Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 1252 - 1302: Difficult Decision

For an entire week, Li Yifei hadn’t received any news. The people who kidnapped his son hadn’t given him a single phone call or made any contact. It seemed as though they had taken his son solely for the sake of stealing him, without any apparent motive.

This week, the whole Li family was shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere. Li Yifei and his wives all had grim expressions, while the people below them were on edge, terrified of making a mistake and being reprimanded.

Ordinarily, the Li family compound would be filled with laughter and joy, yet over the course of this week, the courtyard had fallen deathly silent. Even Little Yifei, the mischievous troublemaker, had been affected, and her usual cheerfulness had vanished.

Li Yifei felt an urgent desperation in his heart, but he understood clearly that in moments like this, he had to remain composed. Becoming rash and impulsive would only lead him to fall into the palms of the enemy.

Even though his son was being used as leverage, Li Yifei knew he had to think about the greater good of the Li family. If sacrificing one son was necessary to secure the safety of the family, he could not allow the Li family to be ruined. He reasoned that a son lost could be replaced—he could have ten, even eight more children—but if the Li family were to fall, rebuilding it would be nearly impossible.

Li Yifei’s priorities weren’t centered on the benefits the Li family might bring him. More importantly, he felt a duty to take responsibility for everyone in the family—his numerous wives, his children, and those who loved him deeply. Sometimes, even if the sacrifice tore at his heart, it had to be borne.

Thinking along these lines, he suddenly thought of those large families that arranged marriages between their children for the sake of family interests. In his current plight, he felt he wasn’t much different from them.

This realization led to an understanding: the heads of those families weren’t necessarily devoid of humanity or familial affection. Rather, their position demanded they weigh countless factors, unlike ordinary people who could love their children with simple, unrestrained devotion.

Yet Li Yifei knew his distinction from those family heads: he would never use his children to gain advantage. The situation involving his son now was purely a matter of last resort.

At this time, Li Yifei finally made a painful decision: he would temporarily halt the search for his son. Everyone was to return to their duties and focus on their tasks as needed.

"Husband, are we really just going to stop looking for our son?" Before Su Mengxin could say anything, Xu Yingying asked anxiously.

Li Yifei nodded resolutely. "Yes, we’re stopping the search!"

Lin Qiong widened her eyes and retorted, "How can that be? This is your eldest son!"

Looking around at everyone, Li Yifei spoke slowly, "I understand. We’ve searched for a week and haven’t found the slightest clue. Continuing won’t achieve anything. It’s obvious they’re running out the clock to wear down our patience and raise their demands. So I’ll ignore them completely; only then will they come to me on their own."

Su Mengxin drew a deep breath and said, "Yifei is right. We can’t let ourselves be led around by the nose. I also agree that we should temporarily abandon the search."

After hearing Li Yifei and Su Mengxin’s reasoning, the others found it logical and eventually agreed with the decision.

"Ningxiang, you’re coming with me to Nepal tomorrow," Li Yifei announced another decision.

"Leaving tomorrow?" Jiang Ningxiang asked in surprise, looking at him.

Li Yifei nodded. "Yes, tomorrow. I need to improve myself as quickly as possible, and make the Li family stronger as soon as I can. When that happens, no one will dare scheme against us; instead, they’ll seek our favor. Only then will my family truly be safe. So I’ll leave tomorrow."

After a pause, he turned to Xu Shanshan. "Shanshan, this time you’re not coming with us. The family needs you here to oversee things during this period."

Under normal circumstances, Xu Shanshan might have argued to go along with him, but given the severity of the situation in the household, it was clear she was needed. She nodded immediately and said, "Alright, brother-in-law, you can focus on your own affairs. I’ll take care of things at home."

Li Yifei nodded. "Good. Then it’s decided. Remember, everyone: no one in the Li family can ever submit to threats or oppression. If anyone dares to harm us, we’ll make them pay back a thousandfold!"

The group’s spirits were instantly lifted. Days of anxiety and hesitation suddenly dissipated, and everyone seemed to regain their vigor.

The next day, Li Yifei left with Jiang Ningxiang. The two flew directly to Nepal and arrived that evening.

Li Yifei had already researched Nepal’s Tibetan Secret School in recent days. The sect was quite famous there, and many people followed its teachings. However, to truly learn Happy Zen, one had to visit its place of origin—the Xiangge Temple located in the Himalayas.

