Chapter 115: Chapter 110 I Was Careless_1
Lu Yan’s eyebrows tightened slightly, as he asked, "And what about your Zhou Clan’s top-tier martial art, the Divine Intent Diagram of the Falcon Red Flame Claw?"
"Zhou Hejian has naturally taken that as well. The Zhou Clan doesn’t have a Martial Marquis to support it; he didn’t feel secure leaving it in the Zhou Clan, so he carried it person. Now, we have no idea if it’s ended up in the possession of the Qiu Family or Liu Family."
Zhou Zhengkong answered.
Lu Yan was speechless.
He had hoped to acquire a top-tier martial art from the Zhou Clan, but it seemed there was no chance of that.
"Zhou Hejian’s death naturally pleases me, but without a Martial Marquis to defend it, the Zhou Clan can no longer be considered one of the Feudal Lords. We face imminent disaster."
Zhou Zhengkong let out a sigh, his expression complex.
"No wonder I saw members of the He and Ge Families in the city," Lu Yan said.
"They have all come to carve up the Zhou Clan. Without a Martial Marquis, our Martial Chefs have become attractive targets. Everyone wants a piece, huh. Loyalty and gratitude become completely worthless in the face of interest."
Zhou Zhengkong said coldly.
In the Da Chu Dynasty, the difference between having a Martial Marquis and not having one was immense.
Only those with a Martial Marquis could be considered feudal lords.
Without a Martial Marquis, they couldn’t be considered feudal lords and had no right to occupy the Blood Land Vein.
It was natural for them to be carved up by others, and no one could complain about it, even if the Zhou Clan had done them favors in the past.
When there was a Martial Marquis, those favors were valuable as no one dared to act recklessly to avoid criticism or even collective attack.
But without a Martial Marquis, those favors were worthless.
This was the unwritten rule of this world, a rule accepted by everyone.
"The four great Feudal Lords jointly gave us one month to prepare. After one month, the Zhou Clan’s Martial Chefs will be split into four parts and each become part of the four Feudal Lords. We can’t resist, ten days have already passed. In another twenty days, the Zhou Clan will be permanently dismissed."
Zhou Zhengkong continued, his expression growing more complicated.
"If the Zhou Clan could produce a Martial Marquis within these twenty days, would that solve the problem?" Lu Yan asked.
"Of course, as long as we have a Martial Marquis, the Zhou Clan is still a Feudal Lord, possesses its own autonomy, and our favors towards those Feudal Lords still count. They wouldn’t dare to act, as it would invite criticism."
"However, to produce a Martial Marquis is not as easy as you think. The Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat is hard to find. Forcing a breakthrough, the success rate is, at most, twenty percent. Actually, before this, a Zhou Clan member at the Five-Breaking Peak Martial Artist level tried to break through to become a Martial Marquis but ultimately died from a shattered skeleton."
"Damn it, Zhou Hejian and his branch, in order to suppress my branch, would not give me the Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat but those wastes. If they had given it to me, I would have become a Martial Marquis long ago."
Speaking up to this point, Zhou Zhengkong’s tone was full of resentment.
Lu Yan took off the backpack from his back and opened the food box in front of Zhou Zhengkong.
Zhou Zhengkong was surprised, not understanding Lu Yan’s intention. he took a curious glance.
One glance was all it took for him to become stunned, his eyes filled with intense desire.
"Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat, Brother Lu, what do you mean by this?"
Suppressing the urge to seize it, he asked.
Although Zhou Hejian was dead and the restraining effect of the confession letter he wrote greatly reduced, Lu Yan’s personal strength still made Zhou Zhengkong extremely apprehensive.
Even though he had made some progress in the Falcon Red Flame Claw over the years, he still had no confidence in defeating Lu Yan.
"I am giving it to you. With this Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat, do you think you can become a Martial Marquis?" Lu Yan asked.
"Yes, I have at least a sixty percent chance. I have been accumulating at the Five-Breaking Peak for many years, and with my martial arts talent, how can I be compared to those mediocrities?"
Zhou Zhengkong’s chest thumped, but he quickly calmed down, looking at Lu Yan suspiciously, "With this Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat, why don’t you use it for yourself?"
