"What did you say?"
The old man with white hair’s pupils suddenly contracted.
"Spare us, Old Ancestor!" The man, like a bird startled by a mere bowstring, dropped to his knees with a thud, causing a domino effect as the people in the hall dropped to their knees again.
"A bunch of useless fools."
The old man with white hair was instantly furious.
It’s often said that each generation of the Qin Family is worse than the last; he didn’t want to believe it. But seeing the current situation, he couldn’t help but believe it. Not a single person dared to look him in the eye and speak normally.
"You lost contact one or two days ago, and you didn’t continue to try? No one was sent to search? Such important news, and I only know it now?"
"We tried," the man quickly said. "These days, we have been having people call the Patriarch and others twenty-four hours, non-stop, and we also sent people everywhere to inquire about their whereabouts."
"And the result?"
The old man with white hair said coldly, "I want results, not processes!"
"The result..."
The man trembled like a sieve.
It was precisely because there were no results that they didn’t dare to tell him until now.
If nothing had gone wrong, it would be best. Perhaps they had already retrieved the Longevity Technique and were on their way back.
But if something had gone wrong, they would be finished. Bringing this news was like seeking death.
"Hmm?"
The old man with white hair showed murderous intent in his eyes.
Just a junior, killing a hundred or a thousand of them wouldn’t matter to him. The entire Qin Family relied on them for existence. Without them, the Qin Family wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving in this chaotic world.
"Old, Old Ancestor, we are still investigating." The man quickly said.
After speaking, he kept kowtowing, begging for mercy.
"Useless!"
The old man with white hair finished speaking, and another ice shard flew out.
The man’s body was instantly frozen and then shattered into pieces.
Everyone was utterly terrified; some even wet their pants.
Not saying anything meant death.
Saying something also meant death.
What should they do to survive in the hands of this old ancestor?
Or rather, was this old ancestor truly the old ancestor of the Qin Family and not an undercover agent from another noble family unfriendly to the Qin Family?
After all, they too carried the blood of the Qin Family in their veins.
"A bunch of useless fools!"
The old man with white hair cursed, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering if reporting this news will bring my wrath, thinking that less trouble is better, right? Do you know what I hate the most? It’s self-righteous people!"
Everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground, afraid of making any noise that might attract the old ancestor’s attention, leading to their untimely death.
"If you had reported this news the moment you lost contact with them, things might not be this bad." The old man with white hair said word by word, "But two days have passed, and you’re only telling me now, and even then I had to ask you myself. If I hadn’t asked, you would have kept me in the dark. You all enjoy the benefits of being in the Qin Family, indulging in luxury and corruption. That’s understandable, but this has crossed my line."
"Spare us, Old Ancestor! Spare us!"
"Old Ancestor, I really didn’t know, I really didn’t know."
"Old Ancestor, please forgive us, we dare not do it again, we really dare not."
The hall was filled with cries of pleading.
By this point, saying they didn’t regret their actions would be a lie.
But even if time could turn back, they might not have the courage.
Seeing them like this, the old man with white hair truly had a moment where he wanted to freeze all of them to death right there.
These incompetent fools were wasting Qin Family’s resources. Removing these parasites and using the resources on others might indeed cultivate better talent.
But after thinking a bit, he temporarily set aside this idea.
Qin Jiming and others were not in the family, and these people were the current backbone of the Qin Family.
If he killed all of them, he would have to personally handle many trivial matters. As a Celestial Realm Martial Artist, his time was precious. How could he waste his energy on small trivial matters?
Of course, this didn’t mean he would let them off forever.
If Qin Jiming and others weren’t in trouble, it would be fine.
If they were in trouble, everyone present, regardless of gender, wouldn’t escape!
If they had informed him a day earlier, perhaps the subsequent events wouldn’t have occurred.
Of course, this was the worst-case scenario. Deep down, he believed Qin Jiming and others wouldn’t be so easily in trouble. Even a Celestial Realm Martial Artist wouldn’t find it easy to kill them.
"Silence!"
He shouted softly.
The endless pleas immediately ceased.
No one dared to lift their heads, kneeling on the floor, trembling.
Some wanted to run, but soon abandoned the thought since they were merely True Essence Realm Martial Artists with mediocre combat skills.
If they tried to flee, they wouldn’t get out of the hall. They’d become ice statues, shattering instantly.
At this point, their only hope was in praying for the old ancestor’s mercy to spare their lives.
"Forget it."
The old man with white hair sighed.
"I can’t entirely blame you. Surely, you didn’t wish for any accidents."
"Yes, yes."
The crowd nodded frantically like pecking chickens.
It was true; their fortunes were tightly linked to the Qin Family’s.
"Is there still no news?"
They looked at each other and collectively shook their heads.
If there had been any news, those who died would have known first.
"Continue the investigation."
The old man with white hair said, "Mobilize all resources and find out where they were last seen. I want news within a day. Is that clear?"
The crowd was stunned, then repeatedly shook their heads, complaining silently.
Just one day to find out? Really?
With the beast tide ravaging, many cities were already fallen. Investigating in such chaos seemed nearly impossible.
But facing the old ancestor, they couldn’t say it was unattainable. If they did, they would end up like the frozen fragments on the floor.
"Go and do it then."
The old man with white hair finished, sending countless ice shards into their bodies.
They jumped, fearing they’d turn into ice statues and explode. But after a few seconds, it didn’t happen.
"What’s this?"
Someone looked at the old man in confusion.
"These are Profound Ice Talismans."
The old man said slowly, "To prevent anyone from playing smart and not returning, I placed Profound Ice Talismans in your bodies. Without my dispelling them, they’ll freeze you from the inside out in a day. If after a day you tell me there’s still no result, the outcome will be the same. Understood? Now, go and get it done. Remember, you only have one day."
After speaking, the old man vanished from the hall like he evaporated, leaving behind the terrified, pale-faced members of the Qin Family.