Chapter 228: Internal Conflict
As night fell, the central area of Yunmeng City was bustling with activity.
At the Feng family’s estate, the grand hall was filled with over a hundred high-ranking members of the family.
Elder Feng Lie and Acting Clan Leader Feng Baozhao sat at the head of the table, while Feng Mingyan, a direct descendant of the Feng family, stood behind the elderly members.
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat oppressive.
“Is everyone here? Today, I’ve gathered you all to discuss a matter that I’m sure you’re all aware of.”
Elder Feng Lie’s voice was calm, but everyone could sense the suppressed anger beneath his words.
“Let’s talk about Feng Qingya’s situation. What do you all plan to do about it? As I said, the alchemist she invited is a descendant of Dantai Mingjing, who once dominated Qingzhou.”
Elder Feng Lie’s voice remained calm, but many people in the hall were shocked by his words.
Few people in the Feng family, even among the direct descendants, knew about Xuening’s true identity.
“It seems that the rumors are true, and our family’s former leader did have a connection with the Dantai clan.”“I didn’t expect this to be true.”
“The Dantai clan has been extinct for many years, and now they’ve reappeared. I wonder how much power they still have left.”
“This is Feng Qingya’s trump card, isn’t it?”
As soon as Elder Feng Lie finished speaking, many high-ranking members of the Feng family began to whisper among themselves.
In the Feng family, Feng Baozhao’s branch was powerful, but not to the extent of dominating the entire family.
Many high-ranking members remained neutral, and some even sided with the previous clan leader, Feng Qingya’s father, who had already passed away.
However, after Feng Baozhao’s branch gained power and Elder Feng Lie subtly leaned towards them, they chose to remain silent.
Now that Feng Qingya was gradually revealing her strength, they had more expectations.
At this moment, Second Elder Feng Li, who was sitting beside Feng Baozhao, suddenly stood up.
“No matter what, Feng Qingya is still a member of the Feng family. She even holds the position of Pavilion Master of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion in Fengma City.”
“Our family hasn’t expelled her. Therefore, in my opinion, there’s no need to make a fuss about it. Everything she has belongs to the Feng family. If she can contribute to the family’s growth and prosperity, it should be her honor.”
Feng Li’s words were quite forceful, and as a Nascent Soul cultivator, his opinions carried significant weight in the Feng family.
As soon as he spoke, Feng Baozhao and the others looked around the room, their eyes fixed on the high-ranking members of the Feng family.
It was clear that Second Elder Feng Li was speaking on behalf of Feng Baozhao’s branch.
He wanted to see who would agree and who would oppose.
The key words were: forceful!
After Second Elder Feng Li spoke, another elder who was sitting beside Feng Baozhao opened his mouth to say, “In our Feng family, all disciples are willing to sacrifice themselves for the family, to the point of death. Why should we make an exception for Feng Qingya?”
The atmosphere in the hall became even more tense, with the two factions within the Feng family beginning to take shape.
“Even if Feng Qingya is the orphan of the previous clan leader, she shouldn’t be treated specially. Therefore, I also believe that everything Feng Qingya has belongs to the Feng family.”
“Well said, I agree!”
“I agree too!”
The people from Feng Baozhao’s branch all expressed their opinions, and their words were laced with a lack of shame.
Meanwhile, several elderly members, such as the sixth and eighth elders, remained silent, their hearts still loyal to the previous clan leader.
They felt sympathy for Feng Qingya, but their branch lacked a strong leader to speak out for them. Even if they did say something, it would only lead to more suppression and would have no effect.
In the absence of Elder Feng Lie’s opinion, Feng Baozhao’s branch had the majority of the high-ranking members, and their decision would become the dominant direction of the Feng family.
Many people looked at Elder Feng Lie, who remained calm and expressionless, not saying a word.
Feng Baozhao then looked at him and smiled, “It seems that everyone’s opinions are quite unified. I wonder what Elder Feng Lie thinks about this?”
In reality, Elder Feng Lie had already anticipated this scenario. He sighed inwardly, and his previous doubts seemed to have become even clearer.
A faint smile appeared on his aged face, “So, since everyone’s opinions are so unified, shouldn’t we have a concrete plan for the third round tomorrow? Since they can refine supreme-quality second-grade pills, entering the top three should be a cinch.”
Elder Feng Lie’s words seemed to be siding with Feng Baozhao’s branch.
Third Elder, who had previously expressed his opinion, immediately responded, “This is quite simple. We can take several approaches. One is to issue an order for Feng Qingya to hand over her alchemist, as a member of the Feng family, she can’t disobey.”
“Second, we can provide the materials for the pill-refining tomorrow and manipulate them to prevent them from entering the top three. Or, we can recreate the incident from last night at the Spirit Sound Inn, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it happens again.”
“After all, the reason for the Dantai clan’s downfall is still unknown to the cultivators in Qingzhou. Now that the Dantai clan’s descendant has appeared, it’s not unreasonable to say that old enemies have been stirred up.”
Third Elder’s words were spoken calmly, but their content sent a chill down the spines of all the Feng family members present.
His three methods seemed feasible and easy to implement, and if the first two were carried out, Feng Qingya would be left with no choice.
The hall fell silent for a moment before Sixth Elder, who had remained silent until now, stood up in anger.
“Third Elder, no matter what, Feng Qingya is still a member of the Feng family, not a mortal enemy. Is it necessary to go to such lengths? And have you forgotten the original purpose of our Alchemist Assembly?”
“If there’s a talented young alchemist who can help our ancestors awaken, our Feng family won’t need to rely on others.”
Sixth Elder’s tone was filled with indignation. He felt that Feng Baozhao’s branch had gone too far, and their actions seemed to be aimed at forcing Feng Qingya to surrender and use her own resources to gain the Tuoba family’s support for the Feng family.
But in reality, it was clear that Feng Baozhao’s branch was using this opportunity to suppress and eliminate those who were loyal to the old clan leader.
Their excuse of uniting with the Tuoba family had already led to many things being turned upside down.
In order to become the official clan leader and gain absolute power, they had stopped at nothing in recent days.
When the Third Elder heard the Sixth Elder’s words, a cold smile appeared on his face.
“I wonder what wise opinion the Sixth Elder has on this matter?”
Since the Sixth Elder had stood up, he was already prepared to be suppressed.
He immediately said, “Since you also said that Miss Feng Qingya is still a member of the Feng family.
Then everything will be handled according to the normal rules.
If the ancestor can really wake up in the end, then everything will be decided by the ancestor!”