The past few months of the siege in Blackwater Forest had seen no shortage of clandestine maneuvers by the thirteen families against Li Qianfan.
Li Qianfan, however, remained noncommittal to their schemes.
Many people believed Li Qianfan to be too cowardly.
He endured constant ambushes, biting his tongue, much to the frustration of the onlookers.
This was because he had no choice!
The Li family was currently too conspicuous.
Li Nanfang had retreated to Emperor Valley for this very reason, avoiding any public appearance if possible.
Li Xiao resided in Dragon Ruins, not returning to the country unless absolutely necessary.
If Li Qianfan retaliated against the thirteen families' provocations with equal or even more aggressive measures, what would be the outcome?
One only needed to look at the current state of the Du and Xu families to know.
Li Qianfan was different from his grandfather, Li Nanfang, and even more so from his father, Li Xiao.
Li Nanfang and Li Xiao, in their youth, had been reckless in pursuing their ambitions.
Anyone who dared to provoke them would be met with brutal retribution.
Setting aside Li Nanfang, consider Li Xiao.
Twenty years ago, several prominent domestic families were wiped out by Li Xiao.
But Li Qianfan could not act in such a manner.
As the world's most elite second-generation heir, he had been rigorously disciplined since childhood by Yang Xiao and Li Wujiang, only being released to marry Du Junlin when he reached the appropriate age.
"You can be a bully overseas, but if you dare to victimize people domestically, your legs will be broken!"
"Before engaging in brute force, use your brain."
"Every move you make represents the Li family and Dragon Ruins. Your correct decisions will guide the Li family and Dragon Ruins. Your wrong decisions, even if the Li family and Dragon Ruins disagree, will force them to follow you to the bitter end. Because you are the village chief of Li Family Village, the heir of Dragon Ruins. A born leader!"
"If you explode at the slightest provocation, unable to endure, how will you lead Dragon Ruins to stand firm amidst a perilous world?"
"You can be arrogant, but you must learn to endure!"
"Look at the leaders of the world's major powers; their ability to endure is exemplary. Why do the forces they lead remain unyielding?"
"To trample anyone you dislike is the behavior of a thug on the streets."
"A qualified Dragon Lord must possess not only the composure to remain unfazed when Mount Tai collapses before them, but also the immense patience of a divine turtle."
"Still, like the blazing sun."
"In motion, the heavens and earth change color!"
All of the above—
Were not only the constant admonitions of Yang Xiao and others to Li Qianfan, but also the fundamental principles a top-tier young master must understand.
The kind of behavior where one retaliates against a daytime offense with a nighttime massacre is only suitable for the brainless.
The satisfaction of settling scores overnight is exhilarating.
But what about one's influence and how others perceive them?
A true young master must consider all aspects before acting, and possess a grand vision of "Will my actions bring harm to the Eastern Land?"!!
Domestically—
Drawing a sword at the slightest disagreement is the act of a street thug, not a young master.
True top-tier young masters domestically are incredibly low-key, even acting with their tails between their legs!
If the thirteen families were to act against Li Qianfan overseas, would they dare?!
Alexander, the great patriarch of the Moses family, was so powerful, yet because of a minor indiscretion involving matchmaking, one of the twelve guards, Salaye, became a dead man.
Li Qianfan dared to kill the guard of the great patriarch of the Moses family, and even dared to harm Alexander's wife and grandson. Would he fear the thirteen families?!
"To be arrogant in the West is true arrogance. To be arrogant in the East is foolish!"
This was the Li family's upbringing.
Therefore.
When Li Qianfan was ambushed domestically, as long as the aggressor's actions did not pose a substantial threat to him or those around him, he would concede.
Li Qianfan also knew.
How the thirteen families treated him, and how he treated the thirteen families, were all observed and remembered by the wise individuals of the Eastern Land!
The kind of brainless young masters who dared to trample everything in the Eastern Land without regard for others only existed in novels.
In reality—
If those brainless young masters dared to defy the heavens of the Eastern Land and trample upon others, just try it!
They wouldn't even know how they died!!
On one's own territory, conceding when one is not significantly disadvantaged is not a shameful act.
The wise individuals of the Eastern Land, observing this, would not allow the "honest people" to suffer endlessly.
Otherwise—
When Li Qianfan directly killed Xu Zhentian and others by throwing them off cliffs, and hanged Du Liang and others, why did none of those wise individuals appear?
Why was there no news online, and why was Si Jiu still peaceful and tranquil?
It was because those wise individuals tacitly approved of Li Qianfan's actions!
Or, perhaps, those wise individuals all felt: "Little one, it's time you were spanked."
Li Qianfan killed eight people from the Xu family, seven from the Du family, and four employees of the international division in a single day, yet faced no repercussions.
That evening, he visited CEO Zhao's home, and Zhao's grandmother treated him like a cherished grandson, not mentioning what he had done during the day.
Why?
Because he was not one of those brainless young masters who dared to trample everything in the Eastern Land!
This was also why CEO Zhao asked Li Qianfan if he intended to take further action against the twelve families.
