Chapter 67

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In response to Liu Menglong’s provocative remarks, Old Master Liu did not get angry; there was no trace of guilt in his eyes. He calmly said, "Back then, your grandmother wanted me to divorce my wife and marry her. As the head of the Liu family, I naturally could not agree. She left in a fit of anger, taking your mother with her, and we never heard from her again."

Liu Menglong had heard some stories about Qin Yu from Liu Ying. As Old Master Liu said, Qin Yu was a strong-willed woman with a strong desire for control. Given her character, it was indeed possible for her to force the issue. However, as the head of the family, how could Old Master Liu possibly divorce his wife for a mistress?

It was expected that Qin Yu would leave if she couldn’t achieve her goal. After leaving Old Master Liu, she transferred all her controlling desires onto Liu Ying. As Liu Ying grew older, she developed a rebellious attitude, eventually daring to marry Long Qingyun at the age of 16, forcefully breaking free from Qin Yu’s control. Qin Yu, in turn, left in anger and was never heard from again.

Character determines fate; Liu Menglong truly understood the meaning of this phrase.

"Since she chose to leave you, it shows she no longer wanted any connection with you. Since she has long been gone, you should give up on her and my mother. Although I bear the Liu surname, it was only because my mother couldn’t enter my father’s family that I had no choice. Moreover, I am just a commoner. You rashly want to elevate me without considering my background or abilities, which is too frivolous."

Mother couldn’t enter the father’s family? The information Liu Menglong revealed made Old Master Liu and Shao Meiyun think deeply. They first thought of Liu Ying and Qin Yu, who couldn’t enter the man’s family, leading to their departure.

Sometimes, the inertia of thought can be very dangerous. The inertia of thinking that a daughter will be like her mother led the two wise men of the Liu family to misunderstand.

"You have a point," Old Master Liu smiled faintly. He didn’t care who Liu Menglong’s father was; as long as Liu Menglong still bore the Liu surname, it was enough. Liu Menglong’s previous calmness greatly pleased him: "Calm-headed, meticulous, neither hasty nor slow, just as Meiyun said, you are a born leader. I am very reassured to entrust the Liu family to you."

"Do you want to force my fate?" Liu Menglong sneered.

"Not at all!" Old Master Liu slowly shook his head. "The Liu family is indeed in crisis, and the position of the head of the family is a high-risk one. But in times of crisis, true heroes emerge. If you have the ability to survive the crisis, stabilize the situation, and lead the Liu family out of adversity, who would dare to defy you when you hold the power?"

Old Master Liu then said earnestly, "A few days ago, the person whose leg you broke was one of the top ten experts in the Liu family. Since you have the ability to protect yourself, your safety is greatly enhanced. Whether you agree or not, there is now an opportunity for you to rise to prominence. Even if it comes with risks, you should face them. At least, as the head of the Liu family, you can do as you please in Tianfu, and no one will dare to humiliate you."

Do as you please in Tianfu?

Liu Menglong’s heart stirred, and he asked calmly, "What about outside Tianfu?"

Old Master Liu chuckled, "As long as it doesn’t harm the Liu family, what’s the problem?"

"Oh."

A simple "oh" fully revealed Liu Menglong’s disdain for Old Master Liu’s words. Old Master Liu, being a shrewd old man, understood this well.

His brows furrowed, and he looked deeply at Liu Menglong, "Do you have a deep-seated grudge with an external clan?"

Liu Menglong glanced at him but said nothing.

"What kind of clan is so untouchable even for the Liu family?" Old Master Liu was intrigued. Under the condition that it doesn’t harm the Liu family, the Liu family’s power is unimaginable to ordinary people. Even so, Liu Menglong still felt it was insufficient, indicating that the clan he wanted to deal with must be among the top twenty in China.

However, Old Master Liu had already learned from Shao Meiyun that Liu Menglong had never interacted with any clan from childhood to adulthood. The only mystery was how they could live in a villa and drive a sports car without doing anything. Upon investigation, it was found that a foreign account transferred 500,000 yuan monthly, but the source of the foreign account could not be traced.

