At the foot of Taiping Mountain, an ordinary sedan was climbing the winding mountain road!
Inside the car, Li Jiuying stared out the window with a grave expression, looking deeply troubled.
Just half an hour ago, he had received a call from Li Yunbao, the eldest son of the Li family. The other party said that Mr. Li from Starry Sky Company had agreed to meet him.
However, the caller had instructed him to bring a lawyer along, as well as the share certificates for Longheng Bank and the relevant property titles for those real estate projects.
The implication was clear: they intended to finalize the property transfer at the same time!
Although he was reluctant, Li Jiuying knew this was the only hope left for him and the Li family!
Fortunately, the other party had no intention of completely destroying them. Although they had taken the vast majority of the Li family’s assets, they had also agreed to offer 1 billion yuan.
More importantly, they had left the Li family’s most valuable gold shops in his possession.
As long as these gold shops remained, Li Jiuying believed that with his own abilities, he would surely be able to make a comeback.
When that time came, whether it was those bastards at the British Capital Group or that big shot, he wouldn’t let them off the hook.
However, just as Li Jiuying was seething with indignation, the car suddenly came to a stop.
Immediately, several security guards approached, demanding they show their passes; otherwise, they would not be allowed into the gated community.
Liao Yong, in the driver’s seat, immediately rolled down the window and shouted angrily, “Open your dog eyes! The man in the car is Mr. Li of the Li family. We are…”
“Da Yong, don’t say another word!”
Li Jiuying then leaned out and said, “We were invited by Mr. Li Yi of Cloud Peak No. 1. You can call and verify it!”
One of the security captains looked at Li Jiuying, then at the ordinary Mazda, and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll call Mr. Li right away!”
After some back-and-forth, Li Jiuying and the others were finally let in, but everyone in the car felt a sense of frustration.
“Boss, why didn’t you give those snobbish bastards a good scolding just now…”
Li Jiuying replied calmly, “We’ve already lost the right to demand their respect. In their eyes, I, Li Jiuying, am nothing more than a stray dog. They don’t care about making life difficult for someone like me—a former man of influence—within the bounds of their authority!”
“Hmph, I’ll make them pay for this someday!” Liao Yong said, suppressing his inner rage.
“Enough. The waters are too deep and the winds too strong. Without real power, keep your mouth shut—silence is best!” Li Jiuying said calmly.
In the past, Li Jiuying had relied on his smooth sailing in the business world, and others were happy to flatter him, addressing him as “Mr. Li,” “Lord Li,” or “Ninth Master.” As a result, full of confidence, he had come to see himself as a big shot, his ego swelling to unbearable proportions.
But now that the Li family faced a life-or-death crisis, when he called his former friends and brothers for help, one after another, they made excuses and brushed him off, their dismissive attitudes painfully obvious.
Some didn’t even bother with the pretense of politeness; their cold, dismissive attitudes made it painfully clear they wanted nothing to do with him.
And some were even more despicable—not only did they refuse to help, but they actually kicked him while he was down.
If it weren’t for those bastards stabbing him in the back, the Li family’s situation, though difficult, wouldn’t have been driven to the brink of ruin.
After all, even now, the Li family wasn’t insolvent—they simply lacked the cash flow.
It was only then that he realized everything he had seen before was a lie.
But ironically, when he hit rock bottom, everything around him felt so real, so stark—even cruel.
So Li Jiuying silently vowed to cherish this low point, because when you’re at rock bottom, everything is real!
………
In the small living room on the second floor of Cloud Peak No. 1, Li Yi met Li Jiuying!
Compared to the photos he’d seen before, the real person looked much older—or perhaps just much more weathered.
It was clear that he had been going through a rough patch lately.
As Li Yi sized up Li Jiuying, Li Jiuying was also looking at Li Yi.
Although he had already known that this young man from the mainland was very young—reportedly just a little over twenty—he still found it hard to believe he could be this young.