Lu Yan activated his bone strength, grasped a corner of the stone table and lightly squeezed it. The corner of the stone table immediately turned into powder and was carried away by the wind.
Zhou Zhengkong’s pupils constricted, and he exclaimed, "Bone strength, you have become a Martial Marquis?"
"Indeed!"
Lu Yan nodded.
"Zhou Zhengkong greets the Martial Marquis. I have offended you in the past, I hope the Marquis will forgive me. The benevolent man does not remember the past wrongs done by the insignificant."
Zhou Zhengkong stood up and bowed respectfully.
A Martial Marquis and a Limit Breaking Warrior are completely different existences.
Whether it is in terms of status or martial force, they are as different as heaven and earth.
Since Lu Yan was already a Martial Marquis, Zhou Zhengkong was not qualified to talk to him as an equal.
Lu Yan calmly accepted Zhou Zhengkong’s salute, "This Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat is not given to you for free. The market price is forty thousand silver."
"But... But I can’t get that much silver all at once."
Zhou Zhengkong said, looking troubled. His mind was anxious; he didn’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Once successful, he could not only solve the current crises of the Zhou Clan, but his branch could also regain control of the Zhou Clan.
The attraction was too great.
"It doesn’t matter. Write an IOU, and you can pay me back gradually by helping me cook Martial Food in the future."
Lu Yan said with a wide smile.
Did Zhou Zhengkong have any other choice? No.
He immediately took out writing materials and wrote an IOU for Lu Yan.
"Sir, you should stay in the Management Mansion for now. I’m going to make the breakthrough to become a Martial Marquis right away."
Zhou Zhengkong said, clearly impatient.
"Go ahead."
Lu Yan gave him a wave.
Zhou Zhengkong, holding the food box, left in high spirits.
Lu Yan finished off the five dishes of Martial Food on the table and entered a practice room to train.
He had no urgent need to break through in any particular area for the moment, so he divided the energy from the martial food in half, giving half to the Dao Book to advance his martial arts progress, and using the other half to enhance his cultivation level.
In the blink of an eye, twelve days passed.
Zhou Zhengkong came out, full of vigor and with a forceful aura.
"Congratulations, Qi-blood has entered the bones, you have achieved the rank of Martial Marquis."
Lu Yan said with a smile.
Zhou Zhengkong hadn’t let down his expectations. If the latter had failed, it would be problematic to handle in the future.
"Brother Lu, celebrate we must, mutually."
Zhou Zhengkong, with his hand in his robes and chest out, carried an air of equality with Lu Yan.
His title had also changed from ’Sir’ to ’Brother Lu’.
Lu Yan simply smiled in response.
"Brother Lu, now that Zhou Hejian is dead, and many years have passed since the matter of Zhou Hezhen, times have changed, shouldn’t you return the ’confession letter’ to me now?"
Zhou Zhengkong proposed again.
Ha!
He’s being unreasonable.
He needs to be taught a lesson.
Swish!
Lu Yan immediately slapped him.
Zhou Zhengkong was startled and wanted to dodge, but then he remembered that he is now a Martial Marquis, his power is much stronger than before so he mustered his guts, exploded his bone strength, launched his Falcon Red Flame Claw and counter attacked, trying to grab Lu Yan’s wrist.
Lu Yan didn’t dodge or avoid, he allowed Zhou Zhengkong to grab his wrist.
Zhou Zhengkong was overjoyed and tried to force Lu Yan to turn over the ’confession letter’. He exerted his full strength, the power penetrated his fingertips, and he tried to twist with all his might.
But he didn’t budge at all.
What’s going on?
He was incredulous and wanted to exert his strength again, but then three bone strengths from Lu Yan exploded at once, shaking his wrist.
Zhou Zhengkong was like being electrocuted, his fingers were in severe pain, and he involuntarily let go of Lu Yan’s wrist.
Lu Yan grabbed Zhou Zhengkong’s wrist in response, lifted it up and smashed it.
With a boom, Zhou Zhengkong was smashed on the ground, creating a human-shaped pit.
Lu Yan let go of Zhou Zhengkong’s hand, gave a slight smile, and said, "Do you want to try again?"
