Chapter 199: Catching Them All

Instantly, there was movement inside the house. A woman’s voice rang out, “Husband, get up quickly! Go see what’s happening. Why was there such a loud noise?”

“If you want to go, go yourself,” the man inside muttered indistinctly. He turned over and pulled the quilt up a bit higher, unwilling to get out of bed.

The woman was so angry she wanted to hit him a few times, but she didn’t dare. Instead, she could only curse him silently as she threw on some clothes, got out of bed, and walked into the main hall.

The house was very dark. The woman felt her way out, and just as she was preparing to light a lamp to see what the situation was, the room suddenly brightened.

The woman was startled and jerked back, hurriedly turning her head toward the light source. She saw a person standing by the table in the room.

That person held an exquisite and beautiful lantern in one hand. With his head slightly lowered, he tucked a capped fire striker into his robe, then raised his head to look at the woman. The corners of his mouth curled into a slight arc, but his eyes were utterly indifferent.

“Sister-in-law, long time no see.”

The strands of hair falling from his temples draped casually against his cheeks. Under the light of the lantern, which wasn’t particularly bright, that face was still breathtakingly beautiful.

However, the woman had no heart to appreciate the person’s beauty. The moment she saw his face clearly, she couldn’t control herself and let out a piercing scream.

“Ah—!”

The sound was so sharp and ear-piercing that Lian Li felt his eardrums ache.

“What are you screaming for?” the man’s irritable voice came from the room, followed by a series of rustling sounds.

Lian Li could hear that the original owner’s elder brother was finally willing to get out of bed to see what was going on.

Soon, the door curtain was lifted, and a man rushed out from inside.

The man’s appearance bore a slight resemblance to Lian Li, but he looked extremely ordinary. By comparison, it was as if Lian Li had won the genetic lottery.

As soon as the man came out, he looked toward the light source.

“Who are you?”

He didn’t see clearly at first glance, so he squinted and moved two steps to the side, his hand grabbing the broom behind him.

“It’s only been a year. Has Elder Brother failed to recognize me?” Lian Li’s tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Hearing Lian Li’s voice, Lian Wen finally remembered his younger brother who had been missing for a year—the one who had caused him to lose twenty taels of silver.

His anger flared instantly. He grabbed the broom, intending to strike, but was suddenly pulled back by the woman.

Lian Wen turned to look at his wife. By now, He Guilian had recovered from her initial terror, and she mouthed something to Lian Wen.

They thought Lian Li couldn’t see it, but in fact, Lian Li saw it with perfect clarity.

He Guilian’s mouth formed the words: “Twenty taels.”

And it was precisely after understanding those words that Lian Wen forced himself to put down the broom. He turned to Lian Li with a warm, affectionate smile. “Erlang, you’re back! It’s good that you’re back. During this year you were gone, Brother has reflected on things. Our parents had just passed away back then, and Brother was too heartbroken, which led me to neglect you. Now Brother understands—as long as you’re back, everything is fine. Brother will definitely treat you well.”

If a younger brother who had been missing for a year suddenly returned, it might be understandable if the first reaction was to grab a broom and hit him—after all, in the modern world, when some children return after running away, their parents might hit them while crying.

But to immediately change faces the moment twenty taels were mentioned… were they still planning to stabilize him first and then sell him off?

This made Lian Li certain that the man before him did not possess a shred of brotherly affection for the original owner.

Lian Li was practically moved to angry laughter, and he did indeed let out a scoff.

Lian Wen wanted to say more, but Lian Li had no desire to play out some drama of brotherly devotion and tearful reunions.

He pulled a piece of paper from his robe and slapped it onto the table.

“Stop acting. You were about to sell me to a middleman, so why bother pretending to be a good brother now?”

“How dare you speak to your elder brother like that? Have all those years of schooling gone to the dogs?” Lian Wen immediately barked, trying to intimidate Lian Li the way he used to bully and scare the original owner.

But Lian Li was not the original owner. Not only was his current martial arts prowess not weak, but he also had a powerful sect behind him. Even if he were in the state he was in when he first crossed over, his personality wouldn’t allow him to be cowed by Lian Wen.

Lian Li looked at Lian Wen expressionlessly and said, “I only came back for two things this time. Once these two things are done, you and I will have nothing to do with each other from now on.”

Seeing that he hadn’t scared Lian Li like before, Lian Wen felt he had lost face. His expression darkened. “I see you’ve been out for a year and think your wings have grown strong. Today, I must teach you how to speak to your elder brother.”

With that, he grabbed the broom again and rushed toward Lian Li.

Seeing this, He Guilian also grabbed a rolling pin and came over.

An excited light shone in her eyes. This time, they had to beat this boy until he couldn’t run away, and then they would have twenty taels of silver.

Seeing their movements, the slight curve at the corner of Lian Li’s mouth finally turned into a genuine smile.

You two started it. It’s only reasonable for me to fight back, right? Giving you a beating isn’t going too far.

Almost instantly, Lian Li knocked the two of them to the ground. At the same time, he struck their mute pressure points, making it impossible for them to make a sound.

Lian Wen and He Guilian tumbled together in a heap, looking extremely pathetic. Especially when they discovered that they could open their mouths but couldn’t produce any sound, terror began to grow in their hearts.

Lian Li turned around, closed the door he had kicked open, and dragged the table over to block it. Then, he raised his foot and gave the two of them a thorough kicking.

There was quite a bit of commotion in the main hall, but aside from the sound of Lian Li kicking them, there was only the sound of people bumping into furniture as they scrambled around. There wasn’t a single cry for help.

However, this silence didn’t last long. Footsteps came from another room, accompanied by a child’s screams and wails.

Oh, right. He had forgotten that the original owner also had a little nephew who used to curse him every day, calling him a sickly weakling and asking why he hadn’t died of illness yet.

Seeing Lian Li stop his kicking, Lian Wen and He Guilian on the ground were just about to catch their breath when they saw Lian Li’s gaze shift toward their son’s side.

Lian Wen didn’t have much of a reaction, but He Guilian’s face turned pale. She lunged forward, wanting to grab Lian Li’s leg, fearing he would go after her son.

Lian Huzi was still crying as he ran toward the room. In the past, he certainly wouldn’t have been afraid of Lian Li.

But now, seeing his parents pinned to the ground and beaten by Lian Li, he was so terrified he didn’t dare come forward at all, lacking even a hint of the arrogance he’d had when he used to curse the original owner.

Lian Li remembered that the window in Lian Huzi’s room was right by the bed; the boy could easily climb out.

Lian Li didn’t want them to climb out and alert the rest of the village. Thus, with a flash of movement, he dodged He Guilian and pointed his finger through the air, sealing the pressure points of the two on the ground. Then, he chased inside and sealed Lian Huzi’s pressure points as well.

He carried Lian Huzi out to the main hall and tossed him onto Lian Wen. Then, he once again picked up the piece of paper he had taken out earlier and spread it out before Lian Wen’s eyes.

He even very thoughtfully brought the lantern over to provide light, making it easy for Lian Wen to see the words written on it.

Only two things were written on the paper.

First, relocating the graves. Second, dividing the family estate.