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The crisp sound of the white jade porcelain cup falling onto the white marble tabletop echoed through the deathly silent council chamber.

Su Qin's pale eyes swept over the elders with varying expressions on both sides of the long table, finally settling on Su Qingyuan's upright figure. His voice was calm and unwavering: "Since Qingyuan has said so, let's vote according to the ancestral rules."

As the Second Elder Su Hong was the first to raise his hand in favor of handing over Chen Feng, the Third Elder Su Wen followed closely behind, and then three other collateral elders hesitantly raised their arms.

"Those who disagree, raise your hands."

Su Qingyuan raised her arm without hesitation, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

Several young members of the Su family who were on good terms with Su Qingyuan also cast their dissenting votes.

Seven to six.

At this moment, all members of the Su family looked at the family head, Su Qin, because in this vote between the new generation and the traditionalists, the only remaining variable was the two votes of the family head, Su Qin.

Su Qin smiled, drank the remaining Longjing tea in his cup in one gulp, and slammed the teacup back onto the table.

"Since that's the case, I've decided to protect Chen Feng as a vassal of the Su family. As for the Martial God Palace, I'll trouble Instructor Yu Qian to take care of things..."

Second Elder Su Hong abruptly stood up, his face ashen: "Patriarch! You will destroy the Su family!"

"It can't be destroyed." Su Qin raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over him like a cold blade. "If we can't even protect our own people, then the Su family is truly finished. Meeting adjourned."

……

That night, Gu Yong went to the Lan Yue Pavilion atop the city wall.

The entire pavilion was almost completely sealed off. The high-ranking officials and nobles who usually frequented the place were nowhere to be seen today. Only the core figures of the four major families and the three members of the Great Xia Special Envoy Delegation were sitting in the most luxurious private room on the top floor.

Inside the private room, a priceless South China Sea pearl banquet was laid out on a round rosewood table.

Each dish was as exquisite as a work of art, the air was filled with the aroma of expensive wine, and each family representative wore a perfectly appropriate smile, but there was no warmth in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Mo Chen, the special envoy of the Great Xia Dynasty, who sat in the main seat, wore a dark blue robe with gold patterns. His face was handsome but lifeless, and his eyes were like icy pools.

Mo Chen picked up his white jade wine cup, gently swirling the amber liquid inside, and broke the silence first: "I presume you all know why I invited you here today. The Devourer Chen Feng concerns the safety of the Great Xia Dynasty, so I hope you will all consider the greater good."

The voice just fell.

The Li family representative sitting next to Special Envoy Mo Chen immediately put down his wine glass and said righteously, "Special Envoy Mo is right! Our Li family absolutely supports the special envoy's decision! Let alone just Chen Feng, even if it's just a matter of our Li family contributing manpower and resources, we will have no objections!"

Li Chengfeng spoke with absolute certainty, but his eyes secretly glanced at Su Qin, the head of the Su family, opposite him.

The Li family and the Su family have always been rivals in Gu Yong Shangcheng. If they can use the special envoy delegation to directly overthrow the Su family, then half of Gu Yong Shangcheng will eventually fall into the hands of the Li family.

The Ling family representative followed closely behind; however, the Ling family had clearly sent a neutral party who was much more composed than Li Chengfeng.

"Your Excellency, our Ling family agrees with the special envoy's opinion. However, we are not heartless, and we hope that the impact of this matter concerning Chen Feng can be minimized as much as possible."

The Ling family representative's words were eloquent and high-sounding, yet every sentence was delivered from a moral high ground, leaving no room for criticism. His intentions were similar to those of the Li family representative, but he had left himself an escape route.

Special Envoy Mo Chen glanced at the two puppet representatives sent by major families, then turned his gaze directly to Su Qin, who had personally come to mediate, and his tone softened slightly: "Patriarch Su, what are your thoughts?"

Su Qin put down his chopsticks, looked up at Mo Chen, and said calmly, "Envoy Mo, my Su family's opinion has already been formally submitted to the special envoy delegation. Chen Feng is not a born demon; his character has passed the rigorous examination of the Martial God Academy and there are no problems. Moreover, this person's background is not simple. If you don't have an arrest warrant from the Great Xia military, then arresting Chen Feng here with Gu Yong will be no ordinary problem."

