Cheng Family; Liu Family

"Bang!!!"

Inside the hall, a large hand slammed hard on the table, making a loud noise.

A middle-aged man, his face grim, glared at the person who had reported to him and roared, "What are Cheng Xiang and his men good for? They can't even handle a Three-Star Dou Emperor brat? Get them back here to see me right now!!"

"Family Head, please calm down. According to the information we just received, something may have happened inside. Perhaps the problem lies with the man who was with Liu Qing."

An elderly man with white hair and beard hurriedly spoke up to offer advice.

This middle-aged man is none other than Cheng Chuan, the current Family Head of the Cheng Family.

"An unexpected event? Tell me, what kind of unexpected event could there be?"

Cheng Chuan, looking constipated, glared at the old man before him and sneered angrily, "A man younger than Liu Qing, and a woman with two little girls—do you think they can save Liu Qing?"

The old man opened his mouth upon hearing his Family Head's words, but no sound came out; this was indeed a bit outrageous.

Cheng Chuan initially thought so too, but then he thought that if someone so young had the strength, he could save Liu Qing from Cheng Xiang and the other two.

They definitely come from a top-tier power, but people from such a power are always arrogant and would never make friends with someone of such a large difference in status.

Cheng Chuan grew angrier the more he thought about it. If Cheng Xiang and the other two appeared in front of him now, he would want to chop them to pieces on the spot.

Originally, Liu Qing only brought his cousin Liu Fei with him on this trip, without any family experts to escort him. In Cheng Chuan's eyes, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, he and his family's Dou Zong were restrained by each other and could not easily take action. In the end, he chose to send out a powerful lineup of one Seven-Star Dou Emperor and two Six-Star Dou Huang, which would make it easy to deal with a mere Three-Star Dou Emperor.

If they successfully kill Liu Qing, the Young Clan Leader of the Liu Family, then the next generation of the Liu Family will be left without anyone capable of shouldering the responsibility. In the long run, it will only be a matter of time before the Liu Family is destroyed by their own Cheng Family.

But now, Liu Qing has returned safely, while Cheng Xiang and the other two have disappeared without a trace.

"Those three good-for-nothings failed, and now they've simply vanished. Third Elder, are these the people you recommended to me with such confidence?"

Cheng Chuan glanced at an elderly man to his lower right. The man's face was flushed red, like a pig's liver. He gripped the armrest of his chair and said, "This is my responsibility. I will do everything in my power to find those three and give the family an explanation."

"Hmph!!" Cheng Chuan snorted coldly upon hearing this, then scanned the other Clan Leader in the hall. Those who were scanned by him hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet the eyes of the Family Head in front of them, so as to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Meeting adjourned. Grand Elder, please stay."

The people in the hall left as quickly as if they had slipped away, as if some ferocious beast was behind them, leaving only the old man who had initially tried to persuade Cheng Chuan behind.

"Grand Elder, arrange for someone to investigate those two. They're currently our only lead. They dare to jeopardize the Cheng Family's affairs; they must be thoroughly investigated." Cheng Chuan looked at the old man and said in a deep voice, "However, before we've investigated thoroughly, don't go too far."

Cheng Chuan wasn't stupid. The waters in Central State were very deep. Rashly offending someone of dubious origin would only bring utter disaster upon himself and his family.

"I understand, I'll go and make the arrangements." The old man nodded gently, then turned and left the hall, leaving Cheng Chuan alone in the hall, lost in thought.

After the old man went out to inquire, he walked along, pondering how to investigate the other party. Then his gaze fell on a thin figure passing by, and as if he had thought of a method, his eyes lit up. He then quickly caught up with the young man.

Inside the Liu Family's reception hall, Xiao Tian and the others were chatting, while Liu Fei stood to the side, holding a teapot and occasionally pouring tea for the two of them.

At this moment, Liu Fei's demeanor was poised and elegant, befitting a lady from a prominent family.

Having experienced many harsh realities in society, I've come to understand many principles, leading to a tremendous transformation both inside and out.

As for Xuan Yi, she sat next to Xiao Tian with a slight smile in her eyes, feeding the two little ones pastries, looking every bit like a zookeeper.

"Thump! Thump!"

Footsteps sounded outside the reception hall, followed by a middle-aged man walking in.

The man who entered was quite burly, and his appearance bore a striking resemblance to Liu Qing.

Xiao Tian glanced at the other person and roughly guessed who it was. The other person's strength was not bad, with the cultivation of Seven Star Dou Zong.

"Xiao Tian, I am Liu Shan. Thank you for saving Qing'er and Fei Fei, and thank you for your great kindness to the Liu Family."

After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Xiao Tian without any pretense.

Xiao Tian's name had been mentioned many times since his son returned from the Academy, highlighting the boy's talent and strength. In addition, just now, he felt a powerful sense of suffocation emanating from Xiao Tian.

You should know that I have met many powerful Elder of Burning Flame Valley before, but none of them gave me this feeling. This shows that the other party's strength must be extremely terrifying.

Moreover, Xiao Tian's help today is equivalent to saving the entire Liu Family. If Liu Qing were to die, the Liu Family would face a crisis of succession, and the family would inevitably face ruin.

Therefore, Liu Shan did not display any arrogance in front of Xiao Tian.

"Uncle Liu, you're too kind. Liu Qing and I are friends. How could I stand idly by when he's in trouble?"

Xiao Tian stood up, gently waved his hand to stop Liu Shan from bowing, and said casually:

"And you don't need to call me 'Your Excellency,' just call me Xiao Tian."

Looking at Xiao Tian, who was as gentle and refined as a gentleman, Liu Shan couldn't help but sigh. If anyone else had Xiao Tian's strength, they would probably be looking down on everyone.

Their opinion of Xiao Tian rose several notches in an instant, and they thought to themselves, "With this kind of mentality, he will definitely be one of the people standing at the top of the pyramid on the continent in the future."

"I will forever remember this Liu Shan. If you ever need anything in the future, please feel free to ask. I will risk my old life to fulfill your request."

Liu Shan said with a sincere expression.

Although Liu Shan's gesture was intended to befriend someone, very few people could actually pull it off.

This is very similar to Liu Qing, which also shows that the other party is a person of genuine character.

As the saying goes, a father is a role model for every child; the kind of upbringing a child receives determines the kind of person they become.

Liu Shan straightened up and took out a jade box from his Storage Ring.