Chapter 252: Dealing with the Chief Steward

In the city of Yongding, within the titled lands of the Xiao clan in the Tianshu Empire, the Xiao manor was hosting a banquet.

As the skies darkened, generals and soldiers alike were gathered by the front yard of the manor, drinking and feasting to their hearts' content.

"I toast Young Master Xiao on his advancement in cultivation!" one warrior shouted.

"We toast Young Master Xiao on his advancement in cultivation!" The other warriors echoed the gesture, smiling as they nodded at a young man not far away.

The young man smiled and toasted them in return. From time to time, he glanced at a middle-aged man beside him.

"Chief Steward, you are to thank for the astounding improvement in Young Master Xiao's cultivation. We toast you as well!" The warriors turned toward the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man seemed to be in somewhat of a drunken stupor. He looked toward 'Young Master Xiao' and smiled. "I thank you. My son is truly talented in cultivation, and will surely amount to greatness in the future."

'Young Master Xiao' blanched and whispered, "Chief Steward, you're drunk."

The Chief Steward shook his head and laughed. "Worry not. The soldiers and generals gathered here are my most loyal subordinates. They're here to congratulate your brother, and they're toasting and praising you only as a manner of courtesy. Your brother won't be attending the banquet, but I'll still celebrate on his behalf. My son might have the might of an Immortal, haha!"

"Congratulations, Chief Steward. Congratulations, Young Master Xiao!" the soldiers and generals repeated.

"Haha, haha!" the Chief Steward laughed gaily.

The banquet was particularly lively, but there was a table of soldiers by the far corner of the yard that remained surprisingly quiet. Because it was evening and they were in a region with little lamplight, their silence went unnoticed.

The soldiers at that table seemed to be frozen stiff, unable to move. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. They were looking at a young man drinking by himself in abject fear. Seeing his appearance by moonlight, they shuddered.

The young man swallowed a gulp of wine and looked at the soldiers that were unable to move. "The Chief Steward's impersonating me with his own son? Could none of you tell all this time?"

Although the young man before him looked slightly different, it was apparent that he was Xiao Nanfeng. However, none of them were even able to open their mouths to speak. Their expressions remained fearful.

Xiao Nanfeng ignored the soldiers and turned toward the Chief Steward, who put down his cup of wine and laughed. "I didn't intend to make a big deal about my son's breakthrough, but to think that you've all learned of it and are here to congratulate him! How did you know?"

The soldiers and generals glanced at each other. "Chief Steward, could you be mistaken? Weren't you the one who invited us to attend?"

"Nonsense! Why would I summon all of you back all at once? What are you talking about?" the Chief Steward asked somewhat jokingly.

"I have an invitation from you, Chief Steward. You stated not to let anyone else know of this, that only your most trusted subordinates have been invited, and not to divulge any news about the banquet. Here, I've brought the invitation over," one cultivator said.

"I have the same invitation."

"Me too!"

The soldiers pulled out their individual invitations. None had revealed any information, adhering strictly to the invitation's demands.

The Chief Steward's eyes widened as he looked at the invitations. The alcohol-fuelled haze vanished from his body as he instantly awoke.

"How could this be? Didn't you come of your own accord? You all even jointly signed a letter requesting a banquet to celebrate my son's accomplishment. You mentioned that you were prepared with gifts, that I would get a surprise during the banquet!" The Chief Steward suddenly stood up, eyes wild.

"A joint letter? There was no such thing..." The soldiers and generals looked at each other in shock.

Everyone could tell that something was deeply amiss.

"How did this banquet come about, then? Steward Chen was the one who organized it. Where's Steward Chen? Show yourself!" the Chief Steward demanded.

The servants glanced at each other, but Steward Chen didn't step forward. After some time, one servant volunteered, "Chief Steward, Steward Chen is missing."

"What?!" the Chief Steward exclaimed.

Astounded, the warriors all clutched their weapons in shock.

"I was the one who organized this banquet, but it looks like it's not to your liking," Xiao Nanfeng announced, holding a cup of alcohol in one hand.

Everyone turned to him.

When they saw Xiao Nanfeng, the warriors were shocked to no end. They began to panic, and the warriors closest to him even upended many of the dishes at their tables in panic. Porcelain shattered.

"Wh-Who are you?!" the Chief Steward thundered.

"Chief Steward, it's been three years. Don't you recognize me?" Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"Protect Young Master Xiao. Escort him away! Protect him!" the Chief Steward commanded.

He had recognized Xiao Nanfeng and had guessed that he was here to seek revenge, but he had no choice but to protect the legitimacy of 'Young Master Xiao' beside him. Not only was 'Young Master Xiao' his son, he was also the safeguard for the Chief Steward's apparent morality.

That Xiao Nanfeng had been able to organize a banquet like this spoke to a wealth of preparation. He couldn't stay here any longer.

Just as the Chief Steward was about to escape with 'Young Master Xiao', a beam of light shot forth from Xiao Nanfeng's back—a qi-infused arrow whose target was 'Young Master Xiao'.

