Chapter 690: The Greatest Wisdom is Being Foolish

She had another reason for being certain about Shi Youxuan—Bai Lang!

With the family of three Bai Lang guarding her, she was the undisputed Clan Leader, and no one would be unconvinced.

It would have been better not to mention Bai Lang; as soon as Bai Lang was mentioned, Shi Youxuan's anger flared up.

"They are also called divine beasts? Don't joke, they are completely unreliable, all of them are cowardly things that fear death," Shi Youxuan said with disdain.

The scene of Dabai taking the lead as a "deserter" back then was still clearly imprinted in her mind.

It ran exceptionally fast, and with a *whoosh*, it was gone without a trace.

Then the three of them were caught by Zhu Yiwen's men.

If it weren't for Nianyin arriving in time, it would be hard to say whether they would still be alive now.

Ji Yingjie smiled and told Shi Youxuan that while it was true that Bai Lang were the guardian divine beasts of the clan, they were not brave and skilled warriors.

Bai Lang could command other wolves and use them for their own purposes.

But for them to actively participate in battle, that was impossible.

Bai Lang were particularly familiar with precious medicinal herbs; over three hundred years ago, the Ji Family Clan Leader at the time was bitten by a venomous snake in the Forest and was about to die, but was saved by the ancestor of the Bai Lang.

From then on, the Clan Leader sent people to the Forest on the first and fifteenth of every month to bring food to provide for Bai Lang, and ordered the people of the clan not to harm Bai Lang.

Passed down through generations, the guardian divine beasts were rumored to be increasingly heroic, but in reality, that was not the case.

They appeared mighty in the Forest because of the Grey Wolf.

Bai Lang were fine at using their brains, but when it came to real action, they ran faster than anyone!

So that was how it was.

Shi Youxuan could understand Bai Lang now, but she still could not stay.

Seeing that telling her the secret of the Treasure did not move her, Ji Yingjie unleashed her second move.

She used the lives of Sheng Hanyu and Jian Yining to threaten Shi Youxuan.

If Shi Youxuan did not agree, she would kill the two of them immediately!

Back then, she had used this very tactic to threaten Jin Wan'er into agreeing and signing the "Wawa Agreement" with her.

But later, the "Wawa Agreement" became the bargaining chip that saved her; she was rescued, and that agreement became void.

Ji Yingjie repeated her old trick, using the method she used to threaten Jin Wan'er to threaten Shi Youxuan.

However, it didn't work again.

Shi Youxuan smiled charmingly: "Kill them then. If you kill them both and I become the Clan Leader, the first thing I will do is donate all of the Ji Family Treasure."

Ji Yingjie:...

Shi Youxuan became more and more spirited as she spoke: "Although I haven't seen how many good things there are, since you say they are so good, they must be worth a lot of money. If I donate them, I won't have to work hard to guard them anymore, and I can even earn the title of a philanthropist. Oh my, that's too cost-effective."

"Just as you said, husbands can be replaced, friends can be discounted, and a woman's only true ability is relying on herself. I will rely on myself to squander the family fortune for you to see. I guarantee I will squander it so thoroughly that even in the afterlife, you won't be able to keep your coffin lid shut..."

Ji Yingjie's face turned livid, and she nearly died on the spot.

Seeing her poor complexion, Shi Youxuan thought of her just recovering from a serious illness and softened her heart, pulling her words back: "Don't worry, I probably won't squander it too much. I can't donate it all and not spend a penny myself; I'm not that foolish."

"I'll donate most of it and keep a small portion for the clan to spend, so as to avoid being targeted by others for having too much wealth. You are my cautionary tale."

Ji Yingjie:...

Shi Youxuan combined threats with disparagement, leaving Ji Yingjie with nothing to say, only able to sulk.

The Ji Family's assets were guarded by successive Clan Leaders through hard work, even at the cost of their lives.

With Shi Youxuan acting like a spendthrift, Ji Yingjie was not at ease handing the Ji Family over to her.

But she was still unwilling to just let the three of them go!

