Chapter 335 Not Her in a Red DressWhat was the Southeast?
From the map, Nanyue, Jiangnan, Jiangzhe, Minnan, and many provinces and areas could be said to be part of the Southeast.
However, the influence of the Southeast Group was more extensive than the area on the map.
Wuyue, Jiangnan, Jiangzhe, Jianghuai, Dongshan, Minnan, and even Huating 10 years ago could have been considered the most traditional sphere of influence of the Southeast Group.
Li Tianlan did not know which Southeast his grandfather was trying to get.
No matter which one, the Decision Making Committee meeting, which lasted for more than eight hours, could be said to be an earth-shattering contest.
It was already over 10 o’clock in the evening.
The meeting in Youzhou had already lasted more than nine hours, but no specific news had come out.
Li Tianlan took Qin Weibai to eat roasted fish at a restaurant beside the West Lake and then returned to the villa.
This was related to the pattern of the southeast of Zhongzhou State and the future of the Li family. In that atmosphere, the beautiful scenery of the West Lake in the night seemed to have already suffered an eclipse.
Qin Weibai could feel the anxiety and solemness behind Li Tianlan’s calmness.
He sat upright on the sofa and looked relaxed, but actually, all his muscles were tight.
“Don’t worry.”
Qin Weibai walked behind Li Tianlan and held Li Tianlan’s shoulders with her tender hands. “The meeting results must be in our favor. Now, we’re only uncertain of the favoring degree. At least for now, the rise of the Li family cannot be restrained.”
Li Tianlan smiled and reached out his hands to clap her hands.
Rise.
He was embarra.s.sed to use that term.
Wu Zhengmin, Ning Zhiyuan, Zhang Qi…
The three men were paramount and powerful. When they got together, they would form a great force.
No matter how powerful it was, it was merely a force, which could not compare with a group or even some branches of the group.
The meeting that night signified that the Li family had reappeared, rather than risen, in the Zhongzhou State.
It appeared aboveboard at best, but that was all.
“How likely is that Wu Zhengmin will leave Jiangzhe?” Li Tianlan asked softly.
…
He had never heard of Wu Zhengmin before.
He had never met Wu Zhengmin, but he respected the aged man, whose position was very secure in Wuyue.
Besides his loyalty and persistence, he respected his wisdom and courage.
…
In the past 20 years, he took root in Jiangzhe and brought together the forces of the Li family that were scattered in Jiangzhe. He controlled and protected them.
That was a very difficult thing to accomplish.
It required tremendous courage and wisdom.
“It’s over 80%.” Qin Weibai whispered as she gently touched his head.
…
Li Tianlan frowned, without uttering a word.
Wu Zhengmin was the key pillar supporting Jiangzhe. If he were transferred from Jiangzhe, it would produce disastrous consequences for the forces of the Li family gathered around him, even if he got up by one level.
Therefore, Qin Weibai said that they should give them hope.
Without that hope, once Wu Zhengmin left, those who gathered around him would show some goodwill to the w.a.n.g family of Beihai for their own sake.
That had nothing to do with betrayal, because they would be helpless.
Even if the Li family could give them hope, Jiangzhe would be less stable without Wu Zhengmin.
Few people would exchange support for the hope for the future. Only a fool would.
“This is not a bad thing. If Wu Zhengmin leaves Jiangzhe, it will have an impact in a short time, but the impact should not be significant.”
Qin Weibai softly said, “w.a.n.g Jingxin is a flagship character that the w.a.n.g family of Beihai placed in Jiangzhe. So, the man who is sent to face and suppress w.a.n.g Jingxin won’t be an ordinary character. He should be able to fight against him on all sides. So far, the most likely candidate is Zou Yuanshan. He represents not only himself but also the wealthy Zou family and even the whole Giant Group. It’s a quiet big hope, so n.o.body will take action for the moment. Moreover, Wu Zhengmin would go up a level rather than retire. After some time, it won’t be difficult for Zou Yuanshan to control Jiangzhe under Wu Zhengmin’s support.”
“Giant Group…” Li Tianlan mumbled to himself and shook his head with a bitter smile.
…
“Finally, they will be involved?”
“I can understand your thoughts.”
