Chapter 1233: Chapter 1233

"Then why are you still following along to join the fun?"

Long Ao glared at Long Qin with annoyance.

"Hehe, I’m just here to see what kind of pitiful state that guy who used to show off endlessly in front of me is in now."

Long Qin grinned, looking delighted.

"You guys stop arguing, regardless, Tang Xin being crippled is not a good thing."

Long Aiyu rubbed his temples, "Tang Xin’s downfall will lead to a whole bunch of issues, just thinking about it gives me a headache."

"Tang Xin’s rise benefited the Su Family the most, and it knocked the Long Family down from being the top family in the Dark Group faction. But now that he’s crippled, the Long Family has to clean up the mess—how unfair is that?"

Long Qin scoffed, curling her lips in disdain.

"That is indeed an issue."

Long Aiyu furrowed his brow. Although the Long Family gained some benefits while Tang Xin was around, it was still the least compared to the other three families, leaving him feeling quite discontent.

"I say, the Long Family shouldn’t have come to see Tang Xin, just let the other families take responsibility for his future affairs."

Long Qin huffed, clearly upset.

"Father, our main purpose here is to confirm whether Tang Xin is truly crippled or just pretending, don’t overthink it."

Long Qin warned earnestly, fearing her father might burn bridges.

"I know. But what your sister says makes sense; the Long Family cannot take on the burden of Tang Xin, or else his enemies will definitely turn their sights on us."

Long Aiyu nodded in agreement.

When the four major families of the Dark Group found out that Tang Xin’s cultivation was crippled, they promptly sent people to Songlan City to verify the situation and take necessary precautionary measures.

The representatives from the families hadn’t been settled long before they jointly arranged for Tang Ming to come to the Jun Tianhao Hotel to provide an explanation to everyone.

Tang Ming knew this meeting was inevitable and saw it as a chance to assess which families from the Dark Group were genuinely allied with him and which were merely pretending.

Tang Ming drove to the Jun Tianhao Hotel and immediately noticed something was off as soon as he walked in—the staff had changed significantly, with many unfamiliar faces.

"Manager Chen, what’s going on here?"

Tang Ming approached the manager, who was hosting guests in the lobby, staring curiously at Chen Yuan’s name tag, "How did you become the lobby manager?"

Chen Yuan quickly bowed to Tang Ming and said bitterly, "You might not know yet, but the Chen Family has withdrawn its shares from the hotel, selling fifty percent to the Mo Family. Now, the Mo Family is in control of the hotel and I’ve been dismissed."

"Is that even possible?"

Tang Ming frowned, shocked at how decisive the Chen Family had acted, "Chen Cang..."

Tang Ming was about to demand where Chen Cang was, but realized Chen Cang was no longer in Songlan City, meaning the decision must have been made by Chen Cang’s father.

Although Chen Cang was the first heir of the Chen Family, it was Chen Fazhong, as the family head, who had the authority to decide on the family’s hotel shares.

"Forget it, Chen Cang probably didn’t know about it. Since it was Chen Fazhong’s decision, I can’t really say anything."

Tang Ming shook his head; Chen Fazhong had always been a loyalist of the Flying Wolf Organization, so making such a decision while Chen Cang was away was indeed expected.

"Young Master Tang, I’ve prepared the guest accommodation details as you requested. No matter what, I will stay at the hotel and take care of the property for you."

Chen Yuan promised earnestly.

"You’re doing well. As long as my brother’s shares are still here, I still own half of this hotel. Keep up the good work, don’t worry about it."

Tang Ming encouraged him with a smile, then took the materials and headed towards the elevator.

The members of the four families were all staying on different rooms on the seventh floor; Tang Ming decided to visit them one by one to avoid the awkwardness of facing all four families at once.

"Room 701, Lin Family."

Tang Ming got out of the elevator and approached the Lin Family’s suite, pressing the doorbell.

Soon, someone opened the door—it was an unfamiliar face in a suit, "Group Leader Tang, I’m the Lin Family’s security detail, the family head is waiting for you in the room."

Tang Ming nodded; he had notified the families in advance of his visit, so they were prepared to receive him.

Tang Ming entered the suite, seeing Lin Qingfeng and another elderly man in traditional Chinese attire chatting on the couch by the coffee table.

"Little Tang, you’re finally here. How’s your health?"

Lin Qingfeng immediately stood up and warmly greeted Tang Ming.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Lin. Though my cultivation is crippled, my health is fine."

Tang Ming smiled and bowed to Lin Qingfeng, avoiding detailing his injuries; he trusted they already knew all the details.

"Please, have a seat. I’ve heard about your injury, and my family and I were very concerned about your health. The families have specifically invited the renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine master, Niu Fu, from the Imperial City to check on you."

After Tang Ming sat down, Lin Qingfeng introduced the white-haired elder.

"I’m a doctor myself, so there’s really no need to trouble Mr. Niu."

Tang Ming humbly thanked them.

"It’s necessary; your health is crucial. Even if your cultivation is gone, you still need to take good care of yourself."

Lin Qingfeng responded with a smile and looked at Niu Fu, "Mr. Niu, please go ahead and examine Group Leader Tang."

"Alright, alright, it’s my honor to be able to check on Group Leader Tang, a true privilege."

Niu Fu graciously smiled at Tang Ming.

Tang Ming reluctantly extended his hand towards Niu Fu while keeping his intact dantian concealed.

Niu Fu began his diagnosis, while Lin Qingfeng watched intently, waiting for the results.

To be precise, the other three families were also waiting for the results; Niu Fu had been jointly invited by the four families to assess Tang Ming’s condition to determine whether his lost cultivation was genuine or feigned.

Niu Fu placed his hand on Tang Ming’s pulse point, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"Mr. Niu, how is Group Leader Tang’s condition?"

Lin Qingfeng anxiously asked.

"Oh, it’s hard to believe Group Leader Tang is so severely injured; his entire dantian is more than half shattered. It’s just... sigh."

Niu Fu sighed heavily, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Half of the dantian is shattered? Is there any hope for recovery?"

Lin Qingfeng widened his eyes, his gaze hopeful on Niu Fu.

"I’m sorry, the dantian is a vital part of a martial artist’s body, and any injury to it has major repercussions. If it were just minor damage, I might have some confidence in treating it, but with the dantian left only half intact, there’s simply no chance of healing."

Niu Fu shook his head helplessly.

"Dantian shattered? How could a healthy dantian shatter like that? Wasn’t it said that you were just stabbed once by Li Xiaoli, which should have only injured your dantian, not so severely?"

Lin Qingfeng looked at Tang Ming in shock.