Ji Yingjie decided to cultivate a relationship with Shi Youxuan, to foster her sense of responsibility and honor toward the Clan.

Thus, the three were released from the Dungeon, unconditionally.

They could move freely within the clan, and their food and lodging were the best, but there were people following them wherever they went.

Since Zhu Yiwen escaped, all transportation in the clan had been strictly controlled; wanting to escape was difficult... almost impossible!

Ji Yingjie's idea was beautiful, taking the emotional route with her niece, but the process... was hard to describe.

One week later.

Seeing that the three were not as hostile toward her as before, Ji Yingjie decided to take the first step.

She placed the Clan Rules in front of Shi Youxuan and let her look: "Xuanxuan, these are the Ji Family Clan Rules, the condensed heart and blood of generations of Clan Leaders. Take a look."

Shi Youxuan did not look and pushed them back: "Not interested. I don't belong here. Thank you, Aunt, for your hospitality these days. Now that we've played enough, you should let us go back."

Ji Yingjie:...

These past few days, she hadn't forced her niece to be the Clan Leader; did she think keeping her here was just for sightseeing?

Ji Yingjie's patience was almost exhausted by Shi Youxuan. She darkened her face, handed the Clan Rules to her niece again, and ordered: "Memorize them in one day."

Shi Youxuan: "After I memorize the Clan Rules, will you let us go?"

Ji Yingjie: "No, you're overthinking it."

Shi Youxuan: "Then why should I memorize them? Pfft."

She turned away with disdain, ignoring her completely.

Ji Yingjie decided to take a step back: "How about this, if you can memorize them within a day, I will let you have a video call with your family, how about that?"

The Clan Leader wanted to control the thoughts of the people in the clan and was unwilling to let the commoners have contact with the outside world, so the Signal Tower had always been under her control.

It was very difficult for Shi Youxuan to contact her family.

Now that she proposed this condition, it was very tempting.

Shi Youxuan's eyes immediately became bright and shiny: "Really?"

"Mm, really."

"Fine, I'll memorize them."

Two hours later.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Shi Youxuan knocked on the door: "Aunt, are you in your room? I have finished memorizing it."

Ji Yingjie opened the door and said to her: "I can understand your feelings of missing your children, but one must be down-to-earth and not always think about trying to muddle through." She did not believe that Shi Youxuan could have finished memorizing it.

It was a thick book.

To finish reading it and memorize it in two hours? In reality, even a full day would be short.

She had given Shi Youxuan one day for two purposes.

One was to brainwash her and let her understand the rules of the Ji Family.

The other purpose was a test.

A test to see if this niece was truly intelligent; if her IQ was insufficient to shoulder the heavy responsibility of Clan Leader, then there was no need to waste time on her.

It had only been two hours, and she had already finished memorizing it? Ji Yingjie did not believe it.

"Why don't you just check it?"

Shi Youxuan began: "Page one of the family rules: Rise at dawn, sweep the courtyard, be diligent in all four limbs, distinguish the five grains..." She recited very quickly, but every word was clear, and there was not a single error or omission.

Ji Yingjie's expression became better and better.

Shock.

Pleasant surprise.

The way she looked at Shi Youxuan was as if she had discovered a Treasure.

A candidate for Clan Leader, the position of Clan Leader belonged to her and no one else!

This niece was indeed very intelligent, exactly the same as her older sister.

Unfortunately, she was happy too early.

Shi Youxuan finished reciting the entire thick book of family rules and began to pick faults: "It is written quite rhythmically, but it is too decadent and cannot keep up with the times... It should be changed!"

Ji Yingjie wanted to reprimand her, telling her to respect the ancestors and not to make disparaging remarks about the rules set by the ancestors.

But thinking that she grew up outside, it was inevitable that her thoughts would not be the same as the people in the clan, and it was understandable that she lacked reverence for the ancestors.

So she held back, and even "humbly" asked Shi Youxuan why she thought that way.

Shi Youxuan: "Aunt, look, this rule about rising at dawn does not fit the current pace of life."