Ye Fan stared out the pitch-black window, the direction of his gaze fixed upon the Heavenly King's Mansion.
In the morning, the Grand Elder had sent word that the Heavenly King's Mansion had gathered all their top experts, preparing to make a move against Ye Fan.
What they needed now was a trigger, an opportunity to strike at Ye Fan.
And that opportunity was in Ye Fan's hands.
Currently, Feng Xiao of the Feng family was dead. Once his body was discovered, the Feng family would undoubtedly hold a funeral. As a member of the Heavenly King's Mansion, the Feng family's mourning period meant the Heavenly King's Mansion would send representatives to attend. This would be the perfect moment to act against Ye Fan.
A cold smile suddenly appeared on Ye Fan's face.
"Then it shall be that day..."
However, before that, Feng Ting absolutely had to gain control of the Feng family.
With the support of over a dozen stewards, Feng Ting was undoubtedly set to become the heir to the Feng family's patriarch. Even though the Old Master had not said anything, the entire Feng family had already acknowledged this decision.
The moment the Feng family announced this news, the Wang family immediately ceased their pressure on the Feng family. Wang Zhong personally visited and discussed over ten cooperative matters with Feng Ting.
The Gu family also sent representatives to offer congratulations and, similarly, finalized several business deals.
In an instant, the Feng family was once again immersed in busyness.
Driven by immense profit, almost every member of the Feng family worked with great enthusiasm.
The stewards, in particular, secretly praised Feng Ting endlessly.
If it weren't for Feng Ting, the Feng family would likely still be in a precarious situation.
And immediately after Feng Ting became the heir, the Feng family underwent earth-shattering changes. All of this was brought about by Feng Ting.
Seeing the Feng family members' increasing trust in him, Feng Ting was immensely satisfied.
It wasn't until a week later that Feng Xiao's body was discovered in the deep mountains.
At once, a wave of panic swept through the Feng family.
However, this panic was merely an act. In secret, only the Old Master truly mourned Feng Xiao.
After all, he was the successor he had cultivated with his life's effort.
To think that he had died so brazenly in the mountains, how could the Old Master accept this?
Old Master Feng fell gravely ill and was confined to his bed. Naturally, Feng Xiao's funeral had to be grand and magnificent.
Feng Ting, as the spokesperson of the Feng family, personally presided over his elder brother's funeral.
Feng Ting himself cried until his eyes were red and swollen. All of this was for show. With Feng Ting's depth of scheming, he would never allow anyone to find fault with him.
Seeing Feng Ting's profound grief, the Feng family members were naturally moved by this deep brotherly affection and began to wail.
In an instant, Feng Ting's reputation within the family soared. Almost everyone looked at the second young master with newfound admiration.
In the past, Feng Xiao had suppressed Feng Ting in every way, almost to the point of driving him to his death.
Yet now, Feng Ting repaid malice with kindness. This magnanimity was enough to earn the admiration of everyone.
Feng Xiao's memorial ceremony was scheduled for two days later.
After the funeral invitations were sent out, the entire Jiangnan City seemed to fall into a state of oppressive silence.
Smaller families even recalled all their members early.
They had keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere in Jiangnan City.
As for prominent families like the Wang and Feng families, they had already made thorough preparations, consolidating all their combat forces.
Ye Fan's side, on the other hand, felt considerably more at ease.
Everything had been meticulously arranged, waiting for the Heavenly King's Mansion forces to arrive and be captured in one fell swoop.
However, before that, Ye Fan made a trip to the City Lord's Mansion.
City Lord Li had always been ambiguous in his dealings with Ye Fan. Now, with war imminent, Ye Fan could not tolerate such an unstable factor.
With his status as a protector of the Gu family, Ye Fan's demeanor before City Lord Li was completely different.
City Lord Li was extremely respectful towards Ye Fan.
"City Lord Li, I don't have much time for idle chatter. In two days, I will engage in a decisive battle with the Heavenly King's Mansion. I wish to know City Lord Li's stance."
Ye Fan got straight to the point. At this juncture, there was no need for him to beat around the bush with City Lord Li.
Seeing Ye Fan's directness, City Lord Li let out a wry smile.
If it were before, he would have definitely tried to prevaricate. After all, the strength of the Heavenly King's Mansion was terrifying.
This was also why he had appointed Ye Fan as the captain of the enforcement team.
Letting Ye Fan handle everything himself, their lives and deaths were of no consequence to him.
But now, the situation had changed drastically. With Ye Fan becoming a protector of the Gu family, his status had instantly risen. Even City Lord Li dared not cross Ye Fan.
"Brother Ye, you have been kind to me, and you have made tremendous contributions to the development of Jiangnan City. Both morally and logically, I must stand by your side. You can rest assured, in two days, I will dispatch all the combat forces of the City Lord's Mansion to assist you in defeating the Heavenly King's Mansion."
"You may not know this, but in recent years, the Heavenly King's Mansion has run rampant in Jiangnan City, incurring the wrath of heaven and earth. However, the strength of our City Lord's Mansion was inferior, so we could only endure in silence. Now that Brother Ye is standing up for the people of Jiangnan City, how could I not lend a hand?"
These words were spoken beautifully. Ye Fan knew very well that if his status were not what it was now, City Lord Li would certainly not have been so forthright.
However, this was a good thing. As long as he received a definite answer, this unstable factor would finally be resolved.
Looking indifferently at City Lord Li, Ye Fan smiled slightly, "That is excellent. I await City Lord Li's good news."
After a brief chat, Ye Fan rose to take his leave.
City Lord Li personally saw Ye Fan off. Watching Ye Fan's retreating figure, City Lord Li sighed helplessly.
"The sky of Jiangnan City is finally about to change."
For a long time, Jiangnan City had been divided into three factions. While it appeared calm on the surface, it was already in utter disarray behind the scenes.
He had intended to rectify the situation, but he was powerless. The forces at his disposal were limited, insufficient to contend with the Heavenly King's Mansion.
But Ye Fan's appearance gave him hope.
"Without greed, without clinging to power, such talent, it is a pity he cannot be used by me. Otherwise, Jiangnan City would undoubtedly become the foremost city in Nan Province."
City Lord Li watched Ye Fan's departing figure, sighing repeatedly, but helplessly...
With all the problems resolved, Ye Fan finally put his mind at ease, with no further concerns.
Two days later, Ye Fan and Dong Ge, along with others, arrived at the Feng family early.
Feng Ting personally came out to greet them.
Old Master Feng was gravely ill and bedridden, and all affairs of the Feng family were under Feng Ting's control.
"They've arrived?"
Looking at Feng Ting, Ye Fan asked with a cold smile.
Feng Ting shook his head, "The main players haven't arrived yet, but the small fries are already here. My men are monitoring all of them to ensure no one slips through the net."
The two of them had planned it long ago. The Feng family was the only channel for the Heavenly King's Mansion's forces to infiltrate.
Therefore, once those people entered, Feng Ting would dispatch his men to monitor them.