“Second Young Master Song?”
Li Feng was momentarily stunned, not immediately registering who this was. Looking up, he saw it was Song Zhiyuan.
He found it odd. Why was Song Zhiyuan here? Could he be looking for him?
Sure enough, before Li Feng could speak, Song Zhiyuan approached with a beaming smile. “Well, well, Young Master Feng! What a coincidence, running into you here.”
“Coincidence?” Li Feng squinted at Song Zhiyuan. “Looks like I didn’t check the almanac before going out today, to bump into Young Master Song.”
Song Zhiyuan’s expression shifted slightly, but surprisingly, he didn’t get angry. “Young Master Feng, you jest. I came specifically to find you this time.”
“That’s strange. What’s Young Master Song looking for me for? Not about that invitation you wanted last time, is it?” Li Feng said lightly. The more polite Song Zhiyuan was, the more cautious Li Feng became—unsolicited kindness usually meant ulterior motives.
“No, if Young Master Feng wants it, keep it,” Song Zhiyuan shook his head. “This time, I’m here to propose an alliance.”
“An alliance? For what? Why?” Li Feng grew increasingly puzzled. Was Song Zhiyuan out of his mind, proposing an alliance out of the blue?
“For the Nine Dragon Jade,” Song Zhiyuan said, staring at Li Feng, enunciating each word.
The Nine Dragon Jade again!
Li Feng’s pupils contracted. He hadn’t expected Song Zhiyuan’s alliance proposal to be about the Nine Dragon Jade. Recalling Zhong Shuhui’s words about Song Zhiyuan’s purpose in Tianhai City, Li Feng was confused. If the jade was such a rare treasure, why wouldn’t Song Zhiyuan want it for himself?
Seeing Li Feng’s reaction, Song Zhiyuan’s confidence in Uncle Ning’s guess grew. He smiled, “Exactly, the Nine Dragon Jade. I’m sure Young Master Feng is familiar with it. All eight major families have sent people to Tianhai City, forming alliances to seize it. I, Song Zhiyuan, am alone and weak, so I can only join forces with you.”
Li Feng smiled. “For the Nine Dragon Jade, our Li family sent Li Wu. If you want an alliance, you should find him, not me.”
Li Wu?
Song Zhiyuan was taken aback, then shook his head. “Young Master Feng, you’re joking.”
“You think I’m joking?” Li Feng countered.
“This…” Song Zhiyuan hesitated. Could Li Feng be serious? Had Uncle Ning guessed wrong?
As Song Zhiyuan wavered, Uncle Ning, standing beside him, quickly spoke, “Young Master Feng, you jest. With your capabilities, ten Li Wus couldn’t compare. Who else would my young master ally with? Besides, Li Wu is cunning and scheming. An alliance with him would do more harm than good.”
Uncle Ning knew Song Zhiyuan’s indecisive nature. Li Feng’s words had already shaken him, but an alliance wasn’t something to waver on. Hesitation could disrespect a potential ally and cause unnecessary trouble.
Uncle Ning was relieved he’d come along. Otherwise, Song Zhiyuan might have been swayed by Li Feng’s words, ruining the alliance.
“Uncle Ning’s right. No matter who the Li family sent, I, Song Zhiyuan, choose to ally with Young Master Feng. Li Wu, or whoever, I don’t care for,” Song Zhiyuan said, snapping back to his senses.
A glint flashed in Li Feng’s eyes. “Good, let’s go inside to talk.”
Half an hour later, Song Zhiyuan and Uncle Ning left Li Feng’s villa.
In the car, Song Zhiyuan couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle Ning, Li Feng said the Li family sent Li Wu. What do you think? If it’s really Li Wu, our alliance with Li Feng…”
Uncle Ning, driving, replied, “Li Feng is telling the truth…”
“Then why did you…” Song Zhiyuan looked at Uncle Ning in disbelief. If the Li family sent Li Wu, they should ally with him, not Li Feng.
“Young Master Song, what do you think of Li Feng?” Uncle Ning sighed.
“Shifty-eyed, honey-tongued but treacherous, cunning and scheming,” Song Zhiyuan replied.
Uncle Ning smiled wryly. Song Zhiyuan’s poor impression of Li Feng painted him as a vile schemer.
“Li Feng is the Li family’s primary heir, and the patriarch is Li Chuanwei. That alone means you should ally with him. Besides, as you said, he’s cunning and scheming. Is Li Wu a match for him?” Uncle Ning countered.
Pausing, he continued, “Also, Li Feng knows about the Nine Dragon Jade. If he weren’t after it, who would know about it? I believe Li Feng is the Li family’s trump card, arranged by Li Chuanwei. Li Wu is just a pawn. And did you notice the person by Li Feng’s side?”
Song Zhiyuan’s eyes lit up. “A rare beauty. Li Feng’s quite the charmer.”
“She’s Zhong Shuhui, Mu Chunfeng’s right-hand woman,” Uncle Ning said.
Song Zhiyuan froze. He knew what Mu Chunfeng represented, and what her right-hand woman meant. Taking a deep breath, he said incredulously, “You mean Mu Chunfeng intends to…”
Uncle Ning nodded heavily.
…
Meanwhile, after Song Zhiyuan left, Li Feng discussed Song Zhiyuan and the Nine Dragon Jade with Zhong Shuhui.
Li Feng knew little about the jade. Without Zhong Shuhui, he wouldn’t even know it existed, let alone that the eight major families were vying for it. With so much interest, Li Feng was naturally intrigued and wanted to know what it was.
So when Song Zhiyuan proposed an alliance, Li Feng decided to join him. As Uncle Ning told Song Zhiyuan, with so many vying for the jade, a bloodbath was likely. Li Feng wasn’t confident enough to challenge the eight families alone, making an alliance necessary.
He had no deep grudge with Song Zhiyuan. After outwitting him a few times, the resentment in his soul had lessened, so an alliance wasn’t impossible. Besides, Song Zhiyuan came to him—why refuse?
Li Feng wasn’t worried about Song Zhiyuan’s schemes. If he couldn’t handle him, how could he stand in this world?
But for now, the priority was understanding the Nine Dragon Jade’s purpose. Li Chuanwei said it was a key, but to what? Without clarity, even with Song Zhiyuan’s alliance, he’d be at a disadvantage.
“Young Master, why not just ask Master and Madam directly?” Zhong Shuhui said. She didn’t understand why Li Feng was so hesitant. A call to Li Chuanwei or Mu Chunfeng would easily clarify things.
Li Feng shook his head. He couldn’t bring himself to contact them. Though his memories had merged with his predecessor’s, making them one, he didn’t know how to initiate contact.
In his past life, he never experienced familial bonds and didn’t know how to face his family.
“They don’t want to tell me, so they must have their reasons. Even if I ask, they might not tell me,” Li Feng said, making an excuse.
Zhong Shuhui, unaware of his thoughts, nodded. If Li Chuanwei and Mu Chunfeng wanted to tell him, they would have. There was no need for him to ask.
Looking at Zhong Shuhui, Li Feng said slowly, “This is your first task—a test of your abilities.”
Zhong Shuhui said solemnly, “Rest assured, I’ll complete it.”
“I trust you. Now, come with me to the training base. I’ll introduce you to your teammates,” Li Feng said, standing up.
