"What do you mean? Do you have any idea what he said to me…" Vivian clearly hadn't expected such a reaction and was immediately infuriated when she heard both Duke Ovilia and Duke Babidi speaking up for Chen Fei. Her expression darkened.

But before she could finish, she was interrupted by Grand Duke Melissa, who pulled her aside and whispered a few words in her ear. Only then did she understand what had just happened. Her face turned livid as she slowly said, "Since both the Brad Family and Duke Babidi are standing up for him today, I, Vivian, will give you face and let him off this one time. However, protecting him like this doesn't seem to benefit either of you much, does it? Wouldn't you agree, Brad?"

Her last words, however, were directed at Brad, who was standing not far away. After all, with both the Brad Family and Duke Babidi of the Ashford Family's Elder Vance faction stepping in, she felt some pressure standing alone.

"Of course."

Upon hearing this, Bread approached with a smirk and addressed both Duke Babidi and Chen Fei. "Duke Babidi, while this is a joyous celebration for our family's Grand Duke Abel, is someone like him truly qualified to be here? We can't have people laughing at us, thinking the Brad Family has such poor judgment that any random person can be our guest."

"Besides!" Bread's voice rose, and he continued with a sneer, "Consider Miss Vivian's status and standing. That kid had the gall to offend her? In my eyes, he's already a dead man. So what's the deal, Duke Babidi? Does your faction's Elder Vance really intend to recruit him? Don't you think you're wasting your time?"

Instantly, the expressions of both Duke Ovilia and Duke Babidi turned cold, their gazes flashing with a sharp light.

"A dead man?"

On the contrary, Chen Fei practically laughed out of sheer anger. His gaze swept over Vivian and Grand Duke Melissa before finally settling on Bread. "I'll be staying in this castle overnight and leaving tomorrow morning," he said coolly. "If you're as tough as your mouth makes you sound, feel free to be waiting for me outside. We'll see who the dead man is then, shall we?"

Having said this, he turned directly to his companions. "Let's go, Duke Ovilia, Duke Babidi. There's no need to lower ourselves to the level of these morons."

Is he really not afraid of the Brad Family? To openly state that he'll be staying the night and leaving in the morning... if Bread really brings people to wait for him, what will he do?! The crowd was stunned, their hearts shaking with shock. Chen Fei's words had a tremendous impact. To so brazenly tell his enemy his plans meant one of two things. Either this Easterner was lying to mislead them, or… he truly wasn't afraid. He didn't believe Bread and his men could actually kill him.

Many of the smarter guests began to watch Chen Fei with complex expressions. As for Bread and Vivian, they were so enraged they could barely breathe. A palpable killing intent radiated from them, and it took everything they had not to strike Chen Fei down on the spot. But for now, their hands were tied. After all, Chen Fei was currently a guest of the Ashford Family. If they attacked him here, they would be crossing a line. The Ashford Family would be forced to side with Chen Fei, if only to save face. And who would dare to bear the wrath of the Ashford Family's leadership?

"Young man, our grudge isn't that deep. It's just that our Miss Vivian is in dire need of that Blood Ancestor Essence Stone," Grand Duke Melissa's sudden offer astonished everyone present. "How about this? You won it for forty thousand Magic Gold Coins. We'll give you forty-five thousand for it. What do you say?"

"Granny Melissa, how could you?!" Vivian cried out, her expression turning ugly. To her, making such an offer was no different from admitting weakness.

Bread's expression, naturally, grew even more foul, his eyes glinting with a mixture of shock and anger. He couldn't comprehend it. Why would Melissa, a grand and revered Blood Clan Grand Duke from the Nuo Weiya Family, someone no one dared to offend, sound so conciliatory before this detestable Easterner? What is the meaning of this? Why is this happening?!

Before the crowd's shock could fade, Chen Fei's cold reply echoed, twisting their expressions into something even stranger. He simply said, "The stone is right here. If you want it, come and get it." As he spoke, he casually tossed the Blood Ancestor Essence Stone in his hand, then turned and walked away without a second glance.

This left everyone speechless. Many found the scene hard to believe, their faces etched with astonishment. Grand Duke Melissa of the Nuo Weiya Family humbled herself like that, and the kid still acted so arrogantly. Could it be he never planned on reconciling from the start? This is…

Grand Duke Melissa's face visibly darkened, her eyes glinting with cold light as her body became enveloped in an intense murderous aura.

However, Chen Fei and his entourage were already far away.

