Two families joined forces! A night raid on the Xiao Clan?

The Jia Lie Family's main hall.

When the two stretchers were carried through the door, Jia Lie Bi was still seated at the head of the hall, waiting for his son to bring back news.

Only when the white cloths covering the stretchers were lifted did he see them.

The expression on his face abruptly froze.

"Ao?"

Jia Lie Ao lay there with his chest caved in and the blood at the corners of his mouth already darkened. He would never answer again.

Beside him, Butler Luo had also breathed his last.

Jia Lie Bi shot to his feet and reached the stretchers in a few strides. His outstretched hand stopped in midair, as though he did not dare lower it.

A moment later, a furious roar made everyone in the hall bow their heads.

"Who did this?!"

The Steward responsible for bringing the bodies back dropped to his knees.

"It was... Xiao Yan."

"Bullshit!" Jia Lie Bi slammed his palm onto the table beside him, shattering the solid wooden table on the spot. "He only became a Dou Zhe a few months ago! How could he possibly have killed Butler Luo?!"

"Many people in the Marketplace saw it. The young master got into a dispute with him, and he struck the young master in the chest with one palm. Butler Luo attacked afterward, but he killed him with a single sword strike..."

The Steward dared not continue. His forehead was already pressed against the floor.

Jia Lie Bi looked down at the sword wound across Butler Luo's chest. The cut was clean and stretched almost all the way across his torso. It had indeed killed him in a single stroke.

"What about Xiao Zhan?"

"He wasn't there. None of the elders appeared either."

"Then someone must have intervened from the shadows!"

Jia Lie Bi's voice was icy. How could a newly advanced Dou Zhe possibly kill a Dou Shi?

But the Steward's next words...

Made his eyelid twitch again.

"Someone heard Butler Luo shout that Xiao Yan was a Dou Shi just before he died..."

The hall fell silent.

Jia Lie Bi's breathing grew heavier.

Xiao Yan was already a Dou Shi?

How was that possible!

He had crossed the entire Dou Zhe realm in just a few months?

He slowly clenched his fists, suddenly recalling the medicinal ingredients the Xiao Clan had recently purchased, along with the three clansmen who had made breakthroughs one after another.

Alchemist.

Could they really have an expert helping them?

All the seemingly scattered scraps of information from the past few days crowded into his mind at once. If Xiao Yan truly had someone backing him...

"Clan head, should we gather the guards?" the Steward asked cautiously.

Jia Lie Bi raised his eyes, killing intent nearly spilling from them. Yet he ultimately did not immediately give the order to storm the Xiao Clan.

The Xiao Clan was already much stronger than before.

If he rashly led his men there, even if he sacrificed a group of guards, he might still fail to kill Xiao Yan.

Jia Lie Bi slowly crouched and covered his son's face with the white cloth again. "Ao, your father will avenge you."

When he rose, his voice was chillingly cold.

"Prepare the carriage. We're going to the Ao Ba Family."

Half an hour later, at the Ao Ba Family's residence.

After hearing why he had come, Oba Pa held his teacup suspended in midair, his face filled with disbelief.

"Your son, Jia Lie Ao, is dead?"

"And Butler Luo too?"

Jia Lie Bi sat opposite him, his eyes bloodshot.

"Xiao Yan did it."

The astonishment on Oba Pa's face deepened before his brow furrowed. This had come far too suddenly, and the fact that a two-star Dou Shi was among the dead left even him uncertain.

"So you want me to join you in dealing with the Xiao Clan?"

"Exactly."

Jia Lie Bi nodded, staring at him.

"The Xiao Clan gained three Dou Shi in just a few days. If we let them keep growing, how many will they have next month? How many in half a year?"

Oba Pa set down his teacup.

Naturally, he had received this news as well.

Recently, the Xiao Clan's guards had grown stronger, and their caravans were traveling more safely than ever. Several merchants who had previously dealt with the Ao Ba Family had already quietly inquired about renting shops from the Xiao Clan.

"And then there's Xiao Yan."

Jia Lie Bi spoke each word distinctly:

"An eleven-year-old Dou Zhe was frightening enough. If he really is a Dou Shi now, do you think we'll still be able to sit here drinking tea in a few years?"

Oba Pa's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He could tell Jia Lie Bi was desperate to avenge his son, but the changes in the Xiao Clan truly did make it hard for him to rest easy.

