Reactions from All Sides

The Dongjiang Zheng Clan was an aristocratic family that had endured in Baihe County for more than five hundred years. Even openly, it had three Qi and Blood Realm Cultivators holding down the fort.

It was, in every sense, Baihe County's foremost family.

Inside the family head's study,

Zheng Lingjun stared gravely at the urgent report in his hand and drew a sharp breath.

Beside him...

Old Ancestor Zheng lounged on a reclining chair. Seeing Zheng Lingjun's expression, he teased, "Has the sky fallen, or has the earth caved in? What could make the dignified head of the Zheng Family lose his composure like this?"

Zheng Lingjun shook his head.

"Neither. Just now, the Li Family struck and wiped out the Zou, Zhang, and Jin families, along with the Great Saber Sect. Several thousand people were caught up in it."

At that,

Old Ancestor Zheng raised a white eyebrow and smiled. "I thought it was something serious. From what this old man knows, those families were fairly capable. Didn't Li Xuanfeng of the Li Family die? How do they still have the strength to destroy all four at once? Did that boy Li Xuantong break through to the Qi and Blood Realm? Even so, one mere Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator shouldn't make the head of my Zheng Family lose his composure."

Zheng Lingjun gave a rueful smile and spread his hands. "The Li Family does have a new Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator, but it isn't Li Xuantong."

"If it isn't Li Xuantong, who else could it be?"

Old Ancestor Zheng looked surprised.

"Li Xinge."

Old Ancestor Zheng thought for a long moment. Then his eyes widened, and he blew at his whiskers. "That Li Family youngster you told me about?"

"That's right."

Zheng Lingjun nodded.

Old Ancestor Zheng froze.

Only after a long pause did he clap his hands and burst out laughing. "Good... good... good! The waves behind drive the waves ahead. The young are truly formidable!"

"A seventeen-year-old Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator. It's hard to imagine how terrifying his talent must be. What a pity such a genius wasn't born into my Zheng Family. If he were one of our children, he could surely restore our ancestors' glory."

Zheng Lingjun's words carried regret and envy, along with a trace of wariness hidden deep in his eyes.

Old Ancestor Zheng caught that trace precisely.

"What? Are you afraid?"

Knowing his petty thoughts had not escaped his ancestor,

Zheng Lingjun nodded without trying to hide it. "I am. This Li Xinge is too monstrous. Give him another ten years, and I fear the Zheng Family will lose its place as Baihe County's foremost family."

"So? Kill him before he grows stronger?"

Old Ancestor Zheng asked, still smiling.

Zheng Lingjun thought it over, then shook his head. "I have no certainty of success."

"Then put those petty thoughts away."

The smile left Old Ancestor Zheng's face. His expression turned solemn, a rare sight.

He rose slowly from the reclining chair. "Ling Jun, do you know why, in Baihe County, only the Zheng Family has lasted five hundred years?"

Without waiting for Zheng Lingjun to answer, he went on. "Not because we were strong enough. The Guo Family and the Yao Family of old—which one wasn't stronger than us? And where are they now? Dead, their lineages destroyed."

"Nor was it because our ancestor came from the Lingxu Sect and we had its protection. Favors always run out one day."

"It was because we were careful and cautious. We never did anything unless we were sure of it."

"There are always people in this world favored by Heaven. Their gifts are extraordinary, their fortunes soar to the clouds, and roads that take others decades or centuries to travel take them only a few short years."

"Everything that fails to defeat them makes them stronger. Those who once stood against them end up trampled beneath their feet, stepping stones on their path upward."

Zheng Lingjun's eyes widened.

"Ancestor, do you mean Li Xinge is one of those people?" he asked in surprise.

Old Ancestor Zheng shook his head.

"I'm not certain either."

Zheng Lingjun frowned, puzzled.

"Then why..."

"Because even if the odds are one in ten thousand, that one chance is enough. Besides, why must you think of strangling him before he can grow? For the empty title of 'first'? Ling Jun, remember this: an empty title is the most useless thing in the world, and the most harmful. Tangible benefits are what matter. Only when you can stop caring about such titles will you be a truly capable family head."

Stroking his graying beard, Old Ancestor Zheng spoke earnestly to the man who would carry the family forward.

Zheng Lingjun lowered his head and fell silent.

After a long while...

Zheng Lingjun raised his head and bowed respectfully to his ancestor. "Ancestor, I understand. I'll send people to build ties with the Li Family's new head. If he is the sort of person you described, the Zheng Family will follow close behind him. Perhaps, through him, we can move beyond Baihe County and restore our ancestors' glory. If he isn't, we'll have lost little."

Old Ancestor Zheng burst out laughing.

"Now you're learning."

Mangshan lay in the northeastern corner of Baihe County.

The renowned Mangshan Su Clan was nestled among its towering mountains.

When Su Zhe learned of Su Yun's death, he flew into a rage.

He smashed the table before him with a palm strike and roared, "That damned brat! He dared kill a pillar of my Su Family!"

The assembled Su Family leaders lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. All the while, they wondered what could have enraged their family head so deeply.

After venting for a while, Su Zhe's anger eased a little.

He narrowed his eyes at them. "Everyone, our intelligence was wrong. The First Elder fell at the Li Family's hands."

The Su Family leaders' minds went blank.

