"Master," a man carrying a sword at his waist entered calmly and addressed one of the middle-aged men at the table.
Without lifting his eyes from the map before him, the man simply grunted, "Hmm."
The servant, after receiving approval from his master, silently moved to one corner of the room. Meanwhile, a bald, middle-aged man stood at the side of the table finally spoke, his gaze still fixed on the map. "Brother Lee, do you really think it's with the Wu family?"
A few moments of silence followed. Then, "Brother Han, don't you remember what happened two years ago? It has to be with the Wu family. Given the greed of that town lord, there's no way he'd have let it fall into someone else's hands."
"Wouldn't you agree?" Lee asked with a faint smile, looking the eyes of the man across from him.
Two years ago, the town lord's family, along with their allied households, had heard from one of the loose-lipped servants of the Lu family that the Lu family had returned from the city with a scroll. Supposedly, it contained the method to advance past the Martial Peak stage. Without a second thought or confirmation, they'd greedily plotted to seize it from the Lu family, a plan that eventually led to the Lu clan's ambush during an expedition and pushed Lu Yang into his current circumstances.
"But what if the Wu family really don't have it? What if everything that happened two years ago was all based on a false rumor?"
"None of that matters now," Han sighed. "If we don't deal with them, they'll certainly come for us."
"Hahaha!"
Lee laughed heartily. "You're right, Brother Han! We both know they've been plotting to attack us for months."
Then, his gaze sharpened as he looked directly at Han. "Those dogs had planned to make their move tomorrow night.
"If your eldest son's men hadn't gone undercover and found that out, we'd be in serious trouble now." Han nodded and spoke with an expression of agreement on his face. "My family's young ones almost exposed us two months ago, though."
For years, both the Han and Lee families had been infiltrating the Wu and Lei clans with their loyal servants, planting them as spies. While some succeeded in gaining trust, others were caught and paid with their lives.
Only two months prior, a similar incident had almost brought disaster. A Han family servant, despite warnings from the young master to "avoid shaving your head," had done so and been discovered. This made the Wu and Lei families wary, prompting them to tighten surveillance on their household staff.
While mishaps like these were common, the incident's timing had been especially perilous for the Han and Lee families, given the current tension.
"Anyway, none of that matters now. Tonight is the night the Wu and Lei families fall," Lee declared, his voice cold as he jabbed a finger at the Wu family house on the map.
Han grinned wickedly. "Indeed, Brother Lee. The first stage of our plan is complete, so let's move on to the second."
He signaled one of the servants. "Bring them in."
Moments later, Lee turned to Han, a hint of worry in his voice. "Brother Han, do you think the boys can really pull this off? You know the town lord is a Seventh Level Martial Master. If they fail, the whole plan will be for nothing."
"Hahaha! Don't worry, Brother Lee. Even if the two of them attack together, they don't stand a chance. But we aren't expecting them to win. What matters is that they use the poison we spent a fortune on to infect the lord's blood and escape before he kill them."
Han's expression grew serious. "As long as the town lord hasn't reached the Martial Peak, there's still a chance for this to work."
"Martial Peak, huh…" Lee muttered, just as a servant returned and announced, "Master, the young masters are here."
Lee ignored the servant. "Enter," he called.
A few seconds later, two young men stepped into the room. Both appeared to be in their late twenties. One with a shiny, bald head and a long metal staff in his hand, the other with waist-length black hair and a sword at his waist. They bowed slightly, greeting the family leaders in unison. "We greet the leaders of the families."
Seeing the young men, Lee chuckled. "The younger generation truly has potential. They'll handle it."
Han agreed, laughing as well. "Yes, very true."
"Dad, Martial uncle, is it time for what you told us about? Is that why you called us?" the Lee family's long-haired young master asked, looking seriously at the family leaders.
The room went silent, and both leaders scrutinized the youths.
After a short while, Lee declared, "Yes, Lee Zhong, today is the day. The future of our families rests on your shoulders."
The Han family's young master asked, "What do we need to do?"
"Patience, Han Fei," Han replied. "Your martial uncle Lee and I will explain everything. This isn't a job to be rushed. Come closer."
The young men stepped forward, anticipation in their eyes as they looked at the map.
Lee pointed at the spot marking the town's lord manor. "This stage is critical. The two of you need to take care of the town lord."
"What?!"
"What?!"
Despite knowing they'd have a significant role, neither had expected it to mean confronting the town lord himself.
"But he's a Seventh Level Martial Master! How can we fight him?"
"Exactly! We've just barely reached the Martial Master stage ourselves. We haven't even started using energy techniques yet!"
Han interrupted their panic. "Calm down. Who said anything about fighting him?"
"Now hush and listen carefully," Lee commanded. Both family leaders began explaining the details of the plan.
Meanwhile, at the town's northern gate, the academy director arrived and made his way directly toward the town lord's mansion without delay.
A short distance behind him, in the dim light, Lu Yang also approached the northern gate. With his shadow by his side and a cold expression on his face, he silently advanced toward the town.