Starting as a dockworker

Chapter 21 Chaos is brewing, dark clouds loom over the city.

"I wonder if that ten thousand silver dollars will arrive..."

"If I could get ten thousand silver dollars, I could start doing a lot of things!"

"If I wanted to, I could even bring KFC to market ahead of schedule..."

After saying goodbye to his mother and leaving the ward, Li Xiao walked to the stairwell.

One of the two men in suits had already returned and was waiting.

Upon seeing Li Xiao arrive, he hurriedly came forward and whispered:

"Young Master, the Master has replied. As long as you persuade Madam to go to Shenghai to enjoy a life of luxury, let alone ten thousand silver dollars, even one hundred thousand silver dollars would be a piece of cake..."

Li Xiao frowned and said, "So you mean you won't give it to me?"

The man in the suit gave an awkward laugh and nodded, saying, "If I don't go back, I won't get a single penny..."

"Okay, very good..."

Li Xiao chuckled in exasperation, and said irritably, "Go tell Li Hanhai that he has completely lost me as his son, utterly and completely. Let him create a new account and not bother me again."

The man in the suit wiped the sweat from his brow and asked, "What do you mean by 'using a secondary account'?"

Li Xiao said, "Just let him have another son. Anyway, he's rich, he won't miss out on one more from me."

Man in a suit: "..."

Li Xiao: "Is there anything else? If not, why aren't you leaving?"

The man in the suit said, "Young Master, to be honest, the Master instructed us that if the two of us cannot bring you back to Shenghai, then we need not go back either..."

Li Xiao frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, since you can't go back anyway, you two stay here and guard my mother. Remember, don't let her find out about you, otherwise she'll be angry and it'll affect her mood, understand?"

The two men in suits nodded repeatedly, "Yes..."

One of the men in the suit seemed to realize something and whispered, "Young Master, if you really don't plan to go back, I advise you not to reveal your true identity. It's just that... the Master has too many enemies. If you attract their attention, the two of us might not be able to protect you."

"Do you even need to tell me?" Li Xiao said irritably, "If I can't avoid you, I'll pretend I don't have a father. Just protect my mother, and don't follow me anymore..."

After saying that, he turned and left.

With the protection of these two martial arts masters whose strength rivals that of Zhao Liqun, Li Xiao felt more at ease as he left.

After Li Xiao left, the two men in suits exchanged a glance.

"Should I report back on the conversation we just had?"

"Let's go report it. The master is very worried about his son and says that every word must be relayed..."

"Okay... I'll go make the call right now..."

......

......

Shenghai, the French Concession.

Garden villa at No. 1922, Foch Road.

In a place like Shenghai, the villas occupy nearly several hundred acres, featuring a meticulously planned French-style axial layout, exotic flowers and plants throughout the grounds, and a Western-style fountain spouting clear water at the end of the lawn...

The compound was heavily guarded, with armed patrol teams constantly patrolling.

Deep inside, there is a three-story main building made of red bricks and granite.

It is not an ostentatious castle style, but a neoclassical style with clean lines.

Every window was draped with the same dark green velvet curtains.

Behind the largest floor-to-ceiling window in the center of the second floor, the curtains were slightly pulled open.

Li Xiao's biological father, Li Hanhai, vice president of the Shenghai Chamber of Commerce, sat in the shadow of a high-backed chair behind the table.

He wore a dark gray silk robe with subtle patterns, made of exquisite materials, and a black satin vest over it.

This purely Chinese attire, amidst the Western-style furnishings of the room, exudes an unquestionable, Eastern-style authority.

His temples were already gray, his face was rugged as if sculpted by an axe, and his jawline was taut.

At this moment, he was staring at the open copy of the "Shenbao" newspaper in his hand, his expression serious.

The icy jade thumb ring on her finger was turning slowly and unconsciously, gleaming with a cold, ethereal glow in the dim indoor light.

"Luo Keding actually attempted to restore the imperial system and become emperor, and even signed a humiliating treaty with Japan!"

