As an important part of Kunlun City and even the whole Special Warfare Group, the Liu family in Huating might not be the strongest, but it had the longest history.
Especially after the Prince Group overtook Huating, several wealthy families in Huating transferred their business focus one after another and moved their headquarters to other cities, leaving only branches in this city. In this way, the Liu family became one of the few local giants with the deepest roots in Huating.
The Liu family had been developing in Huating since its appearance. When the city was run by the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, this family was a powerful family. Today the city was ruled by the Prince Group, the Liu family was still a powerful family.
The children of the Liu family had developed in a diversified way and had been in various fields for many years. They were not a top family in the Zhongzhou State, but they were one of the most stable families.
Even after Liu Tianqing, the most outstanding figure of the Liu family in recent decades, stepped into the Invincible Realm, standing at the peak of power in the Zhongzhou State, he had not helped his family with great fanfare. He only let the Liu family develop slowly by cleverly taking advantage of his power.
When Liu Tianqing was at his peak, the Liu family once ranked among the first line families in the Zhongzhou State. If Liu Tianqing had not been killed in a fair duel, the Liu family would have even had the hope to become a top wealthy family.
This was a pity, no doubt, but also a blessing.
The Lius’ steady and calm style of doing things had, to some extent, hindered their development, but it had also saved the family.
The showdown between Situ Cangyue and Liu Tianqing at the top of Mount Taibai was the equivalent of a new Invincible Realm a.s.sa.s.sin against an old Invincible Realm expert. Some might have predicted Liu Tianqing’s loss, but no one had thought Liu Tianqing was going to die.
Liu Tianqing’s death brought Sigh City to fame and his own family to the cliffside.
When the bad news came, the whole Liu family didn’t cry or make a scene. Instead, they immediately made a lot of compromises.
Liu Tianjing, Liu Tianqing’s younger brother, was the mayor of Huating at the time, and judging from the situation at the time, it seemed highly likely that he would be promoted. Even if he did not reach the peak of his career in Huating, he was sure to enter Youzhou and the Cabinet. As long as he took this step and Liu Tianqing lived, the Liu family would become one of the top wealthy families in the Zhongzhou State.
Liu Tianjing had a good reputation at that time. In fact, even if Liu Tianqing was dead, there was still a possibility for Liu Tianjing to be promoted if he persisted.
But Liu Tianjing gave in in silence, giving up the chance to be in the Cabinet, and inadvertently ceding his position to the Academics.
Liu Tianjing retired shortly after. When everyone thought that the Liu family was about to disappear from the public view, Kunlun City began to stick up for this family, and the Academics also gave them limited support.
As that difficult period pa.s.sed, the Liu family began to develop their already solid intelligence organization. Over the years, the Curtain, the ministry of information, continued to go deeper and deeper in Huating. Today, the largest intelligence network in Huating had already been formed.
Among the several local wealthy families in Huating, in terms of the prestige and influence, the Liu family was far inferior to the Zhang family.
In terms of comprehensive strength and development prospects, the Liu family was not as good as the Tan family.
But in the field of intelligence, even if the Zhang family and the Tan family worked together, they were not as good as the Liu family.
In recent years, although the Liu family dropped from the first line to the second line of the wealthy families, its foundation in Huating had become more solid. The impact of Liu Tianqing’s death on them had almost completely disappeared.
Five years ago, the Liu family and the Tan family united by marriage.
Three years ago, Liu Xiucheng, the 42-year-old son of the Liu family’s Old Master Liu Tianjing, entered the city government office successfully from the position of district mayor of Yunjian District to serve as the third vice mayor of Huating.
Among the younger generation of the Liu family, Liu Dongchao and Liu Dongyu also cut a striking figure at Sky Academy.
The roots of the Curtain were deeper and deeper.
At the beginning of this year, Liu Xiuwei, who had been teaching at Sky Academy for three years, was finally promoted to the teaching office and became one of the deputy directors.
What was more, at the beginning of this year, it was rumored that Zhou Shiru, a hotshot of the Academics and the executive deputy mayor of Huating, was likely to be appointed governor of a province in northwest of the Zhongzhou State in the near future, preparing for the midterm transition in two years. If that happened, it was likely that Liu Xiucheng would take over from Zhou Shiru.
The whole Liu family seemed to be thriving. Now the Liu family no longer put all hope on a person, which ensured its vitality to be more tenacious.
