By a quiet lotus pond in the Li Clan estate.
Li Jianye was leisurely scattering the fish food in his hand, watching the schools of brocade carp in the pond scramble and tumble for it. A look of contentment appeared on his face, which always wore a gentle smile.
Beside him, a trusted steward was reporting to him in a low voice the intelligence gathered from various sources in recent days.
"...Overall, on the Zhuge Clan's side, ever since Zhuge Ming was brought to justice, they have fallen into a strange state of internal friction. Although the Second and Fourth Elders are temporarily acting as the Clan Head, their prestige is insufficient, and they are completely unable to suppress those below who want a piece of the pie. Especially the several clan elders from the branch families, who have been making frequent moves recently. I'm afraid they don't have good intentions."
Li Jianye grunted, scattered all the fish food in his hand, clapped his hands, and then asked faintly, "What about that Zhuge Xuan? Any movements?"
"Strange to say," a trace of confusion appeared on the steward's face. "This Young Master has completely disappeared since that day. Not only has he refused all visitors, but he has also taken the initiative to reduce the guards in his courtyard and has given the holy healing medicine bestowed by the Clan Head to the Third Elder. Looking at him... it seems as if he is truly disheartened and has completely given up."
"Given up?" Li Jianye's eyebrow twitched slightly, a playful look flashing in his eyes. "Do you believe it?"
The steward hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "This subordinate... dares not speculate. It just feels that this matter is strange in every way. A person who can set up a trap to overthrow Zhuge Ming would never resign himself to fate so easily."
"Well said," Li Jianye nodded in approval. He took a damp silk handkerchief from a maid and carefully wiped his fingers. "A tiger that knows how to hide its claws is far more dangerous than a sick cat that can only roar. That kid Zhuge Xuan is learning from his father, playing the game of biding his time and hiding his capabilities."
He handed the silk handkerchief back to the maid, looked at the brocade carp still fighting in the pond, and said meaningfully, "The pond is only so big, and there is only so much fish food. Some fish, when they eat too much, tend to become stupid. And some smart fish know how to wait quietly in the dark, and when those stupid fish have fought until both are injured, they come out and swallow all the fish food, along with those stupid fish."
The steward's heart shuddered. He knew that the "smart fish" the Clan Head was referring to was Zhuge Xuan.
"Then... Clan Head, what should we do next?"
"Do?" Li Jianye laughed. "Why should we do anything? Isn't it good to watch a play?"
He turned around and walked slowly towards the waterside pavilion, his voice drifting over, "The internal strife in the Zhuge Clan is a great thing for us. The fiercer they fight, the more severe their internal friction, the more beneficial it is for us. What we need to do now is to watch quietly, and even... at the right time, help them add some fuel to the fire, to make this pot of water boil even more vigorously."
"As for the Wang family..." his tone changed, and his eyes became profound. "That old fool Wang De, has there been anything unusual about him recently?"
The steward quickly followed, bowing, "Replying to the Clan Head, the Wang family has been quite well-behaved recently. It's just that... Young Master Wang Teng seems a bit abnormal."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"According to the report from our spy planted in the Wang family, Young Master Wang Teng has locked himself in his study since the Zhuge Clan's internal strife and doesn't come out all day. His temper has also become extremely irascible. Two days ago, he even beat two of his personal maids to death for no reason. I heard... he seems to be afraid of something."
"Afraid?" Li Jianye's footsteps stopped. He turned his head, a look of great interest on his face. "A dandy who fears neither heaven nor earth would be afraid? What is he afraid of?"
"This... this subordinate does not know."
Li Jianye pondered for a moment, stroking his chin, his eyes glinting with wisdom.
Wang Teng's fear must be related to Zhuge Xuan. It seemed that the kid in the wheelchair was not only laying out his plans internally, but also... had already begun to make his moves externally.
This game of Go was getting more and more interesting.
Just then, a servant ran over from a distance with a panicked expression, even forgetting his manners, and said breathlessly, "Cla... Clan Head! It's not good!"
Li Jianye frowned and said displeasedly, "What's all the panic, where are your manners! What happened?"
"The... the Wang Clan Head, Wang De, has personally brought a team of men and is blocking our estate's gate! He says... he says he wants our Li family to hand over the murderer who killed a disciple of his Wang Clan!"
"What?!"
This time, even Li Jianye, who had always been calm and composed, his face changed drastically!
Is Wang De insane?!
When did his Li family kill a disciple of his Wang Clan? This is simply nonsense!
"What exactly is going on? Speak clearly!" Li Jianye's voice suddenly turned icy.
The servant trembled with fear and quickly poured out what he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.
It turned out that just half an hour ago, a corpse was anonymously delivered to the gate of the Wang family's estate.
The deceased was a branch family disciple of the Wang Clan named Wang Mang, who was usually in charge of a property of the Wang family in the west of the city and was considered quite clever.
And his death was extremely tragic. All the bones in his body were shattered, as if he had been shaken to death by some extremely domineering palm force. More importantly, in his arms, people found something — a jet-black jade pendant with strange cloud patterns carved on it.
And that jade pendant, after being identified by several knowledgeable elders of the Wang family, turned out to be...
The cultivation token of the Li family's long-lost clan-guarding technique, "Profound Underworld Bone-Shattering Palm," the "Profound Underworld Pendant"!
"Profound Underworld Bone-Shattering Palm"!
"Profound Underworld Pendant"!
When he heard these two names, Li Jianye's pupils contracted to the extreme in an instant!
A bone-chilling coldness grew wildly from the bottom of his heart!
This is impossible!
The "Profound Underworld Bone-Shattering Palm" was an ancestral secret art of the Li family, incomparably domineering. But because the cultivation conditions were extremely harsh and the requirements for the cultivator's physique were extremely high, it had been lost for more than a hundred years! Now, no one in the Li family knew this technique!
And that "Profound Underworld Pendant" was a legendary item that only existed in the clan's ancient records. No one had ever seen the real thing!
Now, a disciple of the Wang family had died from the "Profound Underworld Bone-Shattering Palm," with the "Profound Underworld Pendant" in his arms...
This...
This was clearly a thorough, earth-shattering conspiracy against his Li family!
"Where is Wang De?" Li Jianye's voice was so cold it was about to drop ice shards.
"Jus... just outside the estate gate. The Wang Clan Head has named you... named you to go out personally and give him an explanation. Otherwise... he will force his way in!"
Li Jianye's face was so gloomy that water could drip from it.
He figured out all the key points in an instant.
Wang Teng!
The instigator of all this must be Wang Teng!
That idiot, who knows where he got such a hot potato, didn't dare to take it himself, so he wanted to use this clumsy framing method to divert the trouble to his Li family!
Good! What a Wang Teng! What a Wang family!
Do they really think he, Li Jianye, is made of clay?!
"Let's go!"
Li Jianye flung his sleeve fiercely. All the leisure and contentment were gone, replaced by the monstrous rage and biting killing intent of a clan head!
"I'd like to see how he, Wang De, is going to ask me for this 'explanation' today!"
He strode towards the direction of the estate gate, his back like that of a thoroughly enraged tiger.
However, in the instant he turned around, a very subtle trace of... apprehension that even he himself had not noticed flashed in the depths of his gloomy eyes.
Because, in his mind, the pale figure of a young man in a wheelchair involuntarily appeared.
This trap, could it really be thought up by that idiot Wang Teng?
Or...
Behind this, was there an even more terrifying, invisible black hand that was silently playing with all of them in the palm of its hand?
He dared not think any further.
Because that answer was simply... too terrifying.