"Lady Fang, please rise."

Li Feng looked at Tian Wenxin. He wasn't surprised at all by Lady Fang's choice. He was the only lifeline the Fang Family could grab onto right now; without him, the Fang Family had no one to rely on.

"I've accepted. From now on, Zhoushan is considered my disciple, and it's only right for me to protect your Fang Family."

Li Feng said.

Tian Wenxin sighed in relief upon hearing this.

"Then, I entrust the Fang Family to you. I must also calm my family, so I will take my leave first."

"Hmm."

Li Feng watched Tian Wenxin leave in a hurry, caught a whiff of the lingering fragrance, and before he could savor it, Li Batian walked into the courtyard.

"Family Head."

Li Feng looked at Li Batian, who seemed hesitant to speak. He walked back behind the table and looked up: "What's the matter?"

Li Batian nodded: "Family Head, are you planning to keep the Fang Family?"

Li Feng glanced at Li Batian: "You're well-informed. It's not that I'm planning; I already have kept them. Why, do you have any objections?"

Li Batian quickly shook his head.

"Since the Family Head has decided, I naturally have no objections. It's just that there are some drawbacks I want to inform you about, to prevent any oversight."

"Oh, go on."

Li Feng looked at Li Batian, and Li Batian continued: "Family Head, you forced Zeng Xingtian to retreat today, which really surprised me. But have you thought about why the Zeng Family dared to attack the Fang Family despite knowing they came to you as a master?"

Li Feng was indeed a bit puzzled. The Zeng Family's attack to annihilate the Fang Family caught him off guard as well. Even the Fang Family didn't seem to expect it.

"Don't keep me in suspense. Just tell me what you know."

Li Batian was also a bit surprised by Li Feng's performance today. Previously, when Li Feng stood firm against the Zeng Family, he seemed reckless, but today, Li Batian felt impressed by Li Feng's keen insight.

When his second brother previously pressured the Fang Family, he didn't know how to resolve the situation. He was even prepared for Li Feng to take action against his second brother, and that he would have to act against his own brother.

After all, he was now a vassal of the Li Family and couldn't just watch Zeng Xingtian kill Li Feng.

"Family Head, the Zeng Family is actually just a pawn. Although the Zeng Family has considerable strength in the Sixth Ring, and has some heritage as a fourth-rate family, it's not easy for them to be promoted to the ranks of a third-rate family."

"Actually, the Fang Family's strength is not weak. Even though they suffered a disaster, with significant losses among their core Golden Core members, considering that our Zeng Family, just a century-old fourth-rate family, managed to gather more than ten Golden Core members, wouldn't a third-rate family like the Fang Family, with a history dating back centuries, have some heritage?"

Li Feng squinted his eyes and looked at Li Batian: "What exactly are you trying to say? Speak directly and stop beating around the bush."

Li Batian didn't keep him in suspense and said; "There are actually people behind the Zeng Family pulling the strings, and the eradication of the Fang Family was also orchestrated by someone."

"Now that I think about it, from the Fang Family Head leaving with a group of people and all ending up dead with no remains, to the internal conflict and division within the Fang Family, with our Zeng Family eventually replacing them, someone orchestrated it all. Our Zeng Family was merely chosen to be a pawn at the right time."

"I can imagine that the Zeng Family has backing, but do you have evidence to say that the Fang Family's current tragedy was orchestrated by someone?"

"And what's the purpose of doing this?"

Li Feng asked.

But Li Batian shook his head: "The family supporting the Zeng Family is only known to the Family Head. They are very mysterious. I only know it's a young man, seemingly a young master from a large family."

"But I'm sure that the family behind this is definitely not a third-rate family. After all, to target the Fang Family, a mere third-rate family wouldn't be enough to bring the Fang Family to such a state."

"Keep in mind that Lady Fang's natal family, the Tian Family, is also a third-rate family. Although not as strong as the Fang Family at its peak, they're not far behind."

"Yet, even when facing life and death, Lady Fang didn't seek aid from her natal family; she chose to come find the Family Head as a master instead."

"Furthermore, in its centuries of existence, wouldn't the Fang Family have at least some connections? Even if some pushed them down, surely someone would offer support in their crisis, but this time almost every family turned a blind eye to the Fang Family's plight, offering no assistance."

"The Fang Family fractured, losing more than half of its strength, and several members left thereafter, which meant that the once prestigious third-rate Fang Family now had fewer than a handful of Golden Core members."

"The one pulling the strings is certainly formidable."

Li Batian concluded with a summary.

"You think by taking in the Fang Family, I'll offend the person behind this?" Li Feng seemed to understand Li Batian's concerns. The other party painstakingly orchestrated the Fang Family's annihilation, and Li Feng intended to protect the Fang Family's survivors. Perhaps he didn't intend to target anyone, but by taking in the Fang Family members, he was bound to offend the person behind the scenes.

If it were him, he would think the same.

After all, the Fang Family was like fish on his chopping block, and who were you to dare intervene?

Li Batian nodded: "Yes, and it seems Lady Fang is also aware of something, and she too fears the person behind the scenes, hence why she didn't seek aid from her own family."

"She's using you, the Family Head, as a human shield."

"Alright, I understand your point."

"Taking in the Fang Family people is something I've already agreed to, and it cannot be changed. Moreover, if I were to ultimately offend the strategist behind the Zeng Family during my apprenticeship, it would have already happened; you should know that the master-disciple bond shares the same fate."

"Besides, even if I wanted to retreat now, there's no way. Would your Zeng Family let go of past animosities? Your second brother, in particular, is eager to kill me quickly."

Li Feng wasn't worried at all. As they say, once you owe too many debts, you stop worrying. Li Feng had offended several families and forces already, from the Dragon Tiger Sect to Tongfu Inn, and adding the Zeng Family to that list wasn't going to change much.

As for whether Tian Wenxin, Lady Fang, was hiding something, or had ill intentions towards him, Li Feng believed there was definitely concealment, but pure malice was unlikely.

However, the fact that she was using him as a shield probably stood. Li Feng was like her last resort. As for whether Li Feng would be a lifesaver, who knows, but it was certainly not wrong to grab hold of him.

Fortunately, Li Feng wasn't without his gains.

"Let's not bring this up again. Instead of worrying about this and that, it's better to focus on how to improve our own strength."

"Go and gather everyone in the back hall; I want to hold a meeting."

Li Feng said. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Seeing that Li Feng didn't seem to be too concerned, Li Batian decisively closed his mouth. He had said everything he needed to say, but the true intentions of this person he couldn't quite grasp.

"Yes, Family Head."

Li Feng watched Li Batian go to notify the others. Instead of worrying about being targeted, he thought of embracing approach, responding with the appropriate measures. The impending challenges were inevitable, but rather than focusing on those, he was more concerned with quickly enhancing his own strength.