The already old Liu Tianjing was almost daily looking forward to his family return to the first line of wealthy families.
As a result, an entrance maneuver of Sky Academy that no one took seriously completely disrupted the deployment of the Liu family.
Liu Xiuwei was killed.
Liu Dongchao was also killed.
In the ten years since Liu Tianqing’s death, the Liu family had never suffered such a heavy loss.
The result drove Liu Tianjing, who had been dreaming almost every day, crazy.
He decided to avenge them!
How could he not avenge them?
But as Sky Academy was on vacation, a series of events had made Liu Tianjing’s heart increasingly heavy.
Li Tianlan seriously injured Zhong Shaofeng.
Ning Qiancheng killed Tan Xilai.
Qin Weibai and Zhuang Huayang defended them.
Dongcheng Wudi was said to have been at Yonghua Villa that night.
Liu Tianjing was steady-going. He felt a heavy pressure just to hear the names. It did not frighten him, but he hesitated to take immediate revenge.
But today, after receiving a call, Liu Tianjing, who had not yet made up his mind, finally made the move.
He sent three Fire-flaming Realm experts and six Ice-condensing Realm experts.
It was a ma.s.sive a.s.sa.s.sination.
Liu Tianjing had no choice. The a.s.sa.s.sins had been dispatched. At this moment, he could only wait for the good news quietly.
It was the day for the Liu family’s family feast.
The Liu family gathered in a small independent manor. Almost everyone family members had arrived. Men and women sat at the table in the s.p.a.cious dining room, with sumptuous dinners before them, looking solemn.
But the atmosphere inside the dining room was oppressive.
The Liu family had a tough time over the years, which encouraged this family to form a good habit of solidarity. After losing two important family members, Liu Dongchao and Liu Xiuwei, everyone felt unusually depressed and sad at the family feast holding at the beginning of each month.
“Uncle, why don’t we eat first? Don’t wait for them to come back. Don’t worry. I picked the guys for this action on myself. They’re all elites, working neatly and acting in perfect unison. They won’t fail.”
At the table, Liu Xiuyuan, Liu Tianqing’s eldest son, looked at the dishes in front of him. His mouth moved and he whispered.
He was the only Thunder-shocking Realm expert in the Liu family. His strength was handed down in a direct line from Liu Tianqing. Although he had not reached the peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm, but was pretty close. His strength was among the best experts in the entire Huating. That was why the intelligence organization Curtain, which he had personally run for years, had grown so smoothly.
“I’m not hungry, keep waiting,” Liu Tianjing said in a low voice and made a wave.
Looking at the sumptuous food on the table, this old man, who had been low-key and steady for a lifetime, got more and more uneasy.
He didn’t know why he felt uneasy. According to the intelligence, Li Tianlan was indeed in the Qi-controlling Realm, and he was seriously injured today across from Sky Academy which caused his hair to turn white suddenly. He should be vulnerable in this state. Thus, the forces they sent to a.s.sa.s.sinate him had little chance of failure.
But Liu Tianjing remained uneasy, and it grew with the pa.s.sing hours.
“I feel anxious maybe because I’ve never taken a risk in my life.” Charles laughed at himself in his heart.
He then shook his head and said, “Xiuyuan, give them a call and confirm the progress.”
Liu Xiuyuan nodded, took out his cell phone and started dialing.
Liu Tianjing waited in silence.
Liu Xiuyuan quickly put the phone down, shook his head and said, “I can’t reach them.”
Hearing this, Liu Tianjing’s heart sank and the atmosphere inside the dining room became more subdued.
“Dad, maybe our people, out of caution, have turned off or muted their phones.”
A suave middle-aged man next to Liu Tianjing said, his voice rich and steady, with an ineffable appeal.
Liu Tianjing felt a little better. He glanced at his son and nodded slightly.
After the deaths of Liu Xiuwei and Liu Dongchao, his son, who served in the city government and might soon become one of the standing committee members of Huating, became the family’s best hope.
The big shot on the phone today had made it clear that if the a.s.sa.s.sination tonight was successful, he was willing to help Liu Xiucheng to fight for the deputy secretary, not to mention the standing committee member of Huating.
“Don’t worry, grandpa. I know what Li Tianlan’s capable of. He can’t handle our a.s.sa.s.sination team. He won’t be able to defeat three Fire-flaming Realm experts at once. Tonight we can avenge my brother and uncle!”
