Xu Xuezhe led Lin Xi and the other person to a nearby two-story building, where his superior was waiting for them. From the outside, the two-story house looked utterly ordinary, with a simple square layout. The front of the house, facing the mountain, was clad in creamy yellow wall tiles, while the side walls were white, stained by rainwater, with patches of black discoloration here and there.
A red brick wall, over two meters high, surrounded the courtyard, its top embedded with shards of glass bottles. A loofah vine climbed from the flower beds on either side of the maroon-colored iron gate, trailing over the wall and into the courtyard, covering half of it. The loofahs had just begun to fruit, the largest no bigger than a finger.
Xu Xuezhe knocked twice on the gate. After a moment, a man wearing a faded, yellowish undershirt opened the door. He greeted Xu Xuezhe loudly while ushering them into the courtyard.
As soon as they entered the yard, ten people dressed in black Zhongshan suits stood in an inverted triangle formation to receive them.
The man at the front appeared to be in his forties, with an utterly ordinary appearance—the type who, if he changed clothes and blended into a crowd, would be impossible to pick out again.
This was Lin Xi's first time seeing State Security personnel in real life, and she couldn't help but steal a few more glances.
Perhaps noticing Lin Xi's gaze, the middle-aged man stepped forward and extended his hand to her. "Hello, Miss Lin. My name is Su Haipeng."
"Hello, hello."
After brief greetings, Lin Xi and the others were led into the living room. The moment she entered, Lin Xi was stunned.
The living room still looked like a living room, but in the rooms on either side, each held no fewer than five computers. People dressed as high school students or idle youths sat in front of the screens.
Their expressions were serious and solemn, a stark contrast to their casual attire.
Seeing the looks on Lin Xi and Chi Qiushui's faces, Su Haipeng smiled and explained, "This is a disguised family internet cafe. Everyone working here are top students from major universities."
"Miss Lin, Miss Chi, please follow me this way." Su Haipeng led them toward the staircase. The room on the right was a tea room. Xu Xuezhe and others stood guard with their hands behind their backs at corners like the stairwell entrance.
Chi Qiushui, holding onto Lin Xi's arm, followed Su Haipeng into the tea room.
She found everything utterly unbelievable. The whole feeling was like being in a police drama.
Su Haipeng gestured for Lin Xi and her companion to take a seat, then settled into the host's position and began brewing tea.
"Mr. Su, you knew my father, didn't you?" Lin Xi's hands, resting on her lap, unconsciously began scratching at her jeans—a natural reaction when she was extremely nervous. She hadn't felt this tense since her grandfather passed away.
"Yes. Twenty years ago, I was a fresh graduate. Due to certain reasons, I was assigned an undercover mission. That's where I met your father." As Su Haipeng spoke of this, his expression carried a touch of nostalgia.
Lin Xi's heart pounded like a drum.
Su Haipeng poured the brewed tea into cups and slid them toward Lin Xi and Chi Qiushui. "Your father was a staff member at the place I was infiltrating. Back then, I had just entered society and was still a bit... naively idealistic, you could say."
"Several times, it was your father who saved me. If not for him, I surely wouldn't be alive today." The world twenty years ago was not a safe place. The Nangong family controlled about forty percent of the underground black industries in Huaguo at the time. They acted lawlessly, committing every imaginable evil. In some regions, members of the Nangong family were practically local despots, and ordinary people suffered greatly under them.
Moreover, as one of the state's persistent, festering wounds, the Nangong family's infiltration of grassroots-level state organs exceeded ordinary imagination.
Cracking down on them was imperative. However, a portion of the grassroots cadres were already compromised, and the files of those who were clean had also landed on the desks of the four major families. Under these circumstances, most of the personnel assigned to that mission were greenhorns like Su Haipeng.
Some were fresh out of university, others were soldiers with less than two years of service.
That mission resulted in over a hundred casualties—the largest collective loss since the founding of the nation. But that time, they managed to tear a breach in the Nangong family's power structure. Their sacrifices were meaningful; they brought a glimmer of light to the people of Huaguo at that time.
