Chapter 10 (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“I don’t need a single thing from this family, don’t you worry. I will be leaving with Ping’er and Ning’er.
“From this day on, I will still remain as Zhou Yan. However, the matters of this family, the Zhou family, no longer concerns me.
“You may stop worrying now since you, as an elder, had completely severed my essence meridian to further my training. The rest of my life would ultimately be destined to live a simple life as a common-folk, so there is no longer a need for you to strike me down any further than you already had!
“I’ve used every ounce of my potential. I’ve indeed attacked them, and I have all the right to do so. I could never allow their humiliation to carry on any further!
“As for Little Xu, it was bold of her as a lowly handmaiden to disrespect me to such an extent, not knowing her place. She was obviously not taught well by her master, so I punished her in her master’s place. This act of discipline was not wrong! Just as you said before, as long as I’ve not left the Zhou household, that handmaiden would never be in a position to hurl such insults at me!”
Zhou Yan simply spoke calmly while tightly grabbing onto the hand-carved effigy.
It seemed that this night was the only time this young lad had spoken the most.
“Ping’er, Ning’er, Let’s go.”
“Yes, master.”
Ping’er took one last good look at every single soul present as if she was attempting to remember all of their faces.
The ill stricken maiden clad in white, Ning’er, remained silent as she approached the weakened Zhou Yan. She managed to grab him before he fell over.
Thus, the injured young lad was shouldered by two elegant women, leaving behind a trail of blood-soaked footprints. The trio left the serene yet melancholic courtyard behind them.
Similar to a lonely artistic conception, wherever it had gathered was where it left, as it expanded its presence to a never-ending, voidless abyss.
“Elder of Lore, if I may, the skills of his ‘Sword Art of Clear Waters Heaven’s Blade’ was impressive, and his speed was insanely quick.”
After a long moment of silence, Zhou Lingyi suddenly made a cryptic comment as she no longer paid any attention to her murdered handmaiden.
“His seal was ‘his’ doing, there is not a single soul in this realm but ‘him’ that could undo this seal, so don’t you worry child.”
The Elder of Lore spoke then proceeded to let out a long-winded sigh as he continued, “I can feel his essence strengthen through this very encounter. It’s normal to have such power when one had pushed themselves beyond their physical limitations. Since Zhou Wangchen was an ordinary man, he, too, was defeated by Zhou Yuntian. Thus, it was not due to the lack of talents and prowess this lad possessed, nay, it was all because the right moment for him had yet to come.
“Zhou Yuntian was not worthy of praise because, at that very moment, Zhou Wangchen was already incapable of exerting even a fraction of his full strength.
“It seems that Zhou Yan can’t die just yet. Well, at least, he can’t yet perish by our blades. Since the situation with Zhou Wangchen is not fully over, and the lass, Ning Er, with a mysterious past was brought back by Zhou Wangchen, I fear that she cannot be taken lightly. As for now, we will not make any rash moves,” explained the Elder of Lore with great detail.
His detailed explanation was shared with the three generations of exceptional pupils in the courtyard and was not kept a secret.
“Yes, by your grace, Elder, you have covered all grounds. Since this debacle finally has a conclusion, I shall train harder. In a cycle of a moon’s time, upon the arrival of the main branch of the majesty that is our Zhou family, I shall impress them.”
Zhou Lingyi nodded.
“If I may, Elder, I fear Zhou Yan would speak ill of our family in the open world, or perhaps, he would return to cause even more harm in a cycle of moon’s time,” asked Zhou Xian with his irrational concerns.
The lad recalled the menacing, sinister gaze present in Zhou Yan’s eyes. He could not help but feel that this young lad, Zhou Yan, was never as a simple man as he thought he was.
“He had lost all his potential and his powers. He will no longer gain such an opportunity ever again! Besides, when the time arrives, the entire family will be on high alert. Although he was a member of our Zhou family for all these years, however, not a single soul in the open world would ever know that he is truly the son of Zhou Wangchen.”
The elder, Zhou Wuyan, chuckled as if he had planned for every possibility.
“Ah… you truly are wise, great elder!”
Hence, Zhou Xian was instantly relieved of his concerns. A glint of fierce, primal vengeance glimmered through his gaze.
He felt content to witness Zhou Yan be subjected to such torment.
“My apologies, dear Elder, besides the lot of us in the family, every single pupil stood united and loyal, without question. Also, the Lord of our family, he had always sided with Zhou Yan, would he…”
It seemed that some concerns still lingered in Zhou Cheng’s mind. However, he was worried about something else.
“Worry not for the matters of the Lord of our family, just as we agreed, Zhou Yan is a piece of trash, and Zhou Wangchen was a known genius. Who do you think the lord would side with? If the future concerns you, then arrangements will be made for future occasions, hence, worry not now.
“On the other hand, you’re concerned about the truth of this situation that will be spread by the pupils in our family. This, alone has a simple solution.
“We can all say, that this situation was due to the intensive training undergone by the genius of our family. It was planned since he was little. However, the truth is, Zhou Linyao was Zhou Wangchen’s trueborn son. To prevent his arrogance, the family had decided to indoctrinate a lad named ‘Zhou Yan’ who was merely an abandoned child when he was discovered. Hence, he has no ties to our Zhou family. He has already been exiled and abandoned by our Zhou family after being such an embarrassment to us.”
Upon hearing what the Elder of Lore had said, the trio was instantly stunned by his wisdom.
“These words were not meant for your ears initially. However, since it’s by the grace of Zhou Lingyi, I shall speak without restrictions. Do not tell anyone this at all. On the other hand, whoever enters our Zhou family is not essential. What’s most important will be whoever possesses the most talent.
“There is one more thing. This doesn’t mean that there can only be two people worthy of this status. If the objective had been achieved, three or four people wouldn’t make much of a difference. Little Cheng, Little Xian, I have high hopes for both of you, so fight hard. A lot can change in a cycle of a moon’s time,” said Zhou Wuyan contently.
Upon hearing what had been said, Zhou Cheng and Zhou Xian were extremely excited by such praise. They were so ecstatic that both of them had completely forgotten about the injuries they had sustained earlier.