Within the clan, no one had ever dared to readily challenge the authority of the Gao Family’s Fourth Great-Uncle.

This elder, now over seventy, had helmed the Gao Family for decades. It could be said that the family’s current prosperity was largely built by his own hands.

Although the Gao Family claimed a century of heritage, their true rise had only occurred in the last fifty years. Before that, the Gao Family was merely an insignificant, minor household in Changshan County, only truly beginning to distinguish themselves in the Fourth Great-Uncle’s generation.

The moment his words fell, the main hall was plunged into silence. The elders looked at each other, but no one dared to speak up in rebuttal.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Gao Yuanhe quickly bowed and tried to smooth things over:

"Great-Uncle, please calm your anger. We are not opposed, merely worried that after Qicheng and Qinian join the Upper Sect, they will gradually grow distant from the family. They are, after all, the disciples with the best aptitude from the last decade. If we send them both away, I fear the clan will have no other young members capable of holding up our reputation. At that point, I’m afraid..."

These words voiced the common concern shared by all the elders present.

It wasn’t that they had selfish motives; they were genuinely considering the family’s long-term future.

The Gao Yuanzhao whom the Fourth Great-Uncle had mentioned—the one who joined the Upper Sect in the Prefecture City—had maintained close contact with the family for the first few years. But in recent years, he had grown increasingly distant. He hadn’t returned home in several years, and all that remained were a few letters exchanged during holidays.

In truth, the Gao Family could no longer benefit much from his prestige.

This was precisely why everyone was somewhat resistant to the idea of joining an Upper Sect. After all, in his early years, Gao Yuanzhao had succeeded almost entirely because of the Gao Family’s full-throated support from behind the scenes.

"What are you afraid of? That the family will be destroyed?"

The Fourth Great-Uncle snorted coldly, striking his Black Wood Walking Stick heavily on the ground. "Short-sighted and utterly foolish. Changshan is too small a pond to raise a true dragon. Since we have the chance to send our disciples to an Upper Sect, we should give it our all.

As for whether they grow distant later, that is a matter for the future. Besides, with the Golden Jade Ointment in hand, do you think the Gao Family cannot cultivate other outstanding disciples?"

Since obtaining the Golden Jade Ointment, Gao Yuanhe was the only one who had refined a small portion to break through to the Marrow Transformation Realm. All other elders had been forbidden from using the treasure.

Everyone understood that such a treasure would be considered a top-tier rarity even in the Prefecture City. Using it on elders whose potential was already exhausted would be an outrageous waste. Only by using it on the younger disciples could its greatest value be realized.

Gao Qicheng and Gao Qinian were indeed the most outstanding members of the Gao Family’s younger generation in recent years, but that didn’t mean they were true geniuses. They were merely more talented than the average person.

"You are right, Great-Uncle." Gao Yuanhe didn’t dare argue further and lowered his head respectfully.

The Fourth Great-Uncle surveyed the room, then changed the subject:

"Why isn’t the Patriarch here today?"

Today’s gathering wasn’t for casual chatter but to discuss important matters, making the Patriarch’s absence particularly conspicuous.

"Yesterday, the family found a Four-leaf Spirit Flower. The Patriarch went to see the Demon Monk personally," Gao Yuanhe reported truthfully.

The Fourth Great-Uncle nodded slightly and didn’t press the matter.

Anything concerning the Demon Monk was indeed a matter of utmost importance.

The man not only possessed treasures like the Golden Jade Ointment but had also promised to grant the Gao Family an Innate Opportunity once his wounds healed. Were it not for this, the Gao Family would never have taken such a great risk to conceal his whereabouts, let alone search for all sorts of precious medicinal herbs on his behalf.

"The government soldiers suppressing the bandits—has any news come back?"

The Fourth Great-Uncle’s expression turned grave. This was the truly important matter to be discussed today.

Since the government soldiers left the city yesterday to suppress the bandits, the Gao Family had been closely monitoring the situation.

