Chapter 112 - 111: Devouring a Family Whole
Chen Yuan looked at Xu Xiwen in surprise.
In the original story, it only said that Zuo Feiyu was good friends with Xu Xiwen’s older brother, Xu Tianxing. It never mentioned that Xu Xiwen had feelings for Zuo Feiyu.
Moreover, in the subsequent plot, the two of them didn’t seem to have any interaction.
’Thinking about it, that makes sense. The future Zuo Feiyu is a rather famous and heroic figure among the younger generation of the Jianghu. Why would he get involved with a widow?’
’Especially since he eventually marries a daughter from the main line of the Shangguan Family of Unrivaled City. That makes it even more impossible for him to marry Xu Xiwen.’
’But whether the two had any secret involvement is anyone’s guess.’
Chen Yuan gave Guan Yingxing a rather sympathetic look.
’His own wife constantly thought of another man and was always looking for a chance to kill him. This guy really has it tough.’
Guan Yingxing trembled with rage. "If you didn’t want to marry me back then, why did you agree? It’s not like you were the only one I would marry!"
"If it weren’t for the sake of my Xu Family’s grand plan, why would I have ever married you?"
Xu Xiwen glared at Guan Yingxing with hatred. "I’ve had enough of the humiliation all these years! Even if I die today, your Guan Family won’t get off easy!"
The moment her voice fell, Xu Xiwen gathered True Qi in her hands and struck the two maids beside her in the back, killing the ordinary women instantly.
The instant Xu Xiwen made her move, Guan Zhenshan moved as well.
But just as he seized Xu Xiwen, a trickle of black blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
Cui Guan walked over to examine her and frowned. "A deadly poison. She’s beyond saving. This woman was truly ruthless to herself."
As someone trained by the Shadow Guards, Cui Guan was very familiar with such methods.
A drug is hidden in a hollowed-out tooth, and with a bit of force, the poison immediately enters the body.
However, this method is prone to failure. Shadow Guards must train for a long time to master it. The fact that a woman like Xu Xiwen used this technique shows what kind of mindset she had when she married into the Guan Family.
"Of course she had to be ruthless," Chen Yuan said, shaking his head from the side. "She married into the Guan Family all alone. With the things she’s done, being discovered would mean a fate worse than death."
With Xu Xiwen’s exposure, Guan Zhenshan, who had been eighty percent convinced, was now completely certain.
He took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "My father and Xu Yuanshao’s father were sworn brothers. Xu Yuanshao and I are sworn brothers as well."
"Back then, it was Xu Yuanshao who proposed the marriage alliance to me. If he hadn’t been willing, I wouldn’t have forced it."
"But why would he do this to my Guan Family? What deep-seated hatred does the Xu Family have for us that would make him scheme so exhaustively against my Guan Family?"
"Because your father is dead."
Guan Zhenshan looked at Chen Yuan, stunned.
"Master Guan, your father passed away six years ago. Before his death, he was also a great master at the Condensing Truth Realm. This meant your Celestial Star Ranch had two Condensing Truth Realm experts, so naturally, Xu Yuanshao wouldn’t dare to have too many ideas."
"But ever since your father died, Xu Yuanshao has been coveting your Celestial Star Ranch."
"Your two families have a partnership—one raises horses, the other sells them. But do you have any idea how badly Xu Yuanshao wants your Celestial Star Ranch?"
"In his eyes, he was the one who painstakingly opened up the trade routes in the Central Plains. The buyers from the Court and the major factions are all resources he controls."
"Your Celestial Star Ranch just has to raise the horses. How easy is that?"
"Moreover, you rejected Xu Yuanshao’s previous proposal to expand the ranch. He’s been dissatisfied with you for a long time."
"Your Guan Family has only had a single heir for three generations. If Guan Yingxing is killed, your family line will be cut off."
"The Xu Family has also joined forces with the Nine Swords Alliance. When the time comes, they only need to eliminate you in secret. Who would be left at your Celestial Star Ranch then? Only the widow, Xu Xiwen!"
"At that point, the woman from the Xu Family will automatically inherit your Celestial Star Ranch’s connections in the Western Grassland. Your ranch’s Guests and Tributors will all fall under the Xu Family’s control."
"Then, the Xu Family can integrate the Celestial Star Ranch and the Flying Horse Pavilion, combining horse raising and horse trading into a single enterprise. The entire warhorse business of the Western Ning Province Grassland would belong to him. His power would more than double, don’t you think?"
Chen Yuan’s words sent a chill through Guan Zhenshan’s heart.
This move by the Xu Family was aimed at wiping out his entire line, devouring his Celestial Star Ranch until not even a scrap remained!
Guan Zhenshan said hatefully, "Does the Xu Family think raising horses is easy? If my Guan Family hadn’t ventured deep into the Grassland and befriended those nomadic tribes over several generations, why would they ever agree to raise horses for us?"
"And does he think the Celestial Star Ranch can be expanded just by saying so? There are only so many high-quality foals. If we blindly expanded and produced a bunch of inferior horses, how could his Flying Horse Pavilion’s business possibly be so good?"
Taking a deep breath, Guan Zhenshan looked at Chen Yuan and said in a low voice, "Lord Chen, my Guan Family will never forget the debt of saving our lives today. But what is it that you want?"
Chen Yuan had gone to such great lengths to save Guan Yingxing and expose the Xu Family’s plot. Not even an idiot would believe he wasn’t after something.
So, it was better for Guan Zhenshan to be tactful and ask directly.
Chen Yuan smiled. He liked dealing with intelligent people like this; there was no need to beat around the bush.
"Master Guan, shall we find somewhere quiet to talk?"
