The Auction Venue

After calming himself down, he murmured, "If only it were all just a dream..."

After lying in bed in a daze for a while, he suddenly clenched his fists, rallied his will, and said firmly, "I will never let this tragedy repeat itself!"

Following his usual routine, Lin Qingxiang got up, washed, and went to the library. Just as he was about to begin his daily cultivation, he received a notification from his master, asking him to attend an important meeting.

Upon entering the secret chamber, he met his master and the young man who Grandmaster Candidate. He remembered that the young man's name was Si Ming. As soon as he entered the room, he heard Si Ming complaining. "She called us to a meeting so early in the morning, while she herself was still sleeping in bed. Is there no justice in this world?"

Recalling the information she had read, the other person seemed to be her younger sister's childhood sweetheart. Lin Qingxiang felt a slight pang of jealousy, but quickly suppressed it and stepped forward to ask, "You and Qingqing are childhood friends, right?"

Si Ming nodded and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"How has Qingqing been all these years?"

"That depends on what the standard for 'good' is. Compared to those spoiled children of officials and the wealthy, she is undoubtedly somewhat lonely, but compared to those impoverished children who can't even get enough to eat, at least she doesn't have to worry about food, clothing, and shelter."

Lin Qingxiang wholeheartedly agreed. To expect a child without a father to have a happy childhood was clearly asking too much, so she asked, "Has she ever been bullied? Like at school?"

"If you want to bully someone, you at least need to find someone to do it. This is too difficult," Si Ming smiled. "Don't worry, although she's never been a star student at school, she's never been bullied either. Sometimes people forget about her, but it's not intentional isolation. Her grades have always been above average. She's an ordinary student who's neither outstanding nor a burden to the class."

"Is she happy?"

"That's a question for her to answer. You can't know what's going on in someone else's life. I can't say for sure if she's happy, but at least she's lived a peaceful and safe life, without encountering any danger."

Lin Qingxiang sighed, "Peace is all that matters. Peace is the greatest happiness."

Si Ming couldn't help but ask, "Since you care about her so much, why don't you go and ask her yourself?"

Lin Qingxiang paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I did things that deeply wronged her in the past, betraying her trust. I have no face to face her again."

Si Ming said with exasperation, "If that's the case, then you should talk to her and apologize to her face to face. As a grown man, you don't even have the courage to apologize, do you? From my perspective, she doesn't actually dislike you that much. On the contrary, she still wants to communicate with you as her older brother. Why do you keep avoiding her? Isn't doing this just deepening the hurt you cause her?"

Lin Qingxiang said with a wry smile, "Things aren't as simple as you think; there's more to the story."

"Perhaps you're overthinking it. Maybe you have your reasons, but why not choose honesty? Don't talk about white lies; lies are always selfish. Their essence is distrust of others, believing that the other person cannot accept the truth, so you take it upon yourself to conceal it. I'm not saying that selfishness is always wrong, but you have to consider Liu Qingqing's feelings. If you truly care about her, trust her a little more. She's not a child anymore; she's fully capable of facing the truth. Stop treating her like a child."

Lin Qingxiang was stunned for a moment, as if he had been struck on the head. He suddenly realized something: all these years, he seemed to have been immersed in the past and had not moved forward with time. Just like the dream he had last night, he was trapped in it and could not break free.

But just because you're not making progress doesn't mean others aren't.

When his younger sister was little, Lin Qingxiang was worried that she wouldn't be able to keep the secret and might accidentally let it slip, ruining their father's reputation. He was also afraid that she would become rebellious and the more he forbade her to be exposed to the technique, the more she would want to cultivate. If he couldn't keep an eye on her and she secretly read the "Illusory Moth Killing Art," he would be betraying his father's dying wish. Therefore, Lin Qingxiang chose to conceal the truth and not tell his younger sister the facts.

More than ten years have passed since then. The little girl who was once adorned with delicate features has now grown into a graceful young woman. Moreover, she has passed the Mohist Knight Guard's test, proving that she has the ability to stand on her own.

Perhaps it's time to tell her the truth...

"You seem to know something inside?"

Lin Qingxiang could tell something was amiss and cast a suspicious glance at his master.

Zhu Hao quickly defended himself. "I didn't reveal your secret. You know I'm a very principled person, and I absolutely keep my mouth shut."

Lin Qingxiang laid out the bait. "Master, you are the leader of the Black Earth Gang. Even if it's leaked, there's nothing I can do about it."

Zhu Hao wasn't about to fall for it. "Does having power mean you can be willful? Does having power mean you can leak information at will? The country entrusted me with such an important position, of course I have to live up to the country and the people! Apprentice, no offense, but your ideological awareness still needs improvement."

Si Ming immediately betrayed his teammate. "That's right, Senior Zhu didn't tell me anything, he just showed me 'The Scroll of Darkness,' and then I deduced it myself."

