Chapter 33: Chapter 32: The Older in Jianghu, the More Timid
"Since that girl from the Chu Family doesn’t know what’s good for her, send someone to help her join her family in the afterlife."
After a laugh, Zhu Chaofeng waved his hand dismissively.
She was just one woman. If she had escaped, the Zhu Family couldn’t have been bothered to chase her; she couldn’t stir up any trouble.
But since she hadn’t gone far and was out there slandering the Zhu Family’s name, they could no longer ignore her.
"Indeed. After that girl from the Chu Family pulled this stunt, everyone in the Beihai Collection is saying our Zhu Family is ruthless, tyrannical, and shows no mercy."
Zhu Cheng’an shook his head slightly. "That girl is quite pretty. Fourth Brother was rather fond of her. If the Chu Family had been more sensible, our two families might have even been joined by marriage."
"Oh? Fourth Brother really likes her? In that case, capturing her alive is fine. Toss her to Fourth Brother to play with for a few days. When he’s tired of her, we can send her on her way. Just tell him to be careful not to develop real feelings—after all, we did kill her entire family."
Zhu Chaofeng waved his hand dismissively. He doted on his fourth son quite a bit.
His favorite son, of course, was the most outstanding one, the fifth son, Zhu Chengzong.
However, his fifth son was far away at the Blazing Sect, and he didn’t see him more than once every few years. So, at home, the one he doted on most was his fourth son, Zhu Chengzu.
Just then, a servant suddenly rushed in to report that more news had arrived from the Beihai Collection.
Zhu Cheng’an took the message, and his expression immediately darkened.
"Eldest, what is it?"
Zhu Cheng’an snorted coldly. "Father, some fool who doesn’t know his place has accepted that Chu girl’s bounty. He wants to exterminate our entire Zhu Family. I don’t know where he got the gall!"
Zhu Chaofeng, however, was quite calm. "There are plenty of fools in this world who don’t know their place. But remember, never underestimate any opponent."
"First, send someone to investigate his background and identity. Then we can decide what to do."
"Father, do we really need to be this cautious? He’s probably just some country bumpkin from out of town who doesn’t know the reputation of our Zhu Family."
Zhu Chaofeng snorted coldly. "Enough of your arrogance! You must remember that caution is the parent of safety."
"If a moment of carelessness leads to the utter ruin of our Zhu Family, you won’t even have the chance to regret it!"
"You must understand, there are disciples from Major Sects in the Jianghu who wander around, always clamoring about upholding justice. They love nothing more than to meddle in others’ affairs."
"How many powers have they destroyed just to build their own reputations?"
"First, investigate his background. If he’s really from a Major Sect, then we’ll mention the Blazing Sect to smooth things over, present him with gifts, and respectfully see him off."
"If he has no background and is just some ignorant, meddlesome fool, it won’t be too late to kill him then!"
"You are wise and prudent, Father. It was I who was reckless," Zhu Cheng’an hurriedly admitted his mistake.
Zhu Chaofeng patted Zhu Cheng’an’s shoulder lightly and sighed. "Eldest Son, you’re not young anymore. This family will be in your hands sooner or later. With such arrogance, how can I rest easy entrusting the Zhu Family to you?"
"Father, you are in your prime. You might even advance further on the Martial Dao. The family still needs you to manage its affairs," Zhu Cheng’an said quickly.
Zhu Chaofeng sighed. "The Martial Dao is an arduous path. I was incredibly lucky to have even reached the Qi Casting Realm in this lifetime."
"What was our Zhu Family’s background in Lonely Mountain City back then? We were nothing but a lowly household of butchers. We had to kowtow and kneel, calling out ’My Lord’ whenever we saw someone from the Chu Family."
"I was unwilling to live my whole life like that, so I stole your grandfather’s money and joined the army."
"It just so happened that the Red Lotus Sect was rebelling in Qin Province. I followed General Yuwen, won a few battles, and managed to build a small fortune."
