Li Quanning’s bluntness left Zhang Xi completely stunned.
*Well, that was a choice of words…*
Zhang Xi spoke slowly.
“Sorry, I won’t teach you.”
“Why not, Brother Zhang?” Li Quanning asked, his eyes wide.
“I know we’ve had our misunderstandings in the past, but I’ve learned my lesson! If you’re still angry, you can hit me, you can scold me, anything! Just please, teach me!”
Zhang Xi couldn’t teach Li Quanning the Fragment Collection System, but he had learned countless training methods through it.
With just a little guidance, he could make Li Quanning incredibly powerful.
But Zhang Xi refused.
“No,” Zhang Xi said.
“The reason I won’t teach you isn’t because of our past. It’s because you’re not the right person for this. You’ve always been a spoiled, arrogant brat, and that’s never changed. If I gave you my skills, not only would it do nothing good for society, but it would also cause major problems. Do you understand?”
This was exactly what Zhang Xi had been most worried about.
“Oh, so that’s all?” Li Quanning chuckled.
“Big Brother, you’re overthinking this. It’s no problem at all. I’ll just change my ways, haha.”
“Change?” Zhang Xi smiled.
“The hardest thing for a person to change is their habits. You’ve lived the life of an arrogant young master for so long. Changing that will be nearly impossible.”
“That doesn’t matter. Just watch me. If you think I’m not cut out for it, then don’t teach me. But if you think I can do it, just teach me a few moves. How about it, Brother Zhang? Is that a deal?”
As the saying goes, “A prodigal son’s return is priceless.” The fact that Li Quanning was willing to say such things proved his genuine determination to reform.
Zhang Xi considered it carefully and decided this wasn’t a bad idea.
He nodded.
“Fine. Since you’ve put it that way, I’ll give you a chance. I’ll be watching your performance. But remember, if your actions don’t match your words, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget. Got it?”
Hearing this, Li Quanning leaped with joy.
“Deal, deal! I got it! Don’t you worry, I’ll do my absolute best!”
And so, Li Quanning and Zhang Xi moved in together.
Li Quanning had initially wanted to buy Zhang Xi a villa and a car, but Zhang Xi refused.
He believed in not accepting rewards without merit, and the gifts were simply too lavish.
Besides, he preferred to earn what he wanted through his own efforts.
Zhang Xi spent his days waiting for updates from Tony Stark, living a relatively leisurely life.
Chen Feng, however, could not endure it.
A fire smoldered in his chest, a frustration he could neither vent nor swallow.
He had hoped Li Quanning would act on his behalf, but now Li Quanning had become Zhang Xi’s lapdog.
With no other choice, he had to turn to someone else: Li Yang, the head of the Li Family.
The Li Family was the most peculiar of the Five Great Families in Machinery City. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Typically, the family head wielded the most power, but the Li Family was an exception.
Li Yang’s authority was limited, with most of the power held by other branches of the family.
This was a direct result of his own incompetence.
After all, what kind of prestige or achievement could a man who resorted to kidnapping to steal others’ blueprints ever hope to achieve?
Still, a starved camel is larger than a horse.
Li Yang was, after all, the head of the Li Family.
Chen Feng refused to believe that a mere nobody like Zhang Xi could be untouchable.
With this in mind, Chen Feng went to see Li Yang.
Li Yang had been seething with rage lately.
As the head of the Li Family, he had actually gone to steal technical blueprints from some nobody.
Fine, he’d gone—but the real disgrace was that he’d failed to get them.
This wasn’t just embarrassing; it was a complete humiliation!
“President Li,” his secretary said as she entered.
“A man named Chen Feng is outside. He’s asking to see you.”
“Him,” Li Yang sighed.
“Let him in.”
“Yes, President Li.”
A moment later, Chen Feng walked in.
The instant he saw Li Yang, he reacted as if he’d found a long-lost relative.
He threw himself to the floor, kneeling and sobbing his eyes out, his face a mess of tears and snot.
Li Yang, irritated by the display, snapped, “Enough! Stop crying! What is it? If you don’t have anything important to say, get the hell out!”
“Uncle Li, you have to help me!” Chen Feng recounted the whole story to Li Yang.
Li Yang was already in a foul mood, and hearing that Li Quanning was now in league with Zhang Xi sent his fury through the roof.
“You mean Li Quanning has become Zhang Xi’s lapdog?!” Li Yang slammed his hand on the desk and roared, “What kind of nonsense is this? A member of the Li Family, *my* family, stooping to such a level!”
“Yes, I’m furious too! But what can I do? I have no choice but to ask Uncle Li to settle this for me!”
Li Yang turned to his secretary.
“Call all our security guards. Go to Zhang Xi’s place and take him out!”
The secretary was stunned.
“President Li, this… but the Young Master is still there…”
“I don’t care! Someone so spineless deserves to die!” Li Yang roared in fury.
He quickly left to carry out the orders.
*Mission accomplished,* Chen Feng thought, a smile tugging at his lips.
But his triumph was short-lived.
Li Yang suddenly turned to him and said, “Chen Feng, since I’m sending my men, can yours take the first wave?”
This caught Chen Feng completely off guard.
“But Uncle Li, my men aren’t very strong in combat.”
“That’s fine. They just need to act as cannon fodder.”
Li Yang was impulsive, but far from foolish.
It would be a waste not to use available fodder.
It was time for Chen Feng to prove his value.
Zhang Xi remained oblivious, unaware that a fierce battle was about to unfold.
***
Meanwhile, in the Marvel Universe…
Stark, wearing sunglasses, was in his lab studying the piece of metal.
Pepper walked in and said to Tony, “Tony, take a break.”
“Hey, come over here and look at this,” Stark said excitedly upon seeing Pepper.
“The thing X brought in is technology I’ve never seen before. Jarvis!”
“Yes, sir.”
A molecular formula materialized before them.
Pepper didn’t understand much of it and could only stare blankly.
Stark explained, “This metal is iron, but there are other elements embedded within the iron molecule. It’s precisely these elements that make ordinary iron indestructible, with a hardness second only to Vibranium. It’s truly remarkable.”
“Is that so? So, you’re going to use this for a new suit?” Pepper asked.
“No, no, no, I don’t have that idea yet, I…”
Before Tony could finish, Pepper interrupted, “Tony, don’t you think you have too many suits already?”
“Uh, honey, I’m protecting the safety of the Earth, and our safety too,” Tony said.
“Well, alright,” Pepper said.
“I’ll accept that reason, but can you give me a time? When can we go back to living a normal life?”
(End of Chapter)