Outside the courtyard, Li Mingyuan was blocked by a group of elderly people.
Someone had notified the elders of these women, who cornered Li Mingyuan at the entrance, completely preventing him from leaving.
"Uncle Gao, why do you do this? This is my own business, it has nothing to do with you. You don't need to do this."
The elder called Uncle Gao shook his head slightly, "Little Li, thanks to you all these years. If it weren't for you, we might not have had the chance to live until now. Since you've encountered such a situation, how can we stand by?
Even if we can't help, we won't run. Don't underestimate anyone, especially us. We old fellows are all veterans who have come down from the battlefield."
"Yes, we've all lived long enough. Seeing the great Xia prosperous and peaceful, we have no regrets. Living on brings only burdens, hahaha, we can all face death with peace of mind!"
As one old man after another spoke, Li Mingyuan's eyes welled up with tears, and he stubbornly said, "This is not something you old fellows should consider. All of you go back, don't wait for me to resort to violence."
Li Mingyuan didn't want them to die. This was his own business, so there was no need to involve them, which made him feel uneasy.
"What, you want to lay hands on us? You good-for-nothing brat, you've got some temper now, you..."
Before these elders could finish their words, they were knocked unconscious by a vast aura.
"Put them on the sofa," Li Mingyuan said to Li Xuan.
The two of them placed the six elders on the sofa and went out again, only to be blocked once more.
The group of women who had returned were now dressed in military attire, with sabers at their waists, exuding a fierce aura.
They didn't possess the hardened spirit of soldiers; the killing intent they emanated was solely from their attire and sabers.
"You... why bother?"
None of them spoke, their gazes fixed intently on him.
In response, Li Mingyuan could only sigh deeply, saying nothing. He placed one hand on the hilt of his saber and walked forward.
Behind him, the six women also placed their hands on their sabers and marched towards the Zhu family's residence.
...
Back at the villa, Yuan Gang had already found all the information, his expression grim and peculiar.
"Boss, the one-armed middle-aged man we met on the road is called Li Mingyuan."
*Shing*
Ye Longlin's eyes shot up instantly, staring intently at him.
"That's right, this was found in the Dragon Pavilion's records. The database didn't have Li Mingyuan, mostly due to common names, but eventually, he was found in the Dragon Pavilion system."
Yuan Gang nodded gravely. He was very familiar with this Li Mingyuan.
The first generation of Dragon Pavilion soldiers!
Li Mingyuan was there from the very beginning of the Dragon Pavilion's establishment. One could say he watched the Dragon Pavilion grow from a small team of a few people into a behemoth.
During a battle abroad, the Dark Hall intervened. The thirty-man team led by Ye Longlin had not anticipated the Dark Hall's involvement in a small-scale engagement, which resulted in their equipment being insufficient, forcing them to engage in a direct confrontation.
Li Mingyuan led a three-man assault squad, tearing open a breakthrough. He charged forward with a bomb, sustaining over a dozen bullet wounds. The explosion of the bomb severed one of his arms, but it also created the breakthrough.
If it weren't for Li Mingyuan, they might have all died in that sudden battle.
That battle was also their first encounter with the Dark Hall.
"In that battle, Li Mingyuan's squad all died, and he was the only survivor."
Yuan Gang and the others appeared later. In the beginning, the Dragon Pavilion was merely a banner raised by Ye Longlin.
Ye Longlin closed his eyes, and after a long while, he slowly said, "My Dragon Pavilion soldiers, even after retiring, are still people of my Dragon Pavilion. No one can bully them."
Afterward, Ye Longlin returned to his room, took out a saber and a box, and handed them to Yuan Gang. "Send these to Li Mingyuan and tell him that even if he turns the sky upside down, I'll cover for him!"
Mu Hanqi came down from upstairs and had heard the entire matter. Hearing such resolute and commanding words, she murmured, "This is the man I've chosen."
Returning to her room, she found a group chat and typed out a message.
As for Fang Cunxin... she ultimately chose her studies, so Yuan Gang made arrangements with the military academy, and she was sent there. After a month of study, she would return to continue her nine years of compulsory education.
"Understood."
Yuan Gang took the two items and turned to leave the villa. He checked Li Mingyuan's current location, confirmed the direction, and then departed.
Meanwhile, Li Mingyuan, with his son and the six women, walked down the street, attracting a high rate of回头率 (huítóu lǜ - attention from people turning to look), with everyone pointing and whispering.
However, this group exchanged no words, silently moving forward.
Li Mingyuan's gaze was firm. Since he had made his decision, he would not retreat a single step, even if it meant death.
On the path ahead, a stranger appeared without warning. In his early twenties, he exuded a hardened aura, clearly a former soldier.
Li Mingyuan tightened his grip on his saber, narrowing his eyes, "Department of Retired Military Affairs and Behavior Management?"
Yuan Gang looked at him and said with a smile, "My master instructed me to give you two things."
Li Mingyuan frowned. He had never met the person in front of him, so how could someone instruct him to give him things?
Who was this person?
One was a saber with a sheath intricately carved with a dragon, bearing the weight of mountains and rivers on its back, its mouth spewing forth the sun and moon, facing the hilt.
At the end of the hilt, a Qilin head was majestically depicted. The back was engraved with the ten Yama kings, who presided over life and death.
As the saber was drawn, a cold glint seemed to flash and disappear in the heavens and earth, as if an illusion.
This was not a weapon of war; on the contrary, this weapon represented status!
For this was the personal weapon of the Dragon Pavilion Master, or rather, it was only worn on truly significant occasions.
The other was a box.
As Li Mingyuan reached out to open it, Yuan Gang smiled and pressed it down.
"Do you know what this weapon represents?"
Li Mingyuan took two steps back at this moment and knelt on one knee. "Former Dragon Pavilion First Echelon, Assault Battalion Li Mingyuan, kneels to thank the Dragon Pavilion Master!"
Yuan Gang smiled and helped him up. "You should know what's in this box."
"Furthermore, the Dragon Lord has been following this matter. Perhaps, in the end, the Dragon Lord will act personally. He asked me to tell you that even if you tear the sky apart, he will cover for you!"
"This is only because you are a Dragon Pavilion soldier. Even if you've retired, you are still a Dragon Pavilion soldier, not someone that family powers can casually bully."
Li Mingyuan grinned. "And you are?"
Yuan Gang straightened his posture and saluted sharply. "The Head of the Dragon Pavilion's Four Great Vajras, Yuan Gang, greetings, Senior!"