Chapter 134: Winds of Change

"At home."

"At home?!" Shao Meiyun was stunned. The scene of the incident was at least a twenty-minute drive from the villa, and only a few minutes had passed since Long Jingtian's self-detonation. Yet, Li Nianlong claimed to be at home?

Suppressing her inner doubts, Shao Meiyun said, "Stay at home. I'll be there right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Shao Meiyun turned to Liu Laotaiye beside her and said, "Grandfather, Menglong is safe for now. I'm going to check on him."

Liu Laotaiye nodded, "Go ahead. Tell Menglong to prepare to assume the position of family head."

Shao Meiyun's mood lightened, and she smiled with squinted eyes, "I didn't expect Menglong to fail. Thanks to Long Jingtian's sacrifice, Liu family is truly blessed."

Liu Laotaiye also showed a pleased expression, stroking his beard with a smile, "Indeed, the Liu family is blessed. Go quickly! With Menglong, the Liu family is destined to thrive."

"Alright." Shao Meiyun got up, tidied herself briefly, and immediately headed to the villa.

At this time, Li Nianlong descended from upstairs. Hearing footsteps from above, Nalan Ruyue thought a thief had broken in, holding a mop and vigilantly watching the upstairs.

When she saw it was Li Nianlong coming down, Nalan Ruyue was astonished. She quickly approached, blinking her eyes to confirm it was indeed Li Nianlong. She gestured: Brother, when did you come back?

Seeing Nalan Ruyue, Li Nianlong felt much calmer and smiled slightly, "Just now."

As for how he came back, Li Nianlong did not elaborate, and Nalan Ruyue did not ask. She never pursued questions that Li Nianlong did not want to answer.

Did you succeed?

Li Nianlong shook his head, walked to the sofa, and sat down, sighing lightly, "Long Zongheng has a good grandfather. He sacrificed his own life to give him time to escape."

Nalan Ruyue's eyes showed a hint of surprise, gesturing: Was it Long Jingtian? Is he dead?

"Dead." Li Nianlong nodded, "He self-detonated, didn't leave a whole body behind."

Nalan Ruyue's eyes widened. She knew what self-detonation meant. When one's power reached a certain level, they could trigger all their internal energy to explode in an instant, causing more than double the destructive power. The deeper one's power, the greater the destruction. However, the body could not withstand such a sudden explosion of internal energy, resulting in the body shattering into pieces, commonly known as leaving no whole body.

Long Jingtian was one of the top experts in China. His self-detonation must have caused enormous destruction. Li Nianlong being unscathed was truly astonishing.

Brother, you weren't injured?

Li Nianlong shook his head, "Not injured, but I died. Fortunately, I was blessed and protected by the gods, resurrected with full health."

Nalan Ruyue lightly rolled her eyes: Seriously, even at a time like this, Brother is still joking.

After a pause, Nalan Ruyue sat beside him, leaning into his arms, gesturing: But it's really great that you're not hurt.

"Yeah." Li Nianlong's eyes softened, gently stroking Nalan Ruyue's hair, sighing lightly, "It's a pity I failed this assassination. I fear Sister Meiyun won't miss the chance to force me to assume the position of the Liu family head."

Nalan Ruyue's eyes showed a hint of confusion: Why?

"Because..." Li Nianlong smiled wryly and recounted the promise he made to Shao Meiyun a few days ago, "At that time, I thought I would definitely succeed. I didn't expect to fail."

Nalan Ruyue also showed a hint of helplessness in her eyes: Brother, just consider it tuition for youth.

"It can only be that way." Li Nianlong nodded, "Sister Meiyun called just now, saying she'll come over later. I guess there's no escaping this time." After a pause, Li Nianlong said, "When the time comes, come with me to the Liu residence."

Nalan Ruyue gently nodded: Wherever Brother goes, I go.

Stroking Nalan Ruyue's hair, Li Nianlong's heart became even calmer.

Not long after, Shao Meiyun arrived, her face bearing a 'malicious' smile, at least in Li Nianlong's eyes.

"Menglong, Ruyue, are you both ready?" Sitting on the sofa, Shao Meiyun asked leisurely.

"Ready for what?" Li Nianlong's heart skipped a beat: Here it comes.

"Of course, to go to the Liu residence." Shao Meiyun smiled slightly, then her expression turned stern, "Menglong, have you forgotten what you promised before?"

Li Nianlong remained silent.

"If you've forgotten, it's okay." Shao Meiyun's expression softened, taking out a recorder and shaking it in front of Li Nianlong, "Do you want me to play it for you again?"

"No need." Li Nianlong waved his hand, "Don't worry, I won't go back on my word."

"That's the spirit of a Liu family man." Shao Meiyun beamed, "When do you want to leave?"

"In a few days," Li Nianlong said calmly.

Shao Meiyun nodded, "Alright, the next few days will be chaotic in Tianfu. There's a lot going on. After this storm passes... At the very least, I'll ensure you have a good succession condition."

