Chapter 24: Gathering

At the entire meeting, Xu Haoliang was so angry his face turned red and his neck thickened. However, his status was not that of a clan; it could not compare to the City Lord and the Xiao Family’s or Wu Family’s Family Heads. Moreover, his Cultivation Level was not as high as theirs. Li Wanpeng, Xiao Rugui, and Wu Meng seemed to be vaguely cooperating. So Xu Haoliang simply could not win the argument. In the end, he had to swallow his anger and accept the outcome, then returned to his clan in disgrace.

When he told the meeting’s contents to the various Hall Masters and Elders who had waited for him half the night, the Main Hall immediately became like cold water splashed into a hot oil pot—it erupted into chaos.

Those like Xu Haobo, who did not side with Xu Haoliang, immediately blamed Xu Haoliang. They accused him of handling matters poorly, saying that if the Clan Leader had not been unconscious, such a thing would never have happened. Those who stood on Xu Haoliang’s side lowered their heads in silence, thinking to themselves that Xu Haoliang really had handled this improperly—wasn’t this like offering their face for others to slap?

While they were arguing and had not reached any conclusion, the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family immediately took action. They closed their own family shops and stopped selling herbs and Talismans. They even sent people to the Xu Clan’s shops to purchase goods. Meanwhile, inside the City Lord’s Manor and the Xiao and Wu Families, everyone was very busy, urgently refining pills and crafting Talismans.

Only the Xu Clan’s shops had not received any notice from above. They foolishly continued to sell their goods, happily counting their money in the shops. After counting the money, the shop managers cheerfully closed their shops and excitedly ran back to the clan, ready to report to their respective Hall Masters.

When the reports finally reached the Main Hall after being passed up layer by layer, the Xu Clan’s higher-ups realized they had been beaten to the punch once again—and the hall erupted into chaos once more.

Xu Haoliang was also furious. With a sweep of his sleeve, his face fell so dark it seemed about to drop to his feet. He shouted sharply:

“Stop arguing! The clan has reached a critical moment of survival. Look at what you’re doing! Can you argue your way to any benefit?”

Everyone curled their lips, thinking to themselves, Isn’t it you who messed things up in the first place? But at this point, they all also felt that in Zhongdu City, their clan was in danger. Continuing to argue like this would only harm the clan, so they all fell silent, heads bowed without speaking.

Xu Haoliang took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and said in a softer voice:

“Alright then. Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Twelfth Brother, Seventeenth Brother—take five hundred Inner Hall Disciples and five hundred Outer Hall Disciples and go to Tongyou Valley to block the Monster Beasts.”

As soon as Xu Haobo heard this, he objected. The people Xu Haoliang was sending were all from the Clan Leader’s faction—wasn’t this sending them to their deaths? By doing this, he weakened the Clan Leader’s power while preserving his own. With this increase and decrease, wouldn’t his own power eventually surpass the Clan Leader’s? So, with a look of scorn in his eyes, Xu Haobo said:

“Then what does Ninth Brother plan to do at home?”

Xu Haoliang glanced calmly at Xu Haobo and said lightly, “The situation in Zhongdu City is unclear now. I must stay in the clan to deal with any sudden changes. What? Does Second Brother not wish to serve the clan? If that’s the case, then Second Brother can stay in the clan, and I will go to Tongyou Valley with Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Twelfth Brother, and Seventeenth Brother.”

Xu Haobo certainly didn’t dare let Xu Haoliang take his own people to Tongyou Valley—that would be letting Xu Haoliang deal with them as he pleased. For a moment, Xu Haobo lost his composure, his mind in chaos.

“It’s settled then. Immediately close the clan’s shops temporarily. The clan’s Alchemists and Talisman Masters must start refining pills and crafting Talismans at once. Then distribute the Elixirs and Talismans to the Disciples according to their Cultivation Level. We depart the day after tomorrow.”

Xu Haomiao curled his lip, flicked his sleeve, and walked out of the Main Hall while muttering:

“Close the clan shops temporarily? Is there even a need to close them? The goods are all sold out.”

Xu Haoliang’s expression froze. Staring at Xu Haomiao’s retreating back, he gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger in his heart, thinking:

“We’ll talk after you manage to come back alive from Tongyou Valley.”

Setting aside the infighting among the higher-ups, the orders were passed down layer by layer. The Outer Hall also received the command. After Xu Ziyan finished her Meditative Rest and had just washed up, she heard loud banging on the door outside.

Xu Ziyan walked to the door and opened it, then froze in surprise. Outside her door stood a large, dark crowd of people. Xu Li, Xu Qingxue, and over thirty other New Disciples were all outside, their faces full of anxiety.

“What’s going on? What are you all doing here?”

Seeing there were too many people to invite inside, Xu Ziyan simply stood at the doorway and asked.

“Ziyan sister, the City Lord is ordering our clan to send Disciples out of the city to block the Monster Beasts. Our Outer Hall has to send five hundred people. What should we do?” Xu Li anxiously spoke up first.

Xu Ziyan’s heart sank. However, she knew this was not something she could decide. The best she could do was to ask Second Uncle to keep her in the clan. At this time, Xu Ziyan did not yet know that Second Uncle had also been sent out by Xu Haoliang. However, Xu Ziyan herself did not really want to stay in the clan; she very much wanted to go out and see, to witness what Monster Beasts looked like. Last time, she only watched from the city wall and did not personally experience battle. Moreover, she knew that battle was the best way to improve one’s Realm. Just staying at home for Cultivation was not a good path.

In her heart, Xu Ziyan had already decided: this time, she would definitely go out of the city to take part in the clan’s operation. Besides, she had already made preparations. She looked up at the New Disciples in front of her, seeing the anxiety on their faces, and said calmly:

“Going out to see for ourselves is good too. We can’t stay in the clan our whole lives without ever going out.”

“Well said!”

As soon as Xu Ziyan finished speaking, she heard a voice praising her. Xu Ziyan looked toward the sound and saw a group of people approaching from behind the crowd. The four leading them were the Gang Leaders of the Outer Hall’s four gangs: Xu Gan, Leader of the Brave Gang; Xu Wen, Leader of the Splendid Gang; Xu Tianxiao, Leader of the Soaring Sky Gang; and Xu Dongxue, Leader of the Plum Blossom Gang.

Xu Ziyan looked past everyone’s shoulders at them. She saw that Xu Gan was tall and burly, his muscles bulging all over, with a fierce glint in his eyes. Xu Wen wore a white robe and, even in the heavy snow, held a folding fan, shaking it every now and then—a very pompous manner. Xu Ziyan thought to herself, Doesn’t he fear the cold?

Xu Tianxiao was of average height but very vigorous, his eyes flashing with a sharp light when they opened and closed. Xu Dongxue was dressed very brightly, in a deep red dress, her eyes shining with brilliance as she looked around.