However, her father, who had always doted on her, didn't come to see her even once, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"My dear daughter, Daddy was busy with something, but I came to see you as soon as I finished." Liu Jinli was incredibly devoted to Liu Xinrong; he would give her the moon if she wanted it, and not even the stars.
Liu Xinrong was just a child with a temper; she threw a tantrum for a while and was quickly coaxed back to peace by Liu Jinli.
Nothing was said that night. The next day, Liu Jinli went to Wangjiang Tower with great confidence.
Inside the large private room, the bosses I met yesterday were already waiting, all wanting a clear answer.
Even if Liu Jinli is the Grand Elder, there is no reason for him to humiliate them like this.
As soon as Liu Jinli entered, Boss Qi noticed something was wrong.
confidence.
Today, Liu Jinli exuded an arrogant confidence, completely different from her panicked state yesterday.
Boss Qi noticed, and naturally the others did too. After exchanging glances, they waited to see what Liu Jinli would say so they could respond.
“What happened yesterday was indeed Liu Lanyan’s fault.” After Liu Jinli came in, he greeted the guests and sat down before saying to Boss Qi, “I also made a special investigation yesterday, and this matter really has nothing to do with our Liu family.”
"What a joke! It has nothing to do with you? What, does it have to do with us?" One of the bosses slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage.
Does Liu Jinli really think he can do whatever he wants just because he is a Grand Elder?
If Prince Yu Jinshuo were here, they might be wary, but they still have the ability to contend with an elder.
“If we have to say that this matter is related to you all, then it’s plausible.” As soon as Liu Jinli said this, he immediately drew angry glares from everyone.
No one expected Liu Jinli to take advantage of the situation to this extent; it's shameless to the point of being excessive.
"So, it seems I was wrong to wait?" Boss Qi laughed angrily, staring at Liu Jinli with ill intent.
They had originally hoped to leave each other some leeway and avoid a complete falling out, but Liu Jinli's lack of pragmatism meant they couldn't be blamed for what happened.
"The main reason is that everyone has so many good things in their homes." Liu Jinli's words only provoked public outrage.
"So having good stuff has become a crime, is that it, Elder?" Boss Qi emphasized the last three words, "Elder," as if he wanted to bite Liu Jinli's neck off.
"That's not it." Liu Jinli's attitude at this moment was no longer arrogant, but completely overbearing. Who told him to be fearless now, so he naturally didn't care about anything. "As you all know, Liu Lanyan will soon be participating in the Craftsmanship Conference. She needs to improve her demonic power, so she naturally needs your things to supplement it."
"Bullshit! If she needs to replenish her supplies, she can come here to get them. Do you think this is your warehouse?" Boss Qi was so angry he was almost laughing. He was furious to the extreme, and his demonic power began to gather. The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze, filled with murderous intent.
Amidst this palpable killing intent, Liu Jinli smiled and calmly replied, "This was ordered by someone."
"Oh, I'd like to see who gave the order." Boss Qi spoke for everyone. Even the Demon Lord couldn't just go to their house and rob them. They could choose to give or not.
Liu Jinli tilted his head back triumphantly and laughed, "Your Excellency."
The two words, seemingly light and airy, were like a sharp sword slicing through the sky, instantly dispelling the powerful killing intent within the room.
!
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Who is the Winner?
Your Excellency, Your Lordship?
Suddenly, Boss Qi and his group felt a buzzing sound in their ears, as if someone had suddenly struck a huge gong next to their ears.
My mind went completely blank; I had no idea how to react.
If the Demon Lord were to ask them for those things, they could politely refuse.
The Demon Lord is the ruler of the Demon Realm. No matter how powerful he is, he cannot abuse his power to bully others. If this causes trouble, it will be detrimental to his throne.
Therefore, even if the Demon Lord wants something from them, he will use normal channels and obtain their consent before purchasing it or exchanging it for something else.
If the one who wants their things is the Lord... then the outcome will definitely be different.
The Lord doesn't care about what's appropriate or inappropriate; there's nothing he can't do if he wants to.
"Liu Jinli, your lie is a bit too big," Boss Qi said hoarsely.
But his slightly dazed gaze was utterly unconvincing; he probably didn't even believe what he was saying.
"Boss Qi, you can't say things like that. Even if I, Liu Jinli, wanted to deceive you, I wouldn't use the Lord's name as a cover, would I? It's not like I'm tired of living."
Liu Jinli wasn't afraid that Boss Qi and the others wouldn't believe him. He dared to bring up the Venerable One to make sure he wasn't lying.
Only someone with a screw loose would spout nonsense about the Lord's affairs.
If the Lord finds out, he will surely live a very exciting life for the rest of his days.
Because everyone in the entire demon realm knew the Lord's temperament, when Liu Jinli said this, apart from being shocked, none of Boss Qi and the others disbelieved him.
The other shop owners exchanged glances, about to say something, when they heard Boss Qi make his own decision: "In that case, we will deliver the goods to your residence this afternoon."
"Well then, thank you all, bosses." Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Liu Jinli didn't waste any more words and got up to take his leave.
"Brother Qi, are we just going to let this go like this?" someone said indignantly.
"Alas, we can't say anything about the Lord's decision." Of course, there were also those who could recognize the situation and knew that it was impossible to fight against the Lord.
