"Whoever dares to help the Wang family is my enemy!" Xiao Chen declared coldly, his icy gaze sweeping around, causing the crowd to tremble in fear.
"Xiao Chen! Do you intend to exterminate us all?" A few people, carrying the severely injured Wang He, shouted angrily. Wang He's qi sea was destroyed, turning him into a cripple for life. Wang Xuan's fists were shattered by Xiao Chen, also rendering him a cripple, and Wang Kongyuan was severely injured by Xiao Chen. Without the aid of medicinal pills, it would take years for him to recover.
This battle had severely damaged the Wang family's vitality, leaving them completely unable to recover! They had been utterly defeated by Xiao Chen, a mere 15-year-old boy from the Xiao family. Xiao Chen alone had heavily injured three of the Wang family's top experts.
Xiao Chen's cold gaze fell on Wang Kongshan as he said indifferently, "Exterminate you? Hasn't your Wang family always intended to exterminate my Xiao family? Not killing you now is already the limit of my mercy! I initially planned to deal with your Wang family slowly, letting you step by step into an abyss. Unfortunately, you were too impatient."
Killing is not the best way to make up for a loss; the best way is to make the enemy live in perpetual pain and fear! This was Xiao Chen's method of slaughter—a rising genius in Fengyue City!
"Chen'er, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Xiao Changfeng hurried over, his face full of concern.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Father. I am fine."
"As long as you're fine! As long as you're fine!" Xiao Changfeng said happily, still somewhat unable to believe that his son had grown so powerful. It all felt like a dream; in the past, Xiao Changfeng wouldn't have dared to imagine such a thing.
"Brother Xiao Chen, you're amazing! You even defeated Wang He!" Xiao Ling exclaimed excitedly, circling around Xiao Chen like a little cat.
"Young Master, you're incredible! You avenged our Xiao family this time! I admire you so much!" An excited Xiao family disciple said, his face red with excitement.
"Young Master, from now on, we'll follow you!" The Xiao family disciples surrounded Xiao Chen, unable to conceal their excitement and joy.
"Wang He, the reason your Wang family suffered such a tragic defeat this time is due to your family's ambition and lack of contentment. The current outcome is your own doing, pushing the Wang family into the abyss," Yang Zhengxiong said, looking at the severely injured Wang He.
"The matters of my Wang family are none of your business!" Wang He said weakly, his eyes full of malice as he glared at Xiao Chen. "Xiao Chen, I am unwilling to accept this. The efforts of my Wang family over decades have been wasted. I am unwilling!"
"There is no medicine for regret. You have to eat the bitter fruit of your own making!" Xiao Chen said coldly, without a trace of pity.
"Xiao Chen, I have some questions for you." At this moment, Yang Zhengxiong looked at Xiao Chen.
"Patriarch Yang, please speak," Xiao Chen said lightly.
Yang Zhengxiong nodded and then smiled, "Liu Jiangyun was assassinated by the Wang family, but was secretly saved. My daughter was also secretly kidnapped by the Wang family but was also saved. If my guess is correct, the one who saved them must be you, Xiao Chen. In Fengyue City, only you have the strength to repel five Bigu stage experts simultaneously."
"What? It was you behind this!" Wang Kongshan was immediately furious upon hearing this.
"Xiao Chen, Yang Zhengxiong is quite smart, figuring it out was your doing," the Ancient White Tiger transmitted telepathically.
Xiao Chen glanced at Yang Zhengxiong and then smiled lightly, "Since Patriarch Yang has said it, let me make it clear. It was indeed me who saved Liu Jiangyun and Yang Meng'er."
"What? Chen'er, you did all this? When did you do it?" Xiao Changfeng asked in shock, clearly unaware of these events.
"Xiao Chen, didn't you say you keep your word? Since the Xiao family and the Yang family have nothing to do with each other, why did you intervene to save them?" Yang Changfeng asked harshly, seemingly displeased with Xiao Chen's inconsistency.
"You are mistaken. I did not intervene in the Yang family's affairs; I was merely stopping the Wang family," Xiao Chen said calmly, looking at Yang Changfeng. "I have known since I was young that the Wang family is ambitious. Even though I was considered a waste, I was not useless. I could see things that you couldn't. When I returned and learned that the Xiao family had been oppressed by the Wang family for years, it further confirmed the Wang family's ambition."
Pausing, Xiao Chen continued, "A family with such ambition would never be content to be under the Yang family. I thought that if everyone in Fengyue City knew the Xiao family had completely declined, the Wang family would shift their target. So I closed the last shop of the Xiao family, and the Wang family indeed targeted the Yang family. This way, the Xiao family could stay out of trouble. If the already fallen Xiao family was further oppressed, wouldn't it be a joke to the people of Fengyue City?"
"I see. I was wondering why Xiao Chen closed the last shop back then," Xiao Yuntian said, nodding in realization.
