Try to Run, and Your Entire Clan Dies

"It doesn't matter," Chen Fan said, shaking his head. They were currently outside the wall of Cave No. 1. The wall was fully raised, making it impossible to see anything inside from here. "Alright." Qi Feng nodded. He drew an incense stick from inside his robes and lit it. As if sinking into deep meditation, he froze, motionless. Only after the stick had burned down completely did he slowly open his eyes, rise to his feet, and say with a complicated expression: "Master Chen, this exotic beast is called a 'Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile.' "They are exceedingly rare and possess immense potential. "The combined value of all the exotic beasts in Jiangnan might not even match the worth of this one beast of yours, Master Chen. However... "Heaven-Swallowing Crocodiles have a genetic mutation. Only about one in ten thousand inherits it. "Its primary manifestation is that wounds cannot heal. "Even the slightest scratch will not heal. If you hadn't been continuously nourishing it with the altar these past few days, Master Chen, it would have bled to death by now. From here on out, unless you are willing to keep nourishing it with the altar forever, it will..." He did not dare say the rest out loud. His father had said he was willing to purchase the Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile's corpse for a high price. Yet he dared not mention it. It was obvious that Master Chen was deeply attached to this creature; otherwise, he wouldn't have paid such a steep price to keep nourishing it with the altar. "Is there no way to fix it?" Chen Fan asked, furrowing his brow. "There is," Qi Feng replied, taking a deep breath and nodding. "The Great Dao has fifty, and heaven manifests forty-nine; there is no ailment in this world that cannot be cured. As long as you find a heavenly material and earthly treasure known as the 'Snow Lotus' and have it swallow it, the condition will be healed. "However... "Though this Snow Lotus is merely a Green-grade treasure, it is extraordinarily rare. It takes a hundred years of cultivation to mature, and it must be nurtured within a special environment laid with an array formation. My father doesn't even know how to set up that array; he only learned of this from an ancient text. "Other than this, there is no other way." Qi Feng's voice was laden with regret. This was practically a death sentence for the Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile. It was truly a pity for such a rare creature to perish like this. A hundred years of cultivation. Perhaps only supreme factions would have started cultivating such a treasure a century ago. For supreme factions, their deepest foundation was their generational heritage. To expend immense effort and ancestral legacy merely to pass down a single Snow Lotus to future generations was a foundation that a faction like theirs could never rival. They couldn't even be sure their sect would survive another ten years, let alone have the spare strength to lay groundwork for a century ahead. "That is truly a shame," Chen Fan sighed deeply. Then he lightly tapped Weiwei's head and smiled. "Come, let's head back and keep drinking tea." The problem was solved. Snow Lotus. Extremely rare. And yet... His Warehouse happened to hold one. What a coincidence—it was resting quietly and safely in the Heavenly Treasures Chamber. Actually, it wasn't a coincidence at all. He now had a good idea of why the powerhouse who had smashed open the mountain with a hammer hadn't taken Weiwei along when leaving: that person must have known Weiwei carried this inherited condition and planted the Snow Lotus for it, telling Weiwei to eat it once it matured. Evidently, Weiwei had forgotten. He also had a good idea of why Weiwei was so timid. Most likely, not long after Weiwei was born, that powerhouse had constantly nagged: "You must never get hurt! You must never get hurt! "If you get hurt, you'll die! If you get hurt, you'll die! "Once the Snow Lotus matures, eat it." Weiwei's brain capacity was rather modest, so it only remembered the first two lines. Even when the Snow Lotus matured, it never ate it. Chen Fan had always wondered why a creature of Weiwei's strength resorted to herding ghost creatures off cliffs to hunt. It hadn't made any sense at all. A Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile. Did the little fellow really have such an overbearing name? That sounded far more domineering than Fan Gate. Inside the wooden cabin. The old man accompanying Qi Feng spoke slowly: "The wall built into the rock face is a Level 3 wall, covered in Ghost Blood Patterns." They were sharp-eyed men who knew their goods. Naturally, they understood how many ghost stones it took to forge a wall with patterns like that. "Mm," Gongyang Yiyue grunted with a nod, showing no inclination to chat. Seeing that the others had no desire to talk, the old man said nothing more. He merely lifted his teacup in silence and took a sip. "Everyone." Chen Fan strolled inside with Qi Feng, chuckling. Just as he was about to say something, he raised a brow. "More esteemed guests have arrived. Care to join me to welcome them?" "Naturally." "Jiangbei Chamber of Commerce presents congratulatory gifts: three thousand ghost stones!" "Jiangnan One Sword Sect presents congratulatory gifts: five thousand ghost stones!" Inside the sinkhole. More and more factions arrived to pay their respects, and the piles of gifts on the ground grew higher and higher. Wang Kui called out the announcements as he took tally. "Qiuhe Wang family presents congratulatory gifts: 9,832 ghost stones, 17 unopened White exotic treasures, 11 