Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 1328 - 1378: The Conspiracy of the Song Family

Chapter 1328: Chapter 1378: The Conspiracy of the Song Family

"Alright, enough joking around." Yao Lingfu’s smile faded as she said seriously, "Yifei, this matter definitely can’t be dealt with openly. Although the Miaojiang people are warm and hospitable, those who practice witchcraft won’t easily expose themselves. If we provoke their suspicion, even if you manage to find them, they might refuse to help you."

Li Yifei quickly replied respectfully, "Thank you, elder, for your guidance. I will surely be cautious."

"Mm. Also, it’s best to wake this girl up as soon as possible. Although the Worm inside her is just a common Coma Worm, who knows if it might mutate after staying in the body for too long."

Everyone was startled, and upon seeing Yao Lingfu’s earnest expression, they couldn’t help but feel even more anxious in their hearts.

"Alright then. Ningxiang, find me a place to sleep tonight."

Jiang Ningxiang quickly said, "Of course, you can sleep at my place, alright?"

"Sure, there are some things I want to discuss with you anyway. Hey, brat, get me something to eat! I came all this way, and you’re not getting me anything tasty? What kind of host is that?"

Li Yifei quickly responded, "I’ll arrange it at once."

After settling Yao Lingfu, Lin Qiong immediately said, "Husband, hurry and head to Miaojiang."

Xu Shanshan also chimed in right away, "Brother-in-law, I’ll go with you."

Li Yifei shook his head and said, "We can’t rush this. We can’t afford to lose our footing. The fact that they used this type of Worm on Yingying shows they have some purpose in mind. If we act recklessly, we might end up walking right into their trap, which will make it easier for them to deal with us."

Su Mengxin immediately agreed, "You’re right. This absolutely can’t be handled hastily. Yifei has to go, but how and when he goes must be carefully planned."

Hearing Li Yifei and Su Mengxin’s reasoning, everyone quickly calmed down. With so many enemies around, any chaos within the Li Family would leave them vulnerable to attack.

Su Mengxin lightly tapped her knee with her fingers and said slowly, "I suspect their motive is to divide our forces, making it easier for them to harm the Li Family. Miaojiang is vast, and finding someone who can remove the Worm normally would require sending many people. The Li Family would inevitably be left defenseless, and if that’s when they decide to strike, it would certainly be much easier for them."

Michelle started to think aloud, "Recently, Shanshan has been standing in for Sister Yingying, so they might think this plan has failed. What I’m wondering now is why they haven’t taken further action. Also, Yingying and Shanshan being twins isn’t widely known, but our enemies surely understand the details of our family."

Li Yifei’s eyes narrowed as he said, "Actually, I just thought of another strategy. This time, let’s announce that someone in our family has been poisoned by the Worm, but we’ll say it’s Shanshan, not Yingying."

Lin Qiong slapped the armrest of the sofa and said, "That’s a brilliant idea. Shanshan is a skilled fighter, and they know that eliminating her would weaken us significantly. Oh, Shanshan, I didn’t mean anything bad by that—don’t take it to heart. But losing one of our strongest members would definitely reduce our overall strength, and this could serve as a bait to lure them out."

"Exactly! This plan of yours is great, husband. We’ve kept quiet for days, so releasing a bit of information now seems perfectly reasonable."

Everyone voiced their support for Li Yifei’s plan, and they began to analyze the finer details of the strategy. With their combined brainstorming, akin to the wisdom of Zhuge Liang, the women of Li Yifei’s household—besides Meng Xiaofei—proved highly intelligent and quickly considered all angles and came up with appropriate measures.

Over the next two days, members of the Li Family discreetly started gathering information to identify individuals proficient in witchcraft. Though the operation was covert, the news that someone in the Li Family had been poisoned spread quickly due to inquiries across varied circles.

On the outskirts of the provincial city stood a sprawling compound of luxury villas. Although they were not as expansive as Li Yifei’s estate, they were still quite impressive—six standalone three-story villas surrounded by high walls. Local villagers knew this belonged to someone incredibly wealthy, but for years, they remained in the dark about the true owner. Nonetheless, the estate was such a longstanding fixture that people eventually became accustomed to it.

Some, however, knew the significance of this place—it was the residence of the Song Family, the most prominent clan in the region. Living here was Song Family’s clan chief, Song Zude, along with other core members of the family.

In the spacious living room of one of the villas, a dozen people were gathered on the sofas. A black, skinny man said smugly, "I told you, the Worm has definitely worked. They’ve just been concealing information."

