Jiao Clan Meeting

Inside the council hall of the Jiao Clan mansion, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the sea before a storm.

Jiao Zhenhai, the patriarch of the Jiao Clan, was a dignified old man sitting upright in the main seat, his brows furrowed and his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

Below, the core elders and high-ranking members of the Jiao Clan also wore solemn and gloomy expressions.

"... That's the situation." An elder in charge of intelligence summarized in a dry voice, "According to our extensive investigations, the Hong family has indeed established contact with a force called the ' Bai family ' on the Central Continent. Now that the giant ship is returning, once the Bai family arrives in Cold Wind City, the Yi family will inevitably side with the Hong family. At that time, our Jiao Clan... will be left alone."

These words made the atmosphere in the hall even more somber.

"Then... what should we do?" a younger member of the clan couldn't help but ask. "Should we sue for peace with the Hong family? Or... abandon this ancestral heritage and relocate the entire clan?"

"Sue for peace?!" Another hot-tempered elder slammed his fist on the table and roared, "That old dog Hong Batian a wolf in sheep's clothing! If we sue for peace, he'll just devour us until there's nothing left!"

"But what can we do if we don't leave? Are we just going to watch our family be destroyed?"

The crowd argued endlessly, but could not come up with a feasible solution. The entire hall was filled with an atmosphere of pessimism and despair.

Just then, Jiao Yu'er, accompanied by Dongfang Yueming, hurriedly arrived at the Jiao Clan mansion.

"I want to see my father!" Jiao Yu'er said anxiously to the guards at the door.

"Miss, the head of the family and the elders are having a meeting. No one is allowed to disturb them!" The guard dutifully stopped her.

"I have something urgent! Something extremely important! Get out of my way!" Jiao Yu'er tried to force her way through.

"Miss! Please don't make things difficult for us!" Several guards looked troubled, but still stood firmly in front of them.

As the two sides remained deadlocked, a guard rushed into the council hall to report, "Reporting to the Master! Third Master! Miss Jiao Yu'er has returned and is outside the door, saying she has important matters to discuss!"

Inside the hall, Jiao Xiaotian frowned upon hearing this, about to speak.

Jiao Zhenhai, the head of the Jiao Clan, waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Let her wait outside! Can't you see we are discussing a matter of life and death for the family!"

Just then, another guard rushed in at an even faster pace, tumbling and crawling, his face filled with horror and fear.

"Master... Master! Something terrible has happened! The young master of the Hong family, Hong Tao... is dead!"

"What?!"

These words caused an uproar in the council hall! Everyone stood up abruptly, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Jiao Zhenhai abruptly stood up, staring intently at the guard. "What did you say?! Who did it?!"

The guard glanced at Jiao Xiaotian before stammering, "It was... a young man wearing a bamboo hat who... at the dock... killed Young Master Hong Tao with a single point. That person knew Miss Jiao Yu'er, and now... he's been brought back to our residence!"

"Boom!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence once again.

All eyes turned to Jiao Xiaotian.

Jiao Xiaotian felt his mind go blank with a "buzz".

[Yu'er... she... how could she...]

"Fine! Fine!" Jiao Zhenhai laughed in fury, pointing at Jiao Xiaotian, trembling with rage. "What a fine daughter you've raised! We're here worrying about the life and death of the family, and she's out there bringing such a terrible disaster upon us!"

"Master! There must be something fishy about this!" Jiao Xiaotian quickly defended himself.

"Let them in!" Jiao Zhenhai roared at the guards, ignoring any explanations.

Jiao Xiaotian's heart sank; he knew this matter could no longer be resolved peacefully.

Outside the mansion gate.

Jiao Yu'er was waiting anxiously when she suddenly recalled the scene of Dongfang Yueming killing Hong Tao with a single finger. That calm and collected demeanor, that Qi Refining Realm as if the Qi Refining Realm was nothing, made her heart tremble.

Just how strong is he?

Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

At that moment, a guard strode out from inside and came to them.

The guard's face no longer held the previous respect and embarrassment; instead, it displayed a cold, businesslike indifference.

"Young Miss, the Master requests your presence."

These simple words instantly plunged Jiao Yu'er's heart into despair!

Something's wrong! Something's really wrong!

If it were a normal audience, the guards would never have acted this way! That icy tone, that chilling atmosphere... this doesn't feel like going to see family, it feels more like... going to be interrogated!

"We... we should leave first!" A strong sense of unease welled up in her heart, and she subconsciously grabbed Dongfang Yueming's sleeve, wanting to escape this place of trouble.

"Rest assured."

Dongfang Yueming patted her hand, his voice still calm and powerful, as if it contained some kind of reassuring magic.

For some reason, upon hearing those two words, Jiao Yu'er's panicked heart miraculously calmed down. She took a deep breath, nodded, and followed the guards into the solemn council hall with Dongfang Yueming.