Liu Dongyu sat at the dinner table, her pretty, s.e.xy body straight. Her eyes looked cold and her tone was bitter.
“Yes, when they bring that little b.a.s.t.a.r.d back, if he’s alive, let’s pull out his tendons; if he’s dead, let’s grind his bones to dust!”
When Liu Dongyu finished these words, a sullen, middle-aged man snapped. He was Liu Tianjing’s youngest son, Liu Xiuhe, who controlled all of the family’s business, which was actually just a logistics company.
In business, the Liu family started late and had a poor foundation, which had always been their weak point. Moreover, after the death of Liu Tianqing, many estates were given to others as bargaining chips for self-preservation. Now the Liu family had just gotten back on its feet, and their logistics company was only two to three billion in scale, not matching the status of a powerful family at all.
Liu Xiuhe had a quick temper and was a spoilt brat when he was young. He was not up to important tasks, so running the logistics company was more than enough for him.
Liu Tianjing twitched his mouth, looked at the quiet Liu Xiuyuan next to him, and said, “One more call.”
Liu Xiuyuan nodded slightly, pulled out his phone and dialed again.
As soon as the mobile phone got through, there were ringtones also sounded outside the house.
The dining room was not far from the entrance, and everyone was quiet in the room at this point, so the ringtones from outside could be clearly heard.
“They’re back! I’ll go and answer the door.”
Their old butler who had been with Liu Tianjing for years stood up, laughing. “They are back, then that little b.a.s.t.a.r.d Li Tianlan should be dead,” he thought. Although the old butler was still not very happy in his heart, he finally vent his anger.
“What the big shot had promised master today will live up to his word,” he thought.
The butler opened the door with a smile on his face and asked casually, “Is that little b.a.s.t.a.r.d dead? Did you bring his body back? Master is… is… ”
The old butler’s voice stopped.
His pupils contracted as he stared out of the door.
A young man stood in front of him, with a grim expression and strange eyes.
His hair was all white.
The old butler was cold all over.
Li Tianlan stood quietly outside the door and said in a bleak voice, “The little b.a.s.t.a.r.d isn’t dead, but the old b.a.s.t.a.r.d is going to be dead.”
“Puff!”
The Human Emperor slipped into his hands, and the metal tube of a dozen centimeters looked delicate and cold. Its body did not extend, but the head of the spear stuck out.
Now the Human Emperor was small and exquisite, like a slightly long dagger.
Li Tianlan reached straightforward out and slammed the spear into the butler’s stomach.
As the blade cut into the flesh, Li Tianlan’s eyes became more devilish.
The butler opened his mouth in horror, stared at Li Tianlan and even forgot to fight back.
Li Tianlan, calm and indifferent, pulled out his weapon and stuck it in the butler’s body again.
Blood gushed from the butler’s belly, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.
Li Tianlan then kicked him into the house.
The body covered in blood was kicked into the air and landed hard on the ground, spewing blood.
The dining room was quiet.
Li Tianlan entered the house with a straight face and closed the door. Looking at the Liu family in the dining room, he narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, “There are a lot of people. Is there anyone else who hasn’t come yet?”
n.o.body spoke or moved.
All the Liu family seemed to be caught by surprise, utterly bewildered.
Li Tianlan walked slowly to the table, holding a cell phone in his hand, and continued to ask, “Who just called this phone?”
His hair was white without l.u.s.ter, his clothes neat, but his face was ghostly pale. Everyone could see his weakness, but at this moment, the seemingly weak Li Tianlan exuded a sense of extreme danger in each move.
He glanced around everyone in the room. No one at the table dared to look at him.
Liu Tianjing took a deep breath, braced himself, looked at Li Tianlan and asked, “Are you Li Tianlan?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Li Tianlan calmly held up the phone and asked, “Tell me who just called.”
“I did. So what? Who are you? You killed my cousin and uncle. Li Tianlan, do you really think you’re invincible? I advise you to p.i.s.s a puddle to look what you look like now. You are neither a man nor a ghost. You are disgusting. Get the h.e.l.l out of here. Our Liu family is not the place for you to run wild.”
A young lady jerked to her feet, stared at Li Tianlan and snarled in a mean tone.
Li Tianlan gave a chuckle, and the next second, a silver spear more than two meters long suddenly stretched out from his hand, with sharp and crazy moves. Li Tianlan pierced the young lady’s heart with the spear under everyone’s suddenly constricted pupils.
