Family Management Game In Immortal Continent

Chapter 423: Ultimate Caution

Li Changshengʼs expression was steady, and, surprisingly, held a trace of respect.

His voice was cool but firm as he spoke:

”From the very start, we never intended to kill Nangong Yazhi,” he said.

”Thereʼs a principle in our Li family: when dealing with those whose strength doesnʼt match our own, sometimes letting them live brings greater rewards than killing them outright.”

Upon hearing this, all the Li family members smiled.

”Impossible... Impossible!” Nangong Qingshanʼs body hunched over, his fists clenched tightly.

Li Changsheng, however, ignored Qingshanʼs despair and continued, ”With the Tian Xing Abode now sealed, the major commotion our Li family caused here cannot possibly have gone unnoticed by the other experts trapped within. We require a pair of ʼeyesʼ... Therefore, Nangong Yazhi serves as the perfect pair of ʼeyesʼ. Especially a Nangong Yazhi consumed by the need for vengeance.”

”Word is sheʼs intimately familiar with all the cultivators across Eternal Sun Prefecture. While she herself is no match for our Li family directly, she will undoubtedly seek out even more powerful experts to move against us. And being, at her core, a merchant adept at scheming, itʼs almost certain she will be the one masterminding their plans.”

”Anticipate the enemy and seize the initiative,” Li Changsheng continued, ”and victory is never far behind. The only thing we didnʼt anticipate...” Li Changsheng wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow.

That palm strike from Nangong Qingshan... it had been far more terrifying than the shock heʼd received from his three ʼunclesʼ earlier. He had nearly died again today!

Nangong Qingshan watched the mirror image as Nangong Yazhi did indeed set off to seek reinforcements; utter despair washed over him.

Everything he had sacrificed... it all seemed so utterly ridiculous now!

Li Tianming slowly put away the bronze mirror.

He gave a slight shrug. ”So, how do you suppose weʼve always managed to keep tabs on your Nangong family? Itʼs all thanks to this Heavenly Spirit Mirror here. Once we acquire just a single drop of someoneʼs heartʼs blood, then everything that person sees – even if they were just a bird – can be perceived by us, and theyʼd be completely unaware.”

”Heheh,” Li Tianming continued, a sly grin spreading across his face.

”Now, consider this: Why do you suppose Nangong Yazhi was weighed down by all those artifacts? And why did her eyes remain so dull and unfocused? Did you actually think weʼd be so foolish as to believe those trinkets alone could keep someone like Nangong Yazhi truly suppressed? She is, at the end of the day, an expert worthy of the Nascent Divinity List. Ordinarily, when dealing with someone of her caliber, we wouldnʼt risk leaving them alive to prevent any future trouble. Unless... unless she demonstrates her value to us.”

”Because, you see, we needed to – completely unbeknownst to anyone – extract a sample of her heartʼs blood! And while we were at it, offer her a slim chance at survival – that is, allow her to ʼengineerʼ her escape!”

Witnessing Li Tianmingʼs smile, Nangong Qingshan felt as though he were staring into the face of a malevolent fiend!

He plunged into a mad frenzy, lunging towards Li Tianming, only to be effortlessly suppressed by the lingering power of the Skyveil Hall. Still, he thrashed and struggled, screaming, ”Youʼre inhuman! A monster! Youʼre a monster!”

It all became horrifyingly clear. From the absolute start, every single step had been meticulously planned by the Li family.

Even if he hadnʼt desperately sacrificed himself to free her, the Li family would still have intentionally manufactured a narrow escape for Nangong Yazhi.

They wanted her to seek revenge with every fiber of her being, to become their unwitting ʼeyesʼ in Eternal Sun Prefecture!

All his efforts, his ultimate sacrifice – not only had they failed to achieve his aim, but through a cruel twist of fate, they had instead massively benefited the Li familyʼs scheme!

Because of his actions, Nangong Yazhi would now have absolutely no doubt about the ʼauthenticityʼ of her escape. And all her subsequent struggles, every effort she poured into seeking revenge, would merely become part of the ʼdowryʼ delivered into the Li familyʼs hands!

”So,” Li Tianmingʼs voice, cold and final, ”choose how you wish to die.”

Li Yunlin closed his eyes. Everything had indeed gone according to the clanʼs overall strategy.

He simply hadnʼt foreseen Nangong Qingshan becoming so utterly unhinged in his final moments.

The one thing that had truly caught them off guard, however, was how close Changsheng had come to perishing at Qingshanʼs hands.

Despite hearing Li Tianmingʼs cold offer, Nangong Qingshan gave no verbal response.

He merely kept struggling, trying desperately to lunge at Li Tianming, all the while cursing venomously and vowing to snatch the Heavenly Spirit Mirror from his grasp.

Li Tianmingʼs eyes darted thoughtfully. ”Elder Uncle,” he said with a smirk, ”What kind of ʼchoice of deathʼ are we even talking about for this one? Changsheng almost bought it because of him. So, how about this: just give him to me. One quick stab, and Iʼll make sure he dies nice and neat.”

