Blade - Unbound

Chapter 79: Confrontation in the Main Hall

“That brat still dares to come?”

“Hmph, he’s gotten arrogant from success. He’s going too far!”

Inside the Zhou Family gates, several disciples whispered among themselves.

All their gazes were focused on the Zhang Family group. Aside from the Zhang Family’s father and son duo and their disciples, there were two particularly eye-catching figures. One wore a black martial robe, his eyes sharp as blades. The other was tall, burly, and bald, with a thick beard.

They were naturally Li Yan and Sha Lifei.

The Zhou Family disciples all felt indignant. The other factions were understandable. Everyone operated in Xianyang’s underworld and had various entanglements and grudges with the former Zhou Family. The day was meant to settle those matters.

But who was Li Yan? He had arrived in Xianyang one day, and made a name for himself by crippling Zhou Bai. Even Zhou Peide had been driven into desperation because of him, ending up imprisoned and sentenced to execution after autumn.

From beginning to end, the fellow had never suffered a loss. Yet, he still dared show up for the retirement ceremony? Wasn’t he just rubbing salt into the wound?

Of course, given the current situation, none of them dared say much. After the anger faded, helplessness and sorrow welled up in their hearts.

Li Yan’s senses were sharp enough to notice the hostile gazes, yet he could not be bothered with the. Instead, he glanced toward the rear. A middle-aged man dressed in black, wearing a square official hat, was standing there. He was tall, with graying temples and stern, upright features. Two courthouse runners followed behind him.

It was none other than Chief Constable Guan Wanche.

Seeing him, Sha Lifei sneered disdainfully and muttered, “What are you looking at him for? He’s just a petty opportunist who bends with the wind. No need to bother with him.”

Sha Lifei was right. Many people in the Guanzhong Plains knew that Guan Wanche and Li Yan’s father, Li Hu, had once been sworn brothers through life and death. He was even closer to Li Hu than Old Master Zhang.

Yet when Li Hu died, Guan Wanche never showed himself. Over the years, he had never once visited Li Clan’s Fort to see Li Yan and his grandfather. Li Yan had not even known such a person existed. According to Zhang Shitong, when Guan Wanche had been transferred to Xianyang as a constable, many assumed he had come to deal with Zhou Pan.

Yet nothing had happened. The only time he had ever intervened was during the Zheng Xianhuai family massacre, when some yamen runners tried to make Li Yan a scapegoat. It was only then that Guan Wanche had stopped them.

Li Yan did not care much for the warmth or coldness of human relationships. In the jianghu, it was common for the tea to grow cold before the person had even left. However, he could not understand why Guan Wanche had come.

As though sensing Li Yan’s gaze, Guan Wanche strode over to him. Expressionless, he examined Li Yan for a few moments before speaking calmly. “You resent me?”

Li Yan replied evenly, “A stranger and I have no grievances.”

“Good enough.” Guan Wanche nodded with a cold laugh. “Your father and I were sworn brothers. Yet he messed with my younger sister’s feelings, then ran off to Mount Taibai to cultivate Daoism, leaving my mother weeping every day. Have you ever seen such a brother?”

Li Yan’s expression stiffened. “This... I don’t really know much about the older generation’s affairs.”

As he spoke, old memories surfaced. His father’s absence during New Year had already infuriated his grandfather enough.

Soon, two beautiful women had shown up at the gate, quarreling and fighting over him, nearly driving the old man mad with anger. One of them had indeed seemed to bear the surname Guan. And from what they said back then, his father’s romantic entanglements were far from limited to those two...

Thinking about it now, Li Yan felt rather helpless.

Looking around again, not only had Sha Lifei’s eyes gone wide, even the Zhang Family’s father and son duo and their disciples had perked up their ears, faces full of gossip-hungry curiosity.

“Go away, go away.” Li Yan shoved Sha Lifei to the side and said seriously, “I won’t comment on the older generation’s affairs. But if there are grievances, then come at me.”

