Chapter 23: Exposed

"Xier, come here!"

The grand assembly ended in failure; one must know that such a clan assembly requires the strength of the entire clan, exhausts countless resources, and takes many years to occur just once.

And as the daughter of the clan leader, the petite young girl upon whom the hopes of the entire clan were poured, she was destined to become the target for everyone's venting after the failure.

Failure is indeed very normal; in these past hundred years or so, there have been few successful examples.

But Lan Xi is different. As early as her childhood, she received recognition, a Seed was planted within her body, and this Seed had begun to sprout very early on.

Others might fail, but in the eyes of all the clansmen, Lan Xi would not fail, and could not fail.

The Great Contention Era could arrive at any moment, and their Lan Family needs a trump card, a trump card that can preserve the Lan Family.

Therefore, the entire clan agreed to take out nearly half of their resources to support one person; it can be said that she grew up under the gaze of the masses, carrying the hopes of everyone on her thin shoulders.

The mobilization of the entire clan's resources to carefully cultivate her for over ten years, only to end up with this result—the consequences are absolutely severe.

And Lan Xi seems to know this, standing in her father's room in terror and unease, her fingers pinching the corner of her clothes.

Regarding the father before her in name only, Lan Xi is very afraid, even trembling uncontrollably.

Precisely because they live together day and night, she knows some things better than others, and understands even more clearly what kind of person her father truly is.

Beneath that gentle face hides a face that is absolutely terrifying; he is a person who would absolutely stop at nothing to achieve his goals—calling him a hypocrite would not be an exaggeration.

No, "hypocrite" might even be giving him too much credit. His methods are enough to make anyone who knows his true face feel an irrepressible fear upon seeing him.

At this moment, although the clansmen outside are also terrifying and will vent their emotions on her,

if she truly had a choice, Lan Xi would rather face those angry and disappointed clansmen than face this seemingly amiable father of hers.

"Father, I, I..."

"What, are you very afraid?"

"No, I dare not!"

"Dare not? You dare not be afraid? In front of your father, what are you afraid of?"

He looked up at Lan Xi, this daughter he had carefully cultivated for over ten years; her exquisite face looked just like her mother's. Bright eyes and white teeth, standing tall and graceful!

"Come here, sit down!" He spoke with a commanding tone, and Lan Xi, in her state of trepidation, shuddered violently upon hearing this and sat down to the side in a panic!

Seeing this, Lan Zhe smiled slightly, a smile that seemed to hold some indescribable flavor.

"Xier, you should understand that Father has high expectations for you!"

"I know, I have disappointed Father!"

"Disappointing Father is no matter, but you have disappointed the entire clan. This is very serious, so serious that even I, as the clan leader, cannot protect you!"

His voice could not help but grow much heavier, and when he saw the terrified and uneasy look of the petite girl before him, Lan Zhe smiled inexplicably once more.

"You must know that you only have value if you prove yourself. This time I can block it for you, but next time, you must succeed, do you understand?"

"Yes, Daughter understands. Daughter will definitely work hard and will not let Father and the clansmen be disappointed again!"

"Xier, you should know that some things cannot be achieved just by working hard!"

He stepped forward and patted his daughter's shoulder; at this moment, Lan Zhe looked just like a kind father, gentle through and through.

But the more this was the case, the more uneasy Lan Xi became. The gentler her father was, the more it proved he wanted something more.

And she does not possess many things; I fear there is not much worth her father in name only coveting.

"Xier, you have worked harder than anyone else these years, Father is very clear on this point, and these years Father has been much stricter with you than with others!"

"And most of the resources within the clan have been used on you, allowing you to grow at the fastest speed and become the person who fits the requirements best."

"It can be said that this should have been foolproof, yet you still failed! All of this is enough to prove that it is not that you did not work hard enough, but other problems!"

"What you lack is foundation, the nourishment truly needed for the Seed within your body to bloom and bear fruit; this kind of nourishment cannot be replaced by ordinary resources!"

His hand patted Lan Xi's shoulder again, then lingered on her shoulder; at this moment, a strange expression appeared on Lan Zhe's face.

That expression carried a bit of ferocity, a bit of greed, and also seemed to vaguely carry three parts jealousy.

