Ch. 20
Chapter 20: The Cheng Family’s Bloodline May Be Incompetent, But It Cannot Be Without Virtue!
He just didn’t want to see how hypocritical you are!
Those words were like a sharp sword stabbing into Cheng Yue’s heart. No matter how many excuses and justifications she had in her heart, they could not cover up that truth.
Toward this blood relative who had wandered outside for so many years and suffered so much, they simply had never cared that much.
“Impossible!”
Crash!
With a loud shout, Cheng Yue smashed the teacup she had been about to hand to Cheng Si onto the floor.
After years of being educated in chivalric morality, she had always been extremely confident in the benevolence and righteousness she practiced.
And yet now reality was telling her that she was nothing more than a hypocrite who could not even properly care for her own family.
No matter what, Cheng Yue could not accept it, and in her humiliation and anger, she lashed out.
“He must have filled your head with all this nonsense! A person like him never learned properly from childhood. All he knows is how to stuff his mouth with crooked logic to deceive others!”
“Did he ever have a choice? Not everyone is born as the son of the Martial Alliance Leader.”
Sitting on the bed, Cheng Si looked at Cheng Yue coldly, her eyes filled with endless sorrow.
Second Brother had originally also been a child who could have grown up amid beauty and warmth, yet instead he had only been able to struggle and grow in the mud.
Eldest Sister had enjoyed the happiness that originally should have belonged in part to Second Brother as well, all while despising him for not learning properly.
No wonder Second Brother had chosen to leave.
In a home like that, every moment would have felt suffocating beyond measure…
The moment Cheng Si thought of Cheng Yu’s place within the Cheng Family, she felt boundless despair and sorrow for him, and her heart ached terribly.
Her illness flared up again, and her vision went black as she fainted on the spot.
“Little Sister!”
……
Ten thousand li away, at the River-Severing Sect, a clear cry pierced the heavens as an extremely agile little bird of prey flew in at high speed.
It was a priceless messenger bird.
In the blink of an eye, it flew from the distant horizon to this place and landed in the hand of an imposing middle-aged man.
Cheng Zhenjiang removed the letter tied to the messenger bird’s leg, and his eyes lit up.
“Madam, come quickly! Yue’er and Si’er have sent a letter!”
A figure appeared beside him in a gust of wind. It was Zhao Xichun, her face filled with excitement.
“My daughters! I wonder how Si’er’s illness is doing. Have they found any news of Yu’er?”
After finally managing to calm his wife, Cheng Zhenjiang had been in quite a good mood.
“With a letter arriving this quickly, that brat must have realized his mistake!”
But once he opened it and read the contents, the smile on his face instantly froze.
“To Father and Mother: Your eldest daughter Cheng Yue greets you through this letter. Little Sister’s illness has flared up twice, and the matter is urgent, so I have already taken her to Divine Physician Mountain in search of Divine Physician Ma for treatment!”
“At the same time, we have also found Cheng Yu. He is currently serving as a Jinyiwei Banner Captain in Qingjiang Prefecture, Dragon Abyss Province. According to what we have learned, on the very first day of his appointment, he swept clean the local gang force known as the Red River Gang, killing and beheading their gang leader, a Third Rank martial artist…”
“A few days ago, an Acting Hundred-Household Commander of the Qingjiang Prefecture Jinyiwei came looking for him…”
The moment he saw the contents of the letter, Cheng Zhenjiang’s expression changed at once.
“He killed a Third Rank martial artist? Since when did that unfilial wretch gain that kind of strength? He actually dared deceive his parents—how can there be such an unfilial son under heaven!”
No matter what, there was no way a First Rank martial artist could become capable of killing a Third Rank one so quickly.
Cheng Yu had definitely deceived them!
The moment Cheng Zhenjiang thought of how he had shown Cheng Yu displeasure because of his strength, he felt only that his face had lost all luster and that he had been humiliated beyond measure.
The great and famous Hero Cheng had been deceived by his own son!
“Yu’er is in danger! He made such a huge disturbance the moment he arrived there. He’s bound to be targeted!”
But Zhao Xichun’s attention was fixed on something else entirely.
She was no longer young and knew quite a bit about Jianghu matters, so she naturally understood why that Acting Hundred-Household Commander had gone to find Cheng Yu and even made the first move against him.
