Li Yao Breaks Down

"Dad!"

Yang Xiaoran screamed as if her heart were being torn apart.

She had been lying on the floor crying, but now she forgot all about her tears. Fighting against Uncle Fu's Martial King pressure, she dragged herself toward Yang Mingyou.

Like an injured insect, she inched forward bit by bit.

Li Yao was stunned by the sight.

What's wrong with him? I only came to collect a debt. I never said I wanted them dead.

I even spared Lin Yun when he wanted to kill me. Why the hell would Yang Mingyou sever his own meridians?

Did he want to die that badly?

He hurriedly motioned for Li Wenbin to check on him.

Li Wenbin stepped forward, felt for Yang Mingyou's breath, then checked his neck for a pulse.

He turned back and shook his head at Li Yao.

"He's dead. Every meridian is severed."

"Dad!"

By then, Yang Xiaoran had dragged herself to Yang Mingyou's side.

With great difficulty, she lifted an arm and laid it across his chest.

"Wake up, Dad! Don't scare me! Get up!"

"Dad! Xiaoran was wrong! I'll listen to you from now on, I promise! Please wake up!"

She cried as she shouted, and her voice soon grew hoarse.

The sound sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Li Yao!" She suddenly turned toward him, her eyes bloodshot and blazing with murderous intent.

"You murderer! Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!"

Li Yao stood frozen.

In either of his two lives, he had never seen someone die before his eyes.

And in a sense, he had driven this man to his death.

"Urgh!"

His stomach churned. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he ran outside.

Afraid something might happen to him, Li Wenbin followed.

Only Uncle Fu, Uncle Ming, three useless lumps with their limbs broken and their bodies unconscious, and a pair of eyes glaring madly at everyone remained in the hall.

"Urgh..."

Outside, Li Yao grabbed the nearest tree and vomited.

"Young Master..." Li Wenbin stood behind him, patting his back as he tried to comfort him.

"Young Master, this isn't your fault. It isn't anyone's fault. You never intended to kill them. He took his own life."

"But I drove him to it, Uncle Bin! I drove him to his death!"

Tears filled Li Yao's eyes.

He had never imagined someone would die because of him.

"You didn't drive him to his death! Li Yao, you did nothing wrong here. Get a hold of yourself!"

When gentle reassurance failed, Li Wenbin raised his voice.

But Li Yao began to cry quietly.

"Uncle Bin... I drove him to it... If I hadn't come to collect the debt... If I hadn't come to the Yang Family..."

Li Wenbin sighed, but kept patting Li Yao's back gently.

Back when he had killed someone for the first time, he had spent three days and nights eating, vomiting, then eating again.

It had taken him a long time to recover.

So he understood exactly how Li Yao felt.

"Young Master... This truly isn't your fault. Think about it. You gave him a chance, didn't you? He even hoped Lin Yun would kill you."

"The Yang Family rose because of the resources you gave them. Now they don't want to return those resources. They can't have it both ways."

"You were only doing the perfectly ordinary thing of collecting a debt. You just never expected him to sever his own meridians."

After a long while of reassurance, Li Yao slowly regained his composure.

He forced himself back toward the Yang Family's main hall, with Li Wenbin close behind.

When they returned, little had changed.

Yang Xiaoran was still lying beside Yang Mingyou, sobbing softly.

Lin Yun and the two others lay there like dead dogs.

When Li Yao and Li Wenbin entered, Uncle Fu and Uncle Ming called out together.

"Young Master."

Neither man's expression changed. Both were hardened veterans who had spent years on the border.

Between them, they had killed at least eight hundred people, if not a thousand.

A scene like this left them unmoved.

"Uncle Fu... Lift the pressure."

"Yes, Young Master."

Uncle Fu obeyed at once and withdrew his pressure.

As soon as it lifted, Yang Xiaoran collapsed against Yang Mingyou and wept.

"Let's go. Bring those three. We're paying the Lin Family a visit."

"Young Master... What about here?" Li Wenbin hesitated, then asked anyway.

"We'll come back after we get something out of the Lin Family. Give her some time first."

Li Yao's heart softened in the end. He looked at Yang Xiaoran as he spoke to Li Wenbin.

They wasted no more time. Uncle Fu lifted the three bodies from the floor with Spiritual Power, then floated into the air himself.

Uncle Ming used his Spiritual Power to lift Li Yao and Li Wenbin and carried them toward the Lin Family.

"Young Master, that Yang girl wants revenge. We may not be able to leave her alive."

Uncle Fu spoke quietly as they traveled.

Li Yao fell silent for a moment.

"I know, Uncle Fu. But I already drove her father to his death today. I can't bring myself to kill her too."

"But Young Master, if you don't pull out a weed by the roots—"

"That's enough, Uncle Fu. I know what I'm doing."

Li Yao cut him off. "If she really comes after me, I won't spare her then. For now, let's go to the Lin Family and deal with Lin Yun."

Uncle Fu sighed and said no more.

They had barely flown beyond the Yang Family estate when someone stopped them.

"Old Fu! Old Ming!"

At the shout, they recognized the Martial King who had been stationed near the Yang Family estate the day before.

"Where are you going? Weren't we going after the Yang Family? And aren't those three lumps you're carrying Lin Yun and those two young Martial Venerables? What happened?"

Li Shan was a chatterbox. The moment he saw them, every question in his head came pouring out.

With him there, the others paused rather than rushing on.

Li Fu glanced at Li Yao and waited for his nod before speaking.

"It's a long story..."

Li Shan interrupted him. "Then make it short."

Li Fu rolled his eyes.

"Always so impatient, Old Shan."

Despite that, Li Fu recounted everything from beginning to end.

Li Shan said nothing when he finished. He only patted Li Yao's shoulder.

"Buck up, brat. If this is how you handle things, how can the old master trust you with the Li Family one day?"

"You need to understand the weight on your shoulders."

Li Yao nodded.

"I understand, Uncle Shan."

Hearing that, Li Shan felt a little reassured.

"I'll go with you. That old monster from the Lin Family is still in the Imperial Capital."

"No need, Uncle Shan. Keep an eye on the Yang Family for me. If that old monster decides to attack me, one more person won't make a difference."

Li Shan did not argue.

He simply nodded.

"All right. Be careful, then."

"Come on, let's go. Enough chatter."

With a wave of his hand, Li Fu led the group into the air again.

"Shan, stay alert. If that Yang girl does anything suspicious, kill her. We'll share the consequences."

"The Young Master is softhearted, but we can't leave a threat like her behind."