Mr. Li

Biodata

Background / History

Dead Man’s Prison and the retrieval mission

Mr. Li presents himself as a prisoner, but the prison bosses serve him and inmates claim that even the warden works for him. Old Yang invokes his protection before being killed by Little White Tiger. Mr. Li subsequently allows a prison-wide assault on Little White Tiger, then intervenes just as the wounded youth prepares to kill himself 2 3.

The assault is part of a retrieval scheme: killing enough prisoners will qualify Little White Tiger for confinement on Underground Level Three. Mr. Li wants a box hidden on a prisoner serving a life sentence, but cannot obtain access through bribery. He has already sent more than twenty people on the mission; more than half were executed immediately, and the others never returned alive 4.

Mr. Li promises freedom and help against Old Xie if Little White Tiger succeeds. At Little White Tiger’s insistence, he also pays to have the surviving wounded brothers treated in the prison infirmary 4.

Recovering the Demon Ancestor’s Blood

Little White Tiger finds four tubes of Demon Ancestor’s Blood and uses knowledge of their appearance to negotiate his release. Mr. Li agrees to protect his brothers and lends him a phone to contact Old Ninth 6.

The release is disguised as an execution. At the black-market clinic, Mr. Li learns that Little White Tiger swallowed three tubes, one of which shattered when he was shot. He takes the two intact tubes and reports the damaged and missing doses to his superior. The superior orders him to recover the missing tube, conceal Little White Tiger’s information, monitor him continuously, and win his loyalty rather than kill him 7.

Mr. Li then approaches Old Ninth, offering help against Old Xie. When Little White Tiger’s wounds disappear and white fur begins growing over his body, Mr. Li suspects that he has absorbed the blood. He conceals its identity from the doctor and leaves to consult experts 8 9.

Recruiting Little White Tiger

Mr. Li watches Little White Tiger’s battle against Old Xie’s forces from a kilometer away and has the entire fight recorded by drone. After seeing the Silver-Patterned Tiger kill the enemy Awakened, he orders his team to take over and clean up the aftermath so the youths can remain in the city 16.

He formally introduces himself as Li Youxian of the Farbridge Group, a multinational corporation ranked among the Dragon Kingdom’s top fifty. He offers Little White Tiger a legitimate career, protection, and a future place among Ice Prefecture’s leading figures. Refusal, however, would mean being taken to headquarters for research because he absorbed the Demon Ancestor’s Blood 17.

Little White Tiger accepts three years of service. Mr. Li promises awakening ceremonies for his brothers and freedom to leave afterward, while privately revealing that he knows Little White Tiger gave the missing dose to Old Ninth. He uses that secret as leverage, but also offers his long-carried golden pistol as a pledge: if he betrays them, they may shoot him with it 18.

The struggle for Red Three Street

Mr. Li pays Old Ding two hundred thousand to settle the dispute over Old Xie, then demands that Little White Tiger take over Red Three Street’s logistics market. Old Ding refuses because the street lies at the center of a profitable redevelopment project backed by powerful local interests 19.

Mr. Li explains that the street is a wedge into Ice Prefecture’s power structure. His aim is to make resistance costly enough that the local bosses grant him a share of their business—not to kill them all. He gives Little White Tiger one million from his private funds and half a month to build a force. Public food distribution by the Ice Prefecture Winter Charity Foundation, supported by the District Council, makes an immediate attack on Red Three Street politically costly 20.

The plan becomes harder to control after assassins target Little White Tiger and Old Ninth, leaving Piglet critically wounded. Mr. Li tries unsuccessfully to stop the brothers from retaliating against A Lang. After A Lang’s death, he arranges for Piglet to leave Ice Prefecture and advises the others to wait until Old Ding’s backers abandon him 27 28 32.

Zhang Yang and the local overlords

Mr. Li’s preparations include engineering Zhang Yang’s downfall and transfer to Ice Prefecture. He began laying the groundwork two years earlier, intending to use the uncompromising officer as a weapon against the region’s powerful figures. Zhang Yang accuses him of transferring one million into his mother-in-law’s account after he refused Mr. Li’s money 20 33 34.

When Zhang Yang arrives to arrest the group, Mr. Li shows him images of children imprisoned in Old Ding’s warehouse. This redirects the confrontation into cooperation against Old Ding. With this crucial part of his plan secured, Mr. Li leaves Ice Prefecture to recruit someone capable of checking Old Ding’s backers, instructing his men to expose Old Ding publicly 34.