“Hmph! He killed so many people and stained himself with countless amounts of blood. Naturally, trouble was bound to follow!”
“Didn’t he like hiding things from his parents and severing ties with the family? Then I’m sure he’s not afraid of the trouble he brought on himself either.”
Cheng Zhenjiang understood this as well, but he was even more furious over the fact that Cheng Yu had concealed his strength.
“Cheng Zhenjiang, what do you mean by that?!”
The instant she heard the sneering tone in her husband’s voice, Zhao Xichun exploded in anger.
“That’s our son! He’s in danger, and instead of caring first about whether he’s safe, what’s the point of thinking about those things?”
“If I’d known that this ruthless boy had cultivated to this level, I would have crippled his martial arts first and foremost, so he couldn’t bring calamity upon the Jianghu and disgrace the Cheng Family and the River-Severing Sect!”
“The Cheng Family’s bloodline may be incompetent, but it cannot be without virtue!”
Cheng Zhenjiang let out a cold snort.
As the mighty Martial Alliance Leader, if he wanted to resolve Cheng Yu’s troubles, all he had to do was say the word.
But he cherished his reputation and public image too much. He truly did not want to get involved in matters concerning the Jinyiwei, for fear that it would leave him with an unfavorable reputation.
Seeing that she could not persuade her husband at all, so obsessed was he with the name of chivalry, Zhao Xichun became anxious beyond measure.
“If you care so much about your reputation that you won’t even care about your own son, then I’ll go protect him myself! He has suffered all his life since childhood. As his mother, I can’t just stand by and watch him suffer again!”
The moment she said this, she immediately turned to leave.
But Cheng Zhenjiang grabbed her and stopped her as well.
“You’re not allowed to go either! Which man of the Cheng Family isn’t supposed to be a hero with courage and responsibility? If he killed people and brought trouble upon himself, then let him solve it himself. Only then will I consider him not to have disgraced my name, Cheng Zhenjiang!”
Stopped like this, Zhao Xichun grew even more anxious and began angrily cursing her husband.
“Face, face, face! All you ever care about is your precious face as the Martial Alliance Leader! For the sake of face, you won’t even care about your own son!”
“I know you’re unhappy that he hid his strength from you, but no matter how much he hid, he’s still only at the Third Rank! Are you really going to sit there and watch your own son get killed?”
“If someone can command that gang leader, then they must certainly be above the Third Rank. Yu’er is reckless and no match for people like that. Don’t you feel even a little heartache?”
The experts accompanying Cheng Yue and Cheng Si were there to escort the two of them to Divine Physician Mountain.
But Cheng Yu was now truly all alone. If trouble came for him, he could only handle it himself.
When Cheng Zhenjiang heard this, he restrained the anger in his heart somewhat. No matter what, he was not so cold-hearted that he would simply watch his son come to harm.
“In that case, let’s do this. I’ll have someone go and help him deal with the matter…”
But just as Cheng Zhenjiang was relenting, a powerful aura suddenly erupted nearby.
The direction it came from was precisely the cultivation chamber in the Sect Master’s residence at the River-Severing Sect.
Cheng Zhenjiang instantly cast aside all his unpleasant feelings and was overjoyed.
“Feng’er is about to break through!”
At just seventeen years of age, Cheng Feng was about to break into the Fifth Rank. He was unquestionably a young heavenly talent.
That would be enough for him to advance a great step forward on the Human Ranking and lay a solid foundation for his future entry into the Earth Ranking.
When the time came, father and son would stand one on the Heaven Ranking and one on the Earth Ranking. Just speaking of it would already be a fine tale renowned throughout the Jianghu.
That would mean all the effort Cheng Zhenjiang had poured into him had not been wasted.
It would also bring him some splendid face.
Zhao Xichun also put aside her sorrow and immediately became delighted. “My Feng’er is finally coming out of seclusion. I’m going to see him!”
Having not seen her youngest son for several days, she missed him dearly.
Cheng Zhenjiang burst into laughter. “As expected of my son. He truly is a hero among men. Since Feng’er is breaking through this time, I must celebrate him properly and spread his name far and wide!”
“Men! Prepare a banquet throughout the entire River-Severing Sect to celebrate Feng’er’s breakthrough to the Fifth Rank!”
