Chapter 52 : Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Everyone Connected to Sword-Forging Manor, Come Out at Once and Answer for Your Crimes!
“Cheng Yu? You said that man is called Cheng Yu?!”
An expression of utter disbelief appeared on Zhao Xichun’s lovely face, as though she had just heard the most terrifying thing under heaven. She looked around at the people nearby in a daze, bewilderment written all over her face.
Their three children beside her were equally unable to believe it, staring at one another with wide eyes.
The others were also so startled that they looked at each other in confusion. Why had Great Hero Cheng’s wife suddenly fixated on such a strange detail? They had only mentioned the name of a vicious Imperial Hound of the court who should have had nothing to do with her. Why was she so agitated?
Those with quick and careful minds, however, had their expressions change at once. They quickly caught the crux of the matter.
That Jinyiwei was called Cheng Yu... he bore the surname Cheng!
A terrifying guess rose in their hearts, yet no one dared to voice it. They looked at one another, helpless and at a loss.
Some things could not be said carelessly.
If they guessed wrong, they would offend someone. If they guessed right, the entire Jianghu of the Great Qian Dynasty would be shaken.
Bewildered, Zhao Xichun looked around at the crowd, then turned to Cheng Zhenjiang.
“Zhenjiang, that Jinyiwei they mentioned...”
Forcing himself to remain calm, Cheng Zhenjiang said, “The Jianghu is vast. There are many people with the same name. We can discuss the rest later, my wife. First, let me discuss this major matter with all these heroes.”
Seeing Cheng Zhenjiang deliberately feign composure, the last sliver of hope in Zhao Xichun’s heart shattered completely.
Cheng Yu’s name had already been spoken aloud, so why was Cheng Zhenjiang still this calm?
She knew her husband too well.
If he had only just heard that his son had committed such heinous deeds, he would have been shocked and furious and would have dealt with it immediately.
His present reaction was utterly abnormal. It clearly meant he had known for a long time.
He had deliberately kept it from her and said nothing. There was only one possibility.
That Jinyiwei was their own biological son.
Tears welled up in Zhao Xichun’s eyes.
She became agitated. “Discuss it later?! They’re talking about killing our son right now as an offering to Heaven, and you’re telling me we’ll discuss it later?!”
“Are you really going to stand there and watch them kill our own flesh and blood?”
“My wife, you—”
Cheng Zhenjiang was aghast. He had not expected Zhao Xichun to react so violently.
Before he could stop her, she had actually admitted that the Jinyiwei who had slaughtered the Jianghu of Qingjiang Prefecture was his son.
The other martial artists sat there dumbstruck.
They had just heard the most unbelievable thing of their entire lives, something enough to shake the world.
The son of Cheng Zhenjiang, the Martial Alliance Leader of the North, had become an Imperial Hound of the court!
And not just that, but a vicious fiend who slaughtered martial artists without mercy!
“How is that possible? Great Hero Cheng comes from a family steeped in martial tradition. His whole family is full of heroes and outstanding figures. How could an Imperial Hound come out of that house?”
“Unimaginable! That ruthless Jinyiwei and righteous Great Hero Cheng are actually father and son?!”
“We’re finished! Just now we were discussing killing his son. Forget the Dragon Vein, our lives might not even be safe!”
As those murmurs rose one after another, Cheng Zhenjiang’s face instantly turned ashen, and his whole body began to tremble.
These people actually suspected that he, a great hero, would silence them to keep this secret!
He immediately shot Zhao Xichun a stern glare, warning her not to say another word.
Righteous duty came first. Family came after.
Sweeping his gaze around the crowd with a righteous air, he spoke. “Everyone, what kind of man do you take me, Cheng, for?”
“I am no hypocrite who fishes for empty fame.”
He was a true hero who had slain great demons and preserved peace in one region after another.
The others exchanged glances, their expressions twisted and strange.
Cheng Zhenjiang’s name was known everywhere. For more than ten years, he had acted with righteousness day after day and had been widely praised for it.
So how had his own son ended up slaughtering the martial world of an entire prefecture?
His blade had probably been nicked from all the killing.
“We mean no disrespect to Great Hero Cheng. It is simply that this matter is too shocking. It is hard for us to accept...”
If he did not give them an explanation, they would never believe it.
If he did not give them one, they feared retaliation.
Seeing this, Cheng Zhenjiang had already imagined how the Jianghu would speak of him if this matter was not handled properly.
Great Hero Cheng shelters a murderous fiend!
The thought gave even him a fright, and he hurriedly said, “I have upheld chivalry and righteousness all my life. Even if misfortune has befallen my family, it will never change the righteous path I believe in!”
“That rebellious son is hopelessly unruly and vicious by nature. I will personally cripple his martial arts and lead him back to the righteous path, atoning for those innocent people who died!”
“A martial artist must uphold chivalry! Everything I, Cheng Zhenjiang, have today rests upon chivalry. I will not disappoint you all!”
The others were moved when they heard Cheng Zhenjiang state his position, and the worries in their hearts instantly lessened by more than half.
Great Hero Cheng was going to put righteousness before kin!
Even a tiger did not eat its cubs, yet he could sacrifice his own flesh and blood for the greater righteousness of the Jianghu. He truly deserved his immense fame as a great hero.
Unable to contain themselves, they clapped and shouted, “Great Hero Cheng is truly righteous!”
