Chapter 9: The Chu Clan Master and Grand Elder

"That won't happen — Father won't die!"

Chu Jian struggled violently, trying to turn over and check on Chu Hongyuan's condition.

But the moment he moved, he jolted his wounds, and cold sweat poured down his face from the pain.

"Second Elder, was it Chu Feng who did this?"

Chu Tianqi, who was nearby having his injuries treated, asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Chu Wenshan gave a slight nod.

Hiss! Chu Tianqi's face instantly went pale with shock.

He had been injured by Chu Feng earlier, and he had always told himself it was only because Chu Feng had caught him off guard — in a fair fight, Chu Feng would never be his match.

Yet now, Chu Hongyuan — who was far stronger than him — had been beaten to the brink of death by Chu Feng!

Chu Tianqi was stunned by Chu Feng's true strength, and at the same time felt a wave of relief that Chu Feng had held back against him.

Otherwise, he would be lying there in the same state as Chu Hongyuan right now — gravely wounded and at death's door.

"Rest and recover from your injuries. The Clan Master and the others will return shortly. Everything will be dealt with once he's back." Chu Wenshan said calmly.

With that, Chu Wenshan cast a glance at the motionless Chu Hongyuan and slowly departed.

After Chu Wenshan left, Chu Jian, with the help of a servant, slowly shifted his bed so he could see Chu Hongyuan.

"Father!"

"Father! What happened to you?"

Chu Jian called out to Chu Hongyuan, but Chu Hongyuan was already dead and could not answer.

The physician also noticed something was wrong with Chu Hongyuan and hurried over to examine him.

After a short while, the physician let out a soft sigh and said, "Young Master Chu Jian, Master Hongyuan has passed."

"What?"

"Impossible! My father can't be dead! You must be mistaken — my father can't be dead..." Chu Jian roared in furious denial.

"Young Master Chu Jian, please calm yourself. Master Hongyuan is truly gone."

"Focus on healing your wounds — only then can you avenge him."

Chu Tianqi confirmed that Chu Hongyuan was indeed dead and quickly spoke up to comfort Chu Jian.

"Ahhh!"

"That bastard Chu Feng — how dare he kill my father!"

"When my grandfather returns, I'll have him flayed alive, his bones ground to dust!"

"I'll even dig up his parents' graves and feed their bones to the dogs!"

Chu Jian screamed in a frenzy, swearing vengeance against Chu Feng.

"Young Master Chu Jian, don't get agitated — heal your wounds first and wait calmly for the Grand Elder to return."

"Rest assured, Chu Feng dared to kill Master Hongyuan — he's absolutely finished this time."

Seeing Chu Jian writhing in anguish and screaming, Chu Tianqi spoke up once more to soothe him.

* * *

Not long after, Chu Tianyue returned to the Chu Clan with Chu Maode and several others, his face dark with fury.

Earlier that day, Chu Tianyue had been invited to the Han Clan to discuss the redistribution of a spiritual vein mine near Qingfeng Town.

The Chu Clan and the Han Clan were the two great families of Qingfeng Town, and previously the mine had been split fifty-fifty between them.

Now the Han Clan wanted to renegotiate the split. Since the Han Clan was stronger than the Chu Clan, Chu Tianyue had been willing to concede ten percent — a sixty-forty split, with forty percent going to the Chu Clan and sixty to the Han Clan.

But this time, the Han Clan had the audacity to demand eighty percent, leaving only twenty for the Chu Clan.

Chu Tianyue found this utterly unacceptable and furiously objected.

Yet Chu Maode, who had accompanied him, actually said that twenty percent was something their Chu Clan could accept.

This sent Chu Tianyue into a towering rage.

He was the Clan Master of the Chu Clan — and Chu Maode had agreed to a twenty-percent share without his consent, showing not the slightest regard for his authority.

Chu Tianyue was on the verge of exploding on the spot, but the Han Clan's Grand Elder — who was at the fourth level of the True Spirit Stage — was present.

And with Chu Maode turning against him, Chu Tianyue had no choice but to swallow his rage and say he would go back and think it over, giving an answer in two days.

