Chapter 385: Reactions from All Sides

The depth of the night buried many pieces of news.

And, many people's lives.

Yet there are always some interested parties, like patient and seasoned hunters, waiting quietly for the traces of their prey.

The Li Family,

even in the middle of the night, Li Tianyun, as the Head of the Family of the Li Family, was still working hard for the family.

The eyes he had sent out had also not returned with news for some time.

For the controller of a family, this was an extremely dangerous signal.

"Someone, go see what the chess pieces watching the Lin Family have gone off to do?

It has been so long without news; has the Lin Family discovered something, or is it..."

Li Tianyun's voice was low and powerful; every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an unquestionable sharpness.

His gaze appeared exceptionally profound under the dim candlelight, as if he could perceive every secret in the dark night.

"Head of the Family, I will go handle it right away." A subordinate dressed in black responded and entered; after bowing to pay respects, he quickly disappeared into the night, like a part of the darkness, silent and soundless.

Li Tianyun stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the courtyard outside that was barely illuminated by the moonlight, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

The Lin Family, this rival that had been secretly competing with their Li Family for many years,

now seemed to be brewing some ulterior conspiracy once again.

The abnormal actions and behavior made Li Tianyun feel uneasy.

And the chess pieces he had sent out were like stones sinking into the sea, with no news at all, which forced him to heighten his vigilance.

"Old fox of the Lin Family, what exactly are you plotting?" Li Tianyun muttered to himself, his fingers tapping lightly on the window lattice, making a rhythmic sound.

In this world where the strong are respected, any slight relaxation could bring about a catastrophic disaster.

Time passed slowly, and the night grew deeper, as if even the stars had hidden behind the clouds, unwilling to witness the strife of this world.

Just at this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence inside the study.

"Head of the Family, it's bad! The chess pieces at the Lin Family... have all disappeared!" That subordinate in black returned in a rush, his face pale, his voice carrying a trace of panic that could not be concealed.

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Li Tianyun's expression changed abruptly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"This is wrong, wrong, wrong."

Under normal circumstances, it was just tracking; how could there be no news from the people themselves?

The disappearance of the chess pieces is not good news.

It further implies that the Lin Family might have already taken the lead in some secret matter.

"Immediately summon the elders of the family; I want to discuss some matters." Li Tianyun quickly calmed down and issued a series of instructions.

The most important thing now is to stabilize the situation and find the Lin Family's flaws, so as to remain invincible in this shadow war.

"Lin Family, what exactly are you preparing to do?"

The night remained, but the Li Family's residence was also a scene of busyness.

Amidst the bright lights, every member of the Li Family was on high alert, preparing to welcome the coming storm.

And Li Tianyun stood at the highest point of the family, gazing into the distance, his heart filled with both worry and determination.

"No matter what schemes the Lin Family has, my Li Family will absolutely not be defeated just like this!" Li Tianyun's voice echoed in the night sky, carrying unquestionable firmness and dominance.

The Zhang Family.

Zhang Hao had just finished his business and gone to sleep when he was woken up by the family's strategist.

"Head of the Family, Head of the Family, it's bad.

The eyes we sent out are all gone."

Zhang Hao, who had been too sleepy to open his eyes, was instantly jolted awake by this news.

Zhang Hao sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open, glaring at the trembling family strategist before him, his voice trembling with anger: "What did you say? The people we sent out have actually all... disappeared? How is this possible!

Those were elite scouts that the Zhang Family had cultivated for over a dozen years."

A strategist wearing brocade clothes and holding a Guanshan fan lowered his head, his voice low and trembling: "It... it is true, Head of the Family. The eyes we planted in the Li Family, for some reason, just lost contact, as if they had vanished into thin air. And according to our subsequent investigations, there are no clues at all."

Upon hearing this, the veins on Zhang Hao's forehead bulged, and an indescribable rage burned in his chest.

He slammed the table, and the tea set on the table shattered in response, fragments splashing everywhere: "A bunch of good-for-nothings! What use are you to me! You can't even handle such a small matter!"

The strategist trembled all over, almost kneeling on the ground; he knew the Head of the Family's temper well and could only brace himself to explain: "Head of the Family, please calm your anger; there must be something fishy about this. The people we sent out were all carefully selected elites; it is impossible for them to be defeated by the opponent so easily. I suspect that there must be a conspiracy by the Li Family behind this."

Zhang Hao took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

At this critical moment, anger would only make him lose his reason and make wrong judgments.

He looked at the strategist, his eyes revealing a trace of coldness: "Then, what do you think the Li Family will do?"

The strategist hesitated for a moment, but still gathered the courage to say: "Head of the Family, based on my understanding of the Li Family, there is definitely a problem with them holding a family meeting at this time.

Now that we have lost our eyes and know nothing about their movements, this is extremely unfavorable for us.

I think we should immediately strengthen our defenses and at the same time send out more manpower to rebuild our intelligence network."

Zhang Hao nodded, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes: "You are right; we cannot sit and wait for death. Go arrange it immediately; I want to know every move of the Li Family, and we must not let them have any opportunity to exploit."

The strategist responded with a sense of relief and turned to leave in a hurry.

And Zhang Hao lay down again, but this time, his heart could no longer be calm.

Some things have already quietly escalated,

and he must be prepared to face all challenges.

The night remained deep, but Zhang Hao's heart was filled with a sense of urgency.

As the Head of the Family of one of the three major wealthy clans in Qingxi County,

Zhang Hao was not famous for nothing.

When he was young, he also relied on his own methods and abilities to stand out in the fierce competition.

At this moment, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

"Someone, gather the men and redeploy the family's defenses.

Also, send people to keep an eye on the Li Family and see what they are up to."

"Lin Family, Li Family, what exactly are you plotting? And what do you know?" Zhang Hao muttered to himself, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

Just then, his personal guards had already quickly gathered the men, preparing to redeploy the family's defenses.

At the same time, another team of men quietly set out, heading toward the vicinity of the Li Family to secretly monitor their movements.

Meanwhile, inside the county government office, the round County Magistrate Liu was rubbing his sore eyes, looking at the news sent by his subordinates with his brows tightly locked.

The three great noble families in Qingxi County—the Lin Family, the Li Family, and the Zhang Family—usually kept to themselves, but the secret competition between them had never ceased.

And this time, all three families seemed to be making significant moves, which made him feel very uneasy.

"These little brats, none of them are worry-free." County Magistrate Liu cursed in a low voice, then fell into deep thought.

As the father-official of the county, he had to keep a clear head and gain insight into all possible changes to ensure the peace of Qingxi County.

More importantly, he knew more.

The Red Lotus Sect army is coming!!!