From childhood onwards, Li Hanlong held immense authority within the family.
Though Li Duo'er was his niece, he treated her as his own daughter.
Despite Li Duo'er not being an obedient child and harboring significant resentment towards her uncle, she instinctively panicked upon seeing him injured.
She reached out to help him, saying, "Uncle..."
However, Li Hanlong slapped her to the ground.
He berated her sternly, "Who told you to return the phone?"
By returning the phone to Ning Lang, she had betrayed him. Who was Ning Lang?
He was the boss of Nancheng. With Old Ghost dead, the entire Yong'an underground forces would soon fall into his hands.
With one phone call, he could summon countless subordinates.
Though they were like ants, many ants could still bite an elephant to death.
He couldn't fathom how Li Duo'er could be so foolish.
Li Duo'er's face instantly swelled on one side, tears welling in her eyes as she stared fiercely at Li Hanlong.
Her eyes were filled with hatred, "Stop it..."
"You already killed Yanbin, do you intend to kill me too?"
"You, I'll shoot you!" Li Hanlong's eyes widened in disbelief. He never expected Li Duo'er, whom he considered his daughter, to openly reveal his weakness.
He raised his hand to strike her again.
But this time, Shen Yishou didn't give him the chance.
He let out a strange cry, "Li, how can you hit a little girl in front of me? So ungraceful."
"Take my banner!"
With a whoosh.
Before his voice faded, a large banner unfurled, sweeping down towards Li Hanlong.
This forced Li Hanlong to abandon Li Duo'er and dodge the attack.
Although he appeared unharmed externally from the previous blow, his internal organs had shifted due to the impact, causing him immense discomfort.
If he were to be hit again, he might truly regret it today.
Under normal circumstances, he would have already been planning his escape. He was no hero.
"As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn."
But today, he couldn't escape. Shen Yishou's banner attacks might not be strong, but they were incredibly tenacious.
Furthermore, they blocked all his escape routes, forcing him to fight.
"Duo'er, you have to choose whether you want to watch your uncle die or live!"
Li Zhonglou walked over to Li Duo'er, helped her up, and persuaded her, "How many lives has he taken? How many cultural relics and national treasures has he sold?"
"I am not a police officer, nor will I seek justice for those who died unjustly, but I will never let him harm my family or friends."
"If I live, he will either die or spend his life in prison."
His voice was incredibly firm.
Li Duo'er shivered upon hearing this.
She knew her big brother's personality. He could tolerate other matters, but he would never allow anyone to threaten his family.
The moment her uncle kidnapped his mother and wife, he had declared himself an enemy.
Even if she wanted to mediate, she was powerless.
Moreover, her uncle had killed Yanbin. Although she had disliked that fellow when he was alive, after his death, she couldn't escape the guilt.
What should she choose?
Li Duo'er's eyes showed increasing indecision.
She fell into a daze.
Seeing this, Li Zhonglou said no more. He didn't want to interfere with the girl's decision; he wasn't so base as to achieve his goals by threatening a young girl.
By helping Shen Yishou kill Li Hanlong, he would still obtain the Three-Chain Emblem.
Finally, after about a minute of intense deliberation, Li Duo'er's gaze became resolute.
She nodded fiercely, "Big brother, I'll go help you get it!"
"Please don't kill my uncle!"
Seeing Li Zhonglou nod in agreement, she rushed towards the door.
She had figured it out.
She wanted to be a normal person, not live in hiding like her uncle, nor live with guilt that kept her from sleeping.
Li Hanlong had no choice. For the family and for himself, as Li Zhonglou had said, his hands were stained with innocent souls.
Not to mention the cultural relics he had smuggled over the years.
Ten lives wouldn't be enough to atone.
But if Li Zhonglou could spare his life, even if he spent it in prison, at least he wouldn't die.
And she wouldn't have to live in constant fear.
She didn't know if this thought was selfish, but her heart told her so.
Ning Lang cautiously asked, "Do you really trust this girl?"
"Without her, I might still be under house arrest at the golf course by Li Hanlong," Li Zhonglou said calmly.
He trusted Li Duo'er. The girl was still pure of heart. Although mischievous, she was kind and innocent.
Perhaps Li Hanlong had protected her too well.
Regardless, there was still hope for her.
As for Li Hanlong, he would never let him off easily.
Although he had promised Li Duo'er not to kill him, he would certainly ensure he spent his days behind bars.
Moreover, only by keeping him alive could he atone for all his past deeds.
Atonement for the ancient tomb in Yucheng!
"Li Duo'er, you little beast..." Li Hanlong roared, his face turning purple.
In his haste, coupled with his previous injury, he was no match for Shen Yishou.
Forced into a corner, he couldn't break free.
Finally, he was struck again by the tip of Shen Yishou's banner pole, collapsing to the ground with a thud, blood trickling from his mouth, his body twitching.
Veins bulged on his face, his eyes like a rabid beast.
"Li Zhonglou, I've taken him down. I used the Blood Sealing technique on him," Shen Yishou panted, wiping sweat from his brow. He turned and shouted, "Within an hour and a half, he won't be able to move, except for spasms."
"If I didn't owe your sister a life, why would I help a brat like you!"
"Farewell, no... goodbye forever!"
