The faint voice outside made Li Yi's eyebrows furrow slightly. He knew that if it were the woman outside, she might indeed kick his door open. Thinking this, he quickly put on a piece of clothing and covered the various items on his bed with a blanket. After doing all this, he went to slowly open the door. The sunlight outside gently spilled in, bringing a bit of warmth, but the woman standing at the door just sneered coldly, making the warmth seem to freeze instantly. Li Yi's mouth twitched, and after a moment, he said with a bitter smile, "So it's Cousin Li Bing. I wonder what urgent matter brings you here to find your little cousin today?"
Li Bing hummed softly, giving Li Yi a look that signaled him to step aside, and then she slowly stepped into Li Yi's room, looking around before speaking coldly, "I've been looking for you these past two days. Are you deaf? Can't hear? Or is there a woman hidden in your room, and you're afraid I'll find out?"
"Uh..." Li Yi was somewhat at a loss for words. How did his relationship with this icy beauty become so good? Hesitating for a moment, and after receiving Li Bing's scrutinizing gaze, Li Yi said with a light smile, "Thank you for your concern, Cousin, but these past few days I have been at a critical juncture in my cultivation and really couldn't be distracted. So even though you came and called, I really couldn't..."
"Forget it," Li Bing said indifferently, "I don't want to know about your affairs... but today..."
Li Yi rolled his eyes secretly, amused inside. Li Bing's attitude had changed somewhat since their last meeting, making him quite curious. Li Yi was smirking inside, but Li Bing's expression was unusually strange. She seemed to take a deep breath with great effort before continuing, "That day, I called you useless, but unexpectedly, you have already reached that level... I suppose, I'm no match for you now, am I?"
Li Yi felt a strange sensation. It seemed that someone had once said, as long as he defeated her, he could show off as much as he wanted. Looking at the icy beauty in front of him, Li Yi couldn't help but swallow. Defeating her didn't seem too difficult... but he wondered if the promise could be fulfilled.
"What are you looking at, brat!" Perhaps Li Yi's unrestrained gaze made her uncomfortable, as a rare blush appeared on Li Bing's face. Li Yi chuckled and said, "After many years, Cousin is even more charming... I just don't know if the promise we made that day can still be honored. If so, I would like to ask for some guidance from Cousin right now!"
"Looking for death!" With a shout, Li Bing kicked towards Li Yi's side. Li Yi was about to block it casually, but suddenly, he let his fighting energy dissipate and let Li Bing's kick land on his abdomen.
"Ah—" Li Yi screamed, flying back like a stone and crashing into the wall, falling down with more air going out than coming in. Li Bing had expected her kick to be blocked by Li Yi, but was surprised by this turn of events. Her face changed, and she quickly rushed over, touching Li Yi's nose lightly and exclaiming, "Li Yi! What's wrong with you? I didn't mean it! I thought you could block it, how... how... how..."
"Pfft—" As if coughing up blood in a faint, Li Yi opened his eyes hazily, a look of misery on his face. "Cousin... if... if kicking me can make you feel better... then... even if you kick me to death... I have no regrets..." Li Yi seemed to exert a lot of effort to say this, but after speaking, he began to cough violently, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
Li Bing was at a loss, holding Li Yi to her chest in panic, saying, "What to do? What to do? Li Yi, you can't die! If you die, how will you pay back what you owe me? How?"
As Li Bing held him, Li Yi's head rubbed against her soft and full chest multiple times. Perhaps because Li Bing was holding him too tightly, Li Yi almost felt suffocated.
"Cousin..." Li Yi weakly lifted his head, his face pale. "What... what is it..." The icy beauty seemed almost ready to cry.
Li Yi coughed up a few more mouthfuls of blood and murmured, "Cousin... today, I... I'm probably not going to make it... but... but before I die, there's one wish I hope Cousin can fulfill for me..."
"What wish!? Tell me! I will make it happen!"
"That... that is... let me... let me touch..."
As if feeble, Li Yi's right hand slowly reached towards Li Bing's chest. Li Bing's face turned alternately blue and white, seemingly shocked speechless by Li Yi's request. When she felt Li Yi's hand touch her chest, she seemed to remember something, suddenly stiffened, and then violently pushed Li Yi away, retreating several steps back, her face a mix of shame and anger, "Li... Li Yi! You're tricking me! You dare to trick me!"
Li Yi regretfully withdrew his hand. Although he touched it, it seemed not enough... He slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. To make it convincing, he had to painfully bite his tongue. But fortunately, it was worth it! Worth it!
