Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 498: Chapter 270: Kill Me Now If You Have the Guts (Part 2)

Liu Song’s face darkened, and he didn’t respond. ’This bastard is always taking shots at me!’ After a moment, he asked in a low voice, "What about in two months?"

Li Xuejin’s smile widened, becoming almost cordial.

"In two months, we’ll find a place and fight for real. If you win, Tiantuan Village is yours. The Northwest City Street area of the West City District will also be yours, and the Cheng Family will retreat to the Southwest City Street area.

Of course, I can also promise that in two months, we won’t bring in any outside help. We’ll let our strength do the talking!"

At this, both Liu Song and Liu Qingfeng fell silent.

They had no choice but to consider it.

Faced with such a blatant threat from Li Xuejin, anyone would have to give it some thought.

But since Li Xuejin had promised not to call for outside help, there seemed to be little to worry about. Liu Qingfeng, however, spoke up, "Two months is too long! Half a month!"

Hearing this, a cold smile touched Li Xuejin’s lips. He held up three fingers. "Three months."

"You..." Liu Qingfeng flared up in anger. ’He’s openly defying me.’ But before he could finish his sentence, Li Xuejin cut in again.

"Say one more word and it’s four months! If we’re going down, we’re taking someone with us!"

Li Xuejin refused to back down an inch. ’In this kind of situation, the more aggressive I appear, the more they’ll think we’ve thrown caution to the wind and have nothing to fear.’

To even begin negotiating would be a sign of weakness.

"Two months it is!" Liu Song said quickly, afraid he’d be the one they’d drag down with them. He was only a Sixth Grade Martial Artist, and the thought of facing that strange, dizzying weapon truly worried him.

Li Xuejin chuckled and looked at Li Mingxin. Standing, he cupped his hands in respect. "Lord Li, through negotiation, both our sides have agreed to a two-month mediation. We will have a truce for two months. After that, the outcome will be decided at Tiantuan Village."

Negotiation?

The corner of Li Mingxin’s mouth twitched slightly.

’Negotiation? More like extortion.’

But as the mediator, he naturally couldn’t show favoritism. He immediately looked at Liu Song and asked again, "You’re certain? Two months?"

"Cer-certain," Liu Song nodded helplessly.

The threat of hiring an Innate Expert for an assassination was a move he had no counter for!

Liu Qingfeng, on the other hand, glared at Li Xuejin, his face ashen. ’I should have killed more of them! Then I wouldn’t be in this infuriating position today!’

"Done." Li Mingxin’s expression turned serious. "You should both be aware of the Li Family’s rules. Since you’ve agreed to mediation, no combat is permitted for the next two months. If this rule is broken, the Li Family reserves the right to eliminate the instigating party. After two months, your fates are your own! As for the initiator of this mediation, the Cheng Family, you will pay the fee of fifty thousand taels within three days, as is customary."

"Yes!"

"Thank you, Lord Li."

Both Li Xuejin and Liu Song stood and cupped their hands in acknowledgement.

Standing to the side, Zhou Zhendong was thoroughly impressed by Li Xuejin’s aggressive tactics. He had known the plan beforehand, but to witness it in person—to see Li Xuejin back a Fourth Grade Martial Artist into a corner where he could only swallow his rage and agree—filled him with immense admiration.

With the matter settled, Li Mingxin dismissed them. ’What a hassle.’

"Just you wait!!"

At the entrance of the Li Courtyard, Liu Qingfeng stared daggers at Li Xuejin and said viciously, "In two months, I’ll cripple you first, and then I’ll torture you properly!!"

Li Xuejin said nonchalantly, "If you’ve got the guts, kill me right now."

Veins bulged on Liu Qingfeng’s forehead again as he gritted his teeth!

Liu Song: "..."

Zhou Zhendong: "..."

Liu Qingfeng didn’t dare to make a move, and when it came to trading threats, his opponent was even more shameless. He could only fling his arms in frustration and storm onto his carriage.

Just as Liu Song was about to board, Li Xuejin, who was heading to another carriage, called out:

"Second Boss, remember tonight. The only power you truly have is the power you hold yourself. Otherwise, when even your life is in another’s grasp, on what grounds can you even begin to fight?"

"Yes, Mr. Li." Zhou Zhendong cupped his hands.

Liu Song silently boarded the carriage and had his guards drive away.

「Inside the Li Courtyard.」

Seeing his nephew once again engrossed in the Gu Doctor’s Manual stolen from He Shujun, Li Tonghua couldn’t help but ask, "You’ve been staring at that for so long. Figured anything out yet?"

Li Mingxin chuckled. "Nothing special. It’s mostly fragmented notes, but I find some of it quite interesting. Speaking of that Li Xuejin, I’ve never seen anyone force an opponent into mediation that way. Don’t you find it interesting?"

