Floating Immortal Order

Chapter 134 – Conflict

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In Nourishing Heart Hall, a grand banquet was taking place. Both the hosts and guests were making merry and enjoying themselves as they drank and gambled.

Amidst the din, a sudden loud voice attracted everyone’s gazes.

“Regional Lord, Father, Ye Zhaixing has long since had a disloyal heart. He is a malicious person with the face of a human but the heart of a beast!”

As everyone stared at the person who spoke, the hall went silent for a moment before being thrown into an uproar.

The speaker just now was unexpectedly Xu Xiao’s eldest son, Xu Fu!

He was the young master of the Xu Clan, and as Xu Xiao’s eldest son, he would surely inherit the position of Patriarch in the future and rule over the entire Xu Clan, as long as nothing untowards occurred.

However, the appearance of Ye Zhaixing had led him to feel an intense sense of pressure.

Although Ye Zhaixing was originally an outsider to the family, the Ye Clan had already been assimilated into the Xu Clan. His wife, Xu Yan, also frequently received gifts from the exalted Youyang Dao Palace. And by the looks of it, Ye Zhaixing would be able to break through to the Xiantian stage in just a few more years!

Although Xu Qinying, the Grand Elder of the Council of Elders, had already reached the Xiantian stage, he no longer involved himself with matters related to the clan. The Ruyang Region was being ruled by Xu Chaoyang, the Regional Lord, so the one who held authority in the Xu Clan right now was Xu Xiao, the current Patriarch.

However, Xu Xiao had both explicitly and implicitly hinted on multiple occasions that he would be entrusting Ye Zhaixing with a heavy amount of responsibility after he broke through to the Xiantian stage.

As the legitimate heir, Xu Fu was only an ordinary Houtian martial artist. How could he measure up to Ye Zhaixing?

Xu Fu had used all the power at his disposal to incite several forces to look into the matters that Ye Zhaixing was trying meticulously to cover up. At this celebratory banquet that was being held to celebrate their achievements, Xu Fu spoke up brazenly to put Ye Zhaixing in a checkmate and bring him to ruin!

“Fu’er, please don’t babble any more nonsense here. It would be better for you to stand down,” Xu Xiao said lightly, his displeased gaze flashing with a cold light. Xu Xiao was seated adjuvant to Xu Chaoyang and Zhao Huichun, so he couldn’t flare up and heavily reprimand Xu Fu here.

Ye Zhaixing’s expression contorted as he seemed to think of something. He was about to stand up, but Xu Yan, who was at his side, pulled down on his sleeve. He sat back down in his seat with an ugly expression on his face.

Xu Fu glanced at Regional Lord Xu Chaoyang, who was seated in the seat of honor. Seeing his expressionless face, he gritted his teeth and said loudly, “It is all too clear that Ye Zhaixing has predatory inclinations!”

He turned to look at the occupants of the packed hall. Almost all of them were people of power in the Ruyang and Lin’an Regions. Their expressions were diverse as they waited for his next words.

He cleared his throat and when he spoke, his tone held a greater resentment within. “After the Guo Clan was wiped out, Ye Zhaixing stealthily ordered people to gather up several married women of the Guo Clan. They are being stored in Hidden Phoenix Pavilion. Sister Yan, are you aware of this or not?”

Xu Yan laughed gently and said, “Big Brother, isn’t it very common to have multiple wives or concubines?”

Be that as it may, her bright and beautiful appearance from her juvenile days had dimmed somewhat. Beneath the table, her grip on Ye Zhaixing’s hand tightened.

Ye Zhaixing’s expression became even more unsightly. He got to his feet, seeming to want to block Xu Fu from speaking his next words.

Many people had contemplative expressions. If this matter were really that simple, Xu Fu would not have openly accused Ye Zhaixing like this. There had to be some kind of story behind it.

Xu Fu’s complexion was ruthless as he spoke word for word. “Our Ruyang Xu Clan was searching all over the place for Guo Ruoxi, a member of the Guo Clan with Grade 4 Dao Channels. But as it turns out, Ye Zhaixing has her locked up in the Hidden Phoenix Pavilion!”