Li Yi quickly stood up, chuckling, "Cousin, I wasn't lying to you, I really was about to die just now!" Saying this, he indulgently sniffed his right hand and murmured, "Yes, about to die! But it was a blissful way to go!"
"Li Yi, you jerk! Jerk! Jerk!" Before she finished speaking, Li Bing's slender leg swung over again, this time with a faint hint of fighting energy and even a whistling sound. This time, Li Yi didn't dare to joke with his life. He slightly sidestepped the kick, a bitter smile on his face, "Cousin Li Bing, why bother... I was just joking... And, I can see that you care about me... Why make a fuss..."
"You're shameless!" Li Bing, her face flushed with shame and anger, twisted her right leg, and her figure rushed towards Li Yi like a whirlwind. Her legs switched rapidly, sending cyclones of fighting energy towards Li Yi. However, Li Yi could feel that Li Bing was not using her full strength.
"Snap—" With a light hand gesture, Li Yi tapped on Li Bing's toe, dissipating the fierce cyclone and pushed her back to her original position. Li Bing landed on the ground, her pretty face angry, and her eyes glaring at Li Yi as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
Li Yi touched his nose, somewhat regretful. Although he had the intention of testing Cousin Li Bing's thoughts, it seemed to have gone too far and was difficult to wrap up. He gave an awkward smile, pretending as if nothing had happened, "Well, Cousin Li Bing, you haven't said why you came to see me today."
Li Bing was momentarily stunned, and seeing Li Yi's expression, she was both annoyed and amused. After grinding her teeth for a moment, she spat out resentfully, "Little rascal! If you do this again, I'll skin you alive!"
"Cousin, would you really?" Li Yi teased.
"Why don't you try and see!" Li Bing huffed.
Li Yi's heart trembled slightly. He could see that Cousin Li Bing had a faint fondness for him, but it seemed too much of this sort of thing might not be good... Some things can backfire. Li Yi understood this and his expression turned serious, "Alright. Cousin, you still haven't told me what it is!"
Li Bing pursed her lips and slowly said, "The family head asked me to find you, saying there's something to discuss."
Li Yi nodded, already guessing the reason why his cheap father had summoned him, but wondered why Li Bing was sent to find him. With some confusion, he nodded slightly, "Then I understand, I'll go right away!" With that, he swiftly passed by Li Bing and disappeared into the room, looking somewhat flustered.
Watching this, Li Bing shook her head helplessly. Thinking back to the things she had done under Li Yi's coaxing, she felt a bit embarrassed. She couldn't understand why she cared so much about this little brat, the inexplicable feeling making her daze for a while before she couldn't help but smile bitterly, "This little brat... is becoming more and more outrageous!" Putting away her mixed emotions, Li Bing slowly shook her head, about to leave. But then, her gaze fell on a pile of books in the corner. The blush on her face, which had just faded a bit, turned icy cold again. "This lecherous little brat!!!"
"Ah-choo—" Li Yi, huddled in a chair, suddenly sneezed loudly, rubbing his nose with a depressed look. Li Han, sitting behind the desk, looked up at him and said indifferently, "What? Sick?"
Li Yi chuckled, "Not really, but I guess someone is thinking of me. Father, with a son as handsome and dashing as me, it's normal to attract a few young ladies, right?"
"Really?" Li Han smiled faintly and then tossed a sheepskin scroll in his hand, "Take a look at this."
The three elders sitting opposite Li Yi took turns looking at the scroll, each passing it to the next with grim faces. Finally, when the scroll reached Li Yi, he glanced at it and couldn't help thinking it was as expected. After everyone had seen it, Li Han frowned, "What do you think? With this incident, the Dragon family will probably grow stronger. Once that happens, the tripartite balance of Wanchao City will change, which is not good for our Li family."
The elders exchanged glances, shaking their heads. The second elder then said with a frown, "In my opinion, things might not be as bad as we think. After all, the Ye family member from the imperial city died at the hands of the Dragon family. Although the Dragon family has now taken over the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, they need to give the Ye family an explanation. If not, the things they've swallowed might have to be spat out again... In the worst case, it could even lead to the ruin of their family."
"Moreover, a place like Blood Wolf Town, with its complex power structure, the Dragon family might not be able to swallow it all in one bite... Shouldn't our Li family also arrange some people to take advantage of the situation? We can't just watch the Dragon family grow stronger, right?" The third elder also said slowly.
Li Han shook his head, "It's not appropriate. If we act rashly now, it would be going against the Ye family of the imperial city and the Beidou Sect. If we do nothing, the Ye family won't trouble our Li family, but if we act rashly, we might give the Ye family and the Dragon family an excuse, leading to a loss greater than the gain."