Li Tonghua shook his head. "If I were that Fourth Grade Martial Artist, I would have finished everyone off during the first attack. Then this situation never would have happened."

Li Mingxin suddenly put down the manual in his hands and asked, "Have you found out? Who else is involved?"

...

"It’s not just the three Upper Three Grade Families from Linchuan and one of their core families, but also the nephew of the head of procurement at the Da Yi Commerce City Headquarters."

In a study in the back hall of the Da Yi Commerce Branch in Jade Peak County, Chen Kaishan’s expression grew increasingly grim as he listened to Zheng Tianhai’s report.

"No wonder the news spread so quickly!" Chen Kaishan sneered. "So it was a mole who leaked it."

Zheng Tianhai asked, "Are we really not going to intervene? I know the rules say we can’t get involved in third-party disputes, but Cheng Zongyang is a Steward of the Commerce Association. If we really do nothing, I’m afraid he’ll harbor resentment when he returns, which could affect the Wilderness Rice deal."

Chen Kaishan replied, "I’ve already given the suggestion to that kid, Zhou Zhendong. They are perfectly capable of handling it that way. We don’t need to intervene, and more importantly, we *can’t*. Otherwise, the people above us, who are just waiting for us to slip up, will seize their chance. We fought hard for this position; we absolutely cannot let an accident make us give it up!"

As he said this, he suddenly remembered something. "Go investigate one more thing. Which Royal Family do those other families belong to? It’s taboo for a Royal Family to have connections with the higher-ups of the Commerce Association."

"I already looked into that. They’re connected to the Li Family," Zheng Tianhai replied immediately.

At this, Chen Kaishan was stunned. He muttered, "The Li Family. Does Li Mingxin know? Or is Li Mingxin the one backing the Liu Family from behind the scenes?"

...

Li Mingxin, who always appeared calm and unconcerned, found his expression darkening when he heard that factions related to the Li Family were involved.

But a moment later, a thought struck him, and he asked, "Is this an order from the main branch of the family?"

Li Tonghua shook his head slightly. "That’s not clear. I don’t have the authority or the ability to inquire with the main branch."

Li Mingxin nodded in understanding. He muttered to himself, "If the main branch has its sights set on this Wilderness Rice... things could get troublesome. This is tantamount to competing directly with the Da Yi Commerce Association."

Although the Royal Family and the Da Yi Commerce Association were both top-tier powers, the Da Yi Commerce Association was, relatively speaking, the more terrifying of the two.

The Wilderness Rice was something the Da Yi Commerce Association had taken an interest in, and they were cooperating with Cheng Zongyang on it.

Now that the Li Family had stuck its hand in, it was likely to cause unnecessary trouble.

He pondered for a moment but didn’t plan on doing anything.

He had neither the ability nor the standing to interfere in the affairs of the Royal Family’s main branch. He wouldn’t even be granted an audience.

In the end, he shook his head. As long as he could maintain stability here, he didn’t want to get involved in anything else.

He then said to his uncle, "Then don’t worry about it. That’s their business. Whether the main family knows or not, it has nothing to do with us."

Li Tonghua thought for a moment and said, "Shouldn’t we send a letter to inform them? That way, if anything happens and they come looking for someone to blame, we’ll have an excuse."

Li Mingxin considered it briefly and nodded. "Then arrange it as you see fit. For such a small place, there certainly are a lot of problems."

「Celestial Break Gang Headquarters.」

Because Li Xuejin and Zhou Zhendong had gone to visit the Li Courtyard, the core upper-level members of the gang had been waiting here for news.

"They’re back!"

A young man hurried in from outside, running quickly to the meeting hall to report.

"Ye Shaoning, calm down!" Li Lu shot a look at the impatient young man, then quickly asked, "Is everyone alright?"

Ye Shaoning cupped his hands. "Gang Leader, everyone’s fine! Mr. Li is even in high spirits."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

’As long as he’s happy!’

The group went to the courtyard to welcome them. Soon, they saw Li Xuejin and Zhou Zhendong walking in briskly, one after the other.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Li," Li Lu said with a smile, cupping his fist.

The others also chimed in with their thanks for his hard work.

Li Xuejin smiled. "It’s all part of my duty. Let’s go inside and plan our next steps."

Everyone followed Li Lu and Li Xuejin into the meeting hall.

Li Lu suddenly stopped and said to the young man Ye Shaoning behind him, "Shaoning, dismiss everyone who isn’t essential."

"Yes, Gang Leader!" Ye Shaoning cupped his hands and quickly departed.

No one said anything. Ye Shaoning had been personally appointed by the Boss to study under Li Lu, so his status was naturally different.