***

"Mr. Chen, please forgive me for saying so, but that was a bit reckless," Duke Babidi said, his voice laced with concern, as they left Huane Tower's vicinity. "With your strength, you have no reason to fear Grand Duke Melissa herself. But she has the entire Nuo Weiya Family behind her. After what you just did… they certainly won't consider any reconciliation."

Hearing this, Chen Fei paused and glanced at Ovilia, who looked somewhat embarrassed. He then shook his head with a small smile. "Did you really think I intended to reconcile from the start?"

Duke Babidi was taken aback. His face took on a strange expression as he said, "But Mr. Chen, there's something you should know. I just received news from Elder Vance. Granny Doya of the Nuo Weiya Family… it seems she is currently in our Ashford Family castle."

"What did you say?!" Before Chen Fei could react, Ovilia paled dramatically. "Granny Doya? Why would she suddenly come to the Ashford Family?"

As one of the two titans of the Nuo Weiya Family, a pillar of their power, a person like her shouldn't be visiting the headquarters of another Mafia Great Family so casually. And yet… And more importantly, if the conflict with Bread and Vivian truly escalates and they succeed in calling upon their backers... what good would it do? Even if Mr. Chen did kill the legendary assassin, Jack the Blade, and effortlessly defeat the Grand Mage of Light, Dumbledore, plus two S+ rank peak Paladins, scaring them into cutting off their own hands… what would any of that matter? Those backers are the supreme Princes of Blood Clan legend. That's no laughing matter!

"Oh? If she's here, she's here."

But Chen Fei's reaction was far calmer and more indifferent than theirs. He brushed the topic aside and said, "Duke Babidi, I need a private room. A large, secluded chamber would be best—somewhere spacious where I won't be disturbed. Do you have a place like that?"

"A secret chamber?" Babidi stuttered, slightly startled. "Th-that is, yes, our Ashford Family certainly has such a place." Though he was responding to Chen Fei, his mind was clearly elsewhere.

He couldn't believe that Chen Fei could remain so composed after hearing such dangerous news. Does he not know the meaning of fear? It can't be… he can't possibly think he can stand against a legendary Prince of our Blood Clan, can he? The thought alone sent an involuntary shiver down Babidi's spine. He looked at Chen Fei again, his eyes filled with astonishment and utter dread. It couldn't really be true…

But this wild, unbelievable thought that had sprung into his mind was destined to go unanswered by Chen Fei for now.

Nearly half an hour later, after Ovilia had departed, Babidi led Chen Fei to a secluded secret chamber carved into a canyon wall. "Mr. Chen, this is the secret chamber you requested. Rest assured, as long as you remain inside, nothing from the outside will be able to disturb you." Of course, their movements were being watched by Bread's people.

"Thank you, Duke Babidi. I'll head in now." After thanking the duke, Chen Fei leisurely strolled into the chamber alone. The heavy door swung shut behind him, sealing him inside.

Gazing at the sealed door, Babidi shook his head, murmuring to himself with a complex expression. He can't really be unafraid of a great Prince of our Blood Clan, can he? Or is he planning to escape from here undetected? No, that's impossible. This chamber is completely sealed. Besides a legendary space Magician, not even an undead spirit could slip out of here unnoticed. Ah well, we'll find out tomorrow morning. I hope you make it out of the Ashford Family's domain alive.

Shaking his head at the thought, Babidi turned and walked away. He clearly didn't believe Chen Fei would be able to leave unscathed the next day. After all, while Bread and Vivian themselves were not his match, their backers were overwhelmingly powerful. One was "Black Dragon" Nemosin, an elder of the Ashford Family itself. The other was Granny Doya, one of the two titans of the Nuo Weiya Family. Across all of Europe, or even the entire world, how many people would dare to offend both of them at once?

***

Meanwhile, inside the secret chamber, Chen Fei began by meticulously inspecting every nook and cranny. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he cautiously set up a Formation. Only then did he take out his Mystic Stone Mirror and the newly acquired Blood Moon Stone.

"It really is the Blood Moon Stone! I never thought I'd find something this good here in Europe. Once I merge it with the Mystic Stone Mirror, it's sure to evolve into a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact! When that happens… hahaha!"

At that thought, Chen Fei laughed with excitement. This was precisely why he had been so eager to secure a private chamber—to merge the Blood Moon Stone with his Mystic Stone Mirror. Once the mirror evolved into a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, his own power would take another massive leap forward.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.