In the Dragon family's estate, within a meticulously decorated study, the patriarch Long Yaotian received Long Ming, who had rushed back from the capital.
Standing beside Long Yaotian was his son, Long Xiao.
Despite being brothers, Long Ming harbored no ambitions for the position of family patriarch. He was well aware that the role was not an easy one to fill.
Those who grew up in prominent families like theirs understood the need to sacrifice everything for the clan, recognizing themselves as mere cogs in the vast familial machine.
The patriarch's position was of paramount importance, demanding constant vigilance. A single misstep, a wrong decision, could plunge the family into irreversible ruin.
Long Ming believed his abilities lagged significantly behind his elder brother, Long Xiao. Neither Long Yaotian nor the Dragon family's elder council was likely to select him as the next patriarch.
Therefore, Long Ming chose to distance himself from the Dragon family's power center, opting to drift along within the Righteous Alliance. This allowed him to leverage the alliance's resources for the benefit of the Dragon family while enjoying the respect and honor afforded to him there.
However, this time, when the matter concerning Long Yaozu came to light, various martial arts sects lodged complaints with the Righteous Alliance. Long Ming was consequently dismissed from his post and had no choice but to return to the Dragon family in disgrace to discuss countermeasures with his father and brother.
After several days of recuperation, Long Yaotian had returned to normal. Despite the severe vomiting of blood that day, he was, after all, a martial arts master who had trained since childhood and consumed various rare treasures and medicinal herbs, ensuring his physical condition was exceptional.
Furthermore, the Dragon family possessed an abundance of talented individuals, and skilled physicians were not scarce. For an ordinary person, such an ordeal would likely have kept them bedridden until now.
"Long Ming, what exactly happened? What is the deal with the Righteous Alliance? Why are they targeting our Dragon family! You've been operating within the Righteous Alliance for so long, and this is the result you've achieved!"
Before the patriarch Long Yaotian could speak, Long Xiao was the first to confront his brother. Upon hearing his brother's questioning, Long Ming even rolled his eyes at Long Xiao.
Long Ming directly opened his portable briefcase, took out several documents, respectfully handed them to his father, Long Yaotian, and then took out another document and tossed it directly at Long Xiao.
"Father, please take a look. These are the matters concerning our Dragon family that were spread online a few days ago!"
When the incident occurred a few days prior, the Dragon family members were preoccupied with the aftermath and relocation at Canglong Lake. By the time they finished and tried to investigate, not a single trace of the relevant information could be found online.
Of course, achieving this was no easy feat. The Dragon family had spent a considerable amount of money and connections to control the spread of information.
As Long Yaotian examined the document Long Ming handed him, his brows furrowed deeper, and his expression grew extremely grave. Long Xiao's expression was similarly affected.
After a long while, the two men put down the documents and fell into contemplation. At this moment, Long Ming spoke.
"Father, Elder Brother, I wish to inquire about something. Are the contents written here fabricated by the other party to frame us, or are they true?"
Upon hearing Long Ming's question, Long Xiao, before Long Yaotian could respond, became angry.
"Long Ming, this is pure outsider thinking! What does it matter to you whether the things written here are true or false? Your only task is to investigate who spread this information and bring the culprit to justice! The family has paid a great price over the years to help you gain a higher position and influence within the Righteous Alliance, yet look at your achievements!"
"Heh heh!"
Unexpectedly, Long Ming, who usually dared not argue with Long Xiao, let out a cold laugh.
"Elder Brother, you don't understand such a simple logic? If the information online is false, then okay, I will continue to investigate and find a way to apprehend the person who posted it. But if that information is true, have you considered the immense impact this matter will have on us? Although I work for the Righteous Alliance, I am still a core disciple of the Dragon family. I don't even know many of the things mentioned in that information, so how does the person who posted it know?"
Upon hearing these words, Long Yaotian exchanged a look with his son, Long Xiao, his face revealing a look of horror. The father and son duo knew all too well that the information online was irrefutable truth.
What terrified them even more was that much of the information pertained to the Dragon family's core secrets, and many of the events mentioned online occurred during the days the spirit gathering array was being constructed!
This implied that the person who posted the information was very familiar with the Dragon family, possibly holding a high position within it, and had been present at Canglong Valley during the days of the incident!
All this intelligence converged into two words: mole!
Long Yaotian almost spat blood again. For a family with a thousand-year legacy, the emergence of a mole within the family's core area, among its direct descendants, was an utter disgrace!
"Long Ming, what is said there is true!" Long Yaotian gritted his teeth, finally deciding to reveal the truth.
"You continue your investigation into how this information was leaked. I will not be idle either. We must find this mole! Long Xiao, find a few trusted confidantes, absolutely reliable ones, and thoroughly screen the survivors from that day. The informant is very likely among those survivors!"
Long Xiao's face showed bitterness upon hearing this. "Father, I'm afraid it won't be easy to investigate, as many of the survivors from that day are the family's elders and consecrated members!"
"So what? If any of them are defiant or uncooperative with the investigation, let them come to me! They eat my food and drink my provisions, and now they dare to betray the Dragon family's core interests. If I find out who leaked the information, I will grind their bones to dust and tear their bodies into ten thousand pieces!"
"Yes, Father. I will arrange this matter immediately."
At this moment, Long Ming spoke again.
"Dad, I've been investigating the case of Lingxin's attack and death these past few days, and I've made a discovery!"
Upon hearing this, Long Yaotian and Long Xiao's faces immediately showed murderous intent.
After all, Long Lingxin was Long Xiao's daughter and Long Yaotian's most beloved granddaughter. Her death had plunged both of them into profound grief. Now, hearing that there was news of the culprit, they immediately perked up.
"Speak, who did it!" Long Yaotian said through gritted teeth.
"I've found out. The culprit is from the Tianshan Sword Sect, and the culprit has been apprehended in the United States! Our people employed various means on him, and the culprit finally confessed. He acted on the instructions of their sect leader, Yun Hantian!"