Chapter 439: Complicated Feelings
With an expert like Patriarch He of the Celestial Spirit Realm present, even the dozen or so Direct Disciples sent by Chang Jing could not withstand the He Family’s assault.
Before long, the Chen Family guards, Patriarch Chen, and the dozen or so Direct Disciples sent by Chang Jing had all been slain.
The entire Chen Family estate was littered with corpses. All the guards were dead, and the only ones left alive were some of the Chen Family’s maids and servants.
"Take the bodies of these Direct Disciples away and destroy them according to the plan. Make them vanish from the face of the earth," Patriarch He ordered the He Family Martial Artists beside him.
At his command, a dozen or so He Family Guards first stripped the clothes off the Direct Disciples, then carried their bodies away. As for how they would be disposed of, that had long been part of the plan—not even a single bone would be left behind.
Of the original thirty He Family Guards, more than ten had left. The remaining dozen or so quickly stripped off their Night Travel Clothes, which Patriarch He collected into his Space Ring.
The group changed into the clothes of the Flawless Palace Direct Disciples. Although there were some bloodstains on the garments, it didn’t matter. Then, Patriarch He took out a disguise mask from his Space Ring.
Such a disguise mask wasn’t hard to find. After all, it wasn’t like Lin Yun’s Disguise Technique, which could even alter one’s aura.
This kind of mask only changed a person’s appearance, and even then, there were subtle differences. If one observed closely, the disguise could easily be seen through.
After putting on the mask, Patriarch He shockingly transformed into Chang Jing...
That’s right. This mask had been prepared by Li Tian in advance, crafted to perfectly match Chang Jing’s features. After putting it on, Patriarch He looked identical to Chang Jing.
After Patriarch He transformed into Chang Jing, a Chen Family servant ran up to him and said fearfully, "Patriarch He, the Chen Family members are all in the secret room..."
Hearing this, Patriarch He snorted coldly. "Remember, don’t call me Patriarch He. You are to call me Senior Brother Chang..."
"Y-yes... Senior Brother Chang," the Chen Family servant replied in terror.
This man, of course, had been bought by Li Tian. For a family like the Chen Family, bribing a servant was not difficult at all.
Everything was proceeding according to plan. Patriarch He, leading five of his men dressed as Flawless Palace Direct Disciples, followed the servant to the secret room where the Chen Family was hiding.
As for the other He Family Guards, they began a merciless slaughter. Whether they were maids or servants, every living person left in the Chen household was hunted down and killed by the He Family Martial Artists.
Standing in a small alley outside the Chen Family’s walls, with two Direct Disciples sent by Lin Yun behind him, Li Tian listened to the screams from within and smelled the scent of blood gradually spreading through the air. He sighed and said, "Perhaps this is the cruelty of the world. They were innocent, yet they have sacrificed their lives because of the games played by the powerful."
Regarding the annihilation of the Chen Family, Li Tian had known this would be the outcome ever since he first discussed it with Lin Yun.
The people of the Chen Family were innocent, but what could be done? Once you are swept into the struggles of the powerful, you must be prepared to pay the price. This is an immutable truth.
No one can escape cause and effect; everyone must pay the price for their actions and their choices.
As the screams gradually subsided, it was clear that no one from the Chen Family had been spared. At that moment, Li Tian said to the two Direct Disciples behind him, "You two may go."
Hearing Li Tian’s words, the two nodded slightly and flew directly deeper into the Chen estate. Watching their retreating figures, Li Tian murmured to himself, "The world is never without its darkness, and success cannot be achieved without some dark and cruel methods. Young Master Lin, since it has come to this, let me be the one to handle these dark and cruel matters for you from now on."
Meanwhile, led by the Chen Family servant, Patriarch He’s group of six arrived at the Chen Family’s secret room. The servant, who had already familiarized himself with the layout, triggered the mechanism, and a hidden door soon appeared before the He Family members.
"The Chen Family members are inside..." Having arrived, the Chen Family servant said, trembling. It was clear he was terrified that Patriarch He would kill him to silence him.
Patriarch He gave the man a cool glance and said flatly, "You may leave. Remember, you are never to return to Wind City for the rest of your life."
Hearing Patriarch He’s words, the servant scrambled away. From the looks of it, he would likely never dare to set foot in Wind City again for as long as he lived.
After the servant left, Patriarch He and his five men entered the secret room. They descended about fifty meters underground, where a chamber of over a hundred square meters suddenly appeared before them.
Inside the secret room, a crowd of Chen Family’s women, elderly, and children stared nervously at Patriarch He’s group. When she saw what they were wearing, a middle-aged woman finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke up to ask a question.
"Young masters, how are things? Where is my husband?" This woman was none other than Patriarch Chen’s wife.
"You don’t recognize me?" Patriarch He asked, looking at the woman.
Hearing this, the woman looked at Patriarch He, studying him carefully for a long moment before finally shaking her head to indicate that she did not.
Patriarch He was already prepared for her not recognizing him. He said flatly, "My name is Chang Jing. I have come today to bury this matter completely. Although your Chen Family has been loyal to me, some things are not as simple as you think. The stakes are too high, so I have no choice but to impose upon your family."
"Chang Jing... You’re Chang Jing..." Although the woman had never met Chang Jing, she knew of him; the Chen Family had always been on his side.
Hearing this, the woman quickly realized what was happening. It seemed Chang Jing wanted to silence them by killing them.
"Where is my husband? Where is my husband?!" Realizing something was terribly wrong, the woman began tugging at Patriarch He’s clothes, her expression frantic as she screamed.
However, she had only tugged twice before one of the men behind Patriarch He plunged a blade into her abdomen.
As a woman with no Cultivation, such a severe wound made her instantly spit out a mouthful of blood. The other Chen Family members—the old and the young—rushed forward to support her. Among them was a six or seven-year-old boy who appeared to be her son.
"My Chen Family has been utterly loyal to you, yet you have the heart to exterminate us..." the woman said, full of hatred, as she pointed at Patriarch He, who was disguised as Chang Jing.
Hearing the woman’s words, the rest of the Chen Family’s old and young also looked at Patriarch He with surging anger. Although they knew they would not escape death today, the hatred in their hearts was very real.
This was especially true for the little boy. With his mother dying right beside him, the six or seven-year-old’s eyes turned red as he stared at Patriarch He.
He seared the man’s face into his memory. Of course, since Patriarch He’s current identity was Chang Jing, the person the little boy would remember was naturally Chang Jing.