The moment Wang Xianxian stepped into the ancestral hall, he immediately sensed an oppressive atmosphere.
The great hall was solemn, and seated around the chairs were the elders—members of the upper echelon of the Wang family.
Although not everyone was present, most of those who resided within the Heavenly Sword ancestral mansion had come.
Sitting at the head of the hall was an elderly man with a full head of white hair—this was the family's Tenth Elder.
The Tenth Elder was not only powerful but held immense status and seniority. He had only emerged from seclusion a few hours ago.
Unbothered by his surroundings, the Tenth Elder simply sat on his high seat, eyes closed in meditation.
It was as if a deity resided within him, and just his presence exuded a terrifying, suffocating pressure.
Seated below the Tenth Elder was the current family head, Wang Xiao.
Wang Xiao was Wang Jiannian's father, making him Wang Xianxian's grandfather.
Beside Wang Xiao sat a young man.
Wang Beichen!
Wang Beichen was always surrounded by adoring relatives. No matter where he went, he was the center of attention.
Because he was Wang Beichen—the top prodigy of the Wang family's current generation.
The family head looked at Wang Xianxian, who was standing at the back, with furrowed brows and a trace of displeasure in his voice.
"Wang Xianxian, do you know why you were summoned here?"
Under the weight of his grandfather's imposing presence, Wang Xianxian immediately bowed.
"Replying to Grandfather, I do not know."
"Do not know?" Wang Xiao snorted coldly, "Are you truly ignorant, or are you pretending?"
Wang Xianxian was puzzled; to his memory, he hadn't done anything wrong.
Seeing the confusion on his grandson's face, Wang Xiao asked sternly, "Do you know what people are saying about your father out there?"
Wang Xianxian's body trembled violently as he started to realize the seriousness of the situation.
Seeing his grandson remain silent, the family head laughed angrily.
"They're saying that our Wang family is raising a bastard child at home!"
"For the entire 9,800 years of our Heavenly Sword Wang family's history, you're the only one who has awakened such a pathetic profession."
"Do you realize your mistake?"
With his head lowered, Wang Xianxian felt a sense of desolation wash over him, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"May I ask, Family Head, what mistake have I made?"
"What mistake?" Wang Xiao's gaze darkened. "Our Wang family has become the laughingstock of the world because of you, and you still ask what your mistake is!"
Wang Xianxian raised his head to look at his grandfather, who sat high on his throne.
"Was the profession I awakened something I could control?"
"Did I ever wish to disgrace the family's honor?"
"A bastard? The imperial bloodline would naturally sense any familial connection. Do you not already know whether I'm a bastard or not?"
The boy's bold question caused Wang Xiao's expression to turn grim.
He hadn't expected that the usually silent and submissive Wang Xianxian would have the courage to talk back to him in public.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Wang Jiannian stepped out from the crowd and knelt before his father, knocking his head against the floor in submission.
"A father is to blame for the faults of his child. It's my failure to properly educate him, and I am willing to bear the punishment in his place."
"I ask all the elders to consider that Xianxian is still young and to give him one more chance."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xianxian's heart sank.
He didn't believe that his father would protect him in such a way. The fact that Wang Jiannian would say something like this could only mean he was putting on a show.
And performing here meant that the situation was still under Wang Jiannian's control.
In an instant, Wang Xianxian realized that he might have been set up.
Sure enough, as this thought crossed his mind, Wang Xiao spoke indifferently.
"Take the punishment in his place? Do you even know why I called Wang Xianxian here today?"
"The reason I summoned him here is for the case of the stolen Cold Orchid Heart."
"A short while ago, the Murong family gifted our Wang family with a precious treasure, the Cold Orchid Heart, to celebrate Beichen's breakthrough to the Blood Refinement Realm."
"However, on the very night it was gifted, the Cold Orchid Heart mysteriously disappeared."
"As such, I assigned Wang Beichen to personally investigate the case."
"Beichen, tell the elders the truth behind the theft of the Cold Orchid Heart."
At his grandfather's words, Wang Beichen stood up proudly.
"Elders, after two weeks of investigation, the thief has been identified as none other than my older brother, Wang Xianxian."