"Father is now at the peak of the Transcendence Realm, and no one in the entire Lan Family can compare. This foundation, Father can help you accumulate!"

Hearing Lan Zhe's words, Lan Xi was not excited at all; instead, her body trembled again, and even her voice carried a tremor.

"Father, the night is deep, Daughter will return first. Please rest assured, Daughter will certainly not fail your expectations!"

"Where are you going?"

The hand resting on Lan Xi's shoulder pressed down violently, pinning the departing Lan Xi to the spot, and then an irresistible, terrifying force completely restrained her.

At this moment, Lan Xi was truly panicked!

"Father, what, what are you doing?"

"Doing what? You ask what I'm doing? Xier, actually you are very smart, smarter than anyone else!"

The hand that had been resting on Lan Xi's shoulder slowly slid down, brushing across Lan Xi's exposed neck; the sensation of skin touching skin made Lan Xi shudder violently.

She had already anticipated some things, but when she truly encountered them, she still could not avoid being afraid. After so many years, Lan Zhe had finally bared his fangs at her.

She had hidden for so many years, but in the end, she still hadn't escaped it.

"Xier, our Lan Family has a Yin-Yang complementary ultimate art; you should be clear on this point. You are young and already a Grandmaster, but this is not enough, far from enough!"

"You are only missing that final step, and Father can help you cross it. As long as you cross it, you will have enough foundation to accept that inheritance power!"

"Father, you..."

"I know what you want to say. That little girl Lu Siyu is indeed more suitable than you, but she is an outsider after all. How could the power of my Lan Family fall into the hands of an outsider!"

"Besides, for our Lan Family, the more Seeds the better. You are one, and that little girl Lu Siyu is another; you will both be the foundation of my Lan Family!"

As he spoke, Lan Zhe's hand had already gently undone the thin outer garment, revealing a large expanse of skin as crystalline as jade underneath.

Tears fell drop by drop along the corners of her eyes. Lan Xi could not help but want to break free, but that terrifying force kept her firmly restrained, leaving her without even a chance to resist.

"You dare to resist? You actually dare to resist?"

Sensing Lan Xi's struggle, Lan Zhe's originally gentle expression instantly turned furious, and his movements became uncontrollably rougher.

In the end, Lan Zhe directly tore apart the inner garment, pinched Lan Xi's fair and delicate face with one hand, his expression growing more ferocious.

"Xi'er, our Lan Family does not have much time left. Next time, you must ensure there are no mistakes; I am doing this for the entire Lan Family!"

"Also, you must understand one thing: everything you have is mine. Not only is your body mine, but your soul is also mine. This is your fate, and you must accept it!"

"As expected, my Super Perception has never been wrong; he really is a piece of scum!"

Outside, Shen Yu, who was quietly watching all of this, could not help but sigh softly. He had sensed that Lan Zhe was a hypocrite, but he had not expected him to be this much of a scoundrel.

To dare to lay a hand on his own daughter—calling him a beast would be an insult to beasts.

Of course, looking at this relationship, this pair of father and daughter does not seem to be truly blood-related. But even if it is only in name, he should not do this; this heart is just too damn filthy!

Your Lan Family has vast wealth and influence; what kind of woman could you not have? Yet you insist on laying hands on your own kin. It seems your twisted mind is not just a little bit off.

"Forget it, who told me I'm the type of person who can't stand to watch this scene!"

The Illusion Technique of Mirror Flower Water Moon was quietly activated. Although Lan Zhe is an expert, Shen Yu has already stepped into the True Soul Realm; in terms of Mental Power alone, crushing ten or eight of him would not be a problem.

This night, clearly nothing happened inside the room. Yet the man inside was laughing in a low, frantic voice, while the young girl was suppressing her pain, weeping silently.

Time passed bit by bit, and soon, Lan Xi threw on her clothes in a mess, stumbled out of Lan Zhe's room, and headed straight for her own room.

At this moment, her heart seemed to have already died!

And behind her, Lan Zhe watched this scene quietly, then gave a cold laugh.

There are some things he should go and do now; what he needs is an obedient Puppet, not one with so many little thoughts. The trump card of the Lan Family can only be used for himself!