Free Web NovelChapter 194: Chapter 193: Henceforth, a Sword Hangs Over the Wen Family
Wen Gui surged forward, a cruel smile playing on his lips as he swung the leather whip in his hand.
"WHOOSH!"
The color drained from the Liu Clan’s face, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"CRACK!"
Wen Gui’s vision blurred. A gust of wind swirled around him, and the whip in his hand felt as if it had been caught.
Wen Gui stared at the person before him, his brows knitting together tightly.
Wen Qingye stared impassively at Wen Gui. "Wen Gui," he said, "you’ve got some nerve."
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, Wen Gui’s face contorted in a furious scowl.
"Mother, are you all right?" Wen Qingye walked over to the Liu Clan. Seeing the bloody welt, he spoke with a pained voice, unable to bear the sight.
The Liu Clan forced a smile at the sight of Wen Qingye. "I’m fine, Qingye. What are you doing here?"
Ever since he was a child, Wen Qingye remembered that whenever he was bullied, Wen Xu would scold him with a harsh frown, calling him a coward. Only the Liu Clan was considerate and protective of him. She would even step in to teach the other Wen Family children his age a lesson, though of course, it was only ever a light reprimand.
To others, this seemed unthinkable. It was just a squabble between children, yet the Liu Clan, the Patriarch’s principal wife, would actually lay a hand on another child. They felt she was being overly protective, but that was just how she was.
She never questioned whether Wen Qingye was right or wrong. She simply believed—believed in her child, believed in Wen Qingye. She cherished him with a love that asked for nothing in return.
Even now, Wen Qingye still remembered every one of those warm moments, each detail etched into his mind.
Wen Gui glared at Wen Qingye. "Wen Qingye, didn’t you deny being a member of the Wen Family? So why have you come back?"
"Mother, please wait a moment," Wen Qingye said softly, then turned to face Wen Gui. "You said it was my honor to go to the Zhang Family in Wen Tongyu’s place. I went, and then you called me an ungrateful, heartless bastard. Don’t you find that ridiculous?"
Wen Gui sneered. "Zhang Xiaoyun has already been taken away by someone from a Sect. What reason do you have to stay with the Zhang Family now?"
Wen Qingye couldn’t help but laugh. "Why should I let you order me around? It’s my freedom to stay where I please, isn’t it?"
Wen Gui put his whip away. "Tongyu is working to restore the Wen Family’s glory, and we need all the help we can get. Wouldn’t your return be of great help to him?" freewebnøvel.com
"Uncle Gui is right."
"That’s right! Qingye, if you come back, the Wen Family’s rise to glory will be just around the corner!"
"Yes, yes, come back, Qingye!"
...
"Hahahaha!" freewebnσvel.cѳm
Wen Qingye threw his head back and roared with laughter, the sound echoing throughout the Wen Family courtyard.
"Wen Qingye!" Wen Gui bellowed, seeing him laugh.
Wen Qingye pointed a finger at the crowd and chuckled. "Look at you all, a bunch of sniveling opportunists. You only know how to suck up to the powerful. It’s pathetic."
The expressions of the onlookers changed. Wen Qingye then turned back to Wen Gui. "And you. You’re not even that strong, yet you act all high and mighty every day. Since you don’t want to die peacefully, I’ll grant your wish today."
Wen Gui’s face paled. "What? Wen Qingye, you dare kill me? Do you realize what a monstrous act of insubordination that is?"
The Yao Clan snorted coldly. "Hmph, what an arrogant brat."
"Insubordination? And what of it? From the moment you dared to use the family’s disciplinary measures on my mother, your fate was sealed."
Wen Qingye’s eyes narrowed. The crowd saw only a blur, as if something had drifted past them.
A gentle breeze caressed their faces, followed by a glint of cold light.
No one saw it clearly. No one had time to react.
"GURGLE!"
The light faded from Wen Gui’s eyes, his expression frozen, as a torrent of blood gushed from his neck.
Blood sprayed out like a fountain.
The surroundings fell deathly silent.
"AHH!"
Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air.
"Shut up!"
Wen Qingye glared at the Yao Clan, his brow furrowed.
The Yao Clan met Wen Qingye’s icy gaze, and a chill shot through her, as if she’d been plunged into frost. She snapped her mouth shut.
Wen Qingye had actually killed Wen Gui with a single strike!
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at Wen Qingye. The air seemed to freeze, thick with the spreading scent of blood.
Wen Qingye swept his gaze over the crowd, pointed at the corpse on the ground, and said slowly, "Take him and go."
Hearing this, a few men from the Wen Family immediately came forward. They looked at Wen Qingye with trepidation, their eyes filled with an abject terror, as if they were looking at a beast from the Primordial Chaos.
"Who handed Wen Gui the whip just now?" Wen Qingye asked, his tone deceptively calm.
Though his tone was calm, his words felt like a knife twisting in the hearts of the Wen Family members.
"N-nobody. It was Uncle... Wen Gui. He grabbed it himself," Wen Jie stammered from the side.
