"Hahaha!"
The strange silence in the room was broken by Lee Zhong's laughter.
As the other three in the room looked at him with expressions that said, "Have you lost your mind?", Lee Zhong stopped laughing, his face twisting into a sour grimace as the pain from the wound on his leg flared up.
"I thought the lord would die within a few hours after being poisoned. What a joke." Lee Zhong spoke with a tone of complaint, but then, unable to hold back his anger, he continued. "I almost bled to death. Was all of this for nothing?"
"Calm down, son. Why would it be for nothing?" Lee spoke in a soothing voice, attempting to pacify him.
"Yes, martial nephew, your father is right. Relax a little." Han chimed in, supporting Lee.
"Father, brother Lee Zhong is right. Why should we relax? We almost died." Han Fei interjected in agreement, his tone backing Lee Zhong. He continued, "What now? If it takes two days for the poison to kill a level 7 martial master, we're in trouble."
"Yes, by then the lord's body will have neared Martial Peak. And you don't believe he'll be without several Earth-Stones nearby, do you?" Lee Zhong nodded in agreement, his expression tense.
"What will we do if the lord returns as a Martial Peak practitioner in three days?" Han Fei couldn't help but speak his concerns.
Hearing the relentless stream of questions from the young men, the two family leaders exchanged exasperated glances, letting out deep sighs.
As the youths kept talking, Lee's deep voice cut through the chatter. "Enough! Didn't we tell you to think positively for once? Be quiet!"
Hearing this, the two young men immediately fell silent, and the room grew still.
Displeased by the events, the two family leaders placed their teacups on the edge of the table, while the young men, now intimidated to speak, watched them.
After setting their cups down, both family leaders lapsed into thought, their expressions contemplative. A few minutes later, Han broke the silence, looking at the youths as he asked, "Do you think the lord, after expending so much energy fighting you and being poisoned, can progress to Martial Peak without any complications?"
As Han waited silently for an answer, Han Fei and Lee Zhong frowned, contemplating the situation.
'Father has a point. Advancing from Martial Master to Martial Peak isn't easy—any misstep could cause the breakthrough to spiral out of control. But still...'
'I almost died. I hope that lord ends up in the spirit realm so we can finally be rid of him.'
Seeing the young men's expressions soften slightly after some thought, Lee clapped his hands together. "Now that you realize our situation isn't as dire as it seems, isn't it time to discuss our next move?"
Han turned to Lee with a smile and said, "Brother Lee, how about we eat something first? It looks like it'll be a long night."
"You're right, Brother Han. I completely forgot about food. I'll have the servants prepare it immediately." Looking slightly embarrassed, Lee got up and hurried out of the room.
Once Lee left, Han looked at the young men. "You two rest a bit until the food is ready. Afterward, we'll decide what to do next."
"Alright, Father."
"Understood, martial uncle."
Lee Zhong turned to Han Fei. "Brother Han Fei, come to my room. You can rest there until dinner."
"Hmm."
The two youths stood up from the table and left the room, while Han relaxed on one of the chairs in the room, closing his eyes to rest.
While these events unfolded in the Lee family house, on the other side of town at the Wu family house, the academy director sat with the young master of the Wu family, Wu Chan, and the leader of the Lei family, Lei To, discussing the unfolding situation.
Wu Chan turned to the academy director, his excitement evident as he asked, "Senior, are you saying my father is currently attempting a breakthrough to Martial Peak?"
"Hmm, that's correct." The academy director confirmed with a calm nod.
Hearing this, Wu Chan burst into laughter. "Hahaha! This is amazing. Let's see what the Lee family and Han family will do now!"
Not wanting to dampen the young man's spirits, Lei To nevertheless interjected, "It's too early to celebrate."
"Hmm. Advancing to Martial Peak isn't a simple task. Let's hope the lord's breakthrough proceeds without issue," the academy director added, agreeing with Lei To.
"Senior, martial uncle, do you know where my father is right now?" Wu Chan asked, looking at the two older men.
"..."
As the silence dragged on for a few seconds, Wu Chan realized neither of them knew. "So, what should we do? Since they know my father is attempting a breakthrough, they'll be searching for him everywhere. Shouldn't we attack them before they attack us?"
After pondering the suggestion for a few seconds, Lei To spoke. "Nephew has a point. Since they're bound to attack us, why don't we strike first?"
Despite hearing Lei To's words, the academy director remained silent for a moment before responding with a calm tone. "We can't attack. Even if you do, as an academy director, I can't involve myself."
"But we..." Wu Chan started to argue, but a servant entered the room, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Young master, the food is ready."
Hearing this, Wu Chan turned to the two older men. "Senior, martial uncle, I've had food prepared. Let's eat first and discuss what to do afterward."
The three stood up and headed for the dining hall, while nearby, hidden among the piles of refuse, Lu Yang remained in the same position with his martial shadow by his side. Looking bored and scratching himself, he kept his eyes fixed on the Wu house.
An hour later, at the Lee house, the group of four, now rested and full, reconvened around the same table to discuss their next steps.
"Now that everyone's rested and eaten, let's talk about what we'll do next." Lee addressed the group before him.
Han nodded in agreement and turned to the youths. "Does anyone have a suggestion?"
After exchanging glances briefly, the two young men shook their heads, and Han Fei spoke on their behalf. "Let's split up. You two attack the Wu family. We'll search for the lord."
"..."
After a moment of consideration, Lee turned to the youths. "It's a good idea, but we can't win like that. Our forces are evenly matched, and even if we win, the losses would be devastating."
Hearing this, Lee Zhong frowned. "Then what do we do? Won't we suffer losses no matter what? Are we just going to wait for the lord to return as a Martial Peak practitioner?"
Silence fell over the room following Lee Zhong's words. A few seconds later, Lee Zhong broke the quiet again. "Actually, I have another idea, but it's dangerous—practically insane."
The three others turned to him with curious expressions.
Seeing their attention on him, Lee Zhong's voice grew cold and steady. "Why don't we temporarily remove the Purple-Stone from the town center?"
The room fell silent in shock, and a few seconds later, all three shouted in unison.
"What?! Are you out of your mind?!"