"Father, it's the Tang family's Hidden Master," Nie Qingkong replied immediately upon hearing the voice. "This is similar to the information we found earlier. The Miao family dispatched the Miao child, and the Tang family sent their Hidden Master."
"The Miao child and the Tang family's Hidden Master?" Xiang Xueyuan asked, his gaze deepening. "I recall that Miao Sang, the Miao family member who was found later, wasn't interested in becoming the next family head, correct?"
"Yes." Nie Qingkong breathed a sigh of relief as Xiang Xueyuan shifted his attention to the Miao and Tang families. "If Miao Sang is unwilling to take over as the family head, the position will likely go to the Miao child."
"Is that so?" Xiang Xueyuan mused for a moment, then said, "Then let's give them something to do."
"Father, you mean..." Nie Qingkong was slightly taken aback.
"Kill that Tang family Hidden Master," Xiang Xueyuan stated. "The Miao and Tang families are too harmonious, which is not a good thing."
At least, it wasn't a good thing for him.
After so many years of planning, he didn't want a random Lu family member to disrupt everything so thoroughly.
It was time to teach the Lu, Miao, and Tang families a lesson.
"But Father..." Nie Qingkong tried to say more, but Xiang Xueyuan raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Tarik, you've been talking too much lately," Xiang Xueyuan said coldly, looking at Nie Qingkong.
"I..." Before Nie Qingkong could say anything else, Xi Fu quickly stopped him. Xi Fu smiled sweetly and said, "Don't worry, Father, we'll handle this."
As she spoke, Xi Fu squeezed Nie Qingkong's arm forcefully.
Did Nie Qingkong want to die, daring to challenge Father?
Honestly, it was all Xia Qingyu's fault!
Before Xia Qingyu appeared, Nie Qingkong had never displeased Father!
Prompted by Xi Fu, Nie Qingkong also closed his mouth and lowered his head slightly, "Father, please rest assured."
"Go," Xiang Xueyuan said, looking out at the boundless sea. "Tonight's ball is a good opportunity to strike."
"Thank you for the reminder, Father," Xi Fu immediately replied. "We'll go prepare."
With that, she dragged Nie Qingkong away. In a place Xiang Xueyuan couldn't see, Xi Fu pinched Nie Qingkong irritably and whispered in Finnish, "Are you crazy! What are you thinking? Do you have to infuriate Father?"
Nie Qingkong furrowed his brows at Xi Fu's words, "You don't know what's going on here."
"I don't know?" Xi Fu sneered with a knowing expression and glanced at Nie Qingkong. "It's just because that Tang family Hidden Master has a close relationship with Xia Qingyu, right? In the end, you're still doing this for Xia Qingyu!"
Hearing Xi Fu's words, Nie Qingkong's expression became a little unnatural. He turned his head and muttered, "Don't talk nonsense, she's my enemy."
"Enemy? Heh." Xi Fu chuckled and rolled her eyes at Nie Qingkong. "Since you insist she's an enemy, it'll be easy."
Xi Fu patted Nie Qingkong's shoulder and smiled, "I'll await your good news."
After saying that, Xi Fu turned and left.
Nie Qingkong watched Xi Fu's retreating figure, his gaze shifting.
Time passed quickly. As the warm orange light of the setting sun spread across the entire sea, the decorations on the deck were already completed.
Champagne glasses stacked in a pagoda shape, pastries arranged in a nine-grid pattern, dishes enticing in both color and aroma, all presented in dazzling variety.
The circular stage in the corner had also been simply decorated, and the audio equipment was being tested.
At the corner of the corridor, two foreign-looking men were speaking in hushed, encrypted tones.
"After the signal was jammed, I lost contact with them."
"Cunning Chinese, using such tricks!"
"Then the ship hijacking plan..."
After all, there were many wealthy gentlemen and ladies on this ship, representatives of prominent families.
While others might be after treasure, their target was this group of "fat sheep."
"With just the three of us, how can we hijack a ship!" the other person exclaimed in frustration. "Damn it!"
"Tonight's ball might have a fireworks display. Hopefully, they'll be able to see the fireworks and hear the music then," the first man sighed. "Once our people arrive, all these bastards will die!"
As they spoke, a cruel smile flickered across their faces. After a third person arrived, the three of them walked off together.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the ship, three people were quietly discussing the evening's party.
"Young Master Lei said that once we take care of Lu Yaoyang and retrieve the treasure map that rightfully belongs to the Lei family, he'll come to escort us, right?" someone asked uncertainly. "But the signal is chaotic now, can he really make it to escort us?"
"I'm not too sure, but we've already received the deposit," another person hesitated. "If we're going to kill Lu Yaoyang, tonight is the best opportunity."
"What if we kill him, but Young Master Lei's people don't show up?" the third person asked softly.
"It's a treasure map, and this ship is heading towards the treasure. How could the Lei family not come!" the other person said, shaking their head. "Tonight is our trio's last chance."
"Alright, then tonight it is!"
The three exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and walked off in another direction.
And on a straight staircase, a woman whose beauty was almost excessive was complaining in Italian, "We've been drifting at sea for two days, I'm so bored. Finally, there's a lively party, and they want me to kill someone? It's ridiculous..."
"Less nonsense! You should know why the boss chose the three of us," the older of the two, a brown-haired woman with high cheekbones, also spoke in Italian. "Tonight, you kill, I'll get the treasure map, and Liya will prepare a ship for our escape overnight."
"I know! Judy, you're really too nagging," the beauty's tone was a little displeased, but her beautiful eyes were full of proud certainty. "It's their luck to die by the hand of someone ranked seventh on the world assassin list."
"The people from the Lu and Miao families are two men, but the Tang family's Hidden Master is a woman. I wonder if your tricks will work," Judy's eyes contemptuously flickered at the beauty beside her, seemingly dismissive of her killing methods.
"What's wrong with being a woman? I'm not someone who can only make men crazy for me," the beauty smiled wickedly. "Await my good news."
Hearing footsteps, both women fell silent. At this moment, they saw three European-looking men descending from upstairs. Those three smiled at them in a rather gentlemanly manner, and three Chinese-looking men also ascended from downstairs.
After a brief encounter on the stairs, the three groups all showed a hypocritical and friendly smile and headed in three different directions.
As they brushed past each other, all three groups simultaneously dropped their smiles, their eyes determined: tonight, only success is allowed.