Chapter 37: Chapter 36: Harboring Resentment
Although Chen Yuan didn’t know any Lightweight Skills, the explosive power from his Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique was astonishing, allowing him to burst forth with extreme speed for a short time.
The Zhu father and son didn’t know any Lightweight Skills either, and they lost track of Chen Yuan after chasing him for just one street.
They didn’t dare to pursue any further, fearing that Chen Yuan would pull the same trick again—luring the tiger from the mountain—and return to the Zhu residence to assassinate the third son, Zhu Chengze.
Rushing all the way back to the Zhu Family residence, the two didn’t even have time to collect Zhu Chengguo’s body.
Of course, that was also because there was no way to collect it.
It had been reduced to fragments of a human body. They would probably need a spoon to scoop him up.
When they returned to the Zhu Family residence, Zhu Chengze was unharmed, but the Zhu Family itself was on the verge of collapse.
Large numbers of Guests were fleeing in a panic, and Zhu Chengze couldn’t stop them even if he tried.
The two battles today hadn’t broken Zhu Chaofeng, but they had completely broken the spirits of the Zhu Family’s Guests.
The Zhu Family, which had once dominated Lonely Mountain City, was practically defenseless before a true master.
Zhu Chengguo, second in strength only to Zhu Chaofeng, had been blasted into mincemeat in just two moves. How were they supposed to fight that?
The man had made it clear he wanted to annihilate the entire Zhu Family. They didn’t share the Zhu surname, so why should they stay and die with them?
"What are you running for? I, Zhu Chaofeng, am still alive! The Zhu Family hasn’t collapsed! Do you really think my family is about to be annihilated?"
Zhu Chaofeng stood blocking the gates of the Zhu Family Manor, glaring viciously at the Guests who were trying to flee.
"I miscalculated before. I never expected our attacker to be so powerful, which led to the deaths of my second and fourth sons."
"But he won’t get another chance! As long as I, Zhu Chaofeng, am here, the Zhu Family will not fall!"
"For years, the Zhu Family has paid to support you! You’ve lived the high life with us, eating and drinking your fill. Now, at the first sign of trouble, you want to scatter and flee? Is this how you repay the Zhu Family?"
"You can leave today, if you wish. But you know the Zhu Family’s temper. Once we weather this storm, don’t even think about trying to make a living in the Beihai Collection area ever again!"
"Conversely, if any of you are willing to stand with the Zhu Family through thick and thin, we will not forget this act of loyalty."
"You will no longer be Guests of the Zhu Family, but Honored Guest Elders! You will fall with us and rise with us!"
"The Cultivation Techniques known to the Zhu Family will be made available to you. And in the future, when my fifth son, Zhu Chengzong, returns from the Blazing Sect, you will even be qualified to cultivate the techniques he brings back!"
This combination of threats and promises from Zhu Chaofeng actually managed to convince many of the Guests to stay.
His promise to grant them access to Cultivation Techniques, in particular, was a powerful enticement.
In the end, however, fewer than a hundred people chose to remain.
Having suppressed the exodus of Guests, the three men of the Zhu family—the father and his sons—went to the Council Hall. The atmosphere inside was oppressive to the extreme.
"Father, could you tell anything about that man’s origins?"
Zhu Cheng’an finally broke the silence.
Zhu Chaofeng shook his head. "I couldn’t tell. But he is definitely not from the Sun-piercing Alliance or the Murong Family."
"You Province is only so big, and there are only so many powers beneath those two. None of them match him."
"But he is no low-level Jianghu wanderer. To kill your second brother in two moves... even if he used some Secret Technique to unlock his potential, that’s still terrifyingly powerful."
At this, Zhu Chaofeng looked at Zhu Cheng’an and said gravely, "Eldest Son, from now on, you and I must stay together at all times. We cannot be separated."
"He chose to flee when he faced the two of us today. That proves that two Qi Casting Realm Martial Artists are enough to pose a threat to him."
"If we separate, he will undoubtedly pick us off one by one."
Zhu Cheng’an nodded, his face a mask of panic and misery. "With that kind of power, he would be considered a core Direct Lineage Disciple even in the Murong Family. Why on earth is he targeting our Zhu Family?"
Even now, neither Zhu Cheng’an nor Zhu Chaofeng wanted to admit that this disaster had befallen them simply because they had annihilated the Chu Family.
"If you ask me, this is all Fourth Brother’s fault!"
Zhu Chengze, who had been standing to the side, suddenly blurted out, "For all these years, the Chu Family kept to themselves. They were completely subservient to our Zhu Family, they wouldn’t even dare to breathe too loudly in our presence."
"They were a family of simple folk. What was the point of slaughtering all of them?"
"It was all because Fourth Brother took a liking to the Chu Family’s daughter. He knew she was already engaged but insisted on marrying her anyway."
"He was rejected, and that should have been the end of it. But no, he had to goad you, Father, into annihilating the Chu Family just to soothe his own bruised ego!"
"And now look what’s happened! Our entire family has been dragged into this mess because of a single woman! It’s a joke!"
Chen Yuan had scared Zhu Chengze out of his wits, and his tone was dripping with resentment.
’Father doted on Fourth Brother. Whatever Fourth Brother wanted, Father gave him.’
