Swoosh!
Zhong Shuhui felt a gust of wind pass by, stunned, and looked at Li Feng in confusion.
Li Feng gestured for her to look behind.
Turning around, Zhong Shuhui saw a throwing knife embedded in a nearby tree. Her face paled. She also noticed a strand of her hair was gone, clearly severed by the knife.
“This…” Zhong Shuhui realized Li Feng had shown mercy. Forget everything else—this throwing knife technique alone was impossible to guard against. She recalled the intelligence report stating Li Feng had used a throwing knife to kill his attackers. She hadn’t paid much attention to it then, but now she realized she’d overlooked critical information.
“This is strength. Zhong Shuhui, your skills are decent, but compared to me, they’re far inferior. So, you protecting me is, in my view, unnecessary,” Li Feng said, walking over to pull the knife from the tree. “What I value is your intelligence-gathering ability. I need someone like you. The choice is yours.”
With that, Li Feng turned to leave.
“Young Master,” Zhong Shuhui called out.
Li Feng turned to look at her.
“I’m willing to manage intelligence for you,” Zhong Shuhui said, gritting her teeth. It was a difficult decision. She chose to follow Li Feng not because he was her young master, but because of the formidable strength he displayed. With his current prowess, Li Feng was bound to be extraordinary, and this might be her opportunity.
“Good. You’ll be glad you made the right choice today,” Li Feng nodded with satisfaction.
“But… what about Madam?” Zhong Shuhui hesitated, looking at Li Feng. Her decision meant she could no longer return to Mu Chunfeng’s side, and she didn’t know how to explain it to her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle things with Mother,” Li Feng said with a faint smile, confident Mu Chunfeng would agree.
Zhong Shuhui nodded.
“Now, come with me to a place,” Li Feng said. Since she agreed, he wanted her to take over the intelligence network quickly. As she said, he had too many enemies, and he needed a robust network to serve him.
This would also allow An Hu to step away from intelligence work and focus on cultivation to improve his strength.
Zhong Shuhui nodded and followed Li Feng out of the woods.
“Zhong Shuhui, besides protecting me, did Mother give you any other instructions this time?” Li Feng asked.
“No, but…” Zhong Shuhui hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.
“Speak.”
“Well, Master asked me to tell you to try to obtain the Nine Dragon Jade if possible,” Zhong Shuhui said. She hadn’t planned to mention it, but Li Feng’s strength made her reconsider.
“Nine Dragon Jade? What’s that?” Li Feng asked, puzzled.
“It seems to be a key of sorts. I don’t know its exact use—Master didn’t say, and I don’t have intelligence on it. But from what I’ve gathered, Song Zhiyuan from the Song family of Nanling came to Tianhai City for the Nine Dragon Jade,” Zhong Shuhui replied.
“Song Zhiyuan is here for the Nine Dragon Jade?” Li Feng frowned. Though he didn’t know its purpose, Song Zhiyuan’s journey to Tianhai for it suggested it was no ordinary item.
But Li Feng didn’t understand why Li Chuanwei told him to try to obtain it.
Unbeknownst to Li Feng, his predecessor’s incompetence meant the Li family never intended for him to compete for the jade. Li Chuanwei’s instruction was due to Li Feng’s recent changes, sparking hope. Unlike Song Zhiyuan, who had his family’s backing, Li Chuanwei’s words were his personal opinion, so he only mentioned the jade to Li Feng, nothing more.
“Yes, not just Song Zhiyuan. The eight major families have all sent people to Tianhai City for the Nine Dragon Jade,” Zhong Shuhui nodded.
Li Feng was stunned. He hadn’t expected the jade to attract all eight major families, piquing his curiosity about what made it so coveted.
“What about the Li family?” Li Feng suddenly asked. If the Li family had sent him, Li Chuanwei wouldn’t have relayed the message through Zhong Shuhui but would have called him directly. The jade’s significance, drawing all eight families, was clearly extraordinary. As one of the eight, the Li family would issue orders directly from the patriarch for such a matter, not through a messenger.
Zhong Shuhui glanced at him. “Barring any surprises, it should be Li Wu.”
Li Wu?!
Li Feng paused. He knew Li Wu well—his second uncle’s son, a year younger, his direct cousin. Unlike Li Quan, Li Wu was a close relative, but Li Feng’s memories of him were sparse, their interactions minimal.
If Li Feng was the Li family’s primary heir, Li Wu was the secondary heir. The fact that the Li family sent Li Wu to Tianhai showed their emphasis on the Nine Dragon Jade.
It also highlighted Li Feng’s awkward position in the family. Due to his predecessor’s reputation, he was the primary heir in name only, practically dispensable. Otherwise, for something like the Nine Dragon Jade, the Li family wouldn’t have sent Li Wu instead of him.
Since ancient times, heir disputes have been brutal. Li Feng and Li Wu likely wouldn’t coexist peacefully; their meeting would spark conflict.
Of course, Li Feng could choose to step back, relinquishing his position as primary heir. If Li Wu wasn’t ruthless, he might leave Li Feng alone.
But the Li family included his parents. If he stepped back, what would happen to them? Besides, Li Feng didn’t believe stepping back would make Li Wu spare him.
In his memory, Li Wu was ruthless. Even if Li Wu let him go, those currying favor with Li Wu wouldn’t.
There’s a saying: take one step back, and the sea is vast, the sky boundless. But sometimes, one step back leads to the eighteen levels of hell.
Was Li Feng someone who would give up? Absolutely not. He didn’t care much for the Li family—he could build his own with his strength—but giving up what was rightfully his was impossible.
The Li family, a thousand-year-old clan, held immeasurable heritage. Li Feng believed it harbored secrets he didn’t know. Centuries later, these families still thrived, becoming titans. Most warriors came from these colossal clans.
Even in Li Feng’s special forces unit in his era, many warriors hailed from ancient families, including his confidante, who was from the Zhu family.
Now, having arrived centuries earlier in this era as an heir to such a family, how could he relinquish his identity? Not only would he not give up, but he’d strive to control the Li family and uncover its hidden secrets.
Zhong Shuhui didn’t know what Li Feng was thinking. Seeing him silent, she thought he was discouraged and was about to comfort him when she saw Song Zhiyuan approaching with others. She warily watched Song Zhiyuan and alerted Li Feng, “Young Master, Second Young Master Song is here.”
