We Were the Ones Who Held You Back

"Was the Xu Manor really behind the Fierce Tiger Gang?" Wu Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

From the very beginning, this whole affair had reeked of conspiracy. The Fierce Tiger Gang had raised its tribute for no reason—and by exactly five thousand taels?

Far too much of a coincidence.

But when Wu Yuan had stormed the Fierce Tiger Gang, slaughtering his way through them and killing their leader, Yang Long, with a single thrust of his spear, he had then fought a mysterious expert. He had been utterly drained and had no energy to investigate what had led to all this.

"Clan Chief, do you have proof?" Wu Yuan asked quietly.

"Li Ye, the Fierce Tiger Gang's second-in-command, told me himself." Clan Chief Wu Qiming's eyes held a faint chill. "He said that if the Wu Clan returned those five thousand taels of silver immediately, he would let the matter drop."

"But since we clearly didn't know how to behave, he'd teach us to be sensible."

"Li Ye?" Wu Yuan recalled that night's battle. Wasn't he the short, stocky brute Wu Yuan had killed with a flying knife?

Wu Yuan didn't remember him very clearly.

"This Garrison General has gone too far." Wu Yuan feigned a flicker of anger. "We did everything we were supposed to, and he's still forcing us into a corner—going so far as to have the Fierce Tiger Gang destroy our estate? Isn't he afraid the Wu Clan will report him to the sect?"

"Report him to the sect?"

Wu Qiming shook his head slightly. "First, we have no proof. The competition that day took place in full view of everyone. Second, Xu Yuanhan lost in the end and simply went to the Nanmeng Martial Academy."

Wu Yuan pretended to listen intently.

"Still, I've thought this over carefully." Wu Qiming continued, "It doesn't seem like the Garrison General's doing. He may be overbearing, but he has always kept his word. Things didn't work out, but we did our best. Given his status, he has no reason to fall out with us over 'five thousand taels of silver.'"

"Even if he really wanted the five thousand taels back, with his temperament, he'd summon us directly and use his authority to pressure us. Why go around in such a huge circle?" Wu Qiming shook his head, baffled.

"But very few people know about this." Wu Yuan frowned. "Could it be the dean? Is he trying to bring down the Garrison General?"

The only parties involved in this affair were the Wu Clan and the Xu Manor.

The only other person was Dean Zhang Da of the academy.

"He's even less likely."

Wu Qiming shook his head at once. "If this comes to light, the sect's first target for punishment will be the dean of the Prefectural Sect Martial Academy. He's the one ultimately responsible."

Wu Yuan listened. It did sound reasonable.

"Could it be the Xu Manor's eldest young master?" Wu Qiming suddenly mused. "Now that I think about it, this does sound like his style."

"The Xu Manor's eldest young master?" Wu Yuan looked confused.

"You've been at the Martial Academy all this time, so it's only natural you haven't heard of him." Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan. "The Garrison General has six sons. Other than his sixth son, Xu Yuanhan, the rest are all mediocre in martial arts."

"His eldest son, Xu Yuanjie, is the legitimate son born to the principal wife. He's the oldest, too, so he's highly regarded. He controls a great deal of the Xu Manor's resources and handles many of its affairs. He's well-known among Li City's upper circles."

"Perhaps because he endured a lot of hardship when he was young, before the Garrison General had risen to power, he lacks the bearing of a great clan in many respects," Wu Qiming said.

Clearly, Wu Qiming knew Xu Yuanjie very well.

"The bearing of a great clan?" Wu Yuan turned the phrase over in his mind.

"To put it simply, he's stingy." Wu Qiming lay on the bed and spoke slowly. "Xu Yuanjie knows how hard his family struggled to rise, so he fixates on petty gains and can't bear to part with money. He rarely sees the bigger picture."

"But can a great clan conduct itself like a small household?"

"Some things have to be abandoned. No matter how much it hurts, when the moment comes, you have to let them go." Wu Qiming spoke solemnly. "Otherwise, you'll lose the big for the sake of the small."

"Wu Yuan."

Wu Qiming looked at him with a sigh. "In this regard, you actually see things more clearly than I do."

He remembered how Wu Yuan had immediately agreed to the Garrison General's demand that he "give up the competition."

A perfect example of knowing what to let go.

Wu Qiming had to admit that, in his place, he might not have acted so decisively.

"Clan Chief, you flatter me." Wu Yuan smiled.

Decisive? When he'd agreed to the Garrison General's demand, he'd been more than happy to do so.

Without those five thousand taels of silver, he couldn't have improved so quickly.

"Based on what you've said, Clan Chief, if the Xu Manor was behind the Fierce Tiger Gang, then Xu Yuanjie may well have been the one who arranged it," Wu Yuan said. "He controls so much of the Xu Manor's power, so naturally he could influence the Fierce Tiger Gang."

As the two talked, a complete chain of events began to take shape.

"Wu Yuan, whether or not Xu Yuanjie gave the order, the Xu Manor is ultimately to blame." Wu Qiming faced Wu Yuan and spoke gravely. "The Fierce Tiger Gang may have scattered, but I hope you won't forget the lives of our eight clansmen."

"I understand." Wu Yuan nodded.

