Chapter 117: Chapter 111: I Am Martial Marquis_2
"I’ve never heard of the Zhou Clan having a Martial Marquis as an elder guest. But since you want to interfere, let’s see how much you weigh."
He’s Martial Marquis vibrated his longsword and lunged again at Lu Yan.
At the same time, two other Martial Marquis also made their move, attacking Lu Yan together.
Among them was surprisingly a Martial Marquis Level Two.
Four feudal lords, four Martial Marquis, three at Level One, one at Level Two.
Three Martial Marquis encircled and attacked, showing their killer moves.
Lu Yan’s face remained calm, unyielding and unafraid, charging directly towards He’s Martial Marquis.
He flicked his palm, striking the sword body of his opponent, causing the longsword to fly out. He then surged forward, striking He’s Martial Marquis in the chest with his palm.
He’s Martial Marquis flew backwards like a severed kite, crashing through the wall of the parlor and coughing up large amounts of blood, too weak to continue fighting.
As he knocked back the Martial Marquis, Lu Yan spun around, also kicking out with his injured leg.
He used the subtleties of Vajra Leg.
Thump!
One leg blocked the palm of the Martial Marquis Level Two, the other leg kicked a Level One Martial Marquis with such force that his bones broke and muscles tore, sending him flying.
"Now, it’s your turn."
Lu Yan landed and stormed towards the Level Two Martial Marquis expert, throwing a punch.
One punch broke his opponent’s arm, another one almost punctured his chest. The other man flew more than 20 meters and immediately fell unconscious.
Lu Yan, of course, had been merciful. Otherwise, one punch would’ve killed him.
Killing these feudal lords was meaningless. For him, there were no benefits, establishing his power was enough.
The Martial Marquis of Ge Family of Snake City, scared out of his wits, abandoned Zhou Zhengkong and tried to run, but was grabbed by the ankle by Lu Yan.
"Spar..."
Thump!
Ge’s Martial Marquis was swung by Lu Yan and heavily smashed to the ground.
"I hate you sneaky snakes the most."
Lu Yan frowned, lifting and smashing him again.
Thump, thump, thump...
After seven or eight times, the parlor violently shook with every vibration. For those of the Zhou Clan, their hearts trembled with every shaking.
The impact was too strong.
The one being smashed was a Martial Marquis.
The scene was like a child recklessly smashing a frog in his hand...
After seven or eight times, Ge’s Martial Marquis lay twitching on the ground, bleeding profusely from his mouth.
"Leave."
Lu Yan scolded, the people of the four feudal lords, like they had received a pardon, left hastily with their injured Martial Marquis.
"Thank you for your help, senior."
The people of the Zhou Clan had recovered from their shock and hurriedly came to thank Lu Yan with a bow.
"No need for excessive formalities. I’ve been cultivating in the mountains for many years, but upon brother Zhou Zhengkong’s invitation, I came out as the guest elder for the Zhou Clan. As a guest elder, it’s natural for me to preserve the Zhou Clan’s integrity."
Lu Yan said.
The leaders of the Zhou Clan branches had mixed feelings.
Zhou Zhengkong has become a Martial Marquis, and adding an unfathomably strong guest elder, the Zhou Clan’s future would undoubtedly belong to Zhou Zhengkong.
"Brother Lu, please sit."
Zhou Zhengkong invited Lu Yan to sit at the top, then he himself sat down on the main seat calmly.
This seat originally belonged to Zhou Zhenghong.
"Everyone, please sit."
Zhou Zhengkong gestured, his Marquis majesty undoubted.
Everyone sat down.
"Today, there are two things I want to announce."
"The first thing, from now on, I will be the head of the Zhou Clan. Who agrees, and who opposes?"
Zhou Zhengkong announced, scanning everyone with a gaze as sharp as an eagle and as dangerous as a wolf.
The leaders of each branch dared not oppose.
By the rules, since Zhou Zhengkong is now a Martial Marquis, it’s only natural for him to be the family head.
"Congratulations, Family Head."
Lu Yan was the first to stand up and congratulate.
The others also followed suit and stood up to congratulate. Zhou Zhenghong, although reluctant, had no choice but to stand and join in.
"Please sit, please sit."
Zhou Zhengkong was smiling from ear to ear, almost splitting his face.
What a relief!
He had imagined this scene countless times, thinking it would never happen in this lifetime. Now, his dream had come true.
When he looked at Lu Yan, there was additional gratitude in the depths of his eyes.
"The second thing, announce to the public that I have become a Martial Marquis, and the Zhou Clan is still a feudal lord. Moreover, we have invited a mysterious and powerful Elder Keqing. That should make the other feudal lords let go of their dreams."
Zhou Zhengkong said.
This step was crucial.
He was worried about the possible retribution from the previous four major feudal lords.
