Weakness

Li Yi looked at Gong Wushuang with a half-smile and sighed after a moment, "To speak of greatness, Sister Gong, you are truly impressive. To know such detailed information, the power behind you must be astonishing. However, if that power knew I was threatening you to be my muscle, I wonder if they would trouble me."

Gong Wushuang rolled her eyes – a gesture that, coming from a beauty like her, was incredibly captivating – and said lightly, "I've already sent a message back; no one will come looking for you. You're cunning and ruthless, little devil. I wouldn't be foolish enough to put myself in a difficult position in front of you."

Li Yi stretched and crossed his arms before continuing, "You've explained the characters and personalities of the Nalan family, but that's not very useful to me. Sister Gong, why don't you tell me about their weaknesses?"

"Weaknesses?" Gong Wushuang looked slightly surprised.

"Yes, weaknesses. Everyone has them, no matter how talented or clever they are. There must be some vulnerability in their character. Considering the difficulty of our task, we need to find an opportunity to strike," Li Yi explained calmly.

After pondering for a moment, Gong Wushuang replied, "Nalan Ba is extremely arrogant, mainly because of his formidable strength. His arrogance is his most apparent weakness, but it's based on his power. Nalan Tianzhe, the family head, seems more modest, but he's quite power-hungry. Maybe his fear of confrontation is his weakness. As for Nalan Qing, there's not much to say, but Nalan He, despite having a perfect character, seems to lack obvious weaknesses."

"No one is without weaknesses," Li Yi said. "Even I have them; they're just not easy to spot. If I'm not mistaken, Nalan He's weakness is his perfection. He's had everything easy, and likely hasn't faced real setbacks. This lack of adversity is his biggest vulnerability. If we press him hard enough, he might never recover."

Li Yi glanced outside the window and continued, "And what about this one?"

Gong Wushuang smiled and said, "Do I need to point out Nalan Lin's weaknesses? Isn't this scene the best illustration?"

Li Yi's eyes flickered towards Nalan Lin in her red attire and after a moment, he remarked, "Arrogant, unruly, petulant, self-righteous, ignorant... Such a person is the easiest to manipulate and control. It seems I'll have to focus my efforts on this young lady to succeed."

Gong Wushuang shook her head, her gaze inadvertently falling on Nalan Lin. With her own Emperor strength being dominated by Li Yi, this impetuous young lady would be no match for him. Probably, she would unknowingly fall into his trap.

In the square, the mercenary beaten by Nalan Lin was struggling for breath, his future ability to father children in doubt. Her method was a fear shared by all men...

Finally, Nalan Lin stepped back, surveyed the crowd with a fierce glare, and challenged, "This man deliberately slandered our Nalan family and deserved his fate. If anyone else disagrees, feel free to step forward!"

The area fell silent. After a moment, Nalan Lin, followed by her entourage, rode into the city, passing the obsequious guards. Once her horse's hooves faded in the distance, people started helping the injured mercenary, while others whispered their resentment against the Nalan family.

Li Yi, listening to the murmurs from outside, smiled faintly, tapping his fingers on the window frame. "Seems the Nalan family, despite their power, have incited public resentment... I wonder how these people would react if I were to bring down the Nalan family."

Gong Wushuang's expression turned bizarre. This man... he was capable of doing exactly what he said. If the Nalan family agreed to annul the marriage, well and good; if not... She could almost envision the ravaged scene that would unfold in Yunshui City.

"In the long and tedious wait, finally, the carriage moved slowly, and then proceeded into the dark city gate passage. From a distance, it seemed that Han Dang, the old master, was greeting the soldiers guarding the gate in a pleasing manner. It appeared that the Han Clan's caravan wasn't doing particularly well here in Yunshui City!

It seemed that after offering some "benefits," the Han Clan's caravan was able to enter Yunshui City smoothly. Just a city wall apart, but inside and outside Yunshui City felt like two different worlds. The caravan moved along the streets, and in the distance, one could hear the bustling and boiling sounds. People on horseback with various weapons, mercenaries walking on the road, and various shops lined the sides of the road, even the small stalls were bustling. The densely packed buildings looked quite magnificent, and the Gothic-style houses were a common sight in this city.