Zhou Zhengkong spat out a mouthful of blood and said unwillingly, "I just wasn’t vigilant enough to dodge, let’s do it again."
Thud! Thud!
Two breaths later, Zhou Zhengkong’s eyes were hit by Lu Yan’s fists, he staggered back and sat on the ground, both of his eye sockets turned black as if he was a panda.
It took him a while to recover.
"How much strength did you use just now?"
Zhou Zhengkong asked unwillingly.
"About two... let’s say three."
"Three..."
Zhou Zhengkong was completely disheartened and also terrified.
Lu Yan’s strength was simply unfathomable. He had a feeling that if Lu Yan wanted to kill him, it would be as simple as turning over his hand.
"Brother Lu... you are truly a great person, so young and so strong, you will undoubtedly be a grandmaster in the future."
This was what Zhou Zhengkong sincerely thought.
When Lu Yan was facing Zhou Zhengkong, he was not disguised, he presented his true self, because during their first meeting, he didn’t disguise himself either.
So young, in his early twenties but having such cultivation level. Even among the Master Level feudal lords, he would be considered exceptional.
His chance of breaking through to Grandmaster in the future is very high.
Zhou Zhengkong admitted it, he gave up resisting.
"Grandmaster..."
Lu Yan just smiled without saying anything.
Since then, Zhou Zhengkong was much more respectful to Lu Yan.
Eight days passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, in the Zhou Clan’s meeting hall, the four feudal masters came together, more than ten people arrived, and the leader of each group was a Martial Marquis.
Four feudal masters, four Martial Marquises.
The leaders of all the branches of the Zhou Clan were also gathered.
"Gentlemen, the agreed month is up, I hope you’ve settled all your matters. Now hand over the list of all martial chefs of the Zhou Clan, we need to discuss how to divide it."
A Martial Marquis from the Ge family of the Snake City spoke with a cold face, his tone was unquestionable, treating the people of the Zhou Clan as if they were goods for them to divide.
The Zhou Clan, having lost its Martial Marquis, was no longer in a position to negotiate with them on an equal footing.
The faces of the leaders of the Zhou Clan branches were full of despair.
Survival of the fittest, they were no longer able to resist.
"Gentlemen, we only have one request."
One of the branch leaders spoke up, it was Zhou Zhenghong, the current main branch of the Zhou Clan and also the strongest of Zhou Hezhen and Zhou Hejian’s branch.
"What request? Let’s hear it. Let’s see if it’s reasonable."
The Martial Marquis of the He Family of Zhuifeng City spoke.
"We can follow you all and leave, but in the future, if a new Martial Marquis emerges from my Zhou Clan, you must let us return to our ancestral land to rebuild our clan."
Zhou Zhenghong said.
"If a new Martial Marquis comes forth? Of course."
The Martial Marquises of the four great feudal lords all nodded, but they sneered in their hearts.
Still hoping for a new Martial Marquis to be born? So naive! Once the martial chefs of the Zhou Clan came to their places, they wouldn’t be able to produce a new Martial Marquis. They’ll be working like donkeys for them for the rest of their lives, cooking Martial dishes for them.
Zhou Zhenghong was shaking, about to hand over the list.
"I object."
At this moment, Zhou Zhengkong spoke in a calm tone.
All eyes turned to Zhou Zhengkong, all of them looked surprised.
"Zhou Zhengkong, what do you mean?"
Zhou Zhenghong asked.
"What do I mean? You all are so willing to sell off the centuries-old foundation of the Zhou Clan, and to sell all our clansmen? When you die, how will you face our ancestors?"
"I, Zhou Zhengkong, am ashamed to be associated with you."
Zhou Zhengkong spoke loudly and clearly.
Many Zhou Clan members were filled with shame.
But what can they do when the situation is stronger than the people?
Risk their lives to fight?
"Zhou Zhengkong, I did this for the sake of the clan."
Zhou Zhenghong defended himself.
"If you really did this for the clan, you wouldn’t hand over all of our clansmen. What you should do is to protect the heritage of our ancestors. If my father were alive, he wouldn’t let Zhou Clan end up like this."
Zhou Zhengkong stood up and shouted angrily.
Zhou Zhenghong’s face turned red, but he couldn’t refute it.
