The Long family's mansion is located to the east of Wanchao City, directly opposite the Li family's compound. As one of the old powers in Wanchao City, the Long family naturally has its foundation. After all, being one of the top three powers in a place like Wanchao City means that the strength of the Long family is definitely not inferior to the Li or Mo families. At this moment, in the main hall of the Long family, the doors were tightly shut, and the atmosphere inside was oppressively suffocating despite the beautiful autumn day outside. Many people were seated in the hall, and from the aura they exuded, they were mostly Fighters or above. Long Fei sat indifferently at the head of the table, while Long Aotian had shed his usual lazy demeanor, looking somewhat ugly as he stared at a clan member kneeling on the ground. The clan member was covered in dozens of wounds, looking as if he had been soaked in blood, but he dared not move a muscle as he knelt there.
"You're saying that our Long family's goods were robbed again by the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group?" Long Fei asked coldly, frowning at the clan member. "Yes," the clan member gritted his teeth, "We were ambushed in the dense forest outside the city. Except for me, all other clan members are dead. I was only spared because Yin Tianjie wanted me to deliver a message!" "What message?" the clan member hesitated for a moment before replying softly, "He... he said..." "Just say it! I won't blame you!" Long Fei huffed. The clan member looked up at Long Fei, noticing his relatively calm demeanor, and finally stammered, "He, he said... to tell the clan leader to wash his head clean, waiting for him to take it back as a... a night pot..." "Damn it!" Long Fei cursed under his breath. Despite being a clan leader, he still had some bearing, and he waved at the clan member, "Go and take fifty gold coins from the account room to heal your wounds... As for the families of the deceased, give each a hundred gold coins as compensation." The clan member showed relief and gratitude as he withdrew.
Once the clan member left, the atmosphere in the hall became even more tense. Long Fei, rubbing his temple with a finger, finally spoke after a long silence, "Five times! This month alone, five times... Our Long family has lost hundreds of thousands of gold coins. It seems Yin Tianjie is really targeting us now, those damn beggars living on the edge of a knife!" Saying this, Long Fei slammed his hand on the table beside him, crushing it to pieces. Long Aotian shook his head slightly and said, "Father, why worry? They are just a bunch of mercenaries. As soon as we free up our hands, we can take care of them easily." "Take care of them?" Long Fei scoffed, "With our Long family's strength, it's not difficult to deal with the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, but dealing with that old fox Yin Tianjie is not so easy. Even if we eventually destroy them, our family's strength will also be greatly damaged. By then, without anyone else's intervention, the Li and Mo families would join forces to annihilate us. Besides, given the current situation of the Li and Mo families, they would love to be in cahoots. If not for this, I would have personally beheaded Yin Tianjie long ago! I wouldn't have let him be so arrogant!"
A fleeting shadow of gloom passed over Long Aotian's face. After hesitating for a moment and glancing at Elder Fan Nan sitting opposite, he said in a low voice, "Father, actually... we don't need to act against the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, because I've already found the person who killed Yin Xu and framed us that day." Long Fei's facial muscles twitched. He was well aware of the incident that Long Aotian had encountered, so he had been paying attention to the person Long Aotian mentioned. After a moment of silence, Long Fei asked in a low voice, "Who is it?" Long Aotian hesitated for a moment, his eyes flashing with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe his own words, and then slowly said, "Li Yi!" "Crack—" The teacup that Long Fei had just picked up was crushed to pieces. He stared at Long Aotian with a strange expression and asked word by word, "You're saying, the person who ambushed us while we were robbing the martial arts scroll that day, and who picked up an easy win, is Li Yi!? Are you sure?" Long Aotian gave a wry smile, "Father, although I may not be very capable, my eyesight is still sharp. Li Yi used a sword in the Mo family's hall, but his figure and techniques were no different from the black-clothed man that day. The same ability to kill an enemy with a single strike without using any Dou Qi... I'm afraid, even if Li Yi isn't that black-clothed man, he must be closely related to him."
"Li Yi, Li Yi, Li Yi..." Long Fei's face went through a gamut of expressions, then he revealed a sinister look, "Since that's the case, think of a way to let this news out. Let Yin Tianjie know who killed his precious son, and then let him fight to the death with the Li family." Long Aotian sighed, "Father, I'm afraid it's not that simple." Long Fei frowned slightly, "Why?" Long Aotian shook his head helplessly, sighing, "Even if we know that Li Yi was the black-clothed man that day, without further evidence, Yin Tianjie won't believe us. Moreover... that kid Li Yi, has been pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger all these years. His strength shown in the Mo family yesterday, if we accidentally provoke him, and he decides to show up at our Long family to wreak havoc..."