"Su Qin! The person before you is a special envoy of the Great Xia Dynasty! How dare you speak to him like that!"

"Stop your babbling, you petty scoundrels. My willingness to personally explain is also out of respect for Lord Mo Chen," Su Qin said coldly to the Li family representative.

"Hmph, it's just the Martial God Palace's Martial God Assessment. It can't completely guarantee that Chen Feng won't turn bad," the Li family representative continued, pressing the questioning relentlessly.

At this moment, Yu Qian, who was sitting next to Su Qin, looked at him with a smile, but the shrewdness in her small eyes made the arrogant smile of the Li family representative freeze on his face.

Yu Qian slowly began, "The Martial God Palace is the top-tier martial arts institution in Gu Yong Shang City. From entry-level checks to the Great Xia Martial God assessments, it has clear assessment standards. It's not something that ordinary people can glimpse. Moreover, all the checks on Chen Feng were verified again by a third-party assessment agency. Apart from awakening this so-called 'century-destroying talent,' nothing else was found wrong with Chen Feng. On the contrary, he is a loyal and dutiful border officer."

Su Qingyuan also spoke coldly: "I've checked Chen Feng's information. He has always held an important position in the local military and has never harmed any innocent person. If someone like him is deprived of his personal freedom just because he awakens a talent, then who will dare to become a Heavenly Rank expert in the future, and who will dare to risk their life for the Great Xia Kingdom?"

"Miss Qingyuan, you are still too young." Mo Chen finally spoke, but his voice was icy cold.

"The desires of the Devourer cannot be controlled by humans. By the time it goes out of control, it will be too late to stop it."

"Lord Mo Chen is right."

Su Qingyuan met Mo Chen's gaze without fear and smiled.

"It's just that Special Envoy Xia Zhi clearly instructed the Su family to ensure Chen Feng's safety. Even though your official rank is higher than hers, the power structures within the special envoy group are independent. Therefore, without a clear order from the military, we still cannot directly disobey Special Envoy Xia Zhi's orders."

Just then, Xiang family patriarch Tianxiong, who had been silent all along, suddenly coughed heavily.

Xiang Tianxiong was a burly man with a scar on his face that ran from his brow bone to his jaw, giving him an extremely fierce aura.

He picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, and said in a gruff voice, "Gentlemen, let me say something fair."

All eyes were on him.

"What Patriarch Ling said makes sense, and what the Su family and Instructor Yu Qian said also makes sense. However, Chen Feng was recommended by Special Envoy Xia Zhi, and he is also a top-notch Demon Slayer. If we rashly take action against him and cause turmoil within the special envoy group, the consequences of such an action are not something any of us here can afford."

The Li family head immediately became anxious: "Family Head Xiang! How can you speak up for the Su family?"

"Let's just discuss the matter at hand." Xiang Tianxiong glared at the Li family representative. "I think we can observe for a while. If Chen Feng really has problems, even without the special envoy delegation, our four major families can join forces and eliminate him first. But if he can truly be used by Great Xia, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Xiang Tianxiong's words made Mo Chen's face darken.

He originally thought that among the four major families, the Li family and the Ling family had already sided with him, the Su family was alone and helpless, and the Xiang family would only try to protect themselves.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Tianxiong publicly echoed the Su family, which changed the course of his plans.

Su Qin glanced at Xiang Tianxiong, a barely perceptible hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes. Although the Xiang and Su families were different wealthy clans, they had always shared an unwritten understanding when facing external pressure.

Seeing that his plans had fallen through.

Special Envoy Mo Chen smiled and said confidently.

"Since the heads of the Xiang and Su families have said so, I will give you all face. I will send someone back to Qian Yuan Upper City to apply for orders from the military. In the meantime, I will continue to observe Chen Feng in Gu Yong Upper City, hoping that he is truly as loyal and patriotic as you say..."