Colluding with the Yimo?

Meanwhile, Luo Heng and the others crossed the courtyard and arrived at a secluded residence deep within.

There was a stone pavilion in the courtyard, sandalwood incense curling through the air. A slender figure sat cross-legged within it.

Xiao Diao.

He opened his eyes and, upon seeing them enter, revealed a helpless smile on his handsome face.

"I didn't expect you to actually come," he said with a shake of his head. His tone carried a hint of resignation, though the sight of them eased his heart somewhat.

"Cut the crap." Luo Heng walked straight into the stone pavilion and sat on a stone bench. Looking at Xiao Diao, he continued, "Tell us what's going on."

As he spoke, he set up an array to block any outside prying eyes.

"We already know the general situation. It seems your position as young clan chief is about to be snatched away?" Lin Dong said, his tone somewhat teasing, though his gaze was entirely serious.

Xiao Diao snorted. "He's just a little tagalong who used to follow me around. After I disappeared all these years, his ambition has grown quite a bit."

He paused, and his voice sank slightly. "But... he does have some ability."

For someone as proud as Xiao Diao to say such a thing, his situation within the clan was clearly far from optimistic. Otherwise, given his character, he would never acknowledge that his opponent had any skill.

"You said you were ambushed back then because you possessed the Ancestral Stone." A sharp glint gathered in Lin Dong's dark eyes. "Could Hao Jiuyou have had something to do with it?"

Judging from Hao Jiuyou's behavior, he was clearly someone exceptionally adept at biding his time. The fact that he had willingly followed Xiao Diao around back then might well