"Have you found out who that Alchemist behind them is?"

"No."

Jia Lie Bi answered bluntly.

"The longer we wait, the harder it will be to make a move. You and I will join forces and tear the Xiao Clan out by the roots. You can take sixty percent of their Marketplace holdings."

Oba Pa did not agree immediately.

"I won't be contributing fewer men than you."

The corner of Jia Lie Bi's eye twitched.

"Then you take eighty percent."

The room was quiet for a moment.

Oba Pa finally nodded, but then added, "Relying on the men our two families currently have still isn't safe enough."

Jia Lie Bi asked:

"Do you have someone in mind?"

Oba Pa said gravely:

"Han Kui."

Jia Lie Bi's gaze shifted.

He had heard that name before. The man led mercenaries around the Magical Beast Mountain Range year-round and was ruthless in his methods. He had already made quite a name for himself several years ago.

"How strong is he now?"

"An Eight-Star Great Dou Master."

Jia Lie Bi abruptly looked up. At that realm, he was already powerful enough to make any family in Wutan City wary.

If they could recruit him, their chances tonight would improve further!

"He's been resting outside the city these past few days," Oba Pa said, lowering his voice. "We'll hire him to deal with Xiao Zhan, while you and I lead our men against the rest of the Xiao Clan."

"If that expert really does appear, the three of us will attack together."

Jia Lie Bi slowly nodded.

The Xiao Clan's newly advanced Dou Shi were certainly troublesome, but before an Eight-Star Great Dou Master, they were still nowhere near enough.

"Will he come?"

"As long as we pay enough."

That afternoon, in a courtyard outside the city.

Han Kui sat in a chair. He was lean, with an old scar running from the corner of his right eye all the way to the base of his ear.

When the two men entered, he was wiping a pair of Fine-Iron Gauntlets with a cloth.

After hearing why they had come, Han Kui slowly raised his eyes.

"Wipe out the Xiao Clan?"

"That's right," Jia Lie Bi said gravely. "You'll handle Xiao Zhan. Our two families will take care of the other elders and guards."

Han Kui set down the gauntlets and chuckled. "If it were just Xiao Zhan, why would you two spend money hiring me?"

Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa exchanged a glance. In the end, they concealed nothing, explaining the Xiao Clan's recent changes and how Xiao Yan had killed two men in the street.

The smile on Han Kui's face faded somewhat. "So there's someone whose depths you haven't fathomed."

He leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers.

"Gentlemen, this money won't be easy to earn."

"Five hundred thousand Gold Coins."

Jia Lie Bi named the price outright.

The corner of Oba Pa's eye twitched, but he did not object.

Each family would pay half, and it certainly hurt. But once they seized the Xiao Clan's businesses, they would eventually earn it back.

Han Kui stopped tapping the armrest. A moment later, he held up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand up front. The remaining three hundred thousand upon completion."

"Agreed."

Two Crystal Cards, each holding one hundred thousand Gold Coins, were soon placed on the table.

After checking them, Han Kui put them away. "I'll bring twelve capable men. When we strike, I'll enter the front courtyard over the side wall and intercept Xiao Zhan first. You go through the main gate. Don't let anyone else escape."

Killing intent surged in Jia Lie Bi's eyes as he said:

"Leave Xiao Yan alive and hand him over to me."

"Capturing him is your business." Han Kui glanced at him, then continued slowly, "Also, if the Xiao Clan really is hiding an expert at the Dou Ling realm or above, the deal is off. The deposit is nonrefundable."

Oba Pa frowned.

Han Kui's expression did not change.

"If you want me to stake my life, I need to know whether there's any profit in gambling it."

After a brief silence in the room, Jia Lie Bi agreed in a low voice.

"Fine."

In his view, anyone who could train a disciple like Xiao Yan naturally had some ability. But if that person truly was a Dou Ling or stronger, why would the Xiao Clan remain trapped in Wutan City?

With the three of them joining forces, it was worth the gamble!

Han Kui put on the Fine-Iron Gauntlets and stood up. "When do we move?"

Jia Lie Bi gritted his teeth and slowly spat out his answer.

"Tonight."

Han Kui nodded slightly and said:

"Good. At midnight tonight, bring your two families' men to Wutan City's West City Gate and meet me there."