Hearing what Second Master Wei said, the others completely disregarded Wei Wensong's thoughts and said, "Second Master, the Patriarch will definitely agree. This disaster was caused by him in the first place, so he should naturally be the one to resolve it."
"Exactly. When he succeeded as Patriarch, half the family disagreed. It was the old Patriarch who put him in charge before his death, otherwise, how could we have agreed?! Now the Wei family is in such a crisis because of him. As the Patriarch, he naturally has to sacrifice for the Wei family."
The speaker was the Fifth Elder of the Wei family, who had been aligned with the Third Young Master during the Wei family's patriarch succession dispute. However, Wei Wensong later killed the Third Young Master to seize power. The Fifth Elder, who never wanted Wei Wensong to be Patriarch, was even less willing to see him in power, so he had been secretly assisting the Second Master Wei.
Wei Wensong had remained silent, watching this ridiculous scene, the mockery in his eyes almost impossible to conceal.
It was true that he had instigated the old Patriarch to attack the Ling family back then. But when the old Patriarch brought this matter up to everyone, they had all readily agreed. Not a single person considered whether the Ling family might retaliate; they only thought about the benefits of seizing the Ling family's assets. Now, they were blaming him for it!
Furthermore, what about when Chen Duanmian came to trade, offering five hundred fifth-grade mortal artifacts annually in exchange for their non-aggression towards the Ling family? What had they said then?
Oh, the Ling family was no longer a threat anyway, and getting these things for free was a no-brainer. Besides, they could destroy the Ling family anytime Chen Duanmian refused. With such thoughts, they had readily agreed to Chen Duanmian's deal.
But now, these people were blaming him for it again, completely forgetting their own expressions at the time!
Thinking of Chen Duanmian, Wei Wensong recalled that four months ago, Chen Duanmian had unilaterally terminated the trade, and the Alchemist Guild had sold hundreds of first-grade phantom artifacts the very next day!
It was impossible for old man Chen Duanmian to have advanced so much in such a short period. The only possibility was that Chen Duanmian did not want to reveal his true capabilities, allowing the Wei family to know, and thus exchanging mortal artifacts for phantom artifacts, and had been concealing it all along. Only when Ling Luoyi returned and revealed her strength, making the Wei family wary and afraid to attack the Ling family again, did Chen Duanmian dare to reveal himself.
He had wondered why families like the Kong, Qi, and Xiao families, who had grievances with the Wei family, possessed phantom artifacts. It turned out Chen Duanmian had sold them. When he inquired, these people had told him they bought them from outside.
Thinking of this, Wei Wensong couldn't help but clench his fist, harboring resentment towards these families as well.
Seeing Wei Wensong lost in thought, Second Master Wei reprimanded him with dissatisfaction, "Eldest Brother, we are discussing important matters with you, yet you are zoning out. Do you think the Wei family's current crisis is not serious enough?"
Suddenly being accused, Wei Wensong hadn't fully regained his senses. The Patriarch of the Wei family noticed this and shook his head in disappointment. He had thought that after so many years as Patriarch, Wensong would have shown some improvement, but he hadn't expected that rotten mud would always remain rotten mud.
Wei Wensong snapped back to attention and said disdainfully, "Second Brother, you've always been idle and unproductive. What methods could you possibly have to help the Wei family overcome this crisis?"
Second Master Wei snorted and replied, "It's a shame you've been Patriarch for so long, Eldest Brother. Don't you know that what matters to this continent is only Ling Luoyi? The Ling family is insignificant. If Ling Luoyi can do something, and the Wei family can also do it, then who will care about the Ling family? Even if we destroy the Ling family, who will offend us? At that time, let alone the current Emperor, the entire continent will treat the Wei family as honored guests!"
Upon hearing Second Master Wei's words, Wei Wensong scoffed, "Second Brother, are you stupid? Ling Luoyi is a top-tier alchemist. Who in the Wei family can replace her role? You?"