Beside him, another black, skinny man sighed and said, "Since they know Worm poison is involved, we can proceed with the next step. Once we infiltrate the Li Family, we’ll poison all their key members. That will render them utterly defenseless."

Someone immediately questioned, "Why don’t you simply poison multiple Li Family members with Coma Worms? Or use a stronger Worm to completely wipe them out?"

The Miaojiang man shook his head and explained, "Practitioners of witchcraft are forbidden from carrying Worms casually. On this trip, we only smuggled two types of Worms—just one Coma Worm and another type we brought in larger numbers. However, using the stronger variety involves an extremely intricate process that requires prolonged proximity to the target, which is why we need access to their household."

Song Zude shook his head and said, "That won’t work. Based on our plan, the Li Family shouldn’t become aware that Worm poison is involved, giving you the chance to infiltrate their home under the pretense of helping them dissolve the Worm. Now that they know, it’s impossible—they’ll be suspicious of you from the start. Entering their home would be walking straight into a trap."

"Really?" The two Miaojiang men looked at Song Zude with confusion.

Song Zude smiled faintly and said, "Certainly. If I were in their shoes, I’d suspect you too, and use various tactics to interrogate you. Li Yifei is no pushover; he has the capability to deal with you. Taking this risk is unwise."

"But the current situation isn’t bad," said a sixty-year-old man. "While Xu Yingying is Li Yifei’s wife and holds the most important place in his heart, Xu Shanshan is their family’s top martial artist. For Li Family’s overall strength, Shanshan might be even more critical than Yingying. With Shanshan incapacitated, we’ve already diminished one of their strongest assets."

After pausing for a moment, the man continued, "Moreover, from various sources, it’s clear how much Li Yifei cares for his sister-in-law. Their relationship might even extend beyond ordinary family ties. See for yourself—he’s currently preoccupied with finding a cure for her."

This man, Song Buyu, was Song Zude’s chief strategist and the brains behind many of the Song Family’s plans.

Song Zude looked at him and asked, "Buyu, do you have any better ideas?"

Song Buyu smiled slightly and replied, "Certainly. The Li Family is influential in the provincial city, making it challenging to deal with them directly. However, in Miaojiang, their reach is far weaker. By contrast, the Song Family has connections in Miaojiang. Once Li Yifei sets foot there, handling him will be a breeze. With Li Yifei removed and Xu Shanshan already incapacitated, the Li Family will crumble without resistance."

Song Zude slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Excellent idea!"

Song Buyu continued confidently, "But we must confirm one thing first—whether the poisoned individual is truly Xu Shanshan. If Xu Yingying is the actual target and they’re deliberately misdirecting us, it would be a fatal mistake to act prematurely. Underestimating Xu Shanshan would be unwise."

Song Zude quickly added, "That’s easy to test. Create a minor mishap and observe how Xu Yingying handles it. Then we’ll know for sure. However, devising a plan to deal with Li Yifei in Miaojiang requires thorough consideration. He was once the Golden Eagle, flawlessly accomplishing numerous missions. His abilities are undeniably formidable."

The two Miaojiang men sneered dismissively, saying, "No matter how formidable he is, he’s never faced Miaojiang’s witchcraft practitioners. Against our Worms, even the strongest will fall. Our master possesses over a hundred Worms, each more powerful than the last. He doesn’t leave Miaojiang, but if Li Yifei steps into our territory, there’s no escape for him."

Song Buyu nodded in agreement, "The remaining challenge is ensuring Li Yifei personally ventures to Miaojiang. If he simply sends a team, eliminating them would hurt the Li Family minimally."

Song Zude pondered briefly, "That is a hurdle, but I think Li Yifei’s dedication to his family will compel him to act. Whether it’s for his sister-in-law or someone else, he’s bound to intervene personally. The timing, however, is uncertain."

One of the Miaojiang practitioners snorted and said, "Let him send whoever he wants. Whoever comes, we’ll cripple them one by one. I refuse to believe he won’t eventually step in himself."

Song Buyu laughed heartily, "That works perfectly. Crippling several of his allies before dealing with him will only make wiping out the Li Family even easier."

Special recommendation: Don’t miss tomorrow’s book, Close Combat Specialist. This book is already completed and is similar to this one in genre but with even darker themes. There’s a pair of... Well, I won’t spoil the fun—read it yourself. It’s highly entertaining, and in fact, I consider Close Combat Specialist my best work to date. Available on Book City and China Mobile platforms.