Death… and me

Han Xiaoran tossed off his cup of wine after seeing that the moon was about to set. His body was a bit shaky. He said, "Little brother, it's not early now. From today onwards, you would have a turbulent life… Take some early rest."

Chu Yang laughed. His thoughts resumed back to the Chu clan: What does the Chu clan look like now?

Han Xiaoran stood up and patted on Chu Yang's shoulders drunkenly. But Chu Yang knew that Han Xiaoran wasn't drunk. With Han Xiaoran's drinking capacity, not to mention these amount of wine, he wouldn't get drunk at all even with dozens or more jugs of wine.

But frequently, truly insightful words were spoken by someone who pretended to be drunk. Since Han Xiaoran behaved in such a manner, he must have some important thing to tell Chu Yang that might not be convenient to say while clear-headed.

So Chu Yang pricked up his ears.

Han Xiaoran laughed. Then he lowered down his voice and his whole body fell on Chu Yang's shoulders, as if he was so drunk that he couldn't stand upright…

Sha Xinliang and Qin Baoshan knowingly stood to one side.

Han Xiaoran lowered himself and whispered to Chu Yang's ears, "Little brother, there's a lot of helplessness in this world. No matter whether you want to be kind or evil, you need forces and manpower, and all these require your capability and influence. Only when you have fame can you have influence. Only when you have influence can you become capable; Only when you have influence will people give their backs on you. And so you have the manpower, and thereafter, strength!"

"If you want to be good, but you don't have the capability, then not to mention helping others, you won't even dare to get a pretty wife; Because you can't keep her. You'll only be a cuckold if you marry her!"

"If you want to be evil, but you don't have the capability, then you'll only be a typical bad guy… If you have the capability, the Dharma Supreme will turn a blind eye at you even if you kill people in front of him… For instance, how evil is Ye Wubo? Haha, but I can only watch him go and punish him with 10,000 purple crystals. It's only a tiny gesture… Everyone still needs to have some face. The crimes that Ye Wubo had committed were legion. He should long be damned a hundred times! Don't I want to kill him? Arrest him? But he has strength, the support of the Ye clan!"

"This is helplessness!"

"Even if your chest hurts from tolerating him, what else can you do?"

"So, little brother… You must never be helpless in your life… Don't be as helpless as me… The most sacred thing in the Nine Heavens, which is the law of the Nine Heavens, is in my hands, but I don't dare to kill… Urgh… For laws that contain scruples… Should they even be called 'law'?"

'"If you become helpless… then your life will really become helpless… So, to prevent helplessness in our lives… We need to do something, do something… that is sufficient to make us capable…"

Han Xiaoran laughed, "Isn't this also a kind of helplessness?"

He let go of Chu Yang's shoulders, and laughed and screamed as he walked off, "Helpless, helpless! …" His silhouette vanished in the deep dark and in his cries of 'helpless'.

Chu Yang stood blankly and pondered upon the meaning of Han Xiaoran's words. After a long time, he slowly turned back and walked off. He didn't even bid farewell to Sha Xinliang and Qin Baoshan.

Since Han Xiaoran spoke to Chu Yang in such a manner, the meaning was obvious: Don't let Sha Xinliang know.

"Why not let him know?" Chu Yang asked himself.

"Because Sha Xinliang doesn't have such resolution," Chu Yang answered himself.

"Then what does he mean exactly? Isn't he just saying about helplessness?"

"No, he's telling me to establish my strength and influence!"

"But he had already said it just now."

"He said about building everyone's strength, not mine."

"What is my strength?"

"To be a master of myself."

"Is this different from what he said just now?"

"Of course it's different because it's the last leeway that Han Xiaoran arranged: Once everyone failed, I need a fully autonomous force to keep myself alive."

"So it seems that although Han Xiaoran had planned this well, he's still not confident?"

"Yes!"

"So he's reminding me that although he's a leading force, I can't rely on him for everything?"

"Yes, I need my own plan."

"I need to rely on myself for everything! This is the true meaning of Han Xiaoran's words!"

…

Chu Yang walked silently towards the direction of the Chu clan.

It's already dawn when Chu Yang returned home.

The Chu clan was still ravaged with grief and busying about the funeral matters.

Chu Yang was caught by his mother, who almost worn out her eyes from waiting for his return. Then, there's cross-examination. After dealing with his father and mother, he was called by his grandfather.

"Is it you?" Chu Xiongcheng looked at his grandson blankly. His eyes were red. Chu Yang realized that almost half of his grandfather's hair had grown white overnight.

"It has a certain relation with me," Chu Yang said frankly, "But I didn't lay hands on them."

Chu Xiongcheng let out a long sigh. He waved his hands to let Chu Yang go back to rest. While Chu Xiongcheng himself sat exhaustedly on the chair as if his body was entirely pumped out of energy and he didn't want to say a word…

Chu Yang sighed, bowed, turned around and left.

"I… can guess all the things that he had done over the years; Although I don't have the evidence, I'm always suspicious…" Chu Xiongcheng said softly when Chu Yang was about to step out of the door.

