"Then I really must thank you, big brother," Li Daoqiang said with a cold laugh.
"No need to thank me, it's what a big brother should do. You could be disloyal and try to molest your sister-in-law, but as your big brother, I cannot be unjust," Lin Sanlong replied with a smile, perfectly natural, without a hint of embarrassment.
Liu Si chuckled, watching as if enjoying a good show.
Li Daoqiang snorted disdainfully. "Big brother, your thick skin truly shocks your second brother once again."
"Learn from it and use it well in your next life," Lin Sanlong said with a smile, his expression serious, as if earnestly teaching a foolish younger brother.
As he spoke, he took two steps forward, a dagger appearing in his hand from somewhere.
Li Daoqiang let out a soft sigh, as if resigned, or perhaps unwilling.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared behind Lin Sanlong and Liu Si, as if seeing something unbelievable. His body stiffened as he barked, "Who are you?"
For a moment, Liu Si's expression shifted as he glanced back, but Lin Sanlong just grinned coldly, full of contempt, charging straight at Li Daoqiang with his dagger thrusting forward.
Li Daoqiang struggled to roll aside to dodge, frowning at Lin Sanlong.
"Heh heh," Lin Sanlong sneered. "Second brother, trying to escape? I've been there and done that. How could you fool me?"
"What a little brat, hmph," Liu Si grumbled indignantly.
Li Daoqiang's breathing grew more labored. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Big brother truly is big brother, an old hand. I was showing off before a master. But—"
Before he could finish, Lin Sanlong moved again, his dagger like a venomous snake lunging forward with incredible speed.
Li Daoqiang couldn't finish his words, his unsteady body barely dodging the dagger.
Lin Sanlong's eyes were snake-like, cold intent swirling as he deftly turned the dagger and slashed horizontally at Li Daoqiang.
He was confident that, given the other's condition, he would be dead within ten moves.
As expected, in the next few moves, Li Daoqiang was in constant peril, seemingly on the verge of death.
Suddenly, just as Lin Sanlong finished a move and before he could react—
"Boom!"
A thunderous sound of air being shattered rang out before him. A gust of wind rushed in, his eyes widening as a massive fist, like a boulder, came crashing down with unstoppable force.
In an instant, his expression shifted drastically—shock, disbelief.
He could only instinctively raise his left hand to block.
But the next moment, his palm bones cracked, and the fist slammed straight into his chest.
"Crack."
The crisp, loud sound of bones breaking echoed in the room, accompanied by a scream. Lin Sanlong's body, like a dead snake, slammed heavily into the table laden with food and wine, shattering it into a mess.
Almost simultaneously, Li Daoqiang, who had seemed on the verge of collapse, moved like a dragon or tiger, charging into the chaos and delivering five consecutive punches.
First the dantian, then the arms and legs.
"Ah!!"
Five screams erupted in succession, even penetrating the house to reach over a hundred meters away, but no one approached.
Li Daoqiang didn't stop. He kicked off the ground like a cheetah, lunging at Liu Si.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Liu Si let out a terrified cry, stumbled back two steps, and fell to his knees. "Second brother, don't kill me."
Li Daoqiang's eyes showed a flicker of surprise, then a hint of wariness, but his fist didn't stop, striking Liu Si's dantian.
"Pfft."
"Ah!"
Blood sprayed from Liu Si's mouth as he writhed in pain, on the verge of passing out—not just from physical agony, but from the severe internal injuries caused by the heavy blow to his dantian, scattering his inner energy.
Yet, amid the pain and hatred in his eyes, there was also a glimmer of relief and a desperate will to survive.
Trembling, he barely managed to say, "Th-thank you, second brother."
Li Daoqiang's face remained calm. After a brief pause, he personally searched Liu Si thoroughly from head to toe, tossing aside some hidden weapons he found, before standing up and saying flatly, "Sister-in-law, you jest. You're my sister-in-law; why would I kill you?"
Liu Si, pale as a ghost, could only nod weakly in agreement.
Li Daoqiang's lips curled slightly. He sighed softly, "Sister-in-law, big brother, I'm truly sorry it's come to this. This wasn't what I wanted."
"N-no, it's not your fault, second brother. It's big brother and sister-in-law's mistake," Liu Si forced a smile, trembling.
"Heh, sister-in-law sure knows how to talk," Li Daoqiang laughed. His face, naturally somewhat cold and hard, now lacked its former simplicity and boldness, replaced by a chill.
A chill that made Liu Si's eyes widen in terror.
This kid, this kid...
Countless speculations flashed through his mind, his body trembling even more, his fawning smile growing wider.
A few meters away, Lin Sanlong's screams had subsided, as if he was forcing himself to endure. He stammered, "You... you weren't poisoned? And your strength!"
"Sigh." Li Daoqiang's face darkened. He shook his head, as if lamenting, "Big brother, you taught me the words 'caution and prudence,' didn't you? How could I be so easily poisoned?"
Lin Sanlong and Liu Si's expressions grew even uglier. Liu Si had fully confirmed his suspicions, and Lin Sanlong understood as well, gritting his teeth in resentment. "You've been deceiving me all along?"
The sheep before his eyes had suddenly turned into a vicious wolf, one that had been masquerading as a lamb right under his nose.
Endless regret now even outweighed the pain.
A flicker of mockery flashed in Li Daoqiang's eyes, but he said calmly, "Big brother, you jest. How could a younger brother deceive his big brother? Everything you taught me—turning a lamb too afraid to kill into a ruthless bandit—happened right under your eyes. How can you call that deception?"
He paused, his tone even more regretful. "And I truly saw you as my own blood brother. Look at my strength—I've long since opened six extraordinary meridians, surpassing you. But to avoid putting you in a tough spot and to maintain your authority among the brothers, I hid my strength, pretending to be weaker, willingly staying as the second-in-command. It's a pity you disappointed me so much, wanting to kill a brother who only had your best interests at heart."
Lin Sanlong and Liu Si were both stunned, doubting themselves—had they misjudged? Was he still that naive second brother?
After all, everything else aside, his strength was undeniable.
Lin Sanlong, having experienced it firsthand, was certain Li Daoqiang was far stronger than him, even rivaling the boss. He had only just opened the twelve regular meridians, while Li Daoqiang had clearly surpassed him long ago.
If he truly saw him as a brother, why wouldn't he willingly stay as the second-in-command?
With that thought, regret flooded him—regret for attacking such a "good brother."
And hatred for this "good brother"—if you were this strong, why didn't you show it earlier? Then he wouldn't have acted and ruined their brotherhood.
Amid the regret, the naive image of this "good brother" fueled his desperate will to survive. He quickly burst into tears of remorse. "Second brother, second brother, it's all my fault. I've wronged you. In a moment of foolishness, I attacked you. I deserve to die."
Tears of regret streamed down his face, and Liu Si immediately joined in, weeping with remorse. "Yes, yes, and your sister-in-law. Blinded by greed, I attacked you too."
(A new book begins, seeking all support.)
......