Chapter 144: Trouble Brewing

Long Qingyun opened his eyes, cold light flashing in them. "You've been following me for so long, you should know my temper. I'll give you one chance. Do you really have something important to report to me?"

The secretary felt a surge of fear, but considering the potential benefits of this matter, he gritted his teeth. "Your Majesty, I do have something very important to report to you!"

The cabin fell silent, and Long Qingyun's gaze sharpened as he stared at the secretary. The secretary was drenched in cold sweat, his body trembling, but he stood resolutely before Long Qingyun, without flinching.

After a while, Long Qingyun withdrew his gaze and said in a calm tone, "Speak!"

"Yes!" The secretary breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Your Majesty, do you remember the scene when Li Nianlong was bleeding?"

Long Qingyun's face immediately turned grim, and killing intent surged within him. "Do you want to die?"

"Y-Your Majesty..." The secretary's legs were trembling, and he almost collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering. "I... I..."

"Hmph!" Seeing the secretary so terrified, Long Qingyun suppressed his killing intent, but his eyes remained sharp as blades. "I'll give you one last chance. If you can't satisfy me, I don't mind throwing you off the plane!"

"Y-Your... Your Majesty..." For the sake of his own life, the secretary dared not use the directive speech pattern anymore and directly revealed the truth: "The dagger Li Nianlong used to bleed himself... it's very similar to the one used by the assassin who attacked the Crown Prince a few days ago."

"What!?" Long Qingyun's eyes widened in shock, and killing intent surged again. The secretary couldn't withstand it and collapsed on the ground.

However, Long Qingyun recalled the dagger Li Nianlong had used, and as his memory became clearer, his killing intent rose. "Rebel! I want your life—"

For a moment, the winds roared and the sky over China was covered in bloody clouds.

Although Long Qingyun didn't believe that Li Nianlong was the one who killed Long Jingtian, the fact that the dagger he used was identical to the one used by the assassin indicated a very close connection between the two.

His illegitimate son was somehow linked to the killer who murdered his father and wounded his legitimate son. How could Long Qingyun not be furious?

When he returned to Longcheng, Long Qingyun immediately issued a notice to the Liu family, demanding an explanation from Li Nianlong about the origin of the dagger.

In the face of Long Qingyun's notice, Li Nianlong's explanation was: "The assassin who tried to kill the Crown Prince used several daggers, and this is just one of them. I found it peculiar in appearance, so I picked it up and kept it as a memento."

This answer nearly gave Long Qingyun an internal injury because the possibility Li Nianlong mentioned indeed existed, and it wasn't small. The surveillance footage of the Crown Prince's assassination attempt had long been seen by many high-ranking officials, and Long Qingyun had also seen the scene of the assassination attempt. The assassin did use many daggers, so it was possible that the Liu family, as the actual controllers of the Tianfu, had found one of them while cleaning up the battlefield.

But the assassin's strength was too formidable. He had forced even Long Jingtian to self-destruct along with him. If the Liu family had such a powerful person, they wouldn't have caused the tragic events of the patriarch being repeatedly attacked. Thus, the possibility of the assassin being related to the Liu family could be mostly ruled out, especially since the assassin was already dead.

As for Li Nianlong... On the night he succeeded the family head, he was also assassinated, and the assassin was forced to self-destruct. Although the specifics were unknown, it was enough to absolve Li Nianlong of suspicion.

After considering the perplexing intelligence, Long Qingyun completely lost his direction. He had intended to sanction the Liu family, but he had to temporarily suppress it. Deep down, although Li Nianlong didn't recognize him, Long Qingyun still considered him his son. As long as his son had no connection to the assailant that day, he didn't want to take action against him.

But at this moment, Long Zongheng came to Long Qingyun's palace. "Father, I seek an audience."

"It's Zongheng!" Long Qingyun's face, which had been difficult to look at, finally showed a hint of a smile. "Come in!"

"Yes."

Long Zongheng walked in, seeing Long Qingyun handling official affairs, and he expressed concern, "Father, you're busy with countless affairs every day. You must take care of your health."

Long Qingyun smiled faintly. "Zongheng, you're thoughtful. What brings you to me today?"

"I wanted to discuss something with Father." Long Zongheng's expression became solemn, then showed a hint of sadness. "The Liu family was originally in a precarious situation. I also wanted to take the opportunity to marry Shao Meiyun, but unexpectedly, there was an assassination attempt. I, Zongheng, don't regret dying, but it's a pity that my grandfather and the assassin died together. These days, I've been uneasy, afraid that after death, I will have no face to meet my grandfather."

Hearing these words, Long Qingyun's expression also turned melancholy. He gently waved his hand. "Zongheng, don't say that. You are the future and hope of our Long family. Your grandfather willingly sacrificed himself for you, and I hope you can turn grief into strength, govern the Long family and the country well, and not let down your grandfather's sacrifice."

"What Father said is true." Long Zongheng respectfully agreed and said, "So I propose taking action against the Liu family!"

"Hmm?" Long Qingyun frowned. "Why?"

