Chapter 10
C10 – The Reactions of the Various Parties
Zhou Qian and Zhou Leng were steadfast in their pursuit of the Patriarch’s position, making them utterly uncompromising. Similarly, Zhou Zhenbo and Zhou Chaide proved difficult to sway, having long stood by Zhou Qian’s side as wary and seasoned warriors.
Today, Zhou Jibo impressed the offspring of both the Third and Fourth Elders, hoping they would relay his message to their respective parents. These children, having no deep-seated interests tying them to Zhou Qian, chose to follow Zhou Jibo, who displayed a willingness to let bygones be bygones. Thus, they found no reason to maintain their unwavering loyalty to Zhou Qian.
In a mere two days, thanks to Zhou Jibo’s decisive actions, the Patriarch’s faction had succeeded in isolating the Great Elder, Zhou Qian. Now, their focus shifts to rallying the Zhou family’s strength for a confrontation with the Zheng family. The letter of severance they issued was nothing short of a preemptive declaration of war.
Leading a group of five, Zhou Jibo lingered at the Glorious House, still undecided on the martial skill he needed. It was then that the beaming shopkeeper approached them briskly, announcing, “Esteemed Zhou family guests, I come bearing great news!”
“What is it?” inquired Zhou Tong.
“Our Glorious House has successfully persuaded the Myriad Treasure Auction House to host an auction here in Icefair City, right in our establishment, just three days from now!” the shopkeeper declared with excitement. “There will be auctions for first-grade pills and weapons, Yellow Rank mental cultivation methods and martial skills, and even items of the Profound Rank!”
“Profound Rank items?” Zhou Tong’s excitement was palpable. “I’ll definitely be there to witness the spectacle and broaden my horizons!”
Turning to Zhou Jibo, he suggested, “We should go together, don’t you think?”
Zhou Jibo nodded in agreement, “Sure.”
He then pondered aloud to the shopkeeper, “This news will reach all the major and minor families in Icefair City, won’t it?”
The shopkeeper chuckled, “Indeed, Icefair City seldom witnesses such a grand occasion. I’ve already notified the Yu, Zheng, Han, and Zhou families. By now, they should be well aware of it.”
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“You have a knack for looking after all the families, shopkeeper. You’re quite the savvy businessman.”
Zhou Jibo remarked offhandedly before he, along with Zhou Tong and the other three, made their way back to the Zhou residence.
Given the upcoming auction, he wasn’t in a rush to acquire martial skills here. He preferred to wait and explore superior martial skills at the auction event.
At the Zhou estate’s entrance, the messengers who had delivered the annulment to the Zheng family were still present, animatedly discussing the day’s thrilling events.
Zhou Jibo glanced at them with a hint of disinterest and said, “What’s the gathering for? Get back to your duties.”
The group quickly responded, “Yes, Young Master Zhou!” and scurried off to attend to their tasks.
Following Zhou Jibo, Zhou Tong and the others couldn’t help but marvel at his effortless composure and inherent authority, which naturally commanded obedience from the servants and guards.
They wondered, how could Zhou Jibo seem even more formidable than the Patriarch himself?
After returning to their respective branches, Zhou Tong and the others didn’t linger and promptly sought out their fathers.
The Third Elder, upon hearing the day’s account from Zhou Tong, Zhou Xunshi, and Zhou Youqing, appeared concerned. “Do you really prefer to follow Zhou Jibo’s lead?”
“Yes, Zhou Jibo seems more capable, and he’s a decent person too,” Zhou Youqing explained. “Zhou Leng is always bad-mouthing Zhou Jibo when he’s with us. Yet, when Zhou Jibo is with us, he never speaks ill of the Great Elder or Zhou Leng.”
Zhou Tong and Zhou Xunshi nodded in agreement.
Still undecided, the Third Elder mused, “Zhou Kaile isn’t one for cunning, but his son is quite astute and carries himself with distinction. I’ve been close with Zhou Qian since our youth, and now Zhou Jibo has ended his engagement with the Zheng family. Without their backing, can his household maintain the Patriarch’s seat?”
On the other side, the Fourth Elder gazed at his son, Zhou Zheyan, finding himself equally trapped in a difficult position.
Between Zhou Qian, Zhou Kaile, and the exceptionally talented Zhou Jibo, whose side should he take?
Meanwhile, in a different wing of the Zhou family estate, Zhou Qian was hearing out Kong Chuyang’s report. His eyes narrowed, emitting a frosty gleam.
“You’re telling me that Zhou Jibo, Zhou Zheyan, Zhou Tong, and the others returned all smiles?”
“Yes, Great Elder,” Kong Chuyang replied, “I never had the opportunity to act while Zhou Zheyan and the rest were present, which is why I didn’t report earlier.”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
Zhou Qian’s voice was icy as he spoke to the visibly shocked Kong Chuyang, “Their loyalty is no longer my concern. They are my brothers, and I never imagined they would waver.”
“An Earth Spirit of low-grade bone root, mastering the Gravel Palm technique even better than I—do you all really rate Zhou Jibo’s talent so highly?”
His tone was laced with an unmistakable intent to kill, “If that’s the case, then it’s you who have forced my hand!”
“If you favor him, then I will see him destroyed, and the Zhou family with him. What I cannot have, I would rather see in ruins.”
“Great Elder.”
Kong Chuyang shuddered, a chill running down his spine. What exactly was the Great Elder planning?
“We’ll pay a visit to the Yu family. As the current leading family of Icefair City, I’m curious to know what they’ll think about a new genius emerging from the once-dominant Zhou family.”
With a sneer, the Great Elder strode out, his mind made up. They had driven him to this!
In the Zheng family’s grand hall, located in the northern part of Icefair City, everyone’s faces were grim, their eyes fixed on the divorce decree in Zheng Huai’s grasp.
The shame was unbearable!
The Zheng family, on the verge of becoming an affiliated family to the Holy Land, had been publicly humiliated by the Zhou family!
Zheng Xunqin, now the woman scorned by divorce, would henceforth carry a blemish on her reputation throughout Icefair City.
“Father!” Zheng Xunqin’s frame shook as she bit down on her teeth, “I cannot stand for this!”
“I can’t take it anymore!” cried the other members of the Zheng family.
Zheng Huai spoke with an icy tone, “If you can’t stand it, neither can I. Fellow clansmen, in three months’ time, when the emissary from the Holy Land arrives, it will mark the end of the Zhou family!”
“I will utterly decimate the Zhou family!”
“Exactly! We’ll decimate the Zhou family!” The Zheng family members were seething with rage as they shouted.
Zheng Xunqin joined in the outcry, but inexplicably, the image of Zhou Jibo surfaced in her mind once more. That same Zhou Jibo who always gazed at her with a vacant, goofy smile, who was always eager to go shopping with her.
Zhou Jibo, it was I who wronged you first.
Yet, since you’ve shamed me to this extent, the only way I can cleanse the stain from my honor is to end you.
Why did you have to act this way? You were already stripped of your bone root by me, doomed to be nothing more than waste. Why did you have to emerge and block my path to success?
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