Give You a Chance

Zhu Chengze left the council hall in a huff, his stomach full of resentment.

The five Zhu brothers appeared harmonious on the surface, but their standing within the Zhu Family was far from equal.

Among the five brothers, he, Zhu Chengze, held the lowest status.

Zhu Chengan was the eldest. Since childhood, he had helped Zhu Chaofeng manage the Zhu Family. As the eldest brother, he was like a father, so his status was naturally high.

The second brother, Zhu Chengguo, neither fought nor competed. He had a steady temperament and decent martial talent, making him a pillar of the Zhu Family second only to Zhu Chengzong.

The fourth brother, Zhu Chengzu, was handsome, smooth-talking, and good at handling people. He was Zhu Chaofeng's favorite.

As for the fifth brother, Zhu Chengzong, there was even less need to mention him. A martial arts prodigy who had joined the Radiant Extreme Sect, he was the Zhu Family's hope for the future.

And what about him, Zhu Chengze?

His looks were ordinary, his martial talent was ordinary, and he had a sullen personality that made him poor with words.

The Zhu Family's rise had not brought him many benefits. Yet now that the fourth brother had provoked a powerful enemy, he was expected to risk his life too. Why should he?

Grumbling to himself, Zhu Chengze returned to his room.

But the instant he pushed open the door, Zhu Chengze's eyes widened, his face filled with horror.

Chen Yuan, dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat, sat calmly in Zhu Chengze's room with both hands resting on a long saber, waiting for him at his leisure.

Just as Zhu Chengze was about to cry out, Chen Yuan raised a finger to his lips. "Don't make a sound. If you do, I'll kill you now."

Zhu Chengze forcibly swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue.

He had seen Chen Yuan's saber and knew how fast it was.

If Chen Yuan wanted to kill him, he could absolutely do so before his eldest brother and father arrived.

"You've got some nerve! You still dared to sneak into the Zhu Family at a time like this!"

Zhu Chengze lowered his voice, his eyes full of fear.

"I dared to wipe out your Zhu Family. What would I be afraid to sneak in for?"

Chen Yuan sneered and said flatly, "I came only to give you a chance—a chance to live. It depends on whether you want it."

"You can spare the Zhu Family?"

"No, but I can promise not to kill you."

Chen Yuan looked at Zhu Chengze with a faintly mocking smile. "I can tell you're afraid of death. You really don't want to die, so I'm giving you this chance.

As long as you kill every member of the Zhu Family at the critical moment and openly turn on them, I won't kill you.

Of course, you don't have to agree right now. Whether you live or die depends on what you do."

With that, Chen Yuan moved and leaped straight out through the window, vanishing into the night.

Zhu Chengze clenched his fists tightly, struggle and conflict flickering in his eyes.

Chen Yuan had been right about one thing.

He was afraid of death. He was very afraid of death...

In the darkness of night, more than a dozen Zhu Family retainers slipped out of the Zhu Family without even daring to light torches, preparing to head down the mountain.

Fearing any noise, these retainers did not even dare ride horses. They deliberately scattered, suppressing every sound as they descended by different streets.

But no matter how carefully they concealed their movements, they were crystal clear to Chen Yuan's keen senses.

As dazzling saber light flashed through the darkness, one Zhu Family retainer after another was beheaded before they could even let out a scream, their heads separating from their bodies as they fell to the ground.

Of the dozen-plus retainers, even the one who had gone the farthest had only made it one street away before Chen Yuan killed him.

The next morning.

The sky had only just begun to brighten when some of the bolder people in Lone Mountain City cautiously ventured outside to inspect the situation.

They had all sensed the Zhu Family's large-scale mobilization the previous night as they searched for their enemy.

But what came afterward was not the sound of fierce fighting. It was the sound of the Zhu Family retainers fleeing in defeat.

When they reached the scene, they found severed limbs everywhere and a pile of mangled flesh. The sight was simply horrific.

According to some of the retainers who had escaped, that pile of mangled flesh had been Zhu Chengguo, the Zhu Family's second son!

The area around the Zhu Family estate was equally miserable.

More than a dozen Zhu Family retainers had been decapitated, their headless corpses strewn across the ground.

Some lay near the estate, while others had fallen closer to the road down the mountain.

Now everyone understood.

The Zhu Family was afraid!

They had been frightened by one man and were trying to seek help outside.

Once they understood this, the expressions of Lone Mountain City's residents became rather strange.

How arrogant had the Zhu Family been before?

They had run rampant through Lone Mountain City, bullying others with no one daring to provoke them.

One of their sons had even joined a major Central Plains sect. Even forces somewhat stronger than the Zhu Family had to show them some respect.

But what about now? They had become like lambs awaiting slaughter, panicked and helpless.