Second Master Wei knew his own capabilities, and so did the others in the Wei family. Seeing this, their gazes toward Second Master Wei also carried suspicion.
Second Master Wei said, "Eldest Brother, I certainly cannot do it. Let alone me, no one in the Wei family can."
Hearing his words, the others' hopes turned back into despair.
"However..." Seeing everyone's attention return to him, Second Master Wei said with satisfaction, "A few years ago, I happened to make a friend. This friend of mine is very powerful, and he can do what Ling Luoyi can do. Eldest Brother, you say, with him, can the Wei family overcome this crisis?"
"Really?" Before Wei Wensong could speak, the Patriarch exclaimed.
Second Master Wei smiled triumphantly, "Patriarch, at this juncture, would Wenrong lie to you?"
At this point, Second Master Wei had no need to lie to them.
Understanding this, the Patriarch looked at him and asked, "Wenrong, is your friend willing to help us?"
"Of course. It's just..."
At this point, Second Master Wei looked at Wei Wensong with a smug and arrogant expression, but said nothing.
Wei Wensong looked at his petty triumph with disdain and did not speak. He knew what his brother wanted, which was for him to beg. How could that be possible?!
Seeing that neither brother spoke, everyone else grew anxious. The Patriarch urged, "Wenrong, tell us your friend's requirements first, and see if we can afford them. Wensong, stop being so confrontational. Wenrong is now the Wei family's only hope."
Wei Wensong gave a mocking smile but said nothing. He had already guessed what Wei Wenrong wanted.
As expected.
"My friend will only help us if I ask him. He has no requirements, but I do." Saying this, Second Master Wei glanced at Wei Wensong again and said, "Patriarch, everyone has witnessed Eldest Brother's abilities over the years. Wenrong believes that Eldest Brother is no longer suitable to be the Patriarch of the Wei family. What do you think, Patriarch?"
Hearing this, the Patriarch already knew his intention. Indeed, everyone in the Wei family was dissatisfied with Wensong now. Letting him continue as Patriarch would inevitably cause unrest in the Wei family, which the Wei family could no longer afford. However, even if Wensong was not suitable to continue as Patriarch, Wenrong was even less suited to be the Patriarch! Among the candidates back then, only Wenrong had no support, which was enough to explain the problem. But...
The Patriarch looked at Second Master Wei again. But now, Wenrong was the Wei family's only hope.
Thinking of this, the Patriarch made up his mind and said, "Wenrong, Wensong is indeed not suitable to continue as Patriarch and should abdicate. The next Patriarch should be chosen from the outstanding legitimate descendants among the younger generation."
After speaking, the Patriarch could not hide the weariness in his tone. He had no other choice. Wei Wenrong's intention was that he wanted to be Patriarch, and now the Wei family had to go along with him. But he was truly not suitable to be Patriarch; he lacked the decisiveness and was not that intelligent.
The Patriarch's words were not spoken discreetly; at least, everyone present understood.
The Patriarch asked for an outstanding legitimate descendant among the younger generation to be chosen. Ostensibly, they could choose from Wei Wensong's children, but Wei Wensong only had three legitimate children. One was the eldest young master, Wei Chutian, but his meridians were damaged, and his cultivation could not progress, so he was out. Another was the third young master, Wei Chuhong, but he had lost an arm, so he was also out. The last was the eldest young lady, Wei Chuying, but which family's Patriarch was a woman? Therefore, it was impossible to choose from Wei Wensong's lineage.
Then, among the other legitimate young masters, the only outstanding one left was from Wei Wenrong's lineage. Although Wei Wenrong was not suitable to be Patriarch, his eldest legitimate son had grown up by the side of the old ancestor.
As for the old Patriarch's other legitimate sons, they had all been killed when Wei Wensong took power, leaving no descendants.
Therefore, the Patriarch's intention was very clear.