Chapter 5: The Conflict

“It’s not impossible for me to join the Xu Clan!” Xu Ziyan said calmly.

When Xu Haobo heard that Xu Ziyan was willing to join his clan, he felt very happy. But he became worried that she might say something to shame his fourth younger brother. He could not hide the embarrassment on his face. Seeing Xu Haobo’s awkward expression, Xu Ziyan immediately knew what he was thinking, and she found it quite amusing. She was only looking for a good cultivation environment, so she had no intention of giving Xu Haomiao a hard time. If she wanted revenge, she would have to wait until she had the power to do so. On the surface, she could not let this show. She just said quietly:

“If I join the Xu Clan, what benefits will I get? Also, I don’t like being restricted too much.”

Hearing that Xu Ziyan did not mention his fourth younger brother, Xu Haobo felt relieved. A sincere smile appeared on his face, and he spoke warmly:

“Master, if you are willing to join the Xu Clan, I can ask the Clan Leader to give you the position of Guest Elder. You will receive all the same offerings as a regular Elder. You only need to make some Paper Talismans for the clan every month.”

After saying this, he looked Xu Ziyan over and said softly: “Of course, when your Cultivation Level becomes higher in the future, and if the clan ever faces danger, we hope that you will lend a hand. As for now, the clan can send experts to protect you.”

When Xu Ziyan heard this, she knew he had seen through her Cultivation Level. She sighed inside about her low Cultivation Level. But she also saw that Xu Haobo valued her and did not give her many restrictions. So, after thinking for a moment, she nodded and said:

“Alright!”

Seeing Xu Ziyan agree, Xu Haobo was overjoyed. He quickly laughed out loud and said: “Come, Master, come with me to see the Clan Leader!”

Led by Xu Haobo, they walked through many courtyards and finally met the current Family Head of the Xu Clan, Xu Haoran. At first, when Xu Haoran saw his second younger brother bringing in a young girl about ten years old, he slightly frowned. But after Xu Haobo explained what happened, Xu Haoran’s frown immediately disappeared, and a faint smile appeared on his face. His gaze toward Xu Ziyan became much gentler, but within the gentleness was a sharpness. His eyes were like invisible sharp swords that looked Xu Ziyan up and down. Xu Ziyan immediately felt that under Xu Haoran’s gaze, it was as if her clothes were being peeled off layer by layer, leaving her completely exposed before him.

This made Xu Ziyan very uncomfortable. Under the great pressure, she also felt a mix of shame, anger, and helplessness.

“This is the difference in power!”

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. With a ding sound, a drop of sweat slid off the tip of her nose and fell to the ground. Just as Xu Ziyan was about to break under Xu Haoran’s pressure, Xu Haoran withdrew his sharp gaze. Xu Ziyan immediately felt her body relax. She couldn’t help but sway slightly before she steadied herself. She was shocked inside:

“Is this the Mighty Pressure of an expert?”

However, Xu Ziyan had lived two lives. She only lost her composure for a few seconds before quickly regaining her calm. Xu Haoran, who had been watching her the whole time, showed a trace of admiration in his eyes. Then he turned his gaze to Xu Haobo, his eyes questioning. He was asking if the young girl in front of him, who looked too young, could really create Talismans.

Xu Haobo immediately understood his older brother’s meaning and, without any hesitation, nodded firmly. Xu Haoran felt much more at ease. Although he was surprised, he was also very happy. The girl in front of him was so young. As long as the clan gave her enough support, she would grow quickly. Just as he was about to speak, he heard footsteps coming from outside the door. He looked up and could not help but let out a bitter smile. The person coming in was none other than Lin Pinghai, the Offering Elder from the clan’s Talisman Hall. Lin Pinghai was originally not from the Xu Clan. Xu Haoran had spent a great deal of effort and money to recruit him. He was currently the only person in the Xu Clan who could create true top-grade first-level Paper Talismans. Xu Haobo could only barely make first-grade top-level Paper Talismans, but their quality was far from the real ones. Lin Pinghai was different. He could truly make first-grade top-level Paper Talismans. So, even though Xu Haobo was the Hall Master of the Talisman Hall, that was only because he was a direct descendant of the Xu Clan. The one with the highest status in the Talisman Hall was actually Lin Pinghai. He was the only Offering Elder in the Xu Clan’s Talisman Hall.

In the Xu Clan, aside from the Hall Master who must be from the Xu Clan, the Offering Elder holds the highest status, followed by the regular Elder, and then the Guest Elder. However, the Offering Elder and the regular Elder were truly members of the Xu Clan. Whether your surname was Xu or not, if you ever left the Xu Clan, you would be seen as a traitor and hunted down by the entire clan. Of course, as long as you did not betray the clan, the status and benefits you received within the clan were immense. But the Guest Elder was different. A Guest Elder could leave the clan they served at any time. However, their status and benefits within the clan naturally could not be compared to those of the Offering Elder and the regular Elder.

