We need to go back in time a bit.

The war between the Qin and Zhang families had just ended.

The Zhang clan members, who had been watching from a distance, quietly dragged back the remains of their ancestor.

One of the leading Zhang clan members hesitated before leaving.

He finally mustered the courage to ask, “Where is our Grand Elder?”

Qin Dexin, who was healing he4 injuries, opened her eyes and glanced at them with a mocking smile. “Your Grand Elder is a guest at our Qin Family. What, do you want to come and see?”

Guest? More like it’s uncertain if he’s alive or dead!

That person had witnessed Qin’s ancestor defeating their own and had already ranked the Qin family as demonic in his mind.

Seeing Qin Dexin covered in blood and giving him a sinister smile, he shuddered and quickly fled without saying more.

Qin Dexin then showed a bored expression and stood up.

This battle had been fierce.

To stall Zhang Xiao and buy time for their own ancestor, Qin Dexin had fought desperately.

Although her core strength was not damaged, She still needed at least a month to recover.

Returning to their clan with the ancestor, they were greeted with cheers and congratulations from their people.

“Congratulations on the great victory, ancestor and fifth elder!”

“This time, we’ve crippled the Zhang ancestor’s spiritual roots and captured their Grand Elder. The Qin clan can finally hold its head high. What a relief!”

Ancestor Wenxuan nodded at everyone.

When her gaze passed over Qin Ruqing, She deliberately paused.

Qin Ruqing grinned and gave the ancestor a thumbs-up.

Ancestor Wenxuan smiled, but then her expression became serious. “This matter is not over. We still need to discuss how to handle the Zhang family going forward.”

This was urgent and couldn’t be delayed, as any delay could lead to unforeseen problems.

The ancestor looked at Qin Dexin and asked, “Are your injuries serious?”

Qin Dexin shook her head.

The third elder handed her a pill, and after taking it, Qin Dexin’s complexion improved a bit.

Only then did the ancestor feel reassured.

As everyone headed towards the council hall, Qin Ruqing noticed a large, motionless black sack on the ground.

With a gleam in his eye, she cheerfully reminded, “There’s still someone here.”

Everyone had almost forgotten about this person. It was rather amusing.

The fourth elder, who was quite playful, dragged the sack over, opened it, and pressed a point on the person’s body, waking him up.

The Qin clan members gathered around curiously.

“This is the Zhang clan’s son-in-law and Grand Elder, Hao Gou? His name really suits him,” Qin Ruqing said with a mysterious tone.

Indeed, his name suited him—Hao Gou, meaning “old dog.”

In the recent battle, Grand Elder Hao Gou hadn’t put in much effort.

Most people might not notice, but Qin Ruqing, being an experienced gamer who often slacked off, knew this type well—never standing out, never making mistakes, just doing enough to get by.

The Qin family didn’t understand Qin Ruqing’s remark about his name, but they couldn’t help but laugh at the unflattering name “Hao Gou.”

The Second Elder stroked his long beard and said, “I must say, Zhang Xiao had quite an eye for talent. He managed to bring in someone who reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Quite lucky, indeed.”

The fact that Zhang’s son-in-law had reached Foundation Establishment was quite a famous topic among the southern families.

Many people marveled at Zhang Family’s luck, thinking even their own families might not be able to successfully cultivate someone to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Listening to the casual conversations above his head, Hao Gou felt his face burn with embarrassment, even though they were praising him, not mocking.

He tried to assert his authority as the Grand Elder, “Is this how your Qin family treats guests?”

“Guests?” Qin Ruqing touched her chin, smiling. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to treat you well.”

She waved to the servants behind her. “Take the grand elder to the council hall and give him a seat.”

Although confused, no one objected.

The servants sealed Hao Gou’s spiritual energy and dragged the bag toward the council hall.

It was clear that Qin Ruqing had established her authority within the Qin family, as no one dared to ignore her commands.

When the ancestor had first allowed Qin Ruqing to enter the council hall, many privately grumbled.

However, after several incidents where she demonstrated her strategic mind and mature thinking, everyone was convinced of her abilities.

Her planning before the recent battle further solidified her position.

The Second Elder couldn’t help but ask, “Qing, what new trick do you have this time?”

Qin Ruqing smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see soon enough.”

The second elder nodded and didn’t press further.

The ancestor waved warmly, leading Qin Ruqing to the front, followed by several elders, all heading to the council hall.

Once there, Hao Gou was placed in a corner at the back, his spiritual energy sealed, and his body bound, with only his frightened eyes showing.

The comical sack was removed.

Hao Gou watched in horror as the Qin elders took their seats, with the ancestor leading a child, who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, to a prominent position.

The child not only had free access to the council hall but also had a special seat next to the ancestor.

This was absurd.

Hao Gou’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Seeing the elders take their places didn’t shock him as much as seeing the child, who had such high authority.

The Qin family, meanwhile, paid little attention to the bound elder at the back.

They weren’t concerned about an outsider hearing their discussions, as the topic was the Zhang family’s fate.

Whether Hao Gou would survive was still uncertain.

Ancestor Wenxuan took her seat and began by summarizing the battle’s outcome. “The Celestial Bureau has documented today’s events. We left a line of defense, so they shouldn’t cause trouble for us.”

She praised, “Our victory is thanks to the collective effort of our entire family, with special credit to the fifth elder and Qin Ruqing.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, acknowledging the contributions of the fifth elder, Qin Dexin.

Qin Dexin received praise because she was injured in the battle while helping the ancestor hold off Zhang Xiao.

As for Qin Ruqing, she worked behind the scenes.

She and the ancestor discussed many strategies for this battle, and the one they ultimately used was proposed by Qin Ruqing.