One major reason he'd gone straight for the Fierce Tiger Gang, striking ruthlessly and showing no mercy, was that he'd seen the bodies of his clansmen with his own eyes.

He hadn't known about the Xu Manor before.

Now that he understood what had happened, he would find a chance to avenge them!

"Of course, don't rush. The Xu Manor is powerful. We can't afford to provoke them right now." Wu Qiming said, "I hadn't wanted to tell you, but your Uncle Long and Uncle Dongyao said you already had Martial Master strength?"

"Yes." Wu Yuan nodded.

"You're already a Martial Master at fourteen. Becoming a Proficient Expert will be easy for you, and you have a chance of becoming a Second-class Expert or even a First-class Expert." Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan with great anticipation.

"When that time comes, once you've become a high-ranking member of the sect, that will be the time to seek revenge."

"For now, only you and I can know about this. Don't tell anyone else," Wu Qiming said.

"Don't worry, Clan Chief. I understand." Wu Yuan nodded. "I won't act recklessly before I'm strong enough."

Wu Qiming nodded.

He trusted Wu Yuan; he was very levelheaded.

He'd told Wu Yuan this only after thinking it through carefully, hoping it would motivate him to cultivate.

Without motivation, a person could grow complacent.

"Clan Chief."

Wu Yuan asked, "Why did Meng Qiang, the Prefectural Governor's head guard, come to the Wu Manor just now? Even if he was investigating the Fierce Tiger Gang, surely he didn't need to come in person."

Meng Qiang was a Second-class Expert.

With his formidable strength, neither the Prefectural Assistant nor the Prefectural Commandant dared take him lightly, and even the Prefectural Governor treated him with great respect.

He wouldn't be sent over for anything unimportant.

"Heh. Meng Qiang came on the Prefectural Governor's behalf." Wu Qiming's face showed a trace of scorn. "He wanted us to act as witnesses and report the Garrison General to the sect for using his authority to make you throw the Martial Academy Grand Competition."

"Would the sect believe us?" Wu Yuan frowned.

"In barely three months, your displayed strength went from a newly advanced Martial Warrior to nearly a Martial Master. Word has already spread, and you also took first place in the Martial Academy Minor Competition." Wu Qiming said, "Even if the sect doesn't believe us, it won't ignore the matter. It will certainly send someone to investigate. Even if they find nothing, it'll be enough to give the Garrison General a massive headache."

"And this is probably only one part of the Prefectural Governor's plan."

"With the Fierce Tiger Gang scattered and the Garrison General losing an arm, the Prefectural Governor likely wants to use this opportunity to bring him down in one fell swoop," Wu Qiming said.

Wu Yuan listened.

He didn't understand much about all this political maneuvering, but he could see the logic behind it.

"Did you agree, Clan Chief?" Wu Yuan asked.

"I didn't." Wu Qiming shook his head. "We have no clear proof, and even if we did, so what?"

"Suppose we proved the Garrison General manipulated the Martial Academy Grand Competition. The Wu Clan would still be treated as an accomplice who had earned merit by confessing. Would we really get anything out of it?"

"Meng Qiang promised the Prefectural Governor would protect us, but when it came down to it, whether he protected us would depend entirely on the Prefectural Governor's whim."

"And what if the Garrison General wasn't brought down after all?"

"Could we withstand his retaliation?"

"If we refuse the Prefectural Governor and deny everything, he'll most likely only suspect that the competition was rigged. He won't go all out to crush us. At most, he'll take a dislike to us."

"Between two evils, choose the lesser."

"The Wu Clan is weak right now. We can't afford to offend either side. Once you're strong, Wu Yuan, and the Wu Clan is strong, we can seek justice."

"Remember, you never cheated in the Martial Academy Grand Competition." Wu Qiming saw the whole matter clearly and explained it to Wu Yuan in detail.

"I understand. In the Martial Academy Grand Competition, I was simply outmatched and lost to Liu Ruyan," Wu Yuan said.

What was past was past.

Trying to overturn the result would only bring trouble upon himself.

"Your strength has advanced so quickly, and your talent is astonishing. It was the Wu Clan that held you back. Otherwise, if you'd joined the Cloud Martial Hall earlier, your strength would have grown even faster." Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan with deep regret.

"Clan Chief, the clan has already treated me well enough," Wu Yuan said.

"No!"

Wu Qiming shook his head. "Treating you well enough doesn't mean we've truly done right by you. We were the ones who held you back. I'm going to have Sixth Elder write to the main clan. Before long, the main clan will send someone to Li City to bring you there."

"The main clan?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

The Li City Wu Clan was only a branch of the Nanmeng Wu Clan.

And a relatively weak branch at that.

"Our Wu Clan may not be a great clan in Nanmeng, but we're still stronger than the Luo Family. Once you're in Nanmeng Prefecture, with the main clan's full support, you'll grow much faster. Next year, you'll have a better chance of entering the Cloud Martial Hall and claiming Number One of the Four Prefectures." Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan and sighed. "Your name will also go straight onto the main clan's genealogy."

"Clan Chief!"

Wu Yuan frowned, his voice low. "I'm staying in Li City. My name will remain in the Li City Wu Clan's genealogy. I'm not going anywhere."