Chapter 1834 - Betray
Every gaze in the hall settled on Liu Wuxie's face. They all wanted an explanation, and Ye Linghan was no exception.
"Could you ask everyone to leave?" Liu Wuxie requested with a frown.
Too many people were present in the main hall, and certain matters couldn't be discussed publicly. No one knew whether the Wen Clan had planted spies among them.
"Everyone, leave us," Ye Linghan ordered.
Elder Wu and the other elders withdrew despite their reluctance, leaving only Liu Wuxie and Ye Guhai behind. Once the last person departed, silence descended over the entire hall.
"Come, take a seat," Ye Guhai said.
He showed no urgency. The auction wouldn't begin for another two days, giving them plenty of time.
Liu Wuxie settled into the seat Ye Linghan had occupied earlier.
"City Lord Ye, surely you don't suspect me of betraying the City Lord Mansion as well?!" Liu Wuxie asked with a faint smile.
"Tell me what you plan to do next," Ye Guhai replied.
Had he truly suspected Liu Wuxie of betrayal, the two of them wouldn't be sitting together for this conversation.
Both men possessed formidable intelligence, and intelligent men did not need to speak in circles.
Liu Wuxie had raised the question because his plan required Ye Guhai's cooperation. For the scheme to proceed without interference, he needed Ye Guhai's unconditional trust. Whether he could destroy the Wen Clan depended heavily upon that trust.
No one remained within a radius of several dozen meters around the main hall. Their private discussion continued for close to an hour, and the doors finally opened as evening descended.
"Liu Wuxie, I trusted you, yet you dared to collude with outsiders! Because you once saved my life, I won't kill you today. Leave the City Lord Mansion immediately! I never want to see you again!" Ye Guhai roared.
His furious voice thundered into the distance, shocking the entire City Lord Mansion.
Although Elder Wu and the others had left the hall, they hadn't gone far. They remained nearby, closely monitoring what happened inside. The moment Ye Guhai's enraged roar reached them, fury seized them as well.
Anger burned through everyone present, but Ye Linghan alone maintained her composure.
"Hmph! So this is how the City Lord Mansion repays kindness, with ingratitude. I merely used the Sumeru Stone to obtain some resources, and you want to drive me away? If this is how you intend to treat me, I have no reason to remain in the City Lord Mansion," Liu Wuxie declared.
He snapped his sleeve aside and strode toward the exit.
Elder Wu and the other elders immediately rushed forward to intercept him. Liu Wuxie's actions had dragged the City Lord Mansion toward an abyss. How could they simply allow him to walk away?
"Let him go!" Ye Guhai shouted, forbidding anyone from stopping Liu Wuxie.
And so, under everyone's furious gaze, Liu Wuxie openly turned his back on the City Lord Mansion and left.
"Father, I'm sorry. If he's leaving, then I'm leaving with him," Ye Linghan said.
She stepped to Liu Wuxie's side, choosing to remain with him even if that decision meant abandoning the City Lord Mansion.
"Get out! Both of you!" Ye Guhai roared, his towering rage erupting like a volcano.
He didn't want to see either of them for another moment.
The pair reached the gates of the City Lord Mansion. The instant they crossed that threshold, every connection between them and the City Lord Mansion would seemingly be severed.
"Do you regret this?" Liu Wuxie asked, looking at Ye Linghan.
Crossing that threshold might condemn them beyond redemption. Countless Wen Clan experts were already waiting for an opportunity to take their lives.
"I regret nothing," Ye Linghan replied, unwavering resolve filling her eyes.
She had chosen this path herself, and she wouldn't turn away from it even if it cost her life.
The elders outside the main hall could do nothing but stomp their feet in frustration.
"City Lord, why did you allow them to leave? Liu Wuxie's betrayal has already been proven. We should execute him," Yuan Jiang said, unable to understand Ye Guhai's decision.
Liu Wuxie might have saved the City Lord's life, but his latest actions had undermined the City Lord Mansion's authority. Simply allowing him to leave was far too merciful.
"Enough. We should discuss how we're going to compete with the Wen Clan for the Sumeru Stone," Ye Guhai said.
Refusing to dwell on Liu Wuxie, he returned to the main hall.
Not long after leaving the City Lord Mansion, Liu Wuxie quickened his pace.
"Wuxie, let me take you somewhere," Ye Linghan said.
She pulled him through a maze of streets before leading him into a large estate.
Strangely, Liu Wuxie didn't look surprised. In fact, it looked like he had expected this from the beginning.
"My father gave me this estate when I came of age. Spiritual arrays protect the entire property, so the Wen Clan won't dare force its way inside," Ye Linghan explained.
The estate belonged to her alone. Without her permission, not even Elder Wu and the other elders possessed the right to enter.
Liu Wuxie nodded and settled into the estate without concern.
In less than fifteen minutes, news of what had happened inside the City Lord Mansion reached the Wen Clan.
During the past few hours, the Wen Clan had gathered more than a million immortal stones. They had even sold several of their properties to raise the money.
The Wen Clan had already emptied its treasury to purchase the Sumeru Stone. In the end, they had not only lost the immortal stones but also Wen Ding and the other elders who were escorting the Sumeru Stone.
"Patriarch, we have wonderful news!" the elder responsible for intelligence reported.
He looked delighted as he rushed inside and interrupted Wen Changxing's discussion with the others.
"Speak," Wen Changxing ordered.
