Chapter 31: The Extermination Begins

Years later, Chu Hongshang still remembered the moment when Chen Yuan took her hand and offered to help her exterminate a Family.

But now, Chu Hongshang was wide-eyed, staring at Chen Yuan’s back in disbelief.

She couldn’t believe that someone would actually accept such an outrageous task.

Chen Yuan led Chu Hongshang out of Wantong Inn and found a guesthouse to rent a room.

After entering the room, Chu Hongshang stared blankly at Chen Yuan: “Can you really help me exterminate the entire Zhu Family?”

“Otherwise? I accepted your task in front of everyone.”

Chu Hongshang shook her head gently: “I posted the task at Wantong Inn just to lure one of the Zhu Family members here, so I could perish together with them.”

“The Zhu Family is very powerful. How can you alone exterminate the entire Zhu Family? You shouldn’t go to your death.”

Chu Hongshang pulled out a small, exquisite dagger from her bosom, intricately designed with a hilt inlaid with rubies.

Chen Yuan smiled.

At this time, the Chi Lian Demon Lord was still quite kind-hearted, actually worried that he was going to his death.

She was also very naive, thinking she could fight the Zhu Family to the death with just this ornamental dagger.

“Don’t worry, exterminating the Family is my business. I wouldn’t have accepted your task if I weren’t confident.”

Chen Yuan gazed at Chu Hongshang: “But since I’ve accepted the task, we need to discuss the reward.”

“The Chu Family was exterminated, and all the assets my Family accumulated over generations were seized by the Zhu Family. My fiancé’s Family also drove me out.”

“Now I have only myself. If you, my benefactor, can help me take revenge, I, Chu Hongshang, am willing to serve you like a beast of burden for the rest of my life to repay you!”

Chu Hongshang was about to kneel on the ground, but Chen Yuan extended a strand of True Qi to support her.

Instantly, a look of disbelief flashed in Chu Hongshang’s eyes, and she stared intently at Chen Yuan with reddened eyes.

Foundation Establishment Realm!

This young hero willing to help her take revenge was actually a master of the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Although young, Chu Hongshang was from a martial arts Family and had a solid foundation in martial arts.

101 Reading: A vast collection of novels on 101 Reading Network, 101kks.com, all manually typed without errors.

She knew what the Foundation Establishment Realm represented.

Martial Artists who could Cultivate True Qi were already considered masters in the Jianghu.

The reason the Zhu Family could dominate Gushan City was because the Zhu Family head was a master of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

His five sons, known as the five tigers of the zhu family, included three who had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

But even the most outstanding Genius of the Zhu Family, Zhu Chengzhong, who had joined the Yongzhou major sect Huangji Sect, had not reached the Foundation Establishment Realm at this age.

Only at this moment did Chu Hongshang truly begin to believe that Chen Yuan could help her take revenge.

“Serving like a beast of burden isn’t necessary. I only want one thing from your Chu Family.”

Chu Hongshang smiled bitterly: “My Chu Family now has nothing left; it was all taken by the Zhu Family.”

“I’ll just take it back.” Chen Yuan said nonchalantly: “I want your Chu Family’s celestial star divine box.”

Chu Hongshang was stunned, then shook her head with a bitter smile: “That’s just a rumor passed down by our ancestors. My father even once thought of selling it to use as my dowry.”

Thinking of this, Chu Hongshang’s heart began to ache.

Her father had always doted on her. Afraid she would be bullied or looked down upon after marrying into the Wang Family, he started saving for her dowry from a young age, as did her brothers.

But now, they were all dead.

The so-called celestial star divine box was a box passed down from the Chu Family ancestors, engraved with a star chart, quite beautiful.

But the box had no lock or seams, more like a solid iron block.

According to the ancestors, it contained a peerless Cultivation Technique.

But over the years, the Chu Family tried countless methods without being able to open it.

Finally, the Chu Family even publicly displayed the celestial star divine box, inviting major forces and Jianghu People around Beihai Market to see if they could open it.

Actually, the Chu Family was clever. With this rumor, everyone thought the Chu Family had a treasure, making them a target.

It was better to show everyone that it was just a piece of scrap iron.

After many Jianghu People studied it for days, they concluded only one thing.

This thing was just a solid iron block, not a box at all.

Probably something a Chu Family ancestor made up while drunk and boasting.

Its only value was that the material was decent, made of high-quality Cold Iron, a material for forging Mystic Weapons, which could be melted down for some money.

Since then, no one mentioned the rumor of the Chu Family’s secret treasure, not even the Chu Family itself.

If the Chu Family ever truly declined, they might have melted the celestial star divine box for money.

“That’s not a rumor; your Chu Family just didn’t wait for someone who could open it.”

Chen Yuan shook his head gently; the Chu Family was truly pitiful.

Clearly possessing a great treasure, yet unable to use it.

When ‘Blood Hand Fairy’ Shi Xueyan took Chu Hongshang away, she didn’t help her exterminate the Zhu Family.

The reason was that maintaining enough hatred could better stimulate Chu Hongshang’s potential, so she even suppressed Chu Hongshang from seeking revenge.

When Chu Hongshang finally had the ability to take revenge and exterminate the Zhu Family, it caused a lot of trouble.

