blinded eyes, screaming in agony.

"He’s completely out of line! Daring to hurt someone on Black Tiger Hall’s turf!"

"Get him! Lock the doors and call for backup! Kill him for me right now!"

Watching Lin Fan stride toward them, silent and stone-faced, the two tattooed henchmen trembled with fury, their faces contorting as they bellowed. Writhing on the ground, the manager let out a hysterical, savage scream.

BANG!

The heavy doors of the pawnshop slammed shut behind Lin Fan, blocking the view of the passersby outside. Immediately, a group of fierce-looking thugs charged from the back room, brandishing baseball bats as thick as a wrist.

Holy shit, why is it this kid? Goddammit, you morons, you’ve provoked the God of Killing!

But in the next moment, when the thugs saw Lin Fan’s face clearly...

SCREECH!

The shouting died instantly. Every one of them turned pale and skidded to a halt.

"Brother Zhilong, what are you lot standing around for? Get him!" Seeing the newcomers freeze, the two original henchmen grew frantic. They clenched their fists and charged at Lin Fan themselves.

"No, don’t...!" the bald man known as Brother Zhilong cried out, his face white with horror.

But it was too late.

With a grim expression, Lin Fan smashed a corner off the counter, grabbed a jagged piece of wood, and slashed forward in a lightning-fast arc. The two charging henchmen froze, their savage expressions locked in place. In the next instant, blood sprayed from their throats, revealing deep gashes.

THUD! THUD!

Their hulking figures collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Holy shit, he’s terrifyingly strong! No wonder even Brother Dao was so scared he got on his knees and begged for mercy!

GULP. GULP.

Brother Zhilong and the other thugs shuddered, their faces filled with terror. They swallowed hard and began to back away.

"Lin Fan! You... don’t get ahead of yourself! You killed dozens of our Black Tiger Hall brothers, and we haven’t even settled the score with you for that!" With a muffled thud, Brother Zhilong’s back hit the wall. With nowhere left to retreat, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, he could only bluff, yelling at Lin Fan to sound tough despite his terror.

What? He’s Lin Fan? The same monster who crippled our hall’s top enforcer, Brother Dao? I did what? I actually tried to swindle this God of Killing? I messed with him for four full years! It’s a miracle from heaven that I’m still alive!

Hearing this, the manager groaning on the floor shuddered violently. Enduring the searing pain, he scrambled into a corner, cowering. Between his violently trembling legs, a dark, wet patch spread across his pants.