Yangg Yi knelt on the ground, his heart pounding with anxiety.
The Fire Separation Mysterious Skill was a technique passed down from the Gang Leader of the Sanhe Gang. If anyone found out he knew it, he would surely die without a proper burial.
’Ding En, that damned bastard!’
Not all the guards of the Zhu Mansion were on friendly terms, and some of them couldn’t stand Yangg Yi.
Ding En was one of them.
He was jealous of Yangg Yi’s Talent and disliked the air of arrogance he unconsciously projected.
He would often pick fights for no reason, and now that he had an opportunity, he shouted about it, seemingly afraid that others might not know.
Yangg Yi had been careless.
In a moment of desperation, he had forgotten his place and used the Fire Separation Mysterious Skill in front of everyone.
His only hope now was that the family was truly kindhearted and would spare him on account of him saving Miss Zhu Ying.
"Yangg Yi."
"I am here!"
"The Zhu Mansion has treated you well, has it not?"
Zhu Ju sat in the master’s seat, speaking slowly:
"The Orphanage took you in when you were homeless, provided you with food and drink, imparted knowledge, and taught you Martial Arts..."
THUD! Yangg Yi struck his head against the floor, his voice choked with emotion:
"Young Master, I could never forget your immense kindness."
"No."
Zhu Ju’s voice was indifferent:
"I’ve never done anything with the expectation of being repaid."
"Heh..."
"And what could you possibly repay me with?"
"As long as you don’t cause trouble and don’t bring problems to the Zhu Family, I am perfectly content."
Yangg Yi’s heart sank. Though he didn’t know what was about to happen, he subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
"The Zhu Mansion provides you with food and clothing, and you guard the estate. We don’t owe each other anything," Zhu Ju said.
"Although you secretly learned the Primordial Yang Qi Technique, you also saved my sister. A heavy punishment would be inappropriate."
"So..."
"You may leave."
He waved his hand gently:
"Though you are young, you already have a Grade-Entering Cultivation. Once you leave the Zhu Mansion, you’ll have plenty of ways to make a living. If you get into trouble in the future, not mentioning the Zhu Mansion will be the only repayment I ask."
What?
Yangg Yi shot his head up, his face a mask of bewilderment.
Countless times, he had woken from midnight dreams, fantasizing about leaving the Zhu Mansion to make a name for himself in the Martial World.
But now that this choice was laid before him, his heart felt no terror, only a deep anxiety for his uncertain future.
"Young... Young Master."
"Brother!"
Just then, a slender figure burst in and knelt beside Yangg Yi, her knees giving way:
"Brother, I beg you, don’t kick Yangg Yi out."
"Zhu Ying."
Zhu Ju’s expression darkened, and a trace of anger tinged his previously flat tone at her appearance:
"Get up. What do you think you’re doing?"
"Brother," Zhu Ying said through clenched teeth, her voice muffled.
"I was the one who secretly taught Yangg Yi the Primordial Yang Qi Technique. If you’re going to punish someone... punish me!"
Hm?
Yangg Yi whipped his head around, his face a picture of astonishment.
Looking at the young woman kneeling beside him, a strange ripple stirred in his heart.
He had never cultivated the Primordial Yang Qi Technique.
"Nonsense!"
Zhu Ju slammed his hand on the table and rose to his feet.
"Guards!"
"Drag Zhu Ying away!"
"Brother, Brother, don’t send Yangg Yi away." Seeing the servant women approach, Zhu Ying looked up in panic and said hurriedly:
"I’m begging you."
"Take her away!" Zhu Ju flicked his sleeve, ignoring her pleas, and had his people drag her directly back to the rear courtyard.
"Young Master."
Yangg Yi clenched his jaw:
"This has nothing to do with Miss Zhu Ying. I was the one who secretly learned the Cultivation Technique. If you must beat or punish someone, direct it all at me."
"Heh..." Zhu Ju sneered.
"You certainly take responsibility for your own actions. I thought that since you were both still young, I wouldn’t need to be on guard. It seems that’s not the case."
"Fine."
He paused in thought for a moment, then said:
"From this day forward, you will stand guard at the mines outside the city. You are not to come within half a step of the Zhu Mansion without a direct order."
"Or..."
"Leave Taiyuan Prefecture!"
"I am willing to go outside the city," Yangg Yi said, lowering his head.
"Thank you, Young Master!"
...
Except for holidays and certain special occasions, Zhu Ju rarely ate with his younger siblings.
For one, with the two aunts present, it was somewhat inconvenient.