"I was attacked in Tianfu, and my grandfather also died there, not even leaving his bones behind. This is all the fault of the Liu family. Furthermore, the Liu family has always been disobedient and, recently, has been getting closer to the Xiang family of Jingchu. If this continues, the Liu family will be drawn in by the Xiang family, and when the Xiang family becomes powerful, they will surely make trouble for our Long family." Long Zongheng said.

"Zongheng's reasoning is sound." Long Qingyun nodded. "So you want to take action against the Liu family?"

"Yes." Long Zongheng nodded. "The new head of the Liu family is too young and hot-headed. Such people always do unexpected things when they go mad. Moreover, the fact that he could repel the assassin shows that his personal martial arts are very strong. If we let him grow like this, he will become a threat. Therefore, I suggest bribing assassins to eliminate him at an early stage."

Clack—

A pen fell to the ground, and Long Qingyun's face showed shock. "Do you want to kill him?"

Long Zongheng didn't notice Long Qingyun's abnormality. He bent down to pick up the pen and respectfully handed it to Long Qingyun, saying, "My son knows that such methods are too despicable, but for the long-term stability of the Long family, it is necessary to nip all dangers in the bud."

Long Qingyun closed his eyes in anguish, the image of his children conflicting with each other haunting his mind, and a deep sigh escaped his heart: Is this punishment from heaven for me, Long Qingyun?

"Father?" Seeing Long Qingyun deep in thought and struggling, Long Zongheng asked with concern, "Father, are you alright?"

Long Qingyun opened his eyes, looking dejected. "I'm fine, just a bit tired these days."

"Father, please take care of yourself." Long Zongheng expressed his concern. "Father is the pillar of our Long family, and nothing must happen to you."

Feeling the care from Long Zongheng, Long Qingyun's complexion improved. He nodded and walked to the window, gazing at the beautiful scenery outside. Two little swallows were frolicking in the air, displaying unusual intimacy.

Closing his eyes again, Long Qingyun couldn't help but lament inwardly: Zongheng, Long'er, you are brothers, true brothers! It's me who caused harm to you both!

"Assassination is not the way." Turning around, Long Qingyun looked at Long Zongheng, who was bewildered, puzzled, and anxious, and said in a deep voice, "The Long family has always conducted itself with integrity and righteousness, and such despicable acts must not be done."

"But Father..."

"Zongheng!" Long Qingyun's expression turned stern. "Since when did I teach you to act in such a despicable manner?"

Enraged, Long Qingyun made his point clear, leaving Long Zongheng trembling and speechless, bowing his head in submission.

"I will handle this matter myself. You may leave for now." With a wave of his hand, Long Qingyun dismissed Long Zongheng, who, despite his reluctance, had no choice but to comply and leave.

In that moment, as he turned away, Long Zongheng's eyes flashed with boundless killing intent: Bastard! If Father won't kill you, I won't let you off!

Back in the Prince's Palace, Long Zongheng picked up the phone and dialed. "Qiangzi, contact the Assassins Guild. I'll pay one billion. I want that bastard's life!"

---

In the Tianfu, Liu Family residence...

"Goodness." Watching Li Nianlong lying on the hospital bed receiving a blood transfusion, Shao Meiyun sighed with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "So dramatic! So heroic! Breaking ties with his father by shedding blood. This plotline fits right into those passionate novels."

Having lost a considerable amount of blood, Li Nianlong felt a bit weak. Although he had blood replenishing pills, he didn't want to regenerate fully on the spot and risk being seen as a monster. So, he obediently underwent regular treatment, just needing some blood transfusions, and could spend a few more days in seclusion, refining some attribute pills.

"I had no choice but to do this to make Long Qingyun give up," Li Nianlong said weakly. "Otherwise, how would he ever let go so easily?"

"Yes, you're the clever one," Shao Meiyun said, half amused and half admiring. "But this determination is impressive. My sister likes it."

"You seem too free." Li Nianlong looked at her. "You have time to joke with me. It would be better to handle more affairs."

Rolling her eyes lightly, Shao Meiyun sighed, "Forget it. You have Ruoyue here. I won't disturb you two lovebirds." With that, she looked at Na Lanruoyue, who was sitting by the bedside, holding Li Nianlong's hand, and smiling slyly. No matter how you looked at it, there seemed to be some ill intentions. Li Nianlong couldn't help but feel a chill.

As he walked out of the room, Shao Meiyun made a phone call. "Little sister, your husband is quite impressive this time, especially with his manly determination. He's like the Wolverine that can't be killed..."

In the evening, having received blood transfusions for half a day, Li Nianlong had regained some strength. However, he was still being stubbornly held down by Na Lanruoyue and couldn't get up. Not wanting to refuse her kindness, he could only smile helplessly and enjoy the treatment of having his clothes put on him and food fed to him.

At this moment, Na Lanruoyue was holding a bowl of plain rice porridge, feeding him spoon by spoon.

"Such enjoyment!" A sound of footsteps came. Li Nianlong and Na Lanruoyue turned to see Shao Meiyun smiling at them. Behind Shao Meiyun, Xiang Youyou was carrying a bag of fruit. Even now, Xiang Youyou still looked plain, except for her figure, which was unremarkable.