Today, Lin Pinghai heard that Xu Haobo had brought a very young girl to see the Family Head, and it was said that this girl could make first-grade top-quality Paper Talismans. He immediately could not sit still and came straight to the Assembly Hall. As soon as he entered the Assembly Hall, his eyes immediately fell on Xu Ziyan. This was unavoidable, as Xu Ziyan was the only young girl standing in the entire Assembly Hall. Seeing that the girl in front of him was only fifteen or sixteen years old and only at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, Lin Pinghai’s face darkened. His gaze became very cold, even filled with anger and mockery. He shouted coldly:

“Whose girl are you? How dare you come here to deceive the Family Head! Do you think the Xu Clan has no one?” After saying this, he took two more steps forward, came up to Xu Ziyan, pointed his finger at her nose, and acted like an elder. He shouted very rudely:

“At such a young age, you don’t study properly. How dare you trick the Xu Clan? Do you not know how to write the word ‘death’?”

After Lin Pinghai said this, the expressions of the people in the Assembly Hall were different. Xu Haoran’s expression showed a bit of expectation. He also wanted to see Xu Ziyan’s real skill, to see if she could truly create first-grade top-quality Paper Talismans. After all, hearing is not as good as seeing. Xu Haobo’s face showed a helpless expression. He knew that because Lin Pinghai had always been the number one in the Talisman Crafting Art in the Xu Clan, he was usually very arrogant. Sometimes he did not even give face to the older brother. He also knew in his heart that Talisman Crafting Art was a profound study. Not to mention Lin Pinghai, even he himself would never have believed that the girl in front of him could create first-grade top-quality Paper Talismans. Now, Lin Pinghai clearly did not believe that Xu Ziyan could make first-grade top-quality Paper Talismans. Worse still, Lin Pinghai’s words were very harsh and did not give Xu Ziyan any face at all. Xu Haobo did not want to lose Xu Ziyan, this treasure, because of Lin Pinghai. But he also knew Lin Pinghai’s character. Once he got serious, he would not give face to anyone. As a result, he could only show a helpless expression on his face. Moreover, in his heart, he also wanted to see Lin Pinghai’s expression after Xu Ziyan showed her skill. Thinking about how arrogant Lin Pinghai had been in the past, not putting him in his eyes, he actually felt a bit of secret delight.

At this time, Xu Ziyan did not know Lin Pinghai’s identity, but she was sure in her heart that the person in front of her must know how to make Talismans, and his skill was probably not low. Otherwise, he would not question her like this. But his tone made Xu Ziyan unhappy, very unhappy, extremely unhappy! Anyone who got yelled at while having a finger pointed at their nose would feel uncomfortable. Besides, Xu Ziyan was not begging to become the Xu Clan’s Guest Elder. She couldn’t help but feel angry. So she took a step sideways, dodging Lin Pinghai. She completely ignored Lin Pinghai’s presence and turned her beautiful eyes toward Xu Haoran, who was sitting in the seat of honor. The meaning in her gaze was clear:

“Who is this? Can people from your Xu Clan just shout at guests in the Assembly Hall?”

Of course, Xu Haoran on the seat immediately understood the meaning in Xu Ziyan’s gaze. He couldn’t help but show a bit of embarrassment and re-evaluated Xu Ziyan. He didn’t expect that someone as young as Xu Ziyan could handle the situation so skillfully. She did not respond to Lin Pinghai’s scolding at all, but instead looked at him. If Xu Ziyan had immediately tried to explain or gotten angry when Lin Pinghai yelled at her, she would have lost her composure. But now, Xu Ziyan just simply turned her gaze toward him. In an instant, she passed the problem to him. Not only did she not lose face, but she also showed a hint of pride. As a result, Xu Haoran had to speak:

“Offering Elder Lin, this is…”

“Clan Leader, don’t be fooled by her. Let me expose her!”

This Lin Pinghai really did not give Xu Haoran any face. He immediately cut off Xu Haoran’s words and stared at Xu Ziyan with an angry and arrogant expression. Usually, he was not someone who did not know his place. He would not interrupt the Clan Leader mid-sentence like this. He was just angered by Xu Ziyan’s previous action. Who was he? The most important Talisman Master in the Xu Clan. Now, he was being ignored by a little girl. He did not think his attitude was bad. Was there any need to be polite to a liar who dared to trick the Clan Leader? Besides, he thought he was protecting the clan’s interests. Not only was he not at fault, but he should be credited. Thinking about the grateful and apologetic look the Clan Leader would have after he exposed Xu Ziyan’s trick, he actually felt a bit of pleasure.

Xu Haoran was cut off by Lin Pinghai and felt a bit frustrated. He was also a little displeased with Lin Pinghai’s behavior. But in his heart, he did not want to offend Lin Pinghai. After all, he had not seen Xu Ziyan’s skill yet. So he turned his gaze toward Xu Ziyan.