“Bang!”
A dull voice sounded, and everyone’s heart trembled violently.
The young lady’s chest to back suddenly appeared a big hole, blood dripping.
“Whose daughter is she?”
Li Tianlan asked casually, holding the spear in one hand.
There was a second’s silence in the dining room.
All of a sudden, a piercing scream rang out, “You madman!”
Next to the young lady, a lady with splendid jewels stood up and sprang at Li Tianlan crazily.
Li Tianlan tossed his spear.
The lady’s head flew into the sky, blood splattering.
“Whose wife is she?”
Li Tianlan continued in an unwavering tone.
“Cold-blooded, neat, crazy, overbearing, killing people without blinking an eye, this man is a madman.”
This was the only thought in the hearts of all the Liu family.
“You!”
A neatly dressed middle-aged man stood up, without the look of anger or fear. He seemed incredulous at what he saw. Having a look at the bodies of his wife and daughter, he suddenly looked up at Li Tianlan. When he had just said a word, Li Tianlan’s spear of over two meters had thrust his neck and stabbed into the wine cabinet behind him. The whole wine cabinet instantly fragmented, and wine and blood flowed to the floor at the same time.
Deadpanned, Li Tianlan put the spear away and asked again, “Whose son is he?”
“Enough!”
A furious roar suddenly sounded. The only Thunder-shocking Realm expert in the Liu family, Liu Xiuyuan finally completely reacted. Small but dense lightning formed in his hands, and slashed Li Tianlan in the back like a knife.
It was the Liu family’s unique skill, the Six Harmonies Chop!
Li Tianlan instantly turned back and picked up his silver spear. The silver spear with amazing momentum, across the air like a silver flash, thrust at Liu Xiuyuan.
There was no unique skill but strength in this blow.
It was pure strength!
The magnificent and majestic lightning flashed from the spear’s point, colliding with the lightning in front of Liu Xiuyuan.
Then the crackling of the bones was audible.
The lightning tore open air, causing it to crackle. The most powerful member of the Liu family was blown away by the spear, b.u.mped on the wall, smashed the wall and fell into the living room directly, buried under the ruins.
“Uncle!”
Liu Dongyu exclaimed with a pale face, and looked at Li Tianlan with horror in her eyes.
“He is in the Thunder-shocking Realm?!” she wondered.
“How is that possible?”
Liu Tianjing, his mouth trembling, looked at Li Tianlan and kept silent.
After he had struck Liu Xiuyuan to fly away with his spear, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. He slowly wiped off the blood and asked flatly, “Whose son is he?”
“Li Tianlan, what the h.e.l.l do you want? Don’t forget that the Liu family was once a giant, we once had a Invincible Realm expert. We’re meritorious to the whole Zhongzhou State. I was Huating’s mayor, and my son is Huating’s current deputy mayor! You dare to kill us? Are you trying to commit treason?”
Liu Tianjing snapped sharply.
“Don’t be so serious. The subject of treason is too severe. I’m not burdened by that, but I can’t let you pin a label on me like you did what to my father. What’s so great about giants? As the only descendant of the War G.o.d family, how wretched I am!”
Li Tianlan chuckled and pointed to his hair. “My hair has been all white, don’t you see that?” he asked.
His father.
Pinning a label on his father.
The War G.o.d family.
Liu Tianjing’s face turned white as snow. “You… you are… ”
“I’m Li Tianlan. Li Kuangtu is my father, and Li Honghe is my grandfather.”
Li Tianlan said in a calm tone.
All the Liu family members who were still alive were shocked by what they heard.
It went without saying how sensitive and secret his ident.i.ty was.
However, Li Tianlan told them frankly. It didn’t mean that he was a fool but that he had no intention of keeping them alive tonight.
The deputy mayor?
The forme mayor?
Whoever died was a corpse.
“Do you know what you mean by that?”
Liu Tianjing broke into a cold sweat, but he managed to keep his cool. he looked at Li Tianlan and stated, “If you kill us, there will be no room for you in the Zhongzhou State. You will… ”
“I have no future.”
Li Tianlan said lightly, “Look at me, you talk to me about my future? When you sent people to kill me, you should be ready to be killed. Isn’t this a very simple truth?”
Liu Tianjing’s heart kept sinking. From the tone of Li Tianlan’s voice, he could hear no hesitation or anxiety, only determination and killing intent.
