Chapter 511 - Yun Family Competition (1/2)
Yun Che arrived at Yun Qinghong’s courtyard and saw that he was in front of the arbors which were awash in verdant green. He was sitting on that rather old-fashioned wheelchair, and this wheelchair was being pushed by Yun Xiao. After he saw Yun Che, Yun Xiao hurriedly ran over to welcome him and said in a fervent tone, “Big Brother, for you to wake up so early today, were you disturbed by the noise? Oh right, today is the day of our Yun Family’s Family Competition, and it will start at nine o’clock. Will Big Brother want to go over and take a look later?”
“Of course I want to go have a look, I am very interested in this event. By the way, where is Mother?” Yun Che asked.
“Mother is still in her room.” Yun Xiao replied.
Yun Che nodded his head and said in a mild tone, “Why don’t you go and call for Mother, there are already sounds of fighting coming from the Sacred Cloud Arena, so we should be going over soon. I also have some words I want to tell Father in private.”
After two months of living together, Yun Xiao had practically deified this sworn brother of his within his own heart, so even though he was intensely curious on what Yun Che wanted to tell Yun Qinghong, he did not ask any further as he let go of the wheelchair, “Okay, I’ll go straight away.”
After Yun Xiao left, Yun Che faced forward, took out a small delicate jade tablet, and placed it in front of Yun Qinghong. He said in a whisper, “Father, this is for you.”
“Oh?” Yun Qinghong inclined his head. But after Yun Che opened up his lightly clenched fist and showed that jade tablet that rested within, Yun Qinghong, who was normally as tranquil as water, looked like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. His eyes instantly widened by several times and he practically grabbed that piece of jade in a fluster. He used both hands to clasp the tiny jade tablet, and felt the presence being emitted by it. His hands began to violently tremble as he stammered, “This… This… This is…”
His head jerked up abruptly, and he gazed straight at Yun Che, “Che’er, this thing… How could it be on your person?! Where did you get it from?!”
Yun Che was not taken aback at all by Yun Qinghong’s violent reaction. If it was anyone else, that person would have completely lost control of their emotions. He calmly told Yun Qinghong, “Father, in less than two hours, the Family Competition will begin. Now is not the time to discuss the origins of this item. If Father can preserve his own position as Patriarch and re-establish your reputation, I will tell you all about its origin, down to the smallest detail.”
Yun Qinghong stared straight at Yun Che, his expression full of unrest. It was only after a long period of time that he finally calmed down and gently nodded his head, “Alright… But when the time comes, you must tell me everything that I wish to know, without withholding anything.”
“I will.” Yun Che nodded his head without hesitation. He looked at Yun Qinghong’s wrist, and asked to confirm, “Father, can the ‘Profound Sealing Buckle’ that you and Mother have, trick everyone?”
“Even though we cannot guarantee that it will be one hundred percent effective, in the eyes of everyone present, I have been a cripple for over twenty years, so they should not deliberately or meticulously examine my current state.” Yun Qinghong replied. “But those years ago, for your mother and I to keep on escaping from our pursuers, the contributions of these two Profound Sealing Buckles cannot be overestimated.”
As Yun Qinghong said this, he pulled on the sleeves of his robe, concealing what he was wearing on his arm.
Today was the day of the Yun Family Competition. Such a huge family event was occurring, but up to this very moment, the courtyard where the family head, Yun Qinghong, was in, was still quiet and lonely, and not even a single junior came to notify them. It could be seen how empty Yun Qinghong’s position of Patriarch was to the rest of the Yun Family. From Yun Che’s expression, Yun Qinghong could tell what he was thinking, so he laughed dully and said, “It doesn’t matter what world it is, profound strength always comes first. Who else would even pay attention to a cripple who is not long for the world, besides his own family and intimate friend. I am cripple, yet I get continue to retain the title of Patriarch for these past twenty odd years. That is solely due to the support of the Mu Family, and even this should be the very limits of what they can do as well.”
“Don’t tell me that they have so easily forgotten who it was that established the Yun Family, and who it was that commanded and guided the Yun Family to the very peak of the Illusory Demon Realm? If not for the bloodline of you Patriarchs, these clan members, could they even possess their current positions and glory?!” Yun Che’s brows sank heavily as he spoke. In the time that he had stayed in the Yun Family, his understanding of the current situation grew all the more clear. All these years, the Yun Family succession has only ever been passed down from the line of the initial Patriarchs. And these initial Patriarchs, in order to eliminate all struggles for succession, six thousand years ago, they set down a rule of sole inheritance through the generations. Each current Patriarch could only have one son, Yun Canghai was the only son and Yun Qinghong was his only son, and at the moment, Yun Qinghong, only had one son as well.
In every generation, the Yun Family Patriarch had been outstanding beyond compare, and it was this line of Patriarchs that allowed the Yun Family to become head of the Twelve Guardian Families; the very same families which shocked and awed the entire Illusory Demon Realm, to the point where they were an otherworldly existence second only to the Illusory Demon Imperial Family for thousands of years.
But now, in Yun Qinghong’s generation, the title of Patriarch had come to such a frivolous and lowly state.
Yun Qinghong shook his head and gave self-deprecatory laugh, “They will not think of these things. What they will pay attention to are only the things that will be beneficial to their own future… This can be said to be the instincts of a human being.”
“In Yun Family’s ten thousand year tradition of inheritance, the succession of the next Patriarch has never been about profound strength; it has always been decided by blood lineage! Every single member of the Yun Family should be extremely clear that even if you have become a cripple, you are still the only person who has the qualification to assume the mantle of Patriarch. But it seems like everyone has subconsciously forgotten this particular point.” Yun Che gave a cold and faint laugh, “Moreover, not only do they disregard your position as Patriarch because of your crippling, they do not even accord you the most basic respect or the slightest bit of importance. Yun Xiao, as the scion of the current Patriarch, is easily bullied by even common disciples within the Yun Family. And in regards to this huge event that is the Family Competition, in this period of two months, not even one person came to you to discuss it… I do not believe that the Yun Family, which was at its peak for so many years, are such a bunch of selfish and immoral people.”
Yun Qinghong gently closed his eyes and replied in an airy voice, “Regarding this competition, there really wasn’t any need to discuss it with me. Because this so-called Family Competition is only a pretense, the real motive is to get this cripple to relinquish his position. Because in one month’s time, it is the Little Demon Empress’ Hundred Year Reign Ceremony and this grand ceremony is certainly not common in the least. It is extremely likely that it will decide the direction that the entire Illusory Demon Realm will move in from now on. And even more than that, it will definitely decide the fates of the Twelve Guardian Families. The fate of the Yun Family especially, hangs in the balance. So at this critical juncture, for them to want to remove my position as Patriarch due to my crippling, can be said to be within reason. At first, I had already silently accepted this inevitable and impending result, but I never thought that I would meet you.”
Yun Qinghong gave a quiet laugh as his face filled up with melancholy.