Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng didn't take Hou Yulin's matter to heart. She knew that the communication bell hadn't been stolen, so the potential crisis didn't exist.

Yu Meng sent a message to Jing Ancheng, asking them to investigate the reasons for the Zhou family's downfall while helping the Jia family with their work.

Jing Ancheng didn't ask for the reason, and Yu Meng's implication was clear: a reclusive family or a force like the Yan Palace.

Don't ask why. It's just intuition. With Zhou Jingyan's abilities, the only force capable of manipulating him is one even more powerful than himself, and those are the only two directions Yu Meng can think of. As for whether Jing Ancheng can find out, she doesn't know.

Yu Meng knew that to investigate news from Kyoto, one needed a scion of a prominent family like Jing Ancheng. Her sect couldn't handle such matters; the disciples' backgrounds meant they were unlikely to reach that level.

When Jing Ancheng received Yu Meng's direct mission for the first time, he was very excited. He thought that after such a long period of neglect, they had been marginalized.

Jing Ancheng didn't stand on ceremony with the Jia family either, and relayed Yu Meng's mission in his own words.

At the Jingchuan Guild Hall, the two young men standing behind Jia Daoyi were Jia Daoyi's son, Jia Chenglong, and his nephew, Jia Chengping, who were groomed by Jia Daoyi to be the next successor of the Jia family and the person in charge of external affairs.

During this period, Jia Chengping had been dealing with Jing Ancheng. After hearing his words, he immediately patted his chest and guaranteed, "I'll have the Jia family's intelligence department keep an eye on it. It's a small matter."

"Thank you so much, Brother Jia. If you ever need my help in the future, I'll go through fire and water for you." Jing Ancheng, with his chivalrous demeanor, patted his chest and made the promise.

The Jing Ancheng at this moment was practically a different person from the Jing Ancheng in front of Yu Meng. At this moment, his eyes were still sharp, but he had gained a touch of naturalness and roguishness.

The news from the Jia family arrived quickly as expected: "It's a reclusive family. A member of the Wang family took a liking to the Zhou family's 'Swaying Beauty' production line and made several attempts to contact them, but the Zhou family didn't take it seriously at all. So he used his family's power to cause a major internal power struggle within the Zhou family."

Jing Ancheng was stunned. "Just for a production line, they ruined a top-tier family. That's too domineering!"

"So what? Back then, that base was run by a young lady from a reclusive family who insisted on experiencing a certain lifestyle. As a result, she couldn't control the aliens and got hurt. The family patriarch got angry, and the base was shut down just like that."

Jing Ancheng's eyes darkened. "But when I interact with you, I never felt that the Jia family was domineering or unreasonable."

Jia Chengping burst into laughter. "You know where you're from, right? We might be rude to others, but we have to be polite to you. Your status is truly different. Brother, don't tell me you didn't know this?"

To be honest, Jing Ancheng really didn't know any of this. He didn't even know that the Jia family was a reclusive family.

"Brother Jing, our Jia family would never do such a thing as extortion. Our clan elder taught us that profit must be obtained in a proper way. We will not mistreat those who are truly good to us."

Jing Ancheng nodded in agreement. "You guys are really good. Although the mission was a bit tough, the brothers are very satisfied with the reward."

Jia Chengping changed his tone abruptly, "The information you've requested isn't exactly a secret even among reclusive families. Let me tell you something else that will surprise you: currently, only one top-tier family controls the Alien Battlefield, and the Wang family is also planning to get involved."

Jing Ancheng stared at him in astonishment. "This Wang family has gone mad. That battlefield was controlled by four families. How could he swallow up five families in one go?"

"My clan patriarch said they've gone mad. You know the dense forest, right?" Jia Chengping asked unhurriedly.

"Is it that forest where they can run?"

"Yes, that's the one?" Jia Chengping leaned down. "Someone from your guild hall has been inside."

Jing Ancheng quickly stopped him, "Don't say things like that, it could kill someone."

"You don't know? Never mind then, I'm not the only one who knows this. Do you know why the Wang family is so desperate to seize control of that battlefield?"

Jing Ancheng cooperated, shaking his head blankly.

Jia Chengping had that spoiled brat look I knew all along. "It's said that his ancestor's lifespan is almost over, and there's a treasure in that forest that can prolong life."

"Really? Is it true?" Jing Ancheng lowered his voice. "Wasn't it supposed to be the fourth battlefield? Would it be useful for the Wang family to seize the first battlefield?"

"Who knows? The reclusive families turn a blind eye to the Wang family's affairs, but they're all secretly watching. That's just a scapegoat driven mad by sticking his neck out."

"I know what to do, brother. I'll mention your name, but I can't guarantee the outcome," Jing Ancheng said, revealing his plan.

"That's good, that's good. You really understand me, brother." Jia Chengping just wanted the person who wanted the information to become familiar with his name, since there were only a few people Jing Ancheng could ask for information from.

……

Yu Meng relayed the message Jing Ancheng had sent back to Nangong Tianshou.

Nangong Tianshou placed his hand on his forehead. "So that's the reason. Fine, we'll just give them the production line then. That's good."

He sighed, "Speaking of which, it was you who developed that 'Swaying Graceful Beauty' product. I was greedy back then and built a production line for the Sky Hunting Base as well. After the base was disbanded, it went to the Zhou family. I never expected that this would become the root of all trouble."

Yu Meng looked at him disapprovingly, "How is it the root of all evil? Didn't it benefit the people? Didn't it bring any profit to the Zhou family?"

"Yes, I agree with everything you said, but it was also because of this that the Zhou family fell apart."

"It wasn't that it tore the Zhou family apart, it was that the Zhou family was too greedy. If they had let go sooner, they might have been able to get a better price," Yu Meng pointed out the crux of the problem.

Nangong Tianshou wiped his face with his hand. "If we give it up now, will that make the Wang family back down?"

Yu Meng leaned back in her chair. "If it were me, I would wipe them out completely, leaving the Zhou family with no chance of ever recovering."

With a sigh, Nangong Tianshou looked helpless. "I also think he won't let the Zhou family off the hook."

"Oh, right, why is the Wang family doing this? Or to put it another way, why are they so frantically accumulating wealth?" Nangong looked at Yu Meng seriously.

"It is said that his ancestor is dying, and he is doing this in order to compete with the top families for control of the first battlefield."

Nangong Tianshou was very perceptive and quickly grasped the key point: "The young master of the Hou family?"

Yu Meng nodded, "The other three families also had some friction among the younger generation. None of them were big issues, but they all happened."

"Yu Meng, you saved the Hou family, and I'm here too. Sooner or later, the Wang family will find their way here. Have you made up your mind to get involved?" Nangong Tianshou asked seriously.

"Look, can I escape? I can't just throw the person I saved back out, can I?" Yu Meng's little face scrunched up like a bun.

"That's definitely not possible! Yu Meng, we're on the same side this time." A certain glint flashed in Nangong Tianshou's eyes.