The Chen Family's Stance

The Chen Family's Stance

Inside Luoshui Auction House's most important council hall.

"Patriarch, the people from private room seventeen in the second row were tailed by Yang Jun's group as soon as they left. Should we follow them too?"

An elderly man who looked like an elder turned to Chen Tongsheng, the Chen Family Patriarch seated in the center.

"Follow them? No need!" Chen Tongsheng waved a hand.

"No need? Patriarch, those two could casually produce a Noble Grade martial skill. They must have even more treasures on them. If we seize them... the Chen Family will become Luoshui City's foremost clan before long!" Seeing the Patriarch reject the suggestion without a moment's thought, the elder hurriedly said.

"Become Luoshui City's foremost clan? Hmph, I think you want our Chen Family to vanish from Luoshui City entirely!"

Chen Tongsheng slapped the table, his brows rising sharply.

"Make our Chen Family vanish from Luoshui City... I didn't mean that!" The elder had not expected the Patriarch to fly into a rage. Startled into trembling, he hurriedly explained.

"Hmph. Xing'er, tell them what you think!"

Too lazy to explain himself, Chen Tongsheng looked instead at his son, Chen Xing, asking him to state his views. It would both sharpen his independent judgment and serve as a test for the first heir.

"Yes, Father!" Chen Xing hurriedly rose to his feet. "From appearances, these two truly do not seem particularly strong. They may even be weaker than me. But the fact that they could casually produce several hundred thousand taels of silver and a Noble Grade martial skill, slip into the auction house without anyone noticing, and knock out Nie Yu, someone at their own level—all of it proves these two are far from as simple as they appear!"

"Far from as simple as they appear? Oh? Then how would you handle this matter?" Hearing his son say this, Chen Tongsheng's eyes flashed with approval as he continued questioning him.

"Our Chen Family rose to prominence late. In terms of absolute strength, we are no match for the other three families; we are merely wealthier than them! Therefore, we must be cautious in everything we do. These two are clearly no ordinary people. The best way to handle them is through conciliation! If they have no backing, that is one thing, but what if they are connected to some great power?"

Knowing his father was testing him, Chen Xing continued, "Conciliation will completely dispel their guard, making it easier for us to learn their true background. If they truly have a great power behind them, then we will have gained a massive patron. Even if we fall out with the other three families, there will be nothing to fear. If they have no backing, then it will be even easier. We can deliberately create difficulties for them. Once we force them into a desperate corner, they will have no choice but to cooperate with us and obediently hand over the cultivation methods and martial skills they know!"

"But if we act forcefully from the start, they may give us nothing at all. In the end, we would be left with neither chicken nor egg, gaining nothing and perhaps even offending a great power for no reason!"

"Not bad. Xing'er is right, though not entirely!" Hearing his son lay everything out so clearly, Chen Tongsheng nodded and added, "A Noble Grade cultivation method suddenly appeared at the auction house. Even if we do not leak the news, the three great families will certainly learn that it is connected to these two. If we send people to capture them, then even if we learn nothing from them, what will the other three great families think?"

"The three great families will believe that we have already obtained more martial skills and cultivation methods, and join forces to pressure us..." Only after hearing his father's words did Chen Xing realize this. His face immediately turned grim.

The elder who had spoken earlier could not stop trembling in fear.

"Exactly. If the remaining three great families join forces to pressure us, we certainly will not be able to withstand it. And if we cannot produce any martial skills or cultivation methods, our family may well be destroyed!" Ignoring everyone else's expressions, Chen Tongsheng slowly said, "If these two have a power behind them, capturing them will bring us disaster. If they have no power behind them, capturing them will still bring us disaster! So we simply will not wade into this muddy water. Since Yang Jun wants to handle it, let him handle it!"

"Yang Jun's actions can also help us probe them. If these two have a trump card, Yang Jun will surely go and never return. Then we can loudly spread the matter around. Everyone will believe that our Chen Family has deep ties with the power behind these two, and they will be deeply wary of us! This is borrowing the east wind! If they have no trump card and are killed by Yang Jun, hehe, then we can join the other three families in forcing the Yang Family into a corner! No matter what happens, we will not lose out!"

Old and cunning, Chen Tongsheng had laid out the gains and losses in just a few sentences.

"By the way, Xing'er, did you secretly make a copy of that Three Waves of the Yangtze River that was auctioned earlier?"

By rights, auction houses were not allowed to make copies of auctioned items. But the auction house belonged to the Chen Family. As long as no one caught them, no one would say anything even if they did so.

