Chapter 272 - Zheng Shis Death (1/2)

Ling Zhang, after giving Yuwen Qi a kick which had made him vomit blood, said coldly, “I’m in no position to judge you? For your information, soon everything in the Yuwen family will be mine, including Yuwen Tong, and from now on you two will be my sworn enemies, because you tried to have him killed today; and make no mistakes, it is your lives that I’ll be seeking to take!”

After saying this, he aimed another kick at Yuwen Qi which instantly sent him flying. Yuwen Qi landed head-first on the ground, blood flowing from his forehead, unable to speak.

“Qi’er!” Zheng s.h.i.+ let out a scream, launching herself at her son.

Yuwen Feng rose from his seat and blocked Ling Zhang’s path. “Childe Ling, please stop.”

Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Feng flintily. Stop? f.u.c.k you!

Unhesitatingly, he raised his foot and gave Yuwen Feng a kick as well, violently throwing him backwards. “Who are you to tell me what to do?! You think I’m your servant or something? f.u.c.k off!”

Of course, Yuwen Feng who had never practiced kung fu was no match for Ling Zhang who possessed internal energy. Ling Zhang, in his fury, had given that kick with all his might, and Yuwen Feng had not only been sent flying but also reduced to spitting a mouthful of blood.

“How dare you!” bellowed Yuwen Zhi, finally losing his temper and springing to his feet.

A sneer at the corners of his mouth, Ling Zhang made towards Yuwen Zhi with a thinly disguised intention to give him a kick as well, which startled Yuwen You and some others.

Yuwen Zhi involuntarily took a step backward, both alarmed and angry. “You brat. How dare you acting with such unruliness in our family! It’s not your place to talk–”

Thud!

Ling Zhang ruthlessly aimed a kick at Yuwen Zhi’s stomach, which sent him slumping into the chair behind him and unable to speak for quite a while.

“AAARGH! YOU LUNATIC! LET GO OF ME!”

Zheng s.h.i.+’s hand was heavily trampled underfoot by Ling Zhang. Ling Zhang, after kicking Yuwen Zhi, had turned around and stamped on Zheng s.h.i.+’s hand, in a seemingly unintentional manner, but n.o.body present believed it was accidental, because Zheng s.h.i.+’s hand became b.l.o.o.d.y and mangled very soon, which was a horrifying sight.

Seeing this, Yuwen You who was sitting in the host seat couldn’t help saying, “Cool down, sonny. Don’t make things any uglier.”

There was still iciness glinting in Ling Zhang’s eyes when he flicked a glance at Yuwen You, who gave a start and broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that Ling Zhang would kick him as well.

Fortunately Ling Zhang still had some regard for Yuwen You’s respectability. He moved his foot off Zheng s.h.i.+’s hand and stepped back to Yuwen Tong’s side.

Yuwen Feng had already struggled to his feet. The sight of his mother’s mangled hand and his father’s pasty face from which cold sweat was still oozing threw him into a few moments’ stupefaction. Then he saw that his cousin was standing there silently, seeming to have never had any intention whatsoever to stop Ling Zhang from doing what he’d done, which had made his stand self-evident.

Finally, Yuwen Tong spoke. “The previous decision still stands.”

As soon as he finished this remark, Yuwen Feng’s face went ghastly white. Mouth slack, he regarded Yuwen Tong imploringly.

Yuwen Tong didn’t look at him and merely added, “Do not delay or I’ll do it myself.”

After saying this, he took Ling Zhang’s hand and his voice became gentle. “Let’s go. This matter has been settled. I’ll tell you the details after we return.”

Ling Zhang’s anger had slightly subsided after he kicked these people. His eyes flintily swept them one last time and then he left with Yuwen Tong.

“How did it happen exactly?” Ling Zhang’s temper began to fray again as he saw the awful shambles in houses of the first branch of the family.

Yuwen Tong explained the ins and outs of it to him. “Some people used Zheng s.h.i.+ and laid a trap for me.”

“Who?”

“Zhou Mingtang and his father who’s at his back.”

Ling Zhang’s brow abruptly corrugated in a deep frown. “Then why did you cede half of your power?!”

Hadn’t he been inviting his own doom by doing that?!

Yuwen Tong took Ling Zhang into his embrace, gently stroking his back, his voice tender but his eyes frosty. “After what happened today, both sides have come to know that the semblance of peace is over. The emperor fears I might rebel, and it’s very likely that, when feeling pushed to the wall, he’d throw caution to the wind and take action regardless of the consequences. I still need some time to fine-tune my plans. I handed over half of my power so that he wouldn’t be able to make his move any time soon. To be honest, I want to thank those who staged this farce, because my family now have good reason to shut the gates and focus on the preparatory work for our wedding without having to receive any visitors. Also, the emperor has got back the command of half of the armies and couldn’t make trouble for me in the near future, which means we may go to the Millennium Pavilion without worrying about the situation in the city.”

Ling Zhang made an unsuccessful attempt to free himself, still seething with frustration. “What kind of plan do you have? It’s an obvious fact that the emperor intends to kill you. How are you going to escape?”

“Escape? Who says I’ll make my escape?” said Yuwen Tong.

“You won’t flee? You’ll wait for him to kill you?” Ling Zhang couldn’t believe his ears.

Yuwen Tong smiled, “There is a better way. For some people, nothing is ever enough, and they leave me no choice but to fix them. It might not be a bad thing. I’ll handle them once and for all.”

Ling Zhang discerned a nerve-racking undertone in these remarks. Previously he had got a feeling that Yuwen Tong seemed to have made some kind of decision which he’d been keeping back from him, and now this feeling was getting stronger. “What do you want to do exactly?”

Yuwen Tong kissed Ling Zhang on the ear lobe and said in a quiet voice beside his ear, “You want to find out how it feels to reign over a country?”

Ling Zhang gave a start and didn’t speak for quite a while, his arms holding Yuwen Tong’s back tighter in spite of himself. “Wh–What are the odds you’ll succeed?”

“Ninety per cent.”

“But what will people in this country think of you if you do that?”