Old Master Liu suddenly lowered his voice: "Be careful of that ancestor of the Nangong family. He was already at the Innate Realm when I last saw him, but we don't know what kind of people he'll send this time."
Han Feng paused in his act of opening the door, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Perfect, let's probe their strength first."
The light from outside contrasted sharply with the somber atmosphere inside. Liu Mengran was holding a teacup, listening to Liu Xiaoran say something. Through her hair, one could vaguely see the faint light and shadow on her cheeks. When she saw Han Feng come out, she immediately smiled, completely unaware that a bloody purge was about to unfold within the Liu family.
"Finished talking?" Liu Mengran jogged over, curiously peeking behind Han Feng. "What did Grandpa say to you? He was being so mysterious..."
Han Feng naturally put his arm around her waist, his fingers twirling a strand of hair touched by the sunlight: "Praise my good taste, finding such a beautiful wife."
"Nonsense!" Liu Mengran's ears turned bright red, and she made a move to hit him, but Han Feng grabbed her wrist.
Liu Xiaoran coughed heavily beside him: "Uh...you guys should be mindful of the occasion."
Su Wanwan immediately chimed in, "That's right! There are still people here!" She winked mischievously, "But Mengran, your grandpa seems to really like Han Feng, doesn't he?"
Grandpa Liu stepped out of the room at the opportune moment, reverting to his kind and gentle demeanor: "Little Han, why don't you stay for dinner? I've had squirrel-shaped mandarin fish prepared."
Han Feng gave the old man a meaningful look: "I won't bother you today. I'll be there on time in a week."
Grandpa Liu nodded knowingly and personally escorted them to the front gate. As they were leaving, the old man suddenly called out to Liu Xiaoran, "Xiaoran, stay a moment. There are some family matters that require your assistance."
Liu Xiaoran looked at Han Feng with a puzzled expression, but stayed after receiving an affirmative look. Han Feng put his arm around Liu Mengran and walked towards the parking lot, the dull sound of the courtyard gate slowly closing behind them echoing.
"Strange, Grandpa usually hates doing housework..." Liu Mengran muttered as she fastened her seatbelt. "Why is he suddenly asking my brother for help?"
Han Feng started the car, and the outline of the Liu family's old house appeared in the rearview mirror: "Perhaps the old man has come to some realizations."
As the car drove away from the Liu family residence, Han Feng glanced at his watch. If Old Master Liu acted quickly enough, the Third Elder probably wouldn't see the sun rise tomorrow.
Just as Han Feng had predicted, after Han Feng left, Old Master Liu immediately instructed Liu Xiaoran to prepare an attack on the Third Elder.
"What?! Grandpa, you want me to kill the Third Elder? How can this be..." Before Liu Xiaoran could finish speaking, he was glared at by the old master Liu with a very serious expression.
"Xiao Ran, it seems you're still not taking good enough care of your sister," said Old Master Liu.
"Grandpa, what do you mean by that?"
"Why would I ask you to kill the Third Elder?" Old Master Liu asked rhetorically.
"I don't know. Is it because the marriage alliance with the Nangong family was proposed by the Third Elder? But now Han Feng can handle it, right? And there are still more than two years left until the three-year agreement." Liu Xiaoran was a little puzzled.
Grandpa Liu sighed slightly and said, "Things are not as simple as you think. The Third Elder already knows that Meng Ran has entered the ranks of cultivators and has informed the Nangong family in advance, asking them to come and propose marriage as soon as possible."
"What? How could the Third Elder do this?"
"This is why I sent you to kill him. The Third Elder has become too complacent and has actually started colluding with outsiders to attack our own family." A murderous glint flashed in Old Master Liu's eyes.
“But Grandpa, I’m only at the fifth level of the early stage of the Acquired Realm, while the Third Elder is almost at the middle stage of the Acquired Realm. I might not be his match.”
"Don't worry, I will send the Liu family's secret guards to assist you," Old Master Liu said nonchalantly. "Each of the secret guards has the strength of the mid-stage of the Acquired Realm, which is more than enough to deal with him."
"Yes, Grandpa, I'll go now." Liu Xiaoran didn't hesitate. Knowing that the Third Elder wanted to send his sister away as a bargaining chip so quickly, Liu Xiaoran naturally wouldn't let him off easily. With the help of the Liu family's secret guards, it was no problem.
"Okay, get ready, we'll do it tonight."
---Divider---
After Han Feng returned to the villa with the two women, Liu Mengran pulled Su Wanwan to prepare dinner, while Han Feng went back to his room and called Lin Zhengguo.
After the call connected, Lin Zhengguo on the other end seemed to know why Han Feng was calling: "What? Have you already decided on the time to take action?"
"Yes, the Liu family will eliminate any hidden dangers within the family tonight, and the Nangong family will make their move next week," Han Feng replied.
"How confident are you?" Lin Zhengguo's tone revealed a hint of worry.
"Fifty percent, if the top combatants of the Nangong family don't show up that day," Han Feng said without any hesitation. "No one can take Meng Ran away from me." Han Feng's tone was very firm.
"Wouldn't that make you a target of envy and resentment among the major families?"
"It's alright. Now that we've already started training cultivators to have official power, this step was bound to happen sooner or later," Han Feng said nonchalantly.
After chatting with Lin Zhengguo about related issues for a while, Han Feng hung up the phone.
The dial tone of the phone being hung up was particularly jarring in the room. Han Feng stood by the window, a 50% chance of winning—although that's what he told Lin Zhengguo, he actually didn't know much about the Nangong family's strength. Even Old Master Liu's impression of them was limited to the great battle more than a decade ago.
The clinking of bowls and chopsticks echoed downstairs, mingled with the laughter of Liu Mengran and Su Wanwan. This ordinary, warm atmosphere, however, made Han Feng's chest tighten. The Nangong family had actually set their sights on Liu Mengran; for that alone, Han Feng would make them pay.
Han Feng took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his surging anger. Now was not the time to act impulsively; he needed greater power, enough to intimidate those ancient families.
At dinner, Han Feng chewed his food mechanically, finding it tasteless. Liu Mengran and Su Wanwan cast worried glances at him several times, but he brushed them off with a smile.
"I'm going back to my room. I need to go into seclusion for the next couple of days." Han Feng put down his chopsticks and prepared to return to his room.
"Huh? How long will you be in seclusion?"
"It's alright, it'll only take a day or two at most," Han Feng replied with a faint smile, as the cultivation space had an extremely slow time flow.
Han Feng went upstairs under the watchful eyes of two people.
The click of the door locking seemed like the start of some kind of ritual. Han Feng sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and entered the system space. The familiar starry sky did not appear as expected—instead, a chaotic gray mist appeared.
What's going on? Han Feng wondered to himself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com