Qin Weibai climbed from behind the sofa and sat in his arms, whispering, “But that’s just your thoughts. You don’t want to owe too much to the Dongcheng Clan, and you’re afraid that you can’t afford it. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if they insist on working with you, you can’t say no. The Dongcheng Clan is now determined, so it’s too late even if you’re unwilling.”
Her voice was cool and calm.
Li Tianlan felt that it sounded similar, as if he had heard something like that somewhere. However, he could not remember who said that before.
He shook his head, lit up a cigarette, and took a deep drag.
“Your mind wanders.”
Qin Weibai looked at Li Tianlan’s eyes.
“A little bit.”
Li Tianlan did not deny it.
“Don’t think too much.”
Qin Weibai touched Li Tianlan’s hair, “The situation is good. Whether Wu Zhengmin is leaving or not, Senior Li’s plotting against the Southeast will not be in vain. In any event, the Li family will have a place in the Southeast. Compared with the beginning, that’s pretty good.”
Li Tianlan nodded and let out a sigh of relief. “That’s right.”
Qin Weibai lowered her head and kissed Li Tianlan’s face. “Right now, your most important goal is to enhance your strength. If you were at the Invincible Realm now, everything tonight would be totally different.”
“You may feel that you owe a lot to the Dongcheng Clan now. However, if you grow up and become a Heavenly Son, you’ll be able to pay back everything you owe them. I wanted to tell you that, when you’re not capable, it’s not good for you to think confusedly. Only when you’re strong, you can have a clear conscience.”
“Heavenly Son…”
Li Tianlan showed a conflicted smile.
He was confident that he would break through into the Invincible Realm.
He was known as the Heavenly Son of the Zhongzhou State but he was not sure if he would become a Heavenly Son.
He did not know how strong a so-called Heavenly Son was, but he only had a vague concept.
“In my heart, you’re the Heavenly Son, the only one.”
Qin Weibai placed her arms around Li Tianlan; her eyes were gentle and firm.
“How about Dongcheng Huangtu?” Li Tianlan suddenly asked.
…
He first heard Dongcheng Huangtu’s name from Qin Weibai.
However, he was utterly confused about the name.
He knew that Dongcheng Huangtu was a Heavenly Son.
That’s all.
“You’re stronger than him!”
Qin Weibai stiffened her body for a moment, and she immediately wrapped her arms around Li Tianlan’s neck.
“How powerful is… a Heavenly Son on earth?” Li Tianlan muttered to himself, and his eyes were a little dazed.
…
“My stupid husband, it’s just a name, not a specific realm.”
Qin Weibai said softly, “Heavenly Son is the honor to the strongest given by the times. If everyone knows nothing about martial arts, a man of the Ice-condensing Realm can become a Heavenly Son. How can there be a specific standard for measuring strength in different eras?”
“What about this era?” Li Tianlan asked.
…
That question was so complicated that no one could easily answer it.
However, Qin Weibai could.
She thought about it seriously and said softly, “My sister has a sword.”
Li Tianlan raised his eyebrows with some misgivings.
“She is not strong, but she can become one of the strongest in the Dark World because of that sword. In this era, w.a.n.g Tianzong is the closest to the so-called Heavenly Son.”
“But he isn’t.” Li Tianlan said softly.
…
“Exactly. However, he is unbeatable now. If Deity of the Purgatory of Heaven Capital or Lin Fengting of the Lin Clan fights to the death with him, they will be a little worse than him. He is invincible, but he is not dominant enough. According to the current combat capabilities, if someone can fight against my sister, Deity, and Lin Fengting and come out uninjured, he must be a Heavenly Son.”
Qin Weibai said in detail; she paused for a moment, then continued, “I mean that three of them are armed with murderous weapons.”
The three of them were at the Peak of the Invincible Realm.
There were three murderous weapons.
If they jointly sieged him and could not hurt him, he had to be a Heavenly Son of that era.
…
Li Tianlan twitched the corners of his mouth, clasped Qin Weibai around her slender waist, “Can Dongcheng Huangtu do that?”
“He can.”
Qin Weibai said without hesitation, “He’ll be OK at his peak. So, you must do the same in the future. You’re my man, so you’ll be stronger than him.”
He asked a question that was repressed in him for a long time. He blurted it out naturally,
“What about Dongcheng Huangtu?”
Li Tianlan looked at Qin Weibai’s eyes and asked, “Who is he to you?”
His tone was somewhat strange.
Qin Weibai behaved oddly when she mentioned Dongcheng Huangtu.
