In the discussion hall.
Li Tiannan simply knelt down.
Upon seeing his demeanor, Li Buyan’s heart skipped a beat. Was Li Tiannan trying to atone for his sins?
“Get up, you don’t need to kneel before me!” Li Buyan roared.
Li Tiannan remained kneeling, showing no intention of rising.
Just as Li Buyan had surmised, Li Tiannan indeed wanted to atone for his actions, which would bring him some peace of mind.
It would make him feel less like a traitor.
“Grandfather, Tiannan is here to protect you. From now on, I will eliminate the traitors of the Li family and guide the Li family back to the right path,” Li Tiannan declared.
Li Buyan was extremely disappointed.
Because he knew that the traitor Li Tiannan spoke of was Li Tiance.
After all, they were brothers, and now to engage in such fratricidal conflict was something Li Buyan least wished to see.
“If you dare to lay a single hair on your brother’s head, you’ll be dead!” Li Buyan sternly rebuked.
He even added, “You are a sinner to our Li family. What face will you have to face the ancestors of the Li family in the future?”
Li Tiannan suddenly looked up at Li Buyan.
His calm eyes made Li Buyan’s heart skip another beat.
He could not see a trace of warmth in those eyes.
All he saw was ruthlessness.
Li Buyan gave a wry smile, “Tiannan, can you think of the family? If you kill your brother, the Li family’s situation will be dire. Did Chen Jin Chao tell you to do this? I knew he always had ill intentions, constantly trying to sow discord within our Li family.”
“Chen Jin Chao told me, I don’t deny it,” Li Tiannan nodded.
Li Buyan’s expression turned extremely grim, “How could you believe Chen Jin Chao’s slander? Tiannan, I remember you weren’t like this before.”
“It’s all Chen Jin Chao’s fault, he’s made you this way.”
Li Tiannan stood up from the ground.
Shaking his head, he said, “Grandfather, you are mistaken again. Chen Jin Chao merely awakened the instincts within my heart. I had thought of these things before, but I never dared to act upon them. It was Chen Jin Chao who enlightened me and gave me the courage.”
“You and Chen Jin Chao are in league. If Chen Jin Chao were to re-enter the military in the future, with his personality, do you think he would let you go? Your current alliance is merely a facade,” Li Buyan pleaded earnestly, hoping Li Tiannan would see reason.
But—
Li Tiannan had already made up his mind!
No one could change it!
“Grandfather, what am I lacking compared to my elder brother? From childhood, you instilled in me the notion that I was merely Li Tiance’s subordinate. You never trained me as an heir. I want to ask, why?” Li Tiannan inquired.
Li Buyan’s face darkened, he didn’t know how to answer.
“In terms of personality, character, or ability, how am I inferior to Li Tiance?” Li Tiannan spoke again.
“Yet you have never truly regarded me as the successor!”
“This is the most foolish thing you’ve ever done!”
“You…” Li Buyan found the Li Tiannan before him utterly unfamiliar.
Li Buyan seemed to realize that he had made a mistake, yet he still attempted to defend himself, “I was merely following the unwritten rules of the Li family. Since ancient times, the eldest son has inherited everything. You can only blame yourself for being Li Tiance’s younger brother.”
Li Tiannan burst into laughter, his demeanor appearing extremely manic.
Li Buyan grew increasingly fearful, for he realized Li Tiannan had completely lost control, leading the Li family into an abyss.
What should be done?
Before Li Tiannan could say anything further, Li Tian Ce suddenly spoke, “That’s right, it’s all Chen Jin Chao’s fault. If I kill him, everything can be undone as if it never happened.”
“Right!”
“Let’s kill Chen Jin Chao first!”
Li Tiannan stood in place, unmoving.
His gaze towards Li Buyan even held a hint of mockery, “Grandfather, I’m very curious. When you dealt with Second Grandfather back then, was it also Chen Jin Chao’s fault?”
Li Buyan froze, then his face changed drastically.
Li Buyan was merely the third son of the Li family patriarch. The patriarch’s eldest son—Li Buyan’s elder brother—had died in battle. Later, the patriarch could only turn his attention to his second son. It was inconceivable that Li Buyan had murdered his elder brother and usurped the position of patriarch.
These events had happened decades ago, and no one dared to mention Li Buyan’s elder brother in his presence, for it was Li Buyan’s dark side.
Li Buyan was like a tyrant.
Anyone who dared to reveal this tyrant’s scar would face Li Buyan’s unleashed fury.
“Nonsense, a complete fabrication!”
“Did Chen Jin Chao tell you these things? This is groundless slander, malicious defamation, and libel!” Li Buyan exploded in anger. Li Tiannan continued to smile, “You can continue to play ignorant, but heaven watches all, doesn’t it?”
“You can deceive us, you can deceive the world, but can you deceive yourself?”
Li Buyan was stunned.
Indeed.
He had deceived himself for a lifetime.
He had fooled everyone, but he could not fool his own heart.
Li Tiannan, on the other hand, was much more forthright, his voice resounding with conviction, “I am not as hypocritical as you. Whatever I have done, I will not deny. I admit that I had long harbored ambitions for this position. Chen Jin Chao merely accelerated the process.”
“Grandfather.”
“I hope you will not obstruct my actions. I must succeed today.”
Li Buyan remained silent.
Under Li Tiannan’s gaze, Li Buyan tremblingly walked back to his chair and sat down. His eyes no longer possessed their former sharpness, only a deep bewilderment.
Had everything he had done in the past been wrong?
Seeing the old man in such a state, Li Tiannan resisted the urge to speak further.
After a while.
Li Buyan threw his head back and laughed heartily, filled with tragic grandeur!
“Hahaha!”
“So I was wrong all along, and I’ve been on the wrong path, unable to turn back.”
He cried and laughed.
Li Tiannan frowned slightly, wondering if Li Buyan would go mad.
Then he thought.
If the old man went mad, it might not be a bad thing for him.
It would save a lot of trouble.
Just as Li Tiannan was about to leave the discussion hall, Li Buyan suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Li Tiannan with a playful gaze, “Child, I was indeed wrong. But aren’t you treading the same old path as me? You will also, like me, run madly down the wrong road!”
“Looking back on my life, the happiest and most carefree days were in my youth. Back then, the entire family was harmonious, and among the same generation, there was only kinship, no so-called deceit. Those times are gone forever, and though fifty years have passed, I still cherish those days.”
“Li Tiannan, do you truly intend to tread my old path?”