In an instant.
Many eyes fell upon Li Xiaoning.
Those who knew the inside story quickly distanced themselves from Li Xiaoning, fearing implication.
The Li family was already in precarious straits, and no one wished for any further mishaps.
Before long.
The place where Li Xiaoning stood became deserted, leaving only her solitary figure to face Li Erzhou's cold gaze. Li Xiaoning initially felt panicked, but as time passed, she gradually calmed down, realizing she wasn't as afraid of Li Erzhou as she thought. Her previous fear stemmed entirely from Li Erzhou's power over life and death; now, with Li Erzhou like a ship about to capsize, what was there to fear?
She slowly raised her head, meeting Li Erzhou's eyes.
Li Erzhou sensed the offense. A mere Li Xiaoning dared to look at him with such disdain.
Not killing her would be an offense to heaven!
"Kneel!"
"Today, I will judge you before all members of the Li family! Li Xiaoning, do you know what you've done wrong?" Li Erzhou rebuked in a cold voice. Li Xiaoning raised her chin proudly and said word by word, "Please clarify, what exactly have I done wrong?"
Li Erzhou's blood surged with anger. He pointed at Li Xiaoning and declared, "Your mistake is colluding with outsiders, conspiring to harm the Li family, and attempting to seize control of it! Li Xiaoning, you are a traitor to our Li family, a sinner for eternity!"
The crowd looked at Li Xiaoning.
They wanted to see how this woman would respond.
Li Xiaoning's fiery red lips curved into a slight arc, and from a distance, a hint of mockery could be discerned.
Chi Hu couldn't stand it and shouted, "Li Xiaoning, the old master is speaking to you, are you deaf? What you must do now is kneel and repent, and then I will send you to the netherworld. This is your destiny."
Li Xiaoning's smile grew even brighter.
This made Li Erzhou and Chi Hu's expressions turn grim. Li Xiaoning's actions were akin to challenging their authority.
"What are you smiling about?" Li Erzhou asked, his face cold.
Li Xiaoning gradually suppressed her smile, staring into Li Erzhou's eyes and saying, "In truth, the greatest sinner of the Li family is you. If it weren't for you, how could the Li family be in such a predicament? It was your rash decision to break ties with Chen Jin’an that led to this disastrous outcome!"
"Nonsense!" Chi Hu interrupted Li Xiaoning.
Li Xiaoning said languidly, "Chi Hu, this is not a place for you to speak. As a junior, you should show respect to your elders."
Although Li Xiaoning was only a few years older than Chi Hu, in terms of seniority, she was his aunt.
Chi Hu felt as though he had swallowed a fly.
Li Erzhou immediately refuted Li Xiaoning's words, his face stern. "Li Xiaoning, it seems you still haven't realized the grave mistake you've made. Chen Jin’an intended to move against our Li family; are we not allowed to fight back?"
"Haha, in your world, others are always at fault, and you are never wrong. Haven't you ever considered how domineering and unreasonable that sounds?" Li Xiaoning did not conceal her sarcasm towards Li Erzhou, even stating bluntly, "To be honest, if you hadn't been born into the Li family, your achievements would likely be insignificant, let alone comparable to Chen Jin’an's. In front of Chen Jin’an, you could only play the role of a loser."
This statement completely enraged Li Erzhou.
Li Erzhou roared, "Silence! Shut your mouth immediately! Guards, hold this woman down, make her kneel, and then kill her!"
Some individuals stirred, ready to move.
At this moment.
Li Taihang stepped forward, much to Li Erzhou's relief.
At least Li Taihang was still on his side, not siding with Li Xiaoning.
Little did he know—
Li Taihang actually stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Xiaoning. Then, Li Taihang looked at Li Erzhou and said, "Father, I believe Li Xiaoning has a point. Could it be that we were mistaken in this matter? If possible, I think we should yield to Chen Jin’an."
A stir.
Dozens of Li family disciples were in an uproar.
No one had expected Li Taihang to betray them!
Li Erzhou knew time was running out and could only roar, "You father and daughter are beasts! Even as a ghost, I will not spare you!"
"Guards, kill them both!"
For a moment, no one moved.
Li Taihang said slowly, "I advise all my brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, that there are two choices before you: one is to surrender to Chen Jin’an and live, and the other is to die with the old master, sacrificing yourselves for the Li family. I believe... if your minds are not addled, you know what to do."
"You—" Li Erzhou, overwhelmed with anger, spat out a mouthful of blood.
He looked around.
Apart from Chi Hu, no one stood with him.
This was a misfortune of the family, a sorrow of the clan!
"Where are the guards? Tai Cheng, where are your men? Have them come here immediately to control the situation, I want to kill this pair of father and daughter!" Li Erzhou looked at Li Tai Cheng. Li Tai Cheng did not move immediately but walked out from the crowd, apologizing to Li Erzhou, "Father, I'm afraid I cannot obey. As Tai Hang said, what we should do is not resist stubbornly, but make the decision that is most beneficial to us."
"You want to be a traitor too?" Li Erzhou nearly choked.
Li Tai Cheng was different from Li Tai Hang. The former was a descendant he had trusted greatly, and Li Tai Cheng was responsible for the overall security of the family.
But now—
Li Tai Cheng had turned against him!
This was undoubtedly the last straw that broke Li Erzhou's back, causing him to cry out in despair, "Indeed, the heavens want to destroy my Li family. What wrong have I, Li Erzhou, committed to be punished in such a way?"
Li Tai Cheng ignored Li Erzhou and looked at the other Li family disciples. "Those who wish to surrender to Mr. Chen should stand on our side. I will not force you, but I hope you will make the choice that is most beneficial to yourselves."
"However—"
"I also want to advise everyone here that once you stand with me, you will be Mr. Chen's people from now on. Absolute loyalty is absolute loyalty; if you betray Mr. Chen in the future, do not blame me for being ruthless."
Initially, no one moved.
It was only after the first person chose a side that the others followed suit and stood with Li Tai Cheng.
Before long.
Of the dozens of Li family disciples, only three or four remained with Li Erzhou.
These few were all from Li Tai Hao's lineage and had the closest relationship with Li Erzhou. They knew that if they sided with Li Tai Cheng, they would not have a good life either, so they could only remain by Li Erzhou's side.
Chi Hu was extremely disappointed.
He said to Li Erzhou, "Great Grandfather, these people are ungrateful wretches of the Li family, beasts that can never be satisfied! Tonight, I will take off their heads and offer them to the spirits of the Li family ancestors!"
Li Xiaoning walked to the very front of the crowd, facing Li Erzhou and Chi Hu with her slender frame.
This surprised Chi Hu greatly. "You're not afraid of death?"
"Afraid! Of course, I'm afraid of death. How many people in this world are not afraid of death? But I know there is only one way to ensure the Li family survives!" Li Xiaoning's body trembled slightly, not from fear, but more from excitement.
She deeply realized that tonight was a stage set specifically for her!
If she could handle it well, she would enter Chen Jin’an's sight and become one of his confidants.
Li Xiaoning took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart.
Like everyone else, Li Xiaoning cast a resolute gaze at Li Erzhou, then spoke word by word.
"I ask Li Erzhou to die!"