Chapter 53 Dominion in Hand

Even Qin Lang spoke up at this moment.

“Lin Li, you’d best give a clear explanation for this matter, or don’t blame me for being rude.”

Facing Qin Lang’s threatening gaze, Lin Li merely let out a contemptuous laugh.

“Very well, I’d like to hear what evidence the two of you actually have.”

“You’d better present a reason that can convince me, or else I'll settle accounts with both of you today.”

Lin Li clearly didn’t care for their accusations. His tone was cold, his words indifferent, as if he didn’t place them in his eyes at all.

Zhou Huaji snorted, then clapped his hands toward the door.

“I hadn’t wanted things to escalate this far, but since you insist, we won’t hold back either. Come in, there’s something you need to clarify.”

Before long, a man entered from outside.

Lin Li recognized him at a glance—it was the very man who had escaped together with him during the clash with Ye Aotian.

Wang Dongpo never expected he’d meet Lin Li again.

“You think you’ve done everything flawlessly, that no one could find a single clue? If that’s really what you thought, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Heaven watches all that men do; nothing in this world is without a flaw.”

“Lin Li, you may have some skill, but you still underestimated the complexity of the situation.”

Zhou Huaji narrowed his eyes, looking at Lin Li coldly and speaking with undisguised disdain.

In his view, the entire situation was firmly under his control. If Lin Li wanted to resolve this, he’d have to follow his arrangements.

All eyes now turned to Wang Dongpo.

“Zhou Huaji, who is this fellow? You owe us an explanation.”

A voice demanded from the side.

Zhou Huaji pointed at Wang Dongpo.

“Not long ago, Lin Li acted together with Brother Qin. By all rights, Lin Li should have attacked alongside Wang Dongpo. But midway, Wang Dongpo fled in fear—only to run into Lin Li.”

“I’d very much like to know, Lin Li, why, in the fight against Ye Aotian, you didn’t lead the charge to the front, but instead ran at the critical moment?”

Zhou Huaji’s words sounded righteous, as if Lin Li was duty-bound to be at the very front.

Yet Lin Li could only laugh at his questioning.

“So by your logic, even when trapped, I shouldn’t retreat? I must die on the battlefield?”

“I’d like to ask, what did any of you here do?”

Lin Li swept a cold gaze over the assembly, sneering, “It’s true I was outnumbered, so I withdrew. After all, dying there is better than risking Brother Qin’s escape.”

“But as I retreated, I never saw this so-called Wang Dongpo. If you don’t believe me, ask him right here in front of everyone—did I ever meet him?”

Lin Li’s gaze was icy as it fixed on Wang Dongpo.

Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng both turned their eyes to Wang Dongpo as well.

“Wang Dongpo, tell everyone exactly what happened back then.”

“Let them hear how Lin Li abandoned everything and fled in the heat of battle.”

Under the sharp gazes of Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng, Wang Dongpo grew awkward. He lowered his head and finally spoke.

“I didn’t see it clearly.”

“It wasn’t Lin Li who was there at the time.”

This response left Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng dumbfounded. They had counted on Wang Dongpo to incriminate Lin Li and use the opportunity to eliminate him. Never did they expect he would not only fail to accuse Lin Li but even turn the tables.

Now, neither of them knew how to explain themselves.

Su Lan, who had remained silent, looked at Zhou Huaji with great interest.

“You spoke as if this was a grave matter just now.”

“So I’d like to know what other evidence you have?”

Her tone may have been unchanged, but her narrowed eyes made Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng feel as though they were sitting on pins and needles.

After a brief silence, the two men hurriedly stood up, at a loss as to how to explain. In truth, they were completely unprepared for this turn; they had never imagined Wang Dongpo would suddenly change his testimony at the crucial moment.

“Sister-in-law, we don’t know what’s happened, but I swear what we said before is true.”

Seeing Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng still trying to explain, Lin Li cut them off.

“Forgive me, but I don’t have much time, and I have no wish to waste any more words on this. Since you have your evidence, I won’t hide mine either. Let me show you what I have.”

Only then did Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng realize why Lin Li had remained so composed from the start; he had long been preparing for this trouble.

Their expressions grew grave as Lin Li placed his evidence on the table for everyone to see.

“Take a look, everyone. Here’s what I’ve gathered—proof of their dealings with the Ning family, evidence of their secret collusion to harm our sister-in-law and usurp the Qin family’s authority…”

If Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng had thought their evidence would doom Lin Li, what Lin Li produced now was a thunderbolt. Unlike their vague accusations, his evidence was clear and directly proved their collusion with the Ning family.

The two men stared at Lin Li in shock, never imagining all their secret dealings had been uncovered.

Seeing their stunned faces, Lin Li smiled and patted their shoulders lightly.

“You thought you’d left no trace, but everything has been under my control. You’re not qualified to challenge me.”

After reviewing the evidence, many present turned icy glares toward Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng.

Even a fool could now see their predicament. Lin Li’s move had caught them completely off guard. And what would come next would be even more terrifying than they had imagined.

Only Qin Lang remained dumbfounded, not knowing what had just transpired.