Jia Lie Bi

At this thought, Jia Lie Bi's expression shifted unpredictably.

That old bastard Ao Ba Pa was playing dumb with him only because the Xiao Household's growth had not harmed much of the Ao Ba Family's interests.

If their positions were reversed, that old bastard would not be feeling any better than he was.

Seeing Ao Ba Pa act as though the matter had nothing to do with him, Jia Lie Bi forcibly suppressed the urge to attack.

"When words fail to find common ground, even half a sentence is too much. Since that is the case, I shall take my leave first."

Leaving those words behind, Jia Lie Bi walked out of the Ao Ba Family's hall with a gloomy expression.

Not long after Jia Lie Bi left, one of the Ao Ba Family Elders who had watched the entire exchange slowly approached Ao Ba Pa and questioned him, "Patriarch, why do we not join forces with the Jia Lie Family and wipe the Xiao Household out of Wutan City?"

Hearing the words of the fool before him, Ao Ba Pa was nearly angered to death. He waved a large hand.

"Guards!"

"Here!"

A steward hurried over and dropped to one knee before Ao Ba Pa, who sat in his chair.

"Drag this spy sent by the Jia Lie Family away and execute him!"

As soon as those words fell, the Elder standing before Ao Ba Pa's expression changed drastically. He demanded, "Ao Ba Pa! What are you doing?!"

"Th-This..."

The steward raised his head and looked hesitantly at Ao Ba Pa in his chair.

Leaning back in his chair, Ao Ba Pa lightly tapped the armrest with his fingers.

"What, did you not hear what I said?"

The steward's face filled with terror, and he quickly fell to both knees.

"I would not dare. This subordinate obeys!"

As he spoke, he rose and prepared to seize the Elder.

The Elder pointed a trembling finger at Ao Ba Pa.

"Ao Ba Pa, you are utterly unworthy of being patriarch! Under your leadership, the Ao Ba Family will head toward destruction!"

As he spoke, the Dou Qi within him surged madly, turning into an earthen-yellow streak of light that shot toward Ao Ba Pa.

"You overestimate yourself!"

Ao Ba Pa sneered and slowly rose to his feet. Dou Qi formed a suit of armor around his body.

With a raised hand and a single slap, he knocked the incoming earthen-yellow streak of light back into its original form.

The Elder from before fell to the ground with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, glaring at Ao Ba Pa with hatred in his eyes.

Ignoring that hateful gaze, Ao Ba Pa slowly calmed his Dou Qi and gave a slight nod, signaling the steward to drag him away and execute him quickly.

Seeing this, the steward hurried forward and dragged the overconfident Elder out of the hall.

The other Elders nearby looked at their noses, then at their hearts, as if they had not seen what had just happened.

Ao Ba Pa slowly sat back down and swept his gaze across the Elders.

"You all know what to do, don't you?"

They hurriedly nodded. One Elder stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Ao Ba Li not only attempted to incite us against the Xiao Household just now, but also launched a sneak attack on the patriarch. Fortunately, the patriarch is wise and mighty, with profound cultivation."

"You discovered in advance that he was a spy sent by the Jia Lie Family and killed him instead! Patriarch, you are wise!"

"Patriarch, you are wise!!!"

The others quickly echoed him.

Ao Ba Pa revealed a gratified expression. At last, someone understood his difficulties!

How could he revitalize the family while surrounded by a bunch of vermin?

Jia Lie Bi returned to the Jia Lie Family estate with a grim face and summoned all the Elders to the hall for a meeting.

"...That is what happened."

"Speak. What should we do?"

Jia Lie Bi swept his gaze across everyone present, hoping to hear a better suggestion.

After everyone pondered for a moment, the Second Elder rose from his seat and cupped his hands toward Jia Lie Bi at the head of the hall. "Patriarch, why not wipe out the Xiao Household while it has yet to rise?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Elder immediately objected. "Not appropriate. If we do that, what will we do when that genius of the Xiao Household returns from Jia Nan Academy in the future?"

"Th-This..."

The Second Elder was briefly left speechless. Clearly, he did not know the answer either.

"Could it be that we can only sit by and watch the Xiao Household swallow up our family's businesses?"

The First Elder was somewhat irritable. The Xiao Household and the Jia Lie Family had long been two of Wutan City's three great families, and they had accumulated deep grievances over resources.

However, since the gap in strength between the two sides was not great, they had maintained a delicate balance.

Ever since Xiao Qing had burst onto the scene, that delicate balance had begun to tilt toward the Xiao Household.

Their current difference in strength was clearly not great, yet they could do nothing about it. How could the First Elder accept that?

"How about... we submit to the Xiao Household?"

While they argued endlessly, an Elder cautiously made the suggestion.

"Impossible!!!"

The three men immediately turned their gazes toward the Elder who had made the suggestion.

Jia Lie Bi, seated at the head of the hall, also looked over with a dark gaze.

The Elder immediately began trembling all over in fright and forced a smile. "I... I was only joking."

The First Elder had a violent temper. He immediately stood and cupped his hands toward Jia Lie Bi. "Patriarch, this man harbors a heart worthy of execution. I propose that he be beheaded as a warning to others!"

The Second and Third Elders stopped arguing as well and nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Patriarch. We have fought the Xiao Household for many years. How can we submit to them!"

Hearing this, the Elder was so terrified that he practically pissed himself. He scrambled over to Jia Lie Bi and fell to both knees.

"Patriarch, I have shed blood for the family and rendered service! The family cannot kill me!"

Jia Lie Bi's gaze was deep and shadowy. He nodded, though it was unclear whose words he agreed with.

Only after a long while did he speak. "Guards!"

In the next instant, a guard entered from the doorway and dropped to one knee before Jia Lie Bi.

"This subordinate is here!"

"Drag this cowardly rat away and execute him!"

Jia Lie Bi waved his sleeve, signaling the guard to act quickly.

"This subordinate obeys!"

The guard cupped his hands in response, then rose and dragged the Elder toward the door.

"Patriarch, I have been wronged! I am also a member of the Jia Lie Family! I only wanted what was best for the family!"

His voice came from outside, but no one in the room paid it much attention.

Jia Lie Bi leaned back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers.

At this moment, the gazes of the many Elders were all fixed upon Jia Lie Bi, waiting for the patriarch's instructions.

After an unknown amount of time, Jia Lie Bi finally slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was dark as he said, "Rather than wait helplessly for death, we should take the initiative. Tonight, we will storm the Xiao Household."

As his words fell, everyone present rose and cupped their hands. "We obey!"

Xiao Household.

Inside a house close to the main residence, a young man sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell slightly as faint white streams of air entered his body through his nose and mouth.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, forcing the young man to stop cultivating and slowly open his eyes.

A flash of white light passed through his eyes. Xiao Yan stood and walked toward the door.

Creak!

As the door opened, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious gray robes stood outside.

"Yan'er, I did not disturb your cultivation, did I?"

Xiao Zhan asked with concern.