“What?!”
“Something like this really happened?”
“The Regional Lord dispatched people multiple times to search, but to no avail. Who could have thought…”
“Could it be, the Ye Clan and the Guo Clan…?”
“This…”

Everyone’s expressions began to change. Beneath the table, Ye Zhaixing gripped Xu Yan’s hand even tighter. For several moments, he couldn’t say anything.

“Zhaixing, do you have an explanation for this?” Xu Xiao asked, his expression gloomy as he eyed Ye Zhaixing. As the Patriarch and Ye Zhaixing’s father-in-law, he wasn’t happy with this.

Ye Zhaixing glanced over at the two Xiantian stage martial artists. Zhao Huichun’s expression was indifferent, simply drinking and minding his own business.

On the other hand, Regional Lord Xu Chaoyang was furrowing his brows deeply, and he was even already letting out a hint of killing intent. Ye Zhaixing couldn’t stop his heart from trembling upon seeing this, and he hurriedly spoke up. “Regional Lord, father-in-law, my Ye Clan has already been taken into the Xu Clan. I am not colluding with the Guo Clan whatsoever.”

In fact, he simply admired Guo Ruoxi’s charm. She was 16 years old, had Grade 4 Dao Channels, and was extremely beautiful. She had been hiding amongst a peasant family with a few of her maids and bodyguards when one of Ye Zhaixing’s close aides happened to find her.

Upon seeing this girl, Ye Zhaixing’s heart stirred violently. He directly commanded his people to deliver her to Hidden Phoenix Pavilion. In the face of her captivating beauty, he momentarily overlooked her status as the granddaughter of Guo Nansu.

If it was in the past, this would have been fine. And even under the present circumstances where the Guo Clan was now extinct, there wasn’t a serious issue with him keeping Guo Ruoxi as a concubine.

However, Xu Chaoyang had issued a strict order, stating that they would not be taking any prisoners from the Guo Clan. As a talent with Grade 4 Dao Channels, Guo Ruoxi was one of their most important search targets.

The other people in the hall naturally knew that Ye Zhaixing didn’t have any intention of colluding with the Guo Clan. After all, the Guo Clan was already wiped out, and the Ye Clan belonged to the Xu Clan.

But Xu Fu brought up this matter so publicly in the middle of this banquet. The timing he chose was simply too crafty. Yet with this, he had pretty much lost all face for Xu Chaoyang and the Xu Clan!

What kind of existence was the Xu Clan? What about their dignity and honor?

Xu Chaoyang swept his gaze over the commotion that was happening in Nourishing Heart Hall and said firmly, “Silence.”

In just a few breaths of time, the grand hall went dead silent. All of their gazes turned to Xu Chaoyang, waiting to see how he would deal with Ye Zhaixing.

If he let him go lightly, the Xu Clan’s face would suffer considerable damage. Although the clans wouldn’t openly disobey the Xu Clan, they would inevitably complain behind their backs. There wasn’t much that could be done to avoid this.

Aside from the fact that Ye Zhaixing would almost undoubtedly become one of the Xu Clan’s Xiantian stage martial artists in the future, he and Xu Yan also had a loose connection with the Dao Palace. These factors had to be considered in dealing with him heavy-handedly.

Xu Chaoyang was always firm in his decision to kill, yet right now, he showed a rare hint of hesitation.

Xu Yan’s expression was anxious, and she didn’t dare to speak up. The clan’s rules were strict. In this situation, there was no place for a woman like her to speak.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiao’s expression was ugly as he looked at Ye Zhaixing.

After all, he had promoted Ye Zhaixing and even put him in charge of a battalion consisting of 200 troops of the Ruyang Army. But with this matter, Xu Chaoyang’s blame would also fall upon him since he was the Patriarch. It was difficult for him to avoid reproach in this matter.

In the lowest status seats of the banquet hall were Jin Wuyou, Ye Fantian, and other youths of the various clans. Xu Qian, Xu Ziyu, and other younger generation members of the Xu Clan were also present. None of them uttered a word, remaining completely silent as they watched the situation unfold in the banquet hall.

After a few breaths of time, Xu Chaoyang seemed to have made up his mind. After all, Ye Zhaixing had cultivated at the Youyang Dao Palace. If he dealt with him rashly here, he couldn’t be certain what kind of subsequent troubles might occur.

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