opened White exotic treasures, 2 unopened Green exotic treasures, 1 opened Green exotic treasure, and 2 building blueprints!" "..." After finishing his call, Wang Kui suddenly realized something. Expressionless, he looked at the familiar-looking old man before him, who was currently forcing an awkward, obsequious smile onto his face—a look Wang Kui had never seen on him before. "Long time no see, Master." "Well... er..." Patriarch Wang muttered awkwardly, his eyes darting about. "It's good to see you alive." "Mm-hmm." "Very good, wonderful. Seeing how successful you've become now makes me truly happy for you. I always knew you'd soar to the skies one day." "I almost forgot," Wang Kui said as a thought struck him. He smacked his forehead and turned to Zhou Mo, who was bustling nearby. "Lend me your saber for a moment. By the rules of the Qiuhe Wang family, leaving the clan requires three blades and six holes." "Here." Without hesitation, Zhou Mo unbuckled his sidearm and handed it over. "Wash it clean when you're done." "Don't, please don't!" Patriarch Wang's expression changed instantly. Assuming an almost subservient, pleading posture, his voice quivered with a tearful sob. "Brother Wang, Brother Wang, there's really no need..." Among all the factions visiting today, his held the lowest status. Standing nearby were behemoths like Jiangnan's Medicine King Valley, Jiangnan's Gongyang clan, and even Jiangbei's largest faction, the Jiangbei Chamber of Commerce. A mere Qiuhe Wang family from Jiangbei City hardly dared to speak above a whisper. Seeing numerous eyes turn toward him only made him squirm in deeper humiliation. "Never targeted me?" Wang Kui sneered. "Then let me ask you: among all the stationmasters in the Qiuhe Wang family, was I the most capable?" "Yes," Patriarch Wang nodded firmly. "Over these years, I was reassigned time and again. Whenever I was rotated to an outpost, even if it had been completely abandoned before, I could build it up. Isn't that right?" "Yes..." Patriarch Wang pulled his head in, glancing around in deep embarrassment. "Was I capable enough?" "You were." "Did I have enough seniority?" "You did." "Did I do a good job as a stationmaster?" "A very good job." "Then why, after working for the Qiuhe Wang family for thirteen years, was I still just a stationmaster?" "Because..." Patriarch Wang braced himself and mumbled, "Because you did such a good job as stationmaster..." "If someone does a good job, they have to keep doing it forever?" "Uh..." Patriarch Wang had no idea how to answer. If you didn't keep the capable people in the post, were you supposed to let incompetent fools run the outposts? "Never mind," Wang Kui suddenly chuckled, patting Patriarch Wang on the shoulder. "I truly didn't expect you to come. But now that you're here, there's no need to leave. I already discussed how to handle your Qiuhe Wang family with the Sect Master. "Your Wang family is dissolved immediately. "As for you... "You will serve as a stationmaster in Fan Gate for the next full thirteen years. Once that time is up, you may return to reunite with your family. You'd better do a fine job. Work just as I used to work, and I'll drop by from time to time to inspect you. "Try to run, and your entire clan dies." Patriarch Wang showed little resistance; instead, he exhaled a long breath of relief. "Gladly, gladly! Everything shall be done according to Fan Gate's orders. I will work tirelessly for Fan Gate like a faithful steed." Throughout the rainy season, he had kept an eye on Jiangbei Chen Family Outpost No. 37. Its flame had only gone out on the very last day of the season. Right afterward, Fan Gate had risen. Anyone could figure out with half a brain that the founder of Fan Gate had to be the Jiangbei Chen family's bastard son. To build a faction, he needed manpower, and the stationmaster of Qiuhe Wang Family Outpost No. 17, situated closest to Jiangbei Chen Family Outpost No. 37, had almost certainly been absorbed. Would a stationmaster who spent thirteen years at the Wang family without a single promotion hold no resentment toward them? He didn't believe it for a second. That was why, the moment he saw other factions going to pay their respects to Fan Gate, he had hurried to tag along. He hadn't dared to be the first. Going first carried too high a risk of death. By tagging along in a crowd, they couldn't just execute him in broad daylight—it would look bad. Before setting out, he had packed up his clan's entire fortune. If Wang Kui wasn't in Fan Gate, he would simply offer a thousand ghost stones. If Wang Kui was there, he would surrender everything as blood money to buy his life. Now, the outcome wasn't bad at all; at least none of his kin were dead, and all he had to do was serve thirteen years as a stationmaster. It was entirely acceptable. As for resisting... Could a tiny faction like the Qiuhe Wang family ever hope to oppose a power capable of slaying a ghost king, one that drew visits from so many grand factions? Now that the dust had settled, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Scampering eagerly over to Wang Kui, he offered, "Er, Brother Wang, is there anything you need help with? I noticed the canyon entrance lacks a gatekeeper. How about I go keep watch there first? You can give me more orders whenever you have assignments later." "..." Wang Kui stood rooted in place, speechless for a long while. Throughout the rainy season, he had dreamed of this exact moment. He had envisioned standing proudly before Patriarch Wang, telling him that he had misjudged him, that he was actually immensely capable. He had always assumed the patriarch kept him from promotion because