Chapter 342 - The Only World
Chapter 342 The Only World
Li Honghe was making tea.
Qin Weibai’s two villas were next to each other. Through the white railings, she clearly saw the old man making tea in the courtyard of another villa.
It was sunny today. The old man was unhurried and leisurely.
Li Honghe saw Qin Weibai coming over. He looked up with a smile and said, “Sit down.”
“You’re in high spirits,” Qin Weibai said flatly as she sat down.
…
She did not call him Senior Li—a title indicating respect. She was too lazy to disguise her feelings when no one else was around.
“I’m old. Last time I saw you, I told you I had nothing to think about in this life. My only obsession is to see Tianlan bring the Li family back to its original height.”
Li Honghe smiled and poured Qin Weibai a cup of tea. West Lake Longjing Tea was world-famous, but the old man was making dark green tea from Jiangnan. The tea was mellow and had a long aftertaste.
He put the tea in front of Qin Weibai, narrowed his eyes, and continued, “But you still don’t believe me, it seems.”
“Should I believe you?” Qin Weibai asked.
…
It was not the first time the two had met.
More than four years ago, the year when Li Tianlan recultivated his Martial Arts the first time in the desert prison, Qin Weibai and Li Honghe met for the first time.
Qin Weibai had never concealed her suspicion of Li Honghe.
But she got the full trust of Li Honghe.
“Believe it or not, I mean it.”
Li Honghe looked at Qin Weibai, entirely at ease.
Qin Weibai looked down at the cup of dark green tea that the old man had handed her.
Her soft fingers touched the edge of the cup. It was a long time before she asked suddenly, “Does the Li family have enough people?”
“The staff of the Supervisory Institution is enough.”
Li Honghe added calmly, “It’s not an institution that reigns over the southeast. It’s pointless to put too many people here.”
Qin Weibai looked up at Li Honghe as if trying to see through his heart.
The Southeastern Supervisory Institution did not make much sense from the surface. Most of the southeast was the territory of the Wang family of Beihai. A few areas like Huating had crooks mixed in with the honest folk. Those who dared to keep a foothold there had pretty tough backers. The power and functions of the Special Warfare System were inherently vague, and the Supervisory Institution had a supervisory role. But for now, it seemed, the Supervisory Institution had nothing to do unless some institution committed treason blatantly.
But at least it was an institution that was on the same level as the Special Warfare Department. Li Honghe’s significance in this position was to provide the Li family with the soil suitable for living.
The remaining over ten members of the Li family all entered the Supervisory Institution. At the very least, the Li family had an official identity worthy of the name. It meant, too, that Zhongzhou State recognized the Li family’s status again after the case of treason years ago.
With this identity, no matter how much the Wang family of Beihai and Kunlun City hated the Li family, they could only hold back their hatred. If they took the risk of acting, it might lead to another case of treason, once any trace of it was revealed and exploited. And it would be even more conclusive than the case of treason many years ago.
Therefore, in a short period, without absolute certainty and the entanglement of significant interests, the Li family would be extremely safe in Lin’an under the protection of the Supervisory Institution. But that was all. It would encounter enormous hardships if it were to expand.
And the Li family acquired the soil for living under the premises that Sigh City abandoned two provinces in the northeast and one murderous weapon, Wu Zhengmin was transferred out of Jiangzhe, and with the full support of the Giant Group.
But all these were just the surface.
No matter how abjected the Li family was, Li Honghe was still alive. Although Wu Zhengmin had been transferred, he went one step further into the Decision Making Committee and became the lowest ranking deputy minister in the Cabinet. Zhang Qi, the minister of the Special Warfare Department in the southeast, was well hidden as well. All these were just what Qin Weibai knew. Only God knew how many cards Li Honghe had up his sleeve.
This unfathomable old man, stationed in the southeast, held an institution that seemed to have no real power, but he owned too many pawns to use in the dark.
He said that he had nothing to think about.
Who dared to believe that?
At least Qin Weibai didn’t.
“Everything in the future depends on Tianlan.”
Li Honghe whispered, “The road has already been paved. Although the starting point is not perfect, it’s already much better than expected. At the very least, as long as I’m alive, he’ll have no worries.”
“But the situation is not that good.”
Qin Weibai’s tone was indifferent.