This scene made Li Yi couldn't help but praise slightly. Yunshui City was indeed the largest city in the northwest, and even compared to larger cities like Wanchao City, it appeared more prosperous. However, the Han Clan's caravan didn't head towards the main street but slowly entered a small alley. The caravan came to a stop in the alley, and with a shout, the goods on the carriage were being moved into a large courtyard. The mercenaries were scattered nearby, each on guard.

At a glance, Li Yi knew that these goods must be quite valuable, although he didn't know exactly what they were. Nevertheless, since he had accompanied them on this journey, it wouldn't be appropriate to leave at this critical point. They had to wait until the caravan finished its business first.

With this in mind, Li Yi and Gong Wushuang closed their eyes and waited again. By the time dusk arrived, the clamor around them had diminished somewhat, indicating that they had completed their tasks. Li Yi and Gong Wushuang exchanged a glance, and the two of them acted as if they were tired from the journey. They slowly opened the carriage door and descended.

As soon as they reached the ground, they saw Han Zhu, the young master, standing with his hands behind his back outside the carriage. There were about ten guards from the Han Clan's caravan accompanying him. Upon hearing the noise from behind, Han Zhu turned slightly and smiled leisurely, saying, 'I thought Brother Du Fei and Miss Du Xue were resting on the carriage.'

Li Yi nodded slightly and asked, 'May I know where we are, Han Zhu?'

Han Zhu waved his hand and said, 'We have already arrived in Yunshui City. These nearby courtyards and streets are all properties of our Han Clan's caravan. Miss Du Xue, do you find it acceptable?'

Li Yi smiled lightly but didn't say anything.

Gong Wushuang had to play her part as well and weakly smiled, 'This place seems bustling. People from our small town have never seen anything like this before.'

Han Zhu chuckled and said, 'In that case, Miss Du Xue, since you've caught a cold, it's not good to wander around. How about staying with our Han Clan's caravan for some time? No matter what your purpose is for coming to Yunshui City, I believe that with our Han Clan's influence here, we can help you with a few words, what do you think?'

Li Yi and Gong Wushuang exchanged glances. It seemed that Han Zhu... sighed... Li Yi sighed softly before saying, 'Han Zhu, we are here to find someone, and it's not appropriate to trouble you for that. We can handle it ourselves... But regardless, we won't forget your kindness for accompanying us on this journey.'

'In that case, the next matter won't trouble you anymore, Han Zhu. The green hills remain unchanged, and the rivers keep flowing... We will meet again.'

After saying this, Li Yi and Gong Wushuang turned to leave. Han Zhu suddenly chuckled softly and clapped his hands. With two 'claps,' the dozen guards behind him moved slightly, blocking Li Yi and Gong Wushuang's path. They unsheathed their long swords, and a fierce killing intent filled the air.

Li Yi couldn't help but sigh and turned around after a moment, asking, 'Han Zhu, what do you mean by this?'

Han Zhu smiled and said, 'Du Fei, my little brother, you should know that I am the young master of the Han Clan's caravan...'

'Of course, I am aware.'

'That's good,' Han Zhu smiled gently. 'Our Han Clan's caravan has a characteristic... we love making deals, any kind of deal. In our eyes, everything has a price...'

Li Yi frowned and asked, 'Are you suggesting, Han Zhu, that we need to pay for accompanying you on this journey?'

'Hehe, although this young master is a businessman, I'm not greedy for such small money. This time, I stopped you, Du Fei, and Miss Du Xue, for a big deal...'

'Oh, I wonder what deal is so important that it caught Han Zhu's attention? It seems that my sister and I have nothing to sell to Han Zhu.'

Han Zhu chuckled and said, 'Du Fei, you underestimate yourself... you both have something valuable. If this deal goes through, you will receive benefits that you can't even imagine...'

Han Zhu wore a faint smile and looked at Li Yi."