Chapter 38

"Uncle Niu, I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving the Li family. Don’t worry, the money I’ve brought is enough for you to live a comfortable life elsewhere!"

Li Chen felt a slight warmth in his heart, patted the thick hand that was holding his arm, and said, "Let me in. When I see Manager Li Mingfeng, I’ll have something to say!"

"Alright, I’ll take you in!"

Seeing his determination, Uncle Niu took a deep breath and nodded in relief.

"No way, Uncle Niu! How can Manager Li be someone you just see like that? If I let him in rashly and he causes trouble, I can take the blame for this boy, but I won’t do it for you!"

Li Feng blocked the way with his long spear and shouted loudly, clearly targeting Li Chen.

Crack!

Li Chen casually grabbed the spear shaft, gave him a cold look, and then pulled the somewhat dazed Uncle Niu, striding into the grand main gate he had never entered before.

"How is that possible?"

Li Feng stared in shock at the broken spear shaft. Although the spear was not made of fine steel, the shaft was made of famous black jujube wood, which could be compared to bones. If someone could crush it so easily, what would happen if they grabbed a person?

"Hmph, what are you staring at, you gate guard? If outsiders see this, they’ll say the Li family doesn’t discipline its people properly. What kind of decorum is this?"

Suddenly, the sound of urgent hooves rang out. Two strong horses stopped at the gate, and two young women with heroic postures frowned in displeasure.

"Ah, Second Miss, Third Miss! That medicine slave Li Chen just came back. Relying on his cultivation of inner breath, he’s being arrogant and wants to cancel his slave status. He even injured me!"

Li Feng immediately came to his senses and said with a quick turn of his eyes.

"What? Li Chen is back?"

Li Yuerong’s beautiful eyes widened. She exchanged a glance with her older sister, Li Yuehua, who looked somewhat similar but a few years older, and without hesitation, dismounted and ran inside.

"Hehe, let’s see if you can survive this time!"

Li Feng smiled sinisterly and led the two horses to the stable.

......

"Are you sure you don’t want to be a guard in the Li family?"

Inside the Li family’s inner court, Li Mingfeng, who managed the slave registry, was a fat man with a face full of fatty wrinkles.

"Manager Li, please check. Here are the bills for four hundred taels of gold. Bring the slave contracts for Uncle Niu’s family and Aunt Liu’s family! The extra is for your trouble!"

Li Chen pushed the four gold and silver bills on the table, showing no intention of changing his mind.

At this point, Uncle Niu had already gone to find his wife and children, as well as Aunt Liu’s family. They were just waiting for Li Chen to retrieve the slave contracts and leave together.

"Ha ha, since that’s the case, I won’t say more!"

Li Mingfeng’s face twitched with a forced smile. He put away the bills, subtly slipping one into his sleeve, and nodded to the servants standing by.

Li Mingfeng knew a bit about Li Chen. Years ago, he had stolen medicinal herbs to treat his grandfather and was caught red-handed by the third miss. According to the family rules, he should have been executed, but the second miss, considering the three generations of the old Li family’s service, only stripped them of their family name and made him a medicine slave.

The servants looked at Li Chen enviously and quickly turned to search through the cabinets in the storeroom. Soon, they brought out a stack of papers.

Li Chen flipped through them, confirmed they were correct, and stuffed them into the leather bag on his back. He gave a slight bow and stood up to leave. However, just as he stepped out of the room, he saw two women approaching quickly: "Li Yuehua! Li Yuerong!"

"Dog slave, how dare you!"

Li Yuerong’s face was cold, and she lashed out with her whip, creating a sharp crack in the air.

Seeing the whip that had beaten him for three years, Li Chen remained calm, grabbed it with a flick of his wrist, and channeled his inner breath. With a slight tremor, the whip snapped into pieces!

Thud, thud, thud!

Caught off guard, Li Yuerong retreated several steps, her face pale.

"Looking for death!"

The second miss, Li Yuehua, her eyes flashing with cold light, moved swiftly and drew her sword, thrusting it at Li Chen.

"Want to kill me?"

Li Chen raised an eyebrow, and his left hand suddenly shot out, grabbing the sword without dodging.

The sound of metal clashing filled the air. Li Yuehua looked in shock at the fingers that had caught her steel sword, more specifically, at the two black finger guards on Li Chen’s fingers.

Although surprised by Li Chen’s strength, Li Yuehua, a peak ninth-layer martial artist, remained calm. She lightly waved her hand and delivered a powerful strike to Li Chen’s chest.

"Hmph!"

Li Chen clenched his right hand into a fist and swung it directly.

Bang!

Li Yuehua felt a sharp pain in her arm, her face turned pale, and she was forced to retreat. Seeing Li Yuerong draw a short knife and charge at Li Chen again, she shouted, "Third sister, stop! You’re no match for him!"

"Second sister!"

Seeing her more skilled second sister fail, Li Yuerong’s face was filled with reluctance as she stood beside her, glaring at Li Chen with hatred.

Li Chen did not press his advantage. His gaze swept over the two women, the once proud daughters of the Li family. To his surprise, he found that he had little desire to kill them.

Li Yuerong had caught him stealing medicine years ago and, due to a baseless rumor, had him whipped every time she returned to the family.

Li Yuehua, who seemed to have saved him, had stripped the old Li family of their name, which they had earned through three generations of service, and watched the elderly man die of illness.

"From today on, I am no longer a slave to be beaten and cursed!"

The condescending rewards and indifferent pity of the past made Li Chen’s heart surge with rage. He clenched his fists tightly.

"Li Chen, if it weren’t for me pleading for you, you would have been executed according to the family rules. Is this how you repay the family?"

Li Yuehua was slightly startled, sensing a strange coldness from Li Chen. Although she didn’t know what had happened to him during his disappearance, his strength was clearly far beyond hers.

"I have already retrieved my slave contract. I just want to leave here!"

Li Chen spoke coldly. His grandfather’s family had served the Li family for three generations. Even if the Li family was heartless, he couldn’t destroy them recklessly.

"Cancel your slave status? What a joke! What makes you think you can retrieve your slave status? Don’t think that just because you have some strength, you can act arrogantly. If it weren’t for the Li family, you would have frozen and starved to death on the streets long ago!"

Li Yuerong shouted fiercely.

"Is that so?"

Li Chen gave her a cold look.

"Yes..."

Li Yuerong’s face turned pale, feeling a fierce aura approaching, and she swallowed her words.

"Li Chen, with your strength, you don’t need to be a slave anymore. If you’re willing, you can become a guest protector of the Li family!"

Li Yuehua pulled her sister, her eyes turning, and seemed to have the intention of recruiting him.

"No interest!"

Li Chen shook his head slightly, not wanting to get entangled, and strode away, determined to show no mercy if they dared to stop him.

"Stop! I’m asking you, a year ago, Master He and his group went to the Ancient Cang Mountain. The gate guard said you went with them. Why have you returned alone, and where are Master He and the others?"

Li Yuerong pushed her sister’s arm away, blocking his path, and demanded an answer.

This was the Li family’s inner court. The two sisters might not be a match for Li Chen, but there were others who could handle him.