Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 291: Chapter 290: Family Extermination

"An elder showing concern for a junior? Has Steward Zhao forgotten how Dean Tu ’took care’ of me back when I was in the Shen Courtyard? I remember that ’care’ vividly to this day."

Fang Han raised his eyes, his gaze like two bolts of cold lightning shooting straight at Zhao Kun.

"A misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding! The Dean’s actions were meant as a test, with absolutely no malice..."

Zhao Kun’s heart went cold under that piercing gaze, and he forced a smile.

"Absolutely no malice?"

The corner of Fang Han’s mouth curved into an icy arc as he cut Zhao Kun off.

"Suppressing and ostracizing me, cutting off my resources—if that isn’t malicious, then what is?"

"Actions meant to ruin me and destroy my future—can they really be wiped clean with a mere ’misunderstanding’ and a single gift?"

His tone wasn’t impassioned, but every word was ice-cold, hammering into Zhao Kun’s heart.

"Besides, if Dean Tu was truly sincere about reconciliation, why didn’t he come himself? Sending a Steward with a gift to settle past grievances... that sincerity is far too cheap."

"True Inheritor Fang, what happened before is in the past. One must look to the future. Dean Tu is, after all, the Dean of the Shen Courtyard and an Elder of the Sect with real power. He holds authority over the allocation of resources and the evaluation of disciples."

Zhao Kun’s face flushed, then paled. He took a deep breath, suppressed his displeasure, and tried to persuade him from another angle.

"While your status as a Celestial Pride True Inheritance is venerable, it’s always better to have an Elder with real power as a friend than as an enemy."

"Within the Sect, social intricacies sometimes... require a bit of flexibility. Why create future trouble for yourself over some old grudge? It’s always wise not to burn your bridges."

These words, soft on the surface but hard underneath, carried a hidden warning and threat.

It implied that if Fang Han insisted on refusing, he would be completely severing ties with Tu Baichuan, and would inevitably face obstruction within the Sect in the future.

Hearing this, the chill in Fang Han’s eyes intensified.

"Flexibility? Not burn my bridges?"

He slowly rose to his feet. Although the aura around him didn’t erupt, an invisible pressure spread out, making Zhao Kun feel as if his breath was caught in his throat.

"When I, Fang Han, act, I seek only a clear conscience. Back when that Tu Baichuan did everything in his power to suppress me, did he ever think about ’not burning bridges’? Did he show even a shred of concern for social niceties?"

"As for trouble?" Fang Han snorted coldly.

"He couldn’t crush me back when I was just an ordinary disciple, so what makes him think he can now? If Dean Tu wants to try the same old tricks, he’s welcome to try."

The confidence and resolution in his tone sent a tremor through Zhao Kun’s heart.

The Fang Han of today was a world apart from the boy who once cultivated silently in the Sub-Branch, the one who could be casually bullied and pushed around.

That confidence, born from strength and status, was no empty bluff.

"Take the gift back. I have said what I need to. Qiu Lan, see our guest out!"

Fang Han flicked his sleeve and turned his back, his voice bone-chillingly cold.

’He had another, more important reason for rejecting Tu Baichuan’s reconciliation: Elder Chen Xuan had spoken out on his behalf, not hesitating to stand against Dean Tu.’

’If I were to reconcile with Tu Baichuan today over a mere gift, what would that make Elder Chen?’

The maid, Qiu Lan, entered at the call. She made a "please" gesture toward Zhao Kun, her expression respectful but her eyes firm.

Zhao Kun looked at Fang Han’s tall, resolute back, knowing that any further words would be futile.

His expression ugly, he put away the Jade Box on the table and gave a stiff salute. "If that’s the case... I will take my leave. I will be sure to convey True Inheritor Fang’s words."

He turned and hurried away, his retreating figure looking somewhat pathetic and panicked.

In the living room, Fang Han stood alone before the window, his gaze profound as he watched the bamboo shadows swaying outside.

’Rejecting Tu Baichuan’s offer of reconciliation meant there was no longer any chance of resolving the enmity with this powerful Elder.’

’But he felt not a shred of regret or fear. Some bottom lines could not be crossed; some grudges could not be so easily written off.’

’The path of the Martial Dao demanded courage and diligence. If one compromised and swallowed grievances out of fear of power, one’s will would be obstructed. How could one then hope to climb to greater heights?’

’He believed that with the potential and strength he had now displayed, the Sect’s upper echelon would never sit back and watch Tu Baichuan blatantly retaliate against him.’

’As for any covert schemes... he would deal with them as they came.’

He now had enough of a foundation to face these storms.

...

「Shen Courtyard, the Dean’s Quiet Chamber.」

"Dean, that Fang Han’s attitude was extremely firm. Not only did he refuse the gift, but his words left no room for negotiation. This subordinate was incompetent."

Zhao Kun stood with his head bowed, reporting everything that had happened at Villa No. 35 verbatim. He finished in a low voice.

The Quiet Chamber fell deathly silent. Even the lingering scent of sandalwood seemed to freeze in the air.

Tu Baichuan sat in the Grandmaster’s Chair, his expression so dark it looked like it could drip water. The veins on the back of his gaunt hands bulged slightly.

He had never imagined that after he had already swallowed his pride to make a goodwill gesture, he would be met with such a merciless rejection and a slap in the face!

"Good! What a Fang Han! What a Celestial Pride True Inheritance!"

Tu Baichuan squeezed the words through his teeth, his voice hoarse and cold, carrying a rage suppressed to its absolute limit.

"How utterly shameless!"

A violent aura erupted uncontrollably from his body. The temperature in the Quiet Chamber plummeted, and the table and chairs trembled slightly.

Terrified, Zhao Kun didn’t dare to breathe, bowing his head even lower.

Tu Baichuan’s chest heaved violently a few times. He wished he could strike down that ignorant brat who didn’t know his own place right then and there.

But reason told him he couldn’t.

The Fang Han of today was no longer the nobody he once was; he was a genius disciple who had ascended the Celestial Pride List and garnered the Sect’s full attention.

If he attacked him without a legitimate reason, the Sect Leader and the Elder Council would absolutely not let him off lightly.

This unventable rage burned his insides, leaving him feeling utterly humiliated and suffocated.