Begging for Mercy

The moment Xiao Yan stepped into the main hall, he saw that both sides were already at each other's throats, on the verge of fighting. Outnumbered, the Xiao Clan would naturally suffer.

To prevent that, Xiao Yan instantly stirred the Dou Qi throughout his body, turning it into an overwhelming pressure that bore down upon everyone. The azure and crimson Volcanic Azure Lotus Flame coiled around his legs, erupting with tremendous force and propelling him forward like a cannonball. He landed directly on the heads of the two old men charging at the front.

With a crack, the sound of breaking bones rang through the Xiao Clan's main hall and reached every ear present.

Huh? These two have pretty hard heads. Xiao Yan thought. Though he had not struck with his full strength just now, he had not held back either. To avoid being crushed outright under such an attack was already quite impressive given Wutan City's level of strength.

"Young Clan Leader! The Young Clan Leader is here!"

Seeing Xiao Yan suddenly appear, the Xiao Clan members wore fervent expressions as they cheered.

"Cough, cough. Young Master Xiao Yan has arrived," the Great Elder said awkwardly.

"Huh? Great Elder, how did you get injured like this? Who did it?" Xiao Yan looked over in shock. If he remembered correctly, he had stopped them just before everyone began fighting. Had someone launched a sneak attack?

"Uh... this..." The Great Elder hesitated for a long while, unable to say it aloud. Especially when he saw the two men beneath Xiao Yan's feet, he was too ashamed to speak and secretly hated himself for stepping forward earlier.

"Well... Young Clan Leader, the people who injured the Great Elder are currently beneath your feet," someone nearby reminded him weakly.

"Is that so?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan lowered his head and looked. The two men he had stepped on were now barely breathing, lying helplessly on the ground and groaning.

Xiao Yan finally understood why the Great Elder had found it so difficult to speak. After all, the people who had injured the Great Elder were each pinned beneath his feet. By that logic, wasn't it practically the same as the Great Elder being pinned beneath his feet?

Although everyone in the Xiao Clan knew that the Great Elder was no match for him, and the Great Elder himself knew it as well, the comparison still made the difference far more glaring.

"Ahahaha, well, as long as you're all right, Great Elder." Xiao Yan laughed awkwardly and brushed the matter aside before turning toward the Jia Lie Clan and Oba Clan members.

Although Xiao Yan and the Great Elder had talked for quite a while, neither clan was dissatisfied. On the contrary, they hoped Xiao Yan would keep talking and preferably forget about them altogether. Some of those standing farther back had even begun quietly inching toward the door, hoping to escape this dangerous place.

But when Xiao Yan's gaze turned toward them, everyone stiffened instantly, including Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Dun, the heads of the two clans.

The groans of the two clans' Great Elders still echoed across the floor, while Wu Jin's cry of "Dou Ling" seemed to linger among the rafters. Clearly, the person before them was not someone they could handle.

Moreover, from the conversation just now, the Jia Lie Clan and Oba Clan had learned the young man's identity—Xiao Zhan's son, the Xiao Clan's Young Clan Leader, Xiao Yan!

That fact extinguished their final thought of winning him over, leaving only despair in their hearts.

Other than standing motionless where they were and awaiting Xiao Yan's judgment, no one dared make another move.

Looking at the people of the two clans trembling in place like children who had done something wrong and were waiting for their parents' punishment, a trace of mockery appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

"Go on, then. How do you plan to settle today's matter?" Xiao Yan sneered.

"This..." Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Dun exchanged glances.

Jia Lie Bi stepped forward first, gritting his teeth as he tried to muddle through. "Well... Young Master Xiao Yan, it's all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding! Hahaha."

"Ahhh!" A scream rang out. The Jia Lie Clan's Great Elder, still beneath Xiao Yan's feet, immediately let out a miserable cry that sent chills through everyone's hearts.

"Ah, sorry. I misunderstood. I thought the one under my foot liked being stepped on. My apologies." Xiao Yan offered an utterly insincere apology.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, today's matter was entirely the fault of our two clans. We are willing to offer half our family assets, so long as Young Master Xiao forgives us!" Ao Ba Dun hurriedly stepped forward and said.

