"Madam and the others..."
"They can only rely on their fate!" sighed the Wei Family Patriarch. "As members of the Wei Family, we must always be prepared to sacrifice ourselves for the clan. If they truly cannot escape, then that is their destiny."
The Grand Steward remained silent.
He didn't quite understand why the master insisted on defending this ancestral home, preferring to die fighting rather than to retreat.
But as a member of the Wei Family, all his martial arts glory was given by the Wei Family. Since the Family Head had ordered it, he would certainly obey until death.
"Master, perhaps things are not as bad as they seem. The guard Pang Zhan who is escorting madam and the others is also a strong martial artist of the Internal Organ Realm. With his leadership and the Silver Moon Guards forming the Silver Moon Battle Formation, even if they encounter someone of Great Success in the Internal Organ Realm, they should be able to hold them off.
The royal capital has decreed that those in the Innate Realm should not attack those below Innate. As long as the other side's Innate does not act, perhaps madam and the others still have a chance to escape."
After a long silence, the Grand Steward spoke up to comfort him.
"Now, we can only hope for this," the Wei Family Patriarch sighed.
But he knew that this hope was likely very slim.
Although the Silver Moon Battle Formation was formidable, the enemy was also numerous and had many strong individuals.
Just the mysterious figure he had spoken with was already more than what Pang Zhan and the others could handle.
Now, he could only pray that their pursuers did not include anyone above Great Success in the Internal Organ Realm; otherwise, he didn't dare to imagine the choices he would need to make.
In an agonizing wait, the Wei Family Patriarch endured a tough night.
The next day, when the same time arrived and there was no sign of any abnormalities outside the mansion, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He presumed that perhaps they had not yet captured An Er and the others.
Otherwise, given the arrogant demeanor of the mysterious strong individual yesterday, why would he miss such an opportunity to show off his power?
Another day passed without any incident outside the mansion, allowing the Wei Family Patriarch's heart to settle substantially.
It appeared his wife and son had really escaped.
Even the Grand Steward greatly relaxed.
The lady had once shown him great kindness, and now knowing that she and the son were probably safe, his anxious heart finally settled down.
The forces within the county were also constantly watching the movements at Wei Mansion these two days.
The conversation between the Wei Family Patriarch and that mysterious figure had echoed throughout the town.
Everyone knew that someone was pursuing the Wei Mansion's lady and young master.
Everyone speculated whether they would wake up one morning to see either the presence or corpses of the Wei Mansion's lady and young master.
Unexpectedly, two days had passed without any sign.
Even that mysterious figure had not reappeared.
Could it be that the lady and young master of the Wei Mansion had actually escaped?
Everyone couldn't help but entertain this thought.
"Zhi Rui, tell me, did the lady and young master from Wei Mansion really escape successfully, or have they been captured?"
Inside the County Lord Mansion, a handsome middle-aged man with phoenix eyes sat at a chess table, holding a chess piece, and asked the person sitting opposite him.
"You ask me? Even as the County Lord, you don't know; how would I?"
The man in plain clothes opposite him responded indifferently.
"You are being too modest. Who doesn't know that the intelligence of Tianji Building is unmatched in this world? Nothing can escape your eyes. Compared to you, what significance does my little title of County Lord have?"
The phoenix-eyed middle-aged man placed his chess piece on the board and laughed.
"Although Tianji Building has extensive intelligence, we never interfere in the conflicts between the families and sect forces. So, don't bother trying to gather information from me."
The man in plain clothes remained calm and also made a move.
"If you don't interfere, then why are you here?"
The expression of the phoenix-eyed middle-aged man turned slightly solemn; he stopped playing and looked at the man in plain clothes.
"Rest assured, my being here has nothing to do with you, and I am not interested in your matters."
The man in plain clothes remained expressionless.
"Oh, then what is the purpose of your visit?"
Upon hearing the other party's words, a slight relief washed over the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes, and a smile returned to his face.
He knew that the man before him never liked to speak untruths, and since he declared it had nothing to do with him, it definitely must be unrelated.
"I'm here just to confirm one thing," said the man in plain clothes.
"There is a prohibition from Holy Mountain; all martial artists Above Innate must not attack those Below Innate without proper cause, and they absolutely must not battle in densely crowded areas, causing needless slaughter."
"My visit is to see if anyone dares to defy this prohibition."
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes grew solemn.
The prohibition the man in plain clothes mentioned was not known by everyone.
Only the true, great families and hidden sects were aware of this rule.
However, this did not mean that the prohibition carried less weight.
On the contrary, everyone who knew of this prohibition was well aware of how terrifying the power behind it was.
It represented a mysterious authority that all forces in the world had to respect.
"So you're saying, this turmoil in the county, it really was instigated by someone from the Innate Realm?"
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes asked tentatively.
"Yan Canghai, you don't need to play dumb here," the man in plain clothes said lightly, "This obvious fact doesn't need to be feigned ignorance to insult our intelligence."
"Hehe, wasn't I just uncertain? After all, the traces of those in the Innate Realm are not something we folks in the Postnatal Realm can ascertain."
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes did not get angry, instead, he became curious.
"Zhi Rui, tell me, who wants to doom that old ancestor of the Wei Family to death, and what treasure inside Wei Mansion could possibly tempt a mighty Innate figure to stoop so low as to bully the younger generation?"
"Aren't you afraid that they might hear you disparaging them?" the man in plain clothes glanced at him.
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes stiffened, then relaxed again.
Pretending to be nonchalant, he replied, "With you here, what do I have to fear? Could it be that such lofty Innate beings would bother with a petty figure like me?"
His words were light, but he dared not inquire further.
"You should try changing this curious nature of yours; had you not been so overly curious back then, you wouldn't have been demoted to this remote place to be a minor County Lord."
The man in plain clothes picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board.
"Hehe," the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes gave a forced laugh, not daring to speak further.
If it weren't for the aid of the friend before him, he might not have even become the County Lord.
Nevertheless, his friend's words put his mind at ease.
These days, saying his pressures weren't substantial would be a lie.
Suddenly, so many martial artists had surged into the town, some possessing strength no less than his own.
Should these people actually start a battle within the city, the civilian casualties would be unimaginable.
If that were to happen, as the County Lord, he could not escape responsibility.
Now that his friend was here, whether or not he could stop the great battle was yet undecided.
But at least, his friend could testify that it wasn't due to his inaction, but rather utter helplessness.
The schemes of those in the Innate Realm were not something a small Internal Organ Realm like himself could obstruct.
The two quietly played chess for a while.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes couldn't help but ask again, "Zhi Rui, tell me, did that old ancestor of the Wei Family in the Innate Realm really die?"
The man in plain clothes looked up, staring at him quietly.
Even though the gaze was not intense, the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes felt a chill straight from his heart.
He hurriedly waved his hand, "Never mind, I really won't ask anymore!"
The man in plain clothes watched him for a while, making the middle-aged man tremble with fear.
Then he suddenly spoke, "There is something I can tell you."
"What is it?" the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes hurriedly asked.
"The lady and the young master of the Wei Family have not been captured yet."