For another, there was also nothing much to say.
In his eyes, Zhu Ying and the others were too young; there were some things they wouldn’t understand even if he told them.
Today, however, they were gathered together.
"The matter has been resolved, and the villains have been executed. You can all rest assured."
Zhu Ju put down his chopsticks:
"Zhenzhen, what’s wrong with you?"
"Brother..." Zhu Zhenzhen’s face was pale:
"I... I don’t feel well. I can’t eat. You don’t have to worry about me."
Her mind was still filled with scenes of rivers of blood and mangled flesh. The sight of the meat on the table made her stomach turn, and it took all of her self-control not to dry heave.
"In this world, the strong are revered, so the times can never be peaceful," Zhu Ju said, withdrawing his gaze.
"Sometimes, even if you don’t want to stir up trouble, trouble will come knocking. The only way to face the storm without fear is to become strong yourself."
"I told you all to practice your Martial Arts diligently. Have any of you even been trying?"
The four of them lowered their heads in unison.
"Zhu Ju."
Aunt Zhou gave a dry laugh and said:
"Don’t start lecturing the moment we sit down to eat. It’s rare for our family to be together. We should be happy."
"I don’t want to say much either," Zhu Ju said, his face expressionless.
"What happened today was too dangerous. If you don’t want to experience something like that again, you should know what to do."
"The silver, Elixirs, Cultivation Techniques, and Martial Arts Masters are all here for you. Do not fail to live up to these privileges."
"Sigh!"
Seeing his younger siblings with their heads down, not saying a word, Zhu Ju sighed in resignation:
"Just eat."
*
*
*
The East Sea was vast.
Near the mainland, scattered islands dotted the waters. This region was known as the Island of Continuous Mountains.
BOOM!
A colossal ship, a full one hundred zhang long, crashed through the storm and appeared in a stretch of sea.
Behind it, Divine Dynasty naval vessels emerged one after another, their powerful auras seeming to suppress the storm itself.
The men on board wore the uniforms of the Divine Dynasty’s Sea Defense. Thousands of them rode the wind and broke the waves without a single extraneous sound.
Their military discipline was so strict it was chilling.
Such a powerful naval force, yet it was merely a small contingent of the Divine Dynasty’s Sea Defense.
"General."
On the deck, a man cupped his fist in his other hand in salute:
"A message has come from the Jade Tower. We are to dispatch men to Taiyuan Prefecture to assist the locals in wiping out a group of bandits."
"Bandits?" the heavily bearded general asked in a gruff voice.
"What’s their strength?"
"The bandit leader has a Sixth-Grade Peak Cultivation. He is accompanied by two Sixth-Grade Eagle Demons with special bloodlines," the subordinate reported.
"Their strength isn’t overwhelming, but they are extremely cunning."
"Sixth-Grade..." the general grunted.
"The message is from the Jade Tower, but does it bear the Huang Family’s seal?"
"No."
"Then it’s not that important."
The general said,
"The East Sea Dragon Race may be bound by an agreement not to approach within three thousand li of the mainland, but in recent years, they have repeatedly sent their underlings with Flood Dragon Bloodlines to infiltrate the Human Race. What’s more, Great Demons are causing chaos. The mainland’s affairs can wait."
"Let’s deal with the matter at hand first. This can be postponed."
"Yes, sir," the subordinate acknowledged, putting away the letter.
’He knew that when the general said "postponed," it wouldn’t be mentioned again for at least a year or so. Besides, since it lacked the Huang Family’s seal, it wasn’t a high priority. It was probably just some private matter for a member of the Huang Family. The Huang Family had to be shown respect, of course, but that didn’t mean they had to do everything asked of them.’
Not far away, several cargo ships flying the banners of the Divine Array Sect’s sea merchants slowly sailed by. One of them later docked near Taiyuan Prefecture.
A Treasure Bottle containing the Essence Blood of a Third-Grade Demon Race member flowed off the ship, passed through the hands of the Black Market, and ended up in the hands of Zhu Ju.
"It seems even the Dragon Race has members who have fallen on hard times."
Gently stroking the porcelain bottle, Zhu Ju revealed a faint smile.
"I only asked casually, yet the Pai Sect actually managed to find the Essence Blood of a Third-Grade Flood Dragon from the East Sea."
"I wonder if the owner of this Essence Blood had it taken from them, or if they sold their own blood for money?"
’The Dragon Race was known for its greed. It wasn’t uncommon for them to sell parts of their own bodies.’