Zhu Hao panicked and said, "I think what you're saying is hilarious, young comrade. How can you put money in my refrigerator and then falsely accuse me of embezzlement?"

Lin Qingxiang still didn't understand what was going on. After all, his master meant well, so he couldn't blame him.

Si Ming added, "I believe that caring for one's family is something to be very proud of, and there should be no shame in it. Holding your head high and speaking out with dignity is the right attitude."

Lin Qingxiang said, "What you said makes sense, but let's wait another two years, at least until she comes of age... no, let's wait until she has someone she likes, until love attracts her attention, then she might not care about martial arts manuals anymore."

Thinking of this, he looked at Si Ming with curiosity. "Speaking of which, it seems that your younger sister only has you as a male friend. You grew up together, childhood sweethearts, inseparable since you were little. Don't you have any feelings for her?"

"Uh... why did this come up?"

Si Ming had initially thought Lin Qingxiang was a sister-obsessed brother, but now it seemed he had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards. The other party was a genuinely caring older brother who looked after his sister, with a very pure mind, unlike Jiang Zhengtai, Pan De, Doctor Bladder, and that bunch of filthy gods.

"I'm not exaggerating, but even putting aside my brotherly bias, I have to admit that my little sister is a pure and lovely beauty, completely different from my wild and rude second sister. You'd better make the most of this, and don't make excuses like 'getting too close will prevent feelings from developing,' that's just being pretentious! If you feel a connection, confess immediately, don't drag it out. Anyway, even if you get rejected, it won't hurt you, and success is a bonus..."

It must be admitted that once Lin Qingxiang, this cold-faced man, becomes warm, the sense of oppression he brings is unparalleled, and even Si Ming finds it hard to bear.

Fortunately, Yu Shuying arrived late and rescued him.

Upon arrival, this person immediately asked, "If we kill Huyan Lie, what will the Nation of Valor reaction be?"

Chapter 241 Auction Venue

"If Huyan Lie were to die, Nation of Valor would probably be secretly delighted, but publicly condemn him severely, after all, Huyan Lie held a position in the Nation of Valor military."

After thinking about it, Zhu Hao reminded, "National struggle is no better than a vendetta. You can't just take advantage of the truth to settle your grudges. All aspects of political factors must be considered. If Hu Yanlie died in the hands of the Russians, the UK would have nothing to say. In fact, including us, we have violated Russia's sovereignty. Revenge is unreasonable in international ethics. At most, we can use force to force the other party to bow. But once Hu Yanlie dies in our hands, the UK will make a big fuss."

Si Ming understood somewhat. It was like this: if a Nation of Beauty officer died at the hands of locals in Iraq, there was no other way but to fight back. Shouting "How could you resist?" would only make people laugh. But if Nation of Beauty officer died at the hands of China soldiers, then things would be much more serious.

This is the advantage of having an official status; the state becomes your backer, and others have to consider the consequences of offending a country before they can take action against you. If Huyan Lie had just been an ordinary civilian who had not been recruited by the Nation of Valor government, killing him would have been fine, and the Nation of Valor would not have been able to make a fuss about it.

Of course, if Siming and others do not have official status in the Su Kingdom, they can also attack Hu Yanlie. When the British question him, Su Guo can pretend that he has no knowledge and that this is a Jianghu vendetta. When Siming and others hide in the country, even if the British are not angry, they will not be able to send troops into the Su Kingdom. They can only issue a pursuit order and retaliate through Jianghu means.

Yu Shuying nodded and said, "I have similar concerns. Once Huyan Lie dies, Nation of Valor can send another Spirit Transformation expert to lead the Thousand-Ren Society. At that time, as long as they raise the banner of Huyan Lie, the Thousand-Ren Society united, and we may not be able to gain the upper hand."

Huyan Lie established his own power base abroad, completely ignoring domestic government orders, and acted like a local tyrant. The Nation of Valor high command had long disliked him, but they couldn't do anything about it for the time being. Turning against him would do more harm than good, but if he died, Nation of Valor could take over the Thousand-Ren Society with a legitimate reason.

Yu Shuying continued, "Conversely, if we only Huyan Lie without killing him, and if Nation of Valor dares to send someone to take over the Thousand-Ren Society, it will inevitably face full resistance from the elders of the society. Huyan Lie will also be unwilling to hand over his years of hard work. Conflict between the two sides is inevitable, and we can sit back and watch the tigers fight. No matter who wins or loses in the end, the Thousand-Ren Society inevitably suffer Primal Qi."

Zhu Hao agreed, "This is a good suggestion. If Huyan Lie is not dead, Nation of Valor will have no reason to condemn us. It's perfectly normal for people to get injured in gang fights. Only children who can't accept defeat will ask their parents to stand up for them. For us, a living Huyan Lie more advantageous than a dead one."