Ma Zhenbang felt his soul fly out of his body.
He quickly said, "Old Ancestor, wait! Even if we don't mention the seeds, just talking about the Ma family, there's absolutely no one else like me who has the ability to handle matters!"
"You should understand how important it is to have a subordinate who is capable and obedient. You can't possibly do everything yourself, can you?"
"Over the years, I've accumulated some prestige and connections. With my prestige and connections, whatever you want to do will be twice as effective and twice as easy. Conversely, if you kill me, you'll never find such a useful tool again!"
"Great achievers are not petty. Zhuge Kongming could capture Meng Huo seven times without killing him, and Cao Aman could set aside his prejudices to accept Guan Yu. Surely you're not worse than them?"
"Furthermore, Old Ancestor, you've come for that little girl. It's just that the little girl isn't with the Ma family. The moment I brought her back, I sent her to a secret location."
"Old Ancestor, don't look at me like that. I'm not trying to oppose you, I just want to help the little girl cure her muteness!"
It had to be said, Ma Zhenbang was quite eloquent.
In just a few words, he clearly explained the benefits of keeping him alive and secretly set a trap for Ying Chen.
If Ying Chen was unwilling to set aside his prejudices and appoint people based on their merits, he wouldn't be a wise ruler.
And if Ying Chen wasn't a wise ruler, then those who followed him wouldn't have a good end.
Most crucially, Ma Zhenbang also used the whereabouts of Min Ziqiong's daughter as leverage!
If it were anyone else, they might have fallen for Ma Zhenbang's ploy.
Unfortunately, Ma Zhenbang met Ying Chen.
Ying Chen just looked at Ma Zhenbang with a sneer and said, "Where is the little girl?"
Ma Zhenbang, completely unprepared, didn't realize this was Ying Chen's last chance.
His eyes flickered with cunning as he replied, "As long as Old Ancestor spares my life and allows me to continue serving you, I will naturally obey Old Ancestor's command and bring the little girl back safely."
"Otherwise..."
Bang!
Ma Zhenbang was only halfway through his sentence when a crisp sound exploded in the hall.
It was Ma Zhenbang's head that Ying Chen had directly crushed!
Red and white splattered, flowing down Ma Zhenbang's cheeks.
Ma Zhenbang's eyes were wide open, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
He didn't understand why the story was unfolding differently from his predictions.
He had clearly grasped Ying Chen's fatal weakness!
Did Ying Chen simply not care about the little girl's safety?
"Why... why?" Ma Zhenbang slowly slumped to the ground, asking the question with his last bit of strength.
Ying Chen coldly glanced at Ma Zhenbang and said, "You overestimate your own worth."
"You underestimate others' worth too much."
"Most importantly, I never accept threats from others."
Plop!
Ma Zhenbang, filled with deep regret, completely died.
Perhaps if he had honestly answered Ying Chen's question just now, he could have saved his life.
Unfortunately, there was no regret medicine in this world, and it was all too late.
Whoosh!
Everyone in the hall gasped in shock.
The esteemed head of the Ma family, dead just like that?
The patriarch of the esteemed Jianghai noble family, gone just like that?
After all, just a moment ago, Ma Zhenbang was exuberantly hosting his birthday banquet!
And now, he was a corpse on the floor!
This scene was as ironic as it was tragic!
However, no one dared to step forward to speak for Ma Zhenbang or mourn him.
Everyone looked at Ying Chen with fear in their eyes, suspecting they would be the next target.
If Ying Chen dared to kill Ma Zhenbang, was there anyone he wouldn't dare to kill?
The hall was silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Those at the front were desperately wishing they could shrink to the back, yet they dared not move an inch.
They were afraid that any movement would attract Ying Chen's attention and bring about their deaths.
"Nannan... what about Nannan?"
At this moment, a weeping voice broke the silence.
It was Min Ziqiong, who couldn't help but cry out in despair after seeing Ying Chen kill Ma Zhenbang.
With Ma Zhenbang dead, Nannan's whereabouts were unknown!
Ying Chen's action was not just killing Ma Zhenbang, it was equivalent to killing Nannan!
Looking at the weeping Min Ziqiong, Ying Chen frowned, "Do you really think anyone can do something perfectly and without anyone noticing?"
After speaking, Ying Chen looked at the guests in the hall.
Among them were members of the Ma family.
"Who knows the whereabouts of that little girl?"
No one answered.
It was unclear whether they truly didn't know or were pretending not to.
"Those who know can become the next head of the Ma family," Ying Chen said calmly, throwing out a lure.
Instantly, all the Ma family members were moved.
Just moments before, they were mourning Ma Zhenbang's death; now, they were cheering for his demise.
If Ma Zhenbang hadn't died, how could the position of family head ever fall to them?
Especially Ma Zhenbang's eldest son.
He was over forty years old but was still firmly controlled by Ma Zhenbang like a child.
He needed to report to Ma Zhenbang for everything, even for transferring a mere hundred thousand yuan!
Ma Zhenbang's eldest son had long been unable to tolerate his father, who acted like a local emperor!
"I know!"
Therefore, as soon as Ma Zhenbang's eldest son heard Ying Chen's lure, he stepped forward without hesitation and shouted loudly.
"Speak," Ying Chen said, looking deeply at Ma Zhenbang's eldest son.
However, Ma Zhenbang's eldest son's eyes darted around, and he said, "Before I speak, can you write a note? Of course, it's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust the other members of the Ma family. With your written note, they will have to acknowledge me as the head."
"Also, I was startled just now, and my mind is a bit chaotic. I need some time to recall the whereabouts of that little girl carefully. Once you've written the note, I'll have remembered..."
Bang!
Ma Zhenbang's eldest son's last few words didn't have time to finish before his head exploded with a boom.
He fell straight backward, landing with a thud.
He had fallen into the same trap as Ma Zhenbang!
It was a perfect testament to the saying, "like father, like son"!
"Weren't you paying attention? Didn't you hear that I hate being threatened the most?"
Ying Chen glanced coldly at the corpse of Ma Zhenbang's eldest son and said.
Then Ying Chen looked up at the other members of the Ma family.
"Let's continue."
However, the other members of the Ma family were already trembling with fear, their faces ashen.
Who dared to step forward now?
What if Ying Chen killed them too?
Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, a weak voice sounded, "I know... some clues..."
Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. It was a young servant of the Ma family!
To be precise, this servant wasn't truly a member of the Ma family.
He had been bought by the Ma family as a child and given the Ma family surname.
Essentially, he was just a subordinate!
Even if this person genuinely knew the little girl's whereabouts, he wasn't worthy of being the Ma family head!
"Ma Zhiyuan, is this your place to speak? Get out!"
"You want to be the head of the Ma family? Don't you even look at your own status!"
Immediately, two members of the Ma family shouted.
However, before their scolding voices had even finished echoing, the two of them simultaneously fell to the ground.
Their throats made gasping sounds, and in the next second, they lost consciousness.
After effortlessly killing the two, Ying Chen looked at Ma Zhiyuan.
"Speak."