The situation within Bili City is far more complex than Yun Wei initially imagined, with undercurrents swirling beneath the surface.
He knew he was actually a person who was easily swayed by emotions, so he had to constantly remind himself to stay calm.
Observe more, act less.
And most importantly, plan carefully before you act.
A chaotic scene unfolded below the arena, while the four family heads in the stands were engaged in a heated debate.
Especially Huo Miaodan.
After his grand plan fell through, the arrogant patriarch was now somewhat at a loss.
Huo Mingchan's inexplicable defeat was like a resounding slap across the face.
The gazes cast upon him by the younger generation of Bili City were filled with condemnation and disdain, making his face burn with embarrassment.
This not only made him lose face, but also made him resent his eldest son in his heart.
He hated it so much.
Why didn't Huo Mingchan just die on the stage, so as to establish a reputation for loyalty and bring glory to his Huo family?
Yes, perhaps to the other three major families, every member of their clan is a treasure, and they cannot afford to be harmed.
But for the Huo family, the situation was completely different.
Just like himself, he married three concubines and had so many children that he couldn't count them on two hands. He looked forward to enjoying the joys of family life with his grandchildren in a few years.
As members of the Huo family, one must either quickly settle down, start a family, and have children, or try every means to bring honor to one's ancestors. This was the rule set by our forefathers, and looking back now, it was absolutely brilliant.
When the population is large and prosperous, everything will prosper.
A thousand years later, the Huo family had unknowingly occupied half of Bili City. Even Huo Miaodan, who never practiced martial arts or swordsmanship, only learned some political maneuvering, was able to sit comfortably on his fishing platform.
In his forty-plus years of life, this was the first time he had felt so ashamed.
He knew that Huo Mingchan was born to collect debts, spoiled by his unruly wife.
Just as Huo Miaodan was getting angry and embarrassed, she heard the Xie family elder speak up.
"As you all have seen, the Four Swordsmen's duel is extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake could result in death or serious injury. But since those men in black robes have come prepared, and few in my Azure Glass City are capable of fighting them..."
After a long sigh, the weathered old man lowered his brows and said, "In my humble opinion, it would be better to admit defeat now, at least we can save our children's lives and try to make a comeback."
The idiom "to rise again from the ashes" itself originates from a story about the Xie family.
The Xie family's romantic history is long-standing, especially during the late Han and Jin dynasties.
Among the many aristocratic families, only the Wang family could rival them. There are more than 800 idioms and allusions originating from the Wang and Xie families, which are still talked about by later generations. But that's another story, so let's leave it aside for now.
Upon hearing this, Huo Miaodan immediately retorted, "To be frank, Brother Xie, are you perhaps senile? If you were to simply hand over this Bili City, in this freezing weather, would you really want to build another city on this vast, barren wasteland where there is no place to stand?"
The Huo family is powerful and wealthy. If Bili City changes hands, the black-robed men with ill intentions will definitely take their anger out on the Huo family if they want to establish their authority.
Failure is now inevitable, and as the patriarch, he must find a way to extract the greatest benefit from it.
For example, make the Huo family the only family that can represent Bili City.
The only one and the largest may seem similar, but in terms of significance, they are completely incomparable.
When disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives. The Huo family's secret alliance with the man in black robes, in order to ensure the continuation of their bloodline, was a helpless move.
Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile, let alone a city. How can one talk about the greater good of the nation and its people?
Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness appeared in Huo Miaodan's slightly narrowed eyes.
Seeing his impolite words, Qin Mengji laughed in anger and retorted, "Huo Meidan, you really live up to your name, you have no guts and no shame. Putting everything else aside, what happened after you listened to me? Mingchan'er is a fine young man, how did he end up with such a cowardly and stupid father like you!"
The head of the Qin family had long disliked this hypocritical and sanctimonious man, and now he actually called out his nickname, which he hadn't used in over ten years.
These two are close in age, but they've been at odds since childhood.
After the two men became the heads of their respective families, the long-standing animosity between the Qin and Huo families became common knowledge throughout the entire city of Bili City.
Upon hearing this, Huo Miaodan's face immediately changed color. Pointing her finger at the other person's nose, she angrily cursed, "You shameless little brat! In a few decades, when your Qin family line has ended, let's see if you'll still be so arrogant in the afterlife!"
When so many younger people mentioned her nickname, Huo Miaodan, who always valued her reputation, immediately lost face and began to speak recklessly.
However, before Qin Mengji could refute him, the Nangong family head's expression had already turned cold.
Once this usually amiable man changed his expression, the confidence that came with his abundant wealth instantly sent chills down one's spine.
Nangong Zhongming snorted angrily, but said sarcastically, "No guts? I think you're more like a coward! Everyone knows that the head of the Huo family has been weak since childhood, and he can't even learn a few moves that beggars in Bili City know."
The Nangong family head, who was an avid merchant, had always stayed out of important matters in Bili City. When had anyone ever seen him so eloquent? Everyone turned to look at him.
He calmly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then spat the tea foam onto Huo Miaodan's shoes, saying meaningfully, "I've heard that the head of the Huo family fell into the river and injured his body years ago. Although he has many children now, I wonder whose family line he is continuing?"
Nangong Zhongming dared to say this in front of Huo Miaodan, so he naturally had some confidence.
It should be noted that the Nangong family almost monopolizes Bili City's foreign trade, so they are naturally the most well-informed.
However, his seemingly casual words were like a thunderclap on flat ground, causing everyone around him to show strange expressions.
Huo Miaodan was a stingy person, and only when you first met her did you think she was somewhat shrewd. But after spending more time with her, everyone in the Nine Heavens knew the true nature of this family head.
Not to mention the other three major families, even the collateral branches of the Huo family harbored resentment towards this headstrong and self-willed patriarch.
Even though the Huo family's reputation had been ruined under Huo Miaodan's rule, when Huo Mingchan was mentioned, even the Qin family, who were extremely hostile to the Huo family, had to admit it—
That aloof young man who loved wearing red was a true man of integrity and upright character!
People thought it was a golden phoenix that had flown out of a chicken coop, but the Nangong family head's almost explicit words suddenly made everyone understand.
Almost instantly, the way they looked at the head of the Huo family changed.
It could be sympathy, pity, or ridicule...
More often than not, it was a deep-seated schadenfreude.
But these words, when they reached Huo Miaodan's ears, who was already suspicious by nature, were not only a blow to her conscience, but also seemed to suddenly expose her long-held self-deception and wishful thinking in public.
He had no mind to think about the wicked plan now, and he didn't even care about the direct gazes from the crowd.
His mind was filled with images of the faces he loved dearly.
Those faces that were once so lovely now seem increasingly unfamiliar to him, as if he could see the shadow of someone else in every one of them!
...
When Yunwei and Isaac walked down to the stands, they witnessed this farce.
He hadn't wanted to get involved in this mess so early, but seeing Isaac beside him constantly glancing towards the stands, he, for once, felt a renewed interest in watching the show.
As a result, he was greeted by this explosive scene as soon as he arrived.
The Huo family patriarch, whom he couldn't help but feel disgusted by, had a colorful array of expressions on his face, making for a truly fascinating sight.
Although he too had his rare gossipy nature piqued, he had to suppress his interest in watching the spectacle and, with a straight face, reminded everyone:
"Gentlemen, there is only half an incense stick's time left before the third round of the 'Holy King Sword' competition."
"Have the contestants who will be taking the stage been selected yet?"
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