Silence.
The moment Ji Jue's words left his mouth, it was as though he heard a sigh from far away.
In this sudden silence, no one spoke again.
An Jiu stood with his eyes lowered, concealed within the shadows of the hall as though his mind had drifted elsewhere. The smiles An De and An Neng wore year-round vanished, replaced by solemnity.
And within that soundless silence, everything else became insignificant. All Ji Jue could feel was the gaze resting upon him. The current head of the An Family, the White Deer Celestial Being, the undisputed Hunter Finger of the Wild Bazaar.
An Ding.
He remained calm, merely looking at him.
"Since you came all this way, I presume this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, and that you understand the consequences."
The Celestial Being sat calmly in the seat of honor, displaying great magnanimity. "The An Family is not a place incapable of accommodating others. Since our guest has come from afar and made a special visit for this matter, speak whatever opinions or grievances you may have."
"I'm listening."
"Grandfather—"
An Ran instinctively opened his mouth to speak, only to hear a sharp shout from behind An Ding. It was An Jiu.
The old man sternly rebuked him. "A Ran, the family head is speaking to a guest. This is not your place to interrupt!"
Though his tone was cold and merciless, speaking up at this moment was already an act of protection.
Even though no one's status had changed, the moment Ji Jue spoke those words, the one facing this overconfident, ill-mannered guest was the entire An Family.
At a critical juncture like this, if An Ran involved himself again, it would only make the situation more complicated.
"But..."
An Ran still wanted to speak, but Ji Jue