"Later, General Yuwen crushed the Red Lotus Sect’s headquarters in Yanglin City and ordered the city sacked—for three days, all blades were unsheathed."
"I plundered a Cultivation Technique and a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill from the Medicine King Valley out of a Noble Family’s Treasure Vault. Only then was I able to completely transform my body, remold my aptitude, and achieve my current level of Cultivation."
"But an aptitude gained through an Elixir more or less hits its limit at the Blood Movement Realm."
"The only reason I was able to break through to the Qi Casting Realm was because of the Blazing Extreme Qi Condensing Pill your fifth brother brought back for me last time."
Thinking of the past, a nostalgic look crossed Zhu Chaofeng’s face. "Ah, General Yuwen was a good man."
"Break a city, butcher a city. Every soldier who followed General Yuwen made a fortune."
"Especially after we took Yanglin City. General Yuwen, mindful of how hard we grunts had fought for him, even rounded up those female Red Lotus soldiers and had us all line up."
"I was a bit slow on the uptake back then, so I could only get in at the end of the line."
"Still, even at the end of the line... I’ll never forget the feeling. So supple."
Zhu Chaofeng shook his head, then patted Zhu Cheng’an’s shoulder again.
"Eldest Son, this foundation I’ve spent the first half of my life fighting and clawing to build... you must protect it well."
"Remember, be cautious in all you do from now on. You must never be arrogant or careless."
"Rest assured, Father. It won’t happen again. I’ll arrange for someone to investigate that bastard’s background right now."
Zhu Cheng’an cupped his hands and excused himself. As soon as he was outside, he immediately summoned three Guests and sent them to the Beihai Collection to investigate.
At its roots, the Zhu Family was still nouveau riche.
Its core members consisted only of Zhu Chaofeng and his five sons.
Therefore, the Zhu Family employed a large number of Guests and enforcers to do their bidding.
Three Guests at the Meridian Passage Realm rode straight down the mountain, intending to head to the Beihai Collection and find out just who had accepted Chu Hongshang’s bounty.
The mountain path was rugged. The three horses rode abreast, almost completely blocking the already narrow road and leaving barely enough room for a single person to pass.
Travelers and merchant caravans along the way saw them coming and quickly pressed themselves against the cliffside to get out of the way.
Though they cursed the riders’ arrogance in their hearts, they didn’t dare to voice their anger.
Everyone in Lonely Mountain City knew they were Guests of the Zhu Family, and in Lonely Mountain City today, who would dare to offend the Zhu Family?
The three Guests shared a smug smile. They had thrown in their lot with the Zhu Family early on and were now considered trusted confidants.
Now that the Zhu Family dominated Lonely Mountain City, they had finally made something of themselves.
Just then, the trio noticed that while everyone else was carefully making way, a man from the Jianghu, dressed in black with a bamboo hat, was standing stock-still in the middle of the path.
"Are you blind? Get the hell out of the way!"
The lead Guest barked a curse. Seeing that the man still hadn’t moved, he flew into a rage and spurred his horse to charge right at him.
In the next instant, the ringing of a drawn blade echoed across the mountain path.
He didn’t even see when the man drew his weapon; his vision was suddenly enveloped by a brilliant, dazzling Sword Aura.
It was the first time in his life he had ever seen such a fast blade. It was also the last.
With a single slash, both horse and rider were cleaved in two!
The blood and entrails of the man and his horse mingled together, creating an exceptionally gruesome and terrifying scene.
"A Qi Casting Realm expert!"
The expressions of the two remaining Guests changed drastically. They wheeled their horses around and fled.
The violent Inner Strength within Chen Yuan’s acupoints suddenly erupted, like droplets of water converging into a tidal wave.
Empowered by this immense burst of force, Chen Yuan leaped forward, his speed surpassing that of the horses.
Two mid-air slashes fell, and in an instant, the heads of the two Zhu Family Guests tumbled to the ground. Their horses, however, continued to gallop madly down the path, carrying their headless corpses.
