Chapter 17: Squaring The Accounts
Zhou Donghuang sat on the edge of the bed in Lin Lan's room with a stern expression, telling Lin Lan, who was half lying in bed, "Mother, in the future, whenever you encounter such situations, don't hide it from me... the person I am now, I can already hold up a patch of sky."
"Yes, yes, yes... I know that now."
Although Lin Lan was still pale, there was a radiant smile on her face, and her eyes were full of relief.
Without her realizing it, her son had grown up and was now a strong and capable man.
"Young Master, my lady acted as she did because she did not know Young Master had the ability to kill Wang Yukun."
Granny Lian looked at Zhou Donghuang curiously.
"Young Master, what move did you use to evade Wang Yukun's blow earlier?"
Earlier, everyone's attention had been on Wang Yukun's blow when he had struck out at Zhou Donghuang.
Only Granny Lian had happened to glance at Zhou Donghuang's legs and had seen Zhou Donghuang's feet move in a curious sequence of steps.
"Move?"
Lin Lan's eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked at Zhou Donghuang with an inquisitive expression.
Martial art techniques in the country of Yunyang were extremely rare and valuable. The most widely used techniques in the country of Yunyang were lesser-grade techniques, and in the country of Yunyang, only the Imperial Court and the Royal Family possessed third-grade techniques.
However, a small place like Qingshan Town did not even have any lesser-grade martial art styles, and even though the preeminent families in the prefecture capital did possess specialized styles, usually only those of their direct lineage could practice them.
"Hmm." Zhou Donghuang nodded. He really had demonstrated an interesting move, and a third-grade technique at that. It was called "Star-Stepping Footwork."
Although there were many martial art styles in his memory, he could only utilize third-grade techniques with the qi he currently had.
Even though he was familiar with second-grade martial arts and even more powerful martial arts, the qi within his body was still insufficient to allow him to utilize those martial arts.
Right now, his level of practice was too low, and though he had a head full of precious martial arts, he could only utilize third-grade techniques.
My level of practice is too low, and the qi within my body is spread thin. When I used the Star-Stepping Footwork earlier, it cost me a third of my qi.
After that, when I used the third-grade technique, Weighted Sand Palm, to kill Wang Yukun, I expended almost all the qi within my body.
Moreover, the power it released was not from the technique I practiced, but the maximum strength from all the muscles in my body.
At this thought, Zhou Donghuang sighed inwardly.
His level of practice was still too low, and if he had attained level-one of the gathered qi, he would not need to expend almost all his qi to utilize these two forms of martial arts.
Sss!
At Zhou Donghuang's confirmation, both Granny Lian and Lin Lan could not help but suck in a breath of cold air.
They never imagined that Zhou Donghuang had really mastered any martial art techniques, much less martial art techniques of the rarer style of swiftness techniques.
Of course, they did not know that the move Zhou Donghuang had demonstrated was a third-grade technique. Otherwise they would surely be even more shocked.
"Mother, you must rest well... when you have recovered, I will pass on that style of swiftness technique to you," Zhou Donghuang said with a slight smile. Seeing the shock in Lin Lan's eyes, he understood her feelings.
"Can it really be done?"
Lin Lan's eyes showed anticipation but still betrayed some hesitation. After all, she did not know where the martial art her son had mastered had come from or whether it could be passed on to her easily.
The Lin Family of the prefecture capital also possessed a style of lesser-grade martial arts, but it was a purely offensive martial art and could not match the specialized swiftness technique in terms of value.
Even so, only the elders of the side branches and those of the direct lineage of the Lin Family were allowed to practice this style of martial arts.
A side relation, such as Lin Lan, was not entitled to practice it.
However, just because she was not entitled to practice, it did not mean Lin Lan had no desire to practice it.
"Of course," Zhou Donghuang nodded in assurance and glanced at Granny Lian who was standing to one side. "If Granny Lian would like to learn as well, I can pass it on to her too."
"Young Master..."
Zhou Donghuang's words moved Granny Lian immensely. Even in the prefecture capital, martial art techniques were greatly treasured.
From what she knew, in the prefecture capital, lesser-grade martial arts were possessed by only the Governor's Household. The other preeminent families had at most one or two styles of specialized offensive and defensive martial arts.
In a small place like Qingshan Town, even if a level-one adept had practiced only lesser-grade martial arts, it would be enough for him to sweep aside other level-one adepts who had not practiced any martial arts.
Martial arts were techniques produced by the deep study of using qi at the highest level, and although one could create a martial art from scratch, it was extremely difficult.
Even when it came to lesser-grade martial arts, very few people were capable of creating them from scratch, and the vast majority of people were merely enjoying the fruits of their ancestors' labor.
"Granny Lian, take good care of my mother... I'm going out for a while, I have matters to attend to."
Zhou Donghuang waited till Lin Lan had fallen asleep before he stood up. He quietly left Lin Lan's room.
It is public knowledge in Qingshan Town that I am the owner of Yunxuan Restaurant... anyone would think that I have deep connections to the previous owner Zhao San and would fear me as a result.
There was an unpleasant expression on Zhou Donghuang's face at the thought of the day's events as he walked out of the Magnolia Guild.
