Chapter 176: Must Be Kept a Secret
"Patriarch, that may be true, but we can use this opportunity to see which families are hostile toward us."
"Every action leaves a trace. We'll only find something if we interact with them more, won't we?"
These words did indeed convince Liu Loulan.
She hated the feeling of things spinning out of her control. She much preferred to have everything grasped firmly in her palm!
"You're right. Let's go through with it. We hold a banquet every year anyway."
"Send invitations to the Ouyang Family, the Fifth Clan, and the Zhus. As for who they choose to send, that's their own affair."
"You have only one mission: do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this matter. Understand?"
Everyone present was a sly old fox; they knew exactly what to do.
"Understood! Rest assured, Patriarch, we will be sure to give our honored guests a proper welcome!"
「Elsewhere.」
Xiao Ye had returned to a secure hideout.
This was one of Zhuo Qinglin's villas, a place that was normally deserted.
Shishi brought a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of Xiao Ye. "This is top-grade Yuqian Longjing. It's good for soothing one's spirit."
Xiao Ye gave a slight nod. "How are things on Lin Chuyue's end?"
To avoid exposure and to protect Lin Chuyue and the others…
News of his faked death had yet to leak out.
Lin Chuyue and the others all believed Xiao Ye was truly dead.
A pang of bitterness welled up in Shishi's heart, but she still reported dutifully, "Miss Lin is doing fine. She's eating and drinking normally and doesn't seem to be too affected."
"She's booked a flight back to Jiangcheng for tomorrow."
Xiao Ye nodded. "Arrange an escort for her. Make sure she gets back to Jiangcheng safely."
Shishi agreed. "Yes. As for Chu Yan, she's convinced you aren't dead, so she's been investigating here in the Imperial City. However, I've been obstructing her so she won't find out too much."
'If she keeps digging, she might alert the Xiao Family.'
'Even Yuan Tiancheng was nearly assassinated while he was investigating, so what chance would the little Chu Family have?'
"Good, you've done well. Stop her from investigating any further. Stir up some trouble for her in South City to send her home."
"Yes. Also, the Yuan Family has already returned to Shanghai. From what I know, Yuan Tiancheng doesn't believe something happened to you either—he's quite certain of it, in fact. That's why he didn't stay long."
'Yuan Tiancheng knows a great deal. He also knew I was investigating the Hidden Clans.'
'It was wise of him not to investigate, whatever his reasons.'
'After all, the Yuan Family is nothing compared to a Hidden Clan.'
'It's the difference between a tiger and a housecat.'
"For Lin Chuyue, arrange for a few more people. We need to make sure she remains mentally stable as well. Oh, and pass a message to Lin Aoshan."
"Tell him I'm alive, but that it must be kept strictly confidential."
'Lin Aoshan is old and has lived a long life; he knows how to keep his mouth shut. It's fine to let him know.'
"Alright, I'll see to it at once."
After Shishi left, Xiao Ye was the only one left in the massive villa.
He sank onto the bed, exhausted. On the nightstand beside him lay a King Yama mask.
「The next day.」
Just as Xiao Ye was getting out of bed, a message came to his phone.
The moment he finished reading, the message vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
It contained only one sentence—The Hidden Xiao Family is holding a birthday banquet.
Below it were the address and time.
This was the information Xiao Ye had tasked the Hongyuan Organization with finding, no matter the cost.
If the Xiao Family had remained dormant as they had in the past, investigating them would have been difficult.
But now that they were sending invitations to the other three Hidden Clans, they ran the risk of exposure.
Xiao Ye put his phone away and walked into the bathroom.
When he came out after his shower, Shishi had already arrived and had thoughtfully prepared breakfast.
"Master Xiao, I've already arranged everything. Please rest assured. Also, here are the clothes you asked me to prepare earlier."
Xiao Ye glanced over. It was a simple but exquisitely handmade—and expensive—suit.
"Alright, you may go."
「For the next two days.」
Xiao Ye remained in the villa, never once stepping outside.
Not until the third day, just before the banquet was to begin, he had someone drive an RV and park it on the main road leading to the banquet.
As a Hidden Clan, they naturally wouldn't hold the banquet at their ancestral home. Instead, the venue was a different, incredibly serene estate.
A stream of luxury cars drove past.
At this hour, anyone traveling this road could only be heading to the banquet.
Xiao Ye glanced at the surveillance monitor. "That black car back there. Stop it."
"Jam the surveillance cameras up ahead. Make sure we're not recorded."
"Yes, sir!"
Brother Feng immediately complied.
The piercing screech of brakes echoed.
The driver angrily looked at the person who walked into the middle of the road. "Are you blind?"
"Apologies, our young master would like a word."
The driver frowned slightly. "Who is your young master?"
"Who else could be here at a time like this?" Brother Feng said, his expression unchanged. "Our young master says he has something important to discuss. If you refuse, you'll regret it!"
The man in the back seat was intrigued. He got out of the car himself. "Fine. In that case, I'd like to see just who this 'young master' of yours is."
"So secretive, yet claiming it's something important... Don't tell me it's the Zhus? This is exactly their kind of stunt."
The four Hidden Clans each had their own unique strengths.
The Zhus excelled at divination and always dabbled in the supernatural and the occult.
This made them the most mysterious of the clans, and they rarely showed themselves in public.
The Ouyang Family was the most ancient of the Hidden Clans. Their ancestor was once a Grand Chancellor, second only to the Emperor and ruling over millions.
They had countless vassal families, and even if the Ouyangs did nothing themselves, the revenue generated by these vassals alone was an astronomical sum.
It's rumored that the Ouyang Family has a mysterious unit; no one they've ever marked for death has escaped. For this reason, no one dares to provoke them.
The second-ranked Fifth Clan descended from a leader of the Imperial Guard and had also produced a famously formidable general. Everyone in their family inherited a strong constitution.
Each member was a martial arts prodigy. They possessed a set of ancient martial arts passed down through their lineage, and anyone who mastered it was a true expert!
They were also the clan most likely to be able to train Death Warriors.
As for the Xiao Family, their greatest strength was strategy. Their ancestor was a Staff Officer to the Crown Prince.
Single-handedly, he guided the once-deposed Crown Prince to overturn his fate and ascend the throne as Emperor, eventually becoming the National Preceptor himself.
The Xiao Family's businesses and vassals, meanwhile, were spread across the globe.
The man never imagined someone would try to pull something on this road.
So, completely unguarded, he strode over with confidence.
He spotted the RV parked behind a copse of trees and sneered, "So dramatic."
With a disdainful smirk, the man boarded the RV without hesitation.
The moment he sat down, a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck.
Then, everything went black as he lost consciousness completely.