16 Li You Ran (2/2)
*** ***
The Grand Preceptor’s residence….
The Grand Preceptor Li Shang was leaning on a couch; his eyes were half closed. He was listening to a melodious song of a singer from behind the curtain. He smiled and asked, ”Why did you leave this job in the hands of such incapable wastrels? We’ll miss out on a grand opportunity in case they make any mistake. That useless fellow – Jun Mo Xie is good for nothing. But, we can’t afford to provoke his grandfather – Jun Zhan Tian. It’ll become a problem for us if he finds out about it.”
He was speaking in a soft tone. However, his words were dripping with admonition. He seemed to be assured and confident about the person sitting in front of him.
A white-robed handsome young man sat before him. He had a tall stature with red lips, white teeth and delicate features. He sat still like a mountain; without any hurried movements. His whole persona was exuding a noble elegance. He smiled as he heard the question, and replied, ”This grandchild feels a lot of admiration for grandfather. You’re always very careful about every little detail. But, Jun Mo Xie is just a debauchee. We would be giving him too much importance if we send capable people to deal with him. We’re very well aware of his character. So, it doesn’t matter if we fail now. We’ll get more opportunities in the future. We don’t need to give it much thought. Moreover, it’ll look unusual for capable people to acquaint themselves with a useless person like Jun Mo Xie. This would expose our plan… and we would end-up losing this opportunity.
”It’s true that Jun Mo Xie is a debauchee. But, he holds himself in very high esteem. Our plan would’ve backfired if we had sent capable people – with numerous resources at their disposal – to deal with him.”
His words revealed a trace of irony. He raised his eyebrows and said, ”Li Feng and Li Zhen are useless fellows. But, their standard is similar to Jun Mo Xie’s. The phrase – everyone has their own advantages – proves to be true in this situation. It’s only wise to use debauchees in order to deal with a debauchee; that too a useless debauchee like Jun Mo Xie. We may even get a pleasant surprise with the two of them dealing with him. Even a stupid person like Jun Mo Xie wouldn’t have fallen for our plan if we had sent our core members to deal with him. Besides this… hahaha…”He laughed. He didn’t need to say anything else. It was clear what he meant, [No one uses meat in order to slaughter a chicken…]
An expert should only be expected to deal with an expert; a good blade should be used for something which is worthy of it. An expert would feel insulted if he was sent to deal with a useless and defenseless person.
If a performer was to sing ‘White Snow in Early Spring’ in front of a butcher, then not only the performer would feel perplexed… even the butcher would start feeling drowsy.
Li Shang looked at his eldest grandson – Li You Ran with admiration. ”Well said…” He seemed satisfied with his explanation. Li You Ran was the best prospect in the young generation in Li family. He was perfect in terms of gestures, speech, expressions, and leadership-style. Moreover, he was extremely resourceful. He was also a genius in the Xuan Qi cultivation, and had reached the Gold level at the young age of twenty-five. His speed of cultivation was the highest in the Tian Xiang kingdom.
However, his most valuable asset was his calm and steady mind. He was neither cocky nor hot-headed. He believed in maintaining an extremely low-key style. Moreover, he was great at devising ingenious strategies. He was capable of devising strategies that enabled him to win a deal while sitting at a distance of thousands of kilometers; even though he was very young. Even Li Shang wouldn’t have been able to match his abilities at his age. Li Shang was extremely proud of his eldest grandson. He knew that it was important for Li You Ran to take the lead in the family in order to make the Li family soar to newer heights.
Li You Ran never underestimated anyone. This was probably the best trait of his personality. He analyzed each and every aspect of a plan while implementing it. He analyzed every single aspect of a person while dealing with him or her. He always maintained an indifferent attitude; even while dealing with a person like Jun Mo Xie. He never – at any point of time – showed even a little ridicule while discussing about him.
Such a person was born to be a leader; irrespective of where he was placed.
”This strategy sounds good. But, we shouldn’t take any chances. We should remove the possibility of any ‘what if’ that may arise. It’ll be the best situation… if we succeed in our first attempt.” Both of them believed that Jun Mo Xie couldn’t escape their trap. After all, it was Li You Ran’s brilliant plan which had gone through Tang Yuan. In fact, they’d know that something wasn’t right if Jun Mo Xie somehow escaped this trap. But, they would enter the second phase of their planning if Jun Mo Xie fell for that plan. After that, Jun Mo Xie would never be able to escape. Jun Zhan Tian may have refused to serve them at this moment. But, he’d certainly break down because of his useless grandson. And, their purpose would be served in that case since Jun Zhan Tian wouldn’t pose any threat to them.
”What if?!” Li You Ran frowned as he reconsidered every little detail of his plan. He shook his head and said, ”I don’t think there are any other possibilities. Don’t forget that I’ve included Meng Haizou in my plan. I know that he isn’t a big talent… but he’s enough to deal with someone like Jun Mo Xie. Jun Mo Xie can’t escape my trap this time.”
”What will happen if he manages to escape your trap?” Li Shang asked in a joking tone.
”What if he manages to escape?” Li You Ran seemed lost in thoughts. He then started to laugh. After that, he looked at the door and said, ”If he manages to escape… then he’s not Jun Mo Xie.”