The situation was developing in an unknown direction, or rather, the entire incident had now exceeded all control.
For Wang Hanyuan, exceeding his grasp was akin to a death omen, constantly reminding him that things had escalated completely.
On this unrestful night, the Dragon Pavilion issued two separate messages.
The first: Military honor must not be trampled upon at will! Even retired soldiers deserve special privileges, for they have spilled blood for this nation!
The second: The Dragon Pavilion, in conjunction with the Retired Personnel Headquarters, will thoroughly investigate this matter. The retired elders of the Dragon Pavilion will not die in such obscurity! The Dragon Pavilion Master has arrived in Nan Province to personally oversee the investigation.
Upon the release of these two messages, not only the capital was shaken.
The prominent figures who knew of the Dragon Pavilion's existence widened their eyes in disbelief. No one could fathom that the death of a mere crippled stall vendor would draw such a formidable entity to personally intervene.
Meanwhile, the entire Nan Province felt like a small boat in a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.
“Brother Li, this matter is beyond our capabilities to resolve. We can only contact that higher authority. If he is willing to take responsibility, perhaps we still have a chance of survival.”
After learning of the Dragon Pavilion's announcement, Wang Hanyuan was in a panic. He met with the head of the Li family, the uncrowned king of Nan Province, in the reception hall.
Li Yuankui glanced at him and subtly shook his head. “Director Wang, do you truly believe that higher authority will personally get involved? Or rather, do you think he would risk offending the Dragon Pavilion for your son?”
Wang Hanyuan’s expression changed drastically, his eyes narrowing. “I believe you have a way. Even though the Dragon Pavilion's status is extraordinary, so what? On the grand stage of Kyushu, surely the Dragon Pavilion Master would still show respect to that higher authority? As long as he is willing to protect me, I will obey his commands.”
The “higher authority” they spoke of was their backing. They were unsure of that person’s exact identity, but he was a significant figure in the capital.
Li Yuankui chuckled. “We are friends, so I’ll give you a piece of advice. While you are still young, have another child quickly. You will have time to nurture your successor.”
Clearly, Li Yuankui was unwilling to contact that higher authority for Wang Hanyuan, or rather, contacting that person would only enhance his own standing in that authority’s eyes.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t say that. Your Li family is very powerful, but can you compare with my Wang family in business? I, Wang Hanyuan, am ranked ninety-ninth on the Forbes list. Although it’s the tail end, at least I made it, don’t you think?”
“Furthermore, they have already retrieved the body. If an autopsy is performed, it will undoubtedly lead back to your Li family. You wouldn’t want to be implicated, would you?”
Li Yuankui remained silent for a moment. For some reason, the older generation always seemed to give their offspring names with the character "Yuan" in them.
“I can help you contact him, but there is a condition.”
“Name it. Ten percent of Wang Corporation’s shares.”
…
The next day dawned bright and clear.
The villagers of Zhangjia Village, who had kept vigil all night, returned to their homes to rest.
The original plan was to place the coffin today, but unfortunately, this morning, Zhang Lanying went to another village to invite a geomancer. The geomancer examined the auspicious dates and declared that the burial could only take place tomorrow.
Tomorrow was deemed a better day for the burial.
Ye Longlin did not feel it was appropriate to make a unilateral decision. Tomorrow it would be; a day’s difference was insignificant.
“Last night, the special investigation team from the Retired Personnel Headquarters has arrived. Would you like to meet with them today?”
After leaving Zhangjia early and returning to the city, Ye Longlin found a place to have some breakfast.
Ye Longlin waved his hand. “There’s no need. It’s just a formality for them. Did they actually take it seriously?”
It was merely a matter of following procedure. Even if the Green Army were to get involved, Ye Longlin would still kill as he saw fit!
The process of the incident was not as important as identifying the mastermind.
Arrest them, kill them.
It was that simple.
“Understood. Additionally, Wang Shao has revealed other individuals implicated in this matter, including the eldest son of the Li family, Li Changteng.”
Ye Longlin waved his hand. “Arrest him directly.”
Yuan Gang nodded.
…
Li Changteng was deeply involved in this matter. Besides Wang Shao, only Li Huai, a minor follower of the Li family, was aware.
Today, Li Changteng and Li Tengfeng had arranged to meet here for a meal.
Within the Li family, if anyone was most likely to succeed to the position of family head currently, it would be Li Changteng and Li Tengfeng, as they were both direct descendants of the family head.
These two were half-brothers. Li Changteng’s mother died in childbirth while giving birth to him. Li Yuankui then married another woman and had Li Tengfeng.
Li Tengfeng grew up mostly outside the Li family, raised in a military compound. Thus, he inherited his maternal grandfather’s path and joined the military. Today marked what could be considered the brothers’ first meeting.
“Second brother, long time no see, hahaha.”
The brothers had only met as children.
Li Changteng located a young man with an outstanding demeanor among the crowd. The young man strode forward, immediately exuding an aura of decisive action.
Li Tengfeng glanced at him and said with disgust, “Your smile is very fake, it makes me sick.”
Most people in the military were straightforward. Thus, upon facing Li Changteng, he instinctively felt a sense of annoyance.
Li Changteng shrugged helplessly, his eyes narrowing. “Now that you’ve returned, are you prepared to contend with me for the position of family head?”
He uttered this statement so casually. Since he disliked beating around the bush, he decided to be direct.
Li Tengfeng shook his head. “I am not interested in this position, so you don’t need to view me as a hypothetical enemy.”
Li Changteng’s subordinate scoffed. “Who believes that! Our Li family is now the uncrowned king of Nan Province. Even if you joined the army, so what? Just a couple of days ago, some clueless retired soldier tried to go toe-to-toe with our young master, and now he’s off to see Yama. What do you think you amount to?”
Li Tengfeng’s pupils contracted. “You did it?”
His voice turned cold.
“I did it, but why was it… Ah, I’m getting old, it doesn’t matter. He’s dead anyway, and there’s no need to dwell on it.”
“Besides, he was just a retired old soldier. There was no need to make such a fuss. I don’t understand, he was just a retired soldier, why is the Retired Personnel Headquarters making such a big deal out of it? It’s not like he died in battle. If he had died on the battlefield, he might have even received a first-class merit.”
A cold light gradually emanated from Li Tengfeng’s eyes.
However, at that moment, the giant screen in the commercial plaza suddenly flickered, displaying a black and white photograph!
Zhang Yi!