45 Chapter 045 - Old Master Li

Li San-San just finishes drinking the ginseng herbal soup. She got up to walk back to her bed to rest. Suddenly, she felt a slight discomfort in her stomach that only lasted for a second or two. She wasn't sure what it is and didn't think much of it since it wasn't painful and only lasted a second or two. She lay down on her bed and decides to take a nap. If she were to pay more attention to that slight comfort that she just felt and have a doctor to come check on her. Then the outcome might be different when she goes into labor later on.

Outside of the Ba residence, Mak Lok Son's carriage just drove off. It's been 2 months since Ba Yue went into closed-door cultivation and Lok Son has been visiting the Ba residence every week to see if she has come out or not. It's another disappointment visit for him, Ba Yue is still not out yet. But he did get to see the twin brothers because it's time for them to come back home for a break from school. They have chatted a little and then Lok Son left soon after.

The horse carriage stopped at the back alley of the herbal store, the same one that Ba Yue has been doing business with. Lok-Son went inside the herbal store from the back door to go to the owner's room. Soon the shopkeeper came in with a cup of tea.

"Welcome back, Master." The shopkeeper greets Lok-Son and placed a cup of tea in front of him on the table.

"Old Siu, how's business lately." Lok Son asked with an expressionless face while taking a sip of the tea.

"Business has been doing extremely well lately. Even though we have stopped doing business with the Li family, it hasn't affected us at all. Ever since Miss Ba start selling us the refined pills, our business has increased 5x as much as before." Old Siu can't help but get excited when he reports the business increase to Lok-Son. He knew the sales would go up with the refined pills, but it was way more than he had expected, many customers are returning to ask for more.

"Do we have enough pills to sell?" The reason why he asked is that Ba Yue has been in closed-door cultivation for the last two months. She can't bring it over to sell.

"Well, it's really not enough. As soon as we put it on the shelf, it's sold out almost instantly. Words have got out that we sell many good qualities refine pills here, so lots of people from out of town especially come to buy from us. Miss Ba hasn't shown up since the initial visit, but she does have someone else to brings the pills over once a month. I have inquired Miss Ba's representative if Miss Ba can increase the number of pills that she can sell to us, but he said Miss Ba is busy and isn't around lately. But he will pass on the words to her when she is back."

"I see, that's good. When she replies back, you can offer her more money and a better deal."

"I understand, Master."

"It didn't really affect our stores and other business too much since the Li family is just one of the many people that we do business with. But I can't speak the same for other businesses that are not under us."

"Oh....what did you hear?" Lok-Son had a slight interest in his voice.

"The way we do business is always money on hand when we process the transaction, so it's always clear for us. But lots of the other businesses don't do it that way, they allow others to own the balance and pay it off within a certain amount of time. I heard the Li family owns the other businesses lots of money. Especially now that their stores and shops are closed, they have no incomes coming in and can't pay off the balance they owned others."

"um.....I don't think the other businesses will let it go easily like that."

"They went to the Li family demanding payment but was told by Master Li that that balance is not due yet according to the contracts they have."

"It's just a matter of time before the Li family completely falls down."

"What you said is correct."

"Is there anything else you need to report to me? If not, then you can leave."

"I'll take my leave now, master." Old Siu gave his master a slight bow and then left the room.

Lok-Son stayed in the room for a little while before he left to go back to the palace. Once arrived back at the palace, there was a Eunuch waiting for him. The Eunuch relays the message for the Emperor to the seventh prince to go see him when he comes back. Lok-Son replied that he will go see his imperial father and told the Eunuch to report back to him first.

Once the Eunuch left, Lok-Son went back to his living quarters first. He needs to change his clothes before heading to see the Emperor. After changing his clothes, Gao Sing came in to see Lok-Son because he had something important report to him.

"Master, I have something important to report." Gao Sing said it hurriedly as he walks into Lok-Son's room.

"What is it? Let's talk while we walk, I have to go see the Emperor right now." Lok-Son said while he's walking toward the door. Gao Sing nodded his head and walks with Lok-Son as he tells his master his report.

"Master, we have received the news for the Kinning Emperor's death just now. Currently, the Kinning country is in a mess since the Emperor didn't choose an heir before his death. The news of the Kinning Emperor's death should reach our country by tomorrow. The men we sent over there to obtain evidence have also come back with what we needed."

"Very good, it's almost time to end it. Anything new with Concubine Liu and the empress?"

"Concubine Liu made her move a month ago with the evidence we provided her of the Empress secretly getting in touch with the Kinning country. Since then, the Empress has been grounded as punishment. The Emperor wouldn't remove the Empress from her seat, due to the Kinning country. Concubine Liu didn't sit well with that decision, she is currently planning something with her father and the second prince. We are still observing them right now."

"They are most likely planning to force the emperor to select the second prince as the crown prince or force the emperor to get off his throne and pass it on to the second prince directly. But it doesn't matter which one is it since it has nothing to do with me." Mak Lok Son had an uncaring look on his face, he doesn't care who becomes the next emperor since he will leave this place very soon.