"After becoming familiar with your father, during our spare time, he would often talk about his family. He always spoke of you. I've even seen your photo." Su Haipeng rummaged through the desk drawer and soon pushed over a small, stiff piece of cardboard.
"This is what your father left me as a memento when we parted ways."
Lin Xi reached out and took the photo. It showed two people: a young Xue Min holding a toddler Lin Xi, who clutched a cloth doll, standing in front of a coconut tree on a beach. Xue Min's cheek was pressed against young Lin Xi's, her lips curved in a gentle smile.
Her eyes were so soft and warm, completely unlike the Xue Min Lin Xi had seen before the New Year.
Until today, Lin Xi had always heard Chi Xiangping say that Xue Min had loved her deeply as a child, but she could never quite visualize it. Seeing this photo, she finally felt a sense of that love.
A lump formed in Lin Xi's throat. Growing up without her parents' presence was not without its regrets; she had simply buried those feelings as she grew older.
Chi Qiushui sipped her tea, her mind working overtime trying to process everything.
After a long moment, Lin Xi pushed the photo back to Su Haipeng.
"Did he ever say why he didn't come home?"
Su Haipeng nodded. "Back then, he didn't say he wasn't from this world. He only said he had been betrayed, couldn't go home, and couldn't find the way back."
Lin Xi's heart clenched, then eased. So her father, Lin Zhongxun, hadn't truly intended to abandon her. With this thought, much of the lingering damp sorrow deep in her heart seemed to dissipate.
"Thank you for telling me all this today." Lin Xi expressed her gratitude to Su Haipeng sincerely. Regardless of Su Haipeng's motives for sharing this, Lin Xi was thankful.
Su Haipeng waved his hand. "No need for thanks. Your father was a brother who shared life-and-death experiences with me. If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Su."
Seeing Su Haipeng's attempt to build rapport, Lin Xi immediately said, "Uncle Su."
Su Haipeng's smile became five degrees more genuine. He stood up, moved a decorative shelf on one side of the tea room, revealing a black door behind it. After scanning his face and retina, he retrieved a white box from within.
"I know you must have many questions and probably only half-believe what I've said. These are your father's belongings. He told me that if you ever truly came here one day, I should pass these on to you. After you see them, you'll understand."
The white box was made of an unknown material, cool and smooth to the touch, without a single seam or any trace of a lock.
Su Haipeng had felt nothing unusual when he picked it up, but when Lin Xi placed her hand on the white box, colorful chasing lights appeared on it. The dazzling rainbow glow was incredibly bright even in the daytime.
Lin Xi couldn't help but want to cover her face—these light effects were really... a bit tacky. Chi Qiushui beside her had already lost control and burst out laughing.
The chasing lights danced merrily, but the box remained unopened. Lin Xi turned the box around in her hands, examining all sides, and on one face, she found a shallow indentation, exactly the size of a playing card.
A thought struck Lin Xi. She reached into her pocket, took out the card, and placed it into the indentation.
The chasing light effects froze for a moment, followed by a click—the box opened. Lin Xi looked inside. On top lay a letter.
On the yellow envelope, several characters were written in a bold, flowing script: "To my dear Xiao Guai, Lin Xi."
Seeing the name "Xiao Guai," Lin Xi was truly stunned for quite a while. Distant memories washed over her. Before she started elementary school, her grandparents had always called her by this childhood nickname, "Xiao Guai."
Later, as she grew up, the name was no longer used, and gradually, she had even forgotten she ever had such a nickname.
Lin Xi felt her emotions today were like a rollercoaster. She took the letter from the box. Su Haipeng, understanding, automatically walked outside, leaving the space in the tea room to her.
Chi Qiushui glanced at her and followed him out.
Lin Xi sat back down on the stool and opened the letter.
[To my dear Xiao Xi: I don't know how old you are when you read this letter. I imagine you're already over twenty, right? I am deeply sorry for leaving without a word back then. For all these years, I have failed in my responsibilities as a son, a husband, and a father.