Li Qianfan frankly replied that he could no longer tolerate it and intended to act against the twelve families.
CEO Zhao fell silent.
After a long pause.
CEO Zhao waved his hand, "You go out first and talk to the women at home."
Li Qianfan immediately stood up and quickly left the study.
CEO Zhao lit a cigarette and stood by the window, gazing at the night view outside, motionless for a long time.
Only when his granddaughter, Mengmeng, knocked on the door and called him to dinner did CEO Zhao respond with a hum and pick up the receiver.
As soon as the call connected.
Zhao, who dared to scold Li Wujiang harshly, instinctively bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Elder, have you had dinner? That Li family brat is at my house right now, entertaining my wife."
Who was on the other end of the phone?
Or rather, how many people in the entire Eastern Land were qualified to elicit such a subordinate attitude from CEO Zhao, meticulously reporting on his conversation with Li Qianfan?
Only Li Qianfan—
Was qualified to have the person on the other end of the line listen to CEO Zhao recount his affairs!
Those young masters who dared to trample everything in the Eastern Land, disregarding the overall interests?
The grass on their graves was already three feet high!!
After a full ten minutes.
The person on the other end of the line slowly said, "If the brat consistently remembers that the interests of the Eastern Land come first, let him have his way this time. It's not good to always let someone's child be bullied."
"Understood."
CEO Zhao smiled and said, "The brat's personal life domestically is a bit messy. At such a young age, he shows a lot of his father's style."
Heh heh.
The person on the other end of the phone also smiled and said, "The interests of the Eastern Land come first."
The interests of the Eastern Land—
Come first!!
These eight characters were enough to explain much.
In other words: "As long as it benefits the Eastern Land, do whatever you want! You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it grass."
"Alright. I understand. Get some rest early."
After CEO Zhao finished speaking and waited for the other party to hang up, he slowly put down the receiver.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced back and forth a few times, then picked up the receiver again.
He dialed.
The call connected instantly.
CEO Zhao stood tall, his voice not loud, but capable of conveying invisible pressure to the other party.
A few minutes later.
CEO Zhao's eyes flashed, "Feng Linzhi, who specifically went to Tiandong to spend the night with Jiao Yin to humiliate Li Qianfan, his eldest son Feng Hanyu is getting married soon?"
The person on the other end of the line replied affirmatively, "Yes!"
CEO Zhao then asked, "Miao Laotai is holding a full moon celebration for his great-grandson?"
The person on the other end of the line, again, affirmed, "Yes!"
CEO Zhao's third question, "The old man of the Yao family is celebrating his birthday?"
The person on the other end of the line, for the third time, responded affirmatively, "Yes!"
Who knew—
That the recent activities of the thirteen prominent families, currently in a period of ascendancy, were under the close scrutiny of certain individuals?
"I know."
CEO Zhao finished speaking and hung up the phone.
He clasped his hands behind his back and paced back and forth again.
Muttering to himself, "Strike down, support, balance. Zhang San seeks death, and he dies. After Zhang San dies, Li Si must appear. The Xu family and Du family disappeared, and the Yao family or some other family will emerge. This is the trend of the times, and it is the only way to conform to the overall interests. After all, no one can guarantee that the Li family will not degenerate if they become too dominant. Nor can anyone believe that the Li family will remain unchanged forever."
Who was CEO Zhao calling?
What was he muttering to himself about?
Li Qianfan, of course, did not know.
He had merely shared a few drinks with Grandma Zhao and the others. After he had eaten and drunk his fill, CEO Zhao kicked him out the door.
"Get lost. Remember, after you finish what you need to do, go to Dark Blade immediately and complete the onboarding procedures. If you dare to refuse, I'll kick you to death!"
CEO Zhao had also reported to that wise individual about sending Li Qianfan to Dark Blade to serve as a junior secretary to Deputy Manager Su.
That wise individual had not offered any opinion on the matter.
This indicated his approval of CEO Zhao's arrangements.
Upon hearing CEO Zhao's words, Li Qianfan understood.
There were both joys and concerns.
The joy was—
He could do what he wanted, and no one would stop him, no matter how much he stirred things up. Instead, many would secretly clean up his messes.
The concern was—
He would ultimately have to serve as an in-service secretary for Aunt Nanyin!
When Li Qianfan was kicked out by CEO Zhao, he tossed him a pack of cigarettes as a return gift for bringing fruits to visit.
Li Qianfan rubbed his backside and quickly hurried downstairs, opening the pack of cigarettes.
Inside was a note.
After reading the contents, Li Qianfan directly put the note in his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it.
CEO Zhao stood by the window, watching Li Qianfan's car leave before picking up the phone.
Soon.
Su Nanyin's voice came through the receiver, "Is Li Qianfan with you?"
"As expected of Su Nan Guanyin, I just called you and you guessed it."
CEO Zhao exclaimed with admiration, "Your job for the next few days is to continue cleaning up after that brat. After you're done, immediately put a leash on him. If he dares to cause trouble again, I'll hold you accountable!"