In all fairness, today’s Li family was already quite good. At least it had become Li Tianlan’s helping hand. With Jiangzhe—a potential future foundation for the Li family, as well as an old but tough deputy minister of Zhongzhou State, such a strand of force was by no means weak. In any group, it would be an essential and even core component.
The key was, however, the Li family was not in any group, and its opponent was not an individual but a crowd.
It was a leviathan similar to the Southeast Group or the Special Warfare Group.
In comparison, the helping hands around Li Tianlan suddenly became pretty loose.
His helping hands were the Li family, which was nearing its ends, and the Sigh City that had just risen for decades but had lost a murderous weapon.
As for the Giant Group…
Li Tianlan was backed not so much by the Giant Group as by the three backbone-like families.
The Dongcheng Clan, the Bai family, and the Zou family.
Their combination was admittedly powerful, but their support and the support of the Giant Group were still two different concepts.
“It’s indeed not so good.”
Li Honghe nodded. “So if you’ve got extra men, you don’t need to spy on an old man like me. It’s better to put them in a more useful place.”
Qin Weibai’s slender and delicate fingers tapped the edge of the cup.
The sound of fingernails gently touching the teacup was ethereal and yet astonishingly distant.
Qin Weibai’s voice sounded amidst the tapping sound. “How much control power do you have in the Purgatory of Heaven Capital now?”
The Li family had been away from the Dark World for many years.
But this problem could still be the most sensitive issue in the Dark World.
Li Honghe controlled the Purgatory of Heaven Capital.
…
Li Honghe didn’t seem surprised by the question. He was silent for a while before he asked indifferently, “Which aspect do you mean?”
Only two primary reasons could explain why the Purgatory of Heaven Capital had become the premier super force in the Dark World within just three years and why its momentum surpassed the Samsara Palace.
First, it possessed a decisive master who could almost override the whole Dark World.
That was Deity, who had fought Wang Tianzong more than once but had not suffered much.
Second, the core masters and elite corps of the Purgatory of Heaven Capital.
Senluo, Life-prolonging, Athanasy.
When the three palaces of the Purgatory of Heaven Capital were famous in the Dark World, people discovered that the masters of the Purgatory were far more than Daybreak, Dawn, and Phoenix. Moreover, they found that there were a great number of experts coming out of nowhere and battle-hardened real elite.
Top-class masters, steady pillars, and battle-hardened elite composed the most stable structure of the Purgatory. Bordering to East Island, it had no shortcomings, and that was why it became the real super force in the shortest time.
“All aspects,” replied Qin Weibai flatly.
…
This time, Li Honghe remained silent for much longer before speaking slowly, “I don’t know.”
Qin Weibai could tell that he was telling the truth.
But it was precisely because it was the truth that she got emotional and angry.
“You don’t know?”
She raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t worry.”
Li Honghe smiled and added, “Tianlan’s performance has been there for all to see over the years. All members of the Li family approve of him.”
“But not everyone approves of him.”
Qin Weibai’s tone was indifferent.
“It’s enough if most people approve of him.”
Li Honghe’s tone was insipid. “If he’s strong enough, he can have it all. I’ve got everything ready for him. And you’ve perfected everything I’ve prepared for him.”
He looked at Qin Weibai, with unconcealed appreciation in his eyes. “I didn’t expect that the silence of Master of Samsara Palace would bring such a big impact on the final battle in Heaven Capital three years ago. After the border war came the chaos of Tiannan. Did you make the Purgatory of Heaven Capital enter Tiannan? Is that our tacit understanding?”
“I just did what I had to do.”
Qin Weibai’s voice was indifferent. “Tianlan’s going to be the strongest, and I never doubted that.”
“But he needs time to grow,” Li Honghe spoke in a deep voice, and his tone was heavy.
…
Because everyone knew what would happen when Li Tianlan grew up.
He knew that.
So did the Wang family of Beihai and Kunlun City.
The Li family was merely eager for the soil for survival, but that directly caused the situation in the northeast and southeast of Zhongzhou State to fluctuate violently. Even with the full support of the Giant Group, the Li family still paid a high price.
That was just for the soil for survival.
So what kind of price would the Li family have to pay for Li Tianlan to grow up?
“I will give him time.”
Qin Weibai continued softly, “But what else will he obtain after he gets the time?”
