The two looked at each other and Qijue said softly, "Boss, once this rumor is out, we'll lose the evidence that we used to control Niu Youde."
Cao Fengchi remained silent while Cao Man stared at her.
The room was silent for a while before Cao Man suddenly asked, "Fengchi, how do I treat you?"
Cao Fengchi replied respectfully, "Fengchi, you are my own granddaughter."
Cao Man replied, "I do indeed treat you like my own granddaughter. I've been hiding in this hideous place without any children. Sooner or later, you'll be in charge of this Pavilion of Faith, so I've always kept you by my side. Do you understand?"
Cao Fengchi was overjoyed but she pretended to be scared and humble, "Third Grandpa, your granddaughter's ability is limited. Please choose someone else."
Cao Man raised her hand to stop her, "What do you think of Master's treatment of me?"
Cao Fengchi hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, "Fengchi doesn't know how to evaluate."
Cao Man sighed, "You say you don't know, but that means you know it in your heart. If I didn't rely on Niu Youde, I would've died a long time ago. But how long can such days last? Master will make a move against me sooner or later. Outsiders may not know about this, but we are well aware of it! "
At this point, Cao Man seemed to be agitated. She stood up and paced back and forth, "For House Xiahou, I've been hiding in the dark for so many years. For the family, I've been sincere, conscientious, and loyal. I've given my whole life for House Xiahou, but Xiahou Ling couldn't tolerate me and killed me for his own selfish desires! I'm afraid I'm not the only one he wants to get rid of. It's only because I'm standing in the light that if something happens to the other brothers, they'll definitely join forces with me. This makes him rather wary of me. That's why he sees me as a thorn in his side and wants to get rid of me as soon as possible! "
Cao Fengchi and Qijue were alarmed as this was the first time they heard him openly expressing his dissatisfaction towards Master.
If Cao Fengchi remembered correctly, Third Grandpa almost fell out with Niu Youde when they went to the Netherworld Governor's Mansion together.
Dong! Cao Man suddenly slammed her fist on the table and said angrily, "If I surrender and die, he will show mercy to the other brothers. Then I will die a worthy death. What's the harm in dying? But he might not let me get what I want! If I don't die, he will still have some fear and won't dare to make a move against the other brothers. But if I die, the other brothers will definitely die! House Xiahou isn't afraid of external threats, but internal strife. If Xiahou Ling is determined to do this, House Xiahou will fall at his hands sooner or later. What do you think I should do? "
How were they supposed to answer when he asked for their opinions on such a matter?
Cao Fengchi and Qi Jue hurriedly cupped their fists and said, "We pledge our lives to follow Boss!"
They could only say so. Seeing that Cao Man had said so much, they knew that if they didn't say so, they wouldn't be able to leave the Pavilion of Loyalty and Justice alive …
The green mountains were high and the moon shone brightly. A lone boat drifted along with the river.
Duke Yuan sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, listening to the cries of the apes and the roars of the tigers in the mountains. He looked up at the bright moon in the night sky. He seemed free and unfettered, but his heart was extremely restless. He held a star bell in his hand and hadn't made a sound for a long time.
The Netherworld Governor's Office had tried to contact him several times, but he didn't dare to respond because he suddenly received an unbelievable message. It was from his father, Xiahou Ta!
The star bell in his hand, which was specially used to contact his father, hadn't moved since his father's death. It was just a souvenir, a reminiscence!
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the Star Bell would send him a message again one day.
When the star bell woke up again, he couldn't believe it. He thought he was dreaming, and his hand holding the star bell was trembling.
But it turned out that he wasn't dreaming. It was really a message from his father. Only then did he realize that his father wasn't dead. His father had just moved from the light to the dark and had been watching everything that happened in House Xiahou coldly. His father's passing was just a cover-up, a fake death!
Xiahou Ta didn't answer him too much. He only said, "You've been exposed. Niu Youde already knows your background. Immediately activate the fourth generation of House Xiahou to take over your position. Disappear immediately, and the House Elders will contact you."
House Xiahou rose from his grandfather, Xiahou Chang 'an. His grandfather was the first generation, Xiahou Ta was the second, and he was the third. Activating the fourth generation to take over his position meant that he was officially letting go of his power in House Xiahou.
