Chapter 176: Wang Family Treasury
Housekeeper Liao dared not defy Cheng Yuan’s command. He trembled involuntarily and quickly dialed Wang Zhongtian’s number.
The call connected quickly, and a stuffy voice answered—the person on the other end had obviously been asleep.
"Liao Shizhong, you’d better have something damn important, or I’ll break your legs!"
"Master, it’s terrible! A young man named Cheng Yuan has trespassed onto the Wang Family estate! He smashed our century-old plaque, killed more than a dozen guards, and Commander Wang Jiu also died at his hands. Cheng Yuan is in the front courtyard right now. He says you have five minutes to appear before him, or else he’ll annihilate the entire Wang Family!!"
’Cheng Yuan??’
Hearing that name, Wang Zhongtian was instantly wide awake!
’Didn’t Father, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle go to Luocheng to kill him?’
’How could Cheng Yuan be here?’
Wang Zhongtian hung up and immediately dialed Wang Yuanchen’s number.
The call connected quickly, and a youthful voice came through: "You’re looking for Wang Yuanchen, I take it?"
It was as if Wang Zhongtian’s mind went blank.
He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, completely stunned.
"You... how do you have my father’s phone? What happened to my father?"
"Those three old men are already dead. They’ve become fertilizer. I’ll only wait five minutes for you—no, now there are only four minutes and twenty-six seconds left. If you don’t appear before me in time, don’t blame me for the massacre that follows!"
With that, Cheng Yuan hung up.
THUMP. Wang Zhongtian collapsed onto the bed. His wife was woken by the commotion and grumbled, "Who is so inconsiderate? Calling this late at night? Are they trying to keep people from sleeping?"
Wang Zhongtian didn’t answer his wife. He was in a state of utter panic.
’Father, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle are dead?’
’Doesn’t that mean our Wang Family will be reduced to a second-rate, or even third-rate, family?’
At that moment, Wang Zhongtian felt a pang of regret. ’What did it matter whether Jin Pengfei lived or died? What did that have to do with the Wang Family? And my aunt... A daughter who marries is like water spilled on the ground. Why did she have to goad the old man into seeking revenge?!’
Wang Zhongtian didn’t doubt Cheng Yuan’s words for a second. He knew with absolute certainty that if he didn’t appear on time, Cheng Yuan would start killing.
Wang Zhongtian threw on his clothes and sprinted toward the front courtyard. As he ran, he transferred tens of millions to his son, urging him to never, ever return to the country.
Panting for breath, Wang Zhongtian burst into the front courtyard and saw guards lying all over the ground.
In the center of the courtyard stood a strikingly handsome young man with an elegant bearing.
Wang Zhongtian strode forward, gasping for air. "Mr. Cheng, I... I’m here. You... you summoned me. What are your orders?"
Cheng Yuan slowly raised his wrist to look at his watch and said coldly, "Patriarch Wang, you were one second late. I have to kill someone."
Hearing this, Wang Zhongtian shivered with fear and quickly explained, "Mr. Cheng, spare me! I came as fast as I could. I didn’t dare delay for even a second."
True to his word, Cheng Yuan acted without hesitation. He unleashed a vicious roundhouse kick, a lightning-fast sweep aimed at the kneeling Liao Shizhong.
A sickening THUD!
The kick blasted Liao Shizhong’s head. He was sent flying like a wooden stake, his head smashing against a century-old tree and bursting open.
The scene was utterly brutal. Wang Zhongtian pissed himself in terror, fell to his knees with a thud, and begged incessantly for his life.
"Spare my life, Mr. Cheng! I am willing to serve you as my master! From now on, the Wang Family will follow your every command!"
Cheng Yuan looked at Wang Zhongtian expressionlessly and said flatly, "Forget it. A spineless servant like you? If I actually accepted you, you would only disgrace me."
Cheng Yuan’s words were ruthless, filling Wang Zhongtian with unbearable shame. Yet, he didn’t dare show any resentment. He could only hang his head low, clenching his fists tightly.
"You are right, Mr. Cheng. I am not worthy to be your servant."
Cheng Yuan gave a cold snort. "Good. As long as you know. Take me to your Wang Family’s treasury. The real one. If you try to fool me with some storage closet, feel free to find out the consequences."
Wang Zhongtian quickly shook his head. "I wouldn’t dare! Of course I wouldn’t dare fool you, Mr. Cheng. But... if I offer up all of the Wang Family’s treasures, can you spare our family?"
To put Wang Zhongtian at ease, Cheng Yuan lied effortlessly.
"Jin Pengfei and his father are dead. The three old men who sought revenge are dead. The feud between us is over. I only want to go to your Wang Family’s treasury to get some compensation. I can’t have gone to jail for nothing, can I?"
Wang Zhongtian breathed a small sigh of relief. "I’ve heard a little about the feud between you and the Jin Family, Mr. Cheng. The Jin Family went too far. Our Wang Family is related to them, so it’s only right that we compensate on their behalf."
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
Wang Zhongtian scrambled to his feet, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and led Cheng Yuan straight toward the inner courtyard.
The Wang Family estate was a sprawling compound with three main courtyards.
The two of them walked for over ten minutes before reaching the depths of the inner courtyard.
Finally, they stopped at the entrance to the ancestral hall.
"Mr. Cheng, our Wang Family has three treasuries. The first two contain relatively common treasures. If you’re interested, those can be opened for you as well! The treasury hidden in this ancestral hall is our Wang Family’s true foundation. In our family, only Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and I know of its existence."
The corners of Cheng Yuan’s mouth curled up slightly. This was precisely why he hadn’t killed Wang Zhongtian yet.
Of course, with his Double Pupil, Cheng Yuan would have found the treasury eventually.
However, the Wang Family estate was massive. Searching for it himself would be a huge drain on his Spiritual Power, and if that was depleted, his Double Pupil would become useless.
Cheng Yuan said flatly, "We’ll skip the other two. Open it."
"Yes!"
Wang Zhongtian quickly opened the ancestral hall’s main doors and led Cheng Yuan straight to the ancestral tablets enshrined in the deepest part of the hall.
Cheng Yuan glanced up. There were tablets for over a hundred ancestors. It was clear the Wang Family’s lineage stretched back a long, long time.
Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil and scanned his surroundings, quickly spotting something out of place.
Beneath the altar, there was a pitch-black passage. The treasury was hidden there.
Cheng Yuan had received the Celestial Witch Inheritance, its contents vast and profound. He was a master of all sorts of Mystical Techniques and Qimen arts, and it took him less than ten seconds to figure out the mechanism’s location.
Cheng Yuan reached out, grasped a candlestick on the altar, and gave it a gentle twist.
CLICK, CLACK.
A series of whirs and clicks echoed.
The altar slowly slid to one side, revealing a pitch-black passageway before them.
Wang Zhongtian said fawningly, "Mr. Cheng, you’re incredible! You found the mechanism so quickly. The first time I looked for it, it took me a whole week!"
Cheng Yuan ignored Wang Zhongtian’s flattery and gestured toward the passage. "You first."
Wang Zhongtian didn’t dare disobey. He obediently walked down into the passage, and Cheng Yuan followed close behind. Even with his Double Pupil, a little caution never hurt.