Your grandparents must hate me, and your mother probably is no longer your mother. Leaving Earth back then was not my intention. An otherworldly guest I had once helped tore through the void to find me. To prevent him from destroying Earth, I had no choice but to open a spacetime channel and take him away.
During that battle, I was lost in the turbulence of spacetime and could never find my way back. To return home, I joined an organization. I just need to complete one hundred missions, and I can go back. This is already my twentieth mission.
Time is pressing, so let me first tell you about the situation in this world. The top families in this world originate from the Mary Sue Federation. In that world, everyone awakens a card talent, and the quality of the talent is judged by the percentage of awakening.
Two hundred years ago, traitors from the top families of the Mary Sue world stole family treasures and forcibly broke through the Misty Forest to arrive in this world.
Because they used construction-type cards, the authorities of this world have been unable to approach the residences of the Four Great Families. Any attempt to approach forcefully results in all targets, whether phones or guns, losing their lock.
Although with my help, this world's authorities have already dealt a heavy blow to the once-dominant Nangong family, who were practically the underground emperors, I could do nothing about the other three families.
If you are reading this letter, it must mean you have brought the card with you. Have you studied the Yishu Thirteen Classics? Hold the card in your hand and concentrate on visualizing its form. If the card grows warm, it proves you have contracted with it.
The Four Great Families are visitors from another spacetime. Their arrival has given rise to another Heavenly Dao in this world. If, when you arrive, the Four Great Families have not yet merged into one, it means that other Heavenly Dao has not yet fully matured.
At that point, you only need to throw the card towards the residential areas of the Four Great Families. The card will automatically reclaim their lands. The strength of the other Heavenly Dao will be greatly damaged, and the true Heavenly Dao, which it has been suppressing, will have the spare capacity to deal with it.
That's enough about serious matters. Xiao Guai, Dad is sorry to all of you. If I can truly complete those one hundred missions and return home, I will apologize to you in person.
I hope that day comes. I wish my Xiao Guai a life of peace and happiness.]
The letter ended here. From the lines, one could sense Lin Zhongxun's casualness while writing—he seemed to write whatever came to mind.
Throughout the entire letter, there wasn't a single overly sentimental word.
Lin Xi folded the letter, put it back into the envelope, and looked at the other items in the box. They weren't anything particularly special; most were children's toys.
Influenced by the era, most of those toys were plastic, not of great quality, even a bit tacky. Besides the toys, there were also some clothes with very high saturation—bright orange, bright red, fluorescent green stacked together, painful to look at.
Beneath the clothes lay four items packaged in wine-red velvet boxes.
Each box had a name written on it. Opening the box with her own name, Lin Xi was met with a collection of gold jewelry: a longevity lock engraved with her name, bracelets with little bells, and exquisitely crafted necklaces.
Lin Xi covered her eyes, tears falling. After a while, she lowered her hands. Though her eyes were still red, compared to before, she was much, much better.
In that moment, she felt the hollowness of her childhood seemed to have been filled, just a little bit.
Outside, the sun shone brightly. Lin Xi smiled, took the card, and walked out.
Chi Qiushui and Su Haipeng were sitting on chairs in the living room. Su Haipeng was asking Chi Qiushui about the Four Great Families' camps and the Oliston School.
Based on the original host's memories, Chi Qiushui told him everything she knew. Behind Su Haipeng, a recorder was swiftly taking notes in a notebook.
Hearing Lin Xi's footsteps, everyone looked at her simultaneously. Lin Xi gave them a bright smile. "Let's go. It's time to take care of business."
Su Haipeng shot to his feet, his eyes growing hot, on the verge of tears. Twenty years... for twenty years, could they finally pull out this thorn embedded in their flesh?
Su Haipeng had fantasized about this day countless times, but when it truly arrived, he still felt an unreal, dreamlike sensation.