The sound of fingers tapping the edge of the teacup was still ringing.
Qin Weibai remained calm.
The subtle sound seemed to be in sync with the breeze, becoming softer and more soothing.
A butterfly flew over the marble tea table.
The butterfly fluttered its wings and eventually landed near the teapot.
“If he has time, he’ll have everything,” Li Honghe said in a deep voice after taking a deep breath.
…
“Everything?”
Qin Weibai laughed.
“I can’t believe you.”
She added, “And even if he gets it all, there are two occasions; one is temporary, the other is genuine. Tianlan may get everything, but your existence may take everything away. I have a hunch that you’ll probably live longer than anyone has ever imagined. Wang Tianzong struck you with his sword, resulting in the fall of your realm. That move probably has some profound meaning. Senior Li, you just said that most people in the Li family would approve of Tianlan.”
She paused for a while.
The butterfly on the table flew up, dancing in their sights.
Qin Weibai’s voice was ethereal and seemed to be in sync with heaven and earth. Her voice echoed with the vibration of the butterfly’s wings and occupied all Li Honghe’s consciousness. “So, do you approve of Tianlan?”
The butterfly danced softly.
The wind seemed to be getting stronger.
The sky was rising, and the temperature was rising.
The sun faded and the air became dark.
The tea table in front of the two did not change, but the grass around them was moving wildly.
The grass was soaring, entirely out of control. Wildflowers appeared in the mellow and bloomed quickly. One tree after another grew larger and higher in the grass at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The air became sultry and sticky.
The villa disappeared.
A lush, primitive jungle suddenly appeared around the two.
The sun completely vanished.
In the darkness, the tables and chairs in front of the two seemed to disappear. And the marble table became a stone tablet.
Two bright red characters were carved on the stone tablet.
Zhongzhou State.
The butterfly was dancing.
The wind was getting stronger.
The sweltering air circulated in the wind. The sultriness gradually turned into coolness, and then into the bitter cold.
The snow began to fall at a high altitude.
The snow enveloped the canopies of trees and landed on the ground.
“I certainly approve of Tianlan.”
Li Honghe’s voice became somewhat sluggish, but it was still distinct.
“Really?”
Qin Weibai’s voice, grand and clear, resembled the sound of nature, pervading every corner of the forest, like that of the fairy.
“Yes.”
Li Honghe’s voice became more and more sluggish. He didn’t seem to see anything wrong with the forest that wasn’t supposed to appear.
It was still snowing.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier. The snow cover continued to rise, burying the boundary marker inscribed with the words “Zhongzhou State”.
Countless trees gathered together and rose higher and higher.
The landscape was undergoing earth-shaking changes.
Snowflakes were getting bigger and bigger.
Qin Weibai did not think there was anything wrong with the snow that wasn’t supposed to appear, either.
Her unhurried voice resounded through the whole world. “If, I mean, if Li Kuangtu hadn’t died, what choice would you make between him and Tianlan now?”
Li Honghe’s voice sounded dull but very honest and frank. “I don’t have a clue.”
“What about you?” he suddenly responded by asking.
…
The heavy snow was falling profusely and disorderly.
Countless trees were still rising and gathering.
The forest had disappeared.
Then the trees that rose and clustered together turned into a mountain.
The mountain was covered with snow.
“Of course I choose Tianlan.”
Qin Weibai’s voice was soft and affectionate, similar to whisper.
“Really?”
Li Honghe’s dull voice gradually became fluent. “Why are you so good to him? Or…”
He looked at Qin Weibai. “Who are you?”
“I’m…”
“Boom!”
Qin Weibai seemed to have answered the question, but Li Honghe couldn’t hear it. The whole world collapsed in an instant. The drifting snow, the collapsed snow-capped mountain, and the messy sky vanished without a trace in a flash.
Li Honghe gave a muffled snort.
The world was restored to its original state.
The two were still in front of the tea table.
The wind was mild, and the sun was bright. The smell of tea permeated the air.
The original butterfly was still here.
Nonetheless, one more butterfly appeared.
One stopped in front of Qin Weibai.
The other landed on the hand of Li Honghe.
Li Honghe looked at Qin Weibai.
The look in his eyes was a bit strange.
The expression on Qin Weibai’s flawless face changed. She stared at the butterfly on Li Honghe’s hand.