’He had thought from the beginning that annihilating the Chu Family was unnecessary. It would only stir up trouble and give the Zhu Family a reputation for being ruthless and tyrannical.’
’But Zhu Chengze’s standing among his brothers had always been low, so he had kept his mouth shut.’
’And now, as a result, they had annihilated the Chu Family only to bring this catastrophe upon themselves. The entire Zhu Family was about to be wiped out because of it!’
"You animal! Your fourth brother is already dead! And you’re still blaming him?"
Zhu Chaofeng snatched the teacup beside him and hurled it at Zhu Chengze, roaring in fury.
"The Chu Family isn’t the only family we’ve annihilated over the years! How can I allow others to snore beside my own bed? Since the Chu Family dared to defy us, they had to be destroyed! To blame your own family at the first sign of trouble... you’ll never amount to anything!"
"Father, calm down. Third Brother was just frightened and spoke rashly," Zhu Cheng’an quickly interjected.
"Get out! Get the hell out of my sight!"
Zhu Chengze knew he had misspoken. Not daring to argue, he scurried out of the Council Hall with his tail between his legs.
Zhu Chaofeng was left panting with rage, but his expression was complicated.
He was furious, partly because his third son was so useless, blaming his dead brother at a time like this.
And partly because... he was truly beginning to regret annihilating the Chu Family.
He had spouted that line about not allowing others to snore beside his bed, but in truth, it was just as Zhu Chengze had said. The Chu Family was just a group of spineless pushovers. They were no threat to the Zhu Family whatsoever.
The Zhu Family had destroyed so many other powers in Lianshan City. Wasn’t the only reason the Chu Family was left standing because they were so subservient and spineless?
That was why Zhu Chaofeng had always been indifferent toward them. He could destroy them or let them be; it all depended on his mood.
If his fourth son, Zhu Chengzu, hadn’t insisted on annihilating the Chu Family to vent his anger after being rejected, he would never have bothered with them.
Had he known that casually wiping out the Chu Family would bring about such a catastrophe, he never would have done it.
"Eldest Son, what are your thoughts?"
Zhu Chaofeng looked at his eldest son.
Zhu Cheng’an’s voice was hoarse. "Father, we can’t hold out. Not only is that man incredibly powerful, but his methods are also vicious and cunning."
"First he lured the snake from its hole, killing Fourth Brother and Uncle Zhou. Then he lured the tiger from the mountain twice in a row, killing Second Brother and scaring our Guests half to death."
"We’ve managed to get these Guests to stay for now, but who knows if they’ll just run off again."
"Honestly, against an opponent like this... I have no confidence we can keep fighting. We need to call for reinforcements."
"When Fifth Brother returned last time, we hosted a banquet for people from the surrounding major cities. They all know he became a Direct Disciple of the Blazing Sect."
"If we ask for their help, they will definitely do us the favor, for the Blazing Sect’s sake."
"The Wang Family of South Mountain City, the Hai Chang Gang of East Mountain City, the Fish Dragon Commerce Association of Shuangshan City... If just one of these powers sends a single Qi Casting Realm master, it would be enough to take care of him."
"Those families are all vultures who won’t lift a finger without seeing a profit. Why would they simply agree to help our Zhu Family?"
"Besides, with our Zhu Family’s rise over the years, we’ve acted quite tyrannically. I’m afraid they all harbor resentment toward us."
"Take the Wang Family of South Mountain City, for example. Strictly speaking, the Chu Family were their in-laws. By destroying the Chu Family, we slapped the Wang Family in the face."
"If they knew about this, they’d be too busy enjoying the spectacle to even consider helping us."
Zhu Chaofeng was under no illusions about his family’s reputation.
He was just so used to his tyrannical ways that he’d never once thought of changing them.
"At this point, we have no choice but to make them some empty promises."
Zhu Cheng’an gave a bitter smile. "We’ll tell them that if they help us now, we will compensate them in the future with the Cultivation Techniques and Elixirs our fifth brother brings back from the Blazing Sect."
"Every one of those families is greedy and unprincipled. They know perfectly well what’s more important: their pride or their profit."
Zhu Chaofeng’s brows knitted together. "Fifth Brother has rivals within the Blazing Sect! Those Cultivation Techniques and Elixirs aren’t free; they have to be exchanged for contribution points within the sect!"
"The last time, I told him not to worry about the family and to prioritize using his contribution points to improve his own strength. Now we’re going to be the ones holding him back!"
"But if we don’t, the Zhu Family might not survive this!"
Zhu Cheng’an had no desire to die. He pleaded with his father, "Father, as long as the green mountains remain, we need not worry about firewood. We have to solve this immediate crisis first!"
After a moment of thought, Zhu Chaofeng sighed. "Fine. You go make the arrangements. Since we’re asking for help, we might as well promise them more."
Hearing his father finally relent, Zhu Cheng’an breathed a sigh of relief.
"Rest assured, Father. I’ll see to it at once. There are still some loyal men among the remaining Guests. To be safe, I’ll send a few extra to each of the families we’re contacting."
With that, Zhu Cheng’an immediately left to make the arrangements.
Only Zhu Chaofeng remained in the Council Hall, sitting there in a stunned daze.
Losing two sons in a single day was a devastating blow to Zhu Chaofeng.
He couldn’t understand how the Zhu Family, so prosperous and powerful just yesterday, could suddenly be reduced to this.
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