Saying this, Long Aotian himself shuddered slightly. Most of the high-ranking members of the Long family present had witnessed Li Yi's skills yesterday, and hearing Long Aotian's words now, they felt a chill in their hearts. They would rather provoke the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group than Li Yi. After all, as ruthless as the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group might be, they only ambushed on the road, but if Li Yi were provoked, he would most likely come knocking on their door himself. Hearing Long Aotian say this, Long Fei's eyelid twitched involuntarily. The recent losses suffered by the Long family had inflamed his temper, making it impossible for him to swallow this resentment.
"So, you mean to just let it go?" Long Fei said grimly. Noticing his father's anger, Long Aotian shook his head slightly and said, "Of course we can't just let it go... Li Yi framed me that day, and I haven't forgotten it. Although I know I'm no match for him, we can't just leave it at that. Even disregarding the incident with the man in black, based on his performance last night alone, I absolutely can't let him live... In my opinion, Li Yi already has the potential to ascend to the rank of Martial Emperor... If he really becomes a Martial Emperor, what will become of the three great families in Wanchao City? I'm afraid the entire structure of the Tianfeng Empire will change! Therefore, Li Yi must not be allowed to survive! The best way to deal with him is to completely eradicate him before he grows any stronger, otherwise he will be a never-ending threat in the future!" Long Aotian's words caused the faces of the high-ranking members of the Long family in the hall to change slightly.
Long Fei, however, showed a look of eager anticipation, "So, Tian'er, you already have a way to deal with him?" Long Aotian shook his head slightly, "I don't have a way to deal with him, and I can't... But just because I'm not his opponent, doesn't mean no one else is. I've already sent a message to my sect last night, and I should receive a reply today. If my expectations are correct, my master should send my senior brother to help me handle this matter. If it's my senior brother, even ten Li Yis wouldn't be a match for him." "Your senior brother, your master is really willing to let him come?" Long Fei's expression turned extremely peculiar upon hearing this, "The one from the Ye family in the imperial capital..." "Ye Qingma!" As this name was lightly uttered, the previously tense atmosphere in the hall eased somewhat.
"Ye Qingma, Ye Qingma..." Long Fei chuckled a few times, slowly saying, "If it's him, then Li Yi is indeed doomed..." The high-ranking members of the Long family exchanged glances, seeing the joy in each other's eyes. If the sect behind Long Aotian was willing to take action, what could a mere Li Yi amount to? Even the destruction of the Li family was not impossible! Only Long Aotian seemed to sigh softly, looking up at the ceiling with an indescribable expression on his face. "Li Yi, Ye Qingma... If only you two could die together, how wonderful that would be..."
......
Stepping into the imposing gateway of the Martial Arts Pavilion and entering the cave behind it, one finds the surroundings slightly dim, making it somewhat uncomfortable at first. However, after a few steps, soft light began to filter down from above, casting a mystical aura over the deep cave. Looking up at the round pebbles on the ceiling, emitting a soft glow, Li Yi couldn't help but smile, "It seems our Li family is quite wealthy, sticking these priceless Night-Luminous Stones all over the cave without fear of theft?" Li Nana, amused by Li Yi's comment, laughed, "Brother Li Yi, you're joking again. This Martial Arts Pavilion, let alone outsiders, even those who can enter, would rather steal precious techniques and martial arts scrolls than these Night-Luminous Stones. For a powerful cultivator who can break in, who would care for them?" Li Yi touched his nose and said lightly, "In my opinion, these Night-Luminous Stones are much better than techniques and martial arts. At least they would be easier to sell…" Li Yi's words were not without reason. To increase his cultivation speed, he either had to go to the Blood Fiend Land or find high-level weapons for refinement. The former was difficult for him to achieve with his current strength, and the latter was quite expensive. Although he had acquired a fifth-grade weapon without spending a penny last time, he didn't believe his luck would always be so good. For him, money was indeed very important!
As they conversed, they reached the end of the cave. An incredibly vast space appeared before them. This space spanned hundreds of yards, with a luminous body at its center slowly rotating. Under its illumination, everything around was clearly visible. This space seemed to be carved out of a hollowed mountain, with a platform near the luminous body. On the cave walls, numerous stone houses and corridors were built in layers, extending upwards in circles to the top of the cave. Li Yi casually counted and found there were nine layers of these stone houses, but the higher the level, the fewer the houses, with just a single, inconspicuous room at the very top of the corridor circle. The two Elders at the front, indifferent to the various curious gazes, pointed to one of the stone houses and said blandly, "In these houses, each contains a scroll of techniques or martial arts. The level and usage are clearly stated in the scrolls. Remember, you can look at as many scrolls as you want... but if you think of taking a scroll out with you, don't blame us two old fellows for being impolite... If you understand, then we won't waste your time, go ahead and explore on your own!"