"Long Yifei, I have no grudge against you, nor have I ever deliberately provoked you. So why do you keep coming after me time and time again?" Ye Xiu feigned anger, looking as though he had suffered a great injustice. Glaring furiously at Long Yifei, he continued, "From the very first time we met, you’ve been scheming against me in every way possible, and now you’re falsely accusing me of murder. Is this the Long Family’s idea of cooperation? I’m going to find the Clan Leader and reconsider whether I should continue to cooperate with the Long Family."

Upon hearing this, the members of the thirteen external families couldn’t hide their gleeful grins. Trouble was brewing. Ye Liangchen had begun his counterattack, and Long Yifei was about to suffer a huge loss.

Go, Ye Liangchen! Get him!

At that moment, Long Yifei was consumed with rage. He was severely injured and had been lying on the cold ground for so long just to witness Ye Liangchen being surrounded and killed by the thirteen external families. But what should have been a situation of certain death was easily overturned by Ye Liangchen.

Hearing Ye Xiu’s furious voice, Long Yifei’s rage instantly turned to panic. He said frantically, "Don’t be rash, Ye Liangchen. There’s no need to alarm the Clan Leader over a minor conflict between us young people."

He was well aware of how much the Clan Leader admired Ye Liangchen and how much the Long Family needed a powerful ally like the Fire Seed Company. If the Clan Leader found out he intended to kill Ye Liangchen—forcing Ye Liangchen to lead the Fire Seed Company to break with the Long Family, or worse, to side with Ye Xiu—he would be finished. Even if the Clan Leader didn’t kill him, he would almost certainly lose any chance of ever becoming the Young Master of the Long Family.

"Heh, a minor conflict?" Tang Bo walked over with a cold smile. He pointed at Long Yifei, who was wrapped in bandages on the ground, and asked Ye Xiu, "Big Brother, doesn’t he look like a complete idiot to you?"

PFFT!

Except for those from the Xing and Wei Families, everyone from the thirteen external families burst into laughter.

"Tang Bo, you... this is insubordination," Long Yifei said angrily.

"You can report me to the Clan Leader. Maybe he’ll even execute me for it," Tang Bo shrugged.

As the foremost genius among the Long Family’s external members, a disciple of the Clan Leader, and a staunch follower of Long Yian—one of the Long Family’s six great geniuses—Tang Bo had never feared Long Yifei. He was the only one present who dared to openly defy him. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"You..." Long Yifei was practically apoplectic, but he was powerless against Tang Bo. He didn’t dare let the Clan Leader know of his plot to kill Ye Liangchen. Besides, even on a regular day, if he reported Tang Bo for insubordination, the Clan Leader wouldn’t punish him severely—a reprimand at most.

"Big Brother, I support you in talking to the Clan Leader. Otherwise, you’ll end up dead at Long Yifei’s hands sooner or later," Tang Bo urged.

"I will," Ye Xiu nodded.

Seeing that Ye Xiu was determined to take this matter to the Clan Leader, Long Yifei’s heart turned to ice. He felt the position of Young Master slipping away from him for good.

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed Long Yifei’s mind. I’m the great-grandson of Long Tianhao, the sixth of the Long Family’s six elders, and one of the six great geniuses myself. My power surpasses that of a War God, and I have the Xing and Wei Families under my control. How can I not defeat Ye Liangchen alone? The six great geniuses have been fighting for the position of Young Master since we were children, and the other five haven’t been able to take me down after all these years. How could Ye Liangchen strip me of all qualifications to compete for the position in just two days? Could Ye Liangchen alone be stronger than the other five geniuses combined?

An idea began to form. Long Yifei suddenly had the urge to turn Ye Liangchen against the other five geniuses. He could use the other five to get rid of Ye Liangchen. Or, he could use Ye Liangchen to eliminate the other five.

"Young Master Fei, what are we having for dinner? You’ve kept us starving all day," someone asked.

At the mention of food, everyone present felt a pang of hunger.

Long Yifei, who had been secretly rejoicing at his new plan to turn Ye Xiu against the other geniuses, felt his mood shatter at the question. He was starving, too! But he was penniless.

