The Li family was destroyed. On Dongshan, in the span of a single day, not a single member of the Li family survived.
The next day, a tombstone was erected on the summit of Dongshan, and all the buildings on the mountain were razed.
From afar, Dongshan looked like a tomb!
The major families of the capital city fell into complete silence. Every family head was cautious, filled with dread.
A top-tier aristocratic family that had stood for a thousand years was gone in a single day. Moreover, the day after its demise, the capital city seemed unaffected by its disappearance.
Logically, the demise of a top-tier family like the Li family should have crippled countless businesses and rendered countless people jobless in the Great Qin Empire.
However, this did not happen. The War Department sent personnel to take over all of the Li family's assets overnight.
This instilled fear in the capital's aristocratic families. They understood that Li Xiaotian's destruction of the Li family was tacitly approved by the War Department, and even by Great Qin itself.
"The Li family! With a thousand years of heritage and wealth rivaling the state, such a foundation would ensure the Li family never declined, even for another thousand years. Yet now, because of a single wrong decision made years ago, they were wiped out in one day!" lamented a family head. Even the deepest foundations of an aristocratic family were like ants before absolute power.
"Ultimately, it's the Li family patriarch's own doing. If he hadn't orchestrated the death of his own son back then, none of this would have happened today."
"Aristocratic families, aristocratic families, conflict is inevitable, but it needs a limit. Otherwise, they will eventually suffer."
"Li Xiaotian is actually the King of the Dragon King Hall. No wonder Li Shanhai protected him, regardless of the infamy he bore!"
"Heh, does the King of the Dragon King Hall need protection? Some of you still haven't grasped the situation. Li Shanhai wasn't protecting Li Xiaotian, he was protecting us! If Li Xiaotian had acted impulsively, all of us families who followed the Li family's outcry would have been finished!"
In secret locations across the capital, family heads from various aristocratic families gathered. They were too afraid and only wished to speak with those who felt the same and discuss future strategies.
Especially those who had previously cursed Li Xiaotian, they couldn't sleep soundly, feeling as weak and fragile as if they had just recovered from a serious illness.
"What do we do now? Since Li Xiaotian has stopped hiding his identity, should we families do something?"
"Do what? Go to our deaths? Don't be foolish. Stay quietly at home and wait for this harbinger of misfortune to leave the capital."
"This is, after all, the capital of the Great Qin Empire. He can't just run amok here."
Upon hearing someone say this, someone else immediately refuted it.
"Hmph, not running amok? Wasn't the Li family still annihilated? That old man from the Li family, in the end, not only lost his family but also the reputation the Li family had painstakingly built over a thousand years. Heh, a thousand years of effort, ruined in a single morning!"
At this moment, most of the family heads in the capital felt fortunate, as they had not offended Li Xiaotian and thus had no fear of retribution.
However, the families that had previously offended Li Xiaotian saw their patriarchs kneeling outside the Dragon Palace Hotel with heavy gifts.
No one had forced them, and Li Xiaotian had not troubled the guests on Dongshan yesterday.
But they were uneasy and dared not not come. They feared that if Li Xiaotian happened to be displeased, he might also wipe out their families.
Li Shanhai looked at the kneeling family heads of the capital's major families outside the window, a trace of mockery flashing across his face.
He would not pity these people; he only thought they deserved it!
"Brother, how should we deal with those scumbags kneeling outside the hotel? Eliminate them all?" Long Yi asked Li Xiaotian in the room, completely disregarding Li Shanhai, who was also in the room, speaking without any reservation.
Li Xiaotian shook his head slightly and then spoke calmly.
"Let them leave their gifts and then they can go. I, Li Xiaotian, am not so petty as to destroy them just because they cursed me a few times!"
Long Yi grinned and turned to leave the room to carry out Li Xiaotian's orders.
Now, only Li Shanhai and Li Xiaotian remained in the room.
Li Shanhai glanced at the family heads outside, who breathed a sigh of relief, a look of annoyance flashing across his face, before he spoke to Li Xiaotian.
"Mr. Li, there's no need to be polite to these family heads. Even if you forgive them, the Great Qin authorities will settle accounts with them one by one afterward."
Li Xiaotian smiled.
"That is your own affair. I came to the capital solely for revenge; other matters have nothing to do with me."
"There are too many so-called aristocratic families and powerful clans in Great Qin. They occupy positions but do nothing, leaving no chance for ordinary people to rise," Li Shanhai muttered, as if speaking to Li Xiaotian, and as if speaking to himself.
"That's why I've given you a head start. In Jiangnan, I destroyed the Yang family, and Governor Jiang Hai of Jiangnan took the opportunity to rectify Jiangnan and liquidate all the aristocratic and powerful families. Now, I have destroyed the Li family in the capital, and you can also begin your plan," Li Xiaotian smiled, his mention of Jiang Hai's large-scale rectification of aristocratic families in Jiangnan implying he couldn't have missed it.
"Heh, after all, too many interests are involved. Suddenly wielding a large knife against them is somewhat against the rules," Li Shanhai chuckled awkwardly.
Of course, while he advocated for the rectification of aristocratic and powerful families, he did not advocate for indiscriminate killing. He would not touch any family that conducted its business honestly and had not committed any illegal acts.
Li Xiaotian shook his head speechlessly. He cared not at all how the Great Qin Empire operated. Now that his great revenge was achieved, he only wished to return to Jiangnan with his wife and daughter to live a good life.
Li Shanhai departed, leaving Li Xiaotian alone in the room, reflecting on the experiences of the past few days.
He felt much lighter, having no regrets in this world.
"Hmm? No!" Suddenly, Li Xiaotian seemed to recall something. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, followed by a powerful killing intent.
He recalled all the members of the Li family he had seen and suddenly noticed something amiss.
Ever since he had ascended Dongshan, he had not seen a single person again!
"Li Wenbo!" A fierce look flashed in Li Xiaotian's eyes. Yes, he had not seen Li Wenbo yesterday. Li Wenbo, the son of the Li family patriarch, the future heir of the Li family!
Thinking of this, Li Xiaotian immediately shouted, "Long Yi!"
Long Yi's figure instantly appeared at the doorway, a look of confusion on his face, not understanding Li Xiaotian's attitude.
"Go investigate someone for me, Li Wenbo of the Li family! He didn't die! Find out where he escaped to!" Li Xiaotian said sternly to Long Yi.
Long Yi frowned upon hearing this, and then his eyes turned cold. He too had noticed that Li Wenbo was not among the deceased of the Li family; the man had escaped!