The joy brought by their youngest son’s breakthrough and emergence from seclusion washed over both of them, and they completely forgot that only moments ago they had been worrying about the plight of another son.
That very night, the River-Severing Sect was lively beyond measure, as the Sect Master held a grand banquet to celebrate the Young Sect Master’s breakthrough.
The elders and disciples who came to offer congratulations all looked at Cheng Feng, with his bright eyes and sword-like brows, and could not help sighing in admiration.
“The Young Sect Master is only seventeen years old, yet he’s already ranked sixty-ninth on the Human Ranking. As expected of the son of a great hero like the Sect Master!”
“Now that the Young Sect Master has broken through to the Fifth Rank, his ranking might rise dozens of places. We people of the River-Severing Sect bask in that glory too!”
“Not only is the Sect Master’s character and strength beyond reproach, but even the way he raises his descendants is so extraordinary. Admirable, truly admirable!”
The Earth Ranking belonged to the final three ranks of cultivation. One could only enter it with strength at the Seventh Rank or above.
Other than the vanishingly rare handful of peerless prodigies in Great Qian, even a genius usually had to cultivate until the age of thirty before entering it.
Thus, the Human Ranking had become the stage upon which young geniuses contended against one another.
At seventeen years old and already in the Fifth Rank, Cheng Feng could at the very least enter the top fifty of the Human Ranking. He was an exceptionally remarkable genius.
“Oh right, did you hear about the Sect Master going to Beixuan City to look for someone? Didn’t he say a certain Jinyiwei named Cheng Yu was his son?”
“Jinyiwei Cheng Yu? I think I really did see that person in the sect before. Could he also be the Sect Master’s son? How did he end up becoming a court hound, and with such paltry strength too…”
Seated upon the high platform in high spirits, Cheng Zhenjiang heard disciples discussing Cheng Yu.
Now that he knew Cheng Yu was at least in the Third Rank, he felt even more disgust toward Cheng Yu’s identity as a member of the Jinyiwei.
What was so good about being a court hound and staining one’s hands with blood?
When he looked at his spirited and imposing younger son beside him, he felt the contrast all the more sharply.
To become a grand, heroic figure whose noble name spread far and wide, and to carry out righteous deeds with chivalry—that was the true path!
Just then, Zhao Xichun, seated beside Cheng Zhenjiang, lowered her head and sighed again.
The moment she heard Cheng Yu’s name, sorrow welled up in her heart once more.
At such a joyful time, three of her children were not by her side, and one of them was even in mortal danger.
“My Yu’er…”
When Cheng Zhenjiang saw his wife falling into grief over Cheng Yu in the midst of such celebration, he felt even more that Cheng Yu was unfilial.
Displeased, he said, “Stop worrying about that unfilial wretch. Since he refuses to admit his mistakes, then at worst we just won’t bother with him. Let him live or die on his own!”
The more he said that, the more Zhao Xichun grieved, until tears streamed down her face.
“No! It was clearly you who forced him away. We can’t just watch him sink into misery and hardship. We must bring Yu’er back!”
Cheng Feng, seated to one side, also heard these words.
The joy of breaking through to the Fifth Rank immediately diminished by several points, and his resentment toward Cheng Yu deepened further.
If not for Cheng Yu, Eldest Sister and Little Sister would also be here, and the whole family would be enjoying this occasion together.
Instead, everything had turned into this.
At the moment of his great joy, that fellow had made his parents this sorrowful. Why had someone like him even come back in the first place!
It would have been better if he had simply died!
A filthy, shameless creature whose life was miserable ought to have just died quietly somewhere out of the way. To have reduced his family to this state made him deserving of death!
“Sigh. That’s true as well. Yu’er is still our son in the end. As his parents, we really ought to go find him ourselves.”
After thinking it over, Cheng Zhenjiang finally made the decision to go personally and find Cheng Yu.
Though the unfilial wretch certainly bore most of the blame, there were still some responsibilities he, as the father, could not shirk.
But just then, Cheng Feng suddenly spoke.
“Father, I’ve just broken through, and there are still some insights and gains I haven’t finished sorting through and testing. I’d like to ask you and Mother to stay these next few days and guard me while also giving me some guidance.”