His mood had remained foul lately, but the promise of good news finally softened his expression.
"Not long ago, Liu Wuxie was expelled from the City Lord Mansion. Ye Guhai nearly killed him and accused him of betraying the City Lord Mansion for personal gain," the elder reported.
Upon hearing the news, every Wen Clan elder burst into laughter.
"Patriarch, could they have arranged this in advance?" an elder beside Wen Changxing asked as he stepped forward.
Something about the news felt unusual to him, though he couldn't identify exactly what troubled him.
The elder was Wen Xuan, whose status stood second only to Wen Ding. He had also reached the ninth-level Origin Immortal Realm and was given the title 'Star of Wisdom' because of his exceptional intellect.
The other elders remained silent. Unable to determine whether the report was genuine, they hesitated to offer an opinion.
"Has our spy within the City Lord Mansion sent us any report?" Wen Changxing asked.
Before concluding, he needed to know whether the City Lord Mansion had deliberately released false information to confuse them.
"The report came directly from our insider. Wu Sheng and the others nearly attacked Liu Wuxie, so the news has been confirmed," the elder tasked with intel gathering replied solemnly.
The spy planted inside the City Lord Mansion was no ordinary person and was likely even an upper echelon.
"What does everyone make of this?" Wen Changxing asked.
Rather than settle on an immediate conclusion, he chose to hear others' opinions first.
"Patriarch, if the City Lord Mansion deliberately released this news, what could they possibly hope to accomplish?" a young elder asked as he stepped forward.
They could work backward from the outcome. If the City Lord Mansion had fabricated the dispute, then there had to be a motive behind it.
"If they released the news intentionally, they could only have one objective," Wen Xuan replied. "They want us to bid recklessly for the Sumeru Stone and drive the price higher," he explained.
"I disagree. Everyone knows that our Wen Clan is determined to obtain the Sumeru Stone. News or no news, we'll still bid for it regardless of the cost," an elderly man opposite Wen Xuan argued, shaking his head.
The Wen Clan would fight for the Sumeru Stone no matter what happened, rendering that supposed motive unfounded.
Wen Xuan frowned but found no way to refute him. The elderly man's reasoning was sound.
"If the report is genuine, then Liu Wuxie truly betrayed the City Lord Mansion. Even so, obtaining the Sumeru Stone won't be easy. Ye Guhai won't simply allow us to succeed," the young elder continued.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Beyond its value as forging material, the Sumeru Stone was an exceptional treasure in its own right.
Their previous transaction had taken place in secret, but the Sumeru Stone was now being sold openly. The auction had become a public contest to determine which faction possessed greater wealth.
"Whether the report is true or false, we'll continue according to plan. Ye Guhai will undoubtedly do everything he can to stop us, leaving us with only one option. We will need to surpass him in wealth," Wen Changxing said after considering the matter.
His reasoning was correct. Regardless of whether the news was genuine, the Wen Clan would still do everything possible to seize the Sumeru Stone.
The other elders nodded their agreement.
"Patriarch, now that Liu Wuxie has left the City Lord Mansion, should we send someone to capture him? We could obtain firsthand information from him and uncover the entire truth," the young elder suggested.
He stepped forward, eager to capture Liu Wuxie. Once they had him, everything would become clear.
"Ye Linghan is staying with him in an estate near the City Lord Mansion. Spiritual arrays protect the property, and powerful experts guard it. Forcing our way inside won't be easy," the elder responsible for gathering intel replied helplessly.
The Wen Clan had already tried. From the moment Liu Wuxie had departed the City Lord Mansion, they had sent people to capture him.
"There's no need to rush. Once the Sumeru Stone falls into our hands, both Liu Wuxie and Ye Guhai will die," Wen Changxing replied with a sinister smile.
Wen Clan experts guarded every gate in Fourfold City, making it extremely difficult for Liu Wuxie to escape. Scouts even watched the teleportation array. As news of the conflict within the City Lord Mansion spread, tension tightened around the entire city.
Liu Wuxie spent the next two days at ease, passing his time drinking tea and practicing his blade technique.
"The auction begins tomorrow. Are we going?" Ye Linghan asked as she refilled Liu Wuxie's cup and rolled her eyes.
She couldn't understand how Liu Wuxie could leisurely drink tea at such a critical moment.
"Of course we're going," Liu Wuxie replied, setting down his cup.
His plan to destroy the Wen Clan was already in motion, and he needed to maintain control over every stage to ensure its success. A single flaw anywhere in the process could unravel the entire scheme and bring a devastating backlash upon him.
However, Liu Wuxie had examined the plan countless times and refined it to perfection. Even if the Wen Clan possessed heaven-defying abilities, escaping this death trap would prove nearly impossible unless they abandoned the Sumeru Stone.
Judging from the current situation, the Wen Clan possessed a high chance of winning the Sumeru Stone. Over the past two days, they had sold several properties and amassed a vast amount of immortal stones.
The City Lord Mansion, meanwhile, had sold only a few insignificant assets.
When the day of the auction arrived, the Skyhalberd Auction House overflowed with people. Most hadn't come to bid. They had come to witness the clash between the Wen Clan and the City Lord Mansion, a contest that would determine which faction would have the last laugh.
If the Wen Clan secured the Sumeru Stone, it would erase the City Lord Mansion from Fourfold City. If the City Lord Mansion wanted to preserve its foothold, it had to obtain the Sumeru Stone and keep the Wen Clan in check.