"Alright! Let’s go!"

As they agreed, they downed the tea in their cups in one gulp!

Of course, they couldn’t taste the tea at all now, as their minds were completely elsewhere.

Seeing everyone stand up, the Great Elder tidied his clothes and walked straight ahead.

Watching the Great Elder stride forward, they exchanged hesitant glances!

At this moment, one person suddenly spoke in a low voice, "In for a penny, in for a pound! Since we’ve chosen to trust the Great Elder, let’s go along! Otherwise, the Great Elder will hold a grudge against us!"

"Right!"

Nodding lightly, they took a deep breath and followed along closely.

...

"You’re here?"

At the door, Hu Xiaobei, who was chatting with Lin Ya, heard footsteps and thought Cao Meng had returned.

But upon closer inspection, Hu Xiaobei realized it wasn’t him.

Many people had arrived, but none of them were known to Hu Xiaobei.

"Lin Ya, do you know these people?"

Hu Xiaobei knew that Lin Ya had previously investigated the Cao Family, so she might recognize them.

"I don’t know them!"

Lin Ya seriously looked at them for a while before quickly shaking her head.

Earlier, when they appeared, Lin Ya had carefully observed them a few times.

But she had no impression of these people.

Previously, she had indeed investigated Cao Meng and the Cao Family’s information, but honestly, her focus was almost entirely on Cao Meng, so she knew very little about the rest of the Cao Family.

"You don’t know them either! Forget it, let’s not waste brainpower thinking randomly! They should introduce themselves later."

Feeling a bit disappointed, Hu Xiaobei quickly composed himself.

At this moment, Hu Xiaobei saw them appear before him.

"Who are you?"

After taking another look at them, Hu Xiaobei calmly asked.

Just after speaking, Hu Xiaobei heard a nervous whisper, "You must be Master Xiaobei!"

Being called by name surprised Hu Xiaobei slightly, "It’s me! I am Master Xiaobei. Who are you? Did you come here for something important?"

"Master Xiaobei, we are members of the Cao Family Elder Council! We’re here to get to know you!"

After the Great Elder spoke quickly, he briefly introduced himself and the people with him to Hu Xiaobei.

After listening, Hu Xiaobei nodded lightly and said, "Did you come to see me for a reason?"

At this moment, Hu Xiaobei understood their identities...

But he had no idea why they were seeking him out.

In Hu Xiaobei’s opinion, given his current position, they should be staying far away from him.

But instead of keeping their distance, they approached directly...

This unusual behavior piqued Hu Xiaobei’s curiosity about them.

"It’s like this, we are here to welcome you! To be honest, we really want to thank you for teaching Cao Meng a lesson. Before, he relied on his position as the Family Head to treat us poorly in many ways. Now that you’re here, it’s like daylight has come."

"Yes, indeed, Master Xiaobei, we are truly grateful to you!"

"Right! Truly grateful!"

"Aren’t you supposed to be on Cao Meng’s side? It’s not very nice of you to kick him when he’s down!"

Upon hearing their flattery, Hu Xiaobei calmly spoke, looking at them...

Hu Xiaobei wasn’t interested in their flattery, so their earlier compliments did not inflate his ego.

"Master Xiaobei, there’s something you don’t know! Although Cao Meng is the Family Head, he really went too far before! He even treated us like we weren’t human!"

As they spoke, they quickly and simultaneously complained to Hu Xiaobei about Cao Meng’s wrongdoings.

After listening, Hu Xiaobei narrowed his eyes, "In that case, he really was excessive!"

Finishing this, Hu Xiaobei looked behind them, "Cao Meng, you’ve been back for a while. You must have heard our conversation, do you think they’re right?"

Upon hearing Hu Xiaobei’s light-hearted teasing, everyone including the Great Elder quickly turned around!

This time, they saw Cao Meng standing behind them with a grim expression, coldly staring at them.

If looks could kill, they would have been completely killed by Cao Meng’s gaze.

"They have a point! I was indeed a bit excessive, but the reason I was excessive is because they are really quite useless!"

"Who are you calling useless?"

The Great Elder and others coldly retorted...

They knew that now the masks had come off, so there was no need to hold back their indignation.

"What? Calling you useless isn’t right? If you weren’t useless, why would you come complaining now? Isn’t that something only a useless person would do?"

"We’re being pragmatic! Unlike you, knowing your abilities aren’t great, yet still insisting on opposing Master Xiaobei!"

"You... who are you saying isn’t capable?"

...

As they started arguing, Hu Xiaobei frowned.

Soon, Hu Xiaobei spoke directly, "Alright, stop arguing. I don’t want to hear you bickering!"

"Yes, Master Xiaobei!"

Realizing Hu Xiaobei’s irritation, they exchanged glances with fearful silence.

Afterwards, both Cao Meng and the elders gradually regained their composure.

Upon hearing their respectful responses, Hu Xiaobei looked at them and said, "From now on, I don’t want to hear any more arguments. You should understand my meaning!"

"Yes! We understand!"

Seeing them nod, Hu Xiaobei continued calmly, "Good, since you understand, cooperate well from now on. If any problems arise due to a lack of cooperation, I’ll be the first to send you packing."

"Yes!"

...

"Alright, let’s not waste any more time. Take me and Lin Ya for a tour! I’m quite interested in this place."

"Master Xiaobei, I’ll take you around right away!"

Speaking, Cao Meng immediately came to Hu Xiaobei’s side.

"He shouldn’t be the only one in the spotlight!"

Seeing Cao Meng hop beside Hu Xiaobei, the Great Elder’s eyelid twitched deeply, muttering to himself...

After muttering, he looked at the other elders who understood this truth just as well and said, "Master Xiaobei, this place is quite large, and Cao Meng doesn’t know much about many parts. It’d be better for those of us more familiar with the Cao Family to be your guides!"

"Damn it!"

Hearing the Great Elder speak so smoothly, Cao Meng was furious!

Cursing under his breath, Cao Meng stood up, yelling maniacally, "What do you mean I don’t know? Speak clearly, explain it to me!"