he didn't recognize his talents; who would have thought it was because he recognized them too well? It left him feeling dazed. He had prepared himself for Patriarch Wang to fly into a rage upon hearing his verdict, roaring that a gentleman could be killed but not humiliated, daring them to do their worst! After all, he had only seen Patriarch Wang three times in his life, and each time, the man had worn an unsmiling, stern expression. Who could have guessed... The man was so utterly pliable and pragmatic? In truth, when Wang Kui had seen the oddly specific numbers in the Qiuhe Wang family's gifts, down to the exact digit, he had already guessed as much. The old fellow was simply too decisive; he had liquidated the family's entire fortune to buy his survival. The Sect Master probably wouldn't even think of attacking the Qiuhe Wang family now. What was left to attack anyway? Everything of value was right here. If they attacked now, they'd find nothing but empty buildings, and who even knew how long their cannon towers could keep firing. "Go on, then," Wang Kui said. "Right away!" Patriarch Wang chirped without hesitation. Despite being over sixty, his limbs were remarkably spry. He trotted eagerly into the canyon to take up his post at the entrance. "Not bad," Patriarch Wang murmured at the entrance of Nameless Mountain's canyon. Standing there, he gently stroked the two characters "Fan Gate" carved into the stone cliff and sighed with emotion. "At least I've found a good end." One of Jiangbei City's three great powers, the Qiuhe Wang family. How glorious that sounded. Yet in reality, he had lived every day on tenterhooks. Factions that could endure for more than fifty years from their founding were few and far between; in all of Jiangbei, barely a handful existed. During the rainy season thirty-seven years ago, Jiangbei had nearly been wiped clean. As the years passed, enemies multiplied, and the fear of death only deepened. Now that he had joined Fan Gate, even if only as a stationmaster, Fan Gate was rising at a terrifying pace and was clearly bound for greater heights. If it managed to unify Jiangbei in the future, then even an outpost stationmaster would enjoy more security and standing than he held today. It was a good trade. Thinking of this, he couldn't help feeling a trace of schadenfreude. He had a few grudges with Fan Gate, but nothing excessive; spending his fortune could buy him out. What about the Jiangbei Chen family, then? The Jiangbei Chen family had thrown Chen Fan out into the wilderness right before the rainy season. Could spending money resolve an enmity like that? Hardly likely. Besides, he didn't believe for a second that the old man of the Jiangbei Chen family—who would sacrifice anything for his clan's rise—could ever bear to forfeit his entire family fortune just to buy his life. "Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Patriarch Wang stood at the canyon entrance, looking up at the vast, clear sky, stroking his beard as he hummed a jaunty little tune with no small amount of smugness. Picking things up wasn't real skill; knowing when to let them go was. He had already handed in his exam sheet. Now, it remained to be seen how the Jiangbei Chen family would hand in theirs. During the rainy season, when Jiangbei City was in peril, he hadn't dispatched men or spent his clan's resources defending the city walls. He hadn't even expected the city to hold. His reasoning back then had been simple: even if the city fell, holing up in the Wang family estate still gave him a chance of surviving. And once the rainy season ended, he had prepared to buy his life. If he had squandered all his resources back then, what would he have used to buy his life now? Did people expect to buy survival with sweet words and an empty mouth? Even taking a wife required betrothal gifts! Just then— A mounted troop appeared far off in the wilderness, swiftly closing in on the canyon entrance. Patriarch Wang cleared his throat, straightened his back, and yelled at the top of his lungs: "This is Fan Gate territory! Who approaches? State your names!" Yet the group, mounted atop skeleton horses, didn't slow in the slightest, charging straight toward the canyon. "Fan Gate territory lies ahead!" Patriarch Wang shouted again in a panic, but the riders showed no intention of easing their pace. Gritting his teeth with sudden resolve, he stepped right into their path, threw his arms wide, and bellowed, "Ahead lies Fan Gate terri—" Before he could finish, a skeleton horse crashed heavily into him, sending him flying. Darkness washed over his vision, and he collapsed unconscious to the side. The troop didn't lose a shred of momentum as they barreled onward into the canyon. In the blink of an eye, they crossed the thousand-meter canyon and reached the sinkhole. "Everyone's here, I see." A young man clad in white robes lifted the curtain of a carriage drawn by skeleton horses and stepped out. Glancing at Chen Fan surrounded by the crowd, he smiled cynically. "Quite lively, isn't it? "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zhou Yi, young master of the Dan Sect. Hearing that Fan Gate slew the ghost king, I came specially to offer my congratulations." With a wave of his hand, his retainers hauled out a chest of ghost stones and dumped it onto the mountainous pile of gifts nearby. "Ten thousand ghost stones. Count them if you like." Only then did his gaze sweep across the crowd until it landed on Gongyang Yue, who was hiding behind Qi Yue. A gentle smile spread across his face. "I've searched for you for so long, and at last I've found you. "Gongyang Yue... your beauty truly matches your name."