”...”

Seeing Uncle Tianmingʼs eager expression, Li Changsheng rolled his eyes. He knew instantly: Uncle Tianming was looking at Qingshan like a child whoʼd just been given a new, fascinating toy to break.

If Qingshan actually ended up in his clutches, then death by a thousand cuts would likely be the kindest fate awaiting him.

He glanced sideways at Nangong Qingshan. Despite having nearly lost his life to the man, Li Changsheng couldnʼt help but feel a certain admiration for his ultimate act of loyalty.

He sighed deeply. ”Itʼs a pity you didnʼt genuinely pledge allegiance to our Li family,” Changsheng said, perhaps to himself as much as to Qingshan. ”Had we met a man of your mettle outside this Tian Xing Abode, under different circumstances, I believe our Li family could have become true friends with you.”

At Li Changshengʼs words, the Li family members fell silent once more.

Li Wei, observing quietly from his point, shared their complex feelings.

This time, the Li family had genuinely been caught off guard. It was a classic case of ”the eagle hunter having his own eyes pecked out by an eagle.”

At the outset, the Li family had genuinely planned to spare Nangong Qingshanʼs life.

After all, a living Nascent Soul cultivator, especially one who could be made to serve the clan, was far more valuable than even a single supreme-grade spirit artifact.

However, Nangong Qingshanʼs reaction hadnʼt been one of relieved surprise at being spared, but rather sheer terror leading to his desperate attack.

Fortunately, the clan members had already devised their countermeasures, and Li Changsheng, in the end, was saved.

The only real casualty of that desperate attack, it seemed, was... Li Changshengʼs hand, still trembling like he had Parkinsonʼs!

[System Update for Li Changsheng: After experiencing multiple dangerous traps and narrowly escaping death at Nangong Qingshanʼs hands, his trait ʼPrudent and Cautiousʼ has evolved into ʼUltimate Cautionʼ.]

[Trait Effect: Having endured repeated terrifying experiences, he will now meticulously examine every detail and will absolutely ensure no conceivable danger is left unaddressed...]

While the other Li family members remained silent, their expressions thoughtful, Li Changsheng let out another sigh.

”Great-Granduncle,” he addressed Li Yunlin, ”in the end, Nangong Qingshan proved himself a man worthy of respect. Perhaps... it would be best if you personally granted him a swift and clean death? This Tian Xing Abode is vast enough. Once youʼve extinguished his Nascent Soul—”

Li Changsheng paused, then continued, his voice steady.

”—Perhaps you could entrust his remains to me. I will see to it that he is laid to rest somewhere peaceful, where no one will disturb him.”

Li Yunlin gave a small nod. ”That would be fitting.”

Meeting Li Changshengʼs earnest gaze, Li Yunlin thought to himself, A man of such spirit does deserve a decent end.

Without further delay, Li Yunlin acted. With a single dagger strike, he ended Nangong Qingshanʼs life and carefully incinerated what remained of the manʼs Nascent Soul. Once it was done, he handed the corpse over to Li Changsheng.

But the moment Li Changsheng laid eyes on Nangong Qingshanʼs body, he let out a startled yelp and recoiled.

”Changyao, quickly!” he cried. ”Get me at least a kilometer away from here!”

The three Tian brothers exchanged confused glances, staring at Li Changsheng in bemusement.

To them, the young masterʼs reaction was comically excessive—like a bird spooked by the mere twang of a bowstring.

For some reason, they thought this lad really was far too timid.

Paying Li Changsheng little heed, the rest of the group began to conceal themselves once more, resuming their surveillance of Nangong Yazhi.

And just as anticipated, seven days later.

By then, within the seven days, Nangong Yazhi had already gathered numerous cultivators and begun plotting in secret.

Meanwhile, outside their current hiding spot, Li Changsheng had, as promised, prepared a proper grave for Nangong Qingshan, which he then surrounded with multiple layers of arrays.

Having waited exactly seven days, Li Changsheng, with Li Changyao in tow, proceeded to dig up Nangong Qingshanʼs grave.

Li Changyao stared speechlessly at her brother, who had positioned himself a full two hundred meters away from the gravesite. ”Brother, are you insane?! We all made sure he was thoroughly dead! His Nascent Soul was completely incinerated! What on earth are you expecting to find now?!”

”I have my doubts that heʼs truly gone.” Li Changshengʼs face was solemn.

”Yao,” he instructed, ”Take his corpse, seal it within a spirit artifact, and send it back to Grandpa. It can be used for corpse refining. Oh, and one more thing. After youʼve exhumed the body, incinerate the entire grave area with a powerful fire. Actually, scratch that.”

Li Changsheng added. ”Better yet, use your spiritual power to thoroughly sweep the surroundings. Iʼm worried there might be a lingering remnant of his soul that could try to possess some passing critter.”

Li Changyao: ...

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