As for the House Elders, it was also founded by Xiahou Ta. It was the most mysterious existence in House Xiahou. Not everyone in House Xiahou could enter. Only those who had officially held power in House Xiahou could enter after they were exposed or retired. Only those who had officially held power in House Xiahou knew of the House Elders' existence, but they didn't know where it was. Even the old master's trusted aide, Wei Shu, didn't know. It was only when he took over this area that his father, Xiahou Tuo, officially told him about the existence of the Clan Elders Council.
After joining the House Elders, he had to hand over all of his star bells to the outside world. He had to give up all of his power and extravagant desires for the outside world in order to live in peace.
However, only someone like him who had once held power in House Xiahou was aware of the House Elders' enormous influence. According to his own guess, the House Elders' Assembly was House Xiahou's final trump card. Although the previous rulers had given up their power, it didn't mean that their influence had completely disappeared. Anyone who had managed their power for so many years would have their own people in the open and in the shadows. Once they obtained the House Elders' consent and picked up the star bells again, their influence would come into play.
The mysterious bodyguard of the House Xiahou patriarch came from the House Elders' Assembly. The outside world couldn't find out anything about him. The bodyguard didn't have any contact with the outside world either. His only responsibility was to protect the patriarch. He didn't care about anything else.
Duke Yuan even suspected that the old master had given Xiahou Ling the authority of the House Elders' Assembly. Otherwise, why would he be unable to do anything to his brothers for so many years? Now that the old master had suddenly sent him a message, it further confirmed his suspicions.
If Xiahou Ling had asked him to hand over his power without any explanation because he had been exposed, he might not have listened. However, the old master had suddenly come back from the dead and gave him an order. He didn't dare to disobey. He could only go into seclusion from now on!
As he thought of this, Duke Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged in the cool breeze and bright moon, suddenly smiled bitterly. If he didn't want to go into seclusion, the old master might not have let him know that he was still alive!
"You still haven't contacted him?"
Inside the Netherworld Governor's Manor, Miao Yi stared at Xu Tangran and asked coldly.
Seeing that Miao Yi's expression wasn't right, Xu Tangran's forehead was already covered in cold sweat. He cursed Duke Yuan's eighteen generations of ancestors in his heart and said awkwardly, "I don't know where he went. There has been no response until now. I will continue to contact him until he is contacted!"
Beside him, Yang Zhaoqing also frowned. He had also contacted Duke Yuan, but he couldn't get in touch with him either.
Miao Yi waved his hand and shouted, "It's useless to just contact him. Go investigate!"
"Yes, yes, yes. I will go investigate now!" Xu Tangran nodded his head and bowed. He quickly turned around and left. After leaving the hall, he lifted his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat off his forehead. He realized that the aura that Miao Yi was subconsciously emitting was becoming more and more oppressive.
Not having to face that oppressive aura, he could finally heave a sigh of relief. However, he was cursing Duke Yuan in his heart. 'Did something happen to him?'
In the back hall, Yang Qing slowly walked out and came to Miao Yi's side. His gaze was solemn as he asked, "Why did he suddenly disappear at this time?"
Miao Yi's expression was indeed ugly. He was about to borrow Duke Yuan's mouth to exert pressure on Cao Man and force her to submit, but Duke Yuan suddenly disappeared at this time. Miao Yi was caught unprepared.
Yang Zhaoqing said, "Logically speaking, he shouldn't know that his identity has been exposed. Could something have happened to him?"
Yang Qing slowly shook his head and said, "Duke Yuan's position in the Xiahou Family is not ordinary. The security measures that he should have would not be lacking. The possibility of something happening to him without even the slightest sign of movement is not high. If something really did happen, it would be reassuring. What I'm afraid of is that … he didn't disappear earlier or later. Why did he have to disappear at this time?" His eyes flickered with suspicion.
At this moment, Miao Yi suddenly took out the Starbell. After contacting someone for a while, he put it down and remained silent.
Yang Qing waited for a while, then couldn't help but ask, "Milord, what's wrong?"
"When Cao Man contacted me, he only said one thing."
"What did he say?"
"He doesn't know anything about what happened to Xiahou Ling!"
Yang Zhaoqing let out a sigh of relief. "It seems that Cao Man has finally made up his mind to sit on that position. He doesn't want to bear any responsibility, and wants to borrow Milord's hand. In this way, there's no need to pressure him anymore. It won't be a problem even if Duke Yuan is around."
The corner of Miao Yi's mouth twitched. He coldly said, "Duke Yuan suddenly disappeared, and Cao Man agreed. Why do I feel that something is amiss when these two things are put together?"
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