"I’ve ordered takeout for everyone; it should be arriving soon," Ye Xiu announced.

The members of the thirteen external families were immediately touched. After all, they barely knew Ye Liangchen, and he had no reason to feed them.

Nangong Yue said, "If we follow Big Brother Ye, we’ll always eat and drink well."

"Big Brother Ye, on behalf of the Gu Family, I thank you," Gu Meng said gratefully.

"Our Wen Family won’t accept this for free. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and we’ll do our utmost to help," Wen Rubing declared.

"The Bai Family as well," Bai Xi added timidly.

"Sigh, Long Yifei really can’t compare to Big Brother. He has no leadership qualities whatsoever," Tang Bo sighed.

In that moment, everyone from the thirteen external families, except for Long Yifei and the members of the Xing and Wei Families, began expressing their goodwill toward Ye Xiu.

Just then, two large trucks drove into the Long Family Manor.

"Everyone, hurry up and help unload the tables, chairs, and food from the trucks!" Ye Xiu called out as the trucks came to a stop.

The people from the thirteen external families immediately got busy. The members of the Xing and Wei Families, pushing through the pain of their injuries, also stood up, wanting to help.

"No one is to move!" Long Yifei stopped them. "A day without food won’t kill you. Let’s have some backbone."

The members of the Xing and Wei Families scoffed internally. It was true that a day without food wouldn’t kill them, but the hunger was agonizing. Moreover, Long Yifei was broke, which meant they wouldn’t just be missing today’s meal, but future meals as well. At that moment, they suddenly realized that following Long Yifei was nothing but suffering.

Two large trucks! One was filled with folding tables and stools, enough for over four hundred people. The other was packed with all sorts of beer, liquor, and gourmet food. The people from the thirteen external families had thought Ye Xiu had only ordered some simple takeout; they didn’t expect such a lavish feast.

"Whoa, ten whole roasted sheep, ten roasted pigs, and countless roasted chickens, ducks, and geese!"

"This is amazing! There are all kinds of dishes, meat and vegetarian alike."

"Is this... liquor? I’ve heard this brand is incredibly expensive. My God, Ye Liangchen is actually treating us, and there are twenty cases of it!"

"There are all kinds of famous brands..."

The people from the thirteen external families were thrilled. Having lived deep in the mountains for so long, they had never tasted so many delicious dishes or drunk such expensive wine.

"Ye Liangchen is trying to usurp my position," Long Yifei growled through gritted teeth.

Meanwhile, the members of the Xing and Wei Families watched as the other families set up the tables, laid out the delectable food and fine wine, and began to eat and drink heartily. The sight made them even hungrier.

"What are you all standing around for? Come and eat," Ye Xiu called, waving them over.

Hearing this, the members of the Xing and Wei Families were almost moved to tears. They had bullied Ye Liangchen so much, yet not only did he bear no grudge, he was even inviting them to eat.

"We’re coming, we’re coming..." Forgetting their injuries, they all happily ran over to join the meal.

"A bunch of spineless wretches," Long Yifei seethed. But the aroma of the food wafted over, making his hunger even more intense. Besides, he was seriously injured. Without food or drink, how long would it take for his wounds to heal?

So, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand. He shuffled toward the tables one excruciating step at a time, each step covering only a few centimeters. His injuries were so severe that he had to stop and rest every few steps.

However, just as he finally reached the nearest table after an agonizing effort, Tang Bo spoke up.

"Young Master Fei, my Big Brother paid for all this. Do you really have the nerve to eat it?"

"A man with so much backbone like Young Master Fei certainly wouldn’t stoop so low," Gu Meng said with a sweet smile.

"A man must have some dignity," Nangong Yue mocked.

The others chimed in with their own cold, thinly veiled insults.

Now, no matter how famished Long Yifei was, he was too embarrassed to eat the food Ye Xiu had bought. He just couldn’t bring himself to lose that much face. But after struggling so hard just to get here, was he really going to turn around and leave without a single bite?

The thought sent a wave of indignation through him. Combined with his severe injuries and fragile emotional state, his composure completely shattered.

Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, "You can’t bully me like this!"