“A’ning,” Li Zhi said, waving his hand.
“Don’t be rude. He is your eldest uncle.”
“But Father, this is the same uncle who almost killed me!” Li Quanning retorted, his voice trembling with emotion.
Li Zhi looked at Li Yang and sighed, remaining silent.
Zhang Xi watched him, beginning to understand.
*He must be blaming himself,* Zhang Xi thought.
*After all, they are brothers born of the same mother.
No one wants things to get this far.
To be honest, Li Zhi himself bears some responsibility.
If he had given Li Yang more face and more power, this might never have happened.*
But even if given another chance, Li Zhi would not regret his decision.
The reason was simple: Li Yang was a terrifying, madman, and an extremist.
Worse still, Li Yang held a piece of technology that Li Zhi had not yet mastered—one that was extremely dangerous.
Li Zhi walked over slowly and said softly, “Big Brother, you shouldn’t have done this.”
“Heh heh,” Li Yang chuckled softly.
“I’ve told you, all of this is just that kid Zhang Xi’s one-sided story. He’s brainwashed A’ning. I was only trying to wake him up.”
“Still trying to wriggle out of this, are you?” Li Quanning waved his hand, and a man was carried out of the room.
The man was in a sorry state; though he had no visible external injuries, his limbs were twitching uncontrollably, and a large wet patch had spread across his trousers—it looked as if he’d lost control of his bladder.
This was none other than the wretched Report Team captain they had brought back.
Li Quanning’s voice was cold as he demanded, “Speak. What was your purpose here? If you lie, you’ll get another one!”
Being struck by a pellet imbued with the power of lightning was no better than being tortured on an electric chair.
At those words, the man hurriedly blurted out, “I’ll talk!
I’ll talk!
I’ll tell you everything!
Look, our boss sent us to assassinate you.
He told us not to kill Zhang Xi—just to cripple him—and then to kill Young Master Li Quanning.
That way, we could frame Zhang Xi for the murder.
And… and that’s all.
I’m telling the truth!
Li Zhi’s expression remained unchanged after hearing the confession.
He simply waved his hand, and a servant led the man away.
Li Yang’s face was also devoid of emotion, but deep in his eyes, a faint trace of sorrow lingered.
Zhang Xi leaned against the wall, casually playing on his phone as if the whole situation had nothing to do with him.
Li Yang said softly, “Xiao Zhang, you and A’ning should go take a walk. This is no longer any of your business.”
“Alright,” Zhang Xi said, closing his phone.
“Let’s go, A’ning. Let’s go for a stroll.”
“But, Brother Zhang…”
“Come on, I’ll teach you a few moves.”
Although Li Quanning had changed a lot, he still had the temperament of a young master at heart, unable to read the room.
Thus, Zhang Xi had to frame it this way for him to obediently follow.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Li Quanning’s eyes lit up.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he exclaimed, “Alright, Brother Zhang, let’s go! You’ve got to teach me some of your best moves. Oh, by the way, I think that shield-throwing move is super cool. If you just swap the weapon, you’re a spitting image of Captain America! And that slingshot move of yours—man, it’s just awesome…”
Zhang Xi smiled without a word and pulled Li Quanning out of the room.
After the two left, Li Zhi stepped forward and helped Li Yang to his feet.
Li Yang looked surprised but still said, “What’s this? You know everything now. Kill me or carve me up, do whatever you want!”
As Li Zhi brushed the dirt off Li Yang’s clothes, he said, “Don’t act like we’re enemies. Aren’t we blood brothers?”
“Blood brothers?” Li Yang sneered.
“I am your eldest brother, the head of the Li Family. But what have you given me? Tell me, what have you ever given me? Is this how a head of the family should be treated?”
Li Zhi replied calmly, “I had no choice. You went too far. There are things you just can’t do however you want, so…”
“So you seized my power, is that it?” Li Yang roared.
“Is that your excuse? If you were going to take it, why not just take the title of Family Head too? I know what you’re doing. You’re just trying to keep your own reputation clean. You think you’re so pure? You’re nothing but a hypocrite! A complete hypocrite!”
Li Zhi waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to take Li Yang away.
He felt there was no point in wasting any more words on him.
If he could, Li Zhi would have truly gotten rid of Li Yang.
But he couldn’t do it yet.
Li Yang possessed a formidable and powerful technology, making him untouchable.
If he were pushed to desperation, that technology would become a disaster for all of humanity.
“Let’s go thank that young man, Zhang Xi.”
Meanwhile, in the open space behind the Li Family Villa…
“Hurry up. Do it. Weren’t you the one who wanted to learn martial arts from me? Do it!” Zhang Xi stood with his arms crossed, watching Li Quanning hang from a pull-up bar.
Zhang Xi could teach Li Quanning martial arts, but all martial arts were built upon a foundation of physical fitness.
Right now, Li Quanning was no different from a shut-in gamer.
When Zhang Xi told him to do pull-ups, he couldn’t even manage a single one.
“Brother Zhang,” Li Quanning said with great effort, “Can’t you cut me some slack? Or maybe we could switch to a different exercise? I really can’t do this.”
“No,” Zhang Xi said, waving his hand.
“No matter the technique, strength is the most basic foundation. Upper body strength is the foundation of foundations. Therefore, you must build up your strength.”
“But, I…”
“No ‘buts’,” Zhang Xi said, standing up.
“If you can’t do it, go to the gym. I’m teaching you the techniques, not how to build your strength.” With that, he turned to leave.
“Hey, Brother Zhang…”
Li Zhi walked over, saw the scene, and couldn’t help but shake his head in resignation.
“Xiao Zhang,” Li Zhi said, “I really can’t thank you enough for today.”
“Haha, it was nothing, just a small favor,” Zhang Xi replied with a smile.
“Besides, this whole situation started because of me. It’s the least I could do.”
“Ah, don’t say that. You’re my son’s savior and my benefactor. Without you, I wouldn’t have succeeded so smoothly.”
Whether it was just his imagination or not, Li Zhi flashed a sinister smile.
From that smile, Zhang Xi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
*Perhaps this Li Zhi is a far more terrifying person than I thought.*
Zhang Xi quickly snapped back to his senses and said, “Alright, I’ll leave it at that for now. I have things to attend to, so I’ll head back. Let’s chat next time.”
“Haha, then I won’t keep you.”
After leaving Li Quanning’s home, Zhang Xi took a moment to calm his racing heart.
For some reason, he felt that Li Zhi was a very dangerous man.
(End of Chapter)