They were all completely intimidated by James Carter, this arrogant young master. This little family head, who was only at the fifth level of Body Refinement, used to be terrified whenever they talked about cutting expenses or controlling his finances—he would immediately give in, beg for mercy, apologize, make promises, and so on.

This actually made these elders, who originally had no real power, feel quite pleased. After all, James Carter was the family head, and having the head of the family yield and beg them for mercy was a great comfort and relief after being oppressed by John Carter for twenty years.

But they never expected that today, this arrogant young master would… would actually explode, and with such ferocity.

“If you won’t answer, then let me ask you: since I am the rightful head of the Ren family, what do I represent? I represent the face of the Ren family. I am the master of the Ren family—others shouldn’t even think about hitting me, and even saying disrespectful things is an insult to the Ren family. If someone lays a hand on me, it’s as if they’re laying a hand on the Ren family. Now, your family head has been beaten, and instead of sharing my burden, working for the family, or for me, you’re here spouting all this nonsense.”

All the frustration from transmigrating, the discomfort of leaving Earth, erupted at this moment.

Even if he didn’t want to be the family head, James Carter didn’t want to be a puppet, listening to this group of old men boss him around, so now he had no scruples. In fact, his predecessor was a super spoiled brat, but only acted obedient in front of these old guys because they controlled his finances. As for himself, he didn’t care about them at all.

“Do you all feel good about this? After being oppressed by my father for twenty years, do you think bullying me now soothes your fragile hearts?” James Carter stood above, pointing at the three of them. “Nonsense! You’re nothing but a bunch of nobodies, completely useless, and wherever you go, you stink up the place. All you do is fuss over these trivial matters. What have you ever done for the family?”

“All you do is keep your eyes on me, the family head. Are you my wet nurses? Do I need to report to you every time I pee or poop? Do you have any idea how much it costs to run the Ren family every moment? Now that you’re elders, have you ever offered any strategies for the family, or helped increase the family’s income? If you spent as much effort on that as you do watching me, and managed to increase the family’s income by just ten percent, how long would that last me?” In truth, James Carter didn’t know either, but that didn’t stop him from questioning these guys—he figured they probably hadn’t contributed much anyway.

Because after twenty years of prosperity, driven by his own father, it was nearly impossible for anyone to help James Carter improve further during this period, so there was no way this statement could be wrong.

More importantly, right or wrong didn’t matter—James Carter just wanted to vent and explode right now.

“All of you do nothing all day, and when the family head gets beaten, you actually speak up for outsiders. Do you realize that hitting the family head is the same as attacking the Ren family? Or do you think it only counts if someone comes to attack the Ren family itself?”

With an outburst as fierce as a raging storm, venting and roaring, Second Elder William Carter, Third Elder Henry Carter, and Fourth Elder Samuel Carter were all stunned, their minds going blank.

At the same time, James Carter’s words left them parched and trembling. Samuel Carter was so furious he stood up, raised his hand to point at James Carter, but every time he opened his mouth, he was drowned out and silenced by James Carter’s words.

Grace Bennett sat there holding her teacup, as still as a statue.

Was there something wrong with her ears? Did she hear that right? Was this really the same James Carter who would lose all dignity and grovel as soon as his finances were threatened?

Was this the little family head at the Body Refinement stage, acting like a puppet emperor?

What was wrong with him today? Had he gone mad?

“Ren… James Carter… you, you’re crazy! Do you even know what you’re saying?” William Carter also stood up, his power barely contained. The strength of someone at the peak of the Divine Ability stage was no joke—he already had one foot in the Yin-Yang stage and was close to forming a Yin Soul.

“What did you just call me?” James Carter pointed at himself. “You’re not even calling me family head anymore? Do you know what the family rules say? Are you planning to lay a hand on me? Wasn’t it all of you who agreed for me to be the family head in the first place? Go ahead, try it if you dare.”

Chapter 5: No Scolding, No Obedience

The powerful auras of Henry Carter and Samuel Carter were instantly doused like a bucket of cold water in the heat of midsummer, and they shuddered. William Carter also trembled.

They had never paid much attention to it before, but in the Mingyu Dynasty, family and country were one. The family was not just a small household—family rules were even stricter than national law, and the family head was the true ruler of the clan, like the emperor of an empire.

Although James Carter was only at the Body Refinement stage, he was still the legitimate family head.

“I was just anxious a moment ago and meant no disrespect to the family head. But the family head is still young, and the Elder Council exists to help and restrain the family head in managing the clan. Since the family head is acting so recklessly, it seems you need to study the family rules more carefully.” William Carter immediately bowed to admit his mistake, but his face darkened, clearly preparing to fight back.

“The Elder Council has the right to control all aspects of the family head’s affairs before the age of eighteen, including daily expenses. I hope the family head is clear about this.” Samuel Carter was also furious from the scolding, but had no way to vent, so he could only respond in this way.