However, once the news was disseminated, those four major feudal lords would hesitate to make a move.
As long as the Zhou Clan maintained its official status as a feudal lord, those lords would still be indebted to them.
....
In a blink of an eye, ten days passed.
"Brother Lu, here are the mid-grade martial arts techniques you asked for. I searched high and low, and I found four in total, two mid-grade knife techniques and two mid-grade archery martial arts."
At the Zhou Clan’s Blood Land Vein, in the family head’s reception hall, Zhou Zhengkong handed the four secret scriptures to Lu Yan.
He used to respectfully call Lu Yan "sir," but Lu Yan asked him to revert to using "Brother Lu".
Zhou Zhengkong himself was now a Martial Marquis and the head of a feudal lord, while Lu Yan was just a Martial Marquis as well. They were on the same level. It would be inappropriate to keep using "sir", and it would make Zhou Zhengkong uncomfortable.
He had to show due respect where it was needed.
As for managing people, Lu Yan, having seen so many TV shows and novels in his previous life, could naturally understand it well.
Lu Yan took the materials eagerly and began to look through them.
The two mid-grade knife techniques were the Bone Dissolving Saber and the Ocean Saber.
The two mid-grade archery martial arts were the Chasing Moon Arrow and the Armor-piercing Strike.
Finally, he had obtained techniques on archery martial arts.
Feeling satisfied, Lu Yan stashed the four secret scriptures away and turned to Zhou Zhengkong to ask, "What are your plans next?"
"I’ve been considering this issue over the last few days, but I haven’t found a solution."
Zhou Zhengkong sighed, looking somewhat unhappy.
The Liu Family would definitely recruit him after knowing that he advanced to Martial Marquis, just like Zhou Hejian, to use against the Qiu Family.
However, Zhou Zhengkong didn’t want to end up like Zhou Hejian, ending up as cannon fodder for the Liu Family.
"The Liu Family will not only draft you, but they will also likely recruit the martial chefs of the Zhou Clan for their use. Given how close Qingyang City and Changfeng City are, it is impossible for the Zhou Clan to remain completely independent."
Lu Yan continued.
"Brother Lu, do you have any strategy?"
Zhou Zhengkong asked.
"There’s only one solution - abandon Qingyang City and move to Baicao City."
Lu Yan revealed his thought.
"Abandon Qingyang City? This is the foundation that the Zhou Clan has built over a hundred years. I’m afraid many won’t agree."
Zhou Zhengkong’s face changed as he spoke.
"We are both Martial Marquis, who dares to disagree?"
"Store grain for future use, and postpone the coronation. The Zhou Clan is currently weak and needs time to regain strength and lay low. Once we have sufficient power, let alone one Blood Land Vein, even two, three, or five won’t be an issue."
Lu Yan said.
Zhou Zhengkong looked thoughtful for a while before finally saying, "Alright, let’s do it that way."
He realized that Lu Yan definitely had ulterior motives for giving him the Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat, such a precious martial food, to help him advance to the realm of Martial Marquis.
Was it truly because of their ’friendship’?
He was the first one not to believe it.
He figured it out after he broke through to become a Martial Marquis and had a ’friendly spar’ with Lu Yan.
Lu Yan had come prepared.
Moreover, he really didn’t have a choice.
If he didn’t leave, he would end up like Zhou Hejian.
After thinking for a while, Zhou Zhengkong added, "But it won’t be easy to go to Baicao City. The Zhou Clan has over a thousand people, including our family members."
"And there are more than three hundred martial troops. With so many people entering Baicao City, it may raise suspicions in the Li Family."
Just like in Changfeng City, one would need to register to settle down permanently.
Such a large number of people, most of whom are martial artists, flooding into Baicao City would undoubtedly draw attention from the Li Family. It wouldn’t be easy to get the household registration completed.
Lu Yan had considered this point and said, "It’s not feasible for so many people to go to Baicao City at once. We can only bring a part of the elite and stagger their departure."
"As for the rest, or the three hundred martial troops, the Zhou Clan should have good relations with other feudal lords. You can temporarily lend your forces to them. I believe those lords would be very welcoming."
"As for the feudal lords we are on good terms with, there are a few: Jiuqu City in the south, Canglang City in the east, and Qiudao City within Nanyi County. They all have deep ties with the Zhou Clan and have stayed out of the conflict between the Liu and Wei Families."
Zhou Zhengkong said.
"Then lend a hundred martial troops and some Zhou Clan members to each of them accordingly. At present, the situation is chaotic. The feudal lords badly need support. If they can borrow a hundred martial troops, they have no reason to refuse. When you’re powerful enough and have occupied the Blood Land Vein again, you can get them back."
Lu Yan said.
"Alright."
Zhou Zhengkong clapped his hands, firmly decided.
