Chapter 41: We Are One Big Happy Family |
Amidst a tangled web of interests and threats, Hongmei reached a rather awkward equilibrium with the Wang clan uncle and his two nephews.
If he attacked, the three would definitely run, and he would be finished.
If he didn't attack, the three would report him to Wang Xianmao, and he would still be half-finished.
Ultimately, his cultivation base was insufficient. He had taken a risk in the face of the temptation of Foundation Establishment, and ended up botching it.
Most importantly, Yulou was sharp. The moment Hongmei revealed killing intent, Yulou noticed it immediately.
Hongmei's decisiveness had allowed him to successfully loot Golden Light Pavilion, but his subsequent hesitation and overthinking ruined everything.
What he expected least of all was that all three members of the Wang clan possessed Hundred-Li Wanderer Escape Talismans.
After thinking it over, Hongmei decided he wanted to mend their relationship. After all, he definitely couldn't avoid making a trip to see Wang Xianmao now.
Even if he reached the Foundation Establishment realm, he still had to give an explanation for this matter—he couldn't fool Yulou, he couldn't fool Wang Xianmao, and he certainly didn't dare face the Immortal Alliance Foundation Establishment cultivator backing Golden Light Pavilion!
"Yulou, come, these two magical artifacts are a reward for you. You performed very well today!
"Remaining calm in the face of danger, keeping a steady heart when major events occur. You two are both good children."
He took out two high-grade magical artifact flying swords from his storage bag—one an agate jade sword, the other a cold iron silver sword—and handed them to the two brothers.
Looking at the high-grade magical artifact flying swords his master held out, Yulou shook his head slightly and said,
"We didn't help out today, master. We shouldn't accept such a bestowed treasure."
This old geezer Hongmei had harbored killing intent toward him.
Yulou felt it was inappropriate to try and smooth this over with just two flying swords.
When your enemy compromises, you must press your advantage and chase down the cornered foe.
Of course, Hongmei wasn't Yulou's enemy, but his master.
But at this moment, both sides were effectively locked in an antagonistic game.
Hongmei hadn't actually attacked, and the Wang clan didn't have an absolute reason to kill him.
However, Hongmei's attitude turned his looting of Golden Light Pavilion into a bargaining chip for the Wang clan to control him.
How high the value of this bargaining chip could be wasn't up to Yulou to decide. He was just a minor cultivator with too thin of a foundation, after all.
When it came to extracting potential, Wang Xianmao, who had been a cultivator for at least a hundred years, was obviously much more proficient.
If they accepted the flying swords Hongmei offered to win them over, the value of this bargaining chip would drop significantly.
This was something Yulou absolutely could not accept!
The Wang clan treated him well. He couldn't just think of himself. In this land of Wunan, if everyone wanted to live a better life, they had to stick together!
"What exactly happened today, Yulou? Explain it to me in detail!"
Wang Rongsheng spoke up from a distance. Although he had already guessed most of the truth, he needed further confirmation.
"Master killed the shopkeeper of Golden Light Pavilion, and also killed the assistants. Then he took their storage bags and magical artifacts.
"Next, master looted Golden Light Pavilion's storehouse. After taking the valuable items, he set a fire and burned the corpses of everyone in Golden Light Pavilion along with the building itself.
"Master is truly amazing. Don't you think so, clan uncle?"
Yulou's calm response caused cold sweat to stream down Hongmei's face.
Golden Light Pavilion was backed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator holding office in the Immortal Alliance. Wang Yulou had completely calculated that he wouldn't be able to hold up under the pressure!
In three short sentences, he had mentioned Golden Light Pavilion no less than ten times. The threatening intent was self-evident.
In the past, Yulou wasn't like this. He had been extremely filial toward Hongmei.
For things to develop to this point, one could truly say that the affairs of the world were unpredictable.
Yulou's final phrase, 'master is truly amazing,' echoed in Hongmei's mind like a curse.
He once again felt a surge of killing intent. The Wang clan was trying to squeeze him to death!
No, to be precise, he wanted to squeeze him to death!
Looking at Yulou's calm expression, Hongmei smiled and said,
"Yes, I took quite a few magical artifacts, spirit stones, and spiritual materials. Wait until we return to Clear Stream Market to exchange them for spirit stones.
"I'll reward you two boys, who put in quite a bit of effort, with two thousand each!
