Bang bang bang!
A series of knocks sounded at the door, prompting everyone to turn their heads toward the entrance as Yan Hu rose to open the attic door.
Standing at the doorway was Li Fenglin, his face filled with anxiety.
"Mr. Yan Hu, has Mr. Jiang returned?" Li Fenglin nervously asked, his eyes casting a glance at the attic hall.
"Co in," Jiang Chen softly called.
As the two n entered the hall, Li Fenglin took a seat on the couch, mouth agape, yet hesitant.
"What’s the matter?" Jiang Chen looked puzzledly at Li Fenglin.
Taking a deep breath, Li Fenglin spoke with trepidation, "Mr. Jiang, the morial day for the old ancestor... is in three days!"
"I know, we should make it on ti if we leave tomorrow, right?" Jiang Chen looked back at him with a slight confusion.
Li Fenglin hesitated again before tentatively adding, "Yes, that’s the case. My family called , they found out I was staying here. They said... the thing is... you cleaned out so top-tier and second-tier families of the Jincheng last ti, right? One of those families was... the family our family outsources to..."
"Oh!" Jiang Chen nodded, suddenly realizing, rembering an incident in Dingjing when a wealthy second generation troubled Su Qingqing, and how Li Fenglin had resolved the matter with a call.
Blinking, Jiang Chen questioned curiously, "Didn’t your family disown you? How co that outsourcing family still listened to you and helped Qing Qing back then?"
"That outsourcing family isn’t actually a real family, it’s made up of stewards from our family, one of whom was my personal steward," Li Fenglin explained.
Personal steward?!
Jiang Chen was taken aback, feeling a mix of emotions.
Only mbers of the family who were decision-makers of each generation had the right to have personal stewards, and since Li Fenglin had this privilege, it ant that the third elder ancestor had placed him in the line of succession!
How the tables have turned!
The once heir apparent of the family now needs soone to help fend off pressure just to co ho to pay respects!
"Did the elimination of that outsourcing family affect you?" Jiang Chen seed to grasp why Li Fenglin was so awkward.
Li Fenglin replied bitterly, "They blad , said it was who incited you to eliminate the outsourcing family and asked to..."
"Asked you to accuse ?" Jiang Chen laughed.
"No! They said... if I want to go back and pay homage to the old ancestor, I must have your family... beco our family’s outsourcing family..."
The more Li Fenglin spoke, the quieter he beca, and after finishing, he hung his head low.
"They sure dared to make that offer!" Jiang Chen’s face darkened, his voice turning cold.
Li Fenglin looked up apologetically at Jiang Chen, "Mr. Jiang, I’ve caused you trouble. They said... they want you to go with to apologize to the family. If you don’t go, and if you don’t agree to let your family beco our outsourcing family, they will... send people to hassle you!"
"Heh, are they threatening ?" Jiang Chen coldly spoke, "If I don’t go with you, are they going to stop you from paying respects to your old ancestor?"
Li Fenglin nodded somberly.
Jiang Chen was silent for a mont before speaking lightly, "Tell about your family’s situation!"
"Our family’s situation?!" Li Fenglin was startled for a mont, then hurriedly said, "Mr. Jiang, you don’t have to co with . I can just remotely pay respects to the old ancestor here. If you go to the family... it might be dangerous."
"Just tell ," Jiang Chen said coldly, "I am very interested in hidden world families, and besides, if I don’t go, they will still co. They might think I’m afraid then!"
"This... Thank you, Mr. Jiang!" Li Fenglin looked gratefully at Jiang Chen, pondered for a mont, and spoke gravely, "Our family can only be considered a first-class family among hidden world families. Our family’s strongest was my old ancestor, who was at the late stage of the Venerable Realm. The eldest and second ancestors are at the mid stage of the Venerable Realm, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth ancestors all are at the early stage of the Venerable Realm! There are also..."
"We don’t need to talk about those lower than the Venerable Realm!" Jiang Chen waved it off, "Aren’t so of these old ancestors on your side?"
"Most don’t support , only the second and sixth ancestors sowhat support , but it has no real effect because the sixth ancestor is not from the Li family by blood, and the second one is gentle and inert. If it weren’t for the third ancestor’s position as the strongest in the family, I wouldn’t have had that status," Li Fenglin quietly explained.
"So there is no effect? Let ask you this, if we go to your family and it cos to a fight, will your second and sixth ancestors help us?" Jiang Chen asked again.
Li Fenglin was startled for a mont, then frowned in thought, before nodding firmly, "I believe, if the family truly takes action against us, both the second and sixth ancestors will definitely help us!"
"That ans we only have to face one elder ancestor at the early stage of the Venerable Realm," Jiang Chen exhaled in relief.
Li Fenglin froze again, blinked, then suddenly understood. Jiang Chen was ready to go into battle.
He sighed internally, aware that the ssage from his family had infuriated Jiang Chen.
"Second ancestor taking on the eldest, sixth ancestor holding off the fourth, that indeed only leaves the fifth elder ancestor who is at the early stage of Venerable Realm. However, the family still has about a dozen Semi Venerable Venerable, and several are at the peak of Semi Venerable Venerable Realm!" Li Fenglin reminded.
"Semi Venerable Venerable Realm is not a concern," Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, turning to Gong Lin, "Elder Wu broke through, right?"
"Yes, Elder Wu went to Unchanging Valley a while ago and advanced in realm there!" Gong Lin nodded gently.
"That settles it. Lin Lin, don’t wander around these days, I’ll take Elder Wu to pay a visit to Fatso’s family," Jiang Chen advised softly.
"Okay!" Gong Lin nodded gently.
Li Fenglin glanced at Gong Lin, then at Jiang Chen, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes before it solidified into determination.
Mr. Jiang might be overconfident—hidden world families are not like the mundane martial arts families! Never mind, no matter what, I must not let Mr. Jiang get hurt, even if it ans I...
Li Fenglin silently murmured to himself, apparently having made up his mind.
"Fatso, don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. Go and rest well; we’ll depart tomorrow!" Noticing Li Fenglin’s somber expression, Jiang Chen gently reassured him.
Li Fenglin nodded and didn’t say anything more, standing up to take his leave.
Watching Li Fenglin’s departing figure, Qingyuan Yingzi turned to look at Jiang Chen, biting her lip, determination flashing across her eyes.
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