"Reporting to Father, after I received the jade token, I secretly made a copy as soon as I came out. This is it..." As Chen Xing spoke, he handed over a cultivation jade token.

"Mm, not bad. A Noble Grade martial skill, Three Waves of the Yangtze River! Hahaha! With this martial skill, our Chen Family's overall strength will surely rise by another great deal!" Sweeping his spiritual power over the jade token, Chen Tongsheng could not help bursting into laughter.

After laughing, Chen Tongsheng looked at the elder who had spoken earlier. "Chen Ran, withdraw the clansmen pursuing those two. You are old. From now on, retire in peace and stop involving yourself in family affairs!"

"Yes!" Elder Chen Ran knew that with a single sentence, the Patriarch had stripped him of all authority. Though unwilling, he knew he could not resist. He nodded, his face full of despondency.

For a family or power to endure for generations, it had to discard the useless and replace them with those better suited to the task. Otherwise, it would only keep retreating until it eventually walked toward destruction!

"Young Master, I have investigated it thoroughly. The people in private room seventeen in the second row are two outsiders. One is at the Early Fourth Level Qi Sea, while the other is at the middle stage of the Fourth Level Qi Sea!"

"Early Fourth Level Qi Sea and middle Fourth Level Qi Sea? So they are merely two wealthy country bumpkins. Young Master, trash like that does not require you to act. I alone can kill them!"

Not long after Nie Yun and the other disappeared, three figures emerged from behind. Two of them smiled as they spoke to the young man in front.

These three were precisely the Yang Jun group Chen Tongsheng had mentioned!

"I never considered them opponents in the first place. Two pieces of trash dared to disgrace me in Luoshui City. I will make them regret ever coming into this world!"

Yang Jun had calmed down from his earlier fury, and a cold, sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

Before the auction had even fully ended, the three had hidden beside private room seventeen in the second row. The moment the people inside emerged, they quietly followed them.

They had originally thought that anyone who could produce so much silver must be some great figure. Yet they had never expected them to be two unknown lackeys with unimpressive strength!

Yang Jun did not dare vent his anger on the auction house, so he could only direct his hatred toward these two. Seeing that their strength was low as well, how could he possibly let them go?

Weren't you rich? Didn't you buy the Blazing Axe? Once I kill you both, everything will be mine!

"Of course. They are merely two fools who do not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth. Daring to offend Young Master in Luoshui City means they are tired of living! Young Master, I have a suggestion. Once we catch them, let us not kill them immediately. We will sever all the tendons in their hands and feet, then make them kneel on the ground and torture them alive!"

"Severing their tendons is letting them off too easily. Get a water vat and carve them into human sticks. Soak them in salt water every day. If they call you Grandfather once, reward them with a little food. Otherwise, starve them..."

Yang Lin and the other man chuckled darkly, their voices brimming with malice.

From how casually they spoke, it seemed they had done such things many times before.

"Yang Lin is right. Carving them into human sticks and soaking them in salt water is indeed a good method. But since they have so much money, they must have some way to make it. If they are willing to become my slaves and serve me faithfully, I would not mind sparing them once!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, Yang Jun spoke with immense magnanimity.

"Young Master truly treats others generously and respects worthy men! If they knew Young Master had such intentions, they would probably be so happy they would laugh themselves to death!" Yang Lin hurriedly showered him with flattery.

"By the way, could they have already successfully refined the Blazing Axe? Although their cultivation is nothing special, if they have fully refined the Blazing Axe, it could still be troublesome!" The second subordinate suddenly recalled something and asked.

"Refine the Blazing Axe? What a joke! The Blazing Axe is a Marquis Grade weapon. With their trash cultivation at the Early Fourth Level Qi Sea and middle Fourth Level Qi Sea, could they refine it in such a short time? Even if they are holding the axe now, they are probably finding it too heavy and inconvenient!" Yang Jun was utterly confident.

"Indeed, Young Master is brilliant. You saw through the mystery with a single word. I worried for nothing!" The second subordinate laughed.

"Of course. Think about who Young Master is. At twenty-two, he has already reached the Early Fifth Level Qi Sea, one of Luoshui City's peak geniuses. How could he be like us?" Yang Lin laughed and continued fawning.

"Enough. Stop talking. Those two have already left the city. Hurry and follow them! We absolutely cannot let them escape!"

Cutting off his subordinates' flattery, Yang Jun flicked his hand and shot forward.

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