Chapter 2168: Chapter 2168 Meeting an Old Friend
When Ye Liuyun and his companions arrived at Aetherealm, they could no longer see martial practitioners from the Zhongxing dynasty.
The mood inside Aetherealm was incredibly stressful. Many people on the street wore plain clothes and appeared distressed as if they had suffered some disaster.
Out of curiosity, Ye Liuyun decided to gather information at a local tavern.
"Women shouldn’t be too beautiful! Look at what happened to the Zhao family. It was an absolute disaster!"
"Fame had nothing to do with it. It’s all because of the vicious who rule, they bully men and oppress women as they like. It’s lawless!"
"Shush! If they hear us, we’ll be incriminated!"
The citizens whispered amongst themselves.
"Could something have happened to the Zhaos?" Ye Liuyun speculated, directing Yuan Bin to acquire more information.
"Gentlemen, we are from out of town and have come to visit a friend. We are unclear about what has happened here," Yuan Bin promptly went to chat with them.
"Evil Creature? You’re not going to the Zhao’s, are you?" One of the older martial practitioners asked.
"Yes, yes, the Zhaos. We detected a sombre vibe as soon as we arrived in the city. Has anything happened?" Yuan Bin enquired.
Those practitioners exchanged glances and sighed. "You have quite the timing. The Zhao family is currently holding a funeral!"
"Well, there’s not only a funeral at Zhao’s. There’s also a celebration the day after tomorrow! You’re right on time!" Another middle-aged martial practitioner said with a bitter smile.
"What... what exactly happened?" Yuan Bin asked with a perplexed expression.
"Alas, a major disaster has befallen the Zhao family!" One of the martial practitioners skipped beating the bush and told Yuan Bin straight up.
"Zhao Mingcheng of the Zhao family has returned from the Foreign race Battlefield with increased strength. She has been sought after by a powerful entity controlling a port in the Endless Sea, demanding her hand in marriage."
"Zhao Mingcheng, with her pride and lofty aspirations, staunchly refuses. After some time of stagnation between the two families, the port-controlling family made their move, killing many young disciples of the Zhao family, and wounding the patriarch to his death."
"The family that controls the port now wants Zhao Mingcheng to marry them and demands all their family’s assets as a dowry! They are coming for the bride the day after tomorrow. If Zhao Mingcheng refuses, it could lead to a massacre inside the Zhao family!"
After the martial practitioner finished speaking, he sighed emotively, "What kind of world is this? It’s simply blatant robbery!"
"Hey. watch your words! It’s not your family in trouble. So stop whining aimlessly!" To avoid drawing too much attention, an elder admonished him right away.
Another middle-aged martial practitioner kindly advised Yuan Bin, "I suggest you better not get involved in this mess. The Zhao family can barely protect themselves at this moment!"
"Let’s inquire further about the strength and situation of both the Port family and the Zhao family," Ye Liuyun transmitted his message to Yuanbin.
After a while, Yuanbin thanked them, instructed the waiter to add a few bottles of wine to their table, and returned to Ye Liuyun’s side.
Ye Liuyun had heard their conversation, so Yuan Bin didn’t need to repeat it.
However, the strength of the Port family was beyond Ye Liuyun’s expectations.
In the Zhongxing dynasty, there were three main ports on the north, east, and south sides respectively, controlling the ferries to and from the Endless Sea. The martial practitioners guarding the ports were all of the advanced Ninth Realm.
Each port had at least thirty warriors in the advanced Ninth Realm. The number of martial practitioners of different realms was even greater.
These three terminals did not belong to any city lord but were directly under the reign of the Zhongxing Dynasty.
Therefore, these ports were the local dictators. Even if they were committing wrongdoings, the local people dared not speak out on them.
"Should we get involved?" Liu Yang asked Ye Liuyun through a transmitted message. He seemed somewhat eager to try. He had not had a battle or a long time, and he was probably bored.
Ye Liuyun responded, "Let’s see how things turn out the day after tomorrow! If Zhao Mingcheng and they have a conflict, we can always step in."
He never expected that he would run into such an incident on his journey.
Although he cannot say he has a close relationship with Zhao Mingcheng, they had fought in the field for several months. He would gladly help if he could.
However, the relationship between the port family and the Zhongxing Dynasty was too intimate, and their powers were immense. If Ye Liuyun didn’t want to stir things up, it’d be best to avoid the conflict.
So he didn’t seek out Zhao Mingcheng right away. He found an inn to stay in, waiting to observe the situation when the people from the port arrived.
Time passed quickly, and by the day when people from the port arrived, Ye Liuyun and his group observed them quietly by the roadside.
They saw a young man with slanting eyes, leading four advanced ninth-level experts and more than thirty-seven martial practitioners of the eighth level, menacingly rushing to the Zhao family.
"This is hardly a bridal party, but rather a group of bandits!" Ye Liuyun thought to himself.
Many citizens shook their heads, sighing helplessly as they passed by.
Ye Liuyun asked an elderly man next to him, "Who is this?"
"Humph, who else could it be? It’s Chen Tao, the only son of Chen Batian from the port! Remember his face, avoid him at all cost!" The old man kindly warned Ye Liuyun before he turned around to leave.
Ye Liuyun and the others then followed those martial practitioners from a distance, as they made their way towards the Zhao family.
At this point, the Zhao family’s martial practitioners were all in grief. With weapons in hand, they were ready to wage a terrible battle against these people.
Zhao Mingcheng changed into a mourning outfit and stood in front of her father’s memorial plaque. Her eyes were bloodshot and spear in hand, preparing for the final farewell.
"Miss, they’re here!"
A disciple of the Zhao family ran inside to report.
"Let’s go!"
Zhao Mingcheng paid her last respects to his father’s body. Clutched tightly on her spear, and led the elders and disciples out of the memorial hall.
From afar, Ye Liuyun’s Golden Phantom Eyes saw Zhao Mingcheng and knew that the battle today was probably inevitable.
He released his clones, Shen Kuo, and Lu Yao from the Spatial World, and prepared everyone for a battle.
"Zhao Mingcheng, are you going to resist me to the end?"
Chen Tao wasn’t surprised to see Zhao Mingcheng and her men prepared for a battle.
"An enemy who murdered my father, we can never coexist!" Zhao Mingcheng pointed her spear at Chen Tao: "Get out or die!"
Chen Tao laughed. "I know I am no match for you! But I don’t need to fight you myself, the men next to me can kill your entire Zhao family today with one word from me."
"Zhao family doesn’t even have a martial practitioner in the advanced ninth level, what can you use to resist me? If you obediently comply with me, I might still spare the lives of the Zhao family. Otherwise, you all can go and keep company with that d*mn old corpse today!"
"Even if we fought to death, we will never succumb to your tyranny!" A disciple next to Zhao Mingcheng spoke out.
"You’re seeking death! How dare you speak to my master like that!"
A martial practitioner of the advanced ninth level who stood beside Chen Tao immediately stepped forward and thrust his palm to attack the disciple.
A huge palm print soon appeared in the air soaring toward the disciple.
"Retaliate!" An elder of the Zhao family exclaimed, and about four or five elders stepped out to barely stop the attack.
The disciple of the Zhao family was petrified, yet stood firmly in place, not willing to back down.
"Hahaha, you’re struggling so hard to block one pitiful palm attack. What if we give you another one?" Chen Tao gave out a condemning laugh at them.
