The two who entered hand in hand drew the gaze of everyone in the courtyard.
Hongyun followed the two inside, edged closer to Yuan Cang, and stood by his side.
On the way, the Master took time to let Miss Wen Li bathe and change clothes; wherever these two went, their looks drew every eye.
He had thought the master’s face was unmatched, yet unexpectedly there was someone who could rival it.
Fu Yuxiu had changed into a black overcoat, while Wen Li was bundled up in a long pure‑white down jacket, her whole figure swallowed by the fur collar.
From the moment she stepped inside, she looked all around. She had long heard that White Water Hall occupied both natural and strategic advantages, and indeed the location was chosen perfectly.
From the entrance onward, on both sides were hot spring pools constantly steaming.
Truly knows how to enjoy.
At this moment, the Li father and son were still dressed in white bathrobes, clearly looking as if they had just finished soaking in the hot springs.
“Want to soak in the hot spring?” Fu Yuxiu spoke, his gaze fixed on the young girl.
“No.” Wen Li replied.
Fu Yuxiu thought for a moment; since arriving in Beicheng, he had never taken her for a proper soak in the hot springs.
“This place isn’t clean. Tomorrow I’ll take you to soak at the mountaintop.” Fu Yuxiu spoke as he pinched the young girl’s ear.
Hongyun rubbed her eyes, clearly in disbelief—was this still the same ruthless, heartless master?
To think he could coax a little girl in such a low, gentle voice.
“Finish your own matters first.”
Over there, someone had already carried a nanmu chair out from the hall and placed it at the very top of the courtyard.
The man crossed through the crowd in the courtyard, holding Wen Li close as he sat on the broad nanmu chair.
“Your hand is so cold.” Fu Yuxiu lowered his head and wrapped Wen Li’s hand in his own.
Cold sweat broke out on Li Zhui’s forehead as he looked at the man ahead, calm as clouds and wind—the man whose status had suddenly changed, now bowing his head to warm the hand of the girl beside him.
“Young Master…” Li Jie called out.
A flattering tone rang out in the courtyard; his face was full of smiles as he scrambled up to the man’s side.
“What do you mean by this?”
No matter what, one thing was clear: this man was absolutely no longer the useless figure they once saw.
The master of the Dark Palace, a man who truly struck fear into all who heard his name.
Right now they were at an absolute disadvantage; this man could easily wipe them out.
“The Li family has been quite busy these past two days. I haven’t had the time to come by, but now that I’ve made some, I’d like to hear what Hall Master Li has been occupied with.”
Fu Yuxiu spoke as he drew Wen Li’s hand to his lips, breathed warmth onto it, and only when her fingers grew warm did he tuck them into the pocket of his coat.
“Young Master, this is a misunderstanding…”
Though the day was bitterly cold, sweat kept breaking out on Li Jie’s forehead.
Li Zhui also moved closer and said, “Young Master, these past two days we’ve been negligent. I’ve already sent men to North Mountain, with orders that no matter what, they must bring you back safely.”
“Yes, yes, I also went into North Mountain. I searched for two days but couldn’t find the Young Master. I even thought he had met with disaster—but truly, fortune favors the worthy, Young Master…” Li Jie chimed in as well.
“If Hall Master Li keeps on like this, I’m not sure how long I’ll have the patience to listen.”
This was the man’s final warning.
Li Zhui of course knew why Fu Yuxiu was making such a grand show—it was to demand justice and hold them to account.
“Young Master, we were only following orders from above—you know the difficulties we face.”
Such ambiguous words neatly shifted the blame upward, onto those two characters—‘the higher‑ups.’
There was no need to guess—they all knew exactly who these ‘higher‑ups’ referred to.
Fu Yuxiu lifted his hand lightly, and from outside the door black‑clad men entered, throwing two people down before Li Jie and his son.
Li Jie fixed his gaze, and saw that lying on the ground were the Mo father and son, covered in blood and unconscious.
Thinking of how the entire Mo family had gone missing today, Li Jie understood exactly what the man had done.
Fei Ran turned the computer around so that the camera faced the father and son.
“You have five minutes left. Once those five minutes are gone, there will be no chance at all.” Fei Ran spoke.
