While chaos brewed within the Lin Clan due to Lin Fang and Zhao Ming's clash, the Zhao Clan found itself embroiled in turmoil of its own. The air in the Zhao Clan's council hall was heavy, stifling under the weight of simmering tension. Fury lingered in every corner, threatening to erupt at any moment.
At the center of the storm was the Matriarch of the Zhao Clan, her fiery gaze fixed on her husband, the current Patriarch, Zhao Wei. Her expression was a mix of exasperation and simmering rage, matched only by the energy radiating from her daughter, Zhao Liqing, who stood beside her.
Zhao Ming, the supposed heir of the Zhao Clan, was slumped in a corner, nursing the fresh bruises and swollen eye gifted to him by his enraged mother. His face was a portrait of humiliation and pain as he avoided the daggers being shot his way by his sister. The once-proud Zhao family seemed caught in the throes of an internal storm.
The Matriarch's voice cut through the air like a blade. "Can you tell me how you plan to fix this disaster, Zhao Wei? Do you even comprehend the magnitude of the mess you and this idiot son of yours have created?"
Her voice grew sharper with every word. "First the Lin Clan, and now even the Cai Clan and the Chen Clan are watching us with sharpened blades because of your foolish actions. Do you even grasp the precarious position we're in? How do you propose we navigate this treacherous path you've set us on without bringing shame—or worse, utter destruction—upon the Zhao Clan?"
Zhao Wei, seated at the head of the table, looked haggard. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple as he struggled to meet his wife's blazing eyes. "I... I didn't expect things to escalate this quickly," he muttered feebly, wiping his brow. "Zhao Ming assured me he could handle it."
Hearing this, the Matriarch's fury erupted like a volcano, her voice reverberating through the council hall. Her composure, usually so formidable, shattered under the weight of her anger. She jabbed a finger at Zhao Wei, her husband, as though her words alone might pierce through his ineptitude.
"You thought Zhao Ming could handle what? What the fuck are you talking about, you piece of shit?" she roared, her tone a mixture of disbelief and rage. "Handle what, exactly? That you allowed this idiot to kidnap the niece of the Chen Clan's Matriarch and then threaten her older sister into signing an Oath Order, all while your men held blades to the girl's throat? Do you even realize the kind of atrocity you've committed? That kind of thing isn't just foolish—it's a fucking crime even in the commoners' world!"
Her words struck like a hammer, and the silence in the room was deafening. Zhao Ming shrank further into his seat, his gaze darting to the floor as though it might offer some escape. Zhao Wei, his confidence utterly shattered, seemed to fold in on himself, his shoulders hunching as if to shield him from the storm of his wife's fury.
"And you!" she barked, her sharp gaze snapping toward Zhao Ming, her tone slicing through the still air like a whip. "Your son—this brilliant heir—manipulated a situation to force a respected cultivator, the eldest sister of the Chen Clan's Matriarch, to destroy the Dantian of her own disciple. Someone she raised, guided, and treated like her own child!" Her voice rose with every word, each syllable trembling with restrained rage.
Her rage burned hotter with every word, her face reddening as her voice thundered through the council hall. "And what about the lies?" she demanded, her gaze drilling into Zhao Ming like a blade. "The bullshit story you fed Lin Fang about Cai Yuxin? Why did you lie to him? What purpose did it serve? And where is she, huh? Where the fuck is Cai Yuxin?"
Zhao Ming flinched visibly, his lips trembling as he tried to stammer out a response. "I-I only wanted to—"
"Shut up!" she spat, her words cutting through his weak attempt at an explanation. Her eyes narrowed, glinting with an icy fury that froze him in place. "Every word that comes out of your mouth makes me regret not strangling you in your crib when I had the chance."
The Matriarch's words struck with the force of a tempest, each syllable dripping with venom as her gaze turned to Zhao Wei. The once-strong patriarch of the Zhao Clan now seemed like a shadow of the man he once was, shrinking under the weight of her fury.
"And you, Zhao Wei," she hissed, her voice a deadly whisper. "Because of your reckless actions against the Lin Clan's patriarch, we were forced into enmity with them—an alliance we once shared. Was that not enough for you?" Her voice rose in fury, the fire in her eyes consuming everything in its path. "No, you had to drag the Cai and Chen Clans into this mess as well, staining our relationships with them and spreading bad blood all around us! Do you have any idea how damn hard it was to forge those alliances? How many years of painstaking diplomacy I had to endure, building fragile connections with all the clans in Red Leaf City—all of which have now been undone by your arrogance?"
