The power structure in Overmela changed, with Xiao Jin becoming the leader. All factions offered their congratulations, and important decision-making power shifted from their Main Family Faction to the Xiao Faction.
That evening, Xiao Jin invited Han Xiao to his residence. All the high-ranking members of the Xiao Faction gathered together, along with Xiao Hai and his children. Upon seeing Han Xiao, they all bowed and spontaneously called him their godfather. Regardless of what these younger members of the Xiao family thought, they could only maintain their respect on the surface.
The butler led Han Xiao to the study, closed the door, and left only Xiao Jin and Han Xiao.
Xiao Jin became the leader as he wished. Although he was still expressionless, his spirit and energy showed that he was full of vigor.
He hadn't forgotten that this was a benefit Han Xiao had brought him, because Han Xiao had told him he would be leaving the next day. So, on his first day as the head of the household, Xiao Jin didn't rush to handle affairs, but instead invited Han Xiao to express his gratitude.
"I am very grateful for your help," Xiao Jin said earnestly.
Han Xiao didn't sit down. Standing in front of the bookshelf, he casually fiddled with the small items inside and said casually, "Get to the point."
Xiao Jin took out a bottle of wine, poured it into two glasses, stood up, walked over to Han Xiao, and handed him a glass.
"Our deal remains unchanged. If there's anything you can do to help me, I'll provide it." Xiao Jin smiled, his voice now carrying more confidence.
The amber-colored liquor is rich and fragrant, with a mellow and non-pungent aroma, indicating its high quality. This is Xiao Jin's treasured collection, which he only opens when entertaining distinguished guests. It has been stored for many years and is only being used today.
Han Xiao took the wine glass but didn't drink. He simply swirled the glass and said calmly, "I've been thinking about this carefully these past few days and have come up with an interesting explanation. Actually, you knew all along that Su Dinghua would assassinate Delo, but you didn't tell anyone. You let it happen. Only with Delo's death could you have the opportunity to become the leader. Then, when everyone doubted me, only you stood firmly in my defense because you already knew who the murderer was and used this opportunity to gain my favor. Then, after the other factions offended me, you and *Tu*shu found the right moment to throw out the Su Dinghua lead, becoming the one who solved the True Culprit and greatly increasing your prestige. At the same time, you also made contact with me. Then, naturally, you used this as a reason to ask me to help you win the successor election, using my intimidation to suppress all the factions. You are not the True Culprit; you are just a mantis stalking the flames, acting opportunistically."
Han Xiao turned his head, his eyes conveying a meaningful look, "What do you think of this explanation?"
Xiao Jin chuckled and shook his head, took a sip of his wine, and clicked his tongue, saying, "An interesting idea, but it's not like that."
"But that's how I feel." Han Xiao said with a half-smile.
Xiao Jin's expression changed slightly, "This is just your conjecture..."
Han Xiao strode towards Xiao Jin, his upper body leaning forward with an oppressive aura, forcing Xiao Jin to retreat repeatedly and bump into the edge of the table.
The two were extremely close, Xiao Jin had nowhere to hide his gaze. He could only brace himself and meet Han Xiao's eyes. He saw a chilling killing intent in Han Xiao's eyes, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
"I don't need evidence. I think you are, so you are." Han Xiao sneered.
Xiao Jin kept a straight face to avoid losing his composure, his heart sinking to the bottom.
"Remember, I can take back what I borrowed from you anytime."
Han Xiao tapped Xiao Jin's chest twice with his finger, a gesture full of provocation.
Xiao Jin rose to power by leveraging Black Phantom's intimidation, and Han Xiao could use the same methods to deal with him at any time. Xiao Jin had no doubt that other factions would spend a lot of money to win over Black Phantom. Moreover, Black Phantom's martial prowess allowed him to replicate assassinations; if they turned against each other, he couldn't possibly guard against a legendary assassin day and night.
Xiao Jin understood Han Xiao's meaning: threats, intimidation, and extortion!
Black Phantom was even more ruthless than he had imagined; this collaboration with Black Phantom was like playing with fire.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. When Xiao Jin could barely breathe, Han Xiao stepped back a few paces, easing the tension. He toyed with his wine glass and said calmly, "What are you going to do with Raylen?"
Xiao Jin sighed. He knew it was time for him to make his stance clear. "I will make them pay the price. I will Pursuit their intelligence agents, attack the forces they support, and destroy their strongholds in the wilderness."
Xiao Jin had just taken office and was not in a position to wage a large-scale war. His original intention was to stabilize the internal situation within six months. However, Han Xiao's pressure made him realize that he had no choice but to follow Han Xiao's wishes and immediately retaliate against Raylen, giving them a Thunder blow. The damage to Overmela himself was no longer a concern for him. No matter how much he regretted it, he had no choice but to follow Han Xiao's wishes.