After all, he was a man who had weathered countless storms. He quickly calmed down, made a phone call, and after hanging up, gestured for Lin Xi to lead the way.
Lin Xi, holding Chi Qiushui's hand, walked ahead. Xu Xuezhe and the others quickly headed downstairs, pulling weapons from their pockets as they went.
Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat, remembering what her father had said in the letter. She asked Su Haipeng, who was walking beside her.
"Uncle Su, I wanted to ask, is it true that the Nangong family all moved abroad?"
Su Haipeng shook his head: "No, they were arrested long ago. The story about the whole family moving abroad was just to fool the other three families."
"Frankly speaking, it's a bit shameful. Back then, your father helped us pry open the two most crucial breaches. Yet even so, it still took us over ten years to finally gnaw through the tough bone that was the Nangong family."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of. After all, you know well that what we were up against wasn't something from the ordinary world." Lin Xi, on the contrary, held great admiration for the people of this world. They were all ordinary folks, yet they pooled their collective strength to fight against those who possessed golden fingers.
This endeavor was akin to throwing eggs against a rock. The fact that they managed to gnaw off an indispensable corner of that rock over a dozen years was already incredibly impressive.
From them, Lin Xi seemed to see the image of those predecessors who had resolutely embarked on the Long March all those years ago.
"The spirit of the Long March lives on forever." Chi Qiushui chimed in from the side.
Both Lin Xi and Su Haipeng were momentarily taken aback. Lin Xi gave Chi Qiushui a thumbs-up, while Su Haipeng smiled, crow's feet appearing at the corners of his eyes: "That's right, the spirit of the Long March lives on forever."
Chi Qiushui smiled a little sheepishly and whispered into Lin Xi's ear: "My grandfather was an old Red Army soldier. He used to tell me stories from the Long March all the time, but he was in poor health and passed away when I was eight."
Chi Qiushui's voice was very soft, but Su Haipeng and the others heard it. The backgrounds of all workers employed by the Four Great Families had long been thoroughly investigated by them.
Chi Qiushui's was no exception. Her adoptive parents, Chi Dong and Xu Cuiping, grew up in the Zhuge household. Starting from their grandfathers' generation, their family had been workers for the Zhuge family.
Therefore, the grandfather who served as a Red Army soldier that Chi Qiushui mentioned must be the biological grandfather of the soul currently residing in her body. Regarding this, Su Haipeng felt no particular discomfort.
After all, this world had already become so deranged, with people from card families capable of crossing over to disrupt their world. What else was impossible?
Besides, wasn't his good friend also someone who had crossed over? Transmigrators, nothing unusual, nothing unusual at all.
Su Haipeng was just a bit curious about how that world without the Four Great Families was developing.
Walking out of the farmhouse, Lin Xi saw many people standing at the foot of the mountain opposite, holding various kinds of weapons, surrounding that mountain.
Her father's letter mentioned that public officials of this world couldn't get close to the residences of the Four Great Families. She asked Su Haipeng: "Those people, are they all unaffiliated with any official organization?"
The lingering smile on Su Haipeng's face vanished completely upon hearing this. He looked at the people opposite, his eyes gradually filling with sorrow.
"After the reform and opening-up, the Four Great Families developed rapidly, especially the Nangong family. In just a few short years, they built their underground operations into an empire."
"The people you see now are all children of those who fell victim to the Nangong family's cruelty. Their parents were either brutally murdered for obstructing the Nangong family's expansion, or were tricked into participating in the sex, gambling, and drug trades."
"The Nangong family destroyed their families and homes. So, when the operation to take down the Nangong family began, they voluntarily joined this volunteer army. Speaking of which, it was your father who organized this volunteer army. We were able to bring down the Nangong family so quickly largely thanks to their efforts."
Chi Qiushui's mouth fell open as she looked at the people opposite, her face flashing with deep respect.
"The state does provide them with subsidies, but because we cannot intervene too much, those subsidies are actually very limited." Over the years, the leaders had continuously experimented, finally pinpointing the exact subsidy amount down to the decimal point.