Li Zhui straightened hurriedly and said, “It was Young Master Fu. He promised that if we ensured your death here, once he took the position of head of the Fu family, he would hand all of North City over to the Li family to manage. From then on, the profits would no longer be split seventy–thirty, but fifty–fifty.”
“Yes, Young Master Fu also said you were nothing more than an illegitimate child who couldn’t show his face. That you would never take the head position of the family, that the old master didn’t value you—and that we should strike without hesitation.”
Thinking back on it now, Li Jie was sick with regret.
Why on earth would anyone provoke this King of Hell for no reason at all?
If only I’d kept my distance from him—this is nothing but disaster falling from the sky.
After the video was finished, Fei Ran tossed over a stack of documents, which landed right in front of Li Jie.
Upon opening it, inside were all the equity transfer documents.
Of all White Water Hall's businesses, the Fu family holds seventy percent of the shares, while the remaining thirty percent are in the hands of the Li family.
With such an act of insubordination, the Fu family would surely reclaim the shares.
“I’ll sign, I’ll sign right now.” Li Jie said, already moving to act.
Beside him, Li Zhui grabbed his father’s hand and cried, “No!”
All they had done was in the hope that one day the Li family could break free from the Fu family.
Now that everything has been returned, what will the Li family do? Haven’t all their efforts been wasted?
“According to the Fu family rules, if they wish to reclaim authority, a meeting must be convened. Only with the consent of half the households in the lower seats can all power be taken back. You are not the head of the Fu family now—you have no right to reclaim authority!”
When Li Zhui said this, he was utterly arrogant.
A smile spread across the man’s lips—and right after came the crack of a gunshot.
Li Zhui clutched his hand and rolled on the ground, while Yuan Cang smoothly withdrew his gun.
The whole process was astonishingly swift, carried out with effortless calm.
“I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here as a member of the Fu family. It’s only because you still have some use that you’ve been kept until now.”
Flustered, Li Jie scrawled his signature, rubbing his palm as he stared at the man ahead.
He paid no attention whatsoever to the son wailing like a ghost beside him.
“The signature is complete—I wonder if the young master is satisfied.”
According to the Fu family rules, framing the master warrants immediate elimination. Whether Fu Yuxiu handles it or not, they will face dire consequences.
“Master.” Yuan Cang called out.
Fu Yuxiu listened, then bent close to Wen Li’s ear: “Li Bao’er, if it were you, how would you deal with it?”
Wen Li’s gaze swept over the two before her; both the Li and Mo families had sent assassins to North Mountain—this was beyond doubt.
Since the facts are clear, there’s no need to dwell on it.
“Kill them.”
Two words—simple and clear.
Fu Yuxiu let out a soft laugh, kissed her cheek, and asked: “Are you truly this ruthless?”
“What else?” Wen Li lifted her head to look at him.
Fu Yuxiu pressed his forehead against hers: “Mm, I’ll listen to our little treasure.”
Li Jie’s face changed drastically, and he scrambled forward, rolling and crawling toward Wen Li.
“Miss Wen, please save us! We beg you!”
Li Jie crawled forward, his forehead knocking against the ground. He knew that as long as Wen Li spoke, Fu Yuxiu would never raise his hand again.
Wen Li was the sole key to their survival.
“Please, Miss Wen… we beg you…”
The sound of Li Jie’s kowtowing was loud; his forehead was already a blur of blood and flesh.
The woman before them remained unmoved; Wen Li said nothing, not even sparing a glance.
The Li family had sent out more than a few assassins; Wen Li had no time to pity someone who wanted her dead.
“Didn’t you hear what Madam said?” Fu Yuxiu spoke.
Here, a gun was raised; with two shots, Li Jie and Li Zhui fell to the ground, eyes wide open.
Even in death, Li Jie stared fixedly at Wen Li, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Hong Yun raised his brows; in his impression, women were usually full of tenderness, kind and generous.
But the Miss Wen Li chosen by the head seems a little different.
To watch someone die before her without even blinking—ordinary women, to show their kindness, would usually say a few words when others begged for help.
But throughout, Miss Wen Li’s little face remained cold and distant.
This is not like ordinary women at all—has the master found a cold‑blooded, heartless woman?
And seeing the master carefully covering her hand, he suddenly felt the two were a perfect match.
“Master, should we send them over?” Fei Ran asked.
