Chapter 23: The Chen Family's Attitude
Inside the most important conference hall of the Luoshui Auction House.
"Clan Leader, the people from Private Room 17 in Row 2 were followed by Yangg Jun and his men as soon as they left. Should we follow them as well?"
An old man who looked like an Elder turned to Chen Tongsheng, the Patriarch of the Chen Family, who was seated in the center.
"Follow them? No need." Chen Tongsheng waved his hand dismissively.
"No need? Patriarch, those two casually produced a Noble Top-Grade Martial Art. They must have even more treasures on them. If we capture them... the Chen Family's rise to become the number one family in Luoshui City will be just around the corner!" the Elder said hurriedly, hearing the Patriarch reject the idea without a second thought.
"Become the number one family in Luoshui City? Hmph. I think you want our Chen Family to disappear from Luoshui City entirely!"
Chen Tongsheng slammed his hand on the table, his eyebrows shooting up.
"Have the Chen Family disappear from Luoshui City... That's not what I meant!" The Elder hadn't expected the Patriarch to get angry. He shivered and quickly tried to explain.
"Hmph. Xing'er, tell them what you think."
Chen Tongsheng couldn't be bothered to explain himself. Instead, he looked at his son, Chen Xing, and prompted him to share his perspective. This would both sharpen his son's independent judgment and serve as a test for his primary heir.
"Yes, Father!" Chen Xing quickly stood up. "From the outside, those two don't seem very strong—not even as strong as me. However, the fact that they could casually produce hundreds of thousands of silver taels, a Noble Top-Grade Martial Art, sneak into the auction house without anyone noticing, and knock out someone of the same level, Nie Yu, all proves that there's more to them than meets the eye!"
"'More than meets the eye?' Oh? Then how would you handle this matter?" A flicker of satisfaction flashed in Chen Tongsheng's eyes as he heard his son's words, and he continued to question him.
"Our Chen Family was established later than the others. In terms of absolute power, we're no match for the other three great families; we only surpass them in wealth. Therefore, we must be cautious in everything we do. It's obvious at a glance that those two are not simple. Our best approach is a soft one. It wouldn't matter if they have no backing, but what if they're connected to a major power?"
Chen Xing knew his father was testing him and continued, "A soft approach will lower their guard, making it easier for us to investigate their background. If they truly are backed by a major power, then we will have won over a powerful ally. We wouldn't need to fear a falling out with the other three families. And if they have no backing? That's even simpler. We can deliberately create difficulties for them. Once they're pushed into a corner, we'll have no trouble forcing them to cooperate and hand over all the techniques and Martial Arts they know!"
"But if we use force from the start, they could simply refuse to give us anything. The end result would be a total loss—we'd get nothing and might even needlessly offend a major power!"
"Correct. What Xing'er said is very true, but not entirely complete." Hearing his son's logical analysis, Chen Tongsheng nodded and added, "A Noble Top-Grade Technique suddenly appeared at the auction house. Even if we don't leak the news, the other three great families will definitely find out it's related to those two. If we send men to capture them, even if we learn nothing, what will the other three great families think?"
"The three great families would assume we've obtained even more Martial Arts and Cultivation Techniques and would band together to pressure us..." Realizing this only after hearing his father's words, Chen Xing's expression turned ugly.
The Elder who had spoken earlier couldn't help but tremble in fear.
"Exactly. If the other three great families join forces to pressure us, we definitely won't be able to withstand it. And when we can't produce any Martial Arts or Cultivation Techniques, our family could very well face destruction!" Ignoring the others' expressions, Chen Tongsheng continued slowly, "If those two have backing and we capture them, we're screwed. If they have no backing and we capture them, we're still screwed! Therefore, we won't get involved in these muddy waters. Since Yangg Jun wants to go after them, let him."
"Having Yangg Jun make a move also helps us investigate. If those two have an ace up their sleeve, Yangg Jun won't be coming back. When that happens, we'll publicize the matter far and wide. Everyone will mistakenly believe that we have a deep connection to the power behind those two, and they'll become wary of our Chen Family! This is borrowing the east wind! If they don't have an ace and Yangg Jun kills them, hehe, we can then unite the other three families and put pressure on the Yangg Family! No matter how this plays out, we won't lose!"
The old fox Chen Tongsheng, in just a few sentences, had laid out all the potential gains and losses with perfect clarity.
"By the way, Xing'er, did you secretly make a copy of that Yangtze River Triple Wave from the auction?"
By rights, the auction house wasn't allowed to make copies of auctioned items. But since the auction house belonged to the Chen Family, as long as they weren't caught, no one would say a thing.
