The combined forces of Qingcheng and Shangguan Zhongtang were incomparable.
Although Shangguan Zhongtang had only gathered his own strength and that of a few friends, the power was immense.
The combined strength of the eight great families of Qingcheng was less than one-third of Shangguan Zhongtang's power.
Such a disparity in strength made the people of the eight great families of Qingcheng dare not speak rashly when facing Shangguan Zhongtang.
Entering the cabin, Shangguan Zhongtang asked, "Who is Tang Shanhe?"
With such a grand procession and a large-scale operation, the patriarchs of the eight great families of Qingcheng had all come, along with their children. With so many people, Shangguan Zhongtang couldn't tell who Tang Shanhe was.
Upon hearing Shangguan Zhongtang's words, Tang Shanhe immediately stepped out from the crowd.
Bowing to Shangguan Zhongtang, he said, "Your Excellency Commander, I am Tang Shanhe, the patriarch of the Tang family, the head of the eight great families of Qingcheng."
"Hmph, the head of the eight great families of Qingcheng? What is that worth? Can it compare to the little toe of one of the twelve families in the capital?"
Shangguan Zhongtang was not inherently a short-tempered person. Perhaps it was due to Su Yang, coupled with the grief of losing a child, that his temper had worsened. He felt like fighting with anyone who spoke a few words to him.
However, he spoke with confidence. Without it, he wouldn't have said such things.
The eight great families of Qingcheng were indeed figures of the highest caliber in Qingcheng, but in the capital, they were nothing.
Compared to some of the more reputable families in the capital, they couldn't even compare to their little toes.
The people of Qingcheng, hearing Shangguan Zhongtang's words, felt uncomfortable to varying degrees. After all, they were prominent families, and although they didn't have deep connections in the capital, they were influential figures in Qingcheng.
However, in front of Shangguan Zhongtang, they dared not say much.
After all, the person before them was a Commander of the Nine Departments, with terrifying power and an imposing aura.
"Of course, of course, Your Excellency Commander, we mere commoners are naturally incomparable to anyone in the capital."
Shangguan Zhongtang let out a cold snort and then looked at Tang Shanhe, asking, "Why did you get involved with Su Yang?"
"Uh..."
Actually, Tang Shanhe had thought about it on the way here. What was the point of all this?
It wasn't a matter of life and death, yet they were on the verge of a deadly conflict.
Moreover, it was all due to Tang Ye's minor indiscretions.
"It's like this, Your Excellency Commander. My second son, Tang Ye, had a fiancée. Previously, at the cruise ship banquet, Su Yang actually..." Tang Shanhe paused deliberately, then continued, "You understand, some things are not easy to speak of directly. Although Qingcheng cannot compare to the capital, we cannot tolerate such an insult.
We wanted to seek an explanation from Su Yang, but not only did Su Yang refuse to admit fault, he escalated the situation and injured our younger generation. Tell me, as parents, when faced with such an arrogant young man, can we swallow this insult?"
Hearing Tang Shanhe's words, Shangguan Zhongtang glanced at the group before him.
Indeed, the young men bore some injuries on their faces and bodies.
Whether Shangguan Zhongtang believed Tang Shanhe's words or not was irrelevant to him; he had merely asked casually.
What he truly desired was for Qingcheng to help him, regardless of their own motivations.
Looking at the people before him, Shangguan Zhongtang said, "Hmph, this Su Yang is arrogant to the extreme. A nouveau riche who completely disregards local powers is one thing, but he even dares to provoke me!"
As he spoke, Shangguan Zhongtang thought of Shangguan Yi, and his gaze became even more ferocious.
However, this matter was too shameful, so Shangguan Zhongtang did not mention it.
But even though Shangguan Zhongtang didn't say it, Tang Shanhe and the others knew that Shangguan Zhongtang's son had been killed by Su Yang.
However, they were unaware of the specific details.
"Exactly, exactly, Your Excellency Commander, if Su Yang doesn't die, our hatred will never be appeased!"
Shangguan Zhongtang gritted his teeth, "Do I need you to tell me? I will personally chop off Su Yang's head and place it in my son's mourning hall to pay respects to him!"
After he finished speaking, an awkward silence fell upon the room. At this moment, they dared not say anything more, fearing that a wrong word might displease Shangguan Zhongtang.
After a long pause, Shangguan Zhongtang spoke, "You are all standing here today with me, united. I don't care if you are solely after Su Yang or seeking something from me. I hope you will not harbor any ulterior motives."
In such endeavors, the greatest fear was a traitor among the partners.
But Shangguan Zhongtang did not realize that there was already a traitor by his side, and this traitor was Shangguan Zhongtang's only remaining blood relative.
After a phone call with Su Yang, Shangguan Qianji contacted his connections. Two hours later, as expected, he received some news.
"Boss, there seems to be some movement from above."
Shangguan Qianji's subordinate came to report.
Shangguan Qianji, who was dozing, heard this and was somewhat puzzled.
"What movement?"
"The president of the Dragon Society, Li Yue, seems to have received some kind of directive. This information is highly classified, and only those above the Commander level have any knowledge of it. Our informant has not yet obtained any details."
Hearing his subordinate's words, Shangguan Qianji frowned.
"Classified directive..." Shangguan Qianji mused, "The last time there was such a highly classified directive was three years ago... What could it be?"
Muttering to himself, Shangguan Qianji looked at his subordinate and asked again, "Keep a close watch on the situation over there, especially on the Shangguan family. Inform me immediately if there is any news."
"Rest assured, boss, your subordinate understands."
It had been two hours since the call with Su Yang.
Although he didn't know what the classified directive was, Shangguan Qianji had a strange feeling that Su Yang must know something. Otherwise, Su Yang wouldn't have spoken to Shangguan Qianji the way he did during their conversation.
He would eventually find out what it was, but the waiting time was perhaps too long.
Shangguan Qianji was not someone who could wait for a long time.
He pursed his lips, made a call to the forces he had sent to support Su Yang, inquired about their current location, and then called Su Yang.
At this moment, Su Yang had just received news from the capital...