"Fellow Daoist Rongsheng may have arrived a step late, but I know you also wanted to help me. I will certainly—"
Wang Rongsheng didn't let Hongmei finish, instead interrupting,
"We've rested enough, Fellow Daoist Hongmei. Let us continue our journey."
——
Sugar-coated bullets?
Absolutely useless!
First, escort him back to Clear Stream Market, then talk!
It was only because the distance from here to Wang Family Mountain was too far for a voice transmission talisman to reach; otherwise, Wang Rongsheng would have already sent one.
When our family's patriarch arrives, he'll beat you into a pig's head.
You audacious bastard!
Among the four of them, Hongmei clearly had the highest cultivation base, and he was even piloting the flying carriage carrying Yulou and his brother.
However, this trip back to Clear Stream Market had abruptly turned into an escort mission.
Of course, the one being escorted was Hongmei.
At this moment, Yulou felt the benefits of the Immortal Alliance's constraints for the very first time.
With the Immortal Alliance reigning above, the world of Wunan wasn't completely plunged into chaos, and these cultivators still retained a hint of reverence.
If there wasn't a powerful organization restraining cultivators, what kind of outrageous acts would cultivators wielding such mighty power commit?
At that time, probably no act would be too outrageous to occur.
"Yu'an, do you like your senior martial sister?"
Driving the carriage, Hongmei was panicking internally, but he was still trying to find some possibility of salvaging his dignity.
Holding his younger brother back, Yulou answered for him.
"Yes, Yu'an likes Senior Martial Sister Ningyao."
Hongmei still had some ability to withstand pressure, and he began to bandy words with Yulou.
"You two are both my good disciples. As the first batch of disciples under my tutelage, I even gave you each two magical artifacts.
"Of course, this is simply what I should do as your master. Coming out this time, I also taught you the secret arts of the artificing path. It is all as it should be."
Your master here is a good master. You have to admit that.
Right, Yulou?
"Yes, master, you also taught us how to burn down Golden Light Pavilion. Thank you for teaching by example."
He agreed, but he agreed a bit too much.
Hongmei frowned and continued.
"Yulou, there might be a minor misunderstanding between us, but there is something I must make clear.
"All along, I have been grooming Yu'an—Yu'an, listen closely—I have been grooming you to be my son-in-law.
"Ningyao has grown up, and you are sixteen now. She is currently at the seventh layer of Qi Induction, and you are at the fifth layer of Qi Induction.
"I will make the call. As long as you break through to the Qi Refining realm, I will betroth Ningyao to you. Yu'an, what do you think?"
Hongmei knew that Yulou, this little brat, was hard to deal with. Very hard to deal with.
However, Yu'an was different from his older brother; he was a completely foolish kid.
Wasn't this his breakthrough point?
Fortresses were always breached from within. Yu'an's biological father, Rongwen, was a core pillar of the Wang clan!
Yulou had guarded the value of his bargaining chip well, and what Hongmei was doing now was constantly looking for a breakthrough to suppress that value.
"I'll listen to my brother!"
Yu'an was intensely conflicted internally; he was truly tempted.
None of them had become immortals yet. It was normal for Hongmei to be greedy and for Yu'an to be smitten.
But sitting in the flying carriage with his feet off the ground, Yu'an still had enough sense to understand that he needed to listen to his older brother.
"Yulou, what do you think? Yu'an is your blood brother, after all."
Hongmei looked at Yulou. To secure a peaceful path to Foundation Establishment, he was giving his daughter to his second disciple.
Going to this extent was already his limit.
He only begged that the Wang clan wouldn't make trouble for him!
Yulou understood perfectly well that he couldn't afford to offend Yu'an.
When it came to matters of the heart, brotherly affection and romantic love couldn't be strictly ranked, especially since Yu'an was still immature. It would be very easy for problems to arise.
What if this petty matter ruined their brotherhood?
Don't say it was impossible; anything was possible.
Therefore, it wasn't Yulou's place to block it.
Since this dog Hongmei tossed the problem to him, he naturally wouldn't catch it.
"Master, you are still my master.
"We are one big happy family.
"Like this, Yu'an's marriage will be decided by the Patriarch.
"Yu'an says he listens to me, so I say, I will listen to the Patriarch!"
Yulou replied with resounding certainty.
