168: Chapter 168 Wait a minute! What was I about to ask?

Patriarch Fang Hong was the first to meet with Hu Chai, as he was particularly eager to see what kind of expression that old fox would have!

When Hu Chai saw the dozen or so Elders of the Fang Family present in the private room, the smile on his face stiffened.

"I didn't expect that you had invited friends, Brother Fang? I thought that when we were discussing private matters, it wouldn't be appropriate for outsiders to be present..."

Patriarch Fang Hong displayed a very forthright and casual demeanor, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"These are all Elders of my Fang Family; how could they be considered outsiders? If it's inconvenient for you, Old Hu, then should I find someone else?"

"As it happens, the Chen Family, the Liu Family, and those Association Presidents have also requested to meet with me. You all are the same. We clearly just met before, yet I don't know what else there is to say."

"Why must you insist on speaking privately? Unlike me, when it comes to any matter, big or small, in the Fang Family, all of our Elders participate together!"

Hearing that the other Family Heads and Association Presidents had also contacted him privately, Hu Chai couldn't help but curse inwardly: A bunch of hypocritical old foxes!

They had clearly agreed to stand together when they first came out.

Taking a deep look at the various Elders of the Fang Family in the private room, Hu Chai even noticed that this old guy, Patriarch Fang Hong, was actually secretly recording everything?!

"It seems, Brother Fang, that you really value the thoughts of the person behind you. You don't even forget to record things while your Family Elders are present? Are you guarding against me?"

Come to think of it, before he came, Hu Chai really had considered trying to sow discord between the Fang Family and the person behind them. Judging by the Fang Family's actions, this change must have occurred quite recently.

As a newcomer who had just defected to them, he didn't believe the other party could give the Fang Family much trust.

Regarding Hu Chai's slightly sarcastic and snide mockery, Patriarch Fang Hong not only didn't get angry but instead looked quite proud.

"Hmph! Don't you even think about trying to fish for information from me. If you have something to say, say it; I'm busy. I have hundreds of thousands of divine power points at stake every hour, so I don't have time to mess around with you."

You're really getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?! Can you not brag? Hundreds of thousands of divine power points an hour? Do you think this stuff is faith points?

Since the underhanded tactics didn't work, he could only play the emotional card. Although he was slandering Patriarch Fang Hong in his heart, Hu Chai still wore a look of sadness and pity on his face.

As a deity, controlling facial expressions was simply too easy!

"Brother Fang! We have thousands of years of friendship, after all. I couldn't say much back at the Chen Family earlier."

"Even if you don't consider our friendship, think about the younger generation, won't you? Don't forget, that person from your Family's second generation is our Hu Family's son-in-Law."

"I'm not asking you to put in a good word for me, I just want a hint. Which True God have we offended, exactly?!"

"What you're doing today is, at the end of the day, just to vent your anger, right? If I know the way, I can go personally and offer a humble apology, right?"

When it came down to it, Hu Chai still wanted to figure out who the person behind the scenes was. If it was someone they truly couldn't afford to offend, naturally he would have no complaints.

He would apologize when necessary, and he could set aside his pride and kowtow for the sake of the Family.

As for how far to take things, Patriarch Fang Hong had actually consulted Lin Xiao. The response he received was: Make them feel pain, make them feel despair.

If these Families weren't thoroughly hurt, even if they chose to submit on the surface this time, there was no guarantee they wouldn't stir up trouble again behind the scenes.

Therefore, Lin Xiao wanted these people to know this time that as long as he wanted to, he could make their Families completely decline!

Only after truly experiencing despair would they think seriously and cautiously about whether they could actually bear the consequences when they wanted to do something.

Seeing Hu Chai's expression, although Patriarch Fang Hong knew he was acting, if he hadn't truly felt danger, how would a dignified Hu Family Head deliberately fawn over him?

Patriarch Fang Hong restrained his original playful expression and slowly shook his head at Hu Chai.

"It is not yet time..."

"Not yet time? What does that mean?! What counts as the right time?"

"That is all I can say. As for when it will be the right time? When the time comes, you will naturally understand..."

