It's Too Late

"I'm curious, how exactly did you two become enemies?" Qing Chen asked, somewhat puzzled. "Logically speaking, since you're both Master's people, shouldn't you be more united?"

"Unite with him?" Li Dongze sneered. "I've known him for over ten years, and in those ten years he's stood me up 51 times. Unite with him?"

Qing Chen thought to himself, "So it turns out to be a legacy issue."

"Jiang Xiaotang was also adopted by Master, right? Su Xingzhi also seems to be an orphan adopted by Master. So why doesn't Jiang Xiaotang know Su Xingzhi?" Qing Chen wondered.

"Su Xingzhi is not the boss's adopted child," Li Dongze glanced at Qing Chen. "His identity is a bit special. When he was a child, the boss sent him to live with other people's families. Apart from a few of us who were the first orphans adopted by the boss, no one else knew about his existence."

Qing Chen became curious. Could Su Xingzhi have some unique background?

Li Dongze asked curiously, "Young boss, shouldn't you be at the Banshan Manor? How come you're here? Do you have free access to the Li Family Manor now?"

"Hmm," Qing Chen didn't answer the question, but instead asked, "How did Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen perform?"

"I've now returned some of the accounts receivable to them," Li Dongze said. "I wanted to see what they were capable of, and so far they seem pretty good. Zhang Tianzhen is shameless and ruthless, which is suitable for our line of work. However, Hu Xiaoniu is open and honest, and he's fair and just when distributing profits to his subordinates, which makes him more respected. The young boss has a good eye for talent, choosing these two partners for Heng Society."

"Why give this business?" Qing Chen, puzzled.

"Because this is actually the most difficult," Li Dongze said. "If it were just fighting between gangs, all you would need to do is have guts. But debt collection is different. The people you collect money from may not be bad people. They may be good people who are just forced to take out high-interest loans."

After Li Dongze explained it this way, Qing Chen understood where the difficulty lay in this business...

It is easy to use evil to control evil, but it is a test of one's character and methods to use evil to control good.

Li Dongze said, "Small business owners, don't worry about them. If they can't get through this, they won't be able to enter this industry. Put your conscience aside for now, and understand how helpless this world can be before you worry about anything else."

"So how did you handle this kind of business back then?" Qing Chen asked, curious about Li Dongze's character.

Li Dongze thought for a moment and said, "The hardest debt to collect before was from an old man who borrowed money to save his wife's life. Although he managed to raise the money for the medical expenses, his wife still couldn't be saved."

"Are you going to get this money back?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

"They're coming back," Li Dongze said. "I sold their son to the Qing family as a servant; the Qing family paid for it. Boss, you might expect me to tell you a clever way to get the money back without hurting them, but there's no perfect solution to these things. Heng Society's interest rates are already the lowest among all the federal organizations, only slightly higher than the five major banks. I can't turn the organization into a charity foundation. I'm not making excuses; that's just how life is. If you think this is wrong, then come with me and change the world from the ground up. Until that day comes, I don't want to be a good person."

Qing Chen seemed to be deep in thought.

He changed back into Zard's appearance and walked out of the Unending Club.

Li Dongze stared at the boy's retreating figure, lost in thought.

He glanced at his phone and then sent a voice message: "Did you see the photos I posted? You didn't take any pictures with them, did you?"

Countdown: 162:00:00.

At 6 a. m., Li Ke, along with his students and the Li family elites who had just returned to the Banshan Manor, began to run.

There were eight students, twelve elite soldiers from the Li family army, plus Li Yinuo and Nan Gengchen, for a total of Twenty-Two.

Each of them had already learned from the Privy Council what was about to happen, but they didn't know when it would happen.

In the Banshan Manor, when they passed by a certain villa, the sound of their footsteps would startle the people inside, causing quite a few people to gather around and watch.

Unlike Li Shu, Li Ke and the others were not hothouse flowers still in school, but rather the true rising stars of this family who had seen the world.

So when people see these people in the crowd, they can't help but have some doubts.

