Chapter 425 - 227: The Yao Family’s Plan, the Little Crouching Dragon (Part 2)

Chapter 425: Chapter 227: The Yao Family’s Plan, the Little Crouching Dragon (Part 2)

"That’s just ridiculous. What’s this guy’s name? He can’t be that Yao Yilong, can he?"

"Yao Yilong has the gall to show his face? He must still be in his manor nursing his wounds. Who knows if he’s actually hurt or just hiding? It’s embarrassing either way."

"So this speaker isn’t a Grandmaster? For an event this big, it’s pretty strange they wouldn’t have a Grandmaster here to hold down the fort."

"What’s the difference if they’re a Grandmaster from the Yao family? Besides, the Yao family’s Grandmasters are known for never lifting a finger. If they had any to spare, they wouldn’t have let those three kids escape that day."

"What do you mean ’escape’? The one who ran away was Yao Yilong!"

For a moment, the name "Yao Yilong" was repeated endlessly in the whispers around the fighting stage, gradually swelling into a low roar. An uninformed bystander might have thought he was the favorite to win the whole event.

But there were very few who didn’t know the story.

Normally, while the title of Grandmaster is famous, not everyone knows each one by name.

But after what happened, especially with the "night battle on the long street" taking place right before the Little Crouching Dragon Assembly—an unprecedentedly grand one at that—his fame spread far too wide.

Other than Xie Yuan and his two companions, the most famous name was Yao Yilong—far more famous than even the person ranked first on the Flying Dragon List.

Many people had come to the Little Crouching Dragon Assembly not to witness the prowess of young, talented Martial Artists, but to see for themselves who this legendary Yao Yilong was.

’What kind of person gets beaten by three kids from the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm when he’s a Grandmaster? Does he even know how to fight?’

’If he’s that useless, he should just give his cultivation level to me. I could wipe the floor with someone from the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm with my eyes shut...’

Many who practiced External Training thought the same.

As Yao Qinglai spoke on stage, his hearing, sharpened by his Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm cultivation, gradually picked up the whispers from below. He didn’t need to know the specifics; just hearing the name "Yao Yilong" was enough to know what they were talking about.

His speech faltered for a moment, but he forced his expression to remain neutral and continued with his prepared speech.

In the past, the welcome address would never have been this long and tedious, as mind-numbing as one of their own family council meetings.

But for one, with such a grand occasion, the council of elders felt they should promote the Yao family. For another, because of the recent incident, the elders had decided to emphasize the Yao family’s glorious achievements while completely avoiding any mention of Yao Yilong’s failure, hoping people would quickly forget.

The Yao family had been in low spirits lately. They had poured all their energy into preparing for this grand event, hoping to showcase their family’s power. And in the end, their strength *was* put on display right before the event began—just not in the way they intended.

The Yao family invited all these people here, only to put on a show of a Grandmaster being run off by a few cultivators from the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm. They had truly shot themselves in the foot, inviting the entire world to laugh at them. If this Little Crouching Dragon Assembly hadn’t attracted so many people, the story might not have become common knowledge!

But it was too late for regrets. The Yao family could only grit their teeth in hatred for Xie Yuan—they didn’t dare direct their anger at the other two—and lay all the blame at his feet. And in their minds, it was Xie Yuan who had started it all anyway.

Beyond that, all they could do was swallow their pride and suffer in silence, hoping that if they ran the event well enough, people might forget what had happened.

Unfortunately, the elders’ decisions were often completely out of touch. The plan they’d come up with on a whim was utterly boneheaded.

Reading a long-winded script to a crowd of Martial Artists eager to see a fight was only making them impatient. It was completely counterproductive, inciting them to mock the Yao family’s way of doing things even more. ’No wonder their Grandmaster can’t win a fight!’

Xie Yuan could hear soft snickers even on their floor. The guests were talking about his battle, growing less and less concerned about the Yao family attendants serving them nearby. And these were people from respected sects, treated as honored guests, who by all rights should have been showing the Yao family some face.

Ning Zi noticed it too and said with a grin:

"Looks like the Yao family is going to hate you down to their very marrow!"

Hearing this, Lin Zhen’s gentle but resolute face filled with worry. She frowned and said:

"They were the ones whose skills were lacking. Why should they hate someone else for it..."

Qin Zhenyang said calmly:

"That’s just human nature. The blow Xie Yuan dealt the Yao family wasn’t just to their reputation. More importantly, he exposed their actual strength."

Ning Zi raised a delicate eyebrow and looked at Qin Zhenyang.

"Senior Brother Qin, what do you mean?"

"First, a Grandmaster failed to capture a few juniors. That makes people question the caliber of the Yao family’s Grandmasters. Second, the incident happened right here in Jinling City, yet the Yao family didn’t even dispatch a second Grandmaster for support. Whether it was arrogance or some other calculation, it makes people wonder if the Yao family has really fallen that far. See? Plenty of people are pointing out that for an event like this, the Yao family doesn’t even have a Grandmaster giving the speech. In the past, no one would have said anything if a Grandmaster didn’t make an appearance."

Qin Zhenyang continued slowly, "If this exposure of the Yao family’s weakness invites trouble from those who now covet what they have, then they will truly see Xie Yuan as a thorn in their side. You have to be careful, Xie Yuan. The Yao family likely considers you a mortal enemy now."

Xie Yuan nodded silently.

"Senior Brother Qin has a point."

Ning Zi paid no mind to Xie Yuan’s response. Tapping her cheek with a slender, pale finger, she mused:

"I’d heard the Yao family didn’t have many Grandmasters. They have to keep one stationed at their ancestral home who can never leave. Then there’s Yao Yilong, who oversees Jinling City. And I heard there’s one more who patrols their assets throughout Jiangnan... I only recall those three. That can’t be all, can it?"

Qin Zhenyang nodded.

"As of now, the Yao family only has three publicly known Grandmasters. Even if they have a few more they keep hidden, this incident suggests they have one or two at most. A thousand-year-old family with five Grandmasters, tops... how could that not give other people ideas?"