Ji Changkong naturally knew nothing of what Chu Shanxin had discussed with Xiao Xing. No one from the Xiao family mentioned anything to him either. Although Chu Shanxin appeared composed when she left the Xiao residence, Ji Changkong could discern the anger simmering in her eyes. Given that Chu Shanxin was an outstanding young master from the royal family of the Great Chu Garden, and she was guarded by Zhuang Yan, a gossipy Heavenly Scholar, her status within the Chu family was likely considerable.

Her parting with Xiao Xing had been frosty, and recalling the power base behind her, Ji Changkong felt a degree of worry for the Xiao family.

Xiao Xing remained outwardly calm, not volunteering any information about Chu Shanxin. When Ji Changkong explicitly inquired, Xiao Xing merely told him not to worry and to concentrate on cultivating the Blood Dragon Nine Styles within the Xiao residence.

With Xiao Xing's reassurance, Ji Changkong found it inappropriate to press further and genuinely settled down to practice the Blood Dragon Nine Styles in seclusion, putting Chu Shanxin out of his mind.

Time flowed swiftly; in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

In his quiet cultivation at the Xiao family estate, Ji Changkong spent the entirety of those two months finally grasping the profound secrets of controlling the blood within his body using the Blood Dragon Nine Styles, thus qualifying him to genuinely learn the nine offensive forms.

It was precisely at this juncture that he became aware the Xiao family had encountered an unprecedented, grave predicament.

Without setting foot outside the stone tower specially reserved for him by the Xiao family, he noticed that everyone in the residence had adopted solemn expressions. The narrow fissure entrance to the Xiao estate was constantly guarded by Xiao family masters, seemingly positioned to ward off some anticipated arrival.

The typically languid Xiao family youths, who usually idled by the front lake, had lost their carefree smiles in recent days. They were frequently summoned into secret chambers by the family elders, and each time they emerged, the weight upon their faces seemed to deepen.

Several Xiao disciples, including Xiao Shu, were occasionally sent out on unknown errands, and they returned with exceptionally grim faces.

The Xiao family's defenses had suddenly become stringent. Numerous masters wearing the attire of Xiao family retainers were dispersed throughout the estate, their eyes sharp and gleaming, stationed in every corner.

The entire Xiao household seemed enveloped in a heavy pressure that Ji Changkong, situated within the stone tower, could perceive with crystal clarity.

A storm, it seemed, was poised to engulf the Xiao family at any moment.

On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, the breeze was gentle and pleasant. The spirit beasts residing at the Xiao estate remained oblivious to the oppressive weight hanging over the family, continuing to drink and play near the lake without a care, forever unaware that their fate had become inextricably linked with that of the Xiao family.

Just then, Chu Shanxin, who had departed two months prior, returned to the Xiao residence.

This time, she was not alone with just Zhuang Yan. When the sound of Chu Shanxin’s light, melodious laughter reached the ears of Ji Changkong, cultivating in the stone tower, his divine soul stirred. He immediately sensed nearly a hundred Heavenly Scholars of considerable strength positioned just behind that narrow fissure entrance.

Four soul fluctuations, distant and imposing like towering mountains and high ridges, hovered near Chu Shanxin. The instant her delicate laughter sounded, those four terrifying powers were abruptly unleashed.

Four masters at the Bagua Heaven Realm, making no effort to conceal the aura radiating from their power, were utterly staggering. Any Heavenly Scholar whose cultivation level was inferior to theirs would feel a deep, intrinsic sense of powerlessness rising from their core. Once fear and panic took root, they would be unable to manifest even eighty percent of their true strength in combat.

The newcomers revealed their might immediately and openly, intending to crush the willpower of everyone in the Xiao family before a single blow was even struck!