Guan Zhenshan nodded and said to Guan Yingxing, "Deal with the bodies and see to our guests from the Zhenwu Hall."
After speaking, Guan Zhenshan led Chen Yuan to a Council Hall within the manor and closed the doors.
Chen Yuan got straight to the point. "I want two things. The first is for you, Master Guan, to support my tax reforms in Kaiping Prefecture."
"Likewise, I want fifty percent of your Celestial Star Ranch’s profits, all of it converted into Spiritual Elixirs. However, I won’t be taking this fifty percent for free."
"The Xu Family wants to swallow your Celestial Star Ranch, so naturally, your Celestial Star Ranch can swallow their Flying Horse Pavilion."
"I will help you annex the Xu Family and completely integrate the horse-raising and horse-trading channels. Taking fifty percent of your profits for that isn’t too much to ask, is it?"
Guan Zhenshan replied instantly, without a second thought, "Lord Chen, you saved my Guan Family. Fifty percent is of course not too much."
"From now on, as long as you, Lord Chen, are in the Zhenwu Hall, my Guan Family will follow your lead."
Previously, Guan Zhenshan hadn’t feared the Zhenwu Hall because he had the Xu Family as in-laws. Two Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists could indeed afford to disregard a Zhenwu Hall Inspector.
But now, the Xu Family was backstabbing him, and they had even joined forces with the recently risen Nine Swords Alliance.
His Guan Family couldn’t fight alone; they naturally needed to find an ally as well.
This Lord Chen before him, though young, was powerful and incredibly shrewd—an ideal ally.
"The second thing: I want the half of the Crimson Gold Waist Token left behind by your Guan Family’s ancestors. After we annex the Xu Family, their half will also belong to me."
Guan Zhenshan was taken aback. "Lord Chen, how do you know that both the Guan and Xu Families possess half of a Crimson Gold Waist Token?"
Winning over the Guan Family of the Celestial Star Ranch was merely because Chen Yuan was currently the Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture.
In truth, the fact that the Guan and Xu Families each held half of a Crimson Gold Waist Token—that was what Chen Yuan truly wanted.
In the beginning, the ancestors of the Guan and Xu Families were nothing more than two low-level Loose Cultivators in the Jianghu.
Until one day, they unexpectedly discovered an unconscious, powerful expert.
The two of them were kind-hearted and did not take advantage of the situation. Instead, they brought the person back to their residence and cared for them meticulously.
After the expert regained consciousness, they broke their Crimson Gold Waist Token into two pieces and gave one to each of the Guan and Xu ancestors. The expert told them that if they were fated to meet again, a great opportunity would be granted to them, with the two halves of the token serving as proof.
In addition to the Crimson Gold Waist Token, the expert also gave the ancestors of the Guan and Xu Families each an Earth Level Technique and a bottle of Ultimate Divine Pills.
It was by relying on that Cultivation Technique and those Divine Pills that the ancestors of these two families were able to rise from obscurity and establish the Celestial Star Ranch and the Flying Horse Pavilion.
Otherwise, with their ancestors’ talent and strength, reaching the Blood Movement Realm would have been the limit of their lifetime cultivation, and they would never have been able to pass down their legacy to the present day.
As for the Crimson Gold Waist Token, the ancestors of the Xu and Guan Families did try to track down the expert after they became successful, but they found nothing.
Now, more than four hundred years have passed.
Even an expert who had reached the Martial Dao Ninth Realm Celestial Profound would likely be nothing but dry bones in a grave by now. The Xu and Guan Families had long since given up on the idea of finding that expert to receive their promised opportunity.
Although both families still kept their half of the Crimson Gold Waist Token, they no longer considered it a treasure, but merely an heirloom passed down from their ancestors.
’But the Guan and Xu Families have almost never mentioned this to outsiders. How does this Lord Chen know about it?’
’Could it be that the Xu Family leaked the information?’
’Or is the intelligence network of the Shadow Guards so terrifying that it even surpasses the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower?’
Guan Zhenshan pondered for a moment before asking, "This item was, after all, left by our ancestors. Its original owner has probably long since turned to dust. What use could you have for it, Lord Chen?"
"You don’t need to concern yourself with its use, Master Guan. The question is, are you willing to give it up?"
After a moment of contemplation, Guan Zhenshan said in a low voice, "Of course, I’ll give it to you! As long as you can help my Celestial Star Ranch destroy the Xu Family, we are willing to give anything besides the lives of my son and me!"
Without Chen Yuan, his Guan Family would have already had their line extinguished and been devoured whole by the Xu Family.
Even if he knew what the half-token was for—which he didn’t—the immediate survival of the Celestial Star Ranch was far more important.
"Please wait a moment, My Lord. I will go and get it now."
Guan Zhenshan left the Council Hall and immediately went to the depths of the Guan Family’s Treasure Vault to retrieve the half of the Crimson Gold Waist Token, then returned and handed it to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan took the half of the Crimson Gold Waist Token. It was heavy in his hand. Its material was Crimson Gold, the same used to forge Earth Soldiers, and it shone with a dazzling, golden-red light.
The half-token was engraved with some patterns, but because it was split in two, it was difficult to make out the full design. He could only vaguely see what looked like a cluster of flames.
A Waist Token made from the material of an Earth Soldier had been forcibly snapped in two. One could only imagine how terrifying the strength of that person must have been.
And the person who had left this Waist Token behind was indeed extraordinary.
Her identity was none other than ’Fire Phoenix Burning the Land’ Pang Xizhen, the Hall Master of the Celestial Fire Hall, which was part of the Five Elements Hall under the Great Brightness Sect, the state religion of Great Xia five hundred years ago!