Birthday Banquet

Once again stepping into the heart of Yunshui City, Li Yi and Gong Wushuang, both dressed in black robes, appeared inconspicuous as usual. At this moment, perhaps due to the conclusion of today's birthday banquet, Yunshui City remained bustling and prosperous. Li Yi listened carefully for a moment and noticed that many people were whispering about his upcoming duel with Nalan He... After all, such an event was a rare spectacle in Yunshui City for many years.

"Are you really cooperating with Nalan Qing to take down Nalan He? But, if you want to kill him, wouldn't it be easy for you to do it yourself? Why bother with all this trouble?" Gong Wushuang glanced at Li Yi strangely and whispered.

Li Yi shrugged and replied indifferently, "Killing Nalan He is a piece of cake for both you and me... But if he dies by my hand at this critical juncture, wouldn't everyone know that I killed him? Forget about him being the Vice Dean's disciple at Roland Academy; even with the Nalan family's influence in the Tianfeng Empire, if I were to kill him like this, it might bring disaster to the Li family... So, even if I want to kill him, I have no choice but to cooperate with Nalan Qing. I suppose he sees the benefit in it too."

"How so?" Gong Wushuang furrowed her brows slightly.

"It's simple... If Nalan He dies by my hand, no matter if it's the Nalan family, the royal family, or Roland Academy, they will all come after me. But if Nalan He dies by Nalan Qing's hand, it's a completely different story! Firstly, if both Nalan He and Nalan Qing die in a family feud, then neither the royal family nor the Nalan family can do anything about it. After all, on the continent of Martial Deity, strength reigns supreme. If they die in a family dispute over the family head position, who can be blamed? Secondly, if the Vice Dean of Roland Academy seeks revenge on behalf of his disciple, it would be justified. However, if he goes after Nalan Qing, wouldn't people say he's meddling in family affairs? I suspect someone like him values his reputation greatly..."

"Is it just because of that?" Gong Wushuang asked lightly.

"Of course not," Li Yi said calmly, "At present, although Nalan He has withdrawn from the marriage, the Nalan family can still deny it at any time... Knowing my cousin's character, if the Nalan family keeps pestering her, she will definitely sacrifice herself for the family! I can't let that happen. So, the best solution is to force the Nalan family to acknowledge it. As for Nalan He, or the current Nalan Tianzhe, they could turn against each other at any time... Only Nalan Qing..."

"What if Nalan Qing turns against you too?" Gong Wushuang asked coldly.

"He won't," Li Yi smiled faintly, "This time, even though he has a high chance of winning against Nalan He in the fight for the family head position, it will definitely be a Pyrrhic victory... Even if he loses, it doesn't matter. I will find an opportunity to kill Nalan He later! In this scenario, framing the incident on Nalan Qing would be easy... With both heirs of the Nalan family dead, and the Nalan family falling into the hands of a collateral branch, would I need to fear anything? Even if Nalan Qing becomes the family head, the Nalan family's strength will undoubtedly suffer greatly due to internal strife... In this situation, do you think the Nalan family would choose to entangle themselves in such trivial matters, or would they choose to accept it reluctantly?" Gong Wushuang pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, "You are indeed shrewd in your calculations... But for the sake of a woman, is it worth it?"

"What do you think?" Li Yi glanced at Gong Wushuang with a smile, then slowly looked away. After wandering aimlessly on the streets for a while longer, as dusk fell once again, Li Yi arrived at the entrance of a secluded alley. Seeing the seemingly deserted shop at the corner of the archway, and after confirming something in a certain corner of the plaque, Li Yi gestured for Gong Wushuang and himself to enter.

Stepping inside the door curtain, a scent of antiquity washed over them, and the decorations around them were exceptionally elegant, filled with various literati objects. However, in a place like Yunshui City, where crude fighters were everywhere, those who indulged in scholarly pursuits were rare. Judging by the appearance of this shop, it seemed to lack popularity. Nevertheless, Li Yi was quite satisfied with this setting. After scanning the surroundings for a while, his gaze finally settled on the middle-aged man behind the counter, who seemed half-asleep. The man, dressed in the simplest linen clothes, looked like an ordinary person. As if sensing someone entering, he raised his eyes only after a moment, and upon seeing Li Yi and Gong Wushuang's attire, he quickly put on a hospitable smile, cleared his throat, and said, "Dear customers, may I help you? We have the finest scholarly items here!"

Li Yi shook his head slightly and glanced at him for a moment before saying calmly, "Tell us about the owner of this little shop."

