The Idea of a Tyrant Forcing His Way In!

Anxi County, east of the city, the Zhang Family estate.

Inside a lavishly furnished, brightly lit study, the air was as frozen as midwinter ice.

"Xu'er, you have disappointed me too much!"

A middle-aged man dressed in a dark purple brocade robe with circular flower patterns, his frame slightly lean and his face bearing a stern, shrewd, and capable expression, stood with his hands behind his back behind a sandalwood desk. His gaze, sharp as a physical blade, scraped across the paper-white face of Zhang Xu.

He was the head of the Zhang Family, Zhang He, and also Zhang Xu's biological father.

Facing his father's reprimand, Zhang Xu—who was always arrogant, haughty, and looked down on others when in public—was now like a frost-bitten eggplant. He hung his head low, teeth clenched, not daring to draw a full breath, let alone offer a rebuttal.

In the Zhang Family, the authority of the family head, Zhang He, was beyond challenge.

"Think of your elder brother!"

Zhang He took a step forward, his voice growing colder:

"His aptitude is merely upper-middle, a cut below yours! Yet he is firm of will, able to endure loneliness and suffer hardship. He challenged the Dark Jin realm and succeeded in one go! He has never once made me worry."

"Your aptitude is top-tier, so my expectations for you are higher, and the resources I have invested in you are greater!"

He stared at Zhang Xu, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, and continued:

"And you? Born with top-tier aptitude, blessed by the heavens! My expectations for you far exceed those for your brother, and the resources I have poured into you have never been lacking in the slightest. Yet this is how you repay me?!"

Zhang He's voice rose sharply, the contained anger like a long-dormant volcano finally finding a vent:

"In the past, when you spent your days carousing with friends, lingering in taverns, and chasing after pleasures, I merely assumed it was the nature of youth and allowed you some indulgence!"

"But you, in a matter as critical to your martial foundation and your future as breaking through to the Dark Jin realm, have been so childish! So utterly pathetic! You failed?!"

He almost roared the last three words, each one like a heavy lash whipping against Zhang Xu's already shattered self-esteem.

That mountain-like pressure of disappointment left Zhang Xu nearly suffocated. His frame swayed imperceptibly, and his already unstable aura became even more chaotic.

Zhang Xu's face was deathly pale, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his temples. His lips trembled, but he could not utter a sound, forced to lower his head further until it was almost buried in his chest.

The immense shame and the pressure from his father made even breathing a struggle.

The air in the room seemed to have frozen, leaving only the sound of Zhang He's heavy, angry breathing.

After a long while, Zhang He took a deep look at his silent, bowed son. His gaze was complex and difficult to decipher—filled with frustration, perhaps, but also a trace of imperceptible exhaustion and helplessness.

In the end, he let out a long sigh, the sound echoing with heavy weight in the silent study.

"Enough. Everything that needed to be said, I have said." Zhang He's tone softened slightly, though his authority remained. "The most important thing now is for you to recuperate and restore your depleted vitality. The Zhang Family is not short on medicinal herbs; I will have the best tonics sent to you. Once your blood and qi have recovered and your mind is settled, there will be another chance to attempt the breakthrough."

He paused, his gaze turning sharp again as he stared down Zhang Xu: "However, Xu'er, remember this: opportunities will not wait for you forever! Next time, you must not disappoint me again! Do you understand?!"

Zhang Xu, like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood, jerked his head up to meet his father's stern gaze and spoke with firm resolve:

"Father! Rest assured! From this day forward, your son will surely turn over a new leaf and focus all his thoughts and energy on the martial path!"

"I will cultivate in seclusion, and next time I challenge the Dark Jin realm, I will succeed!"

"If I fail again, your son... will have no face to see you ever again!"

Hearing this promise, which carried the weight of a blood oath, the thick layer of ice on Zhang He's face finally cracked, his anger slightly abating.

He nodded slightly: "I hope you can keep your word."

Immediately, he changed the subject, his gaze turning deep and calculating: "By the way, how have things been with Liu Qingshi's daughter at the academy lately? Has there been any substantial progress?"

"Father, she... she..."

Zhang Xu's expression stalled, his eyes darting away, his tone stuttering as the cold sweat he had just managed to stop seemed to break out again.

He truly did not know how to answer.

At the academy, Liu Yiyi had always treated him as if he were invisible.

On that face, as cold as a snow lotus, she had never shown him a single expression different from the one she showed others.

All his deliberate approaches and subtle overtures were like stones cast into the sea, failing to stir even a ripple.

Seeing his son's stammering, embarrassed appearance, Zhang He understood the situation seven or eight parts.

The expression that had just softened on his face quickly sank again, and the frustration of seeing his son fail to live up to expectations flared in his eyes.

"When I sent you to the Bluestone Martial Academy, I gave you explicit instructions!"

Zhang He's voice carried suppressed anger once more:

"Martial training is only one aspect, and not even the most important one! The most vital thing is to use the bond of fellow students to win over Liu Qingshi's daughter! To establish a closer connection with her!"

He stepped closer, lowering his voice, though his tone became more heavy and oppressive:

"Xu'er, open your eyes and look! The world today is becoming increasingly unstable! Famine rages across the lands, refugees are like locusts, and all sorts of monsters and demons are emerging!"