The outside world is saying that Li Shu and his men left the army to return to the Banshan Manor for funeral arrangements.

Many people in the Li family know that the old man's health is indeed failing, but Li Shu and the others don't seem to be holding a funeral. They've clearly only come back because of that tutor!

This makes one wonder, what exactly could that tutor teach?

Actually, it's not hard to guess. What else could a Martial Lecture Hall instructor have besides orthodox training methods that would get the Privy Council to endorse him? Besides, there's no other martial artist who could make a powerful conglomerate mobilize so much.

It should be noted that cultivation strength is secondary for many members of conglomerates; what many people dream of is the extra lifespan brought about by orthodox cultivation methods—an increase in lifespan without any side effects!

In fact, the booklets recording the Zhunti Method also contain the corresponding records: The Zhunti Method is a supreme esoteric method that connects the five divisions of Buddhism. Every person who receives initiation and practices the Zhunti Method will have their lifespan increased by twenty-one years, the length of which they will know for themselves.

In other words, from the moment Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, and Li Tongyun completed their first Xiao Zhou and received the initiation, their lifespans were directly increased by 21 years. As for the exact increase, 21 years is the minimum; anything beyond that depends entirely on individual aptitude and cultivation strength.

This orthodox method of spiritual practice can drive people mad.

The problem is, how rare are orthodox methods of cultivation? Where did that young instructor find them?

At this moment, someone remembered that when the instructor named Qing Chen first arrived, someone had investigated and said that he was a gene warrior working for Li Changqing.

Would someone with a legitimate cultivation method inject themselves with gene-enhancing drugs?!

However, the Privy Council certainly wouldn't make a mistake.

Thus, Qing Chen's origins and identity became even more mysterious.

After finishing his run, Li Ke headed straight for Zhixin Courtyard.

Two chubby boys were waiting at the door. Upon seeing Li Ke, they asked, "Weren't you inside the Autumn Leaf Villa last night when we were kneeling outside?"

Li Ke glanced at the two of them and said, "Hmm."

One of the chubby boys asked again, "Then why didn't you persuade the sir to open the door? Do you know we've been kneeling for over two hours!"

Li Ke did not retaliate for the sake of a momentary verbal exchange; he simply said calmly, "It's time for class."

"Traitor! The Li family members are not united with their brothers and sisters, but instead help an outsider," the chubby boy said coldly.

Li Ke calmly looked over. "Go ask your parents if they dare to say such things to the Privy Council."

Yesterday, Li Ke suffered a great injustice at school.

Today, his classmates still treated him coldly, but for some reason, Li Ke no longer felt any pain.

Just then, more than ten people walked in from outside the school; they were none other than Li Shu and his officers who had returned from the army.

Li Shu glanced at the chubby boy and said with a smile, "Remember this: if anyone dares to make things difficult for the eight of us who run with us again, I'll go to their house, hang them from a tree, and beat them up. Go back and tell your parents that it was me Li Shu, who said it."

The chubby boy shuddered. Li Shu was notorious in City No. 18 a few years ago and was also lawless in the school.

The Privy Council issued a special directive forbidding him from attending school again.

Uncle Li's parents were also heartless, sending him directly to the Federation Group Army to start from the bottom as a low-ranking soldier.

Other members of the Li family studied at military academies for several years, and upon graduation, they became junior officers, and within a few years, they became senior officers.

Li Shu, having worked his way up to the rank of lieutenant in the army over the years, had tempered his temperament and was thus brought back into the family's selection process, even being transferred to his uncle's command.

In a conglomerate, transferring a member to work under one of their own is a very clear signal: the family is preparing to promote you quickly.

After several years of experience, Li Shu is no longer the reckless Tuanzi of a conglomerate heir he once was.

But these infamous figures are the most intimidating to the chubby boy.

Li Shu patted Li Ke on the shoulder with a smile, saying, "From now on, we'll all be fellow disciples. Speaking of which, you're the senior disciple. If you need anything, just tell us. We're the best at fighting."