"Hmph," Wen Qingye snorted. "You’re smart to know your place. Take the corpse and get out of here within three breaths, or you’ll end up just like him."
The faces of the Wen Family members drained of color. They scrambled to lift Wen Gui’s corpse and bolted for the gate. The Yao Clan, scared out of her wits, hurried after them, not daring to linger for a single moment.
"Wait!"
The few family members who were about to flee shuddered at his word, feeling as if their hearts were about to leap out of their chests.
"You few, clean up this blood," Wen Qingye said nonchalantly, pointing at the stains on the ground.
"Yes, of course," the men said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Only after everyone from the Wen Family had left did Wen Qingye turn to the Liu Clan. "Mother, I’ll be leaving Phoenix City soon."
"Leaving Phoenix City?" The Liu Clan was taken aback.
Wen Qingye nodded. "Yes. I’m going to the Imperial City. The Thousand Rivers Secret Land is about to open."
"Oh." A worried look appeared in the Liu Clan’s eyes. "I hear the Thousand Rivers Secret Land is exceptionally dangerous. You must be careful."
"It’s fine. Don’t worry," Wen Qingye said with a casual smile, looking completely unconcerned.
The Liu Clan looked at her son and nodded in pleasure. "That’s wonderful. To think that my Qingye can participate in the Thousand Rivers Secret Land... I never would have expected it."
Then, her thoughts returned to the recently deceased Wen Gui. "Now that Wen Gui is dead, your father will surely come looking for you. What are you going to do?"
"Let him try," Wen Qingye sneered.
The Liu Clan sighed. With things having come to this, she felt helpless.
"Mother, I’ll be leaving tomorrow then."
"Go, then. Be careful, you must be careful. Oh, right, I have a Protective Talisman here. You should take it with you." As she spoke, the Liu Clan took a yellow Protective Talisman from her waist and handed it to Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye accepted the Protective Talisman, a warmth spreading through his chest. He placed it over his heart and nodded solemnly.
Wen Qingye didn’t mention taking the Liu Clan with him again. He knew she wouldn’t go. Everyone has their own convictions, and he understood and respected hers.
The Liu Clan gave a small smile. Though reluctant and saddened by his departure, she knew Wen Qingye had changed. He no longer clung to her as he once did, nor did he need her protection anymore.
...
Jie Jiachun arrived at the main hall of the Wen Family. Wen Xu was currently seated at its head, his face a livid mask, his eyes darting back and forth. Below him lay the corpse of Wen Gui.
When Wen Xu saw Jie Jiachun enter, he shot to his feet.
The rest of the Wen Family also turned to look at Jie Jiachun, their expressions guarded.
Jie Jiachun paid no mind to the wary looks from the Wen Family. "My young master has a message for you all."
"What message?" Wen Xu said with a frown.
Jie Jiachun looked at the surrounding Wen Family members without a trace of fear, lifted his chin, and declared loudly, "If any of you go to the West Wing Courtyard to cause trouble again, you will share Wen Gui’s fate. My young master also said that he wouldn’t mind..."
Here, Jie Jiachun paused, his eyes sweeping over everyone present. "...making the Wen Family of Phoenix City disappear forever."
An uproar erupted.
The Wen Family members erupted in an uproar upon hearing his words.
Anger flashed in some of their eyes, while others trembled uncontrollably.
"Wen Qingye is too arrogant! Forbidding us from setting foot in our own family’s territory? And he even dares to threaten to wipe out our entire family?"
"He has a little talent and thinks he’s untouchable? Let’s see how arrogant he is when Tongyu gets back!"
"Just forget it. We’ll just stay away from the West Wing Courtyard."
The Wen Family members were all on their feet, some seething with righteous anger, others sighing endlessly.
...
Having delivered his message, Jie Jiachun ignored the reactions of the Wen Family and turned to leave.
Wen Xu watched Jie Jiachun’s retreating figure, his expression so dark it looked as if it might drip water.
A cold glint flashed in the Yao Clan’s eyes. "Wen Xu, that Wen Qingye is so brazen. I say we can’t let the Liu Clan live."
"Can’t let her live?" Wen Xu turned to look at the Yao Clan.
Seeing his bloodshot eyes, the Yao Clan couldn’t help but take a few steps back.
"If you hadn’t stirred up trouble, would things have turned out this way?" Wen Xu demanded in a low voice.
"I..." The Yao Clan’s face instantly turned pale.
After a moment, the Yao Clan seemed to recover, and she leaped up, shrieking, "If I hadn’t given birth to Wen Tongyu for you, would the Wen Family be as powerful as it is today? Would you be calling the shots in Phoenix City? Would all the other factions have to give you face?"
Wen Xu sneered. "If not for that, I would have strangled you right now."
With that, Wen Xu turned on his heel and stormed away.
The Yao Clan watched Wen Xu’s retreating back, grinding her teeth so hard they audibly scraped together. Her eyes were filled with venomous hatred.