With that, he gave a signal with his fortune-telling banner and turned to leave.
The entire private room was left with only Li Zhonglou, Ning Lang, and Li Hanlong and his son.
Looking at Li Hanlong's eyes burning with rage, Li Zhonglou finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He said coldly, "Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but one's own cannot. If you hadn't kidnapped me to Yong'an back then, how could this day have come!"
"You little beast, if it weren't for that fortune teller, even ten of you wouldn't be a match for me," Li Hanlong almost shattered his teeth, his hatred boundless. "I just never imagined you could win over Duo'er, whom I painstakingly trained for over a decade!"
"Truly, a woman's heart is fickle. She disdains so many excellent men, yet she is infatuated with a son-in-law like you!"
"One day, she will regret what she's done today!"
"When she realizes you were using her, she'll hate you to the bone."
Every word dripped with bone-chilling hatred.
He wished he could devour Li Zhonglou alive, skin him, and tear out his tendons.
It wasn't because he was defeated by Li Zhonglou, but because Li Zhonglou had taken away the person he cared about most.
"You are too presumptuous," Li Zhonglou replied calmly. "I didn't have the ability to win Duo'er over; can't you see she's long been dissatisfied with you?"
"From childhood, you've likely demanded she act according to your will from your own perspective."
"You think that's training, but it's actually psychological abuse, it's control."
"You simply wanted to turn her into a soulless puppet!"
Each word was like a knife, piercing Li Hanlong's heart.
He glared with wide eyes and cursed, "Nonsense!"
Li Zhonglou shook his head and sighed.
How could one talk about ice with a summer insect?
Li Hanlong, being so extremely conceited, would never consider things from another's perspective.
He had an extreme desire for control and never trusted anyone, not even his adopted son.
Yanbin worked for him, yet he ended up being killed.
A Yuequbi painstakingly helped him steal the golden Buddha, but he didn't even know it had been switched.
This was evident.
It was precisely because of these accumulated grievances that Li Duo'er finally chose to stand on his side, her inner dissatisfaction erupting.
Of course, another reason was that Li Duo'er genuinely didn't want Li Hanlong to die.
However, Li Hanlong chose to ignore it.
A person consumed by hatred can never truly acknowledge the emotions between people.
"Once Duo'er brings the Three-Chain Emblem, I will hand you over to the police," Li Zhonglou said, no longer wanting to waste words.
With that, he turned away, no longer looking at him.
Soon, Zheng Rui arrived with Zhang Dongxu and a group of subordinates, more than twenty people in total.
Each of them had solemn expressions, their waists bulging, as if facing a great enemy.
They surrounded the entire private room, making it impenetrable.
This made Li Zhonglou chuckle, "Brother Ning, are they here to clean up?"
Ning Lang was a bit embarrassed, "I'm ashamed, I didn't explain it clearly."
He then feigned anger and scolded, "Zheng Rui, who are you trying to intimidate by bringing so many people here!"
"Brother... Brother Lang, I apologize..." Zheng Rui's eyelids twitched wildly, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak.
He had received Ning Lang's message, thinking he was in trouble, and had immediately summoned nearby men to rush over.
However, he found that everything had already been resolved.
All he could do was tie up A Yuequbi and Li Hanlong.
Shortly after, Xiao Yun also entered with two bodyguards. Seeing the situation, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But she deliberately put on a stern face and reprimanded, "Zhonglou, Shen Yishou told me everything. You nearly lost your life for a Three-Chain Emblem. I would rather not have it!"
"Why didn't you tell me earlier that you had a conflict with Li Hanlong?"
She hadn't known what had transpired between Li Zhonglou and Li Hanlong before, as her focus had been on her own family's internal struggles.
Later, after hearing Shen Yishou recount the fight, she immediately realized Li Zhonglou was taking a huge risk.
He had disguised himself and changed his name just to bring down Li Hanlong.
How risky was that?
Fortunately, she had prepared for the worst. Knowing that Li Hanlong was a trafficker of smuggled cultural relics, she had asked Shen Yishou to wait in Yong'an for an opportunity.
In hindsight, her decision had been correct.
"Sister, although the process wasn't ideal, the result is quite satisfactory," Li Zhonglou felt Xiao Yun's concern, stood up, and moved his body.
Enduring the stabbing pain, he pretended to be at ease.
But his blood-soaked, now black and congealed clothes made Xiao Yun even more aghast.
Fortunately, hearing Li Zhonglou say the Three-Chain Emblem would arrive soon, she finally felt relieved.
Hearing the police sirens downstairs,
She asked Zheng Rui and Zhang Dongxu to escort Li Hanlong and A Yuequbi away.
Only then did Li Hanlong's face reveal a sinister smile again, "Listen clearly, the three of you."
"Prison cells won't hold me. Someone will come to get me out."
"I'm taking your mother and wife's lives. It's a shame you won't be around to see it then!"
"Li Zhonglou, you think you've won, but you don't know you're on your last legs!"
"Within a month, you will die."
"I eagerly await the day your death is announced when I'm in prison, hahahaha..."
Accompanied by Li Hanlong's frenzied laughter,
Xiao Yun and Ning Lang simultaneously felt a deep sense of worry.
Li Hanlong's words were not baseless.