jiang yicai swaggered in but left like a beaten dog, unconscious and defeated.

    having returned to the jiang family, jiang yicai had regained consciousness. he endured the excruciating pain in silence, his face twisted into an expression of sinister intent.

    "when you meet with commander xia later, the two of you must not mention anything about what just happened. do you understand?" jiang yicai suddenly snapped coldly.

    the two followers from the southern territory were startled before they understood; they then assured him, "deputy commander jiang, rest assured, if the great commander asks later, we will certainly not divulge too much!"

    jiang yicai was probably worried that if too much was said later and more details about that man with the surname ye were exposed, it could lead to commander xia''s worry and reluctance to intervene.

    even though jiang yicai hadn''t truly discerned the specific origins and background of the young man with the surname ye, his instincts told him that the other party must be an extraordinary figure, for he seemed to have seen such an air of authority that was revealed by the other party in those lofty and high-ranking individuals.

    in fact, it was also because jiang yicai had not been in the southern territory for long and, coupled with the great distance between the southern territory and the northern border, and considering ye feng rarely showed his true appearance, otherwise, he should have recognized the renowned northern border sovereign.

    having learned of the incident, the jiang family had already arranged for several bone-setting physicians to wait at the entrance. as soon as jiang yicai exited the carriage, he was carried on a stretcher into the inner courtyard for treatment.

    at this time, the entire jiang family was shaken; jiang youcai and others looked at each other in disbelief. they could hardly believe that even with their cousin personally taking action, the man could not be subdued—and that was a deputy commander of the southern territory.

    how could such a deputy commander of the southern territory, so prominent in power and skilled in combat, fail to handle the mad son-in-law of the hong family who was confined to a wheelchair?

    the jiang family was thrown into turmoil; some were worried, but others tried to remain calm. after all, at this moment, the jiang family not only had deputy commander jiang youcai but also another even more formidable individual— the third great commander of the southern territory.

    as long as commander xia would agree to help, the jiang family would have a chance to salvage the situation!

    throughout this period, the tall and slender commander xia merely stood quietly in the pavilion, admiring the goldfish in the lake, seemingly indifferent to the events that had befallen jiang yicai.

    of course, during this time, no one dared to disturb the high-ranking third great commander of the southern territory!

    after being bandaged up, jiang yicai''s injuries seemed to be initially stabilized.

    "cousin, what exactly happened here? how could even you..." jiang youcai stood at the head of the bed, looking at the pale jiang yicai lying on the bed with a sigh.

    in a flash, commander xia almost wanted to flee the jiang family, not wishing to get involved any further.

    but after pondering for a moment, he still asked, "did you find out exactly who the other party is?"

    "i asked, but the brat didn''t say, claiming i wasn''t qualified to know," jiang yicai said, gritting his teeth.

    he continued, "he also said, even the great commander wouldn''t be qualified to know his identity."

    commander xia became furious, bellowing, "did you reveal my presence as well?"

    jiang yicai quickly said, "commander xia, please calm your anger. given the circumstances at the time, for the sake of my life, i had to bring you up. moreover, with the other party''s capability, finding out who has recently visited the jiang family wouldn''t be difficult. if they wanted to check, they surely would find out that you are currently with the jiang family."

    with a long sigh, commander xia waved his hand, "well then, since i have come, i am naturally not afraid of others knowing my whereabouts."

    jiang yicai said, "also, commander xia, that fellow surnamed ye of the mad son-in-law of the hong family said to meet him at the elegant bamboo residence by noon today!"

    commander xia immediately questioned, "to meet him? did he mention what for?"

    "nothing specific, he simply asked for your presence," replied jiang yicai.

    jiang yicai then scoffed and said, "commander xia, after all, you are a huajin grandmaster, not just a formidable force in the southern territory but also a top-level expert even within the nation. why would you fear a handicapped young man in a wheelchair!"

    having said that, jiang yicai let out a sigh, and then added, "of course, involving commander xia without cause today, i feel extremely remorseful. but as you can see, the jiang family has been backed into a corner today, so i earnestly ask for commander xia''s intervention to save the jiang family."

    "if commander xia agrees to eliminate that youngster surnamed ye, i, jiang yicai, in my capacity as the head, promise to give half of the jiang family''s assets to you."

    commander xia''s eyes, small and beady like a rat''s, suddenly lit up and he quickly asked, "half of the jiang family''s assets, are you serious?"

    "of course, i am serious. i can have jiang youcai write the transfer agreement right now!" said jiang yicai.

    "very well, if that''s the case, i shall agree to your request and meet with that youngster surnamed ye!"