"Young Master Ouyang, we’re not that close, are we?"
Guard A Cheng gently pushed away Ouyang Chu’s hand and smiled, "If others see this, they might think I’ve betrayed the Su Family. It’s better we keep a distance."
"Brother A Cheng, no need to be so distant," Ouyang Chu laughed boldly, "Sooner or later we’ll be family. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Later at Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, it’s on me—fine wine and beauty all arranged for you. How about it?"
One guard grinned, "Young Master Ouyang, I’ve never seen you treat us so well before."
"Isn’t it because I was busy with cultivation?" Ouyang Chu laughed heartily again, "Why not just report my name when you go to Celestial Fragrance Pavilion in the future? Everything will be on me. Just do me a favor and inform them."
Seeing Ouyang Chu suddenly act like a different person made Ouyang Jingyuan and the others dumbfounded.
They couldn’t believe Ouyang Chu would lower himself to call guards brothers for the sake of survival.
This is the Young Master of the Ouyang Family?
"Young Master Ouyang sure knows how to talk," A Cheng smiled slightly, "Young Master Lin Yan, you should learn well; otherwise, someday you might end up dead without knowing why."
Lin Yan dared not breathe heavily.
"Please wait while I go inside to report to the Patriarch. I can’t guarantee whether he’ll agree to see you," Guard A Nan said, smiling as he turned to enter the mansion.
"Thank you! Thank you! From now on, Celestial Fragrance Pavilion will be my treat," Ouyang Chu expressed gratitude with hands clasped, a wide smile on his face.
On the street outside the Su Family.
The observing cultivators were all stunned.
"Did I see that correctly? Is that the Young Master Ouyang?"
"So the three great families are here to plead, no wonder Young Master Ouyang seems like a different person."
"The three great families have lost face completely; to survive, they have no choice but to do this."
The cultivators whispered among themselves.
Hearing the voices from the street, Ouyang Jingyuan and others turned visibly displeased, but they had to endure it.
Less than a minute passed.
Guard A Nan came out.
"A Nan, how did it go?" Ouyang Chu hurried forward to ask.
The people from the three great families all turned their eyes to A Nan.
A Nan shrugged and smiled, "Our Patriarch said for you to return wherever you came from; he won’t see anyone."
Hearing A Nan’s words made the heads and elders of the three families look utterly desperate, as if they’d aged decades in an instant.
They thought there might be a glimmer of hope in pleading, but Su Xiangyang refused to give them a chance.
Su Xiangyang clearly intended not to spare the three families.
"Just as I predicted, the Su Patriarch won’t see them, nor give them the opportunity to plead."
"When the Su Family was in trouble, not only did they not help but kicked them when they were down. Now they want to plead—how easy do they think it is?"
"The good days of the three great families are over; once the Su Patriarch recovers, it will be their doom."
The cultivators on the street continued to discuss.
A Nan continued with a smile, "The Patriarch also said, as of today, all cooperation with you three families is terminated."
The heads and elders of the three families were filled with despair.
The Su Family had essentially sentenced them to death.
"It’s over, we’re truly finished, the Lin Family is to be destroyed by my hand," the Lin Family head was full of despair and regret.
"Brother Ouyang, what now? The Su Family might act against us at any moment," the Nangong Family’s head asked, utterly panicked, his mind a blank.
Ouyang Jingyuan remained silent, his face ashen; with no chance to plead, what options were left?
"Patriarch, do say something? What do we do now?" The Ouyang Family elder asked, impatient and extremely anxious.
"Brother Ouyang, do you have any plan?" Lin Yan asked nervously.
"No!" Ouyang Chu tightly clenched his fists, thinking to himself, "I cannot die here! I want to live! I must live!"
The desire to survive was extremely strong.
Seeing the unwilling Ouyang Chu, Guard A Cheng slightly smiled, "Young Master Ouyang, the moment you acted, you should’ve known it’s too late now; regretting won’t help, you all best head back."
Just as Guard A Cheng finished speaking.
Ouyang Chu suddenly knelt down on both knees, incredibly sincere, "I simply ask the Su Family to show mercy and give our three families a way to survive. If the Su Patriarch disagrees, I, Ouyang Chu, will kneel until he consents."
Upon these words from Ouyang Chu, Ouyang Jingyuan and others widened their eyes.
Could it be they must kneel before Su Family’s gate in front of the crowd?
"Ouyang Chu! What are you doing? Get up!" Ouyang Jingyuan growled in a low voice to reprimand.
But as Ouyang Jingyuan scolded, the Lin Family head had already dragged Lin Yan to kneel.
"The Lin Family cannot be ruined at my hands," the Lin Family head felt forced as it concerned the survival of the entire Lin Family.
"Jiao, kneel down." The Nangong Family head hurriedly pulled Nangong Jiao to kneel.
Nangong Jiao was completely dumbfounded.
The dignified eldest daughter of the Nangong Family actually had to kneel before the Su Family gate to survive, in front of the entire Imperial City.
Wouldn’t this make her the laughingstock of the entire Imperial City?
Where would she, as the eldest daughter, place her reputation in the future?
Even if Nangong Jiao would rather not, faced with potential death, she didn’t have the courage to stand and leave.
"Father, kneel," Ouyang Chu said solemnly, "Living is more important than anything; once alive, anything is possible, but if dead, nothing remains."
"I, the Patriarch of the Ouyang Family, actually have to kneel before the Su Family gate; why does heaven treat me this way? Why?" Ouyang Jingyuan cried out in his heart with sorrow and indignation.
"If you want to kneel, then kneel," Guard A Nan mildly smiled, showing no sympathy, then turned and entered the mansion. Find the newest release on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
After all, it was the three families’ own doing.
Inside the Su Family hall.
A Nan reported respectfully, "To report, Patriarch, people from the three great families are now kneeling outside."
"Oh? Kneeling outside?" Su Xiangyang was slightly surprised, then sneered, "I couldn’t imagine Ouyang Jingyuan would disregard pride for survival."
"Humph! Let them kneel," Su Qianshan said angrily, "If I weren’t severely injured, I would go out and kill them now."
The Second Elder said coldly, "One reaps what they sow, so don’t bother with them."
"Then let them kneel for now," Su Xiangyang sneered, "We’ll let them in after an hour; I want to see how they will beg."
Outside on the street.
The news quickly spread around the Imperial City, attracting more onlookers.
"I never thought the three great families would have a day ."
"Does kneeling indefinitely help? By offending the Su Family to death, what’s waiting for them is a dead end."
The three great families thoroughly became the laughingstock of the Imperial City.
But they had no choice and continued to kneel.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
A Nan walked out of the mansion, looked at the three families, and smiled, "Patriarch Ouyang, you all may rise; the Patriarch is willing to see you now."