53: Chapter 53 Publicity and Shock

"At this hour, Pei Tianrong is still handling affairs, so I won't disturb him."

Returning to the Pei Family estate, before Pei Qingyun even stepped into the ancestral house, he noticed the courtyard was much tidier than when he had left; the flowers and plants had been meticulously cared for.

It was then that he noticed a young woman in a corner of the courtyard, her back to him, focused intently on tending to the greenery.

He was just about to ask the butler what was going on.

The woman suddenly turned around.

Pei Qingyun looked closely and suddenly realized.

As it turned out, this young woman was the same girl he had encountered in the slums while strolling through the streets, the one who was selling herself to bury her father.

That she would come here to clean his courtyard must have been Pei Tianrong's arrangement.

This left Pei Qingyun feeling somewhat amused and helpless.

Since she was here, he might as well let her be.

On the other side, seeing Pei Qingyun return, a bright smile immediately appeared on the woman's face, "Greetings, Old Ancestor."

Pei Qingyun nodded and then asked for her name.

After some conversation, Pei Qingyun learned that the girl's name was Xiao Fang.

Since their last encounter, Xiao Fang had come to the Pei Family; after she explained her intentions, Pei Tianrong had arranged for her to be here.

Over the past few days, Xiao Fang had also learned that the elderly man who gave her money was none other than the Ancestor of the Pei family.

This made her incredibly excited.

Along with the excitement, it also strengthened her resolve to repay his kindness.

In just half a month, she had kept the small courtyard in perfect order.

While chatting, Pei Qingyun also took the opportunity to check Xiao Fang's bone structure.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the Luck of a Chosen One, who could find a gifted Daughter of Providence just by stepping out the door.

Without talent for martial arts, she was destined to remain a Mortal.

"This child's talent for learning is decent, but her bone structure isn't great. Forget it; living a quiet life as an ordinary person might not be a bad thing," Pei Qingyun thought to himself.

After dismissing Xiao Fang, Pei Qingyun summoned Qiu, the commander of the Shadow Guard.

He then explained the infiltration plan to Qiu and warned him not to alert the enemy.

After arranging the Shadow Guard, Pei Qingyun returned to the Pei Family's frontline camp for purging Demons.

"Everything is arranged; now we just wait for Ling Ziwen to take the bait."

...

As time passed.

In the blink of an eye, it was noon.

It was at this moment that the news of the Wang Family becoming a subsidiary of the Pei Family spread like wildfire, and all the major powers in Wuyang County were in an uproar.

Among them, the Li Family reacted the fastest; long before the Wang Family made it public, they had already received news of the Wang Family becoming a subsidiary of the Pei Family.

They had originally thought to find an opportunity to sabotage it before Wang Gang made the announcement.

Unexpectedly, Wang Gang announced it so quickly, giving the Li Family no time to prepare.

The Li Family estate.

In the main hall, Patriarch Li Wu sat in the seat of honor, with the various Elders of the Li Family seated below.

The hall was currently solemn and grave, with a layer of gloom cast over the face of every Li Family Elder.

"Elders, I believe you have all received the news. Wang Gang has already announced the subsidiary contract signed with the Pei Family. From today onwards, the Wang Family is a subsidiary of the Pei Family. Regarding this matter, I want to know everyone's thoughts and where our Li Family should go from here." At this point, Patriarch Li Wu's eyes were full of worry.

In just half a month, the Pei Family had reversed the situation despite the schemes of the two families. The process from the brink of collapse to taking the Wang Family for their own use was simply too fast.

It was so fast that he found the fact difficult to accept.

"I don't think the Patriarch needs to worry." At this moment, Li Xian, an Elder who enjoyed his deep trust, stood up.

"Although the Wang Family has made their relationship with the Pei Family public, their internal situation is not harmonious. As far as I know, nearly thirty percent of the Wang Family Elders do not agree with this decision, and another twenty percent have chosen to remain neutral."

"Even so, what of it? Half of the Elders still support Wang Gang. Moreover, both families have already signed the contract; the Wang Family cannot go back on it," Patriarch Li Wu said, puzzled.

"That may be true, and going back on it is naturally impossible. But we can have those thirty percent of Elders break away from the Wang Family. Going a step further, I can even pull the neutral Wang Family Elders into our camp."

"In this way, we can split the Wang Family to achieve the goal of weakening the Pei Family," Li Xian spoke eloquently, his words filled with confidence.

"I don't agree with Elder Li Xian's approach; this will only push our Li Family into a pit of fire. As far as I know, Wang Yang was killed by Pei Qingyun. Patriarch, you should be clear about Wang Yang's strength; even he was killed by Pei Qingyun. If we do this, it will surely enrage the Pei Family. Once Pei Qingyun attacks our Li Family, how will we handle it then?" an Elder countered.

"Are you saying my Li Family is afraid of the Pei Family? My Li Family has stood in Wuyang County for hundreds of years, and we have never relied on constant concessions. Even if Pei Qingyun is at the Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm, so what? Does he really dare to openly attack my Li Family? Besides, the Li Family is not the Wang Family. With the Patriarch presiding, even if the Pei Family comes out in full force, they can forget about gaining any advantage on our turf." Facing the doubts of others, Li Xian responded sharply.

"Li Xian is treating the fate of the Family like a game..."

...

Just like that, what should have been a proper meeting turned into a street market. Within the Li Family, the War Faction led by Li Xian and the Peace Faction led by Elder Li Han began to clash with each other.

This gave Patriarch Li Wu a massive headache, and he even began to wonder if he shouldn't have called this meeting in the first place.

While the Li Family was in a state of chaos.

The assembly halls, teahouses, and restaurants were bustling with activity.

People from all walks of life gathered there. Many, upon learning that the Wang Family had become a subsidiary of the Pei Family, immediately headed to these places to fish for detailed information.

"I heard that the Wang Family has publicly admitted to being a subsidiary of the Pei Family."

"You must have just arrived; the Wang Family released the news early this morning. At first, I didn't quite believe it, but then I went directly to the Wang Family manor to investigate, and it really is true."

"I remember the Wang Family has been suppressing the Pei Family for the past few years. I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, they would actually become a subsidiary of the Pei Family. If it weren't broad daylight, I'd think I was dreaming."

"Indeed, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have believed it? The Wang Family, one of the three major families, has submitted to the Pei Family just like that."

"There's just one thing I don't understand: why would the Wang Family do this? Clearly, the Wang Family's strength was greater than the Pei Family's, yet they chose to submit."

"I'm not too sure about that either. But I speculate it might have something to do with the head of the Wang Family. According to what I've gathered, the current head of the Wang Family is no longer Wang Yang, but his younger brother, Wang Gang."

"So I suspect it's very likely that something happened to Wang Yang, and the Wang Family was forced to do this."

"No way, Wang Yang was a peak Martial Artist of the Five Viscera Realm; who in Wuyang County could possibly kill him?"

...