I've Had More Than Enough of Schemes!

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Instead of barking, Xiao Zhan heard a knock at the door. He jolted awake, so startled that every trace of sleepiness vanished. Sitting bolt upright, he unleashed a roaring surge of Dou Qi that formed a sturdy suit of Dou Qi Armor.

"Uncle Xiao, it's me, Xiao Yu."

The voice outside belonged to Xiao Yu, who had just returned from Jia Nan Academy to visit her family. Only then did Xiao Zhan breathe a sigh of relief. He silently cursed the dog's love of sleep, then asked, "What is it at this late hour?"

"An honored guest is here to see you. He says he's Xiao Yan's friend and has something important to discuss."

A friend of Xiao Yan's? Coming to see me this late? Could something have happened to Yan'er?

Xiao Zhan hurried out of bed and opened the door without even changing out of his nightclothes. "A friend of Yan'er's is here to see me?" he asked anxiously. "Has something happened to him?"

"Of course nothing has happened to your son. He possesses exceptional talent and has influential people helping him. His fame in the Jia Ma Empire is unrivaled now—a brilliant young man whose name is on everyone's lips." Yun Congxin smiled and cupped his hands. "I am Yun Shan, a friend of Xiao Yan's. Greetings, Clan Leader Xiao."

Although this mysterious man claimed to be Xiao Yan's friend, his strength was unfathomable, demanding caution.

Yun Congxin smiled with easy grace. "Not at all. I arrived uninvited and disturbed you late at night. I should be the one apologizing to you, Clan Leader Xiao."

"Clan Leader Xiao, this concerns both the Xiao Clan and our Misty Cloud Sect. The situation is urgent, so let us dispense with these formalities. I have come to discuss an important matter."

Hearing that, Xiao Zhan immediately gathered his wits and gestured invitingly. "Of course. Please come inside so we can discuss it in detail."

Yun Congxin nodded. Catching the wrist of Xiao Yu, who had been preparing to slip away, he said, "Let's go."

"Huh? I'm involved too?" Xiao Yu asked, rather bewildered as Yun Congxin pulled her into the room.

"As the saying goes, secrecy brings success, while loose tongues bring ruin. Since little sister Xiao Yu already knows so much, it would be better not to wander off alone." Yun Congxin settled naturally into a chair, turning himself from guest into host. "Don't be so stiff, everyone. Make yourselves comfortable, comfortable."

Xiao Zhan gave a wry chuckle. He thought the man was quite an odd character; no wonder someone so powerful could still be friends with Yan'er.

As a young woman and a junior, Xiao Yu naturally could not sit on Xiao Zhan's bed. Her only choice was the other chair beside Yun Congxin, while Xiao Zhan sat on his own bed.

Once everyone was seated, Yun Congxin openly flicked a finger. Pale green Dou Qi gathered into a tiny whirlwind, then dispersed before their eyes to form a soundproof barrier.

"This matter is highly confidential. If word gets out, we might stir the grass and alert the snake. Please forgive these precautions."

With that, Yun Congxin recounted the entire chain of events, from Xiao Yan's rise to fame to his overwhelming victory in the three-year agreement, then the Misty Cloud Sect's internal reorganization and the treacherous, shifting currents throughout the Jia Ma Empire.

He placed particular emphasis on how severely the Misty Cloud Sect had punished the domineering disciples led by the Grand Elder, while briefly glossing over the sect's years of indulging them. In his telling, the Misty Cloud Sect became a force that wished to cleanse corruption at its source, only to find its tail too large to wag.

Yun Congxin hoped that, by drawing a righteous line between the sect and its troublemaking, domineering disciples, he could restore the Misty Cloud Sect's image in the eyes of Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan.

He then elaborated on the Jia Ma Imperial Family's schemes, explaining how they had exploited the Misty Cloud Sect's laxness over the years to create trouble for it. He made it sound as though any Misty Cloud Sect disciples who might cause trouble in the future would have been led astray by others, handing the Jia Ma Imperial Family a share of the sect's pot of blame to carry.

Finally, Yun Congxin revealed his plan.

"So, rather than waiting for them to hoodwink our disciples into making mistakes, why don't we turn their scheme against them?"

"Didn't they impersonate members of our Misty Cloud Sect to deceive the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family? Aren't both families now eagerly waiting to scoop up the spoils?"

"Good! Then we'll give them their wish! When the time comes, I'll pretend to launch a surprise attack on the Xiao Clan and take away all your Da Dou Shi, making them believe your clan has suffered a crushing blow!"

"We'll lure the snake out of its hole and focus our attack on the Jia Lie Family. We'll kill their family head, crush the family, and seize everything they own. As for the Ao Ba Family, we'll rely mainly on intimidation, forcing them to empty their coffers to buy the Xiao Clan's and Jia Lie Family's marketplaces."

"Wait, Mr. Yun—the marketplaces? If we sell them all, what will our Xiao Clan live on in the future?" Xiao Zhan asked urgently.

Yun Congxin smiled. "Xiao Yan is standing at the crest of the wind and waves right now. Plenty of people want to land a punch on him, for all sorts of reasons. His whereabouts are unpredictable, but the Xiao Clan is firmly rooted in Wutan City. Think carefully, Clan Leader Xiao. If you wanted to strike at Xiao Yan, would it be easier to confront a fourth-tier alchemist who comes and goes without a trace and can summon countless experts in the blink of an eye, or to wipe out a Xiao Clan with mere Da Dou Shi?"

Xiao Zhan smiled bitterly. He had to admit that the influence Xiao Yan now wielded had actually surpassed that of the entire Xiao Clan.

"Then what you're suggesting, Mr. Yun, is..."

"Move! A transplanted tree dies, but a person who moves can thrive! You certainly can't stay in Wutan City anymore. Rather than waiting for people of unknown origins to strike at you, why not take this opportunity to leave? Once you've swallowed up the wealth of the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family, settling in a large city should be no great difficulty with the Xiao Clan's strength, should it?"

"But... if we leave so abruptly, where would we go? We'd inevitably have to fight other factions for room to survive. With the Xiao Clan's current strength, I'm afraid we'd suffer heavy losses... At that point, I fear we'd struggle to gain a foothold..." Xiao Zhan said with a bitter smile.

Yun Congxin smiled. "There's absolutely no need to worry about gaining a foothold in a new city. Surely you haven't forgotten, Clan Leader Xiao, that your clan now has a fourth-tier alchemist? That's far more precious than having a few Dou Ling!"

"As for fighting... hehe, an ordinary family would indeed have to fight over territory and resources when relocating. But what if that family had an Outer Sect Steward of the Misty Cloud Sect?"

"Oh? You mean..." Xiao Zhan rose excitedly to his feet.

How could he not understand the rich pickings and tremendous advantages that came with being an Outer Sect Steward of the Misty Cloud Sect? It was as though pies were falling from the sky. In just a few words, a deluge of wealth and status was about to descend upon the Xiao Clan. How could he possibly remain calm?

"Don't get so excited. Sit down, sit down," Yun Congxin said calmly. "I've come on behalf of the former sect master, so naturally this is his wish as well. Once the Xiao Clan settles in its new city, you, Chief of the Xiao Clan, will become an Outer Sect Steward of our Misty Cloud Sect!"

"I think Lin City, at the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain, would be a good choice. It's the Misty Cloud Sect's backyard, and there aren't any particularly powerful local snakes there. It should be an excellent place for the Xiao Clan to settle down."