Being referred to as Third Master by various prominent figures throughout the capital was sufficient to illustrate Li Shengjun's high standing in everyone's eyes.
It was widely known that the entire Li family was essentially supported by two individuals: Li Zhongfu and Li Shengjun.
Li Zhongfu sustained the entire Li family, while Li Shengjun propelled it to greater heights.
Therefore, the Li family could not afford to lose Li Shengjun, which was the current situation for the Li family.
Even this Old Xu harbored a degree of apprehension towards Li Shengjun, not solely due to his strength, but more significantly, due to his status.
War God!
This was not a title bestowed upon just anyone; it was earned by warriors who had achieved remarkable military merits and fought bravely for the nation!
Faced with such a War God who had established illustrious military achievements, even if Old Xu could defeat him, he could not take action.
Old Xu took a deep breath, refraining from further action. After much deliberation, he withdrew his aura, then coldly snorted, "War God Li, this fellow's actions today must warrant an explanation to my Xu family!"
After uttering these words, he turned and went inside, primarily to check on Xu Xiaoyu.
Li Shengjun felt a hint of helplessness. He glanced at Li Se and gestured, signaling that they could leave.
After exiting the club, Li Shengjun remained silent for a long time before he couldn't help but ask, "You... stripped someone's clothes?"
"Yes!" Li Se readily admitted.
"You this..." Li Shengjun didn't know what to say.
Li Se, however, said indifferently, "If it weren't for the fact that she's a woman, I might have already killed her."
Li Shengjun also inhaled sharply upon hearing this. Despite Li Se's nonchalant tone, he understood his son's temperament quite well. He generally wouldn't provoke others or bully people with his influence. On the contrary, he possessed a kind heart.
The fact that Li Se harbored killing intent could only mean one thing: Xu Xiaoyu had indeed done something excessive.
Li Shengjun didn't ask, nor did he need to. He trusted his son. Patting Li Se's shoulder, he said, "I will bear the consequences of your actions."
Li Se felt a warmth spread through his heart. Although he had yet to call Li Shengjun 'father', the paternal bond between them seemed to be growing closer.
Soon, Li Shengjun changed the subject, hesitating, "Are you still investigating your mother's matter?"
"Yes!" Li Se did not deny it. "Although I never met her, she is my birth mother. No matter what, I will thoroughly investigate her death."
"Alas!" Li Shengjun sighed. "I knew you would be like this. You are very much like me when I was young. The reason I am so apprehensive is that your mother's affairs involve too many people, even some ancient martial arts families. In your eyes, are ancient martial arts families more powerful, or are families like ours that control political power more powerful?"
Li Shengjun's sudden question left Li Se somewhat bewildered. Between families controlling political power and families controlling ancient martial artists, who was more powerful?
According to Li Se's thinking, he instinctively felt that families controlling political power were more powerful, as power was paramount.
"You probably think those who control political power are stronger?" Li Shengjun seemed to have grasped Li Se's thoughts.
Li Se nodded: "Power is everything!"
Li Shengjun smiled and shook his head. "Actually, it's not as simple as you think. Whether it's the Li family, the Ye family, or the Tang family, these three major families are currently the primary ones controlling political power. The Ye family focuses internally, my Li family focuses externally, and the Tang family does both, but neither strongly. On the surface, it appears to be a struggle between these three major families, but is that truly the case?"
Li Se said, "The Ye family's desire to form a marriage alliance with the Tang family is nothing more than an attempt to elevate the Ye family to a higher realm and suppress the Li family. This objective is already very clear."
"You haven't considered it comprehensively enough. This is only one aspect. The other aspect is that I am an ancient martial artist," Li Shengjun said in a deep voice. "Controlling political power is very strong, but all of our families share a common point: they are wary of ancient martial artists."
"Wary?" Li Se was somewhat surprised. "Why are you wary?"
Li Shengjun explained, "Ancient martial artists control direct power, while political power is indirect; it's not our inherent strength. No matter who it is, there are times of decline. But ancient martial artists are their own selves. As long as they are not severely injured and are not dead, their power will always remain. Even the weakest Internal Strength martial artist can join the Enforcement Department or even act imposingly in the secular world."
"This is the power of ancient martial arts. Therefore, you must never underestimate the power of ancient martial arts. You are currently an ancient martial artist at the peak of Hua Jin. While your current strength is not weak, there are many ancient martial artists in this world stronger than you. It's just that you haven't reached that level yet."
Li Se nodded, but he was very confused. "What does this have to do with my mother's death? Are you implying that my mother's death is related to these ancient martial artists?"
"Yes!" Li Shengjun nodded. "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. Before you become truly powerful, do not meddle with the matter of your mother's death."
Li Se fell silent, not speaking. After a long while, he said, "No matter how strong the other party is, whether they control political power or ancient martial arts, I will definitely investigate my mother's death!"
Li Shengjun opened his mouth, feeling a sense of helplessness. He knew that saying such things would be futile, but as a father, he had to say certain things. Not only that, but he also had to protect Li Se.
Originally, after his injuries had mostly recovered, Li Shengjun should have left the capital. However, this time he had stayed in the capital for a while, with the sole purpose of protecting Li Se.
The father and son didn't chat for long before they parted ways.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoyu was quickly sent back to the Xu family.
"Old Xu, why did this happen?" Xu Xiaoyu's father, Xu Yingfeng, the current head of the Xu family, looked extremely displeased when he saw his beloved daughter beaten to the point where her parents couldn't recognize her.
Old Xu felt ashamed, his old eyes filled with tears as he said, "Patriarch, I failed to protect the young lady."
Xu Yingfeng knew Old Xu's loyalty, so he didn't blame him too much. He just asked in a deep voice, "Who was it?"
He was well aware of Old Xu's strength. If he had known that Xu Xiaoyu suffered such treatment, he would certainly not have allowed the perpetrator to leave.
Could it be that the perpetrator was a very powerful ancient martial artist?
Old Xu said indignantly, "Patriarch, it was the Li family, Li Shengjun's illegitimate son, Li Se. It was he who humiliated the young lady!"
Upon hearing this, the members of the Xu family all changed their expressions.