As Hong Qingzhu listened to her father's weighty words, her expression abruptly changed. Her cheeks, already reddened from crying, drained of color and turned as pale as paper.
She had grown up cherished in the Hong Family, always believing it to be the undisputed foremost lineage in Jintai Prefecture, with unshakable foundations and no equal.
As the family head's most beloved daughter, she had been like a princess of the entire prefecture, living without a care and never knowing what it meant to fear for the future.
Yet her father's words today struck like a heavy hammer, shattering everything she thought she knew. For the first time, she realized that the seemingly mighty Hong Family was shrouded in the shadow of gathering storms.
Beside them, the Hong Family Grand Elder held his teacup, his fingers tightening slightly as he inwardly sighed in deep agreement.
The higher one stood in the family's hierarchy, the more clearly one could feel the absolute dominance of the Five Great Schools and the peril of the Hong Family's present circumstances.
Whether it was the family head, Hong Shixian, or the elder himself, every day was spent treading on thin ice. They appeared to wield great power and enjoy lofty status, but in truth, they lived in constant dread that a single misstep would bring catastrophe upon their family.
Only the younger generation, raised in the family's sheltered greenhouse, naively believed that the Hong Family was a towering tree that would never fall.
Little did they know that before the Five Great Schools, the Hong Family was merely vegetation that a sudden gale could uproot at any moment.
Hong Shixian watched his daughter's shocked expression, his tone still grave. "Yang Jing is a highly valued Heavenly Prodigy disciple of the Profound Truth Sect. With his talent,