300: The Grand Elder took action

Inside the An Family.

In a modest courtyard in the Outer Court, a delicate-looking young woman sat with her arms wrapped around her legs, staring blankly at the sky.

"Young Miss, when will you return?"

Xiaokui’s expression was one of longing. Ever since An Ruoxuan had gone to the Black Gold Domain, she had returned to the An Family very few times.

An Ruoxuan did not hold a high status within the An Family to begin with, so naturally, she was in the same position and was often bullied within the An Family.

With the Young Miss away from the An Family, she had been bullied frequently these past few days.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.

Their courtyard was located in a corner, and usually, almost no one came here; typically, only those who lived here would ever come.

Xiaokui suddenly reacted. She hurriedly stood up and said, her face filled with immense pleasant surprise:

"Young Miss, is that you?"

She ran towards the door with great excitement to welcome her.

But when she reached the door, she only saw An Hefeng. His expression was cold, and beside him was a Law Enforcement Elder from the An Family.

Xiaokui was startled. She looked at An Hefeng in some panic:

"Greetings, Second Young Master!"

An Hefeng’s expression was gloomy. He said indifferently, "Xiaokui, three hundred Intermediate Immortal Crystals went missing from the Outer Court yesterday. Did you steal them?"

"Ah?"

Xiaokui was stunned for a moment. She asked, at a loss, "Second Young Master, what do you mean? How would I have the guts to steal Immortal Crystals?"

An Hefeng did not speak. He looked at the person behind him, and one of them immediately walked into the courtyard.

Seeing their demeanor, Xiaokui was already scared out of her wits; how could she dare to stop them?

Before long, that person walked out carrying a large bag and poured it out in front of Xiaokui. Inside were indeed glistening, crystal-clear Immortal Crystals.

Xiaokui’s eyes widened immediately, her face filled with panic:

"How is this possible? How could these Immortal Crystals be in the courtyard? Second Young Master, this must be a misunderstanding. Xiaokui did not steal the Immortal Crystals."

She had lived in the An Family since she was small and had not experienced scheming, so naturally, she did not understand that An Hefeng had come today specifically to frame her.

An Hefeng gave a cold laugh and then shouted:

"Insolent!"

"A lowly servant actually committing such an act of theft—you must be severely punished. Take her away."

The people behind him immediately stepped forward, directly restrained Xiaokui, and then walked away.

With Xiaokui in hand, he was not worried that An Ruoxuan would not speak up.

Xiaokui was so anxious that tears kept streaming down. She begged incessantly, "Second Young Master, it really is a misunderstanding. Xiaokui really did not steal the Immortal Crystals. I have been in the An Family for so many years and have always been well-behaved. I would not do such a thing."

Crying and shouting rang out continuously. Wherever they passed, many people poked their heads out to take a look.

"Wait, what did Xiaokui do that actually made the Second Young Master take action himself?"

"From what I heard, it seems like Xiaokui stole some Immortal Crystals, so the Second Young Master came specifically to punish her."

"Stealing Immortal Crystals? Pfft! That makes me laugh to death. That coward Xiaokui would dare to do such a thing? She's someone who gets startled even by an ordinary mouse."

Once this was said, the person who spoke suddenly shut their mouth. They exchanged glances with the people around them, their faces all showing some fear.

"It wasn't because of stealing Immortal Crystals?"

Although they didn't know the specific reason, it was highly likely not because of the Immortal Crystals, but because of something else.

Even if Xiaokui had really stolen the Immortal Crystals, it wouldn't be the Second Young Master's turn to show up personally; one must know he is of the An Family's Direct Line.

"And what about Xiaokui?"

"She was just a servant of the An Family."

Later on, An Hefeng found Xiaokui too noisy, so he directly sealed her mouth.

Just like that, they arrived at the Treasure Hunting Chamber of Commerce headquarters. To avoid prying eyes, An Hefeng entered directly through the back door.

But just as he entered the Treasure Hunting Chamber of Commerce, a figure stood in front of him.

When An Hefeng saw the person who had arrived, his pupils immediately contracted. He hurriedly cupped his hands in salute: "Greetings, Grand Elder!"

The person in front slowly turned around. The Grand Elder stood with hands behind the back, dignified without anger, eyes like torches, and the entire presence was extremely oppressive.

This person was the An Family Grand Elder, An Changtian.

The Grand Elder was also the most powerful person in the An Family besides the Family Head, with a cultivation of an Immortal King Late Stage.

An Changtian looked towards An Hefeng and said in a calm voice, "Let her go."

The Grand Elder's tone was unquestionable. The Grand Elder didn't ask why An Hefeng wanted to do this, nor did the Grand Elder care about such things at all.

An Hefeng’s fists were clenched tightly, his lowered head full of gloom.

"Damn it!"

"Why would the Grand Elder appear here?"

Seeing that An Hefeng did not move, the Grand Elder frowned: "Was what this Elder said not clear enough?"

As the words fell, an incredibly terrifying pressure instantly enveloped them. An Hefeng’s body instantly collapsed, pressed to the ground like a dead dog.

The Protector Elder beside An Hefeng had already been scared to the point of wetting himself; the Protector Elder hurriedly knelt on the ground, the whole body trembling incessantly.

An Hefeng also reacted immediately. He hurriedly said, "Grand Elder, please forgive me. I have been too busy these past few days and was momentarily distracted. This Xiaokui is just a lowly person of the An Family, and the mistake she committed is not large. Since the Grand Elder has given the order, I will release her immediately."

Although he didn't know why the Grand Elder had come here, a bad feeling still arose in An Hefeng’s heart.

"The Grand Elder seems to have come specifically for me!"

The Grand Elder looked down with an indifferent expression and gave a cold laugh: "Incapable of great things."

An Hefeng’s expression stiffened, and his eyes became increasingly gloomy, but he still said with a smile, "The Grand Elder's instruction is correct."

Looking at his fawning expression, the Grand Elder shook the head again, the expression becoming increasingly disdainful: "The only one who could fancy someone like you is the Third Elder."

"An Hefeng, do you know why this Elder would step into the fray to support someone whose cultivation is inferior to yours and whose business talent is not as good as the Third Elder's?"

Once this was said, the Law Enforcement Elder behind An Hefeng wished to cut off the own ears. "Is this something I should be hearing?"

"This is going to get people killed!"

An Hefeng’s fists were clenched tightly. He struggled to raise his head and looked at the Grand Elder’s playful expression. His face was full of disbelief: "I do not know."

He really didn't understand. The Eldest Brother's talent was inferior to his own, and his business acumen was not as good as the Third Brother's. Since that was the case, why would the powerful Grand Elder choose to support the Eldest Brother?

"This simply made no sense."

"His talent was the greatest. It wouldn't be long before he could Breakthrough to Immortal King. When that time came, what would An Wushuang use to compete with me?"

Before this Clan Competition, An Hefeng had never thought that the Grand Elder would participate in the Clan Competition because the strength and status were too high. Even if the Grand Elder didn't participate in these disputes, no one in the entire An Family would dare to do anything to the Grand Elder.

He was not like other people; if they didn't pick a side, they would inevitably be purged later on.

The Grand Elder gave a cold laugh: "It’s not because you are too useless, but because An Wushuang’s future holds promise, and he is worth this Elder’s investment."