Chapter 30: Worlds Apart

I thought to myself: That makes sense. It is easy to be a thief for a thousand days, but impossible to guard against one for a thousand days. If someone were watching me like that all the time, I would have lost my mind sooner or later. "So, we just wait now?"

"Wait. There's no other way." Li Si shook his head and continued, "The Wu family has been spoiled by us over these years."

He looked at me and smiled. "But your family is different, brother. I heard from my father that there was a formidable expert in your Wang family who, at the age of seventy, single-handedly stormed the Wu family's headquarters in one night, leaving them unable to recover their vitality for twenty years."

I was stunned. If I wasn't mistaken, the person Li Si was talking about must have been my great-grandfather; my grandfather’s age didn't match.

"And there's something even more impressive," Li Si said excitedly. "He forced the Wu family to sign a contract promising not to step into the underworld for thirty years. That was truly badass." As he spoke, Li Si gave a thumbs-up.

I sighed inwardly. It seemed that the Wu family's use of their entire clan’s fortune to harm the Wang and Huang families must be related to this incident.

"Ring, ring, ring..." The phone rang again; it was Qingyi calling.

"Hello, Qingyi, how is it?"

"Fourth Brother, I really can't help with this matter. I am just a gatekeeper for the Wu family; please understand."

Hearing this, I knew that Qingyi hadn't given Li Si any face and had refused.

"Yes, I understand. This matter has nothing to do with you." Li Si’s expression was grim. He added, "Regardless, let's get together when we have time. Our brotherhood remains strong."

"Yes, yes, I'm glad you understand, Fourth Brother. As a gatekeeper, I'm less than a dog here." Qingyi tried his best to belittle himself.

I knew clearly what Qingyi meant: he truly couldn't make the decision. He had delivered the message, but the other side hadn't shown any respect.

"Fine, let it be then." Li Si hung up and slammed the phone onto the table, shattering the screen.

Li Si swiped his hand, sending the phone flying. The man sitting by the door glanced at it and picked it up. Finding the screen broken, he immediately made a call, and I heard him ordering someone to deliver a new phone.

"Damn those Wu family members, they’re really pushing their luck," Li Si cursed.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the lobby, his face full of gloom, looking like he was about to explode.

"Sigh," after a while, he sighed and sat back down.

"Fourth Brother, do you have no way to deal with him?"

Li Si paused, looked at me, and after a brief moment of silence, he smiled bitterly. "Damn it, to be honest, I really don't have a way to deal with him."

Li Si leaned back on the sofa and continued, "That’s how family matters go. You beat the small ones, and the old ones come out; it's endless. If you can't cut the weeds and dig up the roots, it's best not to provoke them."

I was also quickly thinking of a solution, but I realized Li Si was right. "When you beat the small ones, the old ones come out. Eventually, one of them will become a mountain blocking the flood."

Thinking of the plots in movies, isn't it the same logic? One person dares to confront a group. A group of people could drown someone with just a single spit each, yet that one person runs wild throughout the world.

It’s all the same principle. You beat the small, the old come out; if you beat the old, an even bigger boss appears. In short, it’s always good to have a powerful backer.

Thinking of this, I thought of my own "big tree." It used to be my grandparents, but now it is myself. And my target is the Wu family.

I must become my own "big tree" before I turn twenty-three. Otherwise, I won't need anyone else to deal with me—Heaven itself will take me.

"Damn it, this is frustrating," Li Si cursed. Then he said, "Let's go, brother. We didn't drink to our fill earlier; come and have some more with your brother."

"Fourth Brother, if you drink while you're this angry, you'll get drunk easily. I suggest we don't drink; let's just keep drinking tea."

"Tea tastes like bird feed compared to liquor. I can control myself, don't you worry."

"Ring, ring, ring..." The phone rang again at the door. The man sitting there looked at it, brought it over, and whispered, "It's the Second Master."

Li Si's brows furrowed instantly. He took the phone and pressed the answer button. "Little Four, I'm warning you, do not get involved in Old Wan's business."

The line went dead.

Li Si angrily raised the phone and smashed it onto the floor. "Damn the Wu family, they are pushing us too far!"

The phone shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor. This time, the man didn't look and just stood quietly to the side without a word.

"What's wrong, Fourth Brother?"

"Damn Wu Zhuang, he called the Old Master and told him not to let me meddle in other people's affairs." Li Si’s face turned deathly pale with rage; he looked like he wanted to eat someone.

I sighed and said, "Let's go, Fourth Brother. A good drunk can wash away a thousand sorrows. I'll join you."

Li Si looked at me, stunned, and then he suddenly laughed. "Brother, I’ve found that it’s not a loss to be around you. Just learning one thing from you is enough to last a lifetime."

He smiled, threw his arm around my shoulder, and continued, "Damn it, I won't be angry anymore. Only those without capability get angry. Just like you, little brother—you don't strike unless you have to, but when you do, it's a winning hand. That’s how things should be done. Your brother has learned his lesson."

I was stunned for a moment. What was he talking about? When did I ever play a "winning hand"? And when did I teach him how to be a person? I’m only eighteen; what kind of cultivation do I have?

The man at the door walked out and started the car on his own. Li Si and I sat in the back.

"Brother, 'Heaven Beyond Heaven,' a good drunk will wash away a thousand sorrows."

The car started, and we turned through several streets, reaching the city center. Finally, we arrived at a tall hotel. The entire five-story building was the "Heaven Beyond Heaven" Hotel. Looking at the decorations and layout, it was incredibly luxurious.

We took the elevator to the third floor, and Li Si called the man to join us. We ordered a table full of dishes and started drinking.

I had warned him that drinking while angry makes you drunk easily, and it wasn't long before Li Si was bleary-eyed and intoxicated. The man didn't drink a drop; even when Li Si got drunk, he didn't interfere, just sat quietly watching us talk.

"Brother, stay in the provincial capital for a few more days. I'm lonely."

"Fourth Brother, I don't have the time to stay here. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving tomorrow. I have plenty of matters at home."

"Sigh, you capable people have so much to do. If I ever need help in the future, you can't be like those Wu family people today. I’ll be angry if you are."

I shook my head. Li Si had developed a mental block, and the Wu family had become that obstacle.

"Fourth Brother, it’s just a word from you. I’ll remember it."

Just as we were talking drunkenly, I noticed the man staring behind us, his hand sliding under the table. I turned around in confusion.

"Little brother, we meet again."

I saw the man I had chatted with at the plaza walking toward us. I was stunned. "Big brother, what a coincidence. We met here again."

"Indeed, what a coincidence." The man walked up to me, reached out his hand, and said, "This is our second meeting. We should get to know each other and be friends, right?"

Having just finished drinking, my reaction was a bit sluggish. Seeing him reach out, I reached out too. Once our hands met, I froze—he wanted to be friends!

I hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly, "Big brother, we aren't cut from the same cloth; we can't walk the same path. Why bother?"