Xiaoxiao.

Chapter 178 Zhu Xian's Methods

When Zhu Xian took these children away, he gave himself a high-sounding reason—that he wanted to personally take care of them and teach them carefully.

However, everyone knew perfectly well that this was just an excuse; in reality, these children were being held hostage.

Faced with such domineering behavior, the seven elders and those in power in the sect had no choice but to swallow their anger, even though they were unwilling.

After all, Zhu Xian was not only a high-ranking lord, but more importantly, his strength far surpassed that of others!

Faced with such absolute power, anyone who dares to disobey his orders will surely suffer a terrible fate.

In desperation, even though their hearts were breaking, they had no choice but to painfully give up their beloved.

Time flies, and before we know it, the children have all grown up.

Just when everyone thought they would never see their children again in this lifetime, Zhu Xian unexpectedly sent them back one by one.

This should have been a cause for celebration for the entire clan, but Ling Qi could not bring himself to smile.

Because deep in her heart, a persistent worry lingered: what exactly was Zhu Xian's intention in doing this?

Could it be that he has some even more insidious and cunning plot brewing in the shadows...?

Ling Qi knew Zhu Xian's character very well and knew that this person would never do a losing deal.

How could someone who wouldn't even let go of a tiny bit of profit be willing to raise someone else's child for free?

There must be some ulterior motive behind this!

Was it a counter-espionage plot? Or a planted spy? Or some other sinister motive?

In an instant, countless possibilities flooded Ling Qi's mind, filling it with all sorts of conspiracy theories, leaving him no time to think about anything else.

When Lingqi finally came to her senses and realized that this was her son's first time returning home, Lingsheng had already buried all her true feelings deep inside.

From that moment on, Ling Sheng had made his choice—he stood firmly on Zhu Xian's side.

As for this family of origin before him, Ling Sheng acted as if it had never existed...

After all, from childhood to adulthood, he had always been by his ancestor's side. His biological parents had not only failed to fulfill their duty of raising him, but had never even visited him once. (However, the truth was that Zhu Xian secretly prevented the parents of the hostages from coming to see him.)

What is the difference between these so-called blood relatives and strangers?

Since that's the case, let's all go our separate ways and forget about each other...

From this day forward, for all living beings, though the world is vast and boundless, the lord is the most supreme being!

This was precisely Zhu Xian's conspiracy. On the surface, it was to reunite the hostages with their families, but in reality, it was to make them sever the last thread of kinship.

The yearning for family affection is innate in every animal, but when this instinct is not satisfied for a long time, it will develop in the completely opposite direction...

Judging from Ling Sheng's performance, Zhu Xian succeeded.

Lingqi was overjoyed to welcome her son home, expecting him to eagerly throw himself into his parents' warm embrace, just as she had hoped.

Ling Sheng quietly walked through the gate. Although he felt disappointed, he attributed it all to his son's shyness upon returning home for the first time.

However, what he didn't know was that the already meager bond between them was completely destroyed by his suspicious gaze.

That cold, ruthless gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing the last remaining trace of warmth in Ling Sheng's heart.

At that moment, Ling Sheng's last hope for his family of origin was extinguished like a candle flickering in the wind.

From then on, he became Zhu Xian's most loyal spy.

Ling Qi went to extreme lengths to make up for the years of neglect she had caused her son.

He desperately wanted to lay bare his heart and soul to his son, just to gain his forgiveness and acceptance.

To resolve the estrangement in his son's heart, he even revealed to his son all the secret plans he had made over the years without reservation.

This is why Zhu Xian knew everything about Ling Qi's every move.

Perhaps for this reason, Zhu Xian has been relatively lenient with Ling Qi over the years and has not forced him too much.

Just as Ling Sheng was still immersed in his doubts, Ling Qi summoned him into the secret room once again.

This private conversation, like the previous one, revolved around two humans, and even the words spoken were almost identical to those of the last one.

But because he was summoned to the secret room again for discussion, Ling Sheng's originally uneasy and anxious heart gradually calmed down.

Watching her son's relaxed figure recede into the distance, Ling Qi's eyes gleamed with an indescribable, strange light.

He simply refused to believe that his own son had been Zhu Xian's most loyal spy from the very beginning.

This thought kept swirling in his mind, making it impossible for him to believe what was happening before his eyes.

After all, they were blood relatives!

Is the bond of blood really no match for wealth and luxury?

Thinking of this, Ling Qi felt a sharp pain in her heart and couldn't help but feel saddened.

However, no matter how unwilling he was to admit this fact, the cruel truth was right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to accept it.

Ling Qi still feels lingering fear when she recalls her secret meeting with her son.

He secretly rejoiced that at the critical moment, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and began to have doubts about his son without any basis.

It was this very doubt that led him to suppress the secrets of the two humans at the last moment.

Otherwise, he would probably be a cold corpse in a mass grave by now.

Ling Qi knew Zhu Xian's character perfectly well.

That guy is always one to stir up trouble and create chaos. Even the slightest disturbance can cause a huge uproar.

Moreover, once Zhu Xian discovers that he is secretly plotting to deal with those two crucial humans, given his ruthless methods, he will certainly not leave him any way out.

Those two humans were something Zhu Xian had longed for. Even though they had mysteriously disappeared, he had not given up searching for them.

The previous failure had already infuriated Zhu Xian. If he were to find out that Ling Qi was still plotting against him behind his back, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As the person in charge of the previous incident, Ling Qi did not appear to have suffered any substantial punishment.

But in secret, all the power and status he possessed as an elder had been ruthlessly stripped away, and even the title that symbolized his identity and honor no longer existed.

Faced with such a situation, Lingqi was filled with resentment, but as always, he dared not speak out and dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Just when he was in despair and about to give up completely, something unexpected happened.