Yan Bin was dead!
Li Hanlong had smashed his head into a pulp with a single palm strike.
The adopted son he had raised for over twenty years had become a corpse under his hand.
He didn't even want to hear any explanations; he wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys and finish this brat off.
Looking at the stunned Li Duo'er, Li Hanlong finally felt a surge of pleasure. "Duo'er, watch carefully. This is the consequence of betraying me."
"You are my niece, so I'll let this slide this time."
"Don't learn from Yan Bin in the future. He's already dead."
Watching Li Duo'er's face turn pale and her body go limp as she collapsed to the ground, Li Hanlong turned with a somber expression and strode away.
A few minutes later, Li Duo'er struggled to crawl to Yan Bin's side.
There were no tears in her eyes; she just stared at him blankly.
Looking at the face she had found detestable since childhood, she suddenly realized her heart was empty.
It felt like a piece was missing.
She wanted to cry but couldn't. The feeling was as if a piece of flesh had been gouged out from her heart.
She just sat there quietly.
Li Chonglou, already in Lin Ying's car, was unaware of Yan Bin's death.
His mind was solely focused on Qin Zhou.
He took Lin Ying's phone and began dialing his mother's number.
Even though he knew Xu Lie had been seriously injured and hospitalized, he still held onto a sliver of hope.
The call wouldn't connect!
He then tried Jiang Yuxin.
Still no connection!
Li Chonglou's forehead began to drip with sweat from anxiety.
No matter how calm a person was, when it came to matters of his mother's life, even if he was as steady as a mountain, he would begin to crumble.
Lin Ying sat in the driver's seat, watching silently. She knew most of what had happened and was wondering how to break the news to Li Chonglou.
What would his junior disciple do if he knew his mother and wife had been kidnapped?
After several failed attempts to reach his mother, Li Chonglou tried to recall Lu Yunxu's number.
Finally, it connected.
"Yunxu, it's me, Li Chonglou!"
"Brother Li... *sob sob sob*..." Hearing Li Chonglou's voice, Lu Yunxu immediately broke down in tears.
She had been filled with anxiety during Li Chonglou's disappearance these past few days.
As expected, the Lu and Jiang families had faced continuous suppression. To find a way out, she had no choice but to endure hardship everywhere in Yong'an.
Having been pampered since childhood, when had she ever experienced such a blow?
So, the moment she heard Li Chonglou's voice, the grievances she had suppressed for so many days could no longer be contained.
"Don't cry. Do you know what happened to Yuxin and my mother?" Li Chonglou didn't know what had happened, but he knew Lu Yunxu's personality.
She was strong, proud, and competitive.
Unless it was an accident, she would never show such a vulnerable side to him.
His heart grew even more anxious.
"I... I don't know. Yuxin and I haven't spoken in days... I'm in Yong'an now..." Lu Yunxu stifled her sobs and asked, "Brother Li, where are you now? I've been worried sick."
Li Chonglou's return instantly filled her with a sense of security.
For such a long time, Li Chonglou seemed capable of anything.
No matter how great the difficulty, he would overcome it.
"I'm also in Yong'an. Let's meet somewhere, and then I'll head back to Qin Zhou!" Li Chonglou said, glancing at Lin Ying.
"The coffee shop on the first floor of the Hilton," Lin Ying suggested a location.
After hanging up the phone, they drove straight to the Hilton.
As they drove, Lin Ying said, "Junior disciple, you don't actually need to go back to Qin Zhou."
"Jiang Yuxin and your mother are both in Yong'an."
Li Chonglou's eye twitched violently. "Were they brought here by Li Hanlong?"
As expected!
Although he didn't want to believe it, after Xu Lie's incident, how could his mother be safe?
That scoundrel, Li Hanlong.
His mother had only recently recovered from surgery and couldn't even engage in strenuous activity.
Yet, he didn't care about her life.
What a scoundrel!
Li Chonglou was consumed by immense rage.
His mother was his absolute bottom line, and he would never allow anyone to touch her.
If Li Hanlong dared to harm a single hair on her head, he vowed to exterminate his entire clan!
Never before had Li Chonglou felt such intense killing intent.
If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have fled earlier.
"Yes and no, calm down first," Lin Ying quickly said, sensing Li Chonglou's exploding emotions. "The Donglin Pawnshop was smashed. My father sent word to me, and I traced it all the way to Yong'an."
"That's how I found out about your mother and Jiang Yuxin being kidnapped."
"The people who carried out the deed were indeed Li Hanlong's subordinates."
"But after they arrived in Yong'an, they were secretly sent elsewhere. The clues ran dry, and I couldn't track them."
"Likely, only Li Hanlong knows their whereabouts."
Lin Ying's voice held a hint of self-reproach.
After all, protecting Li Chonglou was her father's responsibility, but now Li Chonglou's family was missing, and she couldn't find them.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Li Chonglou's eyes widened in anger, his voice loud. "Turn the car around."
In both his past and present lives, this was the first time he had spoken to Lin Ying in such a tone.
He was indeed very angry.
He was angry that Lin Ying hadn't told him about this when facing Li Hanlong.
If he had known then, he would have fought them to the death.
Now, he would have to go back and confront him.
Lin Ying seemed not to hear him, driving the car straight ahead.
She definitely wasn't going to turn back. If Li Chonglou fell into Li Hanlong's hands, it would mean either death or coercion.
His father was wary of him, limiting his ability to act freely.
Especially now that he had found a clue about the base of Shi Boqiong, he couldn't let Li Chonglou fall back into the tiger's mouth.
"Sister, stop the car!" Li Chonglou's tone became commanding.
Lin Ying was someone he respected, but not someone he feared.
In his past and present lives, he had met countless influential figures, even foreign leaders had to treat him as an equal.
Lin Ying's actions at this moment had already made him quite displeased.
"Shut up!" Lin Ying was not one to be easily swayed. Seeing Li Chonglou's anger, her face turned cold. "If you dare think about going back to find Li Hanlong again, I'll confine you."
"Your current strength is still far from mine. Don't force me."
"If you want to save your mother and wife, you have to listen to me."
"This matter behind the scenes is far more complicated than you think!"
"I already know the whereabouts of Shi Boqiong's base."
Her approach was blunt and direct.
Lin Ying's style was not that of a delicate lady; she was always decisive and efficient, treating everyone the same.
Li Chonglou was sentimental, but she couldn't let him act rashly due to emotion and go to his death.
Besides, if they were with Li Hanlong, would she not be able to find them?
Behind Li Hanlong, there must be an overwhelmingly powerful figure who could manipulate everything.
Otherwise, the Xiao family wouldn't be under his control.
"I..." Li Chonglou was speechless.
Sister was indeed his senior sister. He couldn't defeat her and couldn't even win an argument.
What else could he do?
However, his senior sister's words also helped his heated mind cool down.
The entire affair seemed simple: first, he was kidnapped, and then a series of events unfolded.
The unfathomable Li Hanlong made him feel powerless.
But being in the midst of it then, he couldn't figure out why Li Hanlong had captured him.
To threaten his master?
Was he really that important?
Only now did he realize that this entire matter revolved around Shi Boqiong.