“I swear by the ancestors of the Liu family, everyone of this family will never trouble you in the future, and will keep your secret, how about it?”
Liu Tianjing took a deep breath and said in a dry and coa.r.s.e voice.
“That’s not what I want to hear.”
Li Tianlan put away the silver spear, went to Liu Xiuyuan’s seat and sat down. He wiped the blood on his hands casually, picked up a lobster, awkwardly peeled and bit it. “Your Liu family has two options now,” he said calmly.
“What are they?”
Liu Tianjing’s voice sounded bitter and husky. Actually, he could guess what Li Tianlan was going to say.
“The first option, I will kill you all and clean up the place. As long as there’s no evidence, there’s someone out there to protect me. When this matter comes out, I’ll figure out a way to handle it if I’m still alive. The worst outcome is that I have to leave the Zhongzhou State. I’m a dying man now, and I don’t want to talk about fame and future. But even if I had this day, you wouldn’t be able to see it. We’ll all die. Anyway, I will get the better end of the deal, right?”
Li Tianlan ate the lobster as he said casually.
“Tell me the second option.”
Liu Tianjing’s voice was calm and numb.
“I need a dog in Huating, an obedient dog. And I think your Liu family is suitable for the role. While some of your family members are dead, others are alive. Whether you will deign to do so, is at your own discretion.”
Li Tianlan continued.
“Li Tianlan, don’t push it too far!”
Before Liu Tianjing could say something, another member of the Liu family stood up at the table and bellowed.
Li Tianlan took a chopstick from the table and shot it at the man.
The silver chopstick plunged into the man’s forehead.
Li Tianlan, whose look in his eyes didn’t change a bit during the whole process, carefully peeled the lobster and said blandly, “If you don’t want to condescend, go to h.e.l.l.”
A piece of skinned lobster popped into Li Tianlan’s plate.
Li Tianlan squinted up.
Liu Dongyu had come to him at some point, calmly skinning the lobster in her hands, and silently continued to deliver the ready lobster to his plate.
Li Tianlan narrowed his eyes with a weird smile.
“Liu Dongyu, you… You traitor!”
One of Liu Dongyu’s distant cousins got up and looked in disbelief at Liu Dongyu serving Li Tianlan, and his eyes seemed to breathe fire.
Liu Dongyu did her own business with a poker face.
“Dongyu, design his death.”
Li Tianlan narrowed his eyes with a weird smile.
“Swish!”
Liu Dongyu shook her hand without hesitation. A dagger shot out of her sleeve and immediately pierced her cousin’s throat.
“Women are the most sensible people, aren’t they?”
Li Tianlan suddenly said in a flat tone.
“I don’t want to die. The Liu family cannot be destroyed.”
Liu Dongyu’s voice was stiff. When they met for the first time, she was proud, and now Li Tianlan could clearly sense how unwilling and humiliated she was. However, she still stood, the movements of her hands even becoming softer and softer.
“Go and get me some rice. I’m hungry.”
Li Tianlan pushed away the plate in front of him and ordered, “You can poison it, but if it doesn’t kill me, you are going to die.”
Liu Dongyu turned pale a little and walked away without a word.
Liu Tianjing gave his granddaughter a complicated look and didn’t say anything.
“Tell me your choice.”
Li Tianlan looked at Liu Tianjing and said, “I don’t want to wait.”
“I would… ”
Liu Tianjing looked as if he had aged twenty years in an instant. “Our Liu family is willing to be your dog!” he said slowly, gritting his teeth tightly, sounding mournful and aged.
“Kneel if you are willing.”
Li Tianlan lit a cigarette, and said carelessly.
A deathly silence hung over the room.
A second later.
Ten seconds later.
Half a minute later.
Liu Tianjing staggered to his feet and was the first to kneel.
Then everyone fell to their knees.
Some were in tears and some were numb.
When Liu Tianqing was alive, who could and would have thought that someone would make them surrender and give up their dignity with sheer force?
Liu Dongyu came back with a bowl of rice. Seeing her grandfather kneeling on the floor, she hesitated and was going to kneel as well.
“Just stand.”
Li Tianlan took the bowl and chopsticks and said dryly, “You guys are doing well, but I don’t trust you.”
He took a bite of the rice and continued, “What can you do to make me trust you? Tell me what you think is valuable.”
After a pause, he added, “Like information about Kunlun City or something like that.”
…