These burly men were the young man's bodyguards, obeying his every command.

Clearly, they had heard the young man's roar and had come down from the Land Rover to back him up. It looked as if they would attack Qin Heng at the slightest disagreement.

Li Jiao was so frightened her face instantly drained of color. She quickly stood in front of Qin Heng, saying, "Li Zheng! What are you trying to do? I'm warning you to order these lackeys to leave now; otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite to you!!"

By now, she was completely panicked. It wasn't that she was afraid of what her brother might do to Qin Heng; rather, she feared Qin Heng, in a fit of rage, would annihilate the entire Li family! This was a terrifyingly powerful expert who could kill an Innate Grandmaster with a single slap! If the Li family were to provoke such a person, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay for it!

Li Zheng, however, thought Li Jiao was protecting Qin Heng. He frowned and said, "Li Jiao! Don't be insolent. You should be aware of Young Master Bai's identity. Don't force me to take you away by force!"

After saying this, he turned to Qin Heng and barked sharply, "And you, boy! A toad yearning for a taste of swan meat! Get out of here immediately, or you will suffer consequences beyond your wildest imagination!"

"Oh?" Qin Heng chuckled lightly, looking Li Zheng up and down. "What consequences? Tell me about them."

"Li Zheng! Go back immediately! I promise I'll come home tonight!!" Li Jiao was on the verge of tears. Her brother was practically courting death! Doesn't he realize who he's scolding!? If Qin Heng truly got angry, annihilating the Li family would be as easy as flipping his hand!

"Fine! Remember your promise!" Li Zheng nodded. "Tonight at seven, you come home and meet Young Master Bai. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences. Li Jiao, you need to be clear about your own position! Let's go!"

After speaking, Li Zheng turned and got into the Rolls-Royce, and the burly men also returned to the Land Rover.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

A burst of engine noise erupted, and Li Zheng left with his bodyguards.

Qin Heng watched the direction in which the cars disappeared, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then, he turned to Li Jiao and said, "Li Jiao, you've got some nerve, daring to play tricks in front of me."

"Qin Heng, Qin Wudi, Grandmaster Qin, you are a magnanimous person; please spare me just this once." Li Jiao clutched Qin Heng's arm, shaking it back and forth coquettishly.

"Jiaojiao, actually, what you did just now wasn't quite right," Shang Yīng came over and said. "Your brother was indeed too rude. A Grandmaster must not be insulted, especially not a powerful expert like Qin Heng. Moreover, I believe that even if Qin Heng chose to punish him, he wouldn't take his anger out on your entire family."

"Your brother and you share no blood," Qin Heng said, looking at Li Jiao. "Let's go to the hotel. Tell me exactly what's going on."

Qin Heng's Divine Sense was exceptionally strong. In no time at all, he could tell that there was not a trace of blood relation between Li Jiao and that Li Zheng. They weren't just not true siblings; they weren't even distant cousins of any sort.

"..." Li Jiao's expression faltered slightly. Her teeth lightly bit her crimson lips. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and said, "Okay."

"Jiaojiao, Qin Heng, I suddenly remembered I have some things to do at home, so I'll head back first," Shang Yīng said suddenly. Then she hastily bid farewell and left, leaving only Qin Heng and Li Jiao. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt

"Yīngyīng, thank you," Li Jiao said, watching Shang Yīng depart, her pretty face flushed.

Then, Qin Heng took Li Jiao to the hotel.

The reception staff, seeing Qin Heng bring in Li Jiao—a petite, exceptionally beautiful young woman—all exchanged knowing looks.

What incredible luck with the ladies! But it's still daytime; is this really okay?

「Inside the hotel's presidential suite.」

Qin Heng and Li Jiao, a man and a woman, were alone in the room; there was no one else.

"Now you can talk." Qin Heng lay casually on the bed, propped up against the pillows by the headboard. He looked at Li Jiao and smiled. "I can see you mean no harm to me. Go ahead and say whatever is on your mind."

"Mhmm." Li Jiao nodded gently. Standing by the bed, she said to Qin Heng, "Actually, my original surname wasn't Li. When I was fourteen, the Li Family Head took a liking to my mother and married her as his second wife. That's how I became part of the Li family."

"So, that Li Zheng really has no blood relation to you at all," Qin Heng nodded slightly. "The entire Li family also has nothing to do with you."

"That's right." Li Jiao bit her lip, the rims of her eyes reddening slightly. In a voice filled with grievance, she said, "After I moved to the Li family home with my mother, the way Li Zheng looked at me was always filled with ill-intent. At first, I didn't understand those looks.

Later, my mother took me aside and told me many things. Only then did I realize Li Zheng harbored such vile thoughts. From that point on, I applied to live at the school dormitory and made sure never to see him again, to avoid his advances.

But I never expected that after I started university, he would find my school. He informed me that the family was marrying me off to Bai Qinghe of the Bais and that I was to move in with him immediately.

Naturally, I refused. Thankfully, around that time, Yīngyīng and I met our master. We learned some martial arts and officially entered the Martial Dao circle. This gave me some means of self-protection, and I managed to delay things for half a year."

"Why did you learn martial arts?" Qin Heng looked at Li Jiao with a half-smile. "It shouldn't be just for self-defense, right? You've been hiding something in what you said. You still haven't mentioned where your biological father went."

The Li Family Head had taken a fancy to Li Jiao's mother and married her. This account clearly omitted many steps. What about Li Jiao's biological father? He certainly wouldn't have agreed to such a thing.

"My... my father..." Li Jiao fell silent, two streams of clear tears flowing down her cheeks. She sighed softly and whispered, "Qin Heng, do you know why Yīngyīng left? Because she knows what I want to do."

Li Jiao approached Qin Heng and gently grasped his hand.

She blushed from head to toe, so shy she could barely stand it. Her watery eyes, now brimming with tears, gazed at Qin Heng as she murmured, "Please, help me. Avenge my father! Kill the Li Family Head, and I... I... am at your disposal."