I had no choice but to say, "How would I know what happened? That day, when I sparred with Young Master Ouyang's study companion, he was watching from the side. After the sparring ended, I asked Young Master Ouyang to bring his study companion's mother to my residence. Then he left. What did that have to do with me? Perhaps Young Master Ouyang was frightened when he saw us sparring and suffered some shock. That's entirely possible too."
"Stop talking nonsense! No matter how useless my son, the Third Young Master, may be, he would not have his brain damaged just from watching others spar! You just admitted that my son turned pale in the little garden. Other than you, who else could it have been? Don't tell me it was your four- or five-year-old sworn younger brother and sister. Speak!" Old Ghost Ouyang glared at me, his beard and hair bristling as though he wanted to devour someone, roaring madly.
I was startled. Was I supposed to shift the blame onto innocent A Xing and Xiangyu? Not only would that never hold up, I would never agree to it. I turned my head toward Father. Mother was also looking anxiously at the head of the Lineage.
Father's brows were tightly furrowed. The moment he heard me say that everything the servant had said was true, he knew things were going badly. He loved and spoiled his son; he was a good father. But he was also the current head of the Zhang Family, and he had to consider his Lineage. Offending the Ouyang Family would not mean much to the Zhang Family, but the business network across the entire Far East would at least suffer grave damage. Moreover, the Ouyang Family had worked with the Zhang Family for a long time, and had thus become a Lineage second only to the Four Great Families. If their ties were severed over this, the Zhang Family might well fall from third among the great families to fourth. There was no choice. He could not let the entire Aristocratic Clan suffer for one son.
"Everyone, since that is the case, I shall have Young Master Ouyang's study companion, along with my son's sworn younger brother and sister, brought here." Father stood up, looked around at everyone present, and spoke in a clear voice.
Everyone knew Father intended to shift the blame onto others, but who would dare say so? Old Ghost Ouyang wanted to speak, but because of Father's exalted status—and because he had no grounds to argue—he said nothing.
I was shocked. He was going to pin this on my sworn older brother, younger brother, and younger sister. That was impossible. Fury blazed up in my heart, and my head grew hot.
"What? I admit this happened because of me! He only became like this because of my aura. What does it have to do with anyone else? If you have the ability, come at me. I'll take it all!" I said to Old Ghost Ouyang with towering boldness.
Mother immediately ran before me. "Little Three, don't try to be brave like this. Do you know how much it hurts Mother's heart when you do this? Do you know that I carried you for ten months and eight days, feeling you frolic to your heart's content inside my belly? I knew you were my precious son, the root of my life! I won't let outsiders bully you. I won't let outsiders bully you, do you understand? Sob..."
I struggled not to let my tears fall, but no matter what I did, I could not manage it. I could not. I quietly looked at Mother, my heart churning like rivers and seas overturning. I suddenly lowered my head and circulated my energy, evaporating the tears. Then I looked up at Mother with a smile. "Mother, don't be like this. Aren't I perfectly fine? Why are you crying? Don't you know that when Mother cries, Little Three feels terrible too? Your son is fine. Look, aren't I all right? Don't cry anymore."
Father looked at me without making a sound. He only stared quietly at me, his eyes motionless, watching his precious son, watching his troublemaking son. There was no expression on his face, but inwardly he cried out in rage: Why? Why? Is it because I am the head of the Zhang Family that I must betray my six-year-old son? Zhang Family, Zhang Family... Hahaha...
The entire hall was shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere. No one dared make a sound. Even Old Ghost Ouyang, upon seeing Father's terrifyingly cold expression, did not dare say anything more. Though his family was the most powerful outside the Four Great Families...
...the gap between the Ouyang Family and the Four Great Families was like the difference between a comfortably-off household and a billionaire family. Their businesses in the world might not appear that far apart, but the assets of the Four Great Families had been accumulated over centuries, nearly a thousand years. Each of the Four Great Families possessed over ten billion taels of silver. Even the imperial treasury had only ever held over ten billion taels of silver during the Tang Dynasty's golden age. They were no longer merely rich enough to rival a nation—their wealth already weighed heavier than the nation. Who in the world would dare speak under the furious wrath of the Zhang Family's head?
At this moment, Old Ghost Ouyang was already regretting everything. How could he risk a family built over two hundred years for a son who was already finished? If his son was gone, he could always have another. Besides, though his son's mind was damaged, he could still marry and have children in the future. How could he shift this matter onto someone else? Yet Old Ghost Ouyang was now considering how to help the Zhang Family's Third Young Master escape punishment. He knew that the Four Great Families' punishments for a family head's son were exceedingly cruel. This was also for the succession of the Aristocratic Clan, to prevent brothers from turning their blades upon one another.
Suddenly, a flash of light crossed Old Ghost Ouyang's mind. "He only became like this because of my aura." Aura injuring someone, aura injuring someone... Hahaha...
Old Ghost Ouyang said loudly, "Everyone, please listen to a word from this old man."
Father glanced at Old Ghost Ouyang and said indifferently, "Patriarch Ouyang, please speak."