2999. One extra dime, and the subsidized person would no longer be able to approach this place. Any less, and it wouldn't be enough for them to get by.
For those who risked their lives for the country, this amount was truly far too little.
To put it bluntly, Su Haipeng felt they were truly at their wits' end.
"They are all truly great." With Xu Xuezhe and a few others leading the way ahead, Lin Xi and the group walked towards them.
Inside the Four Great Families' estate, members of the Duanmu, Zhuge, and Ouyang families gathered together, their faces dark as they stared at the large screen in the meeting hall.
Watching the volunteer army surrounding the Four Families' encampment, the Duanmu Old Man slammed the table.
"My father always said, one must exercise moderation in all things! When the Nangong family wanted to go into the underground business back then, my father disagreed. Look, look now! They've been struck by backlash, haven't they!"
Because the Duanmu family had taken the lead in coming to this world, the Four Great Families were led by the Duanmu family. In the early days of building their enterprises, any major venture by any family required Duanmu family approval.
Over so many years, while the Four Great Families appeared united on the surface, undercurrents of rivalry had long been swirling beneath.
"Talking about that is useless now. If you could have stopped them, you would have, and the Nangong family wouldn't have come to this." Compared to Duanmu Old Man, Zhuge Yan seemed much more composed.
Why did the Nangong family "go abroad"? Wasn't it precisely because the official crackdown on them became too severe, gradually leaving them no foothold here, that they had to leave?
Otherwise, who would willingly abandon the land they had fought for over the years, with all their roots planted here?
Ouyang Old Man sat on a separate sofa on the other side, gazing at the volunteer army on the screen, his expression grave.
His father had once possessed a divination-type card, a secret trump card hidden away exclusively for the Ouyang family.
During his lifetime, his father had performed four divinations for the Ouyang family. The results were all the same: the great mansion is about to collapse; to preserve it, accumulate virtue and perform good deeds.
Therefore, for so many years, the enterprises under the Ouyang family had always shared profits with employees and the general public.
They had also sent people to contact the state, willing to donate two-thirds of the family's wealth.
Handing over that much money and assets wasn't painless for Ouyang Old Man, but as his grandson said, if that vast fortune could buy the family's safety, it was worth it.
The cautionary tale of the Nangong family was still right there before them. Only the Zhuge Old Man and Duanmu Old Man were still foolish enough to believe the Nangong family had truly relocated abroad.
Ouyang Old Man felt his two elder brothers must have stood at the summit for too long, never bothering to look down even once.
Having finished his outburst, Duanmu Old Man glanced at Ouyang Old Man, then calmly looked away. The Duanmu family had always looked down on the Ouyang family.
If one had to trace the root cause, it might be because the Ouyang family possessed a kind of womanly soft-heartedness that prevented them from achieving great things. This was precisely what Duanmu Old Man had always despised.
"Ah Yan, tell me, this time, can we still emerge unscathed?" Though Duanmu Old Man said this, his face wore a confident smile. He wasn't unaware of the state's crackdown on the four great families, but he had never paid much heed to such matters.
After all, they had their protective talismans. The rabble outside couldn't even penetrate the inner grounds of their estates; at most, they could only put pressure on the family businesses.
"Just a bunch of rabble." Zhuge Yan's thoughts aligned with Duanmu Old Man's.
Duanmu Old Man picked up the water cup from the table and took a sip: "Enough of that. When is your biological granddaughter going to be formally acknowledged into the family? I've been waiting for her to marry into our household."
As he set the cup down, Duanmu Old Man lowered his head, masking the shrewd glint in his eyes. Among the four great families, who hadn't dreamed of toppling the others and reigning supreme?
Why else would he allow his grandson to spend every day frolicking with Zhuge Mo'er, if not with the intention of marrying her in and, after Zhuge Yan's death, taking over their assets?
Who would have thought that Zhuge Mo'er wasn't actually a blood descendant of the Zhuge family? Thinking of this, Duanmu Old Man shot a slightly dissatisfied glance at Zhuge Yan.