The nearby travelers and merchants on the path were scared witless, shrinking against the cliffside, not daring to move a muscle.
"If any of you are heading back to Lonely Mountain City, help me deliver a message to the Zhu Family. Tell them the man who’s here to slaughter their entire household has arrived."
As his words faded, Chen Yuan stepped onto the mountain path and headed straight for Lonely Mountain City.
「Inside the Zhu Family Residence.」
Zhu Cheng’an rubbed his brow, feeling a persistent sense of unease.
He didn’t pay it much mind, however, chalking it up to a foul mood from his father’s scolding.
Zhu Cheng’an was no longer young; he now handled eighty percent of the Zhu Family’s affairs. The Guests and servants all but treated him as the Patriarch already.
He normally wielded considerable authority within the Zhu Family, so being chided by his father today left a sour taste in his mouth.
’He’s just some ignorant fool. We should just send men to kill him. Why make things so complicated?’
’Although he had done as Zhu Chaofeng instructed, he still felt his father was a case of ’the older you get in the Jianghu, the more cowardly you become,’ insisting on complicating simple matters.’
Just then, a servant ran in frantically.
"Eldest Young Master, this is terrible! Li Sheng and the others were killed on the road! The man said he’s going to exterminate our entire Zhu Family!"
Zhu Cheng’an’s expression changed, and he violently smashed the teacup in his hand onto the floor.
"The absolute audacity! Does he really think the Zhu Family is made of clay?!"
"Well now, who’s gotten Eldest Brother so worked up?"
A young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in silver brocade and holding a folding fan of gold and jade, stepped into the room and asked in surprise. He bore a passing resemblance to Zhu Cheng’an, but was considerably more handsome.
This was the fourth son of the Zhu Family, Zhu Chengzu—the son Zhu Chaofeng currently doted on the most.
"Someone killed our family’s Guests and has sworn to exterminate our entire household. You tell me if I should be angry."
As he spoke, Zhu Cheng’an explained to Zhu Chengzu how someone had accepted Chu Hongshang’s bounty to exterminate their family.
"That little wench hasn’t escaped yet? Or was it you, Eldest Brother, taking pity on me? You knew I couldn’t bear to see that little morsel die just like that, hehe."
Zhu Chengzu chuckled. "He’s just some punk who doesn’t know his place. Why are you so angry, Eldest Brother? Just leave it to me."
"He came to Lonely Mountain City, didn’t he? Then let’s make sure it’s a one-way trip!"
"I’ll take some men to deal with him, then I’ll personally go to the Beihai Collection and drag that little wench from the Chu Family back here."
Since his younger brother wanted to handle it personally, Zhu Cheng’an didn’t stop him.
There were no useless playboys among the Five Tigers of the Zhu Family. All the brothers had begun diligently training in martial arts from a young age, and they had also left the city to seek out real combat experience by sparring with various other powers.
Don’t be fooled by Zhu Chengzu’s foppish appearance; he simply enjoyed life’s pleasures. His own strength was not to be underestimated, as he was already at the peak of the Blood Movement Realm.
"Fine. Take plenty of men with you. Oh, and to be safe, take Uncle Zhou. The man who killed Li Sheng and the other two can’t be weak," Zhu Cheng’an instructed.
Uncle Zhou had a Cultivation at the Qi Casting Realm. To be precise, he wasn’t considered a Guest of the Zhu Family, but a Tributor.
Zhu Cheng’an was acting with a measure of caution this time, but he had overlooked one crucial detail: Chen Yuan’s true strength.
Many people had seen Chen Yuan kill the Zhu Family’s Guests.
It was unclear whether they simply couldn’t tell that Chen Yuan was in the Qi Casting Realm, or if they deliberately kept quiet out of hatred for the Zhu Family’s tyranny.
This led Zhu Cheng’an to subconsciously assume that while the killer of his family’s Guests was skilled, he couldn’t possibly have reached the Qi Casting Realm.
Had he known his opponent was a Qi Casting Realm expert, he would never have let Zhu Chengzu go.
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