The Yan family ancestor and the scholar waited for a while, and then the Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master and Yan Ruyan walked into the council hall.
"Since our Yan family has already agreed to submit to your honorable sect, is there anything else the Young Master would like to instruct?" The Yan family ancestor spoke with a noticeably gentler tone than last time, clearly mindful of the fact that the Yan family would soon be part of the Ghost Spirit Sect.
"Why be so formal with me, Senior Yan? Since Miss Ruyan and I have already cast the Life-Death Curse on each other, that's practically an engagement! From now on, you can simply call me Wang Chan — there's no need to address me as Young Master!" Wang Chan gave a slight bow, his every gesture exuding elegance.
"How can that be acceptable? Until you and Yan'er are officially wed, how could I be so rude as to drop the proper address? After all, the Yan family is about to become a member of the Ghost Spirit Sect." The Yan family ancestor's expression remained blank as he stroked the short beard on his chin, shaking his head in refusal.
Hearing the Yan family ancestor's words, the Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master realized the other party's wariness of him hadn't fully dissipated, so he let it go with a smile and changed the subject:
"Actually, the reason I had Miss Ruyan bring me to see the Ancestor again is to ask how you plan to fulfill our agreement. In just five more days, our six sects will formally launch the attack on the Yue Kingdom. If the Yan family doesn't evacuate this area in time, things could get troublesome."
"Please set your mind at ease on that account, Young Master. Although the Yan family may appear to have quite a few members, the truth is that we will be abandoning some of the distant peripheral relatives as well as ordinary people with no magical power. Transferring every single member of the clan at once simply isn't realistic — the Yan family is well aware of this!" This time, the scholar was the one who spoke up first.
"Being able to cut your losses like this puts my mind at ease. After all, if too many members of the Yan family moved together, it would be impossible to keep it hidden from the Seven Sects' eyes and ears. If word leaked, that would be disastrous! This must be the renowned Yan family's 'Never Miss a Detail' Xuan Ye, correct? I've heard so much about you!" The Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master's eyes behind his mask studied the scholar for a moment before he let out a light laugh.
Hearing that the other party had immediately recognized both his name and his nickname, the scholar felt a chill run through him. But his expression remained perfectly composed, a smile still on his face.
"But the reason I sought out the Ancestor wasn't merely for this matter — I also want to know how the Yan family plans to deal with the two hundred or more Foundation Establishment cultivators currently in the fortress. Quite a few of them are core disciples of the Seven Sects! And the Yan family must relocate within two days — it would be quite problematic if these people were to run into you, wouldn't it?" The Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master spoke with an unreadable expression, but the implications of his words caused the Yan family ancestor and the scholar's faces to change.
"What exactly does the Young Master mean…?" the Yan family ancestor said darkly.
"Well, let me put it this way: cultivating the Blood Spirit Art requires the souls of cultivators for a blood sacrifice before one can begin the practice smoothly. Why not take all the cultivators in the fortress and use our Ghost Spirit Sect's Yin Fire Grand Array to refine away their physical bodies, leaving only their souls for Miss Ruyan to use for her Foundation Establishment? Such dense souls from so many Foundation Establishment cultivators should allow her to easily master the first layer of the Blood Spirit Art." The Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master made this viciously cruel suggestion with a casual, offhand air, and hearing it sent a chill through the hearts of the scholar and the Yan family ancestor across from him.
"That's out of the question! We could overlook the Seven Sects' people, but the cultivators from other kingdoms came here because they accepted our invitation to select a dual cultivation partner for Yan'er. The Yan family absolutely cannot do something that would provoke the wrath of so many!" The scholar, shaken by what he'd heard, quickly spoke up, fearing that the Yan family ancestor might actually agree to the suggestion.
"Xuan Ye, there's no need to worry! I haven't grown senile to that extent!" The Yan family ancestor waved his hand dismissively at the scholar, his face still grim.
Then he turned to the Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master and said in a cold voice:
"What a wonderful suggestion from the Young Master! If we actually did something like that, I'm afraid that no matter how vast the world is, there would be no place left for the Yan family to call home. The Yan family will not take the initiative to act against the invited cultivators in the fortress, but I can have people gather the Seven Sects' cultivators in one place. As for how to deal with them and whether your people can capture so many — that will depend entirely on your honorable sect's abilities."
Hearing the Yan family ancestor's response, the scholar let out a breath of relief and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master's eyes flickered with a hint of displeasure upon hearing this, and he spoke slowly with a note of dissatisfaction:
"But those cultivators' souls are for Miss Ruyan's blood sacrifice — the ones who benefit are your Yan family's people. Yet the Yan family isn't willing to lift a finger? That hardly seems reasonable!"
The Yan family ancestor was briefly taken aback by these words. But the old fox that he was, his expression didn't change in the slightest as he replied:
"But Yan'er will soon be marrying the Young Master and becoming the Young Master's wife. She'll be yours, after all — it's only natural for you to put in the effort! Of course, once our Yan family officially joins the Ghost Spirit Sect, we naturally won't show any mercy to the Seven Sects. However, this time the Seven Sects' disciples were, in the end, invited here by us. If the Yan family were to take the initiative against them, it would certainly leave us with a terrible reputation in the eyes of the cultivators from other kingdoms. Naturally, letting them go just like that wouldn't be appropriate either. So it would be best for the Young Master's people to take action — that way, we can explain ourselves to the foreign cultivators. And I imagine that with the two Core Formation cultivators by your side, the Young Master shouldn't have any trouble capturing a mere few dozen Foundation Establishment disciples, correct?"
The Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master stared deeply at the Yan family ancestor for a long moment, then lowered his head in thought. After a good while, he raised his head, glanced at Yan Ruyan, who still hadn't spoken a single word, and said lightly:
"Since the Ancestor puts it that way, then our Ghost Spirit Sect will play the villain this time. Consider these cultivators' souls as my betrothal gift to Miss Ruyan!"
"Haha! I'll accept the Young Master's betrothal gift on Yan'er's behalf for the future. Yan'er, hurry and pay your respects to the Young Master — this betrothal gift is no ordinary thing!" The Yan family ancestor's face finally broke into a hint of a smile, relieved that the Yan family wouldn't have to lay a hand on the cultivators in the fortress.