Zhuge Yan's gaze fell upon Duanmu Xiu, sitting in the corner. His face was still swollen from the beating, yet with that very appearance, he had gone to Zhuge's house this morning, boldly declaring he wanted to break off the engagement with Zhuge Mo'er.
"Soon, soon. When she serves you tea, you mustn't be stingy." Zhuge Yan was utterly composed, not taking Chi Qiushui's refusal to heart at all. Over a decade ago, he had been able to control Chi Qiushui's fate, and he could do it again this time.
For now, she was just being defiant with her words. Given some time, she would come to realize that her grandfather was still her grandfather, an existence she could not defy.
"Of course not." Duanmu Old Man chuckled happily. He glanced at his own grandsons and decided to assign a different one to seduce Chi Qiushui. His grandsons, except for Duanmu Xiu, were all seasoned players in the romantic field; ensnaring a teenage girl would be child's play.
Once his grandsons grew tired of her, they would discard her. Only then would the debt for her beating his grandson be repaid!
Remembering that incident, Duanmu Old Man's face darkened again. He looked around, his eyes settling on Ouyang Old Man: "Ah Feng, where is your Xiuming?"
Ouyang Xiuming had been the designated heir of the Ouyang family since childhood and had excelled in all aspects over the years. In Duanmu Old Man's mind, Ouyang Xiuming was a formidable rival to his own grandsons.
"Some issues cropped up with the business in another province; I sent him to handle it." Though Ouyang Old Man said this, it was merely an excuse. His family had been discussing an exit strategy for some time now.
This morning, his grandson had called, indicating he had already made contact with the state's representatives. If things went well, his grandson was likely in talks with them right now.
Ouyang Old Man had nothing but satisfaction for his increasingly steady and mature grandson. He was more outstanding than the heirs of the other families; sometimes, Ouyang Old Man would even sit up in bed in the middle of the night and chuckle to himself for a long time.
Duanmu Old Man asked no further. When his Duanmu Xiu was still only capable of flirtatious banter with Zhuge Mo'er, Ouyang Xiuming was already handling business matters independently.
It was impossible not to feel jealous, but Duanmu Old Man wasn't envious in the slightest. After all, no matter how excellent the heir, their family's existing assets were enough to limit the pace of their development.
The room fell quiet. The younger generation from each family sat in the living room like quails, none daring to speak or draw attention to themselves.
At that moment, Situ Ying's gaze caught sight of the figure surrounded by bodyguards on the large screen. With just one look, Situ Ying exclaimed.
"Father, look at that girl, isn't that Qiushui?"
Situ Ying's shout drew everyone's attention.
Zhuge Yan shot to his feet. Duanmu Old Man viciously smashed the teacup by his hand onto the floor.
Seeing their reactions, Ouyang Old Man felt he should conform a bit. He casually tossed the cup beside him as well. Tea spilled everywhere, and Ouyang Old Man felt a pang of regret—this was tea from a millennium-old tree, with only two pounds yielded per year.
Thinking of this, Ouyang Old Man felt annoyed at Duanmu Old Man and Zhuge Old Man, especially Duanmu Old Man. What was the point of smashing a teacup? Nothing better to do?
Several servants cautiously approached the center of the living room to clean up the spilled tea and broken porcelain.
Duanmu Old Man pointed at Chi Qiushui, who was walking ahead of Lin Xi, then turned and slapped Zhuge Yan across the face. Zhuge Yan had never been struck in his life, from childhood to adulthood.
Feeling the sting on his cheek, his gaze at Duanmu Old Man seemed ready to spit fire.
"Zhuge Yan, you've certainly raised a fine granddaughter. Let's go. To the mountain gate, to meet these people." Duanmu Old Man strode toward the door first, his descendants following behind.
Zhuge Yan, nursing his face, led the Zhuge family's meager few to follow. Ouyang Old Man glanced at his own descendants and said, "Our family won't take sides. We'll just watch from a safe distance."
