I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 203: Deepening the Dispute, Contradictions Become Clearer

At the edge of the bamboo forest, the situation is tense.

The Second Young Master and the Third Young Miss arrived with a fierce momentum, clearly well prepared. Ren Xiaoyao held Xia Lin's hand tightly, staring at them warily, while mentally pondering a plan to escape.

"Second brother, third sister, what are you doing?" An old but loud voice came from behind the second young master, with a bit of majesty.

Everyone turned around and saw an old man in a green robe, with white hair and beard, slowly approaching. He was the clan's chief elder. Behind him followed several clan guards, each of them with a calm aura, clearly masters.

The appearance of the Great Elder slightly eased the tense atmosphere. The Second Young Master and the Third Young Lady exchanged a glance, a flicker of fear in their eyes, but they quickly regained their previous arrogance.

"Grand Elder, we just want to ask Ren Xiaoyao to go back and ask him a few questions." The second young master said with a forced smile, but his tone revealed an unquestionable firmness.

"Questioning? I think you're trying to harm Xiaoyao, right?" The Great Elder snorted coldly, his eyes sweeping over the two of them sharply. "Do you still respect me, the Great Elder?!"

"I dare not. The Great Elder is too kind." The second young master lowered his head quickly, but a hint of viciousness flashed in the corner of his eyes.

Ren Xiaoyao saw all of this and felt even more contempt for the Second Young Master. He understood that today's conflict was just an outburst of internal family conflict, and he was just a pawn in this power struggle.

"Great Elder, since you're here, please make the decision for me!" Ren Xiaoyao stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Since returning to the family, I have been diligent and conscientious, and have never done anything that would harm the family's interests. But the Second Young Master and the Third Young Miss have repeatedly targeted me, even sending people to secretly..."

"Shut up!" The second young master's face changed and he shouted sternly, "Ren Xiaoyao, stop slandering me!"

"Whether I'm slandering you or not, everyone knows it." Ren Xiaoyao looked him in the eye fearlessly, his gaze firm. "I've been investigating the allocation of family resources for some time now, and I've discovered..."

"Why are you investigating this?!" The third young lady's face changed slightly, and she couldn't help but interrupt him.

Ren Xiaoyao ignored her and continued, "I've discovered that there's a serious injustice in the distribution of family cultivation resources! Direct descendants like the Second Young Master and the Third Young Miss receive a large amount of elixirs and spirit stones every month, while other collateral descendants can only get a pitiful amount. Some even..."

"Enough!" the Great Elder suddenly shouted, interrupting Ren Xiaoyao. His face darkened, and he looked at Ren Xiaoyao with a complicated gaze. He slowly said, "These matters are not yours to interfere in!" The Great Elder's words were like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. Ren Xiaoyao stared at this venerable elder in disbelief. He had once considered him the pillar of the family, the embodiment of justice, but now, he saw only coldness and indifference in his eyes.

"Great Elder, do you think this distribution is fair? Does the future of the family belong to only a few people?" Ren Xiaoyao suppressed the anger in his heart and tried to reason with the Great Elder.

However, the Great Elder simply glanced at him coldly, his tone unquestionable: "The family's rules have been around for a long time, how can you arbitrarily interfere? I have been in charge of family affairs for many years and know my limits. I don't need you to dictate things!"

"But..." Ren Xiaoyao wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Xia Lin. She shook her head gently, signaling him not to argue any further.

"Brother Xiaoyao, you know the Great Elder's temper. Talking any further will only make him angrier." The Third Miss walked over to Ren Xiaoyao and whispered, "It's time to change the family rules, but now is not the time. We need to think long-term."

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, suppressing the rage within him. He knew that arguing with the stubborn elder was pointless and would only exacerbate the conflict. He needed to find a more effective way to change the family's current situation.

"Miss Third, you said before that someone was secretly stirring up trouble within the family. Who was that person?" Ren Xiaoyao asked in a low voice.

The Third Miss hesitated for a moment, looked around, and made sure there was no one else around before she whispered, "I'm not sure either. I just know he calls himself 'Mysterious Man' and seems to know everything about our family. He's been secretly trying to sow discord between my second brother and me, and he's also been inciting other collateral descendants to cause trouble..."

"Mysterious Man..." Ren Xiaoyao repeated the name in a low voice, his heart filled with doubts, "Why did he do this? What is his purpose?"

"I don't know either, but I'm worried that he wants our family to fight among themselves and eventually decline..." A trace of worry appeared on the Third Miss's face. "Brother Xiaoyao, you must be careful. I have a feeling that this matter is not that simple."

"I understand. I will be careful." Ren Xiaoyao nodded, but his heart felt heavier.

As night fell, Ren Xiaoyao walked alone in the quiet courtyard, his mind constantly recalling the events of the day. The elder's stubbornness, the third lady's worries, the mysterious man's conspiracy, all of this was like a tangled mess, making him feel extremely irritated.

"Master, why are you here alone?" An old voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ren Xiaoyao looked up and saw the butler from another family standing not far away with a respectful smile on his face.

"Butler, why are you here?"

"I saw that you seemed to be worried, so I came to check on you." The housekeeper said, handing over a cup of hot tea. "It's late at night, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Ren Xiaoyao took the teacup but didn't drink it. Instead, he stared at the butler and asked, "Butler, you've been in our family for so many years, you should know a lot of things, right?"