“Come at you?” Guan Wanche sneered. “My younger sister was honest and swallowed her suffering in silence. But some women are not so easy to deal with. You think you can handle them?”

As he spoke, his expression softened slightly. He sighed and patted Li Yan on the shoulder. “In the end, you are still an old friend’s son. Since you’ve entered the jianghu, conduct yourself properly. Don’t become like your father.”

With that, he turned and strode into the Zhou Family estate.

Beside him, Zhang Yuanshang stroked his beard and nodded. “Seems Constable Guan isn’t truly heartless. He simply still carries some resentment. Come. Let’s send Old Monkey off today.”

With that, he led everyone into the estate. But Li Yan deliberately lagged behind a few steps. Calmly, he pulled a slip of paper from the seam of his shoulder garment.

The moment he read the writing on it, a fierce killing intent flashed through his eyes.

***

The Zhou Family compound was astonishingly spacious. Courtyard after courtyard stretched inward, each containing martial practice grounds lined with countless weapons.

Rumor had it that in the past, the number of disciples alone had exceeded several hundred, not including the outer forces under the Eight Vajras. One could imagine just how glorious the Zhou Family had once been. But now, fewer than a hundred disciples remained. Many courtyards stood empty and abandoned, their grounds filled with litter no one bothered to clean.

Soon, the Zhou Family’s main hall filled with people. The hall itself was enormous, more than three times larger than the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall. Prominent figures sat along both sides while disciples stood behind them. Even so, large sections of the hall remained empty.

Presiding over the golden basin ceremony was Zhou Pan’s disciple and one of the Eight Vajras, Zhou Yuanshan. He too, belonged to the Zhou bloodline. Unlike Zhou Peide, however, he was tall and sturdy, with an honest and somewhat dull appearance.

Facing the crowd, he cupped his fists in greeting. “Today is an auspicious day for my master’s ceremony where he will retire from matters of the jianghu. The presence of all honored guests brings great glory to the Zhou Family.”

“Cut the nonsense.” A man in green robes sipped his tea with displeasure and said coldly, “So many jianghu brothers have come, yet Zhou Pan doesn’t even greet us at the entrance and instead keeps everyone waiting. He’s putting on too grand of an air, isn’t he?”

This was Han Kun, leader of the Canal Gang. The Canal Gang was a true giant among the northern waterways. Everywhere rivers flowed, disciples of the gang could be found. Their territory was spread across countless docks.

The Canal Gang ruled the north, while the Raft Sect ran the south. At sea, there was the Four Seas Gang. Virtually everyone who made a living on the water was connected to them somehow.

The Xianyang branch was merely one tiny sub-hall. Yet even so, Gang Leader Han’s status was extraordinary. He was also a Jin Transformation Realm expert on the same level as Zhou Pan. It was precisely because the Canal Gang and the Taixing Carriage and Horse Company had joined forces that Zhou Pan had grown wary enough to pull back his influence and preserve his strength.

Seeing Han Kun grow angry, sweat instantly appeared on Zhou Yuanshan’s forehead. Just as he was about to explain, several aged coughs came from the rear. “Gang Leader Han, it is not that this old man seeks to put on airs.”

An elderly figure slowly walked through the side door of the main hall. At that moment, he looked utterly exhausted. His beard and hair had turned withered white, as though he had aged decades in a short span of time. “Please forgive me for making a fool of myself.”

Seeing the crowd’s astonished expressions, he revealed a self-mocking smile. “I was just dealing with some family matters. It’s one thing for disciples to refuse to come to the door, but now even my own Zhou Family members are demanding a division of the household. Heh, truly laughable.”

Many of those present were heads of households themselves. One did not understand the burden of rice and firewood until becoming head of a family. It was only once one did that they would realize that rice and firewood were trivial matters. Disunity of the human heart was the true torment.

When they remembered Zhou Pan’s former arrogance and dominance, many could not help but sigh to themselves. The jianghu was a difficult place to make a living in. Who knew when it might become their turn next?

