The crowd immediately burst into discussion.
"Elder Chang, now that you mention it, I find it strange too. You've always kept a low profile and never liked this kind of grand spectacle. Why have you made things so lively this time?"
"Yeah, I'm curious too!"
Questions of agreement came one after another from below.
Wang Yiming tilted his head and quietly introduced the man who had spoken first to Lu Chen. "That's the head of another prominent Haicheng family—the Song Clan."
Lu Chen nodded, but his gaze merely swept calmly over the surroundings. Clearly, his mind was not on those people.
He was curious as well—what exactly was Elder Chang's purpose in doing this?
On the stage, Elder Chang smiled faintly before slowly speaking.
"To be frank, before arriving, I'm sure you all noticed that the area outside Chang Residence was unusually cold and gloomy.
"At first, I thought some fiendish entity was causing trouble. I sent people to drive away evil spirits several times, yet nothing worked.
"About a month ago, while I was away on business, I happened to encounter an expert in another city.
"That expert called himself Wondrous Daoist Hermit. He was plainly dressed, yet carried himself with extraordinary bearing. The moment he saw me, he pointed out the strange circumstances outside Chang Residence.
"It truly astonished this old man.
"Afterward, that expert went on to reveal several secrets of the Chang family.
"I can guarantee that I had never met him before, and outsiders could never possibly have known those matters.
"At that point, I had no choice but to take him seriously.
"That expert said that if I wished to resolve this calamity, I needed to borrow the auspicious joy of my eightieth birthday and gather people from all directions to counter the