In the end, Patriarch Fang Hong only left Hu Chai with an ambiguous statement: Let nature take its course; do not force anything.

Afterward, Patriarch Fang Hong met with the other Family Heads and Association Presidents one by one. Among these people, there were those who played the emotional card just like Hu Chai.

There were also those who tried to win over the Fang Family with benefits. Patriarch Fang Hong recorded all of these one by one and eventually handed them over to Lin Xiao.

Meanwhile, deep in the distant star path, within the Human Race's border Star Domain: the Xuanxu Star Region.

While Commander Zhou Huai had paid the full treatment fees and was waiting for treatment, Zhang Qi and Bai Ming arrived at the treatment area looking sickly to visit him.

"*Cough, cough*... You were the one injured last among us, yet it looks like you're recovering the fastest. Seeing you like this, to be honest, I am very happy for you."

"I imagine the Sacred Healing Institute will soon pass your news on to the Domain Lord. It shouldn't be long before you can resume your post, but don't be so reckless next time."

Watching Commander Zhou Huai, who was about to receive treatment and would be completely recovered within a week, Zhang Qi felt complex emotions. On one hand, the fact that someone among them could recover meant that they were at least not at a dead end.

This meant that they were at least not in a desperate situation.

On the other hand, it was somewhat hard to accept these conditions: exchanging everything one had for recovery. Zhang Qi didn't know if this choice was good or bad...

Bai Ming felt just as conflicted as he did, but he was more inclined to sign this Death Contract. After all, with such a massive treatment fee, one either had to risk their life or sell themselves.

Other than that, they simply had no better choice.

Coming here this time, besides congratulating Commander Zhou Huai, the more important reason was wanting to ask clearly in person. After all, the same words, depending on expression and tone, could mean completely different things.

This was a Death Contract, after all; no amount of caution was excessive.

Although it was called a ward, it was actually a small, beautiful Secret Realm. In the Divine Domain, where the Law of Space was widely applied, everything here exuded a sense of grandeur.

At this moment, within the entire Secret Realm, only the three of them were present in the luxurious palace at the center.

Bai Ming found a relatively suitable topic as an entry point; this was considered a form of pleasantry. One always had to warm up the atmosphere before discussing serious matters.

Otherwise, if you started asking questions right away, it would easily make others think you only visit when you need something. Even if there was nothing wrong initially, they would start to have some opinions about you.

"The Sacred Healing Institute seems very busy lately; I heard quite a few people have been admitted. Among them, there is no lack of Commanders like you..."

Perhaps because his injuries were about to heal, Commander Zhou Huai's mood was clearly much better. At least he could show a smile; this was the first time since he was injured.

"Mhm, the war situation is not very optimistic. I heard... I only heard this from others, so I can't guarantee whether it's true or not."

After adding a disclaimer, Commander Zhou Huai then spoke softly with a serious expression.

"I heard that a Tier 6 Mountain Ape God has come from the other side... The Domain Lord has already sent an urgent request for reinforcements to the rear to stabilize the situation."

"The Domain Lord had no choice but to agree to their demand for a duel, which is why the Sacred Healing Institute has seemed so busy lately..."

Clearly, neither of them expected that the situation in the Xuanxu Star Region had become this tense! The Mountain Ape God clan was a royal clan among the alien races!

Just like the Three-Eyed, Giant Spirit, and Battle clans among the Human Race, they were the top existences within their race! A Mountain Ape God appearing in the border Star Domain—the implications of this were simply too massive!

Bai Ming also hadn't expected that he had just casually asked a daily greeting, something like "Have you eaten?"

Yet the other party replied by telling him: The Xuanxu Star Region is about to explode! Even the Domain Lord can't hold them off...

Wait a second! What was I just about to ask?

Oh, right. I came over to ask about the Death Contract...

What the hell is the point of asking about that now?! Even the Domain Lord can't hold them off; what could he do even if he recovered? It might even be that because he was injured, he wasn't grabbed by the Domain Lord to be cannon fodder!

He definitely didn't want to sell his life for treatment, only to end up severely injured or even dead in a duel...