Staying Will Be Miserable

Before the gates of the Ren Family, although Ren Jie and the others had already left, Tie Ta was leading a squad of Guard Squad guards in conscientiously carrying out Ren Jie's orders.

"Eighteen... nineteen... twenty..."

Smack... smack... smack...

Tie Ta counted seriously while the Guard Squad men brought their rods down heavily again and again. The four fellows were beaten until their skin split and flesh tore, their screams ringing without end. With caning, if a true expert carried it out, they could kill you with a single blow if they wanted to; if they did not, even a hundred blows would only leave flesh wounds.

Though Ren Jie had not given the order directly, the Guard Squad understood perfectly well that the Family Head did not intend to kill anyone. But they had long been sick of the sight of this bunch, so naturally they showed no mercy. At the very least, they would beat them half to death. With only ordinary medicine available to them, they would not be getting out of bed for three months at minimum.

Right outside the family gates, the other members of the Lineage watched with pounding hearts, and quite a few people in the distance had come to watch the excitement.

But everyone had a different mindset. The onlookers in the distance feared no chaos, while the Ren Family members secretly worried one by one, afraid that the Family Head's blazing anger might burn its way onto their own heads.

Especially now that the Council of Elders also held power. Those who disobeyed the Council of Elders would be dealt with, but if they obeyed the Council of Elders and happened to enrage the Family Head, then they were in trouble too. It was now obvious that the Family Head and the Council of Elders had openly fallen out.

After Tie Ta faithfully completed Ren Jie's order, he led this squad of Guard Squad men to Ren Jie's residence. Ren Jie's residence was quite impressive, located in the very heart of the Ren Family, a full five kilometers behind the Great Council Hall. It occupied the largest area in the Ren Family and had been the residence of every Family Head through the generations, with countless formations and restrictions. When Tie Ta and the others arrived, they found Tong Qiang and every member of the Guard Squad lined up and waiting in a small Martial Arts Arena.

This was a Martial Arts Arena within the Family Head's residence, completely sealed off from the outside world. At that moment, Ren Jie stood quietly atop the platform, clearly waiting for them.

"Reporting to Family Head, the caning according to family law has been carried out." Tie Ta felt as though he had returned to his father's military camp. He stepped forward with his chest out and head raised to make his report, while the Guard Squad men immediately returned to formation.

Ren Jie nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping over the Guard Squad, now fully assembled, passing over Tie Ta, Tong Qiang, and every one of them.

At this moment, the fat Gao Ren had been following at Ren Jie's side. After Ren Jie returned earlier, he had simply waited quietly here, but Gao Ren's heart had been in turmoil. He kept guessing what his Meal Ticket Boss was planning to do.

An inspection? This was hardly the time for that. These men looked decent enough, but relying on them to take out those Elders was impossible, wasn't it?

And before Tie Ta and the others had returned, Second Elder and the others had already sent someone over. It was clearly the first wave of retaliation for what had happened earlier, delivering notices to Ren Jie, Tong Qiang, and the others.

Since Tong Qiang and the others would no longer obey the Council of Elders and the Lineage, and would serve only as the Family Head's private Guard Squad, all future expenses for the Guard Squad could no longer be drawn from the Lineage. Everything would have to be borne personally by the Family Head. Not only that, the Family Head would henceforth have to review and decide a great many matters. They had just sent over all sorts of documents and accounts, filling several chests, yet the final authority over these matters remained in the hands of the Council of Elders.

In the name of allowing the Family Head to begin learning before coming of age, they said that he had to complete his studies at Jade Emperor Academy. If he repeated a grade and failed to graduate, then even upon adulthood he would not be allowed to formally take over the Lineage's affairs. Thus, the Council of Elders would regularly assess the Family Head's progress in literary, martial, and other studies...

Listening to the endless messages the Council of Elders kept sending over, all clearly decisions within the Council of Elders' authority and the Lineage's rules, even a blind man could see that this was retaliation for Ren Jie's actions before the Ren Family gates. Gao Ren got a headache just listening, yet when he glanced sideways at Ren Jie, he found not the slightest trace of anger on his face. It was as if these matters had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"You all saw it today. Even an idiot should know what kind of situation I, this Family Head, am in now. A pack of Elders whom my old man used to suppress so thoroughly they did not dare let out a single fart, and the nobles of Jade Capital City who used to wish they could hide whenever they saw my old man—they all think this Family Head is young and easy to bully now."

"I like eating, drinking, playing around, and fighting. Spending money is my business, because I have a good father, because my father is badass enough. But some people wanting to take advantage of my youth and treat me like a fool—that absolutely will not do. Yes, I am no damned peerless hero or unparalleled genius, but I am Ren Tianxing's son, and I am the Family Head of the Ren Family."

"Who are you?" Ren Jie suddenly looked at Tong Qiang and the Guard Squad, men who had followed Ren Tianxing through life and death countless times. His voice abruptly rose. "You are the brothers who shared life and death with my father, Ren Tianxing. You are the Guard Squad to whom my father and I dared entrust our backs, the people to whom we entrusted our lives. And precisely because of that, this Family Head wants to ask you today: without the fine food and wine provided by the Lineage, without servants provided by the Lineage, without sufficient resources and benefits, would you still stand behind this Family Head? No matter the circumstances, no matter what changes came, would you still face everything together with this Family Head?"

