The old man stroked his beard, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"It's not the county magistrate you should fear, it's the local official you should fear."

Shang Qiyuan sighed and slowly said, "As the lord of a city, Ye Chong wields immense power in this city. Although our Lin Yin Pavilion has some resources, it would still be difficult for us to confront him head-on."

However, the silver-haired sword demon chuckled disdainfully, crossed his arms, and said arrogantly, "You guys are overthinking things! With Mr. Fang here, I doubt Ye Zhong would dare to easily touch our Lin Yin Pavilion."

Lin Xunhuan listened quietly to everyone's remarks. Once everyone had quieted down, he slowly spoke: "We have offended the Ye family, so it is bound to cause trouble. This is to be expected. But since we have chosen to stand with Mr. Fang, we are in the same boat. No matter what difficulties we encounter ahead, we cannot back down easily."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, and someone knocked on the door and entered the secret room after receiving permission.

"Master, Fang Qing from the Fang family requests an audience."

The visitor was one of Lin Xunhuan's capable subordinates.

"Quickly, invite them in."

Lin Xunhuan gave the instructions.

"Sect Master, are you worried about Lord Ye's retaliation? My young master sent me with good news."

Fang Qing greeted Lin Xunhuan with a smile as soon as he saw him.

"What good news?" Lin Xunhuan asked.

"Sect Master Lin, Ye Zhong has already been subdued by my young master, and Wu Haomiao, Wu Jianbo, Wu Zhenyu, and others from the Wu family have also been killed..."

Fang Qing vividly recounted what had happened at the Fang family's gate earlier, and then said, "The Wu family is finished. Logically speaking, the Wu family's business should be taken over by our Fang family. However, my young master mainly focuses on cultivation. Moreover, he also said that everyone should make money together. Therefore, he plans to entrust most of the business to you and City Lord Ye. Now, the young master invites you to our Fang family to discuss this with City Lord Ye."

"Mr. Fang is really amazing. It seems that even Wu Qiang, the patriarch of the Wu family, is no match for him. And the higher-ups of the Qingxuan Sect are not so likely to get involved in the struggle in Yanming City. It seems that I made the right choice to cling to Fang Han."

Lin Xunhuan was overjoyed and quickly went with Fang Qing to the Fang family to meet Fang Han, Ye Zhong and others.

"Young Master Ye, you're not going to seek revenge on me for what happened today, are you?"

Lin Xunhuan said jokingly to Ye Qianqiu.

"Boss Lin, you were right to beat me up today. Mr. Fang is my savior, and he's so strong. If I had attacked him directly, I would have been dead. So I should thank you."

Ye Qianqiu said, "Besides, we'll all be helping Young Master Fang from now on, so we're family."

"Young Master Ye, it's good that you're so magnanimous and don't hold grudges." Lin Xunhuan was completely relieved to hear this.

Ye Chong stepped forward, his expression gentle, and said politely to Fang Xunhuan, "Boss Lin, my son is young and ignorant. He will be working under Mr. Fang in the future. I hope you will guide him more and forgive any shortcomings he may have."

He bowed slightly, his words revealing humility and sincerity, completely devoid of the dignity and airs he once possessed as the city lord.

Lin Xunhuan quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Lord Ye, you're too kind. Let's all look after each other."

Both were intelligent people, and with just a few words, they put the previous unpleasantness behind them and buried the hatchet with a smile.

Afterwards, the group began discussing business collaborations.

The core of the Wu family's business consists of three sectors: mining, weapon refining, and auction houses.

After some discussion, a consensus was quickly reached.

The Wu family's mining business was handed over to Ye Zhong, while the auction house was managed by Lin Xunhuan.

As for the Fang family, their main business is weapon forging, so the weapon forging workshop of the Wu family belongs to the Fang family.

Of course, Fang Han knew that the Wu family's weapon-refining workshop could only produce ordinary weapons, while true spiritual weapons or divine weapons could only be forged in the weapon-refining pavilion that the Fang family was currently building.

...

The Wu family's manor was vast, filled with pavilions, towers, bridges, and flowing water, and was incredibly luxurious.

The layout and furnishings here all demonstrate the Wu family's immense wealth and prestigious status.

At this moment, in a secret room deep within the manor, a woman in her forties had just finished her cultivation.

She slowly stood up, her spiritual energy rippled slightly, revealing the extraordinary temperament of a cultivator.

This woman's name is Xiao Yu. She is Wu Jianbo's wife and Wu Lei's mother.

"Mother, something terrible has happened!" An urgent shout broke the silence of the secret room. Wu Lei rushed into the secret room in a panic, staggering.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, his face filled with terror.

Xiao Yu frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. She was somewhat surprised by her son's rash behavior.

She gently scolded, "Lei'er, what are you doing in such a panic? How rude of you!"

Ignoring his mother's scolding, Wu Lei asked anxiously, "Have Grandfather, Father, and Uncle returned from their mission to capture Fang Han?"

His voice trembled slightly, as if he was trying his best to suppress the fear in his heart.

Xiao Yu was slightly taken aback. Looking at her son's distraught appearance, an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

But she forced herself to remain calm and comforted him, saying, "The news that the Prince of Zhenbei has left Yanming City is absolutely true. Now, who in this city can stop your grandfather and father from capturing Fang Han? Don't worry, Fang Han will definitely be brought back, and your grandfather will personally dig out Fang Han's dantian to repair it for you."

“But…but when I went to my father’s bedroom earlier, I saw that his jade pendant was broken…”

Wu Lei's voice trembled as he spoke nervously.

His eyes revealed deep fear and unease.

"Wu Lei, you can't make jokes like that."

Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, then said sternly.

Her husband, Wu Jianbo, received his jade pendant from Wu Qiang, the ancestor of the Wu family, and each core member of the Wu family had one.

If these people encounter misfortune, the jade pendant will shatter.

“Mother, although I may be unreliable in general, I would never joke about something like this. I’m telling the truth; I saw it with my own eyes.”

Seeing that his mother didn't believe him, Wu Lei quickly said...

"This...how is this possible?"

Xiao Yu was shocked and said urgently, "Let's go, we'll go to your father's bedroom right away."

As she spoke, she grabbed Wu Lei and hurriedly walked toward the bedroom, her steps flustered and rapid.