"Who knows when Anxi County might fall into chaos!"

"Using this connection with Liu Yiyi to win over Liu Qingshi, a Hua Jin martial artist, is of vital importance to our Zhang Family!"

Zhang Xu, hearing this, showed a trace of hesitation:

"Father, the world is indeed not very peaceful, and there are some wretches in various places who cannot survive and are causing trouble..."

"But based on those rabble 'bandits' alone, you think they can breach the walls of Anxi County? I fear that is not so easy."

The Zhou Kingdom has reached the twilight of its dynasty, and refugee uprisings and rebellions are breaking out everywhere.

These insurgent refugees generally only engage in looting and pillaging to scrape together a meal, which is why they are dismissed as mere bandits.

Zhang Xu simply does not believe these mud-legged peasants are capable of breaching a county seat.

"You think I am fear-mongering?" Zhang He let out a cold snort, a flash of anxiety and gravity crossing his eyes. "I just received news: Lushan County locked its gates and declared martial law yesterday. The city is in total chaos!"

"What? Those roving bandits have the power to cause internal chaos and force a lockdown in Lushan County?"

Zhang Xu jerked his head up, his face filled with disbelief.

Lushan County is right next to Anxi County; if the unrest truly spreads, wealthy families within the city like their Zhang Family would absolutely be the first fat sheep targeted.

"Those mud-legged peasants alone, naturally, do not have such ability."

Zhang He's expression was so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it. He leaned close to his son, his voice lowered to a whisper as if afraid of being overheard by some invisible entity. "I heard that behind the chaos in Lushan County... there is likely the shadow of the Seven Kill Cult at work!"

"What?! The 'Seven Kill Cult'..."

Hearing the three words "Seven Kill Cult," Zhang He's heart trembled.

In the Zhou Kingdom, the name "Seven Kill Cult" is infamous enough to stop children from crying at night!

This cult originated in the previous dynasty and is the bona fide leader of the demonic sects. Their methods are devious and vicious, and they believe in "attaining the Dao through slaughter." Back then, the founding emperor of the Zhou Kingdom personally led a great army to exterminate them, and for a time, they vanished without a trace.

However, ever since the founding emperor passed away, their remnants have been like rats in a sewer, quietly reviving in the shadows and persisting to this day.

The most notorious aspect of the Seven Kill Cult lies in the cruelty of its members, which defies all reason.

It is said that one of the requirements for joining the "Seven Kill Cult" is to have at least one thousand human lives on one's hands.

This means that every single member of the "Seven Kill Cult" is a human butcher.

Over the hundreds of years since the founding of the Zhou Kingdom, several massacres and exterminations that shook the world almost all had the faint shadow of this demonic cult behind them.

Seeing his son frightened to the point of bloodlessness, his body trembling slightly, Zhang He felt his own heart sink. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm, shaking his head slightly. "Of course, this news may not be entirely accurate."

"The lair and main forces of the 'Seven Kill Cult' have always been entrenched in those northern provinces; they rarely set foot in our south."

"Perhaps... it is just someone using their name to act, bluffing to create a false impression."

Upon hearing this, the color slowly returned to Zhang Xu's pale face, though the terror in his eyes did not fully dissipate.

"But regardless, the winds have shifted, and the situation is spiraling downward!" Zhang He's tone was absolute and beyond doubt.

"Whether the 'Seven Kill Cult' is real or fake, the lockdown of Lushan County is real! The trend of the unrest spreading is real!"

"Who can guarantee that Anxi County can remain unscathed? When the nest is overturned, are there any intact eggs? As the Zhang Family, parasites living off this city, how can we sit back and relax?"

He stared into Zhang Xu's eyes, enunciating every word. "So, do you realize now how critical it is that I have you win over Liu Qingshi?"

"I... I understand, Father!"

Zhang Xu swallowed hard, suppressing the chill and panic in his heart, and nodded forcefully. "I will... I will find another way. No matter what, I must get close to Liu Yiyi."

"Xu'er..." Zhang He suddenly interrupted him, his gaze becoming deep and unfathomable. His tone took on an indescribable quality, as if he were imparting some experience not meant for outsiders, and he said softly:

"Actually, this matter of men and women... sometimes, it does not rely entirely on mutual consent or things falling into place naturally. In extraordinary times, one might use... extraordinary means."

He paused, as if recalling something, his voice drifting slightly. "When I was pursuing your mother, she initially refused me in every way, treating me as if I were nothing. Later, well... your father used a little... a tiny bit of scheming and strategy."

"Look at us now; are your mother and I not living in harmony and deep affection?"

Zhang Xu was stunned at first, then it was as if a bolt of lightning had split the fog.

His eyes lit up fiercely, flashing with a mixture of sudden realization and a kind of dark, excited light. His voice trembled slightly with agitation:

"Father, do you mean... that I can... that I can force her..."

"Go back yourself and think it over carefully."

Zhang He did not let him finish the crude words. He turned around, his back to his son, and waved his hand. His tone returned to its usual majesty and detachment, as if the highly suggestive words he had just spoken had never been uttered.