The Fifth Elder was somewhat incredulous. He had thought that with the Grand Elder's arrival, they could turn the tide, but unexpectedly, the Grand Elder, upon his arrival, supported the rebirth instead of them!
"Grand Elder, Jin Ling is back to get revenge on the Jin family!" The Fifth Elder was anxious. If the Grand Elder didn't save them, they were doomed!
"Young Master, are you back for revenge?"
"Yes," Chong Sheng answered without thinking. "I have returned, firstly, for the revenge of my shattered Golden Core and severed hands, and secondly, to reclaim what belongs to me. The position of Jin family patriarch is only one part of it."
Hearing this, the Grand Elder took out his Elder token: "Those who choose to support the Young Master's succession to the Jin family patriarch position, take out your Elder tokens..."
Before the Grand Elder could finish speaking, the Second, Third, and Fourth Elders all produced their Elder tokens.
Seeing this, the Grand Elder smiled: "It seems the Young Master is the people's choice."
"You... If you support him, the Jin family will surely be destroyed in your hands one day!"
The Fourth Elder scoffed upon hearing this, "The Jin family will be destroyed if it continues in your hands. The integrity of a noble family must not be lost, and the principle of noble families not relying on sects must not be changed. If you let the Jin family become a spineless dog, that would truly be the destruction of the Jin family."
"Since it has been decided, from now on, Jin Ling shall be the patriarch of the Jin family. As for him..." The Grand Elder looked at the Jin family patriarch, "Jin Ling, I leave his disposal to you."
"Thank you, Grand Elder."
The Grand Elder stood up: "He is ultimately your biological father. Even if he has made mistakes, you cannot be relentlessly cruel. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Rest assured, Grand Elder. He was heartless towards me, but I am not as cold-blooded as him," Chong Sheng replied. "I will spare his life, ensure he eats well, drinks well, and sleeps well. I will not mistreat him in any way."
"Dispose of him as you see fit."
The Grand Elder flashed and appeared at the doorway. Just as he was about to leave, he seemed to recall something: "Jin Yao..."
"Grand Elder, the Jin family must sever ties with the Heavenly Sword Sect," Chong Sheng said slowly and forcefully. "The Jin family will not be their lackeys!"
The Grand Elder was silent for a moment, sighed, and disappeared. He understood Chong Sheng's meaning. Jin Yao and Madam Jin were tied to the Heavenly Sword Sect. If Jin Yao returned to the Jin family, the Heavenly Sword Sect would not give up on controlling the Jin family, and the Jin family would ultimately become an affiliated noble family of the Heavenly Sword Sect!
Therefore, Jin Yao and Madam Jin had to die!
But these two were currently at the Heavenly Sword Sect, and killing them was not an easy task. Once the news of Jin Ling's succession spread, Madam Jin and Jin Yao would bring Heavenly Sword Sect experts to retaliate, and could Jin Ling handle the killers from the Heavenly Sword Sect?
The Grand Elder felt uneasy and looked back at the direction of the main hall. Since Jin Ling wanted to be the patriarch, he must have thought of a way to deal with Madam Jin and Jin Yao. He was old and did not need to worry about so many things anymore!
If Jin Ling died at the hands of Madam Jin and Jin Yao, it would only mean Jin Ling was incompetent. With Madam Jin's support, even if Jin Yao was somewhat foolish, with the help of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he could keep the Jin family stable for a while. As for what to do afterwards, they could only take it one step at a time!
The Grand Elder counted the days, expecting Madam Jin and Jin Yao to receive the news and return to the Jin family to seize power soon. However, he waited and waited, but there was no news of Madam Jin and Jin Yao bringing people back to fight. Instead, people from the Heavenly Sword Sect arrived.
The Heavenly Sword Sect sent an Elder in charge, accompanied by the Young Sect Master, Yue Ran.
"Patriarch, the Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect has arrived."
"The Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, what is he doing here?"
"What else could he be doing? He must have heard that the Jin family has a new patriarch, and it's not Jin Yao. Naturally, he's here to demand an explanation," said the Second Elder as he taught Chong Sheng how to manage the household affairs.
Chong Sheng poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xiao Man. "The Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, you seem to know him?"
Xiao Man took the tea and took a sip. "We've met a few times."
"It is said that this Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect has a fiery temper, and he is accompanied by a Nascent Soul expert. If a fight breaks out, we will surely be at a disadvantage," Chong Sheng said, moving beside Xiao Man with a fawning expression, giving her a shoulder massage. His obsequious demeanor made the Second Elder's eyeballs almost pop out!
"Patriarch!" the Second Elder gritted his teeth.
While massaging Xiao Man's shoulders, Chong Sheng said, "See, this matter..."
"I can't beat that kid!"
"You can use poison!" Chong Sheng persisted.
"Perhaps, we can let the Second Elder go and meet him first?" Xiao Man looked at the grumbling Second Elder. "After all, the Second Elder is in charge of internal affairs and other matters."
"Yes, yes, Second Elder, please go and receive him. Although he is the Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, I am the patriarch. If I meet him as soon as he arrives, it would be beneath my dignity."
The Second Elder choked a little, but what Chong Sheng said was also true. As the Elder in charge of internal affairs, he should indeed receive distinguished guests.
"Then I shall go and welcome him."
Seeing the Second Elder honestly leave, Chong Sheng couldn't help but click his tongue. "Boss Xiao, it doesn't seem right to bully him like this."
"We have to let them know what the Jin family is in the eyes of the Heavenly Sword Sect," Xiao Man said, putting down her teacup. "If they can't recognize reality, then there will still be people in the Jin family who will defect to the Heavenly Sword Sect! Not just the Second Elder, let the other Elders go to the reception hall to meet them."
"That's fine." Chong Sheng immediately sent people to invite the Elders to the reception hall. As for the Fifth Elder, he was taken there under escort. After Chong Sheng succeeded as patriarch, he immediately stripped the Fifth Elder of his Elder position and placed him under house arrest. The Jin family patriarch was also confined to the courtyard where Jin Chang Shi used to reside.
In the reception hall, Yue Ran sat on a chair with a bored and impatient expression.
"Didn't the Jin family get a new patriarch? Why aren't they coming out to see people now?"
"Young Sect Master, please be patient."
"How can I be patient? I have other things to do, where do I have time to waste here?" Yue Ran was very displeased. "What does the Jin family's internal affairs have to do with us? Why are we getting involved?"
"Young Sect Master, you can't say that. Don't you remember that the Sect Master's junior sister, your Martial Uncle, married into the Jin family and is the lady of the Jin family? Your junior brother is the legitimate son of the Jin family. According to the rules, the Second Young Master should have succeeded as patriarch, but the Second Young Master did not succeed to the position of Jin family patriarch."
"That just means he's incompetent!" Yue Ran disliked Jin Yao very much. Jin Yao had little ability but great ambition, and he often didn't want to deal with him.
"Young Sect Master, you must not speak like that in front of outsiders..."
"Welcome, Young Sect Master Yue, to our humble abode." The Second Elder strode in, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Greetings, Young Sect Master Yue, greetings Elder Ping."