Li Ke was stunned. How did he become the senior brother? He was clearly one of the youngest.

However, Li Shu and the others didn't say anything, and left after warning the students at the school.

Zhou Xingwen, the math teacher hiding in the classroom, had a headache. "Why is that bastard Li Shu back too? Looks like he's planning to become Qing Chen's apprentice?!"

In the morning, Qing Chen slowly walked towards Longhu Lake, where the old man was already waiting.

Hearing his footsteps, the old man sighed without turning his head, "You really don't intend to let a single Dragon Fish in this lake go."

The old man's mournful voice seemed to say, "You knights really don't do anything right."

Qing Chen laughed and said, "I'm taking this for the next generation of the Li family to eat; I have no selfish motives!"

The old man asked curiously, "I heard that after you ate nine Dragon Fish, your bones trembled like thunder, and your hair grew back after it fell out, as if a god had descended to earth. Is that true?"

Qing Chen was taken aback. "That's what Li Ke said?"

"Hmm," the old man was essentially admitting that Li Ke was a member of the Li family whom he had specially arranged to inherit the path of knighthood, because only Li Ke had seen the scene of his hair falling out and growing back. "But you don't need to worry about anything. When I asked him about these things, he hesitated for a long time before speaking, and told me that this was the last time, and he couldn't let you down... he was siding with outsiders."

Qing Chen asked curiously, "Why are you so insistent on having a knight emerge from the Li family?"

"It's not just me who's persistent, but generations have been so persistent," the old man sighed. "Our ancestor was a knight, Li Yingyun, the father of the founder of the Li family. With such a figure in the family, the romantic gene is hidden in the blood of the Li family."

"Romantic?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"Romance isn't just about romantic love," the old man said. "True romance is doing what you know is impossible, it's about all the natural beauty and wonder of the world. Compared to these, romantic love is inferior."

Qing Chen curled his lip. "You're just Hu Shuo."

The old man glared at Qing Chen, who was sitting on a small stool beside him. "How dare you speak to your elders like that!"

"Please continue," Qing Chen said with a smile.

The old man said, "It used to be almost a tradition for the Li Corporation to produce a knight in every generation, and the Li family has always had a good relationship with the knight leader. However, it became too difficult to become a knight later on, and the Li family even went through several generations without one. I once had the opportunity to become a knight, but my father died young, having only three children. Later, my Old Three became a teacher and a painter, and as the eldest son, I had to give up the position because if I didn't take over, the power would fall into other hands."

Qing Chen thought to himself, "So that's how it is."

The old man continued with a sigh, "Hearing about your reaction after eating the Dragon Fish has rekindled my longing for the vast world outside. If I were to become a knight, I would probably be able to see many places in my lifetime. My biggest regret in life is that I couldn't see the real Dragon Lake. Your master's master told me that it shimmers like a sapphire embedded in the earth; I couldn't enter Forbidden Zone No. 002 and take a nap under the roots of that towering tree; I couldn't listen to the golden light and shadow tell stories of the past in Forbidden Zone 001. Isn't it strange that at the last moment of my life, I'm not thinking about the wonderful things I've enjoyed, but about the regrets of never having had them?"

"As the Head of the Li Clan, you can go wherever you want now," Qing Chen said.

The old man shook his head. "No, it's too late."

For some reason, Qing Chen suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He knew what the old man meant by "too late."

The old man chuckled and said, "I'll share a secret with you for free this time. There are three rules for Forbidden Zone No. 10. First, you can't argue; if someone insults you, you have to accept it. Second, you must kill one animal every day. Third, at midnight on the first day after you enter, tell Forbidden Zone a secret that only you know."

The old man said, "The last rule was formed after the deaths of cultivators from the Hu Corporation Intelligence Agency. They spent their lives searching for other people's secrets, and even in death, they didn't let themselves go. Sometimes, we talk about the rules of Forbidden Zone, which are actually the curses that extraordinary people have brought to the world. One day, those endless Forbidden Zone will engulf the world and bring the curse to everyone."