The Ming King later identifies Mr. Li as a threat to the balance among Ice Prefecture’s factions, arguing that he will not settle for one district. Little White Tiger also recognizes the limits of his protection: as a businessman, Mr. Li will not fight all five overlords to the death for their sake. The brothers consequently seek additional backing and agree to cooperate with Zhang Yang against the five 43 46.

Appearance

Mr. Li is tall and thin, with fair, smooth skin and a refined manner that distinguishes him from the other prisoners 3 8.

• Glasses and suit: His characteristic presentation when first meeting Little White Tiger 3.
• Trench coat: Worn when leaving the clinic to consult experts 9.
• Gloves and thumb ring: Removes his gloves and thoughtfully rubs the ring during recruitment 17.
• Deceptively mild bearing: Old Ninth senses danger despite his courteous appearance 8.

Personality

Mr. Li is calculating, ambitious, and primarily motivated by profit. He treats violence as a means of gaining bargaining power rather than an end in itself. His methods include sacrificing prisoners, exploiting damaging secrets, and ruining an honest officer’s career to place him where he can serve a larger plan 4 18 20 34.

His admiration for Little White Tiger’s courage and resourcefulness is genuine, even though his recruitment combines favors with threats. He does not want the youth taken to headquarters and offers concrete protection to his brothers. His business-minded outlook nevertheless clashes with their priorities: he sees unprofitable revenge as pointless conflict, while they place brotherhood above negotiation 18 27.

Abilities & Skills

Awakened Combat Ability

Old Ninth identifies Mr. Li as an Awakened, but the supplied chapters do not establish his awakening level or ability classification 8.

• Silently incapacitates five armed boys guarding the clinic 8.
• Lifts the black-market doctor with one hand when enraged 7.

Negotiation and Political Leverage

Mr. Li combines corporate backing, money, public initiatives, and official connections to secure advantages 18 19 20.

• Teaches Little White Tiger to borrow influence from stronger patrons 18.
• Uses charity and District Council support to deter attacks on Red Three Street 20.
• Converts Zhang Yang’s investigation into cooperation by presenting evidence of imprisoned children 34.

Intelligence and Operational Planning

Mr. Li investigates allies as well as enemies and prepares major moves well in advance 16 32 34.

• Records Little White Tiger’s battle to document the Demon Ancestor’s Blood’s effects 16.
• Identifies Xiao Fei as the notorious Smoke Fiend 32.
• Engineers Zhang Yang’s transfer through a plan developed over two years 34.
• Keeps Old Ninth’s use of the missing blood dose secret, then uses that knowledge during recruitment 18.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Golden pistol — Has accompanied him for more than ten years; offered as a pledge against betraying Little White Tiger 18.
• Luxury car — Equipped with heated seats and winter snow chains 18.
• Phone and anonymous SIM card — Used for private communication with his superior 7.
• Imported cigarettes — Offered to Little White Tiger during their first negotiation 3.

Relationships

• Little White Tiger — Rescuer, employer, and mentor. Recruits him for three years through protection, opportunity, and pressure involving the Demon Ancestor’s Blood 3 17 18.
• Old Ninth — Prospective right-hand man whose loyalty and recklessness frustrate Mr. Li’s attempts at control. Mr. Li knows he received the missing blood dose 18 20 27 28.
• Farbridge Group’s big boss — Superior who directs the handling of the blood and Little White Tiger. Mr. Li is visibly terrified when reporting the lost and shattered doses 7.
• The warden — Cooperates with his prison arrangements and is wary of his influence; Underground Level Three remains beyond ordinary bribery 3 4 6.
• Old Ding — Business rival and local obstacle. Their dispute centers on Red Three Street and access to Ice Prefecture’s profits 19 20.
• Zhang Yang — Reluctant ally whose transfer Mr. Li engineered. Zhang Yang openly despises his methods and retains the intention to arrest him if he commits crimes 33 34.
• Xiao Fei / Smoke Fiend — Allied fighter whom Mr. Li investigates and offers additional payment after learning his identity 32.
• Piglet — Member of Little White Tiger’s group whom Mr. Li arranges to evacuate for safety after his hospitalization 32.
• Ming King — Opponent who views Mr. Li’s expansion as a threat to Ice Prefecture’s existing order 43.

Notable Quotes

“You lean on my influence, and I lean on the big boss’s.” 18

“Our goal is to get a seat at the table and a slice of the pie, not to kill them.” 20

“Businessmen pursue profit. We’re here to make money, not provide welfare.” 33