Chapter 398 Resolving Cause and Effect

“Village Chief, spare us… We’re just errand boys…”

Tan Wenjie ignored them and looked at Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng nodded.

“Handle it as you see fit, old man.”

Tan Wenjie took a deep breath. He looked at the men from the Xu Family, the rage that had been suppressed for over a decade finally boiling over.

He raised his hand.

“Beat them!”

The able-bodied men picked up wooden clubs and carrying poles, laying into the suspended men with brutal force.

Screams of agony echoed at the village entrance.

Liang Cheng stood to the side, watching quietly without intervening.

After a full Quarter Hour of beatings, Tan Wenjie finally raised his hand to stop them.

The seven or eight men were covered in blood; some had already passed out.

“Cut them down and lock them in the woodshed. We’ll wait for our benefactor to return tomorrow and deal with them then.”

The young men untied the ropes and began dragging the prisoners toward the village.

Just then, one of the Xu Family thugs being dragged suddenly spoke up.

“Village… Village Chief Tan… I have something to say…”

Tan Wenjie stopped and turned to look. It was a scrawny man, his face a bloody mess, but his eyes were shifty.

“Speak.”

The man swallowed hard.

“I know some things… about your Tan Family. Can I trade it for my life?”

Tan Wenjie’s gaze sharpened.

“What things?”

The man glanced at the surrounding Tan Family men, then at Liang Cheng, and lowered his voice.

“It’s about those geniuses from your Tan Family who died young…”

Tan Wenjie’s expression changed.

“Bring him here!”

…

「In the woodshed.」

The scrawny man knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Tan Wenjie sat opposite him, with Liang Cheng standing to the side.

“Speak.”

The man swallowed hard.

“My surname is Zhou. I’m a hired thug for the Xu Family, not one of them by blood. I’ve been following Xu Wang for over a decade, and he talks when he’s drunk…”

“Get to the point!”

“Yes, yes…”

The man took a deep breath. “The Xu Family has always been watching the Tan Family. It’s not just for the mines in Ice Wind Valley, but also for a treasure left by your Tan Family’s ancestor.”

Tan Wenjie’s pupils contracted.

“What treasure?”

“I don’t know the details. I only heard Xu Wang mention it once. He said your Tan Family’s ancestor was a renowned powerhouse back in the day who left behind an inheritance. It’s likely hidden somewhere in Ice Wind Valley, and the Xu Family has been searching for it all these years…”

He paused.

“But what the Xu Family feared most wasn’t failing to find it, but that someone from your Tan Family would find it first.”

Tan Wenjie’s hands were trembling.

“What do you mean?”

The man lowered his head.

“The Xu Family’s master said that although the Tan Family has declined, a genius always emerges every so often. If left unchecked, one of them would eventually grow strong enough to find that inheritance…”

“So you…”

“I was just following orders…”

The man kowtowed repeatedly. “Thirty years ago, Tan Wenshan… it was Xu Wang and his men. Twenty years ago, Tan Wenhai… him too… And ten years ago, Tan Wenzhao… they said he was killed by a Demon Beast, but it was actually men from the Xu Family in disguise…”

Tan Wenjie’s face went deathly pale.

Thirty years ago.

Twenty years ago.

Ten years ago.

The most talented youth of each generation in the Tan Family.

He remembered Tan Wenshan, who broke through to the Transformation Force realm at sixteen. The entire Tan Family thought their revival was at hand, but he went out to gain experience and never returned.

He remembered Tan Wenhai, who reached Transformation Force Peak at seventeen. He went to Ice Wind Valley to gather herbs and never came back.

And Tan Wenzhao, who broke through to the Transformation Force realm at just fifteen. The whole Tan Family treated him like a precious treasure, but he was supposedly killed by a “Demon Beast,” his body never fully recovered.

‘So it was the Xu Family’s doing all along!’

“AHHH—!!!”

Tan Wenjie threw his head back and let out a long, grief-stricken roar, tears streaming down his aged face.

With a THUD, he fell to his knees. Facing the direction of the ancestral hall outside the woodshed, he kowtowed heavily.

“Ancestors of the Tan Family, Tan Wenjie has been unfilial! We’ve been oppressed for a century, and I thought it was the will of heaven!”

“Only today have I learned that every genius of the Tan Family was murdered!”

“Wenshan! Wenhai! Wenzhao! Your grand-uncle has failed you!”

He slammed his forehead against the ground, drawing blood.

The surrounding Tan Family men all had reddened eyes, and some had already started to cry.

Liang Cheng stepped forward and helped Tan Wenjie up.

“Old man.”

Tan Wenjie raised his head. His face was covered in blood, but his eyes burned with a furious fire.

He turned, and with a THUD, knelt before Liang Cheng.

“Benefactor!”