Fu Yuxiu glanced at the people on the ground. “Just dispose of them.”
Fei Ran nodded, long accustomed to the master’s ways.
Wen Li looked at the bodies on the ground—the two families who had been so arrogant upon her arrival in North City had fallen in just a few days.
Tomorrow, the entire imperial capital may well be shaken.
“Since you dislike the Fu family, why did you agree to take on the northern affairs for the old master?”
Before dying, Mo Xianjun and Li Jie returned their power to the Fu family; in the future, the Fu family can simply send someone to take over North City.
Wen Li knew what status the Dark Palace held across continents; with such an identity, how could he willingly remain in the Fu family as a disregarded young master?
“I promised someone that before the old man passes away, I will not leave the Fu family.”
Wen Li raised a brow—this man was born rebellious; what kind of person could make him obey?
“It’s my mother.” Fu Yuxiu tapped her nose. “Don’t overthink.”
The matters of those two families were settled, and the aftermath was not something she cared to know.
Wen Li rose from her chair, intending to return and rest well.
These past two days in North Mountain, rushing without day or night and without proper sleep, her body suddenly felt exhausted.
“I’ll take you to rest.” Fu Yuxiu held her close and led her toward the door.
Leave a few people behind to handle the scene.
“Well, you don’t see this every day—the master really likes Miss Wen Li, I saw his eyes shining!”
Every time the master lowers his head to speak to Wen Li, his eyes always sparkle.
To describe it in one word—it is brimming with the vitality of spring.
A heart stirred with springtime longing.
“This will be our future mistress—the master has truly fallen hard this time,” Fei Ran remarked.
Hong Yun nodded in agreement. “When I came over, Jiahe asked me to check out what kind of person the legendary IO really was. I didn’t expect this… tsk tsk…”
All in all, Miss Wen Li is currently very much favored by the master, and her temperament suits his well.
.........
A villa at the ski resort.
When Xia Chen arrived, Li Li was already awake, and he entered carrying things.
Because he was the one who brought Li Li back, Ruiqiu greeted him warmly, piling snacks by his side.
"Has she woken up?" Xia Chen asked.
Ruiqiu nodded, set the coffee down, and said, "Just woke up—Second Master and the old madam are with her now."
Yun Xiao, who was recuperating upstairs, came down with a cup in hand and saw Xia Chen sitting in the living room.
"Young Master Yun." Ruiqiu went up to greet him.
"Pour her a cup of hot water, and bring two plates of snacks." Yun Xiao handed the cup over.
Ruiqiu took it with a happy nod. As long as she can eat and drink, with some rest she’ll recover.
"Has Wen Li returned?" Yun Xiao stepped up to Xia Chen and asked.
He knew this man was Wen Li’s little follower—wherever Wen Li went, he was always trailing behind, and now he sat here.
This shows Wen Li must have returned safely; otherwise Xia Chen would never be sitting here drinking tea.
"I came just to tell Li Li that the eldest has returned, so she should focus on recovering and not worry."
In truth, what Xia Chen meant was: the eldest has returned, so Li Li should rest well these two days and not stir up any trouble.
If she runs into another serious problem and the eldest has to save her again, his mindset will collapse.
"Can I go see her?" Yun Xiao spoke.
Some matters must be asked face to face, and besides, Wen Li saved his life and also saved Li Li.
This debt of gratitude must be repaid, no matter what.
"No need, the Boss isn’t here now." Xia Chen replied lazily.
Yun Xiao remembered that when Wen Li went to North Mountain, she was with the Young Master, so now the Young Master should be with her.
"Please convey my regards, and tell her I’ll come another day to thank her in person." Yun Xiao said.
The matter of Yun Xiao and Li Li in Beicheng had already reached the capital, and Yun Sheng, unable to reach his younger brother, worried for a long time.
Now that everyone has returned safely, this time both the Yun family and the Li family owe Wen Li a debt of gratitude.
"Then please also tell Li Li that the Boss has returned, she should rest well, and I’ll be leaving now."
After all, Xia Chen’s purpose in coming was simply to inform Li Li of this matter.
Once she recovers, he’ll see her anyway. Right now, with the family reunited, it wouldn’t be proper for an outsider to intrude.
Inside Li Li’s room, the atmosphere was warm and joyful, with Li Langhua and Li Yuanzhi is seated by the bed.