The butler was slightly stunned, as if he understood something. The smile on his face gradually faded, and he whispered, "What does the young master want to know?"

"I want to know everything about our family..." Ren Xiaoyao put down his teacup and stared at the butler with burning eyes, "especially those unknown secrets..."

"I'm afraid I don't know much about what the young master wants to know." The butler lowered his eyebrows and spoke in a calm tone, but there was a sense of caution that could not be ignored.

"Butler, you have served the family for many years and have won the trust of my father. Can't you even trust me?" Ren Xiaoyao's eyes were sharp, trying to find a flaw in the butler's calm expression.

The butler was silent for a moment, then sighed and lowered his voice to say, "Master, it's not that I'm hiding something on purpose, but some things, once spoken out, will cause a huge uproar, and I just want to save my life."

"Don't worry, butler. As long as you tell me, I will guarantee your safety." Ren Xiaoyao said in a firm tone. He knew that if he wanted to know the truth, he had to let the butler let down his guard.

The butler looked up at Ren Xiaoyao, then glanced around to make sure there was no one else around. Then he lowered his voice and said slowly, "In fact, although the family has appeared prosperous over the years, it has actually been mired in crises for a long time. The conflict between the Second Young Master and the Third Young Miss is just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem lies..."

The butler stopped talking here, his eyes flickering, as if hesitating about something.

"What is it? Butler, please tell me quickly!" Ren Xiaoyao asked anxiously.

The butler shook his head and sighed, "Master, there are some things where the more you know, the more dangerous it is. You'd better not ask any more."

"Butler, you..." Ren Xiaoyao wanted to ask more, but was interrupted by the butler.

"Young Master, this is all I have to say. Please forgive me for not revealing more." After saying that, the butler bowed and took his leave, leaving Ren Xiaoyao standing there alone with a frown on his face.

Although the butler did not tell the whole truth, Ren Xiaoyao had already vaguely felt that the conflicts within the family were far more complicated than he had imagined, and that the mysterious man was most likely just a pawn of the mastermind behind the scenes.

He must find out the truth as soon as possible to prevent his family from falling into decline.

Ren Xiaoyao found the Great Elder and told him what he had heard from the housekeeper, and tried to persuade him to change his mind, treat all family members fairly, unite and face the crisis together.

However, the Great Elder did not listen to his explanation at all. Instead, he reprimanded him for believing in rumors and questioning the family tradition.

"Xiaoyao, you're too young and don't understand the family's responsibilities and mission." The Great Elder spoke sternly, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "The family rules were set by our ancestors. How can they be changed at will? Your reckless suspicions will only plunge the family into greater crisis!"

"But..." Ren Xiaoyao wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by the Great Elder with a wave of his hand.

"Alright, let's not discuss this anymore! Go back and reflect on this!"

Ren Xiaoyao left the Great Elder's room, feeling incredibly disappointed and powerless. He knew that if these issues weren't resolved quickly, the family conflict would only intensify... Ren Xiaoyao left the Great Elder's room with mixed feelings. He knew the Great Elder was stubborn, but he hadn't expected him to be so stubborn, turning a blind eye to the crisis within the family. Was he really going to watch the family decline amidst this conflict?

He wandered aimlessly through the courtyard, his heart heavy with worry. The blooming exotic flowers and plants lost their color in his eyes, and the gurgling water in his ears seemed to have turned into a whine.

"Brother Xiaoyao, what's wrong with you?" A crisp voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ren Xiaoyao looked up and saw Xia Lin looking at him with concern. He forced a smile, shook his head, and said, "Nothing, just something I can't figure out."

Xia Lin was very smart and naturally guessed what was bothering him. She said softly, "Is it family matters that are troubling you?"

Ren Xiaoyao sighed and told her about his conversation with the Great Elder. After listening, Xia Lin frowned slightly and said after a moment of contemplation, "It seems that the Great Elder is bound by the traditional values of the family and it is difficult for him to change for the time being."

"But if this continues, something big will happen to the family sooner or later." Ren Xiaoyao said worriedly.

Xia Lin held his hand and comforted him, "Brother Xiaoyao, don't worry, we will find a way."

"Solution? What else can we do?" Ren Xiaoyao smiled bitterly and shook his head. "The Great Elder won't listen to me at all, let alone the others."

"There's always a way, I just haven't thought of it yet." Charlene's eyes gleamed with wisdom. "Don't worry, let me think about it. Think about it carefully."

For the next few days, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were busy with family affairs. They visited various places, understood the ideas and demands of various factions in the family, and tried to find a solution that would balance the interests of all parties.

However, things are more complicated than they imagined. The conflicts within the family are intricate and complicated, and everyone has their own standpoints and interests. It is not easy to find a solution that satisfies everyone.

Ren Xiaoyao looked at the mountain of information before him, feeling powerless. He knew that if these issues were not resolved quickly, the family disputes would become more serious and might even lead to a greater disaster.

"Brother Xiaoyao, I have an idea..." Xia Lin's voice sounded in his ears.

Ren Xiaoyao raised his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He looked at Xia Lin, waiting for her next words.

Xia Lin took a deep breath and said slowly: "I think we can..."