Chapter 34: Planning the Strategy!

"Does it have anything to do with you? Father, speak clearly, what exactly is going on here?" Xiao Yan pressed. It wasn't just Xiao Yan; even some members of the Xiao family who were unaware of the inside story looked over with curiosity.

Xiao Zhan looked at the gazes of those around him and knew he couldn't hide it anymore. He could only sigh and say, "Alas, things have reached this point, so I won't keep it from you all. Actually, this matter is all my fault. Half a year ago, I received a letter from your two older brothers. The letter said that they had both reached the Great Fighter realm and had even established something called the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. In short, they were doing quite well in the Tagor Desert. I was just too proud and accidentally let it slip, letting the other two families find out. On top of that, my own cultivation had broken through to a six-star Great Fighter at the time, which made the other two families feel threatened, and that is why they joined forces to strike at our Xiao family."

"Alas, it was ultimately me who failed to follow your advice, Yan'er, to make a fortune in silence, and let the news leak out. Otherwise, how could today's situation have happened!" Xiao Zhan lowered his head in shame. Now that Xiao Yan knew about this, he could naturally resolve it with his strength; Xiao Zhan did not doubt this. But for a father to cause trouble that his son had to resolve still made him feel very ashamed.

"Alright, no need to say more, Father. This is not your fault. In the end, it's just that the other two families can't stand to see our Xiao family doing well; this conflict was bound to happen sooner or later. It just so happens that I returned this time to help our Xiao family take a step forward. I originally felt a bit bad about looking for trouble with others for no reason, but now it's fine—I don't even need to find an excuse," Xiao Yan sneered.

"Young Master Xiao Yan is right. We should take this opportunity to wipe them out directly and march on their doors tomorrow!" someone more radical shouted.

"No, we should still keep a low profile. Don't forget that Wutan City still has a City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord is also at the peak of the Great Fighter realm, no worse than Young Master Xiao Yan. We must still be careful," someone more conservative said.

"I am talking about the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families. What does that have to do with the City Lord's Mansion?"

"How does it not have anything to do with it! Jia Lie and Ao Ba have been attacking us for half a year. How could it be possible without the City Lord's tacit approval? Why do you think every city has existences similar to the three great families and the three great mercenary groups? It is because of the division caused by the City Lord's Mansion or other forces that tower above the city in every city!"

"Then are you saying we should just keep taking the beating?"

"That is not what I meant!"

"Then what do you mean?!"

"I—"

The people below argued endlessly, but Xiao Yan calmed down instead. He kept picking up the food in front of him and putting it into his mouth, occasionally picking some for the Little Fairy Doctor beside him, telling her to eat more, otherwise, she would have no meat on her and wouldn't be comfortable to hold, which earned him several eye-rolls from the Little Fairy Doctor, making Xiao Zhan, who was watching, wonder if he should remarry.

"Ahem, Yan'er, how do you intend to resolve this matter?" Xiao Zhan's one sentence made the noisy crowd quiet down instantly. They knew that no matter how much they said, the one who truly made the decisions was the young man before them.

Facing everyone's gazes, Xiao Yan unhurriedly put the meat from his chopsticks into his mouth, chewed it carefully, and said slowly, "No rush. Whether it's the two great families or the City Lord's Mansion, there is nothing to worry about. However, let's drop the idea of directly attacking the two families to wipe them out from now on."

"Young Master Xiao Yan, they—" the radical person wanted to say something more, but was blocked by one of Xiao Yan's hands.

"Listen to me first. If I'm not mistaken, those people sent to interfere with our Xiao family's business are either street thugs hired from outside or the juniors of the two families."

"That is the case," said the person in charge of the Xiao family's industries.

"See, if you wipe out the two families just because of these people, others won't know what to think of us. Our Xiao family is a family of benevolence and righteousness; how can we do such a thing?" Xiao Yan said righteously.

A few pedantic people felt that what Xiao Yan said made a lot of sense and looked at Xiao Yan with admiration, their eyes filled with little stars.

As for the more realistic ones, such as the three Great Elders, they were a bit anxious, only feeling that Xiao Yan might have become stupid from cultivation to be able to say such things.

"But, Young Master Xiao Yan, if that's the case, are we, the Xiao family, just supposed to passively take the beating?"

"Of course not!" Xiao Yan retorted directly: "In these years outside, I haven't just improved my cultivation; I've also learned a bit of alchemy. I plan to refine some first and second-grade medicinal pills to sell in our Xiao family's shops. Can the people from the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families stop the other two families from buying regular goods, and can they stop them from buying medicinal pills too?"

"What, Young Master Xiao Yan can actually refine pills!" someone exclaimed.

"But if that happens, won't the heads and elders of the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families rush directly to our Xiao family?" someone asked worriedly.

"Great Elder, according to the laws of the Gama Empire, what is the penalty for trespassing into a private residence?" Xiao Yan asked suddenly.

"This—" The Great Elder's brow twitched. He seemed to have guessed Xiao Yan's plan, but he still couldn't quite believe it. He tentatively said, "According to the laws of the Gama Empire, for those who trespass into a private residence—the owner may kill them without guilt!"

"Did you all hear that?" Xiao Yan scanned the crowd and said indifferently.

Everyone felt a chill; only then did they realize that Xiao Yan was not the "nice guy" they had imagined.

"Speaking of which, why go through all this trouble? Isn't it better to just attack them directly?" someone asked, not understanding.

"You don't understand. If we attack directly and wipe out their entire clan, no matter how big the excuse is, others will think our Xiao family is suspected of bullying the weak with our strength. But if they attack us and are instead dealt with, others will only think that they overestimated themselves and brought it upon themselves."

"Correct. Although this world ultimately speaks through strength, a good reputation is still very important. Externally, it can make it easier for our Xiao family members to gain trust when cooperating with others; internally, it is also easier to cultivate a humble and cautious style."

"Oh. So that's it!"

"Speaking of which, is this what they call killing—right, killing the heart!" At this, someone suddenly said, not very cleverly.

Xiao Yan glared at the person who spoke: "Nonsense! What killing the heart! Did I take the initiative to attack them? They were the ones who came to look for trouble themselves; what does that have to do with me? This is legitimate defense, self-defense and counterattack, an act of benevolence and righteousness!"

Wow! Young Master knows so much, Qing Lian looked at Xiao Yan with admiration.

"Pfft!" The Little Fairy Doctor really couldn't hold it in and accidentally laughed out loud.

Xiao Yan felt he was losing face, glared fiercely at the Little Fairy Doctor, and secretly resolved to teach her a good lesson tonight.

He then turned his head back to the crowd and said: "Since everyone understands, act accordingly. However, remember, my strength must still be kept secret from the outside for now. Do you understand?"

"Yes, we will strictly follow the Young Patriarch's orders!" The Xiao family members, including the three Great Elders, bowed to Xiao Yan one after another. Although in theory, the Patriarch of the Xiao family was still Xiao Zhan, no one felt there was anything wrong with this. Clearly, from now on, in the Xiao family, it was Xiao Yan who had the final say!