94: Chapter 94 Persuading with Reason

The terrifying pressure radiating from Li Youming, while enough to fill Li Mao with sheer terror, did not make him completely surrender immediately due to his blind confidence in his Family.

Instead, the intense pain and fear only stirred up the ferocity and stupidity deep in his bones. He endured that pressure, which felt as if it would crush him, and with great difficulty, raised his head to roar hoarsely.

"Old... Old thing! Do... do you know who I am? I am the son of Grand Secretary Li! If you dare to touch me, our Family will never let you off! If you know what's good for you, kowtow and admit your mistake now, and I..."

Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence, "Slap!" A crisp, resounding sound of a slap echoed in everyone's ears.

Li Youming hadn't even moved his feet; he had simply flicked his palm through the air, his movement so fast that no one present could track its trajectory.

Li Mao only felt an irresistible force strike his face hard. His entire body flew into the air like a kite with a broken string, spinning several times before crashing heavily onto the ground a few meters away with a "bang."

"Urgh... Ah!" Li Mao let out a scream like a slaughtered pig. His brain was buzzing, and golden stars danced before his eyes.

But it wasn't over yet! Li Youming's figure flashed like a ghost, and he appeared beside Li Mao once more. With an expressionless face, he raised his foot and began to kick and beat Li Mao without mercy!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" "Ah! Stop hitting me! Senior, spare me! Spare me!" "Awoo! My ribs! They're broken, they're broken!" "Dad! Mom! Help me! It hurts so much!"

Li Youming was extremely measured in his strikes, specifically targeting areas that were thick-skinned and fleshy, causing intense pain without being lethal.

For a time, the only sounds in the courtyard were Li Mao's shrill screams and the dull thuds of fists and feet striking flesh.

Zhao Qingshan, watching from the side, was dumbstruck, but then an indescribable sense of satisfaction surged in his heart!

This arrogant, overbearing, and bullying playboy had long needed someone to teach him a lesson! Watching Li Mao rolling on the ground like a dead dog, crying for his parents, he felt as though a long-pent-up breath of frustration in his chest had finally been released.

If it weren't for the fear of the Family backing him, how could he, a dignified expert of the Grandmaster Realm, ever have tolerated such indignity!

As the beating continued, a hint of incredulous suspicion suddenly mixed into Li Mao's screams. "You... you... are you... the person from last night?"

Li Mao shouted with a crying tone while scrambling to cover his head. This technique. This force. And this "skill"... Why did the more he got beaten, the more familiar it felt?

Damn it, wasn't this exactly the same routine that masked man in black had used on him last night? Even the rhythm and location of the pain were exactly the same!

Hearing Li Mao's startled shout, Li Youming's movements paused slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. Oh? This kid had actually gained experience from getting beaten? He could actually make the connection?

The man in black who beat him last night, as it happened, was none other than Li Youming himself. However, so what if he recognized him?

Li Youming's hands didn't stop; instead, he increased the force, saying nonchalantly while continuing the beating, "What last night? This is the first time I have seen you today! Stop spouting nonsense and trying to frame me!"

"Ah! Stop hitting me! Senior, I was wrong! I was really wrong! I surrender! I surrender!"

Li Mao really couldn't take the beating anymore. More importantly, he confirmed that this terrifying old man before him was likely one of those mysterious experts from last night! Even his father had been disciplined into submission and didn't dare to speak up, so what did he amount to?

If he kept holding out, he was afraid he would really lose his life! Thinking of this, the last bit of reliance and luck in Li Mao's heart completely vanished, leaving only boundless fear and a desire to survive.

"Do you know you were wrong? Then let me ask you, do you know why I appeared here today?"

Li Mao's brain was a bit dazed from the beating. Enduring the pain all over his body, he shook his head blankly. "I... I don't know. I... I ask that Senior please... please enlighten me!"

"You don't know?" Li Youming raised an eyebrow and said, "Then why did you bring so many people here?"

"I... I came to..." Li Mao instinctively wanted to say "came to collect the shops," but when the words reached his lips, he met Li Youming's deep, icy eyes and suddenly shuddered.

"I heard that these shops of the Zhao Family seem to have already made an agreement with the Ye Family on South Street? Think carefully again, what exactly did you come here for?"

Li Mao: "..." His brain couldn't quite keep up. If he wasn't here to collect the shops, then what was he here for? Tourism?

A guard kneeling nearby was quite clever. Seeing his young master still being foolish, he quickly whispered a reminder, "Young Master, we... we were just passing by! Yes, passing by! We got lost by accident and came in... came in to ask for directions!"

Hearing this, a relieved smile finally appeared on Li Youming's face. "Oh... so you were asking for directions. Well then, have you finished asking?"

"Finished! We're finished, Senior!" Li Mao hurriedly replied.

"If you're finished, then why aren't you getting lost? Are you waiting for me to treat you to a meal?" "We're leaving! We're leaving right now! Immediately!"

Li Mao felt as if he had been granted an amnesty. Ignoring the pain all over his body, he scrambled and crawled, trying to rush out of the courtyard.

However, just as Li Mao and the group of guards reached the courtyard gate and were about to escape... "Wait."

Li Youming's calm voice rang out behind them again like a curse. Li Mao and all the guards' bodies instantly stiffened as if they had been hit by a binding spell, and cold sweat broke out on them immediately.

Li Mao turned around tremblingly, forcing a smile onto his face that was uglier than crying. "Sen... Senior! Is... is there anything else?"

Li Youming pointed to the black and blue bruises on Li Mao's body and his face, which was swollen like a pig's head, and asked in a "concerned" tone, "Nothing major, I just wanted to ask, how did you get those injuries on you?"

Li Mao was stunned. His instinct was to say: You hit me! But as the words reached his lips, he met Li Youming's mocking gaze. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately shouted loudly.

"I fell! It was me, this Junior, who fell by accident! Yes! On the way here, I wasn't watching where I was walking, and I fell!" After saying this, he even puffed out his chest quite "proudly."

Li Youming nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand. "Hmm, not bad. Just remember that you fell. Get lost."

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!" Li Mao dared not linger any longer. Taking his group of guards, who were like beaten dogs, he crawled and scrambled, disappearing at the end of the alley at top speed.

In the courtyard, peace was finally restored. Zhao Qingshan watched this scene, his feelings extremely complex; he felt the satisfaction of seeing Li Mao humiliated, mixed with deep awe and curiosity about Li Youming's identity.

He took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Li Youming. "Many thanks to Senior for stepping in righteously to resolve this urgent crisis for this old man! I have yet to ask for Senior's honorable name, and regarding that Ye Family..."

Li Youming turned around, his face returning to its calm and emotionless expression. He glanced at Zhao Qingshan and said indifferently, "I am surnamed Li. Regarding the Ye Family matter, you need not ask further. You only need to know that those few shops should be traded according to the price and conditions previously agreed upon with the Ye Family."

After speaking, he didn't wait for Zhao Qingshan to respond; he turned and vanished from the spot. A long while later, Zhao Qingshan bowed deeply once more to the empty courtyard...