Although the Liu family had extensive influence in China, they were powerless abroad and could not trace the foreign account.

Old Master Liu didn’t want to overthink the unsolved mystery. He was just curious how Liu Menglong, who had lived a relatively peaceful life, could have offended such powerful clans. If he had truly offended a powerful clan, how could he still live so calmly?

He couldn’t figure it out, really couldn’t. For a moment, Old Master Liu became quite interested in this grandson by marriage, but Liu Menglong’s next words made him laugh bitterly.

"What does it have to do with you?"

Indeed, what does it have to do with you? Old Master Liu laughed bitterly, "Forget it, if you don’t want to say, I won’t force you. But no matter who you want to deal with, the entire Liu family’s power is much greater than yours, isn’t it?"

Indeed, with the Liu family’s control over the military and political power in Tianfu, they were much stronger than he was. However, his conflict with Long Zongheng was personal, and he only wanted to deal with Long Zongheng. To kill Long Zongheng, he needed top-notch assassination skills, and one person was enough. The Liu family, despite their power, only controlled resources and authority. Unless Liu Menglong’s target was the entire Long family, the Liu family’s power was useless to him.

Liu Menglong glanced at him indifferently, "Are you done?"

Liu Menglong’s eyes and tone made Old Master Liu’s heart sink, and the atmosphere instantly became tense and heavy. Nalan Ruyue, who had been hiding in the kitchen, looked worried, her palms sweating.

After a long time, seeing that Liu Menglong remained unchanged, Old Master Liu sighed, "Meiyun, help me up."

"Grandfather..." Shao Meiyun was startled, knowing that Old Master Liu had given up on Liu Menglong.

"Help me up!" Old Master Liu said calmly, "Even if the Liu family is on the brink of collapse, we will not beg anyone. The Liu family is a proud aristocracy, not a lowly beggar."

As he spoke, Old Master Liu exuded a sense of pride and dignity, as if the once powerful head of the Liu family had returned!

Shao Meiyun pursed her lips, helped Old Master Liu up, and looked at Liu Menglong with disappointment, "Menglong, you have disappointed me greatly."

"Your disappointment is something you built up from the beginning. I never promised you anything," Liu Menglong said indifferently.

These words hit Shao Meiyun like a hammer, and she instantly turned pale.

Feeling Shao Meiyun’s cold hands, Old Master Liu sighed, "Forget it, we were wrong from the beginning. We shouldn’t have placed our hopes on an outsider."

Old Master Liu and Shao Meiyun left, and Liu Menglong locked himself in the third floor, saying he needed to be alone.

Liu Menglong didn’t eat lunch or dinner. Nalan Ruyue was worried but had no way to help. Now, Liu Menglong was facing a mental issue, and she could only hope that he could resolve it himself.

The rainy weather stopped before dawn, and Liu Menglong came out of the 20.3 training ground.

Starting from noon, Liu Menglong locked the entrance to the third floor and intensely trained his skills. He continued until 8:30 PM, drenched in sweat, took a shower, and immediately entered the training ground again. This time, he survived for three days in a lifeless desert.

Without water, food was scarce, and there were sandstorms and tornadoes. The temperature difference between day and night was enough to drive a person mad. Only then did Liu Menglong realize that the 20th level training ground was a survival training ground. The first day was a grassland, the second day was an icy landscape, and the third day was a desert. What would the next one be? A forest? A swamp? Or an isolated island?

Anything would do. Liu Menglong had three experiences, and he believed he could survive the next one without much trouble.

The rain stopped, and the air was exceptionally fresh. Frogs croaked outside. Liu Menglong opened the door to the third floor and suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the door.

He saw Nalan Ruyue sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, hugging her knees, and burying her head in them, breathing steadily. Next to her was a tray with a beef pie and a bowl of egg soup. Liu Menglong felt a warm current in his heart, his nose tingled, and he almost shed tears.

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Thank you to 'Book's Descendant' 'Night's Loneliness' 'Xuan Yuan Qing Ye' for each donating 100 Qidian coins, and 'Sleeping with Fish' 'Infinite Inspiration' for each donating 588 Qidian coins.

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