Chapter 24

Securing the tenth position, I present a chapter.

Throughout the meeting, Xu Haoliang was so angry that his face turned red and his neck swelled, but his status was not as high as that of the city lord, the Xiao family, or the Wu family patriarchs, and his cultivation was not as strong as theirs. Li Wanpeng, Xiao Rugui, and Wu Meng seemed to be secretly forming an alliance, so Xu Haoliang could not compete with them and had to swallow his anger and accept the situation, returning to his family in a dejected manner.

When he recounted the meeting's content to the hall masters and elders who had waited for him all night, the hall erupted like a pot of oil splashed with cold water.

Xu Haobo and others who were not on Xu Haoliang's side immediately criticized him for his poor handling of the situation, saying that if the clan leader had not been in a coma, this would never have happened. Those who were on Xu Haoliang's side remained silent, thinking that Xu Haoliang had indeed mishandled the matter, practically offering his face to be slapped.

They argued without reaching a conclusion, but the city lord's residence, the Xiao family, and the Wu family immediately took action. They closed their shops, stopped selling medicinal herbs and talismans, and sent people to buy from the Xu family's shops. The city lord's residence and the Xiao and Wu families were busy, urgently refining pills and making talismans.

Only the Xu family's shops had not received any notice and continued to sell their goods, happily counting money in the stores. After counting the money, the shopkeepers closed their shops and rushed to the family compound to report to the hall masters.

When the reports reached the main hall, the Xu family's high-ranking members realized they had been outmaneuvered again, and the hall erupted once more.

Xu Haoliang was also extremely angry. He waved his sleeves, his face darkening to the point of almost touching his feet. He shouted loudly:

"Stop arguing! The clan is at a critical moment of survival. Look at what you're doing! Can you argue your way to a solution?"

Everyone pursed their lips, thinking that it was all because of his mishandling. However, they also felt that their clan was in danger in the capital city, and continuing to argue would only harm their clan, so they fell silent, lowering their heads.

Xu Haoliang took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and said in a softer tone:

"Let's do this: Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Twelfth Brother, along with Seventeenth Brother, will take five hundred inner hall disciples and five hundred outer hall disciples to the Mystic Valley to block the demonic beasts."

Xu Haobo immediately objected. The people Xu Haoliang sent were all from the clan leader's line. Wasn't this sending them to their deaths? This would weaken the clan leader's power while preserving his own. With this increase and decrease, wouldn't his power eventually surpass the clan leader's? So, Xu Haobo said with a mocking tone:

"Then what does Ninth Brother plan to do at home?"

Xu Haoliang glanced at Xu Haobo calmly and said coolly, "The situation in the capital city is unclear. I need to stay in the clan to deal with emergencies. What's wrong? Second Brother, are you unwilling to serve the clan? If so, you can stay in the clan, and I will go to the Mystic Valley with Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Twelfth Brother, and Seventeenth Brother."

Xu Haobo dared not let Xu Haoliang take his people to the Mystic Valley, as that would only strengthen Xu Haoliang. He was at a loss, his mind in a mess.

"It's settled. Immediately close the clan's shops temporarily. The alchemists and talisman makers in the clan should start refining pills and making talismans immediately, then distribute them to the disciples according to their cultivation levels. We will set out the day after tomorrow."

Xu Haomiao pursed his lips, flung his sleeves, and muttered as he walked out of the hall:

"Temporarily close the clan's shops? Do we even need to close them? Everything is already sold out."

Xu Haoliang's expression froze. He watched Xu Haomiao leave, gritted his teeth, and suppressed his anger, thinking:

"We'll see if you have the chance to return from the Mystic Valley."

Putting aside the internal strife among the high-ranking members, the orders were passed down layer by layer. The outer hall also received the orders. After finishing her meditation and washing up, Xu Ziyun heard the "bang bang" knocking on the door.

Xu Ziyun walked to the door and opened it, her expression stunned. She saw a crowd of people standing outside, including Xu Li and Xu Qingxue, among thirty or so new disciples, all looking anxious.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?"

Seeing the large number of people, Xu Ziyun couldn't let them all in, so she asked from the doorway.

"Sister Ziyun, the city lord has ordered our clan to send disciples to block the demonic beasts outside the city. We need to send five hundred people from the outer hall. What should we do?" Xu Li asked anxiously.

Xu Ziyun's heart sank, but she knew she couldn't make the decision. Her best bet was to have her second uncle keep her in the clan. At this point, she didn't know that her second uncle had also been sent out by Xu Haoliang. However, Xu Ziyun didn't want to stay in the clan. She was eager to go out and see the demonic beasts. Last time, she only watched from the city walls and didn't experience the battle firsthand. She knew that battle was the best way to improve her cultivation, and just staying at home to practice was not a viable path.

In her heart, Xu Ziyun had already decided to go out and participate in the clan's action this time, and she was well-prepared. Looking at the anxious faces of the new disciples, she said calmly:

"Going out to see things is good. We can't stay in the clan forever."

"Agreed!"

As soon as Xu Ziyun finished speaking, she heard a voice of approval. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of people coming from the back. The four leaders of the outer hall's four factions were at the front: Xu Gan, the leader of the Brave Gang; Xu Wen, the leader of the Brocade Gang; Xu Tianxiao, the leader of the Sky Soaring Gang; and Xu Dongxue, the leader of the Plum Blossom Gang.

Xu Ziyun looked over the shoulders of the crowd and saw that Xu Gan was tall and muscular, with bulging muscles and fierce eyes. Xu Wen wore a white robe and held a folding fan, fanning himself even in the cold, looking quite conceited. Xu Ziyun thought he must not be afraid of the cold.

Xu Tianxiao was of medium build but very agile, with sharp eyes. Xu Dongxue was dressed in bright red, her eyes sparkling with charm.

Old and new friends, if you think the book is still short, you can follow it and check out my previous book "Phoenix Song of Song," which is linked below.

[bookid=1745284, bookname=Phoenix Song of Song]

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