"Yes, Young Master Xiao, please spare our lives! Clan Head Xiao, Brother Xiao Zhan! You and I have known each other in Wutan City for forty years. We have cooperated before as well. Could you spare this brother's life for the sake of our past friendship?" Perhaps feeling that he was unfamiliar with Xiao Yan and had little chance of receiving mercy, Jia Lie Bi turned his gaze toward Xiao Zhan, who had remained silent from beginning to end. With tears streaming down his face, he pleaded.

"Yes, Brother Xiao Zhan! Do you remember when we hunted magical beasts together in our youth? This time, the two of us were truly blinded by greed. We were wrong. Please spare us this once for the sake of the past!" Ao Ba Dun knelt before Xiao Zhan, tears and snot streaming down his face.

As for the Wutan City Lord who had brought them here, neither man placed any hopes on him. If Wu Jin had been willing to plead for them, he would have done so long ago instead of waiting until now.

Even so, they did not dare shift the blame onto Wu Jin, though he had indeed been the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

After all, he was a Peak Great Dou Master. If they pushed him too far, he could easily deal with them afterward.

As for whether Wu Jin himself would be dealt with by Xiao Yan and fail to leave through these doors alive, neither of them had considered it at all.

Wu Jin was, after all, the Wutan City Lord recognized by the Jia Ma Imperial House. Killing him would inevitably bring the Jia Ma Empire's pursuit. Even a Dou Ling, perhaps not even a Dou Wang, would dare to provoke such a tiger.

"What do you think, Father?" Xiao Yan asked Xiao Zhan, completely ignoring Wu Jin beside them.

Wu Jin's lips had turned purple with rage, and his fingers had left deep indentations in the armrest of his chair, yet he had no good solution.

Over this period, Wu Jin had realized that Xiao Yan was not a Dou Ling and was still at the Da Dou Shi realm. Yet the strength Xiao Yan had displayed was undoubtedly above his own. Though the Jia Ma Imperial House stood behind him, that did not mean he could do whatever he pleased!

After all, the connection between regional city lords and the Jia Ma Imperial House was not that close. It was merely a relationship of paying taxes in exchange for protection. If those above learned that he had started the trouble, they might even abandon him because of Xiao Yan's monstrous talent and instead try to recruit Xiao Yan.

Xiao Zhan fell into thought at Xiao Yan's question. He naturally understood everything Wu Jin had considered. On one hand, the Xiao Clan had suffered no casualties in this conflict, so there was no need to drive others to extinction. On the other hand, after today's events, the Xiao Clan would inevitably pull ahead of the other two great clans and stand on equal footing with, or even surpass, the City Lord's Manor. Under such circumstances, it was necessary to take in a few clans as lackeys.

"Very well. For the sake of our past friendship, I will spare you. But when you return, you must transfer half the marketplaces under your control into the Xiao Clan's name. Furthermore, from now on, whenever members of your two clans encounter members of the Xiao Clan outside, they must not offend them. Otherwise, they will be executed without mercy!" Xiao Zhan's tone gradually grew stern until he spoke with an unquestionable authority.

"Yes! Thank you, Clan Head Xiao, for your mercy." Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Dun clasped their hands in salute together, then quickly led their clansmen out of the Xiao Clan's main hall.

"Um... Young Master Xiao, the people beneath your feet..." Two members of the Jia Lie Clan and Oba Clan ran over and pointed at the two men under Xiao Yan's feet.

Since the matter had already been settled, and those two likely had no chance of recovering after this ordeal anyway, Xiao Yan did not stop them and allowed them to carry the pair away.

"Remember, be more polite when you see members of the Xiao Clan from now on. Understood?"

"Yes, yes!" The two clansmen hurriedly agreed, then ran out at once.

"Hahaha! Clan Head Xiao, I never expected your Xiao Clan to have such an outstanding son. Truly unexpected! I had been worried about how today might end, but I never imagined it would conclude this way. Since the Xiao Clan is already safe, I shall take my leave. Until next time!" With that, Wu Jin rose and prepared to leave as well.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan stopped him at the doorway with one hand.

"What, does Young Master Xiao intend to keep this City Lord for a meal?" Wu Jin's gaze sharpened as he spoke in a gloomy voice.

The atmosphere within the Xiao Clan's main hall immediately grew tense once more.