Chapter 608 What Is His Relationship with The Dragon's Breath?

Chapter 608 What Is His Relationship with The Dragon's Breath?

After Granny Nether and her people cleaned up and left, James and Valentin also walked away.

The night went quiet again, as if nothing had happened. Only the bloodstains on the ground told the story of those who had died there.

"One against ten?"

"Who gave him the nerve to say that?"

"A man who's been stuck in a wheelchair for twenty years, and he dares to mouth off at us when we're at the top of our game?"

"Does Valentin think The Gonzalez Family has no one worth fearing, or does he think he's unbeatable?"

An hour later, deep inside The Gonzalez Family's private hall, Micah kicked Granny Nether to the ground, his eyes red as he screamed.

When he found out James had killed Ingrid and thrown his sister Valencia in jail, Micah decided to settle all scores at once — old and new.

He had sent out the Huangshan Five Cripples along with Granny Nether's crew, fully expecting to easily beat James half to death and drag him back.

Instead, all five of the Cripples were dead, and Granny Nether had lost an arm.

"And you — you useless piece of trash!"

After tearing into Valentin, Micah turned his glare on Granny Nether and snapped:

"You're supposed to be one of The Gonzalez Family's second-tier retainers. We've fed you well, treated you well, and this is what we get when it actually matters — nothing."

"When you're up against the wall, the brave one wins. Even if you couldn't beat Valentin, you should've fought to the death!"

"And now you crawl back here with one arm? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Did you save your skin just to run back and warn us about Valentin, or are you expecting The Gonzalez Family to take care of you for the rest of your life?"

"He's been sitting in a wheelchair for twenty years. Don't tell me you couldn't take him even if you gave it everything you had."

The humiliation at Glowing Oasis still hadn't been paid back, and now tonight he'd lost more men, taken more losses, and been threatened by Valentin on top of it all. Micah was furious.

"Mr. Gonzalez, I'm sorry. I failed."

Granny Nether's face stayed calm. She pressed her hand against her severed arm and spoke:

"I failed the mission and lost the Huangshan Five Cripples. I'll accept whatever punishment you see fit."

"But I didn't fight to stay alive just to save my own skin. I came back to warn you."

"James has Valentin's protection. Until The Gonzalez Family can be absolutely sure of winning, it's best not to make another move against James."

"Valentin isn't back to his peak yet, but he's at about eighty percent. That's still more than enough."

"If he gets angry enough to come after The Gonzalez Family directly, the damage could be severe."

She laid it out calmly and plainly: "We need to find a way to cool him down — fast."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Valentin kills our people, and you want us to calm him down? You really think he's untouchable?"

"If he's got the guts, let him come knocking in three days. I'd love to see him try to throw his weight around in The Gonzalez Family's house."

Micah's sharp features twisted with rage. "I refuse to believe some washed-up Dragon's Breath reject can do whatever he wants."

"He's King East — the top of The Dragon's Breath's Four Heavenly Kings."

"As long as he's alive, it doesn't matter if he sat out thirty years. His name still carries weight."

At that moment, a calm but commanding voice came from the doorway.

Ulysses walked in with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes completely unreadable:

"Valentin was one of The Dragon's Breath's first generation — even a step ahead of Byron. He's as old guard as it gets."

"He was active in operations abroad at sixteen. His sleeve blade technique is something else entirely."

"He was named King East and head of the Four Heavenly Kings twenty years ago. You can do the math on how many people have died by his hand."

"He may not hold the highest rank in The Dragon's Breath, but when it comes to confirmed kills and battlefield merit, he's still number one."

"And that's after twenty years in a wheelchair. If he hadn't spent all that time recovering, the numbers would be even more frightening."

Ulysses paused, then added with a sigh:

"The only person in all of Celestia who comes close to his kill count is Beck — the ghost of The Guardian Legion, who nobody ever sees coming."

"There's also a rumor that the only reason he calls himself The Dragon's Breath's second-best is out of respect for the leader."

"If it ever came down to a real fight, nobody knows who'd actually win."

"So going up against someone like that is not a smart move — not by any measure."

He looked at Micah with clear disapproval:

"Micah, stop letting your anger make you stupid."

"I'm sorry, Uncle. I got carried away."

Seeing Ulysses there, Micah forced the words out:

"The Glowing Oasis humiliation, Valencia getting locked up, tonight's failure — it all got to me. I let the hatred blind me."

"But I can't just let it go. The Gonzalez Family is one of the Five Great Families. Are we really going to let one man — Valentin — push us around?"

"If word gets out, people will think we're weak."

And underneath it all, the thought of James — a barefoot country doctor — slapping him in the face over and over again, and stealing Olivia right out from under him — it made his chest tight with humiliation.

"The Gonzalez Family isn't afraid of Valentin. We just don't need to pick a fight with him."

Ulysses had someone bring Morris's White Medicine and poured it over Granny Nether's wound to stop the bleeding:

"Because Valentin isn't our only enemy."

"Right now the Five Great Families are balancing cooperation and competition. If The Gonzalez Family goes to war with Valentin, we'll take heavy losses — and that could set off a chain reaction we can't control."

"But more importantly, Valentin has The Dragon's Breath behind him."

"A Valentin stuck in a wheelchair is sentimental to The Dragon's Breath — a symbol of respect. His life or death doesn't mean much to them strategically."

"But a Valentin with his skills restored? He's a weapon. He's priceless to them."

"If we kill Valentin and bring The Dragon's Breath down on us, The Gonzalez Family won't survive it."

"So remember this: we're not afraid of Valentin. He's just not worth the fight."

"I'll handle this personally. I'll find a way to calm him down."

After everything that had happened at Glowing Oasis, Ulysses had become much more measured: "Before he actually shows up here in three days and makes a scene."

"That said, I'm keeping score. When the time is right, I'll make sure Valentin pays back every bit of it — with interest."

"In The Gonzalez Family, every debt gets settled. Sooner or later."

A cold, dangerous light flashed in his eyes.

"What about James then?"

Micah yanked at his collar. "If we can't touch Valentin, at least we can go after James, right?"

Granny Nether cut in: "Valentin said he's protecting James."

"Leave James alone too."

Ulysses waved off Micah before he could speak, then put a hand on his shoulder:

"Valentin wants to protect James — fine, we'll give him that. We back off James."

"But just because we're not making a move doesn't mean his other enemies won't."

"Paxton's a vegetable now, thanks to James. And he was one of Blood Medical Sect's most promising talents..."

"So if something else were to happen to him — say, something that pushed things a little further — do you think Blood Medical Sect would let James walk away?"

A slow, knowing smile spread across his face.

Micah went still for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He nodded slowly. "Got it. I understand."

"Good. That's how we handle it."

Ulysses' gaze shifted, turning distant and calculating. "There's one more thing. Tell the Pigeon Unit to quietly look into something for me."

Micah blinked. "What is it?"

"Byron protected James at any cost. Now Valentin is putting his life on the line for him too."

Ulysses smiled — the smile of a fox who's seen it all:

"Have the Pigeon Unit dig into James's connection to The Dragon's Breath. Find out exactly what's going on between them."

"I hope what I'm thinking isn't true. Because if it is... it's almost too crazy to believe."

"It would turn The Dragon's Breath upside down in a way they've never seen before..."