At that time, after the Zhu Family seized the celestial star divine box, they couldn’t open it either and left it gathering dust in the warehouse.

After her revenge, Chu Hongshang retrieved the celestial star divine box, intending to keep it as a memento, but unexpectedly opened it and found the “Inner Landscape Divine Art” hidden inside.

Only by then, Chu Hongshang was already the Chi Lian Demon Lord, standing at the pinnacle of the Jianghu.

The “Inner Landscape Divine Art” was no longer very important to her, at most just adding icing on the cake.

Chu Hongshang wanted to say more, but Chen Yuan waved his hand and asked solemnly: “So, are you willing to exchange the celestial star divine box for the extermination of the entire Zhu Family?”

“Of course I am!”

Chu Hongshang nodded heavily.

Not to mention a vague celestial star divine box, at this moment, she would give Chen Yuan anything he wanted.

“Then wait here. I’ve already instructed the waiter to bring you food daily. I will bring you the heads of the entire Zhu Family.”

After saying this, Chen Yuan left the guesthouse directly.

Chu Hongshang watched Chen Yuan’s departing back, slowly knelt down, and kowtowed heavily… Gushan City was one of several small mountain towns near Beihai Market.

It was named Gushan City because of its steep terrain, with only a single, lonely mountain path leading down, hence the name.

Its area was only one-third the size of Lianshan City, but because it was located at the estuary, it was more prosperous than Lianshan City.

Since Gushan City was established later, when Youzhou had already broken away from Great Xia’s control, there wasn’t even a government office in the city.

Previously, order was maintained by several small families jointly, but now, it was dictated solely by the Zhu Family, which dominated Gushan City.

Thirty years ago, the Zhu Family was just an insignificant small Family, not even considered a Family, with only the Zhu Family head Zhu Chaofeng, his wives, and two children.

He left Gushan City in his teens to venture out, reportedly joining the Great Xia military, later mixing with Gangs, and serving as a Guest Elder for noble families.

When he returned to Gushan City, he had accumulated some wealth and reached the Blood Moving Realm in Cultivation.

Over the next thirty years, Zhu Chaofeng had three more sons, each with good martial arts talent, known as the five tigers of the zhu family.

Zhu Chaofeng’s martial arts also improved over thirty years, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Of his five sons, three were in the Foundation Establishment Realm, two in the Blood Moving Realm, and the youngest had joined the Yongzhou major sect Huangji Sect.

At this time, the Zhu Family’s power surged, even surpassing the combined strength of all other small families in Gushan City.

Thus, in the last two or three years, the Zhu Family began to annex and suppress other small families.

Those small families were either exterminated by the Zhu Family or thoroughly terrified, moving to other places.

The Chu Family didn’t leave because they had always kept to themselves, from the start showing deference to the Zhu Family and ceding all power to them.

The Chu Family thought their humble stance would make the Zhu Family spare them.

But they didn’t expect that just because they rejected the Zhu Family’s marriage proposal, they were exterminated.

Now, at the center of Gushan City, the Zhu Family’s luxurious manor courtyard was located here, spanning almost half a street.

Heaven knows how the Zhu Family used Gushan City’s narrow mountain path to transport Materials and build such a manor.

“Father, news came from Beihai Market that the Chu Family’s direct daughter Chu Hongshang was driven out by the Wang Family and is now at Beihai Market.”

A middle-aged man in his early forties, with a decent appearance, was respectfully reporting to an elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing a golden brocade robe and a dignified Face.

The elderly man was the Zhu Family head Zhu Chaofeng, and the middle-aged man was his eldest son Zhu Chengan, also a master of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Of the five tigers of the zhu family, the eldest Zhu Chengan and the second Zhu Chengguo had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The third Zhu Chengze and the fourth Zhu Chengzu were in the Blood Moving Realm.

The youngest Zhu Chengzhong, though the youngest, was the most talented, having joined the Yongzhou top sect Huangji Sect years ago, and news came a year ago that he had also stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Zhu Chaofeng picked up a Black-Gold Celadon Cup, took a sip of tea, and chuckled: “The Wang Family of Nanshan City is quite sensible and understanding. Otherwise, I was thinking of finding time to visit the Wang Family and have a chat with that old thing from the Wang Family.”

“The Wang Family is sensible, but that girl from the Chu Family isn’t very sensible.”

Zhu Chengan sneered: “After being driven out by the Wang Family, she didn’t flee but went to Wantong Inn at Beihai Market to post tasks for those Blade-for-Hires, wanting to exterminate our entire Zhu Family!”

Zhu Chaofeng was stunned, then burst into laughter as if hearing an extremely ridiculous joke.

Zhu Chengan also laughed along.

Going to those lowly Blade-for-Hires, like pigs and dogs, to exterminate the Zhu Family was simply the biggest joke!

Not to mention those poor Blade-for-Hires, even if the Murong Clan and Yiqi Guanhri Alliance, which dominated Youzhou, came, as long as the Zhu Family mentioned Huangji Sect, both would give the Zhu Family Face!

Zhu Chengzhong didn’t join Huangji Sect as an ordinary Disciple but as a direct Core Disciple, potentially becoming a high-ranking member of Huangji Sect in the future.

With this connection, even the Murong Clan and Yiqi Guanhri Alliance wouldn’t touch the Zhu Family without absolute conflict of interest.