Li Tianlan could not tell how he felt inside.
If he had to say it, it was unpleasant. Although he was already dead, Qin Weibai behaved oddly at that time.
…
…
Qin Weibai was stupefied.
She sat on Li Tianlan’s lap and combed her hair. After she paused for a while, she chuckled. “You’re nervous. Are you jealous?”
Her performance was natural.
Sometimes, it seemed the most unnatural.
“Answer my question.”
Li Tianlan slapped on Qin Weibai’s round hips.
Qin Weibai quivered and bit her lip, saying, “I gave you all my firsts. I gave you my first kiss, first… You a.s.s**le! Do you want to deny it? Before meeting you, I hadn’t even held hands with another man. Who can he be?”
Qin Weibai lay on his chest, bit his neck, and mumbled.
Li Tianlan coughed and immediately smiled. With Qin Weibai’s fragrance, he was no longer anxious.
“Don’t think too much.”
Qin Weibai lay on Li Tianlan’s chest and murmured, “No matter what happens, I’ll help you.”
Li Tianlan gradually relaxed and whispered, “You’ll always be by my side, right?”
“Of course.”
Qin Weibai trembled and chuckled.
Li Tianlan fell silent.
After a long while, he whispered, “Little Bai.”
“Hmm…”
Qin Weibai responded idly and tenderly.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
Li Tianlan scooped her up and asked, looking into her eyes.
“Because you’re my husband.”
Qin Weibai chuckled, “If I don’t treat you like that, should I treat others like that?”
She lay in Li Tianlan’s arms again.
Li Tianlan held her tightly and laughed at himself after a moment’s silence. “Sometimes, I ask myself why you’re so nice to me.”
Qin Weibai said nothing.
She quietly lay in his arms with a faraway look in her eyes as if unfocused.
Many years ago, he planted a flower in her deserted heart.
He did not remember.
But she still remembered.
What she wanted to give him was more than a drop of blood.
“Many times, I’m like dreaming. Three years ago, I woke up in Lonely Mountain. Military Counselor gave me a letter from you. You said that my future had nothing to do with you.”
Li Tianlan whispered, “I thought hard for a long time. Even when I was practicing martial arts again during those three years, I was thinking about it. I didn’t understand why you were so nice to me. Meanwhile, I was also confused when you suddenly told me that my future had nothing to do with you.”
He pulled her up from his body.
His expression became extremely solemn.
Qin Weibai had never seen such an expression.
The atmosphere seemed to solidify at once.
In the frozen atmosphere, Li Tianlan’s voice sounded, which was serious and solemn.
“Little Bai, will you leave me?”
Qin Weibai’s body shook violently.
She looked at Li Tianlan’s eyes.
His eyes were calm.
Qin Weibai almost saw the same affection she felt, coming from his eyes.
She laughed.
At that moment, she seemed to think that it was all worth it.
“No.”
Qin Weibai said softly, “I won’t, really.”
Li Tianlan smiled and whispered, “I thought that it was the last time I would see you in my life, when I came back from the Polar Ground and saw you at sea.”
“At sea?” Qin Weibai said doubtfully.
…
“I was caught in a rainstorm at sea. After the rainstorm came a rainbow and a mirage.”
Li Tianlan said softly, “You’re in the mirage, wearing a red dress…”
Qin Weibai’s body became completely stiff.
Li Tianlan could feel that her temperature instantly came to a freezing cold.
It was and indescribable despair and absurdity.
There was fear.
“What’s the matter?”
Li Tianlan’s face changed.
Qin Weibai said nothing for a long time as if she had lost her soul.
“A red dress?” She asked quietly after looking at Li Tianlan blankly for a long time.
…
Li Tianlan frowned and replied.
Qin Weibai smiled.
Her smile was a bit sad.
“What happened?”
Li Tianlan frowned tightly.
“Nothing…”
Qin Weibai shook her head. Her face was pale, and her body temperature was still cold.
“Nothing.”
She sat on Li Tianlan’s lap, and her body was shaking.
Li Tianlan’s words sounded like thunder and echoed in her mind.
A red dress…
She did not know what Li Tianlan saw while at sea.
However, she was sure that what Li Tianlan saw was not her.
Absolutely!
Not her!
Ever since birth, she only wore a red dress in the Sky Academy.
Just once!