Chapter 197: Do I Need To Explain Myself To You?

A stern-looking middle-aged man, dressed in a black combat suit, was standing in mid-air. He was effortlessly riding the wind. This was something only those who had reached at least the Five Spirits Realm could achieve.

“It’s Inspector Li!”

“He has actually appeared.”

“Am I seeing things?”

“Greetings, Inspector.”

The crowd erupted into chaos.Almost everyone immediately recognized the middle-aged man floating in the air as none other than Li Zhoumin, one of the three major leaders of the base city.

Although Li Zhoumin usually kept a low profile and rarely attended meetings or events, this was, after all, the era of the light-network. The media was highly developed, and as a top public figure, videos and photos of Li Zhoumin could easily be found online.

Ye Changlin's expression changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Inspector, what has happened to alarm you?"

“If I hadn’t come, wouldn’t the life-and-death pact signed on the starry light-network have been rendered meaningless?” Li Zhoumin’s tone was filled with open dissatisfaction as he said, “Li Xiaofei is the genius I chose, and you dare to break the rules and bully others?”

Ye Changlin's face changed again as he attempted to explain, “Inspector, this child is ruthless. Yesterday, he slaughtered hundreds of members of the Dragon Claw Gang, leaving no survivors in their headquart-”

But Li Zhoumin cut him off abruptly, “Everything Li Xiaofei has done was with my approval.”

"What? This... why would Inspector Li want him to do such a thing?" Ye Changlin couldn't help but exclaim, "Those were hundreds of living, breathing people!"

Li Zhoumin responded coldly, "Do I need to explain myself to you?"

Ye Changlin quickly bowed his head. "I wouldn't dare. But Li Xiaofei killed Ye Liushuang, a core disciple of my Ye family. This matter cannot be left unresolved..."

"Unresolved? What do you intend to do?" Li Zhoumin countered.

"He must pay with his life for Ye Liushuang's death," Ye Changlin said through gritted teeth.

Li Zhoumin replied, "You think my student should pay with his life for a mere Ye Liushuang? Ha, you truly overestimate yourself."

Student? Li Xiaofei is Li Zhoumin's student?

Ye Changlin was stunned. For a moment, he thought he had misheard. Although he was well aware of what had transpired at the Starry Sky Hotel that night, he had assumed that Li Xiaofei's private audience with Li Zhoumin was nothing more than the Inspector's routine practice of mentoring a promising junior.

Li Zhoumin had given guidance to many young martial artists in the past, but it had always been fleeting. Once the matter was over, Li Zhoumin would not give it a second thought and certainly would not refer to them as students. But this time, the usually reserved Li Zhoumin had used the word student to describe Li Xiaofei.

This is disastrous!

Ye Changlin quickly realized that he had completely misjudged Li Xiaofei. The targeted actions against him had failed miserably. If they had known this from the beginning, the Ye family would never have chosen this method to deal with Li Xiaofei.

In that moment, Ye Changlin's mind raced as he quickly reassessed the situation.

"I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn in a moment of haste." The old fox immediately admitted his mistake. "So, it turns out that Li Xiaofei is the Inspector's student. No wonder he possesses such remarkable strength at such a young age. Truly, a great teacher produces outstanding students."

Li Zhoumin floated gracefully to the ground, landing in front of Li Xiaofei.

"You may leave now," He said, without giving Ye Changlin any face. "The Ye family needs to provide an explanation for this."

This was the authority of an Inspector. Even though his student had gained the upper hand, he still demanded an explanation from others. Because, in truth, everyone knew the reality of the situation.

At this moment, Ye Changlin did not dare to argue. He quickly responded, "Yes, yes, the Ye family will certainly give the Inspector an explanation. The Ye family will fully comply with the terms of the agreement. From now on, the territories and all assets of the Dragon Claw Gang, the Flying Cloud Sword Gang, Daxing Gang, and Iron Palm Ltd. will belong to the Cloudy Sky Gang."

One should never provoke a major leader of the base city before being absolutely certain of victory. Losing a bit of face was a small price to pay. After offering his apologies, Ye Changlin carried the body of Ye Liushuang and left in disgrace.

Meanwhile, the other gang leaders, including Ning Wuwo, hurried to pay their respects to the Inspector. However, Li Zhoumin didn’t even glance at them. He treated them as if they were nothing but air.

"Thank you, Teacher." Li Xiaofei quickly stepped forward to express his gratitude.

Li Zhoumin, however, was still angry. "I’ve told you time and again to be cautious in everything you do. If you face something you can't handle, you must come to me. Did you just ignore my advice and insist on handling everything on your own?"

Li Xiaofei hurriedly apologized and added, "Who could have imagined that the Ye family would be so shameless? They went out of their way to set a trap for me, thinking they had me cornered with the life-and-death pact. But when things didn’t go their way, they had the audacity to go back on their word in public. It’s absolutely disgraceful."

Li Zhoumin sneered, "As long as they achieve their goals, do you think they care about losing face? Remember this, never assume your enemies are kind-hearted, and never overestimate their moral boundaries."

"Yes, Teacher, I will remember your teachings." Li Xiaofei responded earnestly.

His teacher, who usually preferred to avoid getting involved in the various affairs of the base city, had made a rare and bold public appearance today to stand up for him. Now, even the scolding he received felt like a sign of care.

"Handle the rest yourself." Li Zhoumin instructed, "And remember, don't neglect your studies. No matter what, always stay on the right path."

Li Xiaofei quickly replied, "I would never dare forget your teachings for even a moment. Today, I participated in the gang negotiation to repay the kindness the slum showed me in raising me all these years."

"Repaying kindness is a good thing.” Li Zhoumin's tone softened considerably as he said, "In the Great Xia Republic, only warriors who emerge from the formal education system are officially recognized. One day, you will understand just how much weight those words, official recognition, carry. Whatever you do, never stray from the right path."

"Yes," Li Xiaofei responded respectfully.

Li Zhoumin nodded in satisfaction, then cast his gaze over the surrounding crowd and sternly commanded, "Today's events must not be spread widely. Anyone who dares to do so will be considered my enemy."

He then rose into the air and swiftly disappeared from sight. Li Xiaofei couldn't help but stare admiringly. Flying had been a human dream for countless generations, from the legendary tales of sword immortals in ancient times to the invention of airplanes, rockets, and other flying machines.

The former were just myths, while the latter could never truly capture the feeling of flying like a bird. But now, martial arts masters could genuinely soar through the sky. At the level of the Five Spirits Realm, one could fly at will.

One day, I will achieve this too.

The young prodigy at the eightieth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, silently vowed to himself.

"Haha, congratulations, my young brother! You achieved a great victory today." Ning Wuwo, the chairman, approached with a kindly smile. "Indeed, a true hero emerges in his youth. Congratulations, congratulations indeed! Securing the territories of the four major gang; a new gang leader is rising in the base city."

"Yes, President Li, it’s no wonder you are the student of the Inspector."

"My young brother, we’ve already prepared a banquet in your honor. You must attend."

"To achieve so much at such a young age; I am truly impressed."

"I’m genuinely happy for you, my young brother."

A group of gang leaders eagerly stepped forward, smiling and offering their congratulations with great enthusiasm, as if they had been Li Xiaofei's lifelong friends.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Li Xiaofei looked at them and sneered, "Are we really that close?"