24: shadow

The Grand Elder said with a headache, "The problem now is that the entire Purple Cloud City, including people from all corners of the world, is watching our Family Li."

"If we don't handle this well, our Family Li, including Seventh Uncle's prestige, will be swept away."

"If you ask me, killing all those troublemakers will not only solve the problem but also deter those rats hiding in the shadows!"

The Second Elder slammed the table, stood up abruptly, his face full of murderous intent.

As the Family Li's Enforcement Elder, the Second Elder was famously decisive.

"No, you can't." The Third Elder was startled and quickly advised, "Although these people are causing trouble, their crimes are not punishable by death."

"If we start a massacre just for such a matter, I'm afraid that in less than a day, our Family Li will be classified as Demonic Path."

"Reputation is a small matter; what I fear is ruining Seventh Uncle's big plan."

Apparently, the Family Li already knew that Li Xiangyun was seriously injured and wanted to prepare Spirit Medicine for the grand ceremony.

"Then what do you suggest?" The Second Elder sat down helplessly, his face tinged with anger.

If it was about killing people, he would be fine, but asking him to come up with a solution was truly difficult for him.

Li Zhongwen didn't expect the Second Elder to come up with a solution; instead, he turned his gaze to the scholarly Third Elder.

After all, the Third Elder enjoyed reading, was in charge of the Scripture Pavilion, and usually had many ideas.

Facing everyone's gazes, the Third Elder pondered for a moment and said, "The main problem now is insufficient manpower, and most of those troublemakers are penniless. To avoid further complications, we can only detain them for now."

"But our Family Li's jails are not enough."

The Third Elder calmly laid out the problems the Family Li faced, then slowly said, "If manpower is insufficient, we can recruit Loose Cultivators. With Seventh Uncle overseeing, nothing will go wrong."

"If there's no place to detain them, then restrict their cultivation and make them work."

In just two short sentences, the current problems faced by the Family Li were resolved.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Li Zhongwen laughed heartily, "Haha, good!"

Third Brother, it really is you. You always have a way."

"Fourth Elder, what do you think?"

Li Zhongwen then looked at the Fourth Elder and asked.

After all, among the various Elders, he was the only one who hadn't spoken his opinion.

Being called out by the Clan Chief, the Fourth Elder was first stunned, then said in a deep voice, "The troublemakers are easy to deal with. What I'm truly worried about is the attitude of the Wang and Qian Families."

"Perhaps we should send someone to probe their attitude again to see if they want to stand against our Family Li."

"If they choose to ally with the Zhao Family and become enemies with our Family Li, then the predicament we face will be much more severe."

The Fourth Elder's face showed deep concern.

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed, and they began to ponder.

Looking around, Li Zhongwen stood up and said with authority, "This matter, people must be killed, and the problem must also be solved. As for the attitude of the Wang and Qian Families, it cannot be ignored."

"In that case..." Li Zhongwen looked at the Second Elder and said, "You pick a few with serious crimes and execute them in front of outsiders to severely deter those scoundrels who want to cause trouble."

"Haha, the Clan Chief is brilliant." The Second Elder grinned, very excited.

"Grand Elder, you are responsible for recruiting Loose Cultivators. You must pay attention to their background, identity, and character. Do not let people with ulterior motives infiltrate."

"Yes!" The Grand Elder nodded in agreement.

Next, Li Zhongwen looked at the Third Elder and said gently, "Third Brother, you are steady in your actions. Those people will be entrusted to you. Just make sure they don't cause any more trouble before the grand ceremony."

"Yes!"

The Third Elder stood up and bowed.

Finally, Li Zhongwen looked at the Fourth Elder and said solemnly, "Since you have this insight, the task of probing the attitudes of the Wang and Qian Families will be given to you. You must pay attention to safety."

"Clan Chief, don't worry."

In the shadows, Li Xiangyun observed everything, nodded, and expressed his approval of Li Zhongwen and the Elders' abilities.

For a Clan Chief, the most important thing has never been intelligence, but rather knowing how to use people well, taking advice from others, and having a broad perspective.

Clearly, Li Zhongwen handled this point very well.

Although the Third Elder was intelligent and steady, he was a bit too steady.

As a superior, one must possess not only the Kingly Dao but also the Overbearing Dao.

'It seems there's a reason why Li Zhongwen can be the Clan Chief.'

Li Xiangyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then stopped paying attention.

At this point, the problems faced by the Family Li were temporarily resolved, though it remained to be seen if new changes would arise tomorrow.

Li Zhongwen's heart was filled with deep worry.

Indeed, things turned out as Li Zhongwen expected.

The next morning, news began to spread in Purple Cloud City that Ice Peak Zhenren was seriously injured and had less than a year to live.

As soon as these words came out, the entire Tan Prefecture was thrown into an uproar.

No one expected that Ice Peak Zhenren, who was about to hold a lecture ceremony, was already seriously injured and did not have long to live.

For a time, some ambitious individuals began to stir.

And Purple Cloud City, which was already turbulent, became even more tumultuous.

At first, it was just troublemaking, but now, people were constantly disappearing and meeting with foul play.

At this moment, not only the Family Li, but the entire Purple Cloud City was cast under a shadow.

But even so, people continued to flock to Purple Cloud City, just to hear the "immortal" voice of the Golden Core True Person.

After all, even if Ice Peak Zhenren was going to die, it would be within a year, and the lecture was less than two days away...

"Tian Shanhai, what do you mean? You even laid hands on my Wang Family's people?"

Inside the Zhao Family, the Wang Family's Clan Chief angrily questioned Tian Shanhai.

This was because one of his direct grandsons had also met with foul play.

Tian Shanhai's face was grim, and he said angrily, "It wasn't me!"

"Not you?" The Wang Family's Clan Chief was stunned for a moment, looking at Tian Shanhai's expression, which didn't seem fake.

So he looked at the Clan Chiefs of the Zhao and Qian Families.

They also shook their heads.

The Wang Family's Clan Chief's face was grim. If it wasn't him, then who could it be?

Those two people?

Or someone else?

At this moment, the hearts of the four Clan Chiefs were also cast under a shadow...

"Seventh Uncle, this is the current situation in Purple Cloud City."

Inside the Family Li's small courtyard, Li Zhongwen was reporting to Li Xiangyun.

"Damn it!" Li Xiangyun lay in the rocking chair, suppressing his anger, his face cold.

Li Xiangyun couldn't help but be angry, as this lecture ceremony was crucial for him to extend his life.

But as the news of his serious illness spread, the various forces that were originally interested began to observe.

They pondered whether a seriously ill Golden Core True Person was still worth their investment and friendship.

This had already made the situation very bad.

But with people constantly disappearing in Purple Cloud City, many Loose Cultivators also began to panic.

'Hmph, no matter who is behind you, and no matter what you want to do.'

"In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy is futile!"

A cold glint flashed in Li Xiangyun's eyes.