"Although Fellow Daoist Rongsheng arrived a step late, I know you meant well, so I will surely..."
Wang Rongsheng ignored his words, cutting him off to say,
"We've rested enough, Fellow Daoist Hongmei. Let's continue on our way."
Sugar-coated bullets?
Absolutely useless!
Escort him back to Clear Stream Market first!
The only reason Wang Rongsheng hadn't sent a voice transmission talisman yet was because Wang Family Mountain was too far away.
Once our family's ancestor arrives, he'll beat you into a pig's head.
You brazen dog!
Among the four of them, Hongmei's cultivation base was undoubtedly the highest, and he was even the one driving the flying carriage carrying Yulou and Yu'an.
Yet, this return trip to Clear Stream Market had abruptly turned into an escort mission.
And the one being escorted, of course, was Hongmei.
For the first time, Yulou truly felt the benefits of the Immortal Alliance's constraints.
Because the Immortal Alliance loomed high above, the state of affairs in Wunan wasn't entirely chaotic, and these cultivators still retained a modicum of reverence.
Without a powerful organization to keep them in check, what kind of outrageous atrocities would these cultivators commit with their mighty power?
Without a doubt, the absolute worst.
"Yu'an, do you like your senior martial sister?"
Driving the carriage, Hongmei was panicking internally, yet he still tried to salvage some semblance of dignity.
Pressing a hand on his brother's shoulder, Yulou answered on his behalf.
"Yes, Yu'an likes Senior Martial Sister Ningyao."
Hongmei still had some mental fortitude left, so he began to banter with Yulou.
"You are both my good disciples. As the first batch of disciples under my tutelage, I even gave you two magical artifacts each."
"Of course, this is simply what I should do as your master. On this trip, I also taught you the secret arts of the artificing path. It's only natural."
'I am a good master. You have to acknowledge that much.'
'Yulou, wouldn't you agree?'
"Yes, master. You also taught us how to burn down the Golden Light Pavilion. Thank you, master, for leading by example."
Yulou agreed, but his agreement was a little too pointed.
Hongmei frowned and continued.
"Yulou, there might be some minor misunderstandings between us, but there's something I must make clear."
"All along, I have considered Yu'an—Yu'an, listen carefully—I have been grooming you to be my son-in-law."
"Ningyao is all grown up, and you are sixteen now. She is currently at the seventh layer of Qi Induction, and you are at the fifth layer of Qi Induction."
"I'll make the decision right now. As long as you break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, no, the Qi Refining stage, I will betroth Ningyao to you. Yu'an, what do you think?"
Hongmei knew that Yulou, this little brat, was difficult to deal with. Extremely difficult.
Yu'an, however, was different from his older brother; he belonged to the category of naive, foolish boys.
Wasn't he the perfect weak point?
A fortress is always breached from within. Yu'an's biological father, Rongwen, was a core pillar of the Wang Clan!
Yulou had guarded their leverage well. Right now, Hongmei was desperately looking for a breakthrough to diminish the value of that leverage.
"I'll listen to my brother!"
Yu'an's heart was deeply conflicted. He was truly moved.
None of them had become immortals yet. It was perfectly normal for Hongmei to be greedy, just as it was normal for Yu'an to be a smitten fool.
But sitting in the flying carriage, with his feet off the ground, Yu'an still retained a sliver of sense. He knew he had to listen to his older brother.
"Yulou, what do you think? Yu'an is your own flesh and blood."
Hongmei looked toward Yulou. For the sake of a stable Foundation Establishment, he was offering his daughter to his second disciple.
Going to such lengths was already his limit.
He only prayed that the Wang Clan wouldn't cause trouble for him!
Yulou understood the situation perfectly; he couldn't possibly alienate Yu'an over this.
When it came to emotions, the bond of brotherhood didn't automatically outweigh romantic love. Especially since Yu'an was still immature, it would be all too easy for resentment to fester.
What if they couldn't even be brothers anymore because of this?
Nothing was impossible.
Therefore, it wasn't Yulou's place to stand in the way.
Since this old dog Hongmei was tossing the problem to him, he naturally wouldn't take the bait.
'Master, you are still my master.'
'We are one big happy family.'
'In that case, Yu'an's marriage will be decided by the Patriarch himself.'
"Yu'an said he listens to me, so I say, we listen to the Patriarch!"
Yulou replied in a resounding voice.
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