"The Dragon Fish was the one the knight caught in Forbidden Zone No. 10, right?" Qing Chen asked. "You're not telling me this with good intentions. You clearly want me to help Li Ke catch the last Dragon Fish."

"Just helping Li Ke?" the old man said with a smile. "You'll have many apprentices in the future, won't each have nine rules?"

Qing Chen sighed, "You really want me to thoroughly clean up Forbidden Zone No. 10."

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly remembered his conversation with Li Dongze yesterday, and he asked, "Grandpa, do you think that human nature is inherently good or inherently evil?"

The old man calmly said, "Human nature is inherently evil, but it tends towards good."

Qing Chen asked curiously, "So, do you think there are more good people or bad people in this world?"

The old man glanced at him and chuckled, "There are no good or bad people. Everyone has evil thoughts in their hearts, it's just that some people hide them well, and some people hide them shallowly. When the Heartless Bronze Bell was first hung in Baopu Tower, it rang non-stop all day long, and I was completely dumbfounded at the time."

"Huh?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled. "Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Of course, who in this world is without evil in their heart? Those servants and doctors who serve me, who doesn't gossip about me behind my back? If I really took it to heart, this Banshan Manor would have become a living hell long ago, with corpses buried under the garden."

"Then why is the Heartless Bronze Bell in Baopu Tower no longer ringing?" Qing Chen curiously.

"Because I keep it quiet. Only experts of B-Class or higher approach it to judge good and evil," the old man said. "Therefore, the servants working inside won't trigger it. In the past twenty years, the Heartless Bronze Bell has only rung seven more times. Don't overthink it. Who doesn't have evil in their heart? Without evil, one wouldn't be human. Just do good."

Qing Chen always felt that there was some kind of wisdom hidden in the old man's words when he talked about this matter.

At this very moment, in an apartment building in District 5 of City No. 18.

Two men in black walked silently on the carpet, their combat boots making no sound as they stepped on it.

The two men were searching for something in the house, while a middle-aged man was kneeling beside them, completely naked and covered in blood.

A man in black looked at the middle-aged man and said, "I don't quite understand. Your father and his team were in charge of building the residential complex next to the Banshan Manor. The project was supposed to be completed in eight months, but it dragged on for a year and a half, with six months of that time spent laying the foundation... Is the foundation that important that it takes so long?"

The middle-aged man trembled, his eyes tightly shut, and he didn't say a word.

Another man in black picked up a framed photo from the house and calmly said, "You have two daughters. After the divorce, they should live with their mother, right? After that residential complex was built, your father and several of his colleagues went into hiding and changed their identities. Do you think the Li family was kind enough not to kill you? You were just ants being used. You don't need to be so secretive for your master, do you?"

The man in black laughed, "No need to be so nervous. I just want to know what secrets are hidden in that neighborhood. Look how much time and effort we've spent to find you; we can't just leave empty-handed."

The middle-aged man remained silent.

"Alright," the man in black squatted down in front of the middle-aged man and said in a relaxed tone, "If you won't talk, then we'll ask your two daughters to see if they know anything. If they don't know either, then we'll sell their hearts to City No. 10, their kidneys to City No. 17, and their corneas to City No. 1..."

The middle-aged man, unable to bear seeing his daughter suffer such a terrible fate, whispered, "There's a secret passage hidden there! Don't disturb my family. There's a tunnel leading to the Banshan Manor beneath Building 2, Room 101!"

The two men in black exchanged a smile, and one of them raised his hand and pulled the trigger. The subsonic bullet pierced the middle-aged man's forehead, creating a bloody hole.

One of them said, "We need to act quickly. The deaths of these craftsmen can't be kept secret for long. The Li family will soon find out that someone knows about the secret passage leading to the Banshan Manor."

The chapter is 5,000 words long. 10,000 words have been updated today. Huan Yu one update and still owe this boss three updates.

Don't worry, everyone, I've kept track of all the bosses' debts... I'll pay them back one by one...

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