"The First Elder is dead? How is that possible? Apart from that dead man Li Xuanfeng, who in the Li Family could kill him?"

One of the Su Family leaders looked utterly incredulous.

Su Zhe sighed. "It's true. The Li Family's young genius, Li Xinge, broke through to the Qi and Blood Realm. The First Elder couldn't escape and died at his hands."

The Su Family leaders fell silent.

After a long while,

someone finally said hoarsely, "Family Head, how is that possible? Li Xinge is only seventeen!"

"I can scarcely believe it myself, but it's the truth."

"Family Head, given the feud between our families, Li Xinge will surely become a great enemy of the Su Family. We must make plans early. Otherwise, once he grows stronger, the Su Family is finished. We cannot let our ancestors' legacy be destroyed in our hands!"

The Su Family's Second Elder spoke in alarm.

"I know. I hate that we didn't kill this scourge at any cost back then. Now Li Xinge has come into his own. Regret comes too late."

Su Zhe's face was full of remorse.

The others sighed and lamented as well.

Just then,

a short, gloomy-faced old man in a purple robe slowly emerged from the rear door.

He glanced at their miserable faces and snorted. "Enough. A mere youngster has frightened you out of your wits. Aren't you afraid people will laugh their teeth out if word gets around?"

At the sight of him,

the Su Family leaders hurriedly rose.

They bowed deeply and respectfully. "Grand Elder!"

The newcomer was the Su Family's only Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator, Grand Elder Su Changqing.

Su Changqing sat down in the family head's seat as though it were his own. Su Zhe hastened aside and stood respectfully beside him.

"Ancestor, what brings you here?" he asked cautiously.

Su Changqing glared at him and sneered. "If I hadn't come, you fools would have destroyed the Su Family."

At his rebuke, everyone hurriedly lowered their heads.

"Why wasn't I told you were going to move against the Li Family?"

Su Changqing narrowed his eyes, his voice cold.

Seeing that Su Changqing had come to call him to account, Su Zhe hurriedly explained, "Ancestor, you were in seclusion. We didn't dare disturb you."

"Fool! Useless wretch!"

Su Changqing slapped Su Zhe hard across the face.

The force sent Su Zhe sprawling to the floor.

As Su Zhe's cheek visibly swelled, Su Changqing berated him with bitter disappointment:

"Back then, this old man overruled everyone and made you, a son of a concubine, the family head because I thought you saw the bigger picture, understood right from wrong, and knew when to advance and retreat. Now I see I was wrong. Put a pig in your place, and it would do better!"

Despite the slap, Su Zhe did not dare harbor the slightest resentment.

He lay prostrate and hurriedly said, "I am incompetent. Please calm your anger, Ancestor."

"Calm my anger?"

"Will that bring Su Yun back? Do you know what Su Yun meant to the Su Family?"

"This old man has only a few years left. I was waiting for Su Yun to break through to the Qi and Blood Realm so I could hand him my burden and die in peace."

"Now Su Yun is dead. Tell me, what will become of the Su Family?"

"Didn't you see what happened to the Li Family? Or do you think our Su Family will produce a Su Xinge of its own?"

Everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

"Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. And the Li Family is no nameless little clan. By taking them so lightly, you gambled with the lives of more than a thousand Su Family members!"

Su Changqing's oppressive gaze swept over them.

Seeing them at a loss, he let out a long sigh at last.

"Forget it. The grave mistake has been made, and there's nothing more to say. Give this old man another half month. If I can break through to the minor accomplishment stage, I can protect the family for another decade or so. Then I can crush a mere Li Xinge with a flick of my finger. If I fail, bring out the Blood Burning Pill. It will be the last thing I can do for the family."

With that, he paid them no further attention and left.

They watched his small, stooped figure recede.

Grief filled every face.

Two streams of hot tears ran down Su Zhe's cheeks.

"Ancestor, I know I was wrong."

Su Changqing's steps seemed to falter, but he soon vanished from sight.

At the Baihe County Office,

County Magistrate Gu Zhitíng read the report in his hand, his expression shifting between light and dark.

"A seventeen-year-old Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator. What a monster."

Beside him, his adviser, who sported a thin mustache, seized the chance to speak. "County Magistrate, the Li Family has acted with utter lawlessness. Slaughtering more than a thousand people in broad daylight—they have no regard for you or the court!"

Gu Zhitíng looked impassively at the indignant adviser, his gaze fixed on him.

Only when the man's scalp began to prickle did he slowly ask, "What would you have me do?"

Delight flashed in the adviser's eyes.

He hurriedly said, "The Li Family has violated the court's laws. We should dispatch the county troops to wipe them out and make an example of them."

"With the thousand-odd sorry specimens at the Baihe Great Camp?"

Gu Zhitíng's voice was thick with sarcasm.

The adviser gave an awkward smile, then said ingratiatingly, "County Magistrate, your strength is exceptional. If you were willing to act in person, destroying a mere Li Family would be effortless."

Gu Zhitíng burst out laughing.

"This official is old, and my qi and blood have long since declined. Since you're so devoted to the court, why don't I entrust the task to you? If you can destroy the Li Family, I'll petition the court to reward you."

The adviser froze.

By the time he recovered, Gu Zhitíng had already walked away.

Staring at the back of the man in the blue official robe,

the adviser spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the ground, his eyes venomous. "Pah. What a piece of work."