“You wanted to hypnotize me?!”
Qin Weibai’s voice was icy.
“You were the one who was trying to hypnotize me,” Li Honghe whispered.
…
Qin Weibai fell silent.
In the realm of spirit, both of them were masters. Therefore, she knew what was going on in an instant.
From the original virgin forest to the boundary marker of Zhongzhou State, everything was normal.
Because that was the world inside Li Honghe, the border.
But the snow was not supposed to appear on the border.
The moment the snow appeared, it was the beginning of Li Honghe’s counterattack.
The dense snow, or rather, the snowy mountain, was the inner world of Qin Weibai.
The only world!
Qin Weibai recognized the inner world of Li Honghe.
That was the real border of Zhongzhou State.
Li Honghe, too, recognized the inner world of Qin Weibai.
That was the real Kunlun of Zhongzhou State.
That snowy mountain could almost be regarded as the backbone of the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State.
That was the Qingyun Snow Peak of Kunlun.
Under the Qingyun Snow Peak was the Kunlun City of Zhongzhou State.
…
The switch between the two worlds was so natural. Qin Weibai, who had wanted to hypnotize Li Honghe, failed to notice that for a while. Instead of getting the truth she wanted, she almost fell into the trap of Li Honghe.
The confrontation in the spiritual realm was even more thrilling than the killing between Martial Arts experts because the former was the torture of the soul.
Li Honghe fell from the Invincible Realm, and his will was unstable.
Qin Weibai was equally dazed by her departure without the prospect of being together with Li Tianlan again.
Qin Weibai took a deep breath and calmed down again.
She might have said something, but she didn’t believe Li Honghe could hear her.
“I didn’t expect your self-protection awareness to be so strong.”
Li Honghe smiled and continued, “Similarly, I did not expect you to have this hypnosis technique.”
He looked at Qin Weibai. “The field of hypnosis is extensive and profound, with different techniques and different effects. This technique is improved and even invented by me.”
Li Honghe touched the butterfly on his hand. “I’m sure there’s only one other person who can do it at present, but it’s not you.”
His smile appeared a bit complicated and confused. “So, can you tell me who taught you this technique?”
Qin Weibai shot Li Honghe a cold glance and said nothing.
“Aye? Sister, Grandpa Li, are you drinking tea here? The wind is getting fierce.”
A voice suddenly sounded.
Lin Youxian emerged in front of the two, smiling brightly. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.”
Li Honghe added with a smile, “We’re enjoying butterflies.”
He raised his hand.
The butterfly flew up and flew past Lin Youxian’s eyes.
“Butterflies? Where?”
Lin Youxian looked bewildered.
“I gotta go.”
Qin Weibai rose to her feet abruptly.
She looked into Li Honghe’s eyes and said calmly, “I don’t know if I should believe what you said. All my distrust of you stems from that cemetery. I know what you’ve done.”
She didn’t make it that clear because of the presence of Lin Youxian.
Li Honghe condensed the death aura of nearly a thousand dead members of the Li family into enormous fate, which almost doomed Li Tianlan to die. So how could Qin Weibai trust Li Honghe?
There was a glint in Li Honghe’s eyes. He smiled bitterly and said, “I understand. But I had no choice. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t do that.”
He sighed softly and looked at Qin Weibai. Then he added softly but sincerely, “I, too, know what you and Wuwei have done. Thank you.”
“I’m leaving.”
Qin Weibai shook her head.
Li Honghe stood up behind her and bowed deeply to the young woman who was nominally his granddaughter-in-law. “Thank you.”
Lin Youxian was shocked.
Qin Weibai did not look back.
Li Honghe watched her back and looked calm.
He knew what Qin Weibai had done, and of course, he was aware of the consequences she would bear.
The woman, who had only enormous snow deep in her heart, was going to resist the heavenly tribulation for Li Tianlan.
Li Tianlan thought it was just an ordinary parting.
But Li Honghe was aware that she would have no future after this departure.
…
No matter what would happen in the future, her perfect and elegant figure would never show up in the final sky of Li Tianlan and the Li family.
Qin Weibai gently turned around and walked out of the villa.
As she turned, it seemed that the brilliance of the whole early summer was fading and winter was just around the corner.
Her figure was a bit lonely.