Cheng Zhenjiang stood at the center of the crowd, upheld by the martial artists, his upright bearing dazzling to behold.
But right at that moment, an anxious cry rang out.
“Little Sister!”
The moment Cheng Zhenjiang heard Cheng Yue’s voice, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly turned around.
He saw that his youngest daughter Cheng Si’s delicate face had gone deathly pale, and her whole body was terrifyingly cold.
Zhao Xichun, unable to accept the truth, had been standing there frozen and lost. The instant she saw that her youngest daughter’s old illness had flared up again, she rushed over in a panic and gathered her into her arms.
“Mother, don’t let Father... Second Brother will never forgive you... then he really won’t have any family left...”
Cheng Si was extremely weak. After forcing out those last words, she fainted.
Before losing consciousness, she felt endless helplessness in her heart.
There were so many martial artists here, all speaking lofty principles and claiming to act on Heaven’s behalf, and all of them were joining forces against Cheng Yu for slaughtering Jianghu sects.
They said he had done evil beyond measure, that he was wicked to the core.
Yet when it came to the fate of those million laborers, not a single one of them questioned Sword-Forging Manor.
Even Cheng Zhenjiang, famed as a great hero, avoided that subject just the same.
Cheng Si, ever observant, felt only piercing heartache as her second brother’s words echoed in her ears.
Could even the righteous path of chivalry be false?
Caught between grief and terror, her emotions fell into turmoil, and her chronic illness flared up again.
“Si’er...”
Clutching her tightly, Zhao Xichun wept like rain, her heart struck as if by a heavy hammer. Gritting her teeth, she turned back to look at Cheng Zhenjiang.
“You are not to cripple Yu. His nature is stubborn. If you cripple him, you may as well kill him! Si’er is already suffering like this, yet she still worries about her brother. If you cannot even protect your own son, what kind of great hero are you?!”
At that moment, as a mother, she had understood everything.
No matter what, she could not allow her son to be harmed.
With that, Zhao Xichun picked up her youngest daughter and departed using a profound Movement Technique.
She was going to treat her youngest daughter first, then go find her eldest son.
An Eighth Rank martial artist’s speed was extraordinary. In the blink of an eye, she had already reached the outside of Sword-Forging Manor.
The crowd was stunned when they saw this.
Great Hero Cheng’s family was clearly not of one mind.
“My wife!”
Cheng Zhenjiang was filled with grief and outrage, yet utterly helpless. He hurried after his wife and daughter, grabbed Zhao Xichun’s hand, and said:
“If I do not personally cripple Yu, then the only thing awaiting him is death! What he has done is too monstrous. The Jianghu will never tolerate it! Only by crippling him and keeping him at my side can I truly protect him!”
Zhao Xichun shook her head. “I don’t care! I can’t let Yu lose all hope in us. We’ve already let him down too many times!”
“Is a little reputation really more important than your own flesh and blood?!”
He had spent more than ten years alone outside the family, and even after they met again, they had not given him enough care.
She could not keep making the same mistake.
Hearing this, Cheng Zhenjiang was shaken as well, but he quickly clenched his teeth and said, “Reputation indeed cannot compare to our own flesh and blood. But have you thought about Feng’er and the others? If you insist on shielding him, what will other people think of Feng’er and the rest? Will they still have any future left?”
The two of them had poured countless years of effort into Cheng Feng and the others.
Those words struck straight into Zhao Xichun’s heart, and she froze where she stood.
What about the other children?
Tears flowed once more from the corners of her already reddened eyes.
Could life not allow everyone to end in happiness?
Seeing that Zhao Xichun was no longer insisting on leaving, Cheng Zhenjiang finally felt the weight on his heart ease.
He hurried over to support his wife.
“Xichun, you needn’t worry too much. As long as Yu pulls back from the brink and truly repents, there is still hope for everything.”
“This round of pressure on him may even become the chance for our family to be fully reunited.”
“What parent in this world truly does not want their child to live well?”
Cheng Zhenjiang slowly tried to persuade her, and Zhao Xichun silently lowered her head.
So long as there was even the slightest chance for the family to reconcile, she would rather cling to that faint hope.
Seeing that his wife had finally been persuaded, Cheng Zhenjiang let out a breath of relief.
But the moment he thought of what Cheng Yu had done in Qingjiang Prefecture, he became troubled again.
Anger and helplessness rose in his heart.
No wonder that rebellious son had insisted on becoming an Imperial Hound even after severing ties with the family, and had said so many cutting things about him and Zhao Xichun.
Now he finally understood.
For all the lofty words, wasn’t it obvious that the boy was simply addicted to killing? If he stayed by their side, how could he go on wreaking havoc in the Jianghu?
Once he captured that rebellious son and crippled his martial arts, he would definitely discipline him properly. He absolutely could not allow such a disgraceful thing to happen again.
Just as Cheng Zhenjiang was secretly making up his mind, a sudden commotion broke out below Sword-Forging Manor.
He looked toward the mountain gate of Sword-Forging Manor and saw dust flying everywhere, the air filled with noise and chaos.
Then a cold shout rang out:
“Sword-Forging Manor abducted, brutalized, and massacred a million laborers! Everyone connected to it, come out at once and answer for your crimes!”
That voice was one he knew all too well.
It belonged to Cheng Yu, the eldest son who had severed ties with him.