"Replying to Father, I secretly made a copy right after I got the jade token. Here it is..." Chen Xing said, handing over an Inheritance Jade Token.
"Mm, excellent. A Noble Top-Grade Martial Art, Yangtze River Triple Wave! Haha! With this set of Martial Arts, the overall strength of our Chen Family will definitely take another huge leap!" Taking the jade token, Chen Tongsheng swept his Spirit across it and couldn't help but roar with laughter.
When his laughter subsided, Chen Tongsheng looked at the Elder who had spoken earlier. "Chen Ran, recall the clansmen sent to pursue those two. You're getting old. From now on, just focus on your retirement. Don't meddle in the family's affairs anymore."
"Yes!" The Elder named Chen Ran knew that the Patriarch had stripped him of all his authority with a single sentence. Though resentful, he knew he couldn't resist and nodded, his face a mask of dejection.
For a family, a power, to endure, it must cast aside the useless and replace them with more suitable people. Otherwise, it will only regress, eventually heading toward its own demise.
............
"Young Master, I've finished my investigation. The ones in Private Room 17 of Row 2 are two outsiders. Their strengths are at the Qi Sea Fourth Layer Early Stage and Middle Stage, respectively."
"Qi Sea Fourth Layer Early and Middle Stage? So they're just a couple of rich country bumpkins. Young Master, you don't need to lift a finger for trash like them. I can kill them by myself!"
Not long after Nie Yun and his companion disappeared, three figures emerged from behind. Two of them spoke with smiles to the young man in the lead.
These three were none other than Yangg Jun and his men, just as Chen Tongsheng had mentioned.
"I never considered them opponents in the first place. A couple of pieces of trash dared to embarrass me in Luoshui City. I'll make them regret ever being born into this world!"
Yangg Jun had calmed down from his earlier rage, and a cold, sinister light glinted in his eyes.
Before the auction had even officially ended, the three of them had hidden to the side of Private Room 17 in Row 2. The moment the people inside came out, they began to follow them secretly.
He had originally thought that anyone who could produce so many silver taels must be some important figure. He never expected them to be just two small-fry he'd never seen before, with pathetic strength to boot.
Yangg Jun didn't dare direct his anger at the auction house, so he focused all his hatred on these two. Seeing how weak they were, how could he possibly let them go?
'You're rich, aren't you? You bought the Fiery Flame Axe, didn't you? All I have to do is kill you, and everything will be mine!'
"Of course. They're just a couple of fools who don't know their place. Daring to offend the Young Master in Luoshui City means they're tired of living! Young Master, I have a suggestion. When we catch them, let's not kill them right away. We'll sever all the tendons in their arms and legs, then make them kneel on the ground and torture them to death!"
"Just severing their tendons is letting them off too easy. We should get a large vat, turn them into human stumps, and soak them in salt water every day. If they beg and call us 'Grandpa,' we'll give them a bite to eat. Otherwise, they starve..."
Yangg Lin and the other subordinate chuckled, their tone full of venomous malice.
Listening to their casual tone, it seemed they had done this sort of thing many times before.
"Yangg Lin has a point. Turning them into human stumps and soaking them in salt water is indeed a good method. However, for them to have so much money, they must have a way of making it. If they are willing to become my slaves and serve me, I don't mind sparing them this one time."
Yangg Jun flicked his sleeve, his words feigning immense generosity.
"Young Master is truly magnanimous and benevolent to his subordinates! If they knew the Young Master was having such thoughts, they'd probably die from sheer joy!" Yangg Lin hurriedly lavished him with praise.
"Right, do you think they could have already succeeded in the Refinement of the Fiery Flame Axe? Even though their Cultivation is poor, if they fully complete its Refinement, it could be quite tricky to deal with." The second subordinate suddenly remembered something and asked.
"Refinement of the Fiery Flame Axe? Are you kidding me? The Fiery Flame Axe is a Marquis-Grade Top-Tier weapon. With their trash-level Cultivation at the Qi Sea Fourth Layer Early and Middle Stages, they could refine it in such a short time? Right now, they probably find the axe too heavy and cumbersome just to hold!" Yangg Jun was filled with confidence.
"Indeed, the Young Master is brilliant, getting right to the heart of the matter with a single sentence. I was worried for nothing!" The second subordinate laughed.
"Of course. Don't you know who the Young Master is? He reached the Qi Sea Fifth Layer Early Stage at just twenty-two years old, one of the absolute top geniuses in Luoshui City. How could he be the same as us?" Yangg Lin laughed, continuing to hype him up.
"Alright, that's enough. Those two have already left the city. Let's hurry up and follow them! We can't let them get away!"
Cutting off his two subordinates' flattery, Yangg Jun flicked his hand and shot forward.