"Very good." Han Xiao chuckled, turned and left, tossing out a parting remark. "I wish you a pleasant time in your position as head of the household."
The wine glass was placed on the table, but Han Xiao didn't drink a drop of wine from beginning to end.
As the voices of the family members outside the door calling for their godfather gradually faded into the distance and disappeared, Xiao Jin slumped down. Han Xiao's threat had dampened his joy at becoming the head of the family.
"He's got me where it hurts..." Xiao Jin said with a wry smile, then called Xiao Hai in.
"Father, Black Phantom is gone." Xiao Hai couldn't hide his joy; he was happy that the leader finally belonged to the Xiao Faction.
"Pass on my order: have our outlying branches launch a full-scale attack on Raylen's forces in the wild!" Xiao Jin resumed his expressionless demeanor.
Xiao Hai's smile froze, his heart churning with shock. He said incredulously, "Father, you've only just become the head of the family, and the situation is still unstable. Starting a war now will severely damage the family's power, making our position even more precarious. The most urgent task is to stabilize the internal situation! Even if Raylen schemed against us this time, we don't need to retaliate immediately. There's plenty of time. This is a desperate, all-or-nothing approach!"
"Stop talking, just do as I say," Xiao Jin said calmly.
Xiao Hai froze.
[You have joined the Overmela faction. Current relationship: Respected (3000/6000) - [Xiao Faction Partner]]
"Initial goodwill is met with respect; it seems Xiao Jin has compromised." Han Xiao was quite satisfied.
Threatening Xiao Jin wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Han Xiao's earlier guess was another deduction based on the clues. First, Xiao Jin's actions were very purposeful, with each step linked to the next, all of which yielded benefits, making him suspicious. Second, the "The True Culprit" was a puzzle-solving mission, but Su Dinghua was directly exposed by Xiao Jin. The mission was completed too directly and easily, making him feel that Xiao Jin had known who the True Culprit was all along.
If Xiao Jin knew from the beginning that Su Dinghua would assassinate him and did not stop it, allowing it to happen, then Xiao Jin's role in the whole affair would not be that of the True Culprit or the mastermind, but rather that of a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, taking advantage of the situation to plot for the throne.
In fact, Han Xiao had already guessed this when Xiao Jin came to him for help, and he agreed to help, which was when the plan was formed.
Both Han Xiao and Xiao Jin pretended to be ignorant, allowing Xiao Jin to use him to rise to power. However, at the same time, Xiao Jin's position came from Han Xiao, and he became dependent on him. So Han Xiao turned around and threatened Xiao Jin, saying that as long as Xiao Jin did not want to relinquish his position, Xiao Jin obey his will and become almost a puppet.
Based on Xiao Jin's behavior, he is an ambitious person who knows how to assess the situation. The chances of him compromising are greater than 80%. He would never be willing to give up the position of head of the family that he has worked so hard to obtain.
Raylen was the True Culprit who framed him, and Han Xiao would not let them get away with it. So he instructed Overmela to fight them head-on without regard for the damage. Raylen's people never expected Overmela's counterattack to be so fierce, which completely deviated from their original plan and backfired on them.
In this way, Han Xiao retaliated against Raylen without bloodshed, without even having to lift a finger.
When facing a large power, it's easier to deal with it using the same power rather than by using one's own strength.
Throughout the entire turmoil in Overmela, Han Xiao remained a detached outsider, only revealing his true colors at the last moment.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; the snipe and the clam fight, and the fisherman profits!
Of course, it's also possible that his guess is wrong, and that Xiao Jin wasn't actually aware of the situation and was taking advantage of the opportunity.
However, this is completely unimportant, just as Han Xiao said:
--I don't need evidence. If I think you are, then you are!
It's baseless!
Xiao Jin had no other choice; he dared not admit it and could only endure it.
"Settle the task." Han Xiao brought up the control panel.
[Please select the identity of the True Culprit]
"Su Dinghua, Raylen..." Han Xiao described them. The mission required him to frame the mastermind, and the result was naturally Raylen.
[The True Culprit has been apprehended and is currently undergoing investigation...]
[Objective met, task completed]
[You have one chance to choose a random skill or feat. Please choose a feat or a skill?]
Han Xiao pondered for a moment. He felt that choosing a specialization was better, as there might be a chance to randomly obtain a rare specialization or even a template specialization.
"Specialty."
[Randomization in progress... Randomization complete. Please choose one of the following three specializations.]
[Duplicate Chanting: There is a 2%~8% chance to perform double casting during a single chant; the trigger probability depends on the Luck attribute.]
[Call of the Wild: Increases initial affinity with beast-type monsters, with a chance to communicate; the Charisma attribute provides a bonus to this chance.]
[Frost Resistance: +35% resistance to ice damage, less susceptible to slow and Frost effects]