He never imagined that the Wang Family would come seeking revenge.
Under usual circumstances, even if the Magnolia Guild had lost the support of the Lin Family of the prefecture capital, his identity as the owner of Yunxuan Restaurant would be enough to deter the Wang Family.
However, the Wang Family had come.
This was evidence that the Wang Family had some source of intelligence... at least, if the Wang Family would not have dared to act thus unless they were certain that Zhao San would not come to his aid.
He needed to get to the bottom of this matter.
The crowd at the main entrance of the Magnolia Guild had already dispersed, and the Wang Family members were gone, along with the corpses of Wang Yukun and the second elder of the Wang Family.
The Wang Family.
Zhou Donghuang walked out of the main entrance of the Magnolia Guild and went directly to the Wang Family's mansion, attracting a steady stream of onlookers as he went.
"Young Master Donghuang of the Magnolia Guild intends to go to the Wang Family?"
"It seems that the day's events are not over... however, I never thought that he had the ability to kill the bloody-handed butcher, Wang Yukun.
"I can't believe we thought all along that he was a martial invalid... if he is a martial invalid, then what are we? Invalids among martial invalids?"
...
Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhou Donghuang arrived at the main entrance of the Wang Family mansion.
Pong!
He kicked the tightly shut doors open and strode in.
However, none of those who had followed him dared to follow him in.
This place was the Wang Family mansion after all and was not a place that one could enter at will.
If Zhou Donghuang had entered the mansion to wipe out the Wang Family, they would be able to enter freely... but if he did not, the Wang Family would surely not let any busybodies off lightly if they entered.
Although they were curious, they did not dare take the gamble.
About 15 minutes later, they saw Zhou Donghuang come out, and they watched wide-eyed till Zhou Donghuang's silhouette vanished at the end of the road before they recovered their wits one by one.
"What... what is going on?"
"So fast?"
This short period of time would be insufficient to wipe out the Wang Family.
Shortly, they saw several junior members of the Wang Family come out, repair the door and shut it, and the Wang Family mansion returned to its peaceful state.
...
The heavenly dining booth in Yunxuan Restaurant.
Zhou Donghuang was sitting before the dining table with his legs crossed, his left hand resting on his elevated left thigh, and his right hand in front of the dining table with his fingers curved, drumming gently on the table.
Chief Steward Li Xian of Yunxuan Restaurant stood before him, pale and trembling from head to toe.
"Li Xian, good for you," Zhou Donghuang grinned.
"Young Master Donghuang, your servant has erred."
Although Zhou Donghuang was smiling, Li Xian was frightened enough to drop to his knees with a thud, confessing his wrongdoings with his head lowered.
"You should know... because of that one word from you, my mother is now still lying on her bed?"
The wider Zhou Donghuang's smile became, the colder his gaze turned, and the temperature in the booth seemed to fall by several degrees in that short time.
"If I had not gone out in time... she would have been killed by Wang Yukun."
After his visit to the Wang Family, he had now gained a full understanding of every detail of this whole incident.
When Red Crane Wang, the patriarch of the Wang Family had seen him, it was as though a mouse had seen a cat, and far from mentioning vengeance for Wang Yukun, it was as if he wished he could drag his son Wang Feng out to beg for forgiveness.
Faced with Zhou Donghuang's threatening questions, Red Crane Wang answered truthfully that it was because Li Xian said Zhao San would not intervene that the Wang Family had dared to block the main entrance of the Magnolia Guild.
"Young Master Donghuang, your servant has erred, your servant begs for a chance to redeem himself."
Sensing the murderous intent in Zhou Donghuang's icy tone, Li Xian trembled even more violently, and his voice was filled with fear.
"As a sign of respect for Zhao San, I'll make it quick."
Zhou Donghuang's rose and nonchalantly decided Li Xian's fate.
"Young Master Donghuang, you cannot kill me! You cannot kill me!"
In the face of death, Li Xian was flustered and panicked.
"If you spare me, when my clan-brothers arrive from the prefecture capital, I will warn them away and dissuade them from attempting to take over your Yunxuan Restaurant... If you kill me, they will surely be even more determined to seize Yunxuan Restaurant!"
"Li Family? The prefecture capital? It seems you still serve the Li Family of the prefecture capital... and notified them to make plans to seize my Yunxuan Restaurant?"
Zhou Donghuang never thought that Zhao San would leave him a ticking time bomb such as this before he left.
Of course, it was clear to him that this had definitely not been Zhao San's intention. Otherwise, giving Yunxuan Restaurant to him would have been an unnecessary move by Zhao San.
He had helped Zhao San treat his chronic ailment without making any extra requests, and Zhao San had given Yunxuan Restaurant to him of his own free will.
The Li Family of the prefecture capital as well as the Lin and Hong Families of the prefecture capital, which backed the Magnolia Guild and Sunset Guild respectively, were the preeminent families of the prefecture capital.
"So... you think I will be afraid of your family?"
Zhou Donghuang gave him a cold smile and raised his leg, bringing it down with fearsome strength on Li Xian, killing him!
The whole process was as simple as stepping on an ant.