Chu Yang halted.

"But I didn't do anything from the beginning till the end," Chu Xiongcheng muttered.

"Because no matter what crime he had committed, he's your own flesh and blood," Chu Yang said silently, "I can understand you, but I don't agree with you. I also won't approve of you!"

"Because you're still young and haven't been a father before," Chu Xiongcheng responded with a sigh.

"Maybe," Chu Yang was silent for a while and he said, "But even if I become a father, I won't allow an unfilial child to harm another obedient and wronged child."

Chu Yang said coldly, "It's good for a son to be filial; But it doesn't represent that you can acquiesce a filial son to suffer from unlimited grievances."

Chu Xiongcheng sighed deeply, "I can't treat every child perfectly equally."

"But this is also the reason why the Chu clan has been in this half-dead state. It didn't advance for so many years," Chu Yang said, "As a clan master, you're not purely a father. You have no right to allow the thousands of people in the clan to sacrifice for an unfilial son!"

As he finished saying, Chu Yang walked out without turning his head back.

Chu Xiongcheng sat next to the coffin. Under the kerosene lamp, his hair stood motionless. After a long time, tears fell silently and he sighed, "But even if he's wrong… I'm still a father…"

The next day.

Early in the morning.

When the Chu clan was busy with the funeral, an important guest came!

The law-enforcement master of the South-East region entered the Chu clan in a high-profile manner!

He was escorted by 80 law-enforcement officers together with the master of the Law-Enforced Auction Hall, Qin Baoshan. Commander Sha Xinliang cleared the way for them. All the members from the Blood Payers Hall followed behind —

They blustered their way through the Flat Mountain Ridge and entered the Chu clan, setting an agreement with the Chu clan's clan master Chu Xiongcheng. And on the spot, the law-enforcement officers passed the Chu clan the power of managing the goods of the Law-Enforced Auction Hall.

Following which, a few law-enforcement officers sent out messages regarding this to various regions. The Xiao clan, the number one clan in the South-East region, was also informed about this as soon as possible. This was equivalent to Han Xiaoran declaring to them: From now on, I'll be protecting the Chu clan! Please let go of the Chu clan. And for the sake of law-enforcement officers, save me, Han Xiaoran, the face!

Han Xiaoran's cultivation was definitely not the highest in the South-East region!

Just in the Xiao clan, there were a number of people who had higher cultivations than him.

But Han Xiaoran's identity was the law-enforcement master of the South-East region and the direct subordinate of the Dharma Supreme! Who dared to show disrespect towards him?

He had all the law-enforcement officers in the South-East region and the Dharma Supreme behind his back!

So, no matter how unhappy the Xiao clan was, they could only admit it.

At the same time, Han Xiaoran commanded the stewards and elders of the Liao clan and Bao clan, as well as the temporary steward of the Xiao clan, to come to the Chu clan, and announce the dominant status of the Chu clan in the Flat Mountain Ridge!

And with ruthless means, he killed seven elders from the Liao clan and Bao clan who had objections, and thereby, used blood to show his determination of including the Liao clan and the Bao clan into the Chu clan's territory.

"If there's any problem with the goods, I'll interrogate both of your clans!" Han Xiaoran completely obstructed the Liao clan and Bao clan from harboring any ill intentions.

The resolution of law-enforcement officers, Han Xiaoran's mercilessness, the Xiao clan's silence, made the Xiao clan and Bao clan feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Han Xiaoran's entire body cast a spell of death. Beside him, law-enforcement officers, and members of the Law-Enforced Auction Hall and the Blood-Payers Hall all revealed murderous looks in their eyes.

Very obviously, as long as the two clans objected again, their whole clan would be dead!

The Liao clan and Bao clan could only hold back their tears and signed the lives of their clans away.

This was really a great catastrophe… And they didn't understand why this happened.

There had been many clans that merged with other clans in history. But it was really the first time that law-enforcement officers personally came forward to help the merger. Why is the Chu clan so lucky…

Then, Han Xiaoran announced Chu Feiling, Chu Feiyan and Chu Feihan to be the commander of the business group, and they were presented with the flag representing the law-enforcement master of the South-East region!

This move clearly showed that Han Xiaoran was putting in his best efforts to support the Chu clan! And to let the Liao clan and Bao clan give up any hope that they had.

After which, Qin Baoshan represented the Law-Enforced Auction Hall to pay a deposit of 3,000 purple crystals to the Chu clan!

Again, this made everyone drop their eyeballs: All along, it was the business group which paid deposits to the Law-Enforced Auction Hall. Only after the goods safely arrived and they were inspected upon would the deposit be refunded and the business group be allowed to receive remunerations.

But now it was the Law-Enforced Auction who paid the deposit? Why was it so?

Finally, Han Xiaoran expressed his deep condolences over Chu Feilong's accident and said, "The murderer was already found, and the Law Enforcement Hall had punished him seriously. The murderer is willing to pay a compensation fee of 8,000 purple crystals to the Chu clan…"

…