I Have Something to Say... (Continued)

Although the young man hesitated, he stood up and bowed to Maria.

"Thank you for saving my life. If it weren't for your timely rescue some time ago, I would surely be dead. I have no way to repay such a great kindness. If you ever need my help again in the future, I will do my utmost!"

As if reciting from a script, the young boy spoke without any emotion, and his stiff words made Li Zhenfang somewhat embarrassed.

Fortunately, Li Chang, who was standing nearby, began to smooth things over.

"My younger brother has only recently been able to get out of bed and move around; his speech and mental capacity have not yet fully recovered. Please forgive him..."

"..."

Maria didn't reply, and Li Chang was bowing and trying to smooth things over, also felt somewhat awkward.

He stood there, looking completely bewildered.

Based on his experience, shouldn't Maria have said something like, "It's alright, everything will be fine," at this point?

He's not saying anything...

Is it genuine dissatisfaction?

So what should I do...?

Li Chang's mind began to work frantically.

After a long while, Maria's voice finally broke through the silence.

"I see."

"Um?"

Li Chang looked up in surprise, while Maria looked at him with some confusion.

After exchanging glances for a few moments, neither of them spoke.

Meanwhile, Sui, standing to the side, burst into laughter.

"If you didn't understand, you didn't understand. What's the point of saying all this?"

She leaned against Maria and said jokingly.

"..."

Maria.

"Oh, this..."

Li Chang was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

The Maria before him was not some Yan with a penchant for strange clothing, but a complete outsider...

"Haha, you can learn about all the formalities and formalities, but you don't need to use them all the time."

Li Zhenfang gradually understood the situation. He smiled, shook his head, and then invited Maria to take a seat.

Hearing the other person's frank and undisguised words, Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She really couldn't get used to the way they spoke here.

As the group took their seats, plates of prepared ingredients were soon served.

Li Zhenfang looked somewhat heartbroken as he gazed at his eldest son.

Li Chang smiled and shook his head.

"Father, you've been frugal your whole life. Now that you're this age, it's time for you to enjoy life."

"All the money our son has earned over the years is for you to have a proper rest and retirement, isn't it?"

"This..."

Li Zhenfang looked at the large amount of fish and meat on the table and hesitated.

Normally, he would have scolded his child, but since this was a dinner party to entertain Maria, he didn't say much in the end. He simply nodded slightly and looked at Maria with a smile.

"You two... there's no need to be so formal."

"Um..."

Maria blinked, then looked down at the chopsticks in front of her.

Maria used to use chopsticks... but that was a long time ago, and now she can only try to use them by relying on muscle memory.

Meanwhile, Sui, who was much more skilled, began to eat heartily.

After taking a few bites of the fine roasted meat, his eyes lit up slightly.

"Tasty!"

"It would be great if you were satisfied, and I wouldn't be disappointed either... well, it's good that you're satisfied."

Li Chang had just opened his mouth, wanting to launch into a more literary spiel, but looking at the two people in front of him, he shook his head and changed the subject.

Maria, who was standing to the side, took a few bites and then slightly raised her head.

"Your wife... didn't come?"

The brothers and father were already present, so logically, their mother should have been there as well.

But Maria waited for a while and still didn't find him, which was rather strange.

"This..."

Li Zhenfang hesitated for a few moments, but then let out a bitter laugh of relief.

"My wife returned to her parents' home years ago due to some issues. Although we have corresponded with each other over the years, we have never met."

"..."

"His wife went back to her own home and hasn't seen him since."

Knowing that Maria couldn't understand, the thoughtful girl beside her took on the responsibility of translating.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhenfang could only manage a helpless, bitter smile.

Although it was said very bluntly, Sui was right.

"I understand, please don't worry about it."

Maria nodded slightly, offering her her blessings.

Li Zhenfang responded with a smile.

Although they were a bit blunt, neither Maria nor Sui meant any harm.

Moreover...

"Although we haven't seen each other for a long time, we've always kept in touch with the children."

Li Zhenfang spoke, he smiled and looked at Li Chang and his youngest son beside him.

The pride on his face was clearly visible.

Clearly, he is a genuinely proud father of his child.

As Maria looked at the other person, for some reason, the image of Logos suddenly flashed through her mind.

Come to think of it... I haven't even asked yet...

Who is Logos' father Lamaline's husband...?

Next time I go back by myself, maybe I can ask...

While Maria was Maria, several more rounds passed.

Maria and the 20-year-old's silence made Li Chang somewhat impatient... After hesitating for a moment, he slightly raised his head.

"Speaking of which..."

Li Chang smiled at Maria and Sui, "I heard from my family that you two rescued my younger brother from Great Beast... Is that true?"

"Great Beast?"

Li Zhenfang, standing to the side, was taken aback.

The intelligence he received from below only stated that his youngest son was trapped by a strange monster, but he had never heard of any Great Beast.

"No... it was just a slightly larger wild animal."

Maria could tell that the other person was testing her, but she didn't react much, and her calm demeanor left the other person somewhat at a loss.

But... larger wild animals?

Can wild animals induce hallucinations?

Li Chang clearly sensed that Maria was lying.

But he didn't know how to probe the truth from the other person, so he just pursed his lips.

A moment later, he spoke again.

"Those two are truly formidable; they managed to subdue such a wild beast, one that even several guards struggled to handle... It's indeed beyond the capabilities of ordinary people."

"..."

Maria did not reply.

But Li Zhenfang, standing to the side, silently frowned.

He was no ordinary person to become the current city lord of South River City. He could clearly sense that his son was testing Maria and the others, and he couldn't help but frown.

"Don't be rude."

"... nothing."

Maria shook her head.

She glanced at the somewhat embarrassed Li Zhenfang, then at Li Chang standing to the side.

"You said... our power is not something ordinary people can wield, is that right?"

"Uh... yes."

Looking into Maria's grey eyes, Li Chang felt a sudden pang of fear.

His breathing swayed slightly along his trachea, and for a moment, cold sweat broke out.

His heart began to race.

An unease began to spread in his heart.

Those slightly lowered eyes were undeniably beautiful, yet he felt no desire for them.

Yes, there is only one kind of repression.

"I think you might be wrong... Strength is the cheapest and most worthless thing."

Maria lowered her eyes and spoke softly.

"Anyone can have their own power... The more you pay, the more power you gain. We just happen to be a little stronger than those guards, and we just happen to be able to handle that beast. There's nothing to worry about."

"More than those things, there are many more that are hard to obtain even after making the effort."

"For example... how do you know what you should do?"

Maria seemed to be intentionally giving Li Chang a hint.

This made Li Chang somewhat uncomfortable.

But after a moment, he gritted his teeth.

"You don't need to be modest. The guards trained by our Li Family are all elite, and even so, they were almost wiped out... It must have taken you two a lot of effort to get here, right?"

There's no such thing as "effortless" or "uneffortless"...

Maria looked at Li Chang in front of her, her tone calm.

"In this world, everything requires time and effort... learning, hunting, training, everything is the same."

"The only difference is that different things require different amounts of time and effort."

"Even Great Beast are just larger wild animals... There's nothing to fear about them. Skin them and gut them; they're still living beings, just not as 'ordinary' in terms of structure compared to the 'ordinary'."

Maria had tried her best to remind the other person not to have too many fantasies about the Great Beast.

But the final result was the subtle change in the other person's eyes.

She could sense that after she uttered those disrespectful words to these Great Beasts, Li Chang's aura suddenly changed.