Ever since Grandma Dongfang announced the comeback of the Dongfang Family, the assassination requests came in like snow in a blizzard! It was as if the whole world reached the consensus of acknowledging the Dongfang Family overnight!
Furthermore, the bounties were exceptionally lucrative.
Normally, the bounty for an Earth Xuan expert would be a hundred thousand silver taels, but now the offer was even two to three times as much!
The only problem was that those whom they hired to assassinate were all experts!
If there were only one or two of these requests, the Dongfang Family would not be at all bothered. It would be a lovely surprise for them. However, with so many of them…
And so many of them demanding the assassination of top experts such as four of the Eight Supremes…
Even if the Dongfang Family was very competent, there was no way it could handle so many requests. If the family dared take up the challenge, the obvious consequence would be the mortality of all the outstanding assassins of the family. The whole family would crumble!
However, the family had already officially declared their comeback. There was no return, or they would turn into the laughing stock of the entire continent!
And this would lead to the family falling back into obscurity. Hence, they were caught in a dilemma.
The explanations given in each request were all reasonable and ethical in terms of the family's standard. Some of the clients even sent deposits along with the request. All of them seemed very sincere!
The situation could not have been prevented as well. The requests were sent back to the Dongfang Family separately. The Dongfang Family had local representatives stationed in various locations. They were finally mobilized once again after ten years, so they were definitely more proactive than usual.
Each of them could not resist accepting the numerous requests that would have been considered big deals ten years ago and handing them over to the headquarters…
Their urge to achieve clearly backfired. The Dongfang Family was now in a terrible position.
Grandma Dongfang was able to realize that this was retaliation from the three Holy Lands. It was indirect, but blatant! The three Holy Lands would never retaliate with force. They didn't want condemnation. So this was the best way to take revenge!
And perhaps their main aim was to force Jun Mo Xie out of Tian Fa Forest! After all, it was Jun Mo Xie who initiated all the trouble!
In the headquarters of the Dongfang Family, Dongfang Wen Jian asked cautiously, "Mother, should we contact Mo Xie? There's no way we can deal with all the requests, especially when they have time limits."
Grandma Dongfang sat upright on a chair, thinking about something. She was infuriated when she heard what Dongfang Wen Jian said. "You still call yourself Mo Xie's uncle when you said that? It's so obvious that what they want is to lure Mo Xie out! If you notify him, aren't we falling for their traps? If anything happens when Mo Xie returns, how are you going to explain to your sister?
"We will not sabotage my own grandson even if the whole Dongfang Family is to perish!" Grandma Dongfang's eyes were cold. "I will not show mercy to anyone who tries to contact Mo Xie! The Sikong Family and Duanmu Family endured all those sufferings for Mo Xie even though it could have been none of their business. Are we going to act more cowardly than them when we are Mo Xie's family? Wen Jian, aren't you ashamed of what you just said?"
Dongfang Wen Jian couldn't veil his embarrassment. It was only a mindless question and he didn't expect being reprimanded by his mother.
Dongfang Wen Qing sighed. "Mother is right. They are clearly trying to force us to ask Tian Fa Forest for help! I am sure they have a very thorough plan to strike at Mo Xie as long as he reappears! They will not hesitate to kill Mo Xie this time given what Mo Xie has done to them. They will no longer merely send probing forces.
"But this also proves that Mo Xie is safe in Tian Fa forest! The three Holy Lands dare not enter the forest! It's unbelievable that the three Holy Lands will go to this extend to force out Mo Xie!" Grandma Dongfang looked gloomy. "Therefore, we cannot give in and ask Tian Fa for help! Listen, if I hear anything about asking for Tian Fa again, I will not hesitate to expel that person from the family!"
"Yes mother! But what should we do about all the requests?" Dongfang Wen Qing asked.
"We cannot reject the requests anymore. What we can do now is tell them that the pay they are offering is unreasonable!" Grandma Dongfang smiled. "Do not execute any missions without permission! Then notify our representatives to stop taking new requests! For those requests we have already accepted, tell our clients that we demand three times as much pay! Try to drag the negotiation time as long as possible! If anyone refuses to pay a higher price, reject them immediately!"
"Nice strategy, mother!" Dongfang Wen Jian's eyes twinkled.
"Nice strategy? It's just a temporary remedy. All it can do is offer us more time. If I am not wrong, they won't even hesitate to offer more money for the requests…" Grandma Dongfang frowned. "Therefore, we won't even gain much time. The fame of the Dongfang Family shall not be compromised under my command! So we have to react to the situation step by step. If they increase the pay, we will still have to execute the assassinations. You should still be prepared for it."
"Preparation is not a problem. As long as we have enough time, we will be able to fulfill all the requests. If we are able to do it, we will leave a mark in history apart from bringing the family back to the height of its glory!" With Grandma Dongfang's strategy, Dongfang Wen Qing was more optimistic about the situation.
"Don't be blindly optimistic just because of a temporary remedy! We are still disadvantaged and the three Holy Lands are not easy to deal with! Do you know what I am most worried about now?" Grandma Dongfang still looked gloomy and concerned.
"What? There are more concerns? As long as we have enough time, with our competent men, I am sure we will be able to achieve…" Dongfang Wen Jian was puzzled.
"What I am worried about is that the majority of our clients will decide to withdraw their requests. It will signify a very serious situation!"
"Why? If so, aren't we less pressurized?" Dongfang Wen Jian was more puzzled.
"How stupid! If that is to happen, it means that there is no more possibility of thawing the relationship between the three Holy Lands and Mo Xie. Just imagine what will happen if we receive a request of assassinating a weak person who is accompanied by a very strong expert from the Holy Lands! Are you so naive to think that they won't resort to this?"
"If the target is stronger than what the client claims, we have a very good reason to reject it, don't we?" Dongfang Wen Jian asked.
"But by conventions, only the information on the subordinate of the person will be provided. What if the expert we can't handle is his guest? The three Holy Lands have so many of these kinds of persons! If this is to happen, then it will be a deadly trap that will guarantee our fall!"
"If that's to happen, we can give up the mission! Why do we have to jump into a deadly trap when we know what it's about?" Dongfang Wen Jian sounded angry.
"Give up? We can, but we will have to pay a compensation that is many times more than the original bounty. How can we afford that if there are tens or hundreds of these requests?"
"That's true… but why don't they do it in a straighter way?" Dongfang Wen Jian finally understood the seriousness of the situation and sounded more cautious.
"It's because the situation is not as serious yet. Although there's much tension now, the three Holy Lands still lack their target. As long as Mo Xie doesn't leave Tian Fa Forest, the three Holy Lands cannot do anything. This is also why I emphasize not letting Mo Xie know about the situation!"