"No!" the Chief Steward exclaimed.

'Young Master Xiao' was shot through the head and sent flying. The momentum of the arrow was such that he was pinned against a wall and struck dead on the spot.

"Son! No!" the Chief Steward bellowed.

Only then did the warriors see Ye Dafu standing behind Xiao Nanfeng. He had shot an arrow at the fake Young Master Xiao and killed him instantly.

"Chief Steward, do you remember the note I left you before my departure?" Xiao Nanfeng asked coldly.

The Chief Steward blanched as he recalled the note that Xiao Nanfeng had left him. 'Don't die before I return to claim your head.'

After just three years, Xiao Nanfeng had returned to seek revenge.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Kill them. Kill them all!" the Chief Steward pointed at Xiao Nanfeng and Ye Dafu, a look of hatred blazing on his face.

"Kill!" the warriors howled, charging forward.

By now, they too understood that they had fallen for Xiao Nanfeng's trick. The fact that they were invited at all meant that Xiao Nanfeng was targeting them. Either Xiao Nanfeng would die, or the rest of them would. There was no third option. They charged forward fiercely, but Xiao Nanfeng didn't fear this group of Immanence-realm warriors. He didn't even stand up. He eyed the warriors coldly.

Ye Dafu used his bow as a club as he struck at the gathered soldiers, sending them flying out and smashing against the walls in the Xiao manor. They crumpled to the base of the wall in a heap, either dead or grievously injured.

Quite a few warriors didn't bother to strike at all. They turned tail and ran. However, as they leapt above the walls to the manor, feet suddenly appeared to kick them back inside.

They crashed into the yard like falling meteors, upending the banquet tables.

The Chief Steward had no intention of dragging out this losing fight. Ignoring even his son's corpse, he attempted to flee.

However, a leg kicked him from amidst the darkness, sending him wheezing back into the center of the courtyard. The Chief Steward fell in a spray of blood as he looked at the man who had kicked him.

"Ye Sanshui of the Ye clan? What are you doing here? Aren't the Ye clan's troops not allowed into these titled lands?!" the Chief Steward exclaimed, vomiting out blood.

"Chief Steward, are you? In gratitude for your brother dying in his place on the battlefield, Marquis Xiao heaped benefit after benefit upon you, trusting you with his life and allowing you to manage his estate. You, however, blinded by ambition, manipulated Young Master Xiao and attempted to usurp his authority. You deserve to die!" Ye Sanshui proclaimed.

The Chief Steward blanched. Without any hesitation, he retrieved a bamboo tube and activated it, sending fireworks into the air above the Xiao manor. He was signaling and calling for help.

He was relieved that Ye Sanshui hadn't been in time to stop him when Xiao Nanfeng put down his cup of alcohol. "Use whatever other transmission tools you have. Whatever forces you command, whichever helpers you might have—summon them. Don't worry, the night is yet long. We have plenty of time."

"What?!" The Chief Steward's eyes twitched.

He never expected that Xiao Nanfeng wouldn't mind—no, was even encouraging—that he was summoning whatever reinforcements he had. Ye Sanshui didn't make a move, either. He stood close by and watched the Chief Steward quietly.

The Chief Steward immediately retrieved two more bamboo tubes and sent them into the air as well.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Ye Dafu's fight against the warriors had ended. They had all been taken down.

"King Xiao, I've handled all these traitorous warriors! If I hadn't looked at their files, I wouldn't have expected them to be this evil. After Marquis Xiao went missing, they've been bullying the common people and killing any who dare go against them. They've committed all sorts of evil and have ruined his good name. A quick death is more than they deserve," Ye Dafu gritted out.

"King Xiao? Aren't you supposed to be a disciple in the Taiqing Immortal Sect? When did you become a king?" The Chief Steward clutched at his chest.

Xiao Nanfeng smirked. "You knew I was a disciple in the Taiqing Immortal Sect? Your information network's not too bad, I suppose. We'll just have to see if your helpers can save you."

Just then, a white-robed young man appeared from the sky. White light radiated from him, and he gave off an overwhelming aura as he landed.

"Spiritsong-realm?!" Ye Dafu raised an eyebrow.

"The Chief Steward's eldest son, a Spiritsong-realm cultivator? How could it be?" Ye Sanshui exclaimed.

"All the cultivation resources that my father left for me were given to the Chief Steward's eldest son instead. Of course he could reach Spiritsong," Xiao Nanfeng explained, glaring at the newcomer.

The white-robed male grew incensed as he took in the corpses in the yard and the fake 'Young Master Xiao' pinned dead against the wall. "Second Brother? Who killed my second brother?!"

"Kill them, my son! It's Ye Sanshui, third son of the Ye clan, and his son! They're Ascension-realm cultivators. Get rid of them now!" the Chief Steward shouted.

Ye Sanshui stomped on the Chief Steward, causing him to spray out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"You'll die for that!" The white-robed man leapt toward Ye Sanshui.