In the end, the Han Clan agreed to give Chu Tianyue two days to consider.

"Clan Master, something has happened!" the gate guard called out loudly the moment Chu Tianyue and his group arrived at the Chu Clan's main entrance.

"What is it?" Chu Tianyue's brow furrowed slightly.

The business with the spiritual vein mine had already put him in a foul mood. The last thing he needed was trouble at home — his mood darkened even further.

"Chu Feng... the Young Clan Master has returned," the guard said, his voice faltering slightly.

"So that good-for-nothing Chu Feng is back — I thought something serious had happened."

Chu Maode, who had overheard the guard, let out a contemptuous sneer.

"He's back, so what? How is that 'something happening'?" Chu Tianyue said with displeasure.

Thinking of Chu Feng only stoked his anger further.

The Cangfeng Empire had three great powers: the Qinglan Sect, Lingxiao Pavilion, and the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Chu Feng was a disciple of the Qinglan Sect, while the young master of the Han Clan was a disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion.

Previously, with both clans' young masters belonging to one of the three great powers, the two families had maintained a relatively peaceful coexistence, neither provoking the other.

It was only after the Han Clan learned that Chu Feng had been expelled from the Qinglan Sect that they had pushed for the redistribution of the mine.

In a sense, it was all Chu Feng's fault that the Chu Clan stood to lose the majority of its share in the mine.

"Young Master Chu Feng injured Young Master Chu Jian and the instructor, and... he killed Master Hongyuan," the guard said, his voice trembling.

"What?!"

Chu Maode let out a furious roar and seized the guard by the throat, bellowing:

"What nonsense are you spouting?! Do you believe I won't crush your skull with one palm?!"

The Third Elder nearby also wore an expression of disbelief:

"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"Wasn't Chu Feng's cultivation stripped by the Qinglan Sect? How could he possibly kill Hongyuan?"

"Exactly! That waste Chu Feng couldn't have killed my son even before he was crippled — let alone now that he's been stripped of everything!"

"You must be spreading rumors. I'll crush your skull for this!"

Chu Maode raised his hand in fury, ready to smash the guard's head.

Chu Tianyue quickly stepped in to stop him from killing the man:

"Don't kill him yet — find out what happened first."

"If he really is spreading rumors, you can kill him then."

With that, Chu Tianyue strode quickly into the Chu Clan compound.

Chu Maode grabbed the guard by the throat and dragged him inside as well.

Earlier, Second Elder Chu Wenshan, upon learning of Chu Hongyuan's death, had ordered his body moved to a shaded pavilion on the training ground outside.

He had intended to wait for Chu Tianyue and Chu Maode to return before making funeral arrangements.

"Hongyuan!"

The moment Chu Maode entered the compound, he spotted Chu Hongyuan lying in the distant pavilion. He immediately dropped the guard and sprinted over.

Ahh!

A short while later, Chu Maode confirmed that Chu Hongyuan was truly dead. Overcome with grief, he clutched Chu Hongyuan's body and let out a howl of anguish toward the sky.

The sorrow of a white-haired man burying his black-haired son brought tears even to the eyes of the ruthless Chu Maode.

"Grand Elder, it was Chu Feng who killed Master Hongyuan!"

One of the blue-robed attendants who had accompanied Chu Hongyuan earlier saw Chu Maode and immediately reported through broken sobs.

"Chu Feng!"

"I will cut you into a thousand pieces!"

Chu Maode roared in fury, his voice brimming with murderous intent so intense that everyone around him stumbled back in alarm.

"What exactly happened?"

Even now, Chu Tianyue still could not believe that Chu Feng was capable of killing Chu Hongyuan, and he wanted to understand the full sequence of events.

"Earlier today, the moment Chu Feng returned, he injured Young Master Chu Jian and the instructor."

"When Master Hongyuan came back and learned that Young Master Chu Jian had been hurt, he went to confront Chu Feng for revenge — but ended up being killed by Chu Feng instead." The blue-robed attendant recounted the events slowly.

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Edited by Fat Goose