The Zhu Family was nothing special after all!

At that moment, inside the Zhu Family, neither Zhu Chengan nor Zhu Chaofeng had closed their eyes all night.

It was not that they did not dare sleep. They simply could not.

After daybreak, retainers went out of the estate to inspect the situation. What they found were headless corpses all over the ground.

"Every retainer we sent out is dead. That man didn't leave after yesterday's battle—he's watching our Zhu Family from the shadows!"

A trace of terror appeared in Zhu Chengan's eyes.

This time, he was truly afraid. He had no solution left.

The enemy had locked onto the Zhu Family like a parasite clinging to the bone. No matter what they did, they could not shake him off.

"What a vicious method!" Zhu Chaofeng's expression darkened.

Lone Mountain City's terrain was, in a flattering sense, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

But if someone sealed it off from within, it would also be hard for them to escape.

There was only one road down the mountain. Were they supposed to jump off the cliffs?

"Gather all the remaining retainers. Once night falls, have them all charge out of the Zhu Family.

If more than a hundred people scatter and flee together, how could he possibly kill them all by himself?

Even a hundred pigs wouldn't be that easy to catch."

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Chaofeng settled on a plan.

Zhu Chengan nodded. There was nothing else they could do now.

But before Zhu Chengan could issue the order, Zhu Chengze rushed in frantically.

"Father! Eldest Brother! This is bad! All the retainers have fled!"

Zhu Chaofeng shot to his feet. "What!? Every last one of them fled?"

Zhu Chengze forced a smile uglier than a crying face. "Not a single one remained. We couldn't stop them! Some even stole our money and jewelry before running away."

"Damn them! They deserve death!"

Zhu Chaofeng slammed his palm onto the table beside him, shattering the fine rosewood table into pieces.

But at that moment, Zhu Chaofeng's rage was nothing more than helpless fury.

Everyone had already fled. Who was he supposed to kill?

"Third Brother, go shut the gates immediately. Lock every entrance to the estate!"

After Zhu Chengze left, Zhu Chaofeng collapsed back into his chair, his face seeming to age several years in an instant.

"One wrong step, and every step after it went wrong."

Zhu Chaofeng had once been merely the son of a butcher. He had spent decades dominating Lone Mountain City and building the Zhu Family into what it was today. He could be considered a formidable figure.

Unfortunately, as he grew older, he gradually lost the caution and prudence of his youth.

The root cause of the Zhu Family's string of blows had been his own arrogance and carelessness!

Since he had chosen to wipe out the Chu Family back then, he should have exterminated them thoroughly and left no one alive.

After learning that someone intended to destroy the Zhu Family, he likewise should not have slowly probed and tested the enemy. A lion used its full strength even to hunt a rabbit. If several hundred retainers and four Qi Forging Realm experts had attacked together, how could the enemy have possibly held them off?

Yet he had misstepped at every turn, allowing the Zhu Family to be driven to such a state by a single man.

"Father, we can't just be trapped to death in the Zhu Family!"

Zhu Chengan suddenly said, "The retainers are all gone, and panic has spread through the Zhu Family. Neither you nor I can sleep peacefully anymore.

There may be a thief for a thousand days, but there is no guarding against a thief for a thousand days. The enemy is wearing down our strength.

Once he exhausts us completely, he can attack the Zhu Family outright and kill us with ease!

Rather than passively wait for him to come to our door, the two of us should charge down the mountain first.

Once we get down the mountain, the world is vast and the sky is wide. There will be ways to survive everywhere!"

Zhu Chaofeng frowned slightly. "What about your brothers? What about the Zhu Family's dependents? Are we taking them with us?"

"We can't take them!"

Zhu Chengan said in a deep voice, "If we bring along a group of burdens, everyone will die!

Have Third Brother remain in the Zhu Family with the other dependents while we father and son head down the mountain.

The enemy is only one person. He can't be in two places at once.

If he comes after us, Third Brother and the others will be safe, and we'll have enough strength to resist.

If he comes to the Zhu Family to kill Third Brother, we'll have even more time to escape down the mountain.

Father, when it comes down to it, sacrifices have to be made!"

At the brink of life and death, Zhu Chengan was remarkably decisive—one could even call him cold-blooded.

Those remaining in the Zhu Family were not merely other people's dependents. His own wives, concubines, and son were among them.

If his wives and concubines died, he could marry more. If his son died, he could have another. But if he died, he would truly be dead.

Zhu Chaofeng closed his eyes in thought. In the end, he sighed softly and nodded.

Though Zhu Chengan made it sound good, what they were really doing was abandoning the Zhu Family's burdens so the two of them could flee for their lives.

"Go bring Third Brother here. Explain it clearly to him and tell him to put the greater good first."