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Li Yi smiled faintly and tossed a jade pendant onto the counter. The man's eyes couldn't help but widen at the sight of the jade pendant. Then, with lightning speed, he ran to the door, carefully closed it, and returned to the counter, staring intently for a moment. He then glanced at Li Yi and whispered, "Please follow me, sirs!"

Following the shopkeeper into the inner room, a spacious courtyard suddenly appeared before their eyes. It seemed that the modest shop at the front was just a facade for this grand courtyard. With swift strides, the shopkeeper led Li Yi and Gong Wushuang into the main hall of the courtyard. After fumbling with the jade pendant for a moment, he hesitated and said, "I wonder which esteemed member of the clan you are from..."

Li Yi smiled faintly, already lifting his hood, and casually sat down at the upper seat, saying in a deep voice, "I am Li Yi!" As the two words "Li Yi" came out, a gleam of light flashed in the old man's eyes, but after a moment, he quickly bowed down and said in a deep voice, "So it's Young Master Li! I am Li Lei, from a collateral branch. I handle all matters in Yunshui City..." Li Yi waved his hand, saying, "You may rise and speak." Li Lei also didn't stand on ceremony, quickly standing up, slightly bowing, and saying, "I didn't expect Young Master Li to seek us out... Young Master Li, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but today's matter is... If Young Master Li doesn't mind, I can arrange for someone to escort you out of the city! Both Nalan Tianzhe and Nalan He are narrow-minded people. They will definitely not let today's matter rest!" Li Yi smiled lightly, saying, "Uncle Li Lei... Hehe, in terms of hierarchy, it's fine for me to call you uncle... Regarding today's matter, I have it under control in my heart. You need not worry... I came today just to ask one thing." Li Lei was slightly stunned, then said calmly after a moment, "I wonder what Young Master Li needs?" Li Yi tapped on the armrest of the chair, then whispered, "How many people can our Li family mobilize in Yunshui City?" Li Lei calculated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "At most two hundred people, including two warriors. The rest are mostly fighters. What does Young Master Li command?" "Two hundred people? That's enough!" Li Yi clapped his hands and tossed out a parchment scroll. "I have written down what I want you to do inside. Everything should proceed as written, and there's no need for further instructions from me..." Li Lei opened the parchment scroll and glanced at it. His face changed slightly, but after a moment, he still slightly bowed and said in a low voice, "Li Lei obeys!"......Three days later. Today's Nalan Mansion was still bustling. Every year, Nalan Ba, the old man, would hold a three-day birthday banquet... Today was the last day, and also the most lively! The banquet on this last day was arranged in the spacious hall. The hall was crowded with people, appearing extremely lively. Although the events of three days ago had tarnished the reputation of the Nalan family, many people smartly chose to ignore it! Because not everyone possessed Li Yi's formidable means to disregard the oppression of the Nalan family. Although everyone present was secretly mocking the Nalan family's embarrassment, no one dared to show it openly. The Nalan family had been too arrogant in the northwest region these years... Their current downfall was not exaggerated. Probably, if the Nalan family were to decline, many wouldn't mind stepping on this fallen giant. In the seat of honor in the hall, Nalan Ba sat there with a plain smile. Occasionally, leaders of various forces came to greet him, and he responded with a smiling nod. Beside him, Nalan He and Nalan Tianzhe were diligently welcoming the guests. At this moment, Nalan He wore a dignified smile, seemingly unchanged by his recent actions. It was as if nothing had happened at all. "The City Lord of Yunshui, Lord Wei Han, has arrived!" At the entrance of the hall, a loudly resounding announcement made the atmosphere extremely awkward. You see, ordinary forces and strong individuals generally didn't respect the rule of the empire too much. Even for an imperial official like Wei Han, there wouldn't be much respect. However, Wei Han could still sit in the position of the city lord under the Nalan family's dominance, which was enough to show his extraordinary status. "I heard that City Lord Wei Han has a close relationship with one of the four major families in the capital..." "Not only that, don't you see City Lord Wei Han's smiling face now? When the Tianfeng Empire was at war with neighboring countries, City Lord Wei Han actually went to the front lines. It is said that wherever he went, there were corpses strewn about!" "Isn't it said that City Lord Wei Han and the Nalan family have always had a bad relationship? Why did he come in person to congratulate today?" "Could it be that he's here to witness the Nalan family's humiliation?" "Shh! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" Various discussions ensued, making the atmosphere in the hall even more heated. Then, everyone saw a military general in armor walking in expressionlessly. Behind him followed dozens of soldiers exuding killing intent, surrounding Nalan He tightly. The boiling killing intent was locked onto him. The hall erupted into a commotion... Damn, what's going on here!?