"Nanfeng, have you finally gone nuts?"

"Haha... what luck does our small Xiao family have? Aren't you thinking too much?"

"Tsk... at this point, he is doing everything to curry favor."

Hearing his utter bullshit, the elders around finally couldn't sit still and began to reprimand this shameless guy.
Everything he said about luck was indeed correct, but he selectively forgot about the Xiao family's status.
What kind of luck do their small family have? Don't they know?
Fortunately, the crowd around had already retreated; otherwise, they would be embarrassed once again.

"Tch... tch... tch... You guys are burning with jealousy. Are you perhaps eyeing the position of the clan leader? Is that why you don't want Zhixian to become one?"

But could anyone be a match for Elder Nanfeng? Of course not. He immediately countered all of them by directly placing the blame.

"Nanfeng, you are too much. When did I stop Zhixian from becoming clan leader?"

The burly elder immediately shouted in anger. This hateful guy was trying to leave a bad impression of them on the Grand Elder.

"Yeah, we are just worried that he would be distracted. We are just thinking about him."

Another elder also quickly came forward, clearing himself of this blame.

"Yeah, don't slander us."

"In fact, I suspect that this guy has some bad motive in making Zhixian the Clan Leader."

"Yes, yes, even after the rejection, he is still trying so hard."

"He is right. Grand Elder, you have to think carefully. Some people have a honeyed mouth but a dagger in their heart."

As if a hornet's nest had been stirred, all the clan elders began to point fingers at Elder Nanfeng, accusing him.
However, Zhixian saw that Elder Nanfeng was unperturbed and was weirdly silent all of a sudden.

"Silence!"

Feeling that the situation was getting rowdy, the Grand Elder lifted his hand and asked all the elders to be quiet.

Then, he looked at each elder with a scrutinizing gaze and asked in a slightly cold voice,

"Are you guys really not against Zhixian becoming the Clan Leader?"

Xiao Baizhen asked as if he wanted to know who would back out. 

"Of course not."

"Yeah, we never said such a thing."

"Yes, yes."

The Grand Elder's piercing and cold gaze was uncomfortable, so the elders immediately expressed their stance.
However, they already felt something was wrong when they saw Elder Nanfeng suddenly smiling from ear to ear.

"That's good! We are all from the Xiao family, and we all should be united."

After getting a response from all the clan elders, a smile finally appeared on the old face of Baizhen.

"Then it is decided. Since all of you have no problem, Xiao Zhixian will be the next Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan. The ceremony will be held one week from today. I'll let you guys prepare."

He declared in a loud voice, echoing around the whole courtyard. His sudden words caused all the elders and members of the clan to become stunned.

"What?"

"How is this possible?"

"Grand Elder, didn't you reject this idea already?"

The Xiao elders were, of course, caught off guard by the sudden change. If they had known he was going for this, they would never have said those words of agreement before.

Why the heck did this old guy suddenly change his tune?

He was more changeable than a chameleon.

"What? Do you guys want to change your mind now?"

Seeing the restless elders clamoring once again, Baizhen unleashed his Essence Forging Realm aura, suppressing them as he asked in a cold voice.

Suddenly, the elders felt a suffocating aura trapping them within, causing them to stop abruptly.

Now they realized that the Grand Elder had already made his decision, and their complaints seemed useless.
Funnily enough, they also basically agreed with his idea just now in front of the whole clan, even though they were merely trying to avoid blame.

'This is all that bastard's fault.'

The burly elder suddenly turned to Elder Nanfeng with intense hatred. Now he understood that everything was just a ploy to guilt-trip them.

His true aim had always been to ensure they couldn't oppose the Grand Elder's decision from the start.

'When did this guy become so shrewd?'

The muscular elder thought with a bitter smile. He felt that he was really getting old as he didn't even see through such a blatant scheme.

"Okay, it is good that you guys are of the same mind. After all, I don't want to force my way since this family belongs to all of us."

The Grand Elder suddenly smiled and gave a speech magnanimously, causing all the elders to twitch the corners of their mouths in annoyance.

It was clear this guy was using his authority to trick them into agreeing. Now, he was also spouting such lies with a smile?

Unfortunately, they could only curse inside and had no guts to disagree.

"Grand Elder, it is good that Zhixian can be the Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan. But... shouldn't we ask him too? After all, he doesn't seem to be fond of becoming one."

One elder, with a short gait, muscular arms covered in faint burn scars, brought up the point that everyone seemed to have ignored.

And with his words, the elders' faces suddenly lit up, as if they had found a glimmer of hope.

Yes, how could they forget that Zhixian seemed uninterested in becoming a clan leader?

If he refused, would the Grand Elder still force him to take the position? Of course not.

'How come this dense guy suddenly has a moment of wisdom?'

Elder Nanfeng's face suddenly turned black as he cursed this bastard for ruining his plan.

He was this close, and now he was suddenly back to square one.

How could he not hate this guy?

"Hmm? Oh, you are right."

Xiao Baizhen also suddenly came to his senses, turned to Zhixian, who had been standing silently all this time, and asked,

"Zhixian, what do you think? Do you want to become Clan Leader? Don't worry, if you don't, I won't force you. You can decide as you like."

Just like the elders thought, Baizhen had no plan to force his grandson.

Besides, the only reason he decided on this was because of Elder Nanfeng's earlier words about luck.

Although he also thought that their Xiao Clan didn't have any luck to bestow, what if?

He had seen so many things in his long years that he wouldn't be surprised if Zhixian's fate changed after becoming the Clan Leader.

"Yeah, Zhixian. Do you want to become Clan Leader?"

"Won't it affect your practice?"

"Decide carefully, young man. You have all the time."

And as if the elders had found new hope, they all looked at Xiao Zhixian with anticipation that he would turn down the offer. As long as he refused, this farce would directly end here.

But the poor elders didn't know that Xiao Zhixian was so happy about this turn of events that he almost showed it on his face. He even thanked Elder Nanfeng countless times in his heart.

So, once his grandfather asked, he didn't waste time. He just looked at the group of amiable elders with expectant eyes and curled his lips.

Then, contrary to their expectations, he directly declared,

"Yes, Grandfather, I want to be the Clan Leader."