"Master, there is one more thing to report."

"What is it?"

"Madam has sent a message over again to rush you to go back soon." The madam, that Gao Sing is referring to is Nan Meng-Gi, Mak Lok Son's birth mother.

"I can't go back yet, not right now and definitely not alone. Tell her I still have something to do and to give me some more time, I'll go back very soon." Lok-Son replies to Goa Sing as he sighed deeply and helplessly. He was wrapping up with the matters over here in this world and planned to go back a few months ago. But he just happens to meet Ba Yue at the time, so his plans have been delayed.

"I understand, I will reply back to Madam."

"I'm here already, so go back first. I'll see what the Emperor wants from me and will come back soon." Lok-Son walks right into the Emperor's living quarter after saying that. The Eunuch that relayed the message to Lok Son saw him coming. He went up to him to lead him to the room where the Emperor is.

Back at the Li residence, there's a commotion in the main living room. The reason for the commotion is because the old Master Li had come out of his closed-door cultivation. Other than the usual main Li family members, the old Master and Li Meng are also in there. Loud argument and yelling are heard coming out from that room.

"Li Meng, you son of a bitch! How dare you go bother grandfather and made him come out of his closed-door cultivation! You don't have a right to do that!" Li Dong-Man shouts. He's angry because he kicked the subfamilies out of the residence for his father, but this Li Meng secretly sneaks back and even got his grandfather to come out of his closed-door cultivation. He knows there's going to be trouble for his father now.

"That's right, why are you still here? My father already kicked you and your family out. How dare you sneak back in here!" Li Mei-Ting also yells at Li Meng for her brother.

"QUIET, YOU TWO!" Li Xiang stops his two children from saying any more in front of the elder man sitting on the top master seat. He knew he's in trouble and needs to come up with an explanation quick.

Both Li Dong-Man and his sister stopped their yelling, they just stared at Li Meng with hatred in their eyes. They didn't like Li Meng since long ago because he's very talented in the Li family. During the annual martial art competition, they force him to give up when facing Li Mei-Ting on stage because they didn't want him to perform better than the main family member.

"Father, please listen to me. There's a reason for this and …...." Li Xiang wants to explain himself to his father, the old Master Li. But he was stopped by him.

"A reason? No matter what the reason is, you can't just kick the subfamilies out like that. Who gave you the right to do that?" There are black clouds above the old Master Li's head, he is beyond outraged right now. He was about to advance to the Green level when suddenly Li Meng came to get him. He missed the chance to advance and wasted all these years of closed-door cultivation, but what happened afterward is the real reason for his anger!

The first thing Li Meng told him is that the Li family is in big trouble and the current master has kicked all the subfamilies out of the Li residence. Hearing that, he didn't even have time to ask what had happened and when to look for his two sons. But his oldest son and his family are nowhere to be found, only his youngest son and his family are left in the residence. After asking Li Meng, he found out that so many things have happened over the years and his oldest son and family have all passed away. He can't believe it and is very devastated, but now is not the time for him to be sad.

"Father, I'm the current head of the Li family, so I think I have the power to make the decisions." Li Xiang said it in a very low voice and is afraid to look at his father's eyes.

"There's right, Father. Husband is the head of the family now, he can make the decisions." Madam Li said it loud and proud. She has no idea what kind of mood that her father in law is in right now.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK HERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! WHO GIVES YOU THE RIGHT!" Old Master Li is so furious that he yelled very loudly at this insolence daughter in law of his. He never liked this daughter in law from the very beginning.

"Father, you can't…." Madame Li was about to go up to his father in law to argue with him but was stopped by her husband.

"Shut up, you stupid woman!" Li Xiang stopped his stupid wife from saying any more, he can tell that his father is very enraged right now.

"Li Xiang, why are the current head of the Li family? Who gave you the right to appoint yourself as the head? When 'I' the real current head is still alive!

"Father, both you and old brother are not around. The Li family can't be without a head, so I…"

"When I went into closed-door cultivation, I have appointed your older brother to be the vice head. Even if he is not here anymore, you still have no right to appoint yourself as the new head instead of a vice head!"

"But father, I…"

"You think by appointing yourself to be the HEAD, you are the real head? You are too naive! There are lots of things that you don't know about. A person can become the real HEAD, only when he inherits the family heirloom from the previous head."

"Father….um….did you passed the family heirloom to older brother?" He wants to know because after his older brother died, he searched through all his belongings and stole it all. He has spent most of his older brother's wealth and sold lots of his treasures away. He hoped he didn't accidentally sell the family heirloom too.

"How stupid can you be? If your older brother has gotten the heirloom from me, then he wouldn't be appointed as the vice head back then, but as the real head instead!"

Li Xiang breathe out a sigh of relief on the inside. That means he still has a chance to get it from his father now that his brother is not here anymore. But what he didn't know is that his father never plans to give the family heirloom to him from the very beginning because he knows this son of his is an idiot. He can't manage the family with that brain of his. And seeing the condition of the Li family now, he knows he is right.