Chen Tian Peng pondered while unconsciously rubbing his goatee with his thumb and index finger. In his mind, Chen Tu's reply actually made sense. As one of the five large families here in Crimson River Town, the duty of upholding the rules and safety of this settlement is their responsibility.
Furthermore, this "Phoenix Pavilion" business is opened on the Chen Family's territory.
Suppose they were caught by others before the Chen Family Policing Hall. In that