Chapter 1697 - 1697: Three Families Join Forces!

"That's right on point."

Ying Zheng saw that his many brothers had finally regained their confidence, and with a mocking smile said, "I called you all here this time because I want you to act and get rid of that remnant!"

"Originally, I planned to take action myself, but first, given my current highly conspicuous status, I'm being watched by many. If I act personally, it will generate undesirable rumors before I assume the throne, which would be unfavorable for me."

"Secondly, although the Jiang Family has learned to keep a low profile over the years, they have not given up on reclaiming the half of Jiangshan they lost, and they closely monitor any movement from our Ying Family."

"If I'm not careful and let them find out that the Jiang scion is still alive, it would cause huge trouble."

"Therefore, I can only temporarily use your hands to get rid of that guy, and consider it as avenging Fourteenth Brother!"

The brothers finally understood the true meaning of Ying Zheng inviting them to the meal, and they all sat back down.

"Eldest, what you said makes sense and is well-considered. Rest assured, our Rong Family is willing to step forward and eliminate that obstacle for you!"

The brother surnamed Rong among them volunteered.

His name was Rong Jingfeng, ranking eleventh among the fourteen brothers, and he used to have a good relationship with Duanmu Zhe.

Rong Jingfeng clearly understood that even among sworn brothers, there was competition.

The Rong Family was currently trailing behind, just following the elder brothers for scraps.

To rise in ranks, one must achieve merit!

The current situation was a rare opportunity to gain merit!

"Indeed, the Che Family is also willing!" said a brother surnamed Che, named Che Jinliang.

"Eldest, whatever you command, we dare not shirk. Just say the word, whether you want us to do it or how you want it done?" another brother with a loud voice said.

Ying Zheng looked at the few families volunteering and laughed, "Eleventh Brother, Twelfth Brother, Ninth Brother, since you are so full of confidence, I might consider giving you a chance. Whether you can restore my dignity and wash away the previous disgrace depends on you. I only have one requirement—no matter how you act, you must use your brains. Do not follow in the footsteps of the Fourteenth Family, and if you really can't hold it, don't hide it—inform me and the brothers at any time, and I will step in again."

"Eldest, look at what you're saying, didn't we just discuss this? Even if that Jiang scion is still alive now, he's just a grasshopper after autumn that won't leap for long. Moreover, don't compare us to the Fourteenth Family; our three families combined are much stronger than the Duanmu Family, aren't they?"

The Ninth Brother among them, surnamed Xiong and known simply as Meng, was from the Xiong Family of the Capital City.

His status among the brothers was also relatively low, so he was equally eager to achieve meritorious deeds.

"Good, that's the kind of words I like to hear, hahaha!"

Ying Zheng laughed, "No matter what, enthusiasm is there, and fighting spirit is high. So today, consider this meal as a preliminary celebration for you three. Once the matter is accomplished, I'll throw a grand banquet to let everyone in the Capital City know that you three have rendered meritorious service for me by eliminating a troublesome issue that cannot see the light of day!"

"No problem!"

Xiong Meng, Rong Jingfeng, and Che Jinliang, after hearing this, felt both flattered and anxious, and quickly stood up to thank Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng also smiled and then added a few plates of mutton to the hot pot with his chopsticks, "Hurry up and eat, enough talking, fill your stomach so you have the strength to work."

The meal that followed was consumed with various sentiments.

Besides the three brothers who had already received the mandate, others also wanted to volunteer, but they were temporarily held back by Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng knew well that he couldn't give too much face to Jiang Feng now; having these three families act was currently enough.

Could it be that if he took it seriously and dispatched three brothers, he still couldn't deal with a banished man?

...

The following two days were indeed calm.

The Xiong, Rong, and Che Families were all consolidating their family forces, each deploying the appropriate family members, and after making adequate preparations, they would confront Jiangdong.

Among the three families, only the Xiong Family was like the Xiang Family before, a Martial Arts Family, while the Rong and Che Families mainly delved into commerce and politics.

But even so, the heritage of these two families was not to be underestimated!

Even the lowest-ranked Duanmu Family had an organization like the Dark Hall and kept a group of Primordial Transformation Realm experts. Let's not even mention about them.

Their heritage would only be stronger than the Duanmu Family, and the experts they nurtured more powerful!

The joint action of the three families this time was such that no province in the country could withstand it, so it could truly be said to be thunderous, with everything lying in the calm before the storm.

And during these two days, Jiang Feng was not idle either.

Although there was no trouble from the outside, he spent these two days urging the Ice Woman to go into seclusion and Xiang Tiandong to practice martial arts.

The Ice Woman was better off; after the incidents before, she had enough faith in Jiang Feng and was reassured, so she could focus completely on her seclusion without any distractions.

With Jiang Feng's guidance, breaking through her power's shackles was only a matter of time.

Xiang Tiandong, on the other hand, was a bit more troublesome. After all, having neglected it for so many years, suddenly plunging into Martial Arts was quite an adjustment, and even his Ren and Du meridians weren't fully opened.

Still, it was Jiang Feng who personally put him through hellish training, helping him clear his channels and fully adapt the Cultivation Technique.

There's one thing that did comfort Jiang Feng: even though Xiang Tiandong looked chubby, he turned out to be a rare martial arts prodigy, and many things in the secret books, he either grasped instantly or mastered without a teacher.

Given time, with ample opportunity, his future would be promising beyond measure, and surpassing Fang Wei et al. was only a matter of time.

Though Jiang Feng very much wanted to keep Xiang Tiandong by his side for guidance, considering how he couldn't leave the Xiang Family unattended, on the third night, Jiang Feng had Xiang Tiandong return to the Capital City overnight and dispatched Fang Wei to assist him, henceforth helping him oversee the Xiang Family.

After putting another piece of his mind at ease, Jiang Feng sat alone in the pavilion, preparing to give Nangong Qingcheng a call.

But just then, Shangguan Wan'er and Dong Ruyan suddenly approached, looking troubled and gazing at him with complicated eyes.

"What's up, why are you looking at me like this?" Jiang Feng saw the two women, had to put down his phone, and asked with a smile.

"Jiang Feng, just how many secrets are you hiding from us?"

The two women helplessly sat down across from Jiang Feng.

They had been troubled by this question these days, only feeling that Jiang Feng was growing increasingly powerful and mysterious, and that something about his identity had finally shown an iceberg tip.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Feng asked, amused. Why were these two women suddenly probing into his secrets?

"Don't play dumb. From the previous words of Duanmu Mian we are more convinced that you actually come from the Capital City, and have an extraordinary background! So what on earth is your deeply concealed past and background, can you tell us?"

Shangguan Wan'er looked at him eagerly, "At least let us understand you a bit better, you wouldn't say that even we can't be trusted, would you?"