"Everyone, do you see any problems with this matter?" Boss Qi asked the people present with a serious expression, silencing the crowd that had been discussing earlier.
Since everyone present was a leading figure among merchants, they were all intelligent people.
After a moment's thought, they all realized what was happening and exclaimed in unison, "Liu Jinli!"
"That's right, it's Liu Jinli." Boss Qi smiled coldly, his eyes flashing with chilling murderous intent. "How could Liu Lanyan, a fool, know what we have? It's because Liu Jinli knew that the Venerable One specifically instructed Liu Lanyan to participate in the appraisal meeting, using the Venerable One's name to seek personal gain."
Would the Lord ever consider targeting them?
The Lord simply took a whim and somehow became interested in Liu Lanyan, inviting her to the discussion meeting.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Jinli used the name of the Lord to plunder their property.
Liu Jinli acted so recklessly because he knew they couldn't possibly seek confirmation from the Lord.
Otherwise, why would she fabricate such a clumsy lie, saying it was all Liu Lanyan's own idea? Would a fool have such an idea?
"Brother Qi, what should we do?" The bosses inside the room couldn't sit still any longer. This Liu Jinli was really going too far, bringing out the Lord to intimidate them.
"Since Liu Jinli needs it, send the things over," Boss Qi said with a cold snort.
"How can this be?"
"That's right, we went through a lot of trouble to get those things."
Boss Qi's words immediately sparked discussion among the crowd, who all disagreed with giving it to Liu Jinli.
"Everyone, we can't confront Liu Jinli head-on in this matter. He's currently relying on the Lord's backing..."
Before Boss Qi could finish speaking, he was immediately interrupted: "Are we going to reason with the Lord? Are we going to let Liu Jinli take a chicken feather as an imperial edict?"
"Please be patient, everyone." Boss Qi quickly stretched out both hands and made a downward pressing gesture, indicating that everyone should listen to him.
“Of course we can’t go to the Lord’s place. Everyone knows what kind of temper the Lord has. If we accidentally anger the Lord, none of us can withstand the Lord’s wrath.” Boss Qi’s words made everyone fall into deep thought.
After a long silence, someone finally spoke hesitantly: "Brother Qi, what do you suggest we do?"
"Give him the things, and as for what happens in the future..." A sinister glint flashed in Boss Qi's eyes, "We'll talk about it later."
The other bosses all understood and smiled knowingly.
Liu Jinli returned home, happily calculating the benefits he could gain from this matter. Although he no longer had the support of the merchants, he had managed to climb up to an even more powerful figure—the Venerable Lord.
If we're talking about the Lord of the Demon Realm, he's definitely its protector. The reason the Demon Realm has been so peaceful all these years, without being attacked or plundered by other worlds, is entirely due to the Lord of the Demon Realm's strength.
This is why the Venerable Lord has established his supreme position in the demon realm, and even the Demon Lords will show him great respect.
It seems that the Lord cares a lot about Liu Lanyan. If he treats Liu Lanyan better, wouldn't his position as the Grand Elder be more secure?
If she were to marry Yu Jinshuo, that would be perfect.
However, there is still one issue that needs to be carefully addressed. For example, she needs to convince her precious daughter not to target Liu Lanyan too much in the future.
As Liu Jinli was contemplating his future path to wealth in his study, someone came to report that Boss Qi had sent someone to deliver something.
Liu Jinli's eyes lit up when he saw the items being brought in. After looking at them one by one, he shook his head regretfully and closed the box: "Send them to the side courtyard and give them all to Liu Lanyan."
As the maid carried the gifts away, Liu Jinli's confidant asked curiously, "Master, isn't it a waste to give her all these nice things?"
"So what if it's a waste? You have to be willing to spend some bait when you're fishing." How could Liu Jinli not feel bad? He really wanted to pocket all these high-quality medicines, but alas, he couldn't be greedy for such a small amount right now.
Giving up such a powerful patron as the Lord for a little gain is absolutely not worth it.
As for Liu Lanyan, who had obtained these potions, she excitedly ran out of the Liu residence with them in her arms. However, no one knew that when she entered the mountains and forests, all the potions that were originally in Liu Lanyan's hands disappeared.
She strolled deeper into the mountains and forests, sensing something amiss, and deliberately moved forward discreetly.
Finding a quiet spot, Liu Lanyan muttered to herself, "Demon power, how do I cultivate demon power?"
He rubbed his forehead in distress, then clenched his fist tightly: "I must win."
"You want my inner core that badly?" A voice as clear as a mountain spring rang out, carrying a faint smile. The Venerable One suddenly appeared behind Liu Lanyan, smiling as he looked at her back.
!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Dustless Sword
"You, what are you doing here?" Liu Lanyan turned around in surprise. When she saw who it was, she subconsciously took two steps back and stared at him warily.
"Why can't I be here?" The demon god looked at the flustered Liu Lanyan with amusement. "Are you afraid of me?"
"Who, who's afraid of you?" Liu Lanyan bit her lip, tried her best to raise her head, not letting her eyes show the slightest fear, and shouted loudly.
However, the demon god saw through her feigned composure at a glance and saw through her cowardice beneath the pretense.