But Li Yifei was impatient. He immediately rented a car and drove to the base of the mountain. The remaining road had to be climbed by foot, so they decided to wait until morning to proceed.

They had assumed it would be easy to find a hotel to stay in, but to their surprise, although there were many hotels, all were fully booked. Upon inquiry, they learned that tomorrow was the Tibetan Secret School’s pilgrimage event, and worshippers from all over had arrived, causing a shortage of available rooms.

After an hour of searching, Li Yifei finally managed to find a room in a remote, modest hotel—the last available room.

Li Yifei quickly secured the booking, unsure if there would be any rooms left later.

Entering the room, Jiang Ningxiang appeared uneasy, standing there awkwardly.

Li Yifei, however, paid it no mind. He put down their belongings and said, "Ningxiang, you should go shower first."

"Alright," Jiang Ningxiang answered softly and entered the bathroom. Li Yifei lit a cigarette, took a few deep puffs, and quickly extinguished it. He’d been smoking excessively in recent days, which he knew was harmful despite its temporary stimulant effect.

The quantity of cigarettes he’d consumed was a clear sign his mental state wasn’t fully balanced. But he needed to stabilize himself—to regain his composure and strength so he could face the enemy who had taken his son. Only then could he rescue the boy successfully.

After taking a deep breath, Li Yifei began meditating, calming his emotions.

"Brother Li, I’ve finished showering," Jiang Ningxiang’s voice called from behind.

Li Yifei turned to see Jiang Ningxiang standing demurely in front of him, wearing a cotton sleepwear garment. Her face was flushed, a mix of embarrassment and tension.

Li Yifei smiled faintly. "Alright, you get some rest first. I’ll take a shower and call it a night. Tomorrow morning, we set off bright and early." With that, he entered the bathroom.

Jiang Ningxiang nodded, then glanced at the room’s sole bed. Her cheeks reddened again.

The hotel was basic at best—more akin to a small inn. The room was simple and contained only a modest single bed, slightly larger than a typical twin bed but nowhere near the size of the double beds they were accustomed to. At most, the bed measured about 1.2 meters across.

A bed that small meant two people would need to sleep in close quarters.

After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Ningxiang climbed into the bed and pulled the blanket over herself, leaving only her head exposed.

Soon after, Li Yifei finished showering and walked out. Seeing Jiang Ningxiang lying on the bed with her eyes closed, he casually switched off the lights and approached the bedside. Yet he clearly detected her heavy breathing.

"Ah, I didn’t think this through. Ningxiang, here’s an idea: you sleep on the bed, and I’ll make do with the chair for tonight."

Jiang Ningxiang opened her eyes immediately. In the darkness, she could barely make out Li Yifei sitting on the chair. Her gaze flickered with an indescribable emotion as she softly said, "Brother Li... it’s cold here, and sleeping on the chair might make you catch a cold. You should sleep on the bed instead."

Li Yifei chuckled lightly. "No need to worry; your Brother Li isn’t so fragile. If I could catch a cold from this, then all these years of practice would have been for nothing."

"But it’s uncomfortable to sleep on the chair," Jiang Ningxiang murmured, biting her lip before softly adding, "Brother Li, after all... you’re going to dual cultivate with me eventually. I’m yours sooner or later, so sharing the bed with me isn’t a big deal."

"That... makes sense," Li Yifei reflected briefly before decisively returning to the bedside and climbing into the bed.

In the past, Li Yifei would’ve hesitated much more when it came to matters involving women. He’d always been cautious. However, the events of this ordeal had given him newfound clarity and decisiveness. If something was inevitable, there was no point in avoiding it—better to confront it head-on.

Once on the bed, Li Yifei immediately felt Jiang Ningxiang’s tension. He reached out to place his arm beneath her neck and said, "Ningxiang, the bed is too small. I’ll hold you while we sleep, or it’ll be too uncomfortable for both of us."

Jiang Ningxiang murmured a soft "Mm" in response, lifting her neck slightly to let his arm slip under. As his arm curled around her, she found herself drawn into his embrace.

Initially, Jiang Ningxiang’s body stiffened, but as time passed, she began to relax. Gradually, she snuggled closer to him, savoring the warmth of his embrace.