“Chu Shanxin!” Xiao Shu roared, rising abruptly to stand before the elegantly smiling beauty. The veins on Xiao Shu’s neck bulged, twisting like small snakes, his heart brimming with such fierce indignation that he nearly burst. “Why have you brought so many people to my Xiao family? For years, we have concerned ourselves with neither worldly affairs nor the borders of your Great Chu Garden—we have no past grievances nor recent enmity with you. Why are you doing this?” Facing Xiao Shu’s furious query, Chu Shanxin maintained her charming, almost coy smile. She did not answer him, instead tilting her head up to glance at Xiao Xing standing on the stone platform of the tall tower, and chirped sweetly, “Uncle Xiao, I trust you have been well.” Xiao Xing frowned, offering a slight nod. He extended a hand, subtly restraining the flare of anger about to erupt from Xiao Shu. His gaze swept over the figures flanking Chu Shanxin, and he spoke, each word measured: “Zhuang Yan, Yu Chi Yuan, Song Dou, Changsun Deyun!”

“Greetings, Sect Master Xiao,” the group replied in unison, smiling casually. To an outsider, it would appear as if old friends had come for a social call upon Xiao Xing. “For many years, our Xiao family has remained detached from external affairs. Yet now, masters from the Chu family, the Yu Chi family, the Shangqing Sect, and the Wu Wei School gather at our doorstep. May I inquire as to the purpose of this assembly?” Xiao Xing took a slow breath, the anger in his eyes deepening infinitesimally.

Yu Chi Yuan, with his thick beard, let out a heavy sigh, a look of practiced helplessness on his face. “The Northern Barbarians have grown powerful, and the pressure on us has mounted intensely over the years. The Asura Imperial Clan and the Yaksha clan experts from the North have been active near the border frequently, making it truly difficult for our few families to cope. The Xiao family, as one of the Seven Great Families, although withdrawn for so long, their strength is not something anyone dares to underestimate.” Yu Chi Yuan paused, then continued with feigned sincerity, “Miss Chu has repeatedly implored the Xiao family for assistance in resisting the Northern Barbarian assaults, only to be constantly rebuffed by Sect Master Xiao. While Miss Chu’s status is noble, perhaps Sect Master Xiao still felt her authority was insufficient. Having no other recourse, we elders have decided to step forward personally, hoping that Sect Master Xiao will consider our standing and contribute jointly to manage the Northern Barbarian threat.” Song Xian and Changsun Deyun echoed this sentiment, adopting expressions of sorrowful compassion, as if the safety of the Great Chu Garden was a matter they were prepared to sacrifice everything for.

“Uncle Xiao, even if not for the Chu family, please consider the innocent common folk. Should those brutalized mobs, as savage as the Northern Barbarian beasts, surge into the Great Chu Garden, it would result in an incalculable catastrophe for the entire Central Lands. We implore Uncle Xiao to reconsider,” Chu Shanxin urged.

Whether it was Chu Shanxin or the three accompanying her—Yu Chi Yuan, Song Xian, and Changsun Deyun—they all offered earnest counsel. An uninformed observer would believe they had traveled a thousand miles purely to move Xiao Xing with their sincerity.

However, Ji Changkong, emerging from the stone tower, knew the sincerity displayed on their faces was anything but genuine. If they truly intended to deal honestly, they certainly would not have arrived accompanied by so many retainers. In Ji Changkong’s view, the element of coercion far outweighed that of persuasion.

“The Xiao family is sparse in personnel and struggles to protect itself; we lack the capacity to assist any of you in fending off external foes. Furthermore, our family is not situated within the Great Chu Garden’s territory, nor do we have an obligation to contribute to its defense. The reason the Xiao family cultivates in this lawless region is precisely to avoid entanglement in secular disputes. We request that you do not force our hand,” Xiao Xing stated, bowing slightly, his demeanor neither servile nor arrogant.

“To my knowledge, the Xiao family possesses two Bagua Heaven Realm masters and nearly ten experts at the Seven Star Heaven Realm, and your retainers are all formidable, self-sufficient fighters. This strength is comparable to that of the Ye family or the Chen family. Sect Master Xiao, your claim of sparse population and self-endangerment is perhaps a touch too modest,” Zhuang Yan remarked, the wrinkles on her face twitching slightly, her eyes placid, revealing nothing of her true thoughts.