"Gu Yan, it's exactly as you guessed! This Xiao Chen is terrifying! Such a brilliant strategy was actually devised by him," Yaoyao said in shock. Hearing Xiao Chen's words, she couldn't help but believe it was true.
"Xiao Chen was considered a waste in the past, but he was always very smart. I had heard this before, which is why I dared to speculate boldly. I didn't expect it to be true," Gu Yan said, feeling proud of his accurate guess.
"How did you know the Wang family was targeting Liu Jiangyun?" Yang Zhengxiong asked curiously.
Xiao Chen slowly explained, "Of course, I found out from the Wang family. I sneaked into the Wang family and learned that their primary target was Liu Jiangyun. Liu Jiangyun is the only third-grade alchemist in Fengyue City, invited by the Yang family. If he were killed, the Yang family's financial resources would be cut off, allowing the Wang family to seize business opportunities. Over time, the Yang family would gradually decline, and that would be the Wang family's opportunity to strike."
"The Wang family has deep enmity with my Xiao family. Knowing their plot, I naturally had to stop them. I also knew that as a third-grade alchemist, Liu Jiangyun would have some eccentricities. When he wasn't killed, the Yang family, particularly with Madam Yang's proud personality, wouldn't let the family lose face and would have to give Liu Jiangyun an explanation, leading to a counterattack against the Wang family. I just took advantage of the situation, so I didn't intervene in the Yang family's affairs."
"Brilliant! Using the Wang family's ambition and borrowing the Yang family's hand to suppress them! Excellent!" Xiao Changfeng couldn't help but praise, feeling more and more impressed by Xiao Chen.
"Father, you're exaggerating. Actually, you all could have thought of this, but the situation of the Xiao family made you too anxious to calm down and think," Xiao Chen said humbly with a smile.
"So, was Meng'er's case similar to Liu Jiangyun's?" Yang Zhengxiong asked, though he had already guessed the answer, he wanted to hear Xiao Chen's explanation.
Xiao Chen nodded, "That's right. After the assassination of Liu Jiangyun failed, I guessed the Wang family would have another move. So I sneaked into the Wang family again and found out they were targeting Yang Meng'er. So I stopped them again. I knew Patriarch Yang cared deeply for Yang Meng'er, and the Wang family's action would surely anger the Yang family, leading to a fierce suppression of the Wang family. Once the Wang family was in trouble, it would be time for the Xiao family to re-emerge. Before our re-emergence, I guessed the Wang family would target the formula of our Heavenly Spirit Wine, and indeed, the Wang family couldn't wait to act against us. In short, everything was due to the Wang family's ambitious nature, aiming to dominate Fengyue City."
At this point, Xiao Chen's cold gaze swept towards Wang He, and he sneered, "Wang He, how about it? Do you still feel unwilling?"
"So it was you behind all this! I suspected a traitor in the Wang family at that time! Otherwise, how could anyone know?" Wang Kongyuan shouted angrily, his heart burning with rage.
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits! Xiao Chen, you must be the biggest winner in this world. The Yang family must regret it now," Gu Yan thought to himself, admiring Xiao Chen's strategy.
Everyone present finally understood the whole situation. At this moment, the crowd looked at Xiao Chen with deep respect.
"Impressive! Xiao Chen, such a brilliant strategy. I can't believe a 15-year-old came up with this. The Xiao family didn't have to exert any effort to bring down the Wang family!" Yang Zhengxiong praised, even clasping his fists towards Xiao Chen.
"My dear wife, our Yang family has lost face! If Meng'er knows, will she resent us?" Yang Zhengxiong thought bitterly, feeling a pang of sorrow. Where could they find such a talented son-in-law now?
"Xiao Chen is too terrifying! How did we not see he was a genius back then? The Yang family must be regretting their decision bitterly now. Where are they going to find such an extraordinary son-in-law?"
"That's right! He reached the Golden Core stage at fifteen and now he's defeated Wang He. This kind of talent is rare even in a hundred years. The Yang family actually broke off the engagement back then!"
"The Yang family broke the engagement and humiliated the Xiao family. No wonder Xiao Chen refused to cooperate with them. Now, the two families are completely estranged."
"And you dare to speak? Didn't you oppose the marriage contract back then too?"
The murmurs of the onlooking cultivators reached Yang Zhengxiong's ears, leaving him with no face to stay. Filled with regret and helplessness, he left.
"Let's go!" Wang Kongshan ordered angrily, leading the Wang family members away.
"Yaoyao, we should leave too. The Wang family is completely defeated! From now on, the entire economic lifeline of Tianzhou will probably fall under the Xiao family's control," Gu Yan said with a faint smile, giving Xiao Chen an extra glance.
"Today's battle was the most spectacular I have ever seen, and Xiao Chen is the smartest person I've ever met. He's amazing!" Yaoyao exclaimed excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration, sparkling with stars.
Gu Yan's face darkened as he quickly pulled Yaoyao away, scolding, "Stop being infatuated! Xiao Chen is six years younger than you!"