After checking her pulse, Li Ruobing gently stroked Li Li’s hair and said, "Wen Li’s medicine is very good—it won’t leave scars. Just focus on nourishing your vitality these two days and you’ll be fine."
Li Yuanzhi sighed beside her, saying, "You’re a child who causes worry wherever you go. From now on, we’ll have to tie you down at home."
Li Li hung her head in silence, and Li Ruobing could see she was worried about Wen Li.
"Wen Li will be fine. She’s so capable—nothing will happen to her." Li Ruobing reassured.
Li Langhua looked at her granddaughter. By now, the bond between Li Li and Wen Li was beyond anyone’s control.
This child is truly very sad and heartbroken.
Yun Xiao brought up two plates of pastries and casually set down the bird’s nest porridge Ruiqiu had prepared.
"Eat something."
Li Li pushed the bowl away, her voice small and sorrowful: "I don’t want to eat."
Right now she just can’t eat yet.
Seeing her like this, Yun Xiao smiled gently: "If you don’t eat properly, how will you have the strength to thank Wen Li tomorrow?"
As soon as he said this, Li Li snapped her head up.
Beside her, Li Ruobing’s eyes also lit up.
"What did you say?"
Yun Xiao handed over the spoon and said, "Just now Xia Chen came by and asked me to tell you—Wen Li has already returned. But she isn’t here right now, so if you want to see her, it will surely have to wait until tomorrow."
"Is Wen Li all right? Is she hurt? How is she?" Li Li said as she tried to throw off the quilt and get out of bed: "No, I have to go see her."
"She left with the young master—you won’t be able to see her." Yun Xiao pressed her back onto the bed.
Li Ruobing clasped her hands together: "Thank heavens, Wen Li has returned safely—thank heavens."
Li Langhua’s nerves, tense these past days, finally relaxed. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples.
"Mom, please go rest. We’ll stay with Li Li." Li Yuanzhi helped Li Langhua to her feet.
For days on end, Li Langhua hadn’t been able to rest properly. No matter how well she maintained herself, she was still an elderly woman.
"I’ll go out myself. You stay here with her."
Li Langhua raised her hand to gently touch her granddaughter’s face: "Rest well, tomorrow Grandma will take you to see Wen Li."
"Mm." Li Li answered with a nod.
After Li Langhua left, Li Yuanzhi glanced at Yun Xiao, who was keeping watch by the bed.
"Li Li, you escaped danger this time thanks to them. Look, Yun Xiao is still injured—you mustn’t forget to thank him properly." Li Yuanzhi’s face was full of smiles.
Li Li glanced at Yun Xiao, then lowered her head and thought for a moment.
She had forgotten—there was still Xiao Yan.
No one knows how he is now—when leaving North Mountain, Xiao Yan was badly injured.
Back at Jiang Yunhao’s side, it was uncertain whether treatment could be obtained.
"What are you thinking, child?" Li Yuanzhi tapped her on the head.
Li Li nodded: "Second Uncle, I understand."
She will surely thank Wen Li and the others properly.
Li Langhua sat in the room with a sigh, holding a lacquered wooden box in her hands.
The old lady carried this box wherever she went, unchanged through all these years.
“Are you really going to tell Second Miss the truth?” Ruiqiu looked at Li Langhua with concern.
It’s just uncertain whether Li Li can accept this matter.
"We’ve come this far—there’s no avoiding it. If the child blames me or resents me, I’ll accept it."
If the concealment continues, there will inevitably come a day when it is exposed.
It would be better if she spoke out the truth herself.
“That might be for the best—you just might see the Young Master again.” Ruiqiu spoke.
Li Langhua set the box aside. “It doesn’t matter whether I see them or not—as long as they’re living well.”
After all these years, isn’t it good not to meet?
No one is unable to live without someone else.
Ruiqiu sighed. After all, it was her own child, and for all these years the old lady had never managed to cross that hurdle in her heart.
“I think Second Miss will be very happy—her bond with Miss Wen Li is truly strong.”
After all, there’s blood between them—they should stay closer.
“Shouldn’t you be glad? Miss Wen Li is so capable—there’ll be one more person to protect Second Miss.”
Li Langhua gave a soft laugh. “Let’s hope so…”
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