Wang Beichen's voice echoed loudly through the empty ancestral hall.
Everyone present was shocked, turning their gaze toward Wang Jiannian, who knelt before the family head.
Those qualified to attend such meetings were no fools; most of them were cunning old foxes well-versed in scheming.
Hearing Wang Beichen's words, they immediately understood the implication.
They were astonished by Wang Jiannian's ruthlessness—he was willing to sacrifice his own eldest son!
However, despite their understanding, none of them were willing to offend Wang Jiannian.
After all, it was very likely that the family head himself had approved of this!
One of the senior members narrowed his eyes and spoke cautiously, "Are you certain? This is a grave matter; we must be careful not to wrongly accuse the child."
Wang Jiannian abruptly stood up, angrily shouting at Wang Beichen.
"You insolent brat! I told you to investigate the thief, and you dare accuse your own brother!"
Despite his father's scolding, Wang Beichen protested, "The Cold Orchid Heart was mine to begin with, which is why Grandfather entrusted me with this investigation."
"Father, I know you don't want to accept this truth, but we have both witnesses and evidence."
"Moreover, this investigation was conducted in collaboration with other family elders. Even Fifth Uncle is aware of the situation."
"I have confirmed it repeatedly precisely because he is my brother, and there is no doubt that he is the culprit."
"According to the family rules, stealing a family treasure warrants a whipping and expulsion from the family. But I'm hesitant to decide…"
Hearing this, Wang Xiao spoke in a stern voice.
"Any family member who violates the family rules is not entitled to special privileges—not even my own grandson!"
Wang Jiannian appeared stunned, as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"Xianxian couldn't have done this. Although he has many faults, he's not…"
"Hmph!" Wang Xiao snorted coldly. "This is the son you raised!"
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a black robe stepped forward. It was Wang Jianquan, Wang Xianxian's Fifth Uncle and Wang Jiannian's right-hand man.
"Family Head, I don't think we can entirely blame Third Brother for this."
"Both Beichen and Xianxian are Third Brother's children, yet Beichen is kind and well-mannered. Why?"
"At first, I didn't believe that Third Brother's child could do something like this."
"But Xianxian was raised by Mo Wange, after all."
"What could we expect from a child raised by a drunk?"
"Isn't Beichen outstanding because Third Brother and Sister-in-law raised him well?"
"Surely, Xianxian didn't receive proper guidance as a child, which led him to commit such a crime."
"Mo Wange has long harbored resentment toward our Wang family and must have passed that bitterness onto Xianxian."
"Besides, that drunkard spends every day in a drunken stupor, engaging in all sorts of indecency... Ah!!"
A scream pierced through the ancestral hall.
Everyone turned to see Wang Xianxian clinging tightly to Wang Jianquan's left arm.
The boy's head was buried deep in his uncle's arm, and no one knew what had happened or why Wang Jianquan was screaming in agony.
Even though Wang Jianquan was weak in martial arts, he shouldn't have been screaming like that because of a child.
The guards in the hall quickly separated the two.
The moment they were pulled apart, Wang Jianquan clutched his left hand in pain.
Upon closer inspection, the crowd was horrified to find that a small portion of Wang Jianquan's left thumb had been bitten off.
Blood was spurting from the wound!
And the culprit was none other than the boy they had all ignored—the silent youth had bitten off a piece of his elder's thumb!
"Hehehe…"
Wang Xianxian spat out the piece of flesh and began laughing wildly.
With blood still lingering on his lips and teeth, Wang Xianxian appeared terrifyingly sinister.
Wang Jianquan, furious and in pain, shouted at the laughing boy, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!"
Hearing this, Wang Xianxian glanced at his uncle mockingly and sneered.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that insulting a child's mother in front of him is a lowly thing to do?"
"Oh~ or maybe it's because, as a fool, you weren't raised properly as a child, which is why you do such things."
"Today, I'm giving you a lesson. Insulting someone's mother in front of their child will lead to retaliation."
"Oh, and this time, your tuition fee is just one finger!"
His words stunned everyone present!
The hall fell into a stunned silence, filled with shock and disbelief at Wang Xianxian's audacity.