"You're right, Sister." Zhao Xingchen nodded repeatedly, the haze of drunkenness lifting from his mind in an instant. His eyes lit up as he asked, "So what does Brother-in-law think about all this?"
The woman shook her head. "I don't know what your Brother-in-law thinks either. He didn't say anything before he left just now. Besides, what can a woman like me have to do with any of this? All I know is that Crimson Star won't put its entire foundation at risk for the sake of one person."
Zhao Xingchen clapped his hands. "I understand!"
He turned his head toward the direction of Yang Kai's residence and grinned viciously. "Surname Yang, let's see if you survive this!" It was as if he could already picture Yang Kai being torn apart by lightning and a thousand swords from the Sword Pavilion, and his face was filled with undisguised pleasure.
At this very moment, after the initial silence, Star City had descended into turmoil once more. Although Crimson Star Disciples were maintaining order, there were far too few of them to control anything. Chaos erupted across every corner of the city, with voices demanding that Crimson Star lower its protective grand array and let the independent cultivators leave.
Three thousand people from the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light hovered overhead like a black cloud pressing down. If a fight truly broke out, the entire Star City would be caught in the crossfire. Wouldn't they all suffer for something that had nothing to do with them?
But how could Crimson Star open its grand array so lightly? Before they fully understood the intentions of the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light, rashly lowering the formation would be no different from courting death.
That grand array was Crimson Star's last line of defense!
Inside the Great Hall of Deliberation, Chen Tianfei and several other managers were all at their wit's end. Madam Qin, who had always been as calm as an undisturbed well, had lost even the desire to pluck at her zither strings. She sat there with her delicate brows tightly furrowed, looking for all the world like a neglected wife abandoned by her husband for years.
The entire hall was steeped in an atmosphere of gloom and despair.
"So what do we do now? Someone speak up," Chen Tianfei said, turning to look at the others.
Bei Yushan's face was seething with killing intent. "The Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light have no respect for our Crimson Star whatsoever, showing up at our doorstep with an army. I say we rally all our Disciples and fight them to the last. Let them know that Crimson Star isn't someone to be bullied!"
"Bullshit!" Chen Tianfei could no longer hold back and cursed aloud. Sometimes he truly wanted to crack this fellow's skull open to see what was going on inside. How could his thinking be so utterly different from everyone else's?
Ouyang Lie frowned. "What does the First Manager say?"
Chen Tianfei shook his head slowly. "I've already sent word to the First Manager, but I don't know if she's at a critical juncture in her cultivation. She hasn't responded at all."
Ouyang Lie's frown deepened. At a time like this, with the First Manager nowhere to be found, it was extremely difficult for those of them below to handle things.
Ouyang Bing said, "It could also be that the First Manager doesn't believe the situation has reached the point of threatening Crimson Star's survival. After all, the ones who provoked the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light weren't us—it was that guy!"
Chen Tianfei replied, "Be that as it may, he is Crimson Star's Sixth Manager. Every word he says and every action he takes represents Crimson Star. Whatever he's done out there already bears Crimson Star's seal."
Ouyang Bing said, "Regardless, we still need to figure out the intentions of the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light before we can make any plans."
The moment those words left his mouth, a powerful, resonant voice boomed from outside the hall: "Zhong Fan of the Sword Pavilion pays his respects to the mountain! I request that the managers of Crimson Star come out to meet!"
The voice was like a dragon's roar and a tiger's cry—not particularly loud, yet it pierced the ears and shook the soul, soaring straight into the heavens. Every person in Star City heard it with perfect clarity.
This was courtesy before the sword.
The Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light had joined forces, bringing three thousand. If they truly attacked this Star City by force, even the protective grand array might not hold. But the fact that they had still issued this call first only confirmed what many had already suspected.
Crimson Star was no soft persimmon to be squeezed. If the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light rashly started a war, the only outcome would be mutual devastation.
Inside the hall, Chen Tianfei and the others exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to respond, when suddenly Chen Tianfei's expression shifted. He produced a Communication Bead, and a look of joy crossed his face. "It's a reply from the First Manager!"
Madam Qin, the Ouyang brothers, and Bei Yushan all looked over instantly.
Chen Tianfei sent his spiritual sense into the bead, then quickly sent a reply.
Madam Qin parted her red lips and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "What does the First Manager say?"
Chen Tianfei put away the Communication Bead. "The First Manager's meaning is that we are to handle this matter with full authority. She will not be getting involved."
What was that supposed to mean? The managers were all confused.
Just then, Zhong Fan repeated his earlier words, only this time with a trace of impatience.
Madam Qin sighed. "Regardless, we should go and meet him."
"Damned fellow—goes out there and stirs up trouble, and now we at Crimson Star have to wipe his ass," Ouyang Lie cursed angrily. Compared to Ouyang Bing, his temper was far more volatile.
By the time Zhong Fan called out for the third time, five figures rose from the center of Star City and shot outward at great speed.
"It's the Crimson Star managers!" someone shouted.
"Finally, they've come out. If they hadn't shown up much longer, the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light probably would have forced their way in." Another person quietly wiped the cold sweat from his brow. If things had truly reached that point, when the nest was overturned, how could any egg remain unbroken?
Under the gaze of the crowd, Chen Tianfei and the others flew to within a hundred zhang of Zhong Fan and stopped, separated from him by the seven or eight layers of the protective grand array.
Chen Tianfei wore an amiable smile and cupped his fists repeatedly. "So it's the managers of the Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light! We truly failed to come out and welcome you—please forgive our discourtesy."