The thought that he had actually been defeated by such a greenhorn left Li Jiuying with a mix of emotions—even a touch of despair.
A powerful enemy isn’t scary; what’s truly terrifying is when your opponent is not only more skilled than you, but also younger.
To put it simply, as long as the other party didn’t go looking for trouble, he could simply outlast him—wear him down until he collapsed!
The two sized each other up for a few seconds before Li Yi said calmly, “Mr. Li, do you have anything to say about the current situation?”
“It has come to this. I have nothing to say. I only beg you, Mr. Li, to show mercy and spare the Li family!”
Li Jiuying adopted a very humble posture; he was well aware that the people before him truly held the power over his life and death, especially this young man standing before him.
“Do you know what came to mind the moment I laid eyes on you?” Li Yi asked.
“What?”
“I thought you resembled someone!”
“Oh? I wonder who Mr. Li thinks I resemble?” Li Jiuying asked curiously.
“Lu Bu, the bravest general of the Three Kingdoms!”
Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Jiuying’s expression immediately darkened.
It was true that Lü Bu was the bravest of all the generals, but his character was despicable; the label of “traitor to three lords” had firmly branded him with shame.
More importantly, Lü Bu had spent most of his life in battle, yet his final fate was far from glorious—he was, in every sense, a complete failure.
By describing him this way, was Li Yi perhaps implying that he was destined to fail?
But just then, Li Yi’s voice rang out again in his ear: “You’re a clever man who knows when to make sacrifices. You’re also resourceful and bold. If I weren’t your opponent, you might not have lost after all!”
Li Jiuying sighed but said nothing.
At that moment, he truly felt a sense of “Why was Zhuge Liang born when Zhuge Yu was already here?” Had this young man before him not been a cut above, he might not have suffered such a crushing defeat.
“All right, enough of that. You know my conditions by now. If you fulfill them all, I’ll let you off the hook—out of solidarity as fellow Chinese,” Li Yi said.
Li Jiuying immediately replied, “Thank you, Mr. Li, for sparing me!”
With that, he pulled a stack of photos from his jacket pocket and pushed them toward Zhou Yang.
Upon seeing these photos, even someone as tough as Li Yi couldn’t help but shudder.
The photos showed a mangled, blood-soaked human form—especially the deep gash across the neck. Even a divine being couldn’t have saved that person.
There were eight such photos in total, each showing a similar scene—meaning at least eight people had died at Li Jiuying’s hands.
Though deeply shaken inside, Li Yi gave no outward sign of it.
He said nothing, merely pushing the photos toward Huang Lixing, who was standing nearby, so he could examine them.
Huang Lixing picked up the photos and examined them carefully, then asked, “Did you execute them all?”
“Isn’t that exactly the outcome you and your people wanted, Mr. Huang? Besides, I wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly if Ma Biao were still alive!” Li Jiuying said.
When he received the call from Li Futiao yesterday and learned the situation, he understood Li Yi’s intentions. Li Yi wanted Ma Biao dead but didn’t want to do it himself and leave himself open to criticism, which is why he’d left it up to him to handle.
Likewise, Li Jiuying didn’t want Ma Biao to live either. After all, as long as those bastards were alive, the threat they posed to the Li family was simply too great.
Consequently, last night he personally led a team to execute Ma Biao and several of his key henchmen.
“There’s no point in talking about this. Did you bring the goods?” Li Yi asked indifferently.
“I have!”
With that, Li Jiuying immediately opened the briefcase in his hand, pulled out a thick stack of documents, and pushed it toward Li Yi.
But Li Yi didn’t take it; instead, he handed it directly to Li Yunbao, who was standing beside him.
Li Yi understood the principle that professional matters should be left to professionals!
While Li Yunbao was reviewing the documents, Li Yi suddenly fixed his gaze on Li Jiuying and asked in a deep voice, “Tell me—who exactly is out to get us?”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the living room turned their gaze toward Li Jiuying…
………