After reading the front page of the newspaper, Li Hanhai slammed the newspaper onto the hard pearwood table, stood up abruptly, and looked furious.

"President."

A middle-aged man in a navy blue suit, sitting on the sofa to his side, also stood up angrily and said, "This is simply turning back the clock! We've planned for so long, only to have such thieves steal our achievements. It's truly a mistake, and we deeply regret it!"

Li Hanhai said in a deep voice, "There was no other way; we were forced by circumstances at the time. Now that it has happened, we can only try to find a solution. Are there any capable people in the organization who can carry out an assassination to eliminate this traitor?"

The middle-aged man in the suit said, "This method is probably not going to work. The old thief Luo Keding's mansion is heavily guarded now, and he has two top martial arts masters and a Taoist priest named Kaoshan by his side."

He paused, his tone tinged with apprehension: "Experts are easy to deal with, but that Taoist Kao Shan... some members of the association have already encountered him, and he is truly powerful and possesses boundless magical abilities!"

Assassination is unlikely to work; the only way is to defeat him head-on with the army, breaking the powerful influence of the "mountain god" behind that Taoist priest, and only then can this fiend be killed...."

"Why...."

Li Hanhai sighed deeply, his heavy body slumping back into the chair, his face showing exhaustion and reluctance: "If war breaks out, I fear countless more people will be displaced and lives will be lost. This situation has only been stable for a few years..."

His gaze drifted to the courtyard outside the window, where dusk was falling, and his voice sank even lower:

"Now that the dragon vein has been severed, in this era of great strife, demons and monsters roam the land, and countless 'mountain gods' are eager to make their moves, all vying to find a representative in the world to help them become the next dragon vein and suppress the world."

Among them are many evil gods. If these evil gods were to rule, it would undoubtedly be an even greater calamity for our Great Xia, a catastrophe of utter destruction!

The situation has become even more bizarre and complicated than before.

The chaos of the past was ultimately a struggle between people.

The current situation has been complicated by many things that originally only existed in unofficial histories, notes, and supernatural tales, which is chilling.

The middle-aged man in a suit stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Mr. Wu is already planning to acquire Luo..."

Without hesitation, Li Hanhai said decisively, "We will provide full support in terms of manpower, resources, and funding! Also... keep an eye out and see if we can recruit more 'Taoist Masters' for our use."

The middle-aged man in a suit nodded. "Yes, Chairman!"

Just then, the telephone on the red pear wood table in front of them rang.

"It must be news of my son, Li Xiao."

Li Hanhai, whose face had been filled with anger and worry, instantly changed his expression, a hint of urgency and anticipation flashing in his eyes, and hurriedly reached out to answer the phone:

"Hey, Zhou, what did that kid Li Xiao say?"

What? I've completely, utterly lost my son? You want me to have another one...?

"Alright, I understand. You two stay in Wuling and take good care of the lady..."

After hanging up the phone, Li Hanhai held the receiver, a complex expression on his face that was both funny and exasperating.

The middle-aged man in a suit standing nearby grinned and joked, "Chairman, I must say, this young master Li Xiao really has the charm of your youth, hahaha..."

Li Hanhai sighed, a mixture of helplessness and relief in his voice:

"It's also my fault for being too heartless back then. But at that time, we were doing things that could get us killed. How could we dare to implicate our families? We were all on the previous dynasty's blacklist and could be beheaded at any time."

"If it weren't for the fall of the previous dynasty and their subsequent move to the French to launder their money, they wouldn't have dared to make such a request..."

He stood up, walked to the window again, and looked south:

"Very well, the situation is about to become turbulent again. Let him hone his skills in a small rural place first. It might not be a bad thing to stay away from the center of this vortex."

The middle-aged man in the suit also suppressed his smile:

"Yes, a storm is brewing; the world is probably going to be in turmoil again..."

The study fell silent again.

Only the low-hanging dark clouds gradually swallowed up the meticulously manicured garden scene...