Chapter 166: Let Him Off? Impossible
"Waiting for him?"
Hearing that, Uchiha Menwei could no longer force a smile. Trembling, he tugged at Uchiha Yuuya's sleeve. "C-Cousin Yuuya, you're not mistaken, right? This kid really is a guest of our clan?"
"Of course!"
Uchiha Yuuya nodded matter-of-factly. "The Clan Head and the elders are all waiting to meet Captain Li!"
"Ghk… ghk…"
Uchiha Menwei was so frightened he couldn't even speak. Surname Li, given name Jiexuan—wasn't that the legendary genius personally praised by the First Hokage as Konoha's future?
He had heard that Uchiha Yuuya served under Li Jiexuan, but it had only been hearsay, so he never gave it much thought. Now that he thought about it, he might really have made a catastrophic mistake!
Still, a sliver of hope lingered in his heart. What if this was all a misunderstanding? What if his cousin and the director were teaming up to play a trick on him?
The chances were slim—but not impossible…
However—
"So this is Captain Li Jiexuan?"
At some unknown point, one of the clan's most stern elders, Uchiha Jiangshu, had come out to greet them. On that face that seemed not to have smiled in centuries, a stiff, awkward grin was forcibly squeezed out.
"Oh? You've seen me before?"
Li Jiexuan raised an eyebrow, his tone indifferent. He had already seen through the Uchiha clan completely—just like in the anime, overinflated with pride and ultimately doomed to self-destruction.
"Hehe, Captain Li hasn't met me. But I had the fortune of seeing you once at the Hokage's office."
Uchiha Jiangshu was exceedingly polite. At that moment, Uchiha Menwei could no longer remain standing and collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
"Menwei, what are you doing? Don't disgrace yourself in front of an honored guest." Uchiha Jiangshu frowned in dissatisfaction. As a member of the Uchiha clan, how could he behave so shamefully?
But he had no time to deal with him now. Smiling, he turned back to Li Jiexuan. "Captain Li, let's head inside first. The banquet is about to begin."
Seeing this, Uchiha Menwei slowly shut his eyes.
He was finished.
Unless—unless Li Jiexuan chose to repay resentment with fairness and didn't bring up what had just happened…
But was that even possible?
Li Jiexuan smiled and shook his head. "Better not. I don't have an invitation. I can't go in."
"Hm?"
Uchiha Jiangshu looked at Yuuya with slight displeasure. "What? Yuuya, did you fail to give Captain Li the clan's invitation?"
Hearing this, Li Jiexuan inwardly scoffed. The Uchiha clan truly shared the same overblown arrogance. Did they really think he needed that invitation to step through their gates?
They didn't even understand that the one they had invited was Li Jiexuan the person—not that piece of paper.
After a moment, Uchiha Jiangshu finally realized something and chuckled awkwardly. "I've grown muddle-headed. Captain Li is standing right here—what need is there for an invitation?"
"Oh, that won't do." Li Jiexuan smiled faintly and shook his head. "Without an invitation, I can't enter this gate. Someone told me so personally."
"Who? Who said that?!" Uchiha Jiangshu and Yuuya immediately became anxious, frowning as they looked around. "Who had the audacity to block Captain Li's path?"
"Gulp…"
Uchiha Menwei's heart nearly leapt out of his throat. Shrinking into the corner in terror, he looked pleadingly at Li Jiexuan.
However—
Li Jiexuan's finger unerringly pointed straight at his face.
Let him off? Impossible.
Li Jiexuan was no saint. He didn't possess the patience to repay grievance with kindness like some spineless turtle.
"I'm finished…"
Uchiha Menwei's face turned ashen as he collapsed limply onto the ground.
He knew he was done for.