"What!"
Seeing the situation, Zhuoda understood everything clearly. His eyes darted around, and he deliberately raised his voice:
"I was too busy entertaining an honored guest to go myself, so I asked you to request leave for me. How did it end up like this? Did you speak rudely or act arrogantly, making them angry enough to hit you?"
"No, Master Zhuo."
With a few teeth missing, the man's speech sounded a bit slurred.
On top of that, he was crying miserably, looking utterly pitiful.
But even so, he didn't hesitate to swear solemnly, insisting he had been utterly respectful:
"...I told them, it wasn't that you wouldn't come, but that the timing was truly unfortunate. The birthday banquet had been arranged long ago, and no matter how you argued it, you were in the right. I even specifically mentioned Young Master Huo, saying it was his first visit to offer birthday greetings, and begged them to be lenient. Who would have thought they wouldn't listen at all? They just started beating me until I ended up like this. I'm only thirty, not even married yet, and I've lost teeth. What am I supposed to do now?"
The crowd couldn't help but give him another look.
He looked more like forty-something... If he couldn't find a wife later, maybe the teeth weren't entirely to blame.
"This is far too unreasonable."
"Yeah, can't they talk things out properly? The Zhuo family is hosting a birthday banquet, and they come with a bloody face—aren't they afraid of offending the elderly? And besides, Young Master Huo is here."
"They didn't even show respect to the Huo family. This isn't just slapping the Zhuo family in the face—it's slapping Young Master Huo and the Huo family in the face."
Huo Xiang's face darkened.
He wasn't stupid; he knew the Zhuo family's relatives were deliberately provoking him.
They wanted him to step up.
But, one thing was true: knowing he was here to offer birthday greetings and still daring to hit someone—this was disrespect toward him.
Thinking about the recent rumors stirred up by Old Master Huo's attitude and the restless members within the Huo clan, his thoughts inevitably ran wild.
"Explain clearly what happened."
He directed this question at Concubine Zhuo, his voice neither loud nor soft.
But the entire venue fell silent.
It seemed that Young Master Huo intended to stand up for the Zhuo family!
Seeing the surprise and envy in the guests' eyes, the Zhuo family felt a surge of pride, especially Concubine Zhuo. Her eyes were so soft they seemed to drip with tenderness.
She thought for a moment and recounted the incident from her family's perspective.
Whether intentionally or not, she didn't mention that the person auditing the accounts was Su Ning.
Perhaps, in some hidden corner of her heart, she feared that if she revealed it, Huo Xiang might stop supporting the Zhuo family... and then her pride and her family's dignity would be completely shattered.
Once things were set in motion, there would be no need to worry.
After all, the young master liked her so much and doted on her—nothing bad would happen.
"...I thought it was no big deal, but I never expected things to turn out like this," Concubine Zhuo said, then suddenly looked as if she had realized something. "I understand now—she probably wanted to make an example of someone to establish her authority. That's why she deliberately picked our family, which has your backing."
These words implied that the real target wasn't the Zhuo family.
It was Huo Xiang.
Sure enough, Huo Xiang lowered his eyes, reached out, and casually pulled Concubine Zhuo closer.
He said indifferently:
"Someone with such poor eyesight—then let the Huo family, as the local host, help him see more clearly!"
His words were dripping with dominance.
Suddenly.
A car horn sounded. The people at the door peered out and shouted excitedly:
"It's the Huo family—the Huo family's license plate!"
The crowd erupted into an uproar.
Could it be that the Zhuo family's daughter was really about to become the young mistress of the Huo family?
"Hurry, hurry—invite them in!"
Zhuoda's voice cracked as he ran over. Seeing that the car didn't intend to stop, he quickly ordered the gates fully opened and shooed away the people sitting there. No one complained.
Under the awestruck gaze of the crowd, someone got out of the car, walked around to the other side, and respectfully opened the door. The moment Old Master Huo appeared, gasps filled the air.
"Grandfather, why are you here?"
Huo Xiang hurried over to offer his arm, while everyone focused on the esteemed grandfather and grandson. No one noticed that more than one car had arrived—there were several more parked outside.
"Of course I had to come."
Old Master Huo smiled, then looked around at the surroundings.
He nodded:
"This birthday banquet is very well done."
His expression and voice seemed mild and gentle. Huo Xiang relaxed, even feeling a flicker of joy—perhaps his grandfather had come deliberately to save face for him and calm everyone's nerves.
The next second.
"If I hadn't come, how could I have seen a fool like you paying respects to the grandmother of a concubine? How filial of you. I wonder, when it's my birthday, whether you'd show even a tenth of this sincerity."
"Maybe you would."
While saying such cutting words, Old Master Huo maintained a pleasant smile:
"You're probably hoping I'll die soon, so you can take my place."
Silence.
An indescribable silence.
The smile on Huo Xiang's face froze. He couldn't believe it, as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. Panicked, he stammered:
"No, that's not it—Grandfather, let me explain—"
"Shut up."
Old Master Huo cut him off. "I told you not to call me Grandfather. Explain what? That you didn't mean it? Just now, Young Master Huo was quite impressive—ready to rage for the sake of a beauty, to enlighten Miss Su. A pheasant sticking peacock feathers into itself thinks it's really a phoenix—why don't you find a mirror and see what you're really made of?"
Good heavens.
Inside the car, Su Ning clicked her tongue in amazement. That mouth was so sharp; tasting it would probably poison you instantly.
Looking at Huo Xiang, whose face had turned pale and whose body was swaying, she almost felt a bit of pity for him.
Then—
"Ding, detected that the host is oppressively wealthy. First-tier plot character Huo Xiang's body and mind are severely wounded. Reward..."
"Ding, detected that..."
Su Ning's face fell.
Meanwhile, hearing the name Su Ning was like a lightning bolt cutting through the fog in Huo Xiang's mind.
A sudden audit—that meant they had never come before. An outsider, besides that arrogant Su Ning, who else would act so recklessly and beat people up?
Who would dare to show so little respect for the Huo family?
Because she simply didn't have to!
Huo Xiang whipped his head around to glare at Concubine Zhuo, his face twisted like a demon's. "Was it Su Ning who audited your family's accounts? You bitch—how dare you fool me!"
Concubine Zhuo was so frightened that tears streamed down her face.
"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... What's wrong with Su Ning?"
What's wrong?
Huo Xiang laughed bitterly. But before he could continue venting his fury, Old Master Huo sneered:
"What a vicious servant. Your family works for Miss Su, earns your living from her, and yet you dare to speak her name so bluntly. Such ruthless, ungrateful behavior—no wonder you tried to drag the Huo family into this to fight your battles for you."
Then he looked at Huo Xiang:
"And don't you pretend to be deceived. Birds of a feather flock together. Either you're stupid enough to believe whatever you're told, or you've been holding a grudge and wanted to go after Miss Su while pinning the blame on a woman."
"Either way—"
"You're a disgrace!"
With these merciless words, he tore away the pride of both Huo Xiang and the Zhuo family, stomping it into the ground.
The Zhuo family's faces were deathly pale. Several of their allies looked as if the sky had fallen.
It was over.
They couldn't help but resent the Zhuo family and even Huo Xiang. If they didn't have the guts, why pretend? They had led everyone to believe they could stand up to Su Ning.
Under the strange, judgmental gazes of everyone around...
Huo Xiang instead calmed down. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head and, while speaking, quietly activated the "divine artifact"...
