Yan Aohan looked at the several elders, who were completely bewildered, with a cold sneer. A hint of mockery curled at the corners of his lips. "Even I, who have been away from the Yan family for so long, know this. Yet you, who are here every day, do not. What use are you then? Are you just for show?"
"Family Head, tell me who betrayed us and did these shameful things. We will absolutely not let them off," the Fourth Elder said.
Yan Aohan glanced at the Fourth Elder. "If I say more, you’ll think I’m lying. So, I’ll give you a chance. Three days. Within three days, you must investigate the situation of every member of the Yan family. Find out how many have broken the rules, how many have shown signs of betrayal, and how many have already been cultivated by others. In three days, tell me your findings.
If I am satisfied, I will keep all the Yan family members here for now. If I am not, then the Yan family members will no longer be needed here."
Yan Aohan scanned everyone. "I have given you the chance. Whether you can seize it is up to you."
She paused again. "Actually, there is a truth: as long as I am here, even if this Yan family is gone, I can create a new one. So, whether you exist or not is not a critical matter to me. The chance I give is only to tell you that the survival of this Yan family now depends on you."
Having said that, Yan Aohan stood up. "I hope you do not disappoint me."
She left elegantly. The seven elders left in the meeting room looked at each other. The First Elder spoke, "We can’t worry about it anymore. Let’s investigate the relevant matters first. Second Brother, you and Third Brother investigate how many have broken the rules. Fourth and Fifth Brothers, investigate those showing signs of betrayal. I, along with Sixth and Seventh Brothers, will investigate those who have already betrayed. Since the Family Head said this, it must be true. Time is tight; we cannot linger."
"Agreed." The other six elders didn’t know what else to say. Regardless, one thing was certain: everything Yan Aohan said today was true. This meant the Yan family had indeed produced unworthy disciples.
Yan Aohan didn’t care what the seven elders did next. She returned to her room leisurely. There was no one in the room. Yan Aohan knew Zhu Yanyi was likely still making medicine powder in her space.
Indeed, Zhu Yanyi was busy making medicine powder. Although she didn’t know how much Yan Aohan needed, she thought that since she had come to make it, she might as well make more. She stayed in the space for a full five days. When she came out, she saw Yan Aohan reading a book in the room.
"Did you finish your business so quickly?" Zhu Yanyi asked curiously.
Yan Aohan smiled. "It wasn’t a big deal. Besides, I was just dealing with the seven elders."
"You don’t seem like someone who is polite. Did you just scare them?" Zhu Yanyi asked casually.
Yan Aohan nodded with a smile. "You’re right. I did scare them, but it wasn’t just a bluff. You know, I originally intended to reform the Yan family significantly. As you put it, I want to cut out all the existing Yan family members like tumors and cultivate new ones."
Zhu Yanyi understood Yan Aohan’s meaning. She wasn’t joking on the lawn earlier. She truly intended to reorganize the entire Yan family.
The Yan family’s current scope was too large. Only by breaking it apart could the Yan family achieve a successful rebirth.
"How many times have you used this method?" Zhu Yanyi asked Yan Aohan curiously. She didn’t believe previous Yan family members were so obedient without any issues.
"Basically, once per world." So, although Yan Aohan seemed to be following Zhu Yanyi’s suggestion, she had already planned this in her heart.
Zhu Yanyi’s heart moved. "Did you destroy the Zheng and Yang families back then just for this?"
Yan Aohan hummed in agreement. She felt no shame in being seen through by Zhu Yanyi. Instead, she nodded seriously, confirming she was right.
Zhu Yanyi looked at Yan Aohan speechlessly. "You’re purely looking for trouble."
"It’s not exactly looking for trouble. People’s thoughts differ in each world, so I simply destroy them once according to the differences. Later, to prevent accidents, I liked to give the Yan family some rivals, so they would last longer." Yan Aohan felt no guilt. To be honest, the Yan family was just a toy he could create or destroy at will.
Zhu Yanyi sighed. "What a pity. If the Yan family had more self-awareness, you’d have less trouble."
For Zhu Yanyi, she helped her loved ones rather than sticking to abstract principles. Since Yan Aohan proposed this, whatever she said was right.
Then she thought of a possibility and asked, "Did you bring us here just for this reason?"
Her meaning was clear: Yan Aohan brought them here to destroy the Yan family.
Yan Aohan chuckled lightly. "Not exactly. I had the idea, but I didn’t plan to do it so soon. If I hadn’t discovered that one soul was missing from the Tianshui River, I wouldn’t have made this decision so abruptly."
The Yan family members failed to fulfill their responsibilities. Therefore, their destruction by Yan Aohan was predictable.
Zhu Yanyi raised her eyebrows slightly. She didn’t press the issue further. Instead, she took out a large bag of medicine powder and handed it to Yan Aohan. "Here is what you wanted."
Yan Aohan took it and said, "Why don’t we go spread the medicine powder together?"
"Sure." Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Let’s invite Senior Brother and the others to join us."
Yan Aohan thought it was a good idea. With Sikong Xuran and the others, they would have more cover. So, he asked Yan Chun to notify Sikong Xuran and the other three to gather at the main gate.
"I thought you two wanted some private time. I didn’t expect you to invite us for an activity," Sikong Xuran teased Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi made a funny face at Sikong Xuran. "I’m fulfilling my duty as the hostess, so you don’t think we’re ignoring you. What, don’t you want to go with us? That’s fine. You don’t have to follow us."
"Oh, come on." Sikong Xuran smiled. The other three exchanged smiles upon seeing this. Then, the six of them walked out of the gate.
No one cared about Yan Aohan and their whereabouts at this moment, because they were busy themselves. No one expected the First Elder and his group to investigate every household and every person. Such a situation had never happened before.