Old Ghost Ouyang smiled. "Everyone, I believe you all know that only experts who have reached the Innate Realm can injure people with their aura. On the entire Azure Dragon Continent, the earliest person to reach the Innate Realm was Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, thirteen hundred years ago. Back then, Xiang Yu, the foremost expert under heaven, only reached the Innate Realm at the age of twelve. The second was Li Bai, the Poet Sword Immortal, who only reached the Innate Realm at fourteen. How could the Third Young Master, only six years old, possibly have reached the Innate Realm? His sworn younger brother and sister are even younger, so it could not be them either. The only possibility is my son's study companion, Lang Feng. When Lang Feng came to my household, he could already kill Fierce Tigers. Every servant in my residence knows this."
A faint smile appeared on Father's face. After hearing this, Mother seemed to relax considerably as well, and she smiled at me. The atmosphere in the hall immediately became livelier. One person after another said, "How could this possibly have anything to do with the Third Young Master?" "That's what I said! The Third Young Master is so adorable—how could he hurt Young Master Ouyang?" "Exactly, exactly. Only a lowly servant like Lang Feng could do something like this."...
Old Ghost Ouyang looked as though he had seen a peerless beauty, his eyes shining brightly as he shouted, "Someone, bring Lang Feng here!"
Everyone in the hall was smiling. Wasn't it a joy for all if this matter were pinned on a lowly commoner?
My body trembled. Brother Lang Feng—no, no, no, that could not happen. They were going to pin it on Brother Lang Feng. He would be finished. Old Ghost Ouyang would never spare his life. What would happen to his lonely, suffering mother? I looked at Mother's smiling face and said bitterly in my heart, I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry...
I looked at the smiling people around me and bitterly unleashed an aura that shook the heavens.
The entire hall fell silent. They stared at me as I emitted a towering aura, stunned into silence. It was not only because I had reached the Innate Realm at six years old, but because this meant I had personally admitted that I was the culprit who had reduced Ouyang Liang to this state. What now? The entire hall was thrown into chaos.
The Prefect of Suzhou City was also in turmoil. The Third Young Master had openly admitted it himself. Could he still shield him?
Mother looked at me, her heart nearly shattered, silently crying out within, Little Three, why? Why is this happening? Why did you admit it...
Old Ghost Ouyang looked at me with a bitter smile. Third Young Master, I already let you off once. Why won't you let yourself off? You are not sparing my Ouyang Family either. Ancestors, how much will my Ouyang Family lose over this? Zhang Tiande will not touch my Ouyang Family openly, but in the shadows, he will certainly make trouble for us. It is all because I was too impulsive back then...
Father looked at me, his heart bleeding. Little Three, are you trying to force your father's hand?
Everyone in the hall looked at me as I released that towering aura. Not a single sound could be heard. The hall sank into even deeper oppression.
"The Elder Council has unanimously decided: Patriarch Zhang must place the Aristocratic Clan above all else." An old man walked to the entrance of the hall, said those words, then turned and left.
Those words left Zhang Tiande's face deathly pale.
Father looked at me. His face was icy, devoid of the slightest emotion. His eyes remained fixed on me, and a voice seemingly from hell rang through the hall. "According to the Zhang Family's family law, Zhang Xingfeng is struck from the Zhang Family genealogy and may never return to the Zhang Family for all eternity. All servants of Star Peak Pavilion are to leave the Zhang Family immediately. The formal punishment shall be jointly decided by tomorrow's Elder Council."
I stared blankly at Father. What? Leave the Zhang Family? Never return to the Zhang Family for all eternity? Never return for all eternity? Hahaha... Never return for all eternity. Never return for all eternity! Hahaha...
I looked at Father and smiled. Three years ago, you carried me on your back to the Yuwen Family to show off my martial arts... The day before yesterday, you played hide-and-seek with me... And now, now you wanted to drive me out of the Zhang Family, drive me from my home, and forbid me from ever returning. Hahaha...
"Father, Father, you want to drive me from home, don't you? You want to drive me from home, don't you? Answer me! Answer me! Answer me!"
Father looked at me, his face ashen. "—Yes—" Then he turned and entered the inner hall.
"Oh, you really want to drive me from home. Hahaha... Drive me from home. What cruel family law, what cruel family law! Fine, fine, fine. I accept it. I'll leave home. I'll leave home..." I looked at the now-empty seat in the center of the hall and roared madly.
I turned and rushed outside. My entire cultivation surged forth as I ran wildly, my mind filled with Father—Father's care for me when I was little, the way he fed me as a child... His utter ruthlessness just now, his complete lack of hesitation in driving me from home, the merciless way he said "yes." I frantically urged my energy onward. In an instant, my figure shot out of the Zhang Family and left Suzhou City like a ghostly shadow...
"—Little Three—" Mother stood at the doorway and called after me, then suddenly collapsed at the entrance.
Old Ghost Ouyang watched it all, wanting to weep but having no tears.
The Zhang Household's two Second-Rank Experts looked at the street where I had already vanished, unable to hide their shock.
In the grand chair in the rear hall, the honored head of the Zhang Family sat with his eyes closed. Two clear tear tracks lay across his face as he murmured, "Little Three..." Then two more tears flowed down.
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