"If you regret it now, there is still time. My father may never return, and you understand the situation both inside and outside the Lineage without me needing to explain it. This Family Head may only be able to guarantee that as long as I have a bite to eat, you will not go hungry. And once you stay, I will have new demands for you. Because the Family Head's Guard Squad I heard about growing up was not like this—not men wearing splendid armor for others to admire, not a ceremonial guard for holidays and festivals. So I will retrain you, and I will lead you into fights where, no matter who it is, we may have to battle until one side dies."

"If you stay, you will suffer miserably. Miserably. Because I cannot stand the sight of you as you are now, because you are not the Guard Squad I want."

"If you stay, you will certainly face death. Perhaps you will die in training, perhaps you will die in battle, because from this day onward, you will no longer have peaceful days."

"If you stay, you are destined to become enemies with the vast majority of people. Because whether inside or outside the Lineage, no one wants to see me, this Family Head, actually accomplish anything. And you will be the first to bear the cruelest blows."

"If you stay, it will be miserable—miserable training, miserable treatment, no guarantee of life or death. Because the Family Head you follow now needs others' approval even to spend money. Perhaps one day, this Family Head may even take you all to become horse bandits and robbers."

"You have a choice..." Ren Jie pointed toward the Martial Arts Arena exit. "Walk out from here, and I swear in my father Ren Tianxing's name that I will not hold any of you responsible. Because you owe nothing to my father or me. Anyone who leaves now will receive an estate. These are properties under my name, and I have the authority to reward them to you. They will be enough to ensure that you never lack food or clothing for the rest of your lives. If you sell the estate and go somewhere smaller, you could even establish a small family. Consider it the last bit of compensation from me as your Family Head. Now, those who wish to leave, do not hesitate. Do not look back. Leave immediately through here."

Damn it, what was Meal Ticket Boss doing? If he put it that way, how could anyone possibly stay? Ren Jie might not have much pocket money he could spend, but before Ren Tianxing left, he had handed all his private properties over to Ren Jie. Ren Jie truly had more estates and businesses under his name than could be counted. They were currently managed by the Council of Elders, but that only applied to their income and management. If he insisted on giving them away or rewarding them to others, the Council of Elders had no authority to stop him.

Even a small estate was worth several million taels of gold, and each came with a large number of servants and workers, bringing in a certain income every year.

Wasn't this tempting them to hurry up and leave? If they left, they would receive enough in one go to enjoy for a lifetime. If they stayed, they would suffer miserably—miserable training, miserable treatment, with no guarantee of life or death. Wasn't he forcing them to leave? Behind Ren Jie, Gao Ren secretly tugged at the corner of Ren Jie's clothes. What kind of way was that to speak? Who in the world talked like that? If he said it that way, no one would stay...

Boom! At that instant, an explosive sound rang out. The majestic golden armor on Tong Qiang, who stood at the very front, suddenly seemed as if someone had stuffed it full of explosives. It burst apart and flew in every direction.

"Damn it, wearing this skin has disgusted me for ages. Wearing this thing as decoration has nearly suffocated me to death. Family Head, we only recognize you and the Old Family Head. We do not ask about right or wrong, and we do not care about anything else. Just tell us what you want done." That majestic golden armor had only been made to make the Guard Squad look imposing and spectacular when they went out; it was not real armor. Now that it had exploded into fragments, a large man was revealed within. Though he was not as exaggeratedly huge as Tie Ta, he was still tall and mighty. Most importantly, his bald head gleamed brightly with oil, so shiny that under the sunlight it could have been used as a mirror.

Tong Qiang's appearance alone could give a timid person nightmares. Especially now, stirred by Ren Jie's words, the blood that had lain dormant for years boiled once more. He seemed to have returned to the days when he followed Ren Tianxing, making him appear even more terrifyingly fierce.

Bang... bang... bang... The other Guard Squad members behind Tong Qiang did not possess Tong Qiang's mana and could not directly blow apart their armor, but they immediately tore it off and threw it aside. One after another, they looked like men who had been sealed away for years and had finally come back to life.

"Any dog can wear this junk for others to look at."

"Living every day without a shred of flavor to it—nothing beats fighting through life and death with the Old Family Head like before."

"Family Head, we are the Guard Squad. Give the word, and if you tell us to rob the Imperial Palace, we'll go immediately."

"Haha... Di Shu, you're suited for stealing. You're no good at robbery. That has to be left to me."

"Xiao Niao, since when were you any good at robbery?"

"Family Head, how about we gather all our Imperial Guards brothers and cleanse the Lineage from top to bottom first?"

Wearing those ceremonial-looking suits of armor, these men had seemed like machines without human emotions. But after Ren Jie's speech and after they removed their armor, they instantly changed from decorative figures into a group of flesh-and-blood men.

More accurately, they had returned to their true colors, each one incomparably fierce. Their former days might have offered good food, good lodging, and good treatment, but they had lived in unbearable discomfort. Even with better resources, they found it difficult to cultivate and improve as they had before. Fine food, comfortable homes, servants waiting upon them—none of it sat right with them. When Ren Jie spoke those words, this group led by Tong Qiang came alive one by one.

As for everything else, it could all go to hell.

Not one person walked toward the direction Ren Jie had pointed out. Not one even responded to Ren Jie's offer. Whether it was robbing the Imperial Palace or purging the Lineage from within, they did not care.

What kind of people were these? This actually worked? Gao Ren had been so anxious that he had broken out in sweat. Now he wiped the perspiration from his forehead, feeling that he had truly broadened his horizons. He had seen plenty of schemes and deceptions, but this was the first time he had encountered such a group of rough, bold people, so full of blood and life. Ren Jie's words and these people's response made Gao Ren's nose sting slightly.