"Xiao Yan paid his respects to Father and greeted the three elders."
Xiao Yan first bowed to Xiao Zhan, who sat in the seat of honor, then bowed to the three elders before asking:
"Father, what are you discussing?"
"Hehe, Xiao Yan, although your talent is exceptionally rare, you are still far too young. It would be rather inappropriate for you to take part in clan affairs at your age."
Before Xiao Zhan could speak from the seat of honor, an elder beside him spoke up.
As the most talented disciple of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan was now treated with some courtesy even by the three elders.
But courtesy did not mean they would listen to a child of barely ten.
"Hehe, first elder, Yan'er is the most talented person in our Xiao Clan. Besides, this matter concerns him to begin with, so what harm is there in telling him?"
Xiao Zhan narrowed his eyes, swept a glance over the first elder who had spoken, and addressed Xiao Yan directly:
"The Jia Lie Family has laid hands on you, and that has touched my reverse scale. It seems the Xiao Clan has been quiet for so long that they think we've turned into turtles hiding in their shells. Elders, I have only one thing to say: fight!"
Xiao Zhan fixed his gaze on the three elders. An exceptionally powerful presence radiated from him, and his entire bearing carried a grim killing intent. He seemed like a different man from the one who had spoken with Xiao Yan during the day.
When Xiao Yan heard this, a glint flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Zhan's attitude in the loft during the day, coupled with Xiao Ming's account of how long they had been arguing in the council hall, had led Xiao Yan to this guess.
Now, at last, he had heard it from Xiao Zhan himself.
"No!"
On the other side, an old man with a somewhat flushed face swept his sleeve and rose to his feet. Paying no heed to Xiao Yan beside him, he retorted to Xiao Zhan in the seat of honor:
"Xiao Zhan, you open your mouth and call for war with the Jia Lie Family, but have you considered the safety of everyone else in the Xiao Clan?"
"Third elder, are you telling me you didn't see what the Jia Lie Family did today?"
Xiao Zhan's face darkened. His hands gripped the armrests of his chair, veins bulging.
"Hmph!"
The third elder snorted coldly and cast a fleeting glance at Xiao Yan, his words pointed:
"This matter has already been thoroughly investigated. When all is said and done, it was Xiao Yan who attacked Jia Lie Qi first, sparking the battle between the two families."
"You!"
Anger appeared on Xiao Zhan's face at the third elder's words. He sprang to his feet, but before he could speak, laughter from Xiao Yan, standing in the hall, cut him off.
"Hahaha..."
Listening to the argument that had erupted, Xiao Yan showed a trace of mockery on his face. Once he saw that he had drawn everyone's attention, he stopped laughing, swept a disdainful gaze over the three elders, and said:
"Three elders, you think I, Xiao Yan, am nothing but a brat still wet behind the ears. But as things stand, I'm the one who should be laughing at how you can see no farther than a mouse!"
"Insolence!"
"Arrogant brat!"
At Xiao Yan's words, the first and third elders sprang to their feet in a rage, glaring at him. Even the second elder, who remained seated, looked angry as he stared at Xiao Yan.
"Am I wrong?"
Despite the elders' furious glares, Xiao Yan still wore a look of disdain. He made no effort to suppress his Soul Grandmaster-level presence, though to the elders' senses, it registered as the mark of a Dou Zhe.
Sensing the Dou Zhe presence emanating from Xiao Yan, the three elders suppressed their anger. The second elder tapped the table lightly and said:
"Xiao Yan, even if you are the most talented disciple in the Xiao Clan, you cannot speak to your elders like that."
"Elders?"
Xiao Yan turned to the seated second elder and looked him up and down before asking in a tone that carried a hint of seeking guidance:
"May I ask, second elder, what makes an elder?"
Without waiting for the second elder to answer, Xiao Yan continued:
"Those older than us are our seniors, but in my view, those who rely on their age to lord it over others and throw their weight around have merely grown old in vain;
only those who look after the younger generation and keep the clan's descendants in their hearts are elders worthy of our respect."
When Xiao Yan finished, the three elders' chests heaved, though he had not said it outright.
But his words were clearly a reminder to them.
"Today in the marketplace, the Jia Lie Family provoked us first. If I had backed down, wouldn't I have disgraced the clan's fighting spirit?"
"If, after I stand up to the Jia Lie Family and a conflict breaks out, the clan not only fails to back me up but instead blames me for being reckless, then tell me, the next time the clan is provoked, which of its younger members will dare fight back?"
When Xiao Yan finished, the three elders, who had been furious, could not help gritting their teeth.
From the seat of honor, Xiao Zhan watched Xiao Yan leave the three elders speechless. Excitement and pride appeared on his face, and he cast a smug glance at them.
Seeing the elders' reactions, Xiao Yan paused briefly, then straightened up and asked them:
"Let me ask one more question, though it may be terribly disrespectful."
"After Father steps down one day, who will be the Xiao Clan's patriarch?"
At these words, not only the three elders seated below but even Xiao Zhan in the seat of honor looked stunned.
Likewise, an unnoticed figure on the roof wore an even stranger smile. The young lady probably hasn't seen Young Master Xiao Yan like this before...
"What do you mean by that?"
The first elder reached up and stroked his graying beard, his brows tightly furrowed. Xiao Yan's earlier words had considerably changed his opinion of him. At the very least, the boy still valued the clan in his heart.
"Given my talent, may I ask the three elders whether anyone in the younger generation can match me?"
"Well... no..."
"Then let me ask another question. Given Father's current strength and prestige, is there anyone else whose strength can rival his?"
"Well... no, there isn't..."
"Then do the three elders know why Father did not use his power to press you into submission today, but instead stayed here in the council hall arguing with you all day?"
Even in the depths of Xiao Zhan's eyes, a trace of surprise appeared. How had he suddenly been dragged into this? But naturally, this was no time to undermine Xiao Yan. Feigning composure, he sat upright in the seat of honor, looking straight ahead.
Hearing this, the first elder looked up at Xiao Zhan in the seat of honor. Seeing his solemn expression, he asked in some surprise:
"Why?"
"That is because Father has long regarded the three elders as his own seniors, so he has never used his cultivation to turn the Xiao Clan into a place where his word alone is law."
"Father decided to take military action against the Jia Lie Family today not just because of Xiao Yan, but for the sake of the Xiao Clan."
Xiao Yan stepped forward, held his head high and squared his shoulders as he looked at the elders, and said:
"Father regards the three elders as his seniors, which is why he has argued with you for so long. He has even warned me that the three elders are the pillars of the clan and that I must treat you with respect and observe proper etiquette."
"Given my talent, and at the risk of giving offense, who but I could be the next patriarch?"
"But if the clan not only refuses to stand up for its younger members but instead meets them with cold words, then tell me, three elders, who will dare shed blood for the clan in the future? Who will dare step forward for it?"
"What unity could a clan like that possibly have?"