"It doesn't matter, I'm just a symbolic head of the family. You'll still handle all the affairs, big and small." Li Nianlong played the rascal.

Shao Meiyun smiled helplessly, "You really know how to slack off. Do you really have the heart to let your sister wear herself out?"

"I have elixirs."

"This small matter doesn't need to trouble you, Menglong. Your sister will handle it."

"..."

Shao Meiyun left satisfied, but Li Nianlong felt melancholic. That day, he wandered inside and outside the house, looking at every table, chair, blade of grass, and tree. He had many memories here. After moving to the Liu residence, it would be hard to return here. The few days he asked for were to remember these memories well, not wanting to forget.

Nalan Ruyue also felt reluctant. After all, living here for a hundred days and nights made it hard to leave.

While Li Nianlong and Nalan Ruyue were reminiscing, the outside world was already in an uproar.

First was Long Zongheng.

After fleeing, he didn't dare go to the Liu family. He and Nalan Rugang headed straight to the airport, taking a private jet to Longcheng. Receiving treatment on the plane, he learned that Long Jingtian had perished along with the assassin. He immediately screamed, spat blood, and fainted.

Nalan Rugang, both shocked and angry, returned to Longcheng with Long Zongheng. Under the escort of the guard team, they returned to the palace. With Long Jingtian dead and Long Zongheng vomiting blood and unconscious, Long Qingyun, who was on an overseas state visit, rushed back to Longcheng in grief and anger to handle the aftermath. The Long family faced an unprecedented crisis.

Meanwhile, families around the world, especially in China, were abuzz with discussion, the winds of change stirring.

In Jingchu, at the Xiang mansion.

Xiang Cangtian excitedly came to his father's door and knocked.

"Come in," a loud and authoritative voice responded. Xiang Cangtian pushed the door open and entered, seeing Xiang Qiong buried in paperwork. He said excitedly, "Father, great news! Long Jingtian is dead!"

"What!?" Xiang Qiong stood up abruptly. Despite being over sixty, his hair and beard were still black, looking like a man in his prime. His tall and strong build, combined with a square face and bushy eyebrows, made him particularly imposing.

"You said Long Jingtian is dead? How did he die?!"

Xiang Cangtian, excited, said, "Today, Long Zongheng was ambushed by an assassin on his way to propose at the Liu residence. The assassin was extremely valiant. To protect Long Zongheng, Long Jingtian was forced to self-detonate and died. It's a pity for the assassin too. He and Long Jingtian were blown to pieces, not even a whole body left."

"Is that so?" Xiang Qiong sat down, a hazy look in his eyes, muttering, "The peerless master Long Jingtian, who was on par with me, met such an end... truly a pity."

Seeing his father show such respect for Long Jingtian, Xiang Cangtian also nodded, "Indeed, it's a pity. But what I pity more is the assassin. I heard he was only about forty years old, so young yet so skilled. A prodigy like him perished with Long Jingtian. The fall of two masters in one day is a significant blow to the martial arts world."

After a pause, Xiang Cangtian asked, "Father, now that Long Jingtian is dead, can our Xiang family make a move?"

"Calm down." Xiang Qiong snorted, "The Long family has occupied the realm for a century, and their covertly developed forces are unimaginable. Acting rashly will only lead to disgrace."

"Father is right." Xiang Cangtian felt a chill in his heart and asked, "What plans do you have, Father?"

"A centipede dies but never falls down completely; it's still early!" Xiang Qiong shook his head, "Follow the established plan and win over other families. The Liu family is currently in turmoil, so our Xiang family must put in full effort to win them over. If we can secure the Liu family's support, our Xiang family will have the backing of four of the ten great families, while the Long family will only have the Manchu Nalan family and the Central Plains Zhao family. That will be the best time to act."

"Father is right." Xiang Cangtian nodded, then said, "According to Youyou, the Liu family has chosen a young successor, and even Shao Meiyun praises him highly. She even personally arranged a marriage, wanting him to marry Youyou."

"Oh?" Xiang Qiong asked with interest, "Who is this young man?"

"I heard he used to be a teacher," Xiang Cangtian said. "When Youyou went to Tianfu, she was taking over his position. She says he's not bad, but the details are unclear."

"Interesting." Xiang Qiong chuckled, "For Youyou, who has such high standards, to say someone is 'not bad' is quite rare."

"Father is right." Xiang Cangtian nodded, showing a hint of helplessness. "Although Youyou is outstanding, she overly reveres martial strength. If that young man can't surpass her in martial skills, I'm afraid he'll end up being nothing more than a moon in the well or flowers in the water."

"And what does Youyou think?" Xiang Qiong asked.

"She said she wants to wait until after next year's Martial Arts Conference to decide," Xiang Cangtian replied. "It seems she wants to test his martial skills."

"Hmm." Xiang Qiong nodded, "There are still four months until the five-yearly Martial Arts Conference. You will represent the Xiang family and must secure the position of Martial Alliance Leader."