“Uncle Xiao, if not for the Great Chu Garden, then for the sake of the Central Lands’ populace, the Xiao family ought to contribute some effort,” Chu Shanxin continued to persuade with kind words.

Xiao Xing was naturally not swayed by a few sentences. He shook his head with a stern face: “I understand your purpose in coming, but the Xiao family has remained uninvolved in external conflicts for many years due to our internal rules. This time will be no exception. We hope you will not push us beyond our limits.”

“The Xiao family resides just outside the Great Chu Garden’s territory. For years you have recruited masters from all corners of the world, yet you have consistently avoided contact with the Heavenly Scholars of the Great Chu Garden. Sect Master Xiao, are you pursuing some other motive in doing so? Perhaps waiting for the Chu family to decline so the Xiao family can rise in its place?!” Zhuang Yan suddenly looked up, the light in her eyes like a sharp sword, piercing directly into Xiao Xing’s face.

Xiao Xing’s brow furrowed, killing intent briefly flickering in his eyes before vanishing without a trace. “The Xiao family lacks the strength and harbors no such ambition. I believe we have said enough; I ask that you all depart now.”

“Uncle Xiao, is there truly no room for negotiation whatsoever?” Chu Shanxin asked, her face etched with distress, seeking final confirmation.

“None!” Xiao Xing declared decisively.

“Then there is no other way…” Chu Shanxin nodded with feigned resignation, turning to bow to Zhuang Yan, Yu Chi Yuan, and the others, offering a bitter smile. “I must ask the senior uncles to take action now…” At this critical juncture, the wavering Xiao family truly constituted a hidden danger to the Great Chu Garden—they had to be eliminated! Zhuang Yan, Yu Chi Yuan, and Song Xian all displayed looks of regret, shaking their heads and sighing repeatedly as they began advancing toward the Xiao family compound. “Pfft!” Amidst the solemn expressions or the profoundly heavy moods of the assembly, an ill-timed chuckle suddenly erupted from the top of the Xiao family stone tower. In that moment of tense seriousness, the sound was saturated with mockery, grating harshly in some ears. “Young man, what is so amusing?” Yu Chi Yuan looked up, his expression strange. “I laugh at the hypocrisy of some people, who, when intending to send others to die as cannon fodder, wrap themselves in the noble banner of acting for the sake of all people. Truly, their shamelessness has reached an exquisite, profound level!” Ji Changkong rested on the stone platform, his mouth curled in derision.

At these words, Chu Shanxin, Yu Chi Yuan, and the others stiffened. Zhuang Yan’s face instantly darkened. She glared coldly at Ji Changkong: “Young man, careless talk can bring unwarranted disaster upon yourself.” “Well said!” The Xiao family members, who had been forcibly suppressing their anger, felt as if their true feelings had been voiced. They couldn't help but cry out in appreciation. “I should like to see what extraordinary skill the Ji family’s Xuanyuan possesses.” Unexpectedly, the first to attack was Chu Shanxin, and her target was not a member of the Xiao family, but Ji Changkong, who had seemed entirely irrelevant to the situation.

Chu Shanxin’s figure moved with graceful agility, and the captivating smile had reappeared on her lips. Her arrival had given onlookers a feeling akin to bathing in a spring breeze. “Miss Chu, it’s not that I look down on you, but simply, you are far from qualified enough.” Ji Changkong shook his head and smiled faintly, letting his gaze sweep past Chu Shanxin to settle on Zhuang Yan. “The elder should step up; otherwise, the fight won't be much of a contest,” he quipped. Zhuang Yan’s face turned ashen. (To be continued; for the next development, please visit Bibi Chanbi for more chapters, support the author, and read the genuine version!)