After all, this was a matter of great consequence—a death trap set up jointly by the three major families. Their goal was to annihilate Chen Sheng and his trusted followers in one fell swoop, thereby forcing Wu Kuang to concede.

However, from last night until this morning, no definitive news had arrived from the direction of Black Snake Stronghold, which was enough to make one worry.

At the mention of the bandit suppression, Gao Yuanhe’s expression also grew heavy, and he shook his head, saying:

"This morning, I sent out two groups of men to scout the Black Snake Water Stronghold. I believe we’ll have news soon. Rest assured, Great-Uncle. Nothing should go wrong."

To deal with Chen Sheng, the three major families had made thorough preparations this time.

Not only did they have men keeping a close watch on Wu Kuang’s movements to prevent any surprises, but they had also bribed Chuyue Mountain, the Grand Commander of the Military Preparation Camp. On top of that, they had Xu Meng—the Ink Water Flood Dragon and Village Chief of Black Snake Stronghold—holding down the fort.

In Gao Yuanhe’s view, even if Chen Sheng possessed heaven-defying abilities, there was absolutely no chance of survival.

After all, at the end of the day, the man was just a Martial Master in the Bone Forging realm.

And the gap between Bone Forging and Marrow Transformation was far greater than any outsider could imagine.

Even if some accident were to happen, he didn’t believe Chen Sheng could turn the tables.

"You must not be careless, nor should you underestimate anyone," the Fourth Great-Uncle warned, his brow tightly furrowed.

In recent years, as the Gao Family grew more prosperous, he had clearly felt the clan’s disciples becoming increasingly arrogant and complacent, losing their former caution. Now, even a core elder like Gao Yuanhe was underestimating the enemy, which deeply worried him.

Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang were by no means ordinary individuals.

If they were truly mediocre, how could they have forced the three major families—who had been entrenched in Changshan for years—to treat them as a major threat in just a few short months? To the point of conspiring with water bandits against them?

"It’s not that I’m underestimating him; I simply can’t imagine any way for Chen Sheng to turn this situation around. This time, his fate is sealed," Gao Yuanhe said with conviction, not bothering to agree with his great-uncle this time.

"You..." The Fourth Great-Uncle was about to say more when a man suddenly burst into the hall, his face filled with panic.

"What happened?" Gao Yuanhe’s heart tightened as he asked in a low voice.

He knew that unless something major had happened, this clansman would never be in such a state.

"Reporting to the elders and Great-Uncle! We just received news! The troops from the East City and South City garrisons received an urgent order from Wu Kuang. They are all gathering at the Military Preparation Camp’s training grounds. It seems the situation has changed..."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Great-Uncle’s brow furrowed as he fell into deep thought.

Gao Yuanhe, however, broke into a smile. "Great-Uncle, this must mean Black Snake Stronghold succeeded! Wu Kuang must have gotten the news and flown into a humiliated rage. Otherwise, he would never have urgently summoned the two garrisons!"

The Fourth Great-Uncle pondered for a moment and, feeling the speculation was reasonable, nodded immediately.

"If that’s the case, we’ll proceed as planned. Immediately contact the Huang and Yang families to jointly pressure the County Magistrate, Lin Shou. At the same time, send word to Zhang Yue and Li Cong. Have them make excuses to delay, and ensure that Wu Kuang can’t mobilize his troops."

He paused, then added, "Also, send someone to inform the Patriarch at once. Tell him to return to the estate immediately and take charge."

"Rest assured, Great-Uncle. I’ll see to it right away." Gao Yuanhe bowed, accepting the order, unable to hide the smug look on his face.

’Once Chen Sheng is dead, let’s see if Wu Kuang can still act so tough.’

’He would make this County Captain understand just who really calls the shots in Changshan County!’

However, just as Gao Yuanhe was about to step out the main doors, a flurry of panicked footsteps echoed from outside. Several Gao Family disciples stumbled and scrambled into the hall, their faces pale and their voices trembling:

"Great-Uncle, it’s bad! Outside... it’s swarming with government soldiers!"

"They’ve surrounded the entire Gao estate and are killing everyone on sight!"

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