"Yes," the Ouyang descendants chorused in response.
Ouyang Old Man nodded and walked at the front. Compared to the other three families, the Ouyangs had always maintained a strong sense of crisis, and their children had been raised exceptionally well.
The group soon reached the mountain gate, followed by bodyguards carrying weapons. Although firearms were also prohibited in China, when wealth reached a certain level, some individuals chose to disregard national laws.
Moreover, the Duanmu and Zhuge families had never held the state in any regard.
Duanmu Old Man, his prominent belly thrust forward, wore lavish clothing in a style his father had brought from another world, fundamentally different from the attire of this one.
It was precisely this distinction that earned Duanmu Xiu so many fanatical followers at school and online, where he was reverently called "The Last Prince."
Duanmu Old Man spun the walnuts in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the volunteer soldiers raising their guns before finally settling on Lin Xi.
He instinctively felt this young woman in her twenties was a threat.
Neither side spoke. Lin Xi glanced at the Mary Sue faction, let a card slide into her hand, closed her eyes, and began recalling the moves of the Yi Shu Thirteen Classics in her mind.
This was the first time Lin Xi realized the Yi Shu Thirteen Classics could also be visualized mentally. Perhaps her skill wasn't yet profound enough, for with each additional move she visualized, the pain in her head intensified.
She endured the pain and continued her meditative practice. She didn't know how much time passed, but she finally visualized the final move. The card in her hand began to grow warm, and its presence solidified in her consciousness.
Lin Xi opened her eyes. The two sides were still locked in a silent standoff. Lin Xi whispered to Chi Qiushui, "How long have we been here?"
"We just arrived. Look, the Ouyang family hasn't even walked over yet."
Chi Qiushui's reply made Lin Xi pause for a moment. She thought a long time had passed, but it had only been a short while?
As the Ouyang family arrived, Duanmu Old Man no longer wanted to stand there like a fool.
Zhuge Yan spoke before he could, "Qiushui, come here."
Who among the Four Great Families didn't know that the Volunteer Army, despite the name "Volunteer," was essentially state-funded to deal specifically with them?
And in the current world, who didn't know Chi Qiushui was the heir to the Zhuge family? For her to openly stand with the Volunteer Army was, in the eyes of the Four Families, nothing short of betrayal.
It was precisely because he was in the wrong that Zhuge Yan had endured that slap from Duanmu Old Man. He hadn't retaliated, choosing instead to settle that score with Chi Qiushui.
"I'm not going, so what are you gonna do about it? Nyeh nyeh nyeh~~~" Chi Qiushui was most annoyed by this old man. After learning about the things the Zhuge family did behind the scenes, her annoyance had only grown.
She even stuck her tongue out at Zhuge Yan, her antics making the Volunteer Army soldiers laugh.
The laughter of several hundred people mingled together, nearly shaking the heavens. Men like Zhuge Yan, born with silver spoons in their mouths, had never been subjected to such open mockery. Their faces all flushed a deep, purplish red.
Duanmu Old Man snatched the gun from his subordinate and fired two shots into the air.
The two gunshots silenced the chaotic scene.
The Volunteer Army knew the Duanmu family of the Four Great Families was particularly arrogant, but they hadn't expected it to reach this level.
Chi Qiushui's face darkened.
Lin Xi threw the card in her hand into the air. The stainless-steel-colored card spun at high speed, and an earthquake-like tremor shook the ground beneath Lin Xi and the others.
Duanmu Old Man and Zhuge Yan watched the card whirling in the sky, their faces turning deathly pale, not a trace of their earlier arrogance remaining.
Ouyang Old Man looked at that card and couldn't help but once again marvel at his grandson's foresight.
They all rose to power using cards, but aside from their ancestors, none of the current Four Great Families had anyone who had awakened card abilities.
If the authorities could find someone with card powers to help, which of them could possibly withstand it?
Thankfully his family had switched sides early. Otherwise, without the protection of cards, which of them could have emerged unscathed?