Liang Cheng looked at him.

“Get up and speak, old man.”

Tan Wenjie did not rise. He remained on the ground and kowtowed heavily.

“Benefactor, this old man begs one thing of you.”

“Speak.”

“I ask that you, Benefactor, destroy the Xu Family.”

He looked up, his eyes shot with blood.

“This old man originally thought the Xu Family was just oppressing us, that they were only after our wealth. Only today have I learned that for the past hundred years, every single one of the Tan Family’s most outstanding disciples was secretly murdered by them!”

“They don’t want to just drive us away—they want to wipe out the Tan Family’s bloodline!”

“This is a century-long blood feud. This old man cannot avenge it, but you can, Benefactor.”

He kowtowed again.

“I do not ask you to do this for free. The Tan Family’s ancestor did indeed leave something behind, and I can offer it to you.”

With that, he rose and led Liang Cheng to the ancestral hall, where he dug up a small Jade Box from beneath the floorboards.

He opened it. Inside was a Jade Slip.

“This was left by my great-grandfather on his deathbed. He said it could only be opened if someone from our clan one day achieved Core Formation and Breaking Mortality.”

Tan Wenjie held the Jade Box with both hands, raising it above his head.

“Benefactor, I offer this in exchange for the destruction of the Xu Family.”

Liang Cheng looked down at him.

After a long moment, he reached out and took the Jade Box.

“Rise, old man.”

Tan Wenjie did not rise.

“You agree, Benefactor?”

Liang Cheng nodded.

“The Xu Family will not live to see tomorrow.”

Only then did Tan Wenjie rise to his feet and give another deep bow.

“On behalf of all the disciples of the Tan Family who were murdered through the generations, I thank you, Benefactor.”

Liang Cheng waved his hand.

“Wait for my news, old man.”

He turned and stepped into the air, flying away.

Behind him, everyone in Tan Family Village knelt in unison.

…

「Half an hour later.」

「The Xu Family Estate.」

Xu Yuan was meditating in a secret chamber.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open. A terrifying Divine Sense had enveloped the entire Xu Family estate.

His expression changed drastically, and he rushed out of the chamber.

Above the Main Hall, Liang Cheng stood, suspended in mid-air.

When Xu Yuan saw him, his heart skipped a beat.

“May I ask, Senior…”

Liang Cheng said nothing.

BOOM!!!

An incomparably terrifying pressure erupted from his body. The pressure was almost tangible as it instantly blanketed the entire Xu Family estate!

In his secret chamber, the Xu Family’s old ancestor, who had been in seclusion for thirty years, had his heart meridians shattered by the pressure before he could even open the door.

Xu Yuan was unaware of this, but his legs still gave out, and he collapsed to his knees with a THUD.

‘Golden Core!’

‘This is a Golden Core Powerhouse!’

He had lived for two hundred years; he had seen a Golden Core Powerhouse take action before!

He would never forget this kind of pressure!

“Senior, spare me…”

The next moment, Xu Yuan’s head hit the ground.

Below the Golden Core realm, all are ants.

‘True Gang?’

‘Before him, it was no different from an ordinary person.’

「Half an hour later.」

Not a single person in the Xu Family was left alive.

Liang Cheng stood amidst the ruins. He swept his Divine Sense over the entire estate one last time to confirm there were no survivors, then turned and left.

Behind him, the great fire consuming the Xu Family estate burned so brightly it turned half the sky red.

…

「Ice Wind Valley, Tan Family Village.」

Liang Cheng landed at the village entrance.

Tan Wenjie and the entire village were waiting for him.

Seeing him return, Tan Wenjie hurried forward to greet him.

“Benefactor…”

“No more Xu Family.”

The four simple words left Tan Wenjie stunned.

Then, he knelt.

The entire village knelt.

“The Tan Family will never forget your great kindness, Benefactor!”

Liang Cheng helped him up.

“There’s no need for this, old man. I have accepted the Jade Slip.”

He paused.

“However, there is something I must tell you.”

“Please speak, Benefactor.”

“The law of the jungle rules this world. If the Tan Family wishes to no longer be bullied, relying on outsiders won’t be enough.”

He looked at a nearby bluestone, then suddenly slashed it with his blade, leaving a deep gash.

“That blade mark contains an opportunity for the disciples of the Tan Family, but how far they can ultimately go will depend on their own fortune and effort.”

Tan Wenjie bowed deeply.

“This old man understands. From this day forward, all Tan Family disciples aged eight and above will come here to comprehend it for two hours every day. How much they can grasp will depend on their individual fortune.”

Liang Cheng nodded. “Still, to be safe, I will first escort you off Profound Ice Island and help you find a place to live in seclusion. How about it?”

“Yes!”

Tan Wenjie didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately gathered the entire village.

They would leave this place and begin a new life!