Zhou Pan himself seemed to have lost all his spirit. Cupping his fists, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “This old man spent his life competing fiercely against others. I made few friends and many enemies. Only now do I realize, everything lies with fate. Not a single thing lies within one’s control. If I offended anyone in the past, I ask for your forgiveness.”

Seeing the crowd remain silent, he laughed bitterly and shook his head. “Now I am tired. I wish only to return home and become an old farmer. So whatever grievances remain between us, let us settle them all today. Whether through life or death, let all grudges end here!”

After speaking, he nodded toward the side. There, a bronze basin had already been prepared. The wooden stand beneath it was made from fine sandalwood, while the basin itself was luxurious and gleaming gold, engraved with five bats and filled halfway with water.

Zhou Yuanshan lit three sticks of incense and bowed three times toward the ancestral portrait in the main hall before placing them into the incense burner.

The Canal Gang, Taixing Carriage and Horse Company, and the martial arts halls led by the various families had already reached prior agreements. Naturally, they would not make things difficult.

Their leaders nodded in assent, and disciples immediately stepped forward carrying red cloth strips, tying them onto the frame beneath the basin to indicate they held no objections.

Once the three incense sticks finished burning without further objections being raised, the golden basin ceremony could proceed, and Zhou Pan would officially withdraw from the jianghu forever.

“There are indeed some matters that deserve discussion.” Luo Shihai slammed his teacup down heavily and said coldly, “Old Monkey, stop pretending to be pitiful. You certainly never thought this way back when you were flaunting your power.”

Zhou Pan seemed to have expected his reaction. Bowing with clasped fists, he sighed, “Brother Luo, I wronged you in the past. Bring him up.”

The moment he spoke, two disciples dragged someone into the main hall. Though naturally good-looking, the middle-aged man being dragged along had the swollen eyes and unkempt appearance of a life ruined by wine and women.

Terrified, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly. “Uncle, spare me! Uncle, spare me!”

Zhou Pan sighed, “When a family grows too large, many things become beyond one’s control. At the time, my mother was still alive. Once she gave the order, even I had no choice but to offend Brother Luo. Zhou Luohai also committed several crimes. I have already reported him to the authorities.

“Constable Guan came today precisely to take him away. Most likely he’ll face execution after autumn. Brother Luo, are you satisfied?”

“Hah!”

How could Luo Shihai possibly be satisfied? Sneering, he replied, “You old bastard, you sure know how to sacrifice your own kin for righteousness. Where was all your righteousness earlier?”

Though he spoke harshly, he no longer had a reason to stir trouble. After glaring hatefully at Zhou Pan, he instructed his disciple to step forward and tie on a red ribbon.

Zhou Pan’s expression remained calm as he cupped his fists toward the crowd again.

“Everyone... Does anyone else still wish to settle grievances with me today?”

Though he had lost almost everything, Zhou Pan had naturally come prepared for today’s ceremony. He had already secretly contacted the various factions and made many concessions beforehand.

Even the troublesome Luo Shihai had been dealt with. Once the ceremony ended, he would immediately leave Xianyang. But just as satisfaction rose within him, Li Yan slowly stood up.

“Oh?” Zhou Pan’s gaze darkened. “It’s one thing for others to be dissatisfied with me. But you? You crippled my Zhou Family disciple. If anyone holds grievances here, it should be us! This is not how grievances are settled...”

Li Yan walked into the center of the hall without so much as a flicker in his expression as Zhou Pan spoke. He didn’t wait for the man to finish before asking, “I only want to know one thing. Did my father’s death back then have anything to do with you?”

Zhou Pan shook his head. “Your father died disgracefully. If given the chance, this old man would rather have defeated him openly and honorably.”

“Honorably?” Killing intent flashed in Li Yan’s eyes. “Anqing Hall. Lu Gongyuan. You had better not tell me you’ve forgotten!”

The moment those words were spoken, Zhou Pan’s expression instantly changed.