Chapter 166: Current Situation of the Qiao Family

Within Xuanguang City, inside the central area of the Four Great Families.

In a grand and imposing manor, all bloodline descendants of the Qiao Family currently at home had gathered.

At this moment, anxiety covered every face present. Their brows were tightly furrowed, seemingly encountering some kind of crisis.

At this point, a middle-aged man spoke.

“Mother, with the Old Ancestor and Father currently missing, the outer perimeter of the family is already being tightly watched by the other three families. Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?!”

As the man spoke, someone immediately followed up:

“Yes, Mother, I think we should take advantage of the night and escape from the Qiao Residence through the underground passage. If we wait any longer, I’m afraid they’ll lose patience and sever the bloodline of our Qiao Family!”

“Eldest and Second Brother speak reasonably. These three families are not the merciful type. Right now, they’re only hesitating because the Old Ancestor is missing, and they want to use us as bait. But what if… what if… the Old Ancestor and Father are already…”

“Enough, all of you, shut up!”

The white-haired elder sitting in the center shouted coldly, and everyone immediately lowered their heads, not daring to speak further.

After a moment, the youngest man among the third generation of the Qiao Family stepped forward and tentatively said:

“Mother, I have an idea!”

The elder looked at her youngest son and nodded.

“Speak.”

“Your son believes that right now, we cannot place all our hopes on a single bet. We might as well let some of the younger generation leave early. The family’s secret passage doesn’t lead directly out of the city. If a large group suddenly appears, it would easily draw attention. But a small group might have a chance of slipping through unnoticed. We should let the juniors find a way out of the city!”

“On one hand, it’s to try and locate the Old Ancestor and Father. On the other, it’s to preserve the hope of our family. Even if… even if those of us who remain are truly slaughtered by the three families, we would still have preserved the spark of the Qiao Family.”

The white-haired elder’s gaze flickered, and she finally let out a sigh.

“It is indeed the best plan for now. Does anyone have objections?”

Everyone looked at each other and all lowered their heads.

“We have no objections. As long as the younger generation has a chance to survive, we’re willing to stay and face death.”

At this moment, the man who had just spoken said again:

“Actually, it may not necessarily be a dead end. There’s something I haven’t mentioned yet.”

Upon hearing this, the eldest quickly urged:

“Oh come on, Fifth Brother! Among the Qiao Family, your brain works best. Hurry up and tell us, don’t keep us in suspense!”

The man called Fifth Brother gave a bitter smile.

What use was cleverness? This was a world where martial strength reigned supreme. No matter how smart one was, a mighty one could destroy them with a single palm.

He shook his head and pulled himself out of his thoughts.

“Actually, the juniors who make it out can send a group to Wanlin City!”

Everyone was stunned, then seemed to recall something.

“You mean Second Sister?”

“That’s right. Back then, after Second Sister passed away, things got unpleasant between us and the Ruo Family in Wanlin City. But her death wasn’t entirely their fault. Besides, didn’t we hear that the Ruo Family treats Second Sister’s child like a precious treasure? They won’t even let the child out, afraid something might happen. Now that our Qiao Family is in crisis, we might try seeking help.”

At this point, the eldest shook his head and said:

“It’s not that I look down on the Ruo Family, but they’re only a second-rate family in Wanlin City. Their strongest Family Head seems to only be at the late stage of the Divine Moon Realm. How could they possibly influence the conflict between us and the Three Great Families?”

The third brother also immediately added:

“Exactly, the Ruo Family… is even weaker than us. How could they possibly help…”

Fifth Brother shook his head.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Don’t forget the news we received some time ago. Second Sister’s child, Ruo Xi, is about to marry into one of the Three Great Families of Wanlin City — the Lan Die Family. The Lan Die Family’s strength is not inferior to our Four Great Families of Xuanguang City. They have over a dozen Divine Moon Realm mighty ones, and their Old Ancestor is even at the Solar Radiance Realm. If they’re willing to extend a helping hand, they just might help us overcome this crisis. At worst, we offer some blood, which is still better than complete annihilation.”

“Originally, we were also planning to attend Second Sister’s only daughter’s major life event. Unfortunately, with this incident, we’ve been unable to leave the city, and our niece has probably already gotten married by now!”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone exchanged glances and immediately revealed looks of hope.

Say what you will! That might actually be possible!

Although the Lan Die Family might not be willing to act on behalf of a woman, as long as the Qiao Family was willing to offer enough benefits, combined with the relationship between both sides, it might just work!

Thinking of this, everyone became a bit excited. Even the white-haired elder showed a trace of hope.

As long as they could survive this crisis, giving up some benefits—no, even half the Qiao Family’s assets—wouldn’t be too much!

“Do as Fifth Brother instructed. Have all the juniors of the fourth generation leave through the secret passage. After exiting the city, split into three groups. One will leave directly to preserve the bloodline, one will search for the Old Ancestor and the others, and the final one will take the Qiao Family’s proof and head to Wanlin City!”

“Yes!”

“Wait!”

Just then, a voice rang out.

“You all better not place your hopes on the Ruo Family or the Lan Die Family in Wanlin City!”

Qiao Family’s eldest brother’s expression changed immediately. He reacted first, launching a punch toward the darkness outside the gate!

Boom!

After a thunderous crash, the silhouettes of a man and a woman appeared in front of everyone.

“Who dares act so brazenly in my Qiao Family!”

As he finished speaking, the second brother burst forth with mid-stage Divine Moon Realm aura, and then struck a palm toward the descending pair.

“Tsk tsk, such hostility. Looks like the situation really is as dire as expected!”

Gu Fan’s right hand wrapped protectively around Ruo Xi, while his left fist punched again, and a terrifying gray fist aura directly shattered the opponent’s hand seal!

The powerful shockwave forced the eldest and second brothers to retreat repeatedly.

Gu Fan gently landed, waved his robe, and scattered the dust.

“No need to be tense, everyone. It wasn’t easy for me to sneak in while avoiding the surveillance outside.”

Ruo Xi, meeting her maternal relatives for the first time, timidly stayed behind Gu Fan.

The white-haired old woman looked coldly at the two young people in front of her, eyes filled with astonishment.

At such a young age, to be able to repel the eldest and second brothers alone—his strength was no small matter!

“And who might the two of you be? Sneaking into the Qiao Family at night—do you think the current state of our Qiao Family makes us easy targets?”

Gu Fan didn’t mind the tone and smiled as he cupped his fists.

“There’s a misunderstanding here. I’m just responsible for delivering someone.”

“Delivering someone?”

Ignoring their questions, Gu Fan looked around, then said somewhat awkwardly:

“Judging by the looks of things… this might not have been such a good idea… Ruo Xi, maybe you should just continue wandering outside instead…”

“From the wolf’s den straight into a tiger’s lair, perhaps…”

As Gu Fan spoke, Ruo Xi stood to the side and responded resolutely:

“In my view, having true family companionship is far more important than anything else. Danger is danger. Wandering alone out there isn’t exactly safe either.”

At this moment, the Qiao Family members were stunned upon hearing the name ‘Ruo Xi’. They immediately looked toward the girl beside Gu Fan.

“Ruo Xi? If I remember correctly, Second Brother’s daughter was named Ruo Xi, right?”

“Didn’t Fifth Brother just mention our niece’s name was Ruo Xi?!”

Everyone was struck speechless. What on earth was going on?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep