Will

"Patriarch Huang!" That single form of address plunged the courtyard into dead silence. The stewards and servants who had accompanied Huang Xunjiu paled drastically. They all bowed their heads, not daring to utter a peep for fear of drawing his wrath upon themselves. As for Huang Xunjiu himself, his chest heaved with fury. *Patriarch Huang! He actually dares call me Patriarch Huang—that unfilial brat!* Just a moment ago, he had believed that as long as they sat down and talked over old times, they could slowly mend fences and rekindle their frayed relationship as father and son. Yet Huang Tian had addressed him as Patriarch Huang, plainly treating himself as an outsider to the Huang family. His alienation could not have been clearer. *Why has the bond between father and son come to such a state? Could I truly have been in the wrong back then?* A flicker of self-doubt crossed his mind, but he quickly cast it aside. Wrong? How could he be wrong?! With a dark face, he walked over to the stone table and sat down on the stool across from Huang Tian. Lifting his chin slightly, he glanced at Aunt Qin and Heng'er, who were busily packing inside the main room, and said coldly, "Did you come back solely for those two servant women?" "Indeed," Huang Tian said with a faint smile. "So please, Patriarch Huang, bring forth their employment contracts." "And what if I refuse?" "Patriarch Huang, those are not deeds of indenture. If I wish to take them, you cannot stop me." Huang Xunjiu's expression turned frigid. It was not that he begrudged parting with a mere two servants; rather, he was reluctant to agree because he realized that his standing as a father seemed inferior in Huang Tian's heart to that of those two servants, leaving him somewhat humiliated and incensed. Since when could two servant women be mentioned in the same breath as the master of the dignified Huang Manor? He remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand and told a steward, "Go and retrieve their employment contracts." "Yes, Master." The steward cast a cautious glance at Huang Xunjiu's face before hurrying out of the courtyard. The courtyard fell quiet once more. The servants stood far off, not daring to make a sound. Aunt Qin and Heng'er had also noticed the arrival of Huang Xunjiu and his retinue; staying inside the room, they packed their luggage with the utmost care, terrified of causing any disturbance. "You... In truth, we are father and son after all. If a dispute breaks out between us, it will only invite ridicule..." After a long silence, Huang Xunjiu finally spoke. His tone was remarkably gentle—a night-and-day difference from how he had treated his fourth son in the past. Back then, he had treated the boy almost like a slave, scolding and humiliating him at every turn. Now, however, he was cautious, weighing every word repeatedly in his mind before speaking. Huang Tian chuckled softly. "No one dares ridicule me." When he continually scaled the peaks of the martial path, became a Grandmaster, broke through to Celestial Being, and held sway over nations, who would dare laugh at him? Anyone who dared would simply be beaten to death with a single punch! On the contrary, it was the Huang family that would be ridiculed. The greater Huang Tian's achievements, the more Huang Xunjiu and his entire household would become laughingstocks. For instance, right now, as news of Huang Tian breaking through to the eighth rank spread, the three Huang brothers in the Martial Restraint Guard were already being secretly mocked and ostracized. Huang Xunjiu's face stiffened at these words. Suppressing the anger rising within him, he said slowly, "You are a martial artist yourself; do you not know that cultivation resources are indispensable along the path? As long as you are willing to set aside your grievances and return to the family, I can provide you with resources so your progress will not stall. What do you say?" "Not much of an offer," Huang Tian said softly, sounding almost perplexed. "Could it be that Patriarch Huang does not understand the weight of breaking through to the eighth rank in twenty days from a mortal too weak to truss a chicken? How could I ever lack resources? The Martial Restraint Guard, prominent clans, wealthy merchants—which of them would not gladly shower me with gold, silver, and spirit pills?" Hearing this, Huang Xunjiu's heart sank. How could he not understand? He understood all too well! Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed over so urgently in hopes of burying the hatchet with Huang Tian. The atmosphere lapsed into cold silence once more. His face ashen, Huang Xunjiu was just about to speak when hurried, clamorous footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Clearly, it was not the steward returning with the contracts, but an entire group rushing over. Displeasure flared in his heart. Looking back, he saw his wife, He Yunrou, barging in aggressively with several old matrons, manor guards, and retained experts. "Why have you come?" Huang Xunjiu asked with a frown. He Yunrou's voice was frigid. "Naturally, I came to see your fine son!" Huang Xunjiu's heart skipped a beat. *Could it be that she doesn't know the fourth boy has broken through to the eighth rank and become a Platoon Commander in the Martial Restraint Guard?!* In truth, He Yunrou genuinely did not know. She had only heard from the servants that the Fourth Young Master had returned to the manor, and had rushed over in haste— Previously, when Huang Tian severely beat Huang Jian, her heart had ached for her son. Had Xia Hong not still been present in the manor back then, she would have long since ordered men to seize Huang Tian and beat him mercilessly—or even beat him to death to settle the matter once and for all. Later, she heard that Huang Tian had also thrashed Huang Rui at the Guard Academy. Beside herself with fury, she had wanted nothing more than to vent her rage on her son's behalf. But the Guard Academy was heavily guarded and strict; unable to enter, she had been helpless. She had never expected that Huang Tian would dare return to the manor today. Did he think a mere ninth-rank martial artist could throw his weight around in the Huang Manor? The manor retained several formidable experts—the perfect opportunity to crush that bastard's arrogance! Rage blazed in her eyes as her frosty gaze landed upon Huang Tian. Suddenly, she froze. Because she saw that official uniform. *A Platoon Commander! The eighth rank! Breaking through to the eighth rank in less than a month!* A turbulent wave surged through her heart. Only now did she finally understand why Huang Xunjiu, upon hearing of the fourth boy's return, had cast aside all propriety and rushed over in such haste. *So that's how it is... That's why...* Having realized the truth, she stood frozen where she was, at a complete loss. Continue demanding an explanation and making accusations? She lacked the courage and standing for it. Slink away with her tail between her legs? She could not bear the humiliation. At that moment, however, Huang Tian seemed to take note of the commotion. With a slight knit of his brows, he turned his head, his calm, placid eyes settling upon her. *Boom!!* In that instant, through He Yunrou's eyes, Huang Tian was like a mountain! A towering, divine mountain thousands of zhang high rose abruptly from the earth! The ground trembled and mountains shook; dust blotted out the sun as it pierced straight into the sky! A suffocating aura bore down on her chest, leaving her virtually breathless! In a daze, she saw atop that divine mountain, amidst ten thousand li of layered clouds, an immense golden scaled claw thrusting through the mist with all-destroying might, scattering the dense clouds that veiled the vast sky. A pair of majestic, indifferent dragon eyes, like those of a deity, emerged from behind the clouds and blazed with boundless brilliance. That endless light was like countless dazzling, golden divine swords piercing straight into her eyes, tearing heaven and earth asunder! "Aaargh!!" In the courtyard, He Yunrou, who had been frozen in place, suddenly let out a shrill, bloodcurdling shriek. Clutching her face with both hands, she stumbled backward in terror until a loose stone tripped her with a thump. She crashed to the ground and tumbled several times in disarray, her splendid brocade dress covered in dirt. Every servant was dumbfounded. Why had the Madam been frightened to such an extent when the Fourth Young Master hadn't done anything at all, merely casting a glance at her? Could it be that she felt guilty in her heart and dared not face him? Yet that didn't make sense either. If her disposition was so fragile, how could she have dared come to confront him in such an aggressive manner? *Foolish woman! Unfilial brat!* Huang Xunjiu was beside himself with rage. Even if others couldn't tell, how could he, a sixth-rank martial artist, fail to see through it? Huang Tian had clearly shattered He Yunrou's mental defenses using his formidable martial will, terrifying her to such an extreme!