The Han Family was located in Tianbei City, in the Northern Region of the Central Plains. It was one of the city's most prominent families, and together with the Hong Family, each controlled half of Tianbei City.
Though it couldn't be considered a top-tier force in the Central Plains, it was still a good place to settle for a while.
After nearly half an hour of winding through the city's crisscrossing streets, Xiao Ze and the others finally stopped outside an immense manor.
However, quite a few carriages were parked at the manor's entrance. Each bore the same red emblem, which stood out starkly against the manor.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell these weren't the Han Family's carriages. Judging by their arrival, the Han Family seemed to have run into considerable trouble.
The group exchanged glances, hesitating over whether to go inside.
They had only just arrived and didn't want to invite trouble.
But Xiao Ze didn't give it much thought and walked straight in.
The Han Family was a prominent clan, after all, and some of its younger members had studied at the Inner Academy, where they had become acquainted with the Great Elder.
How could he bear to stand by and do nothing?
Seeing this, the women followed him inside.
Once they entered the manor, before they could ask anyone what was going on, the noisy argument in the main hall reached their ears.
"Patriarch Han, our Young Master Hong said that if you marry Han Xue and Han Yue to him, your Han Family will be spared any trouble!"
"You should know that our young master has already been accepted as an inner pavilion disciple by the Wind Lightning North Pavilion. His future is bright. Surely you don't want to watch the Han Family be destroyed in your hands?"
Faced with the threat, Han Chi, the Han Family's patriarch, wore a gloomy expression, as if water might be squeezed from his face.
Even though he was at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Emperor level, with one foot already in the Dou Zong realm, he couldn't summon even the slightest thought of resisting the Wind Lightning Pavilion.
If the Hong Family's young master had come to propose marriage before, he might have been able to refuse outright. But now, the other party had become an inner pavilion disciple of the Wind Lightning North Pavilion.
With that, the Hong Family's influence within the Wind Lightning North Pavilion would grow even greater, while the Han Family's standing would sharply decline in comparison.
If things continued this way, sooner or later, the Hong Family would devour the Han Family until nothing remained.
That wasn't something he wanted to see. But Han Xue and Han Yue were his daughters. How could he bear to hand them over to a scoundrel like Hong Chen?
"Patriarch Han, give us a straight answer already. This old man is waiting to bring good news back to our young master." The Hong Family elder raised the corner of his mouth, as if he had the Han Family exactly where he wanted them.
"Don't even think about it! Even if my sister and I are ground to dust, we'll never marry that Hong Chen!" Han Yue gritted her teeth, her eyes seeming to spit fire.
She had only just returned home from Jia Nan Academy, and now this had happened. No one could possibly accept it.
"Heh, this isn't up to you!" At her words, the Hong Family elder's eyes turned utterly cold.
If they wouldn't listen to reason, then they shouldn't blame the Hong Family for resorting to underhanded methods!
Just as the two sides were about to come to blows, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from outside the door. "This is the Han Family! Outsiders, stay back!"
The newcomers ignored the warning and strode straight into the main hall.
"Everyone, could you let this matter end here, for my sake?"
Xiao Ze had come in hoping to make peace.
He'd heard the two families arguing from a long way off. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought a war was about to break out.
Seeing Xiao Ze and the others, Han Chi furrowed his brow slightly. He didn't recognize this person.
As for the Hong Family elder, he gave a scornful laugh. "What stray cat or dog dares meddle in my Hong Family's affairs? State your name! This old man doesn't kill nameless nobodies!"
Someone had suddenly stuck their nose into his business, and the Hong Family elder wasn't one to take that lightly.
Especially now, with the Hong Family riding high, they were the law in Tianbei City!
Whether you're a dragon or a tiger, you'd better curl up and lie low!
"Heh, if you want to know my name, I'm afraid you couldn't bear the consequences." Xiao Ze's face turned cold.
Anyone would get a little angry after being treated like some stray cat or dog.
And a mere Dou Huang dared yap at him?
"Good, good, good!" The Hong Family elder repeated the word three times, thoroughly enraged. No one in Tianbei City had ever dared speak to him like that!
"Kid, I'll show you that sticking your neck out is a quick way to meet a bad end!"
With that, the Hong Family elder took the lead, turning into a blur as powerful Dou Qi surged from within him. The terrifying aura of a Dou Huang expert pressed down like a violent storm.
Han Chi and the others were stunned. They immediately shouted, "Young brother, be careful!"
Though he didn't know the newcomer, at least the man had spoken up for the Han Family. That meant he wasn't one of the Hong Family's people.
The young man was clearly no match for the Hong Family elder. Han Chi was about to step in and help him resist the attack.
Yet the impeccably dressed young man standing before them didn't move a hair.
He gave a faint sigh. "This venerable one doesn't care for killing, but people who keep pushing their luck truly disgust me."
As he spoke, Xiao Ze raised a finger and lightly pointed it at his opponent.
In an instant, a terrifyingly sharp blast of Dou Qi shot forward. The space around it shattered, revealing deep, dark Space Rifts.
Even an ordinary strike could easily smash through the void.
The smile on the Hong Family elder's face froze. As he watched that casual flick of a finger, his face turned deathly pale, and even breathing became unbearably difficult.
"A Dou Zun expert!"
Only a Dou Zun expert could tear through space so easily!
When had the Han Family ever been able to call upon a Dou Zun expert?
The Hong Family elder collided with the attack in despair. Unfortunately, there was no explosion. The elder was crushed in an instant, his body and soul erased into nothingness.
Silence. The air fell terrifyingly still.
The members of the Hong Family were especially stunned. They had only seen their elder get crushed by a flick of the newcomer's finger. And then there was nothing...
Most importantly of all, the newcomer was actually a Dou Zun expert!
The strongest ancestor of the Hong Family was only a Dou Zong. How could this young man possibly be...
But reality gave them no chance to regret it. Xiao Ze struck again, raising his hand to wipe out those annoying flies.
Only after finishing them off did Xiao Ze turn his gaze to Han Chi, the Han Family's patriarch.
Han Chi's mouth hung open, his eyes filled with shock.
When had the Han Family ever been able to call upon a Dou Zun expert?
Seeing how flustered the other man was, Xiao Ze smiled calmly and took out the Great Elder's letter of recommendation.
Turning to Han Yue, who stood poised and graceful beside him, Xiao Ze smiled. "Miss Han, this letter was written personally by Su Qian, the Great Elder of Jia Nan Academy. We've just arrived in the Central Plains and don't know our way around. We'd like to stay with the Han Family for a while. Would that be all right?"
Xiao Ze was so polite that Han Yue didn't know how to react.
"The Great Elder?" But when she heard the letter was from the Great Elder, she quickly took it and examined it.
At first, she hadn't realized what it meant. Once she looked, she was startled.
He was actually from the Xiao Clan, and he had come with Xun Er. He was barely in his twenties, yet already possessed the terrifying strength of a Dou Zun.
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