Peng Jiashu walked from the bathroom to the desk. Seeing Peng Hetong staring out the window, his fists clenched and his face livid, Peng Jiashu said tremblingly, "Dad..."

"Damn it! What else can you do?" Peng Hetong turned and roared, snatching a folder from the desk and hurling it at his son.

THUD.

Peng Jiashu didn't dare to dodge and took the direct hit.

"I... I was just trying to stall him," Peng Jiashu said, his head hung low.

Peng Hetong scolded him furiously, "Stall him? I told you to stall him, not curse him out! Are you brain-dead? What did he ever do to you that you had to curse him? The Ye Family has a grudge against him, not you!"

Peng Jiashu swallowed hard. "I just wanted the satisfaction of running my mouth..."

"Damn you!" Peng Hetong couldn't listen anymore and threw another folder. "I told you to watch what you say! Now, because you had to run your mouth, I've lost my chance to get ahead. All the hard work I put into getting you that position is gone..."

SMACK!

In truth, when Peng Jiashu first appeared at the entrance, it wasn't out of any real hatred for Xu Ke; after all, it wasn't his brother who had been killed. He had just arrived at the Martial Alliance when he saw Xu Ke waiting by the door, and he immediately sensed something was off.

Why would Xu Ke be here?

He reported it to his father right away. Peng Hetong then decided to have Peng Jiashu stall Xu Ke at the entrance while he called Ye Fan to ask if there was a problem. Xu Ke arriving at the Martial Alliance so early in the morning was highly unusual. Furthermore, the Ye and Huang families had just moved against Xu Ke the day before. This confrontation was clearly aimed at either the Ye Family or the Huang Family; they were the only ones with such a grudge.

But no matter who was being targeted, Peng Hetong, who planned to align with the Ye Family after retirement, couldn't let Xu Ke proceed so smoothly. So, he had Peng Jiashu engage Xu Ke in a war of words to waste time while he called Ye Fan to confirm if Xu Ke had gotten his hands on some leverage against the Ye Family.

It was only after Ye Fan replied that there was no issue and told him to just see what Xu Ke wanted that Peng Hetong stepped out from the corner to stop Xu Ke from calling in a titan like Chen Xiong. They had thought that with both the Alliance Hierarch and the Vice Alliance Hierarch absent, they could do as they pleased and that blocking Xu Ke from entering wouldn't matter. To buy time, Peng Jiashu had even spouted nonsense to justify his refusal, like claiming the Martial Alliance only governed the six major families—a complete lie. The Martial Alliance's jurisdiction extended to resolving many power disputes. He was simply banking on Xu Ke's unfamiliarity with the Martial Alliance's internal structure to act so recklessly.

Who would have thought that Yuan Shang would actually return...

"So... Dad, did Young Master Fan say anything?" Peng Jiashu asked as he silently picked up the folders from the floor.

Having vented his anger, Peng Hetong could finally speak calmly. "Say anything? He complained that I woke him up. He said Xu Ke has nothing on them and told me to let him in." He took a drag from his cigarette. "He wants to see how many more days this dying pretty boy can keep hopping around."

Peng Jiashu was startled. "Xu Ke is dying?"

"What's it to you? Stop asking so many questions." Peng Hetong rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes.

"No, Dad, we should be concerned," Peng Jiashu said, stepping forward urgently.

Peng Hetong gave him a cold look.

Mustering his courage, Peng Jiashu pressed on, "Look, Dad, we definitely don't have a future in the Martial Alliance anymore, right?"

Peng Hetong's gaze was as sharp as a knife. "No one will think you're mute if you keep your mouth shut."

The look sent a chill down Peng Jiashu's spine, but he forced himself to continue. "That's why we need to find our next move, and quickly. It's all the more reason for us to distinguish ourselves in the eyes of the Ye Family. If we can help the Ye Family get rid of Xu Ke, wouldn't that be a great service?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Peng Hetong finally responded, "Your idea is good. But from the way Ye Fan spoke to me just now, it's clear he's completely confident he can kill Xu Ke. If we get involved now, there are two possible outcomes."

"What outcomes?" Peng Jiashu asked instinctively.

"First, the Ye Family succeeds, which they almost certainly will. At best, our help would be like gilding the lily—not very useful, but it would at least increase our visibility with them."

"And the second?"

"Second," Peng Hetong said, "given your talent for messing up everything you touch, we screw up the plan to kill Xu Ke. What do you think the Ye Family would do to us then?"

Peng Jiashu fell silent.

The implication was perfectly clear: We could help the Ye Family, but if you're involved, it's better if we don't.

"Get out. I don't want to see you for the rest of the day," Peng Hetong said, closing his eyes.

Peng Jiashu's expression immediately grew anxious, but since his father had spoken, he couldn't change the decision. He turned to leave, but then his expression shifted again. He spun back around. "Dad, don't you find it suspicious that Vice Alliance Leader Yuan returned so suddenly?"

Peng Hetong fought back his irritation. "What's suspicious about it?" After all, this was his son; he couldn't be too harsh.

"Vice Alliance Leader Yuan was supposed to be in the provincial capital with the Alliance Hierarch for the competition, but now he's suddenly back," Peng Jiashu explained. "He must have been called back. And the person who called him back has to be Xu Ke!"

Peng Hetong stubbed out his cigarette. "I should've just spilled you on the wall back then. Do you really think you have more clout than Xu Ke? What makes you think that good-for-nothing has the authority to recall Yuan Shang?"

"But don't you think the timing of his return is too coincidental?" Peng Jiashu pressed. "And his attitude toward Xu Ke was like he was greeting his own son. Something is definitely fishy. The way I see it, the only reason Yuan Shang would come back is that Xu Ke wants to deal with someone, and there's a fifty percent chance it's the Ye Family. If we could just check Vice Alliance Leader Yuan's computer, we might find out what Xu Ke is planning... If it really is harmful to the Ye Family, we could warn them and give them time to prepare. Just because Young Master Fan said it's nothing doesn't mean it's really nothing. If there actually is an issue... By then, wouldn't we have distinguished ourselves?!"

Hearing this, Peng Hetong, who had been extremely impatient just moments before, had a sudden change of expression. He realized his son was actually making a lot of sense.

"Alright, I'll lock him up for now. Next, I'll call the old patriarch," Yuan Shang said after a quick scan of the evidence, taking a deep breath. "I'll ask you and the Ye Family to come over together then."

"Okay! Thank you, Vice Alliance Leader Yuan," Xu Ke said gratefully.

Yuan Shang smiled. "No need. In fact, I should thank you for preparing the evidence so thoroughly. You've saved us the trouble of having to gather more."

"You're welcome. I'll be leaving then, Vice Alliance Leader Yuan. I still have things to attend to back home."

"Alright, you head back. Shall I see you out?" Yuan Shang said, shutting down his computer and standing up.

Xu Ke waved his hand. "No need. You go enjoy your vacation, haha."

Yuan Shang laughed heartily. "Alright, alright. Remember to send my regards to Duan Laogou for me. I won't go looking for him myself."

Xu Ke nodded with an amused smile. If Duan Chongfeng heard that nickname, he'd definitely fly into a rage.

After leaving the Martial Alliance, Xu Ke finally felt a great sense of relief. One problem solved.

But his relief was short-lived. A call from Wang Wu came through.

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