Li Zhiqing sat in the Buddhist hall, lost in thought.
After meeting Chen Jinzhao, she remembered some past events as if they happened yesterday.
Yu Mengzhi's appearance brought her back to reality. Li Zhiqing hesitated and asked, "Mengzhi, why are you back? Didn't I tell you to descend the mountain as soon as possible?"
Previously, Yu Mengzhi had found Chen Jinzhao's behavior odd. Now, hearing her mother urge her to descend the mountain again, even with her low vigilance, Yu Mengzhi realized that something bad might happen next.
"Mom, is there something you're hiding from me?" Yu Mengzhi asked directly.
Li Zhiqing wanted to speak but stopped. Yu Mengzhi immediately said, "Mom, I am your daughter. You can't keep everything from me."
Upon hearing this.
Li Zhiqing finally sighed, "I don't want to drag you into another vortex. Chen Jinzhao is also truly something. Knowing there's danger if he stays, why did he let you stay? Isn't that irresponsible?"
Yu Mengzhi was slightly shocked. It seemed Chen Jinzhao's intuition was correct.
She continued to press, "Mom, what exactly is going on..."
Li Zhiqing was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "This is the grievance of our generation. It has nothing to do with you youngsters."
Outside the courtyard.
Chen Jinzhao headed to the lounge to find the Li brothers.
Along the way, he noticed that the tourists in the temple had been persuaded to leave. Only a scattered few were slowly departing, and the temple, which was previously crowded, had become quiet and deserted.
"Something big is indeed happening," Chen Jinzhao thought to himself.
He arrived at the lounge and, upon seeing Li Tiance, asked directly, "Are there going to be other events today?"
The Li brothers exchanged glances, then looked at Chen Jinzhao with suspicion. Li Tiance frowned, "What makes you say that? I didn't receive any news when we arrived. Are the other events you're referring to good or bad?"
"You really don't know?" Chen Jinzhao also frowned.
The expressions of the Li brothers gradually made Chen Jinzhao believe that they were indeed unaware.
Li Tiannan pressed Chen Jinzhao for details. Without hesitation, he told them what Li Zhiqing had said and also informed them about the temple persuading tourists to leave. Upon hearing this, Li Tiannan said uncertainly, "I thought the temple was clearing out guests because they knew my eldest brother was here. It seems that's not the case?"
He turned to look at Li Tiance.
Li Tiance pondered, "Aunt didn't tell us explicitly, which means those people aren't coming for me, but for Aunt. If we didn't know, it would be one thing. But now that we know someone intends to harm Aunt, my brother and I naturally cannot stand by. Tiannan, you go with Zhulong to see if anything is amiss."
"Big brother, what about your safety..." Li Tiannan was worried.
After all, Li Tiance was the hope of the Li family. Li Tiannan was also genuinely willing to assist his elder brother's career. In any case, Li Tiance absolutely could not be harmed.
Li Tiance's tone was steady, "What are you afraid of? Aren't there others protecting me? Besides, I believe your strength is not to be underestimated."
Li Tiannan turned to look at Chen Jinzhao. Chen Jinzhao also said, "Your elder brother is right. You and I will go see what's happening."
The two left the lounge side by side and headed towards the temple entrance.
Upon arriving at the entrance, they realized something was wrong. Dozens of strong young men in suits and sunglasses were already standing outside the temple, completely surrounding it.
The abbot of the temple was communicating with the people outside.
Seeing this, Chen Jinzhao quickly walked forward and saw the abbot shaking his head as he walked back inside. Chen Jinzhao then asked, "Abbot, who are these people?"
The aged abbot shook his head, "I don't know either."
Li Tiannan had already walked out of the entrance, questioning who sent these men in black and what their purpose was.
These men in black did not answer at all, as if they were mute.
Li Tiannan was hesitant to make a move against them in this place, fearing that the conflict would escalate. Thus, he could only return to Chen Jinzhao with a grim expression, "Zhulong, these people are not here with good intentions. We haven't figured out where they came from yet. What should we do next?"
Seeing Li Tiannan's solemn expression, Chen Jinzhao knew that these men in black had likely brought their 'weapons'.
He glanced at the waists of these men in black, and indeed, they were bulging.
Once the conflict escalated, the sacred temple would flow with blood, which neither of them wished to see. Therefore, Li Tiannan and Chen Jinzhao had been very restrained up to this point.
"What exactly is going on? I still can't figure it out. How did Aunt manage to provoke these people?" Li Tiannan was puzzled.
Just then.
Yu Mengzhi, accompanying Li Zhiqing, arrived at the temple entrance.
Chen Jinzhao and Li Tiannan quickly went to greet them. Chen Jinzhao proactively said, "Aunt, why have you come out? The situation outside is not clear yet. Please go back inside. We will handle things outside."
"Yes, Aunt. You and cousin should go back and lie low for now. Chen Jinzhao and I can handle these troubles." Li Tiannan also advised Li Zhiqing not to take risks. Hearing their words, Li Zhiqing felt gratified, then sighed, "The matter started because of me, so I will be the one to end it."
"Do you know who these people are?"
None of the three knew, and they all shook their heads.
Li Zhiqing said with a faint smile, "They are forces from various families in Yuezhou Province. If my guess is correct, some are also from Donghai, coming from afar, all for the purpose of physically eliminating me from this world."
"Why?" Li Tiannan asked, confused.
He also claimed he would call the family to help.
Li Zhiqing waved her hand, "No need. Even if the old man wants to save me, it will be too late. Because among these people are members of the Jiang family from Yuezhou. Several major families are attacking Lingyin Temple, and the leader is precisely the Jiang family of Yuezhou."
Everyone was shocked to hear this.
The Jiang family of Yuezhou was no weaker than the Su family of Jiangnan and the Han family of Donghai. The Jiang family, being farther from the capital, had an even tighter grip on Yuezhou Province than the other two major families. If they went all out, they could indeed ignore the Li family of the capital, as the Li family's influence did not extend to Yuezhou Province.
But—
The three were even more confused. How did Li Zhiqing provoke the Jiang family?
And for what reason, knowing Li Zhiqing's identity, did the Jiang family want to physically eliminate her?
"Aunt, don't keep us in suspense. What exactly is going on?" Li Tiannan was impatient and eager to know the truth.
Meeting their three confused gazes, Li Zhiqing said with a wry smile, "If you knew what I have done in Yuezhou Province for the past twenty years, you would understand why the Jiang family is so eager to get rid of me."
"The events unfolded as follows..."