Huang Tian had broken through to the sixth rank!
When Huang Xunjiu learned the news, he was completely dumbfounded.
His speed of advancement was simply too fast!
Huang Qian had only just succeeded in drawing qi, yet Huang Tian had already broken through to the next rank?!
It was absurd to the point of being unbelievable.
Yet the moment he recalled the feat of Huang Tian breaking through three ranks in a single month, he felt it was exceedingly likely to be true!
The steward's face was pale. "The news should be true. The fourth young master has indeed broken through to the sixth rank. It is only the rumor that he single-handedly defeated a horde of desperadoes that might not be genuine. When he was ambushed, he had two fifth-rank martial artists protecting him; those villains were likely captured by the two of them."
"Sixth rank... sixth rank..."
Huang Xunjiu could not tell what he was feeling—perhaps regret, resentment, bitter pity... A tangle of emotions knotted in his chest, rendering him speechless for a long moment.
Sitting further back, Huang Rui and Huang Jian had both heard the steward clearly this time and witnessed the loss of composure from their father and eldest brother. Their faces instantly drained of color.
Huang Jian in particular looked utterly distraught. "How could this happen? That person... not only was he not assassinated, he broke through again? How... how is this possible? This is too absurd..."
Indeed, it was absurd! Absurd to the point where it was exceedingly likely to be true!
Outsiders had no reason to fabricate such a lie specifically to deceive the Huang family.
All four father and sons of the Huang family stood in a daze, while the guests had also finally uncovered the true details. One after another, they held their breath and exchanged speechless glances.
After a long silence.
A middle-aged man in brocade robes rose to his feet, forced a smile, and cupped his hands to Huang Xunjiu. "The hour is late, and the banquet has been thoroughly enjoyed. I shall take my leave first."
With his departure, many followed suit, getting up to leave.
There was no helping it. What had occurred tonight left their minds buzzing with shock. How could they have the heart to stay and keep drinking heartily? All they wanted was to return home as soon as possible, clear their heads, and make a decision on whether to continue aligning themselves with the Huang family.
Although most of them were in-laws or old acquaintances of the Huang family, when disaster loomed, each fled for their own life. Who said that in-laws and old friends had to accompany the Huang family to ruin or outright destruction? There was no such principle in the world.
Previously, they had not been in a rush to detach themselves from the Huang family, partly because they had yet to find another patron to lean on.
And partly because the Huang family's power still appeared formidable to them—not yet at the point of immediate collapse. Moreover, the eldest young master of Huang Manor, Huang Qian, possessed decent aptitude and might maintain the family's fortunes without decline, so they had continued to wait and watch.
Yet now, no matter what Huang Qian or the Huang family did, it was all futile.
Faced with Huang Tian's breakthrough to the sixth rank, the Huang family's decline was inevitable. It was time for them to abandon ship. Even if abandoning ship meant having a few pounds of flesh sliced away, they had to jump; otherwise, they would only sink to the riverbed along with the great ship of the Huang family.
In mere moments, the many brocade-clad guests departed, leaving behind only the courtyard filled with the aroma of wine and leftover scraps.
The attending servants and maids kept their heads bowed, gingerly clearing away the tables, chairs, and dishes, none daring to utter a sound.
"Master, what happened? Why did they all leave?"
He Yunrou, who had originally been chatting with the female guests in the rear courtyard, entered the main courtyard with a look of surprise.
Just moments ago, everyone had been conversing with great enthusiasm. Those women had showered her with compliments for raising such a fine son, saying Huang Qian might become a Grandmaster in the future, and when that time came, she would be the mother of a Grandmaster, enjoying boundless wealth and glory—among the ten million people of the commandery, who would not revere her?
Though she knew these were mere flatteries—becoming a Grandmaster was hardly that simple, an impossible breakthrough without peerless comprehension and profound fortune, neither of which Huang Qian truly possessed, making his chances exceedingly slim—she had still been overjoyed, modestly offering polite remarks with a beaming smile.
Yet who could have foreseen that before her joy could last, those women seemed to catch wind of some news and stood up to leave in droves. She tried to persuade them to stay, only to be hastily rebuffed.
Arriving in the main courtyard in utter bewilderment, He Yunrou discovered that all the guests in the courtyard had actually dispersed as well, not a single one remaining. Only the four men—Huang Xunjiu and his sons—sat there in a stupor.
"You... what on earth happened? Why do all of you look possessed?" He Yunrou asked, uneasy.
Jolted by her interruption, Huang Xunjiu barely gathered his wits. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "The fourth son was ambushed..."
"That is a good thing!" He Yunrou blurted out.
Huang Xunjiu glared at her and snapped, "Let me finish! Though he was ambushed, he was not injured in the least. Not only was he unharmed, he even revealed a sixth-rank cultivation. What's more, people are saying his current strength is no less than the fifth or even fourth rank..."
He Yunrou felt as though a thunderbolt had struck her crown. Her vision flashed blinding white. She blinked hard until the blurred sight slowly snapped back into focus, and the first thing that met her eyes was Huang Xunjiu's crestfallen, worried face.
"Him? Sixth rank? Even fifth or fourth rank?"
Her voice was faint as a breath, as though trapped in a dream. "What... what do we do?"
"I don't know."
Huang Xunjiu slowly shook his head. He could not think of any way out.
Huang Tian had broken through once more and possessed such formidable power. Even if he could not battle a fourth rank, he likely had fifth-rank strength; otherwise, the rumors outside would not have spread so exaggeratedly, claiming he had single-handedly defeated two fifth-rank martial artists and several sixth-rank martial artists.
Such immense strength already eclipsed his own as the master of Huang Manor!
In terms of potential, he looked down on everyone else. To put it bluntly, Huang Qian was not even worthy to carry his shoes before him—the disparity was as vast as heaven and earth.
Yet they had offended Huang Tian so deeply that there was no possibility of reconciliation, unless Huang Tian's birth mother were still alive. But had she still lived, Huang Tian would never have been constantly bullied by the second and third brothers in the past, and matters would never have reached such an impasse today.
Huang Jian said in terror, "Father, Mother, that person is so strong now, and his potential is so high. There will definitely be even more people trying to curry favor with him and build ties..."
As for how to build ties and curry favor, the answer was already obvious: suppress the Huang family, of course! They could carve out a piece of meat for themselves and draw closer to Huang Tian at the same time—who would not be willing to do it?
"Father, what should we do?"
Hearing this, Huang Xunjiu's expression darkened even further. He glared furiously at Huang Jian. "What do you mean, 'what should we do'?! If you hadn't bullied him back then, would we even have to think about what to do now?! You fool! Useless trash! How did I father a son like you?!"
Flames of rage surged within him, driving him mad with fury. He terrified Huang Jian so badly that the young man stumbled backward two steps and nearly collapsed to the ground, only saved when Huang Rui acted quickly to steady him.
"You! And you! The two of you—why did you have to torment him in the past?! Utterly incorrigible! Completely unredeemable!"
After berating Huang Rui and Huang Jian, Huang Xunjiu turned to He Yunrou and roared, "Look at the two fine sons you raised! What kind of wretched things have you brought up?!"
He Yunrou had rarely seen him lose control of his temper like this. Frightened out of her wits, she did not dare talk back at all.
Railing at one and then the other, Huang Xunjiu nearly went berserk. It was only because he retained a shred of sanity; otherwise, he would have had the urge to beat the second and third sons to death on the spot.
Huang Qian, though spared from the scolding, buried his head, lost in bewilderment. Which way forward was there for Huang Manor now?
Chapter 90