It seems there's a reason the Patriarch is being suppressed.
As the head of a major family, with only this much manpower at his disposal, it's no wonder the subordinates are causing trouble.
At the same time, Li Chonglou also saw the figure of the Yu family patriarch, an old man with white hair sitting in the living room.
He should be about the same age as Du Tian, but his appearance showed him to be much older than Du Tian, after all, Du Tian was a sealed expert, which was something he couldn't compare to.
However, judging by appearance alone, his demeanor was not much inferior.
This should be a common trait of those in power; regardless of whether they practice martial arts, the imposing aura they possess is significantly different from ordinary people.
After the two entered, the old man sat there with a serious expression.
"Patriarch, the person has been brought."
The man in white bowed slightly, offering a greeting. The old man nodded slightly and gestured, "A friend from afar, please sit first."
His opening words had a somewhat scholarly tone, but Li Chonglou did not underestimate him. It was impossible for him to manage a large family for so many years without some means.
After politely bowing in return, Li Chonglou then sat down with Yue Hai.
He got straight to the point, "Hello, my name is Li Chonglou, and I am Yu Ke's boss. I have come here today with two main purposes."
The old man was slightly surprised but nodded, "Feel free to speak your mind."
"First, I want to take Yu Ke back. She is just an ordinary person, and I don't think you should involve her in your affairs."
"Second, also because of Xiao Ke, I want to help you resolve this matter so that she has no worries."
The first point was relatively normal, but after Li Chonglou finished the second point, the old man's expression clearly changed.
His bushy white eyebrows furrowed tightly.
"My friend, sometimes it's better to be down-to-earth."
Li Chonglou smiled faintly, "I know the Patriarch might think I'm boasting. After all, I'm just the boss of a small company, and your Yu family is a respectable existence in Shangjing."
The confusion in the old man's eyes deepened.
Li Chonglou continued, "But no matter how complicated the situation is, the core is nothing more than one thing: you no longer have enough say. To put it bluntly, your deterrent force is insufficient."
The old man narrowed his eyes but did not respond.
"Regarding your affairs, I understand a little now. It seems everyone has their own opinions and reasons, and no one can convince the other, right?"
The old man was no longer calm. His stern eyes emitted a strong sense of vigilance.
"Who told you this!"
Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, the man in white, standing not far away, flashed beside the old man. Simultaneously, several auras almost instantly locked onto the two, and Yue Hai's expression also changed.
"Brother Li, be careful!"
Yue Hai instinctively stood up, also releasing his aura to be ready to react at any moment.
The previously harmonious atmosphere instantly became tense!
However, at this moment, Li Chonglou still had a smile on his face, his expression calm.
"Patriarch, please don't misunderstand. I only have a general idea of your affairs. What I said just now was just my personal guess, but it seems I was right."
Personal guess?
The vigilance in the old man's eyes did not relax, and he did not believe Li Chonglou's words.
Seeing this, Li Chonglou couldn't help but continue, "Don't be agitated yet, let me finish speaking."
The old man still did not speak, but the auras locking onto him had increased from one to four.
"It's not hard to guess. As one of the eight major families in Shangjing, the Yu family's current status is not achieved overnight; it's thanks to the efforts of all Yu family members."
"But I heard Yu Ke's sister, Sister Qing, say that you are now divided into four factions. If this has been the case all along, could your Yu family still maintain its current status?"
"Whether it's a family, a gang, or even a country, what maintains prosperity are usually two things: fist and money."
"A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. When it comes to money, you might have problems, but it shouldn't be to the point where you can't even manage your cash flow."
Li Chonglou's face held a hint of confidence. In fact, after confirming the Yu family's financial problems from Du Tian, he had already made a guess. To have the status of one of the eight great families relying solely on financial strength would undoubtedly be a fool's dream!
Moreover, a major family would not be without a fallback. Furthermore, if it were purely a commercial matter, then the other families, or even the ambitious sixteen families below them.
They would have already made their move!
However, in reality, there was no sign of any action from them!
Therefore, Li Chonglou had guessed at the time that the problem was likely internal, causing no significant change in external strength, but internally, at least there was no unity, which led to this situation: the financial problems were evident, yet no external force took the opportunity to act!
"And besides money, there is power. Thinking from this perspective, it shouldn't be difficult to guess the problem."
Only then did the vigilance in the old man's eyes relax considerably.
"Young man, you are very smart, but what help can you offer?"
The old man finally spoke again, but the surrounding auras did not dissipate.
Li Chonglou no longer beat around the bush and stated directly, "Patriarch, I have people. Although not many, it should be enough to help you stabilize the situation."
Yes, money is ultimately secondary; people, or power, are the primary things!
Li Chonglou was not clear about the true inner workings of the Yu family, but he had Chen Pao's team, and with himself, it should not be difficult to help the Patriarch stabilize the situation, as the Patriarch was not without resources.
It was just that he lacked manpower.
However, he overlooked one point.
The old man's face did not show much joy, only posing two questions.
"Young man, things are not as simple as you think. First, even if I can borrow people to suppress the situation, it's only a temporary relief, not a cure. Unless you can keep those people with me permanently."
"Second, if I were to borrow your strength, do you think they wouldn't have the channels to borrow people?"
Li Chonglou's expression froze. This was not something he hadn't considered, but if that were the case, why would Ning Qiu have asked him to come and talk as a free agent?
Moreover, the Patriarch was meeting him because of the free agent matter, which indicated that external help could be sought.
The Patriarch sighed and suddenly said, "Did Xiao Qiu send you here?"
Li Chonglou instantly felt something was wrong, but he knew too little. He just nodded honestly.
The Patriarch said with a troubled expression, "The reason I am meeting you is not because I need it now, but because I am looking for a fallback plan. I might need it in the future, but not now at least."