When Qin Ruqing learned that the last secret realm battle was won by the ancestor hiding her strength and surprising the enemy, she suggested using a similar tactic this time.

Someone questioned this, “Why use the same tactic? There’s a saying, ‘Once bitten, twice shy.’ The Zhang family suffered from this before, so they’ll be on guard now.”

Qin Ruqing shook her head, her eyes bright. “Not necessarily. Some tactics, although old, are timeless because they work!”

“Of course, using the same move without variation won’t work. But if we adapt the tactic slightly, it could have an unexpected effect.”

As for this “adaptation,” Qin Ruqing explained it like this:

“Ancestor, don’t use your full strength right away. I mean, don’t show your full power immediately.

Start with mid-stage Foundation Establishment level against the Zhang family’s ancestor and pretend to be at a disadvantage.

When the Zhang ancestor can’t resist using his big move, increase your power and reveal your late-stage Foundation Establishment strength.

“Honestly, since the Zhang family dared to openly attack, they must have some measure against your strength.

So when they see you’re at the late-stage Foundation Establishment, they’ll be surprised but prepared.

Either the Zhang ancestor had some breakthrough or he’s found help.

“This is the second stage of the battle. This stage is crucial. Make the Zhang ancestor think he has seen through your plan,

‘Trying to trick me with the same move? I was prepared for this!’

At that moment, he will feel complacent and relaxed. You must seize that instant to strike.

“Of course, real battles are unpredictable. Aunt Dexin will need to assist you, providing the opportunity for a decisive strike.”

To prevent any accidents, Qin Ruqing had also prepared backup plans.

When presenting her plan, Qin Ruqing sat in her specially prepared pear wood carved chair, confidently explaining to all the Qin family leaders.

She spoke fluently without a pause.

At critical and exciting points, she used pauses and emphasis to highlight them, sometimes adding hand gestures.

The elders were amazed, thinking, “Each generation produces its own talents,” and feeling a strange sense of “Am I getting old?”

With the contributions of Qin Ruqing and the fifth elder acknowledged, the family planned to reward them.

However, since the situation was still ongoing, it wasn’t the time for distributing rewards yet.

The ancestor said, “Although Zhang Xiao is still alive, he’s a cripple now. Once he’s brought back, the Zhang family will certainly fall into chaos.

However, the Zhang family still holds its noble status.

If the Qin family wants to annex them, we can’t do it too blatantly. Besides…”

The ancestor paused, pointing back to the Zhang family’s Grand Elder still crouched in the corner of the council hall. “We also need to decide how to deal with him.”

In other words, should he be killed or spared?

If killed, under what pretext? And how to avoid repercussions from the Celestial Bureau afterward?

If one of the two Zhang family Foundation Establishment cultivators is crippled and the other killed, even if the Qin family remains low-key, the Celestial Bureau will surely come to question our ancestor.

So, if we spare him, how do we handle it?

Doing nothing will definitely leave future problems.

If we take action, how do we squeeze the last bit of value out of this person and let him contribute to the Qin family’s grand plan of annexing the Zhang family?

Thus, the Qin family elders began an intense discussion on this topic in the council hall.

The Zhang family’s Grand Elder Hao Gou listened in terror, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, as the Qin family debated whether he should live or die.

The majority opinion was to kill him.

Not killing him leaves too much risk.

Dealing with that risk would take a lot of effort.

It’s too troublesome.

It would be easier to just kill him, even though handling the Celestial Bureau afterward would be a bit tricky.

However, conflicts and annexations between noble families are normal.

As long as we can fool the Celestial Bureau , the Qin family will be fine.

The first person to oppose this viewpoint was the third elder.

She didn’t always participate in family meetings, as she was usually busy with the medicinal workshop.

But when she spoke with a stern face, everyone fell silent.

The third elder was straightforward and blunt, sometimes harshly so.

She said, “You all speak easily, saying we can just fool the Celestial Bureau after killing him. Who doesn’t know that the real challenge is fooling them? Can anyone provide a direct solution?”

Those who had been clamoring to kill Hao Gou fell silent, like ducks with their necks squeezed.

The third elder softened her tone and continued, “The Zhang family is an old and established noble family in the South Ridge, with deep roots and many alliances.

If we recklessly kill Hao Gou, their shops, spirit fields, spirit mines, and secret realm resources will likely be seized by others.

How much will actually fall into the Qin family’s hands?”

Seeing the elders speechless, their faces turning red and white, Qin Ruqing struggled to suppress her laughter.

The third elder was indeed strict, and the other elders looked like scared chicks.

However, the third elder had a point.

She highlighted the difficulty of completely absorbing the Zhang family from a practical standpoint.

If the Zhang family collapses too quickly and many are eyeing their assets, the Qin family might end up with very little.

This doesn’t align with maximizing benefits.

It might sound harsh, but this discussion was behind closed doors.

Even though a Zhang family elder was crouching outside, it was undeniable that the Qin family wanted to completely swallow the Zhang family.

Qin Ruqing cleared her throat, organized her thoughts, and spoke up, “I also believe we shouldn’t kill Hao Gou directly.”

Hao Gou immediately looked up.

Qin Ruqing raised three slender fingers. “There are three reasons.”

“Firstly, as everyone knows, the Zhang family has only two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If we cripple one and kill the other, the Celestial Bureau will definitely hold us accountable.

Crippling the Zhang family’s ancestor can be justified as self-defense, but if we kill their Grand elder afterward, the Qin family can’t escape the blame.

However, accountability is one thing. If the benefits are substantial enough, this cost might be worth it. But given the current situation…”

“Yes, the benefits are not significant, and the troubles are many,” Qin Ruqing said regretfully, spreading her hands.

The elders below all laughed.