The thunderous sound of her words reverberated in the council hall, each phrase like a strike of a whip. Zhao Wei's face grew paler, his once-imposing figure crumpling under her relentless assault. He struggled to meet her fiery gaze, sweat beading on his forehead.
Her tone turned even colder, her voice seething with disdain. "If your only skill is to be jealous of others' success, then you are unworthy of the position your father entrusted to you. All you've done is squander the legacy he left behind. Maybe it would have been better if he'd stayed in power, even on his deathbed, rather than pass it on to someone as shortsighted and incompetent as you."
The atmosphere in the Zhao Clan's council hall was thick with tension. The Matriarch stood at the head of the table, her chest rising and falling with the effort it took to contain her wrath. Her husband, Zhao Wei, looked like a man trapped in his own skin, his face pale, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. Next to him, Zhao Ming, bruised and humiliated, shrank in his chair, unable to meet anyone's gaze. But amidst the storm, there was one person who could still hold her own—their daughter, Zhao Lingqing.
The Matriarch's piercing gaze cut through the air, landing on her daughter. She was the only one in this family who seemed capable of handling herself. Lingqing, calm and composed, met her mother's eyes with a steady gaze that spoke volumes.
"Lingqing," the Matriarch's voice was sharper now, though still controlled, "Have you found where Yuxin is?"
Lingqing's expression remained unreadable, but her eyes softened ever so slightly as she nodded. She straightened, addressing her mother with a quiet confidence that contrasted sharply with the chaos around them. "Yes, mother," she replied. "Yuxin was drugged by Zhao Ming and locked away in the storehouse. Fortunately, that idiot hasn't harmed her. She's in my room now, recovering. But..."
She paused, her voice tightening with concern. "She's in a state of shock, mother. The thing with Lin Fang....I don't know if she can handle if she heard about what Zhao Ming has done using her name and the Cai family will definitely won't be happy about this situation."
The Matriarch's eyes darkened, but there was a flicker of something like relief in her gaze. That brief relief vanished in an instant, replaced by the familiar weight of worry. She nodded slowly, her expression hardening as her attention shifted once again to her husband and son. The fury that had dimmed for a moment reignited, burning with the same intensity as before.
"You will both stay out of my way," she spat, her voice low and deadly, "and make sure this never happens again. Do you understand?"
Zhao Wei and Zhao Ming flinched simultaneously, their heads lowering as they instinctively shrank from the Matriarch's wrath. Zhao Wei, the once-proud Patriarch, stammered, trying to muster any form of authority he could in his broken state. "I—I will fix this, I swear, but—"
"Fix it?" The Matriarch's voice was cold, almost like ice. She cut him off before he could finish. "You've already done enough, Zhao Wei. You're lucky I don't have you both dragged out of here. You have no idea what damage you've done—not only to this family, but to the entire Zhao Clan's reputation. How can you be so blind?" Her gaze flickered momentarily to Zhao Ming, who now looked like he wished he could disappear into the floor.
Zhao Lingqing watched silently, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable. She'd had enough of the petty squabbles and mistakes. There was only one thing that mattered now, and it was to get the Zhao Clan out of this mess. She took a deep breath, and with a voice that could command armies, she spoke again.
"Mother," she said, "Let me handle Yuxin. She trusts me, not them. We still have time to salvage our position with the other clans, but only if we act now."
The Matriarch studied her daughter carefully, her anger abating, replaced with something resembling respect. Lingqing was the only one in this entire hall who had her wits about her. The Matriarch's expression softened just a fraction. "Very well," she replied, her voice steady, "You do what needs to be done."
Lingqing nodded curtly, her determination clear. "I'll take care of it, mother."
As Lingqing left the council hall, the remaining members were left in a tense silence. Zhao Wei and Zhao Ming didn't dare speak.
The Matriarch's gaze returned to them, her fury now tempered with cold resolve. "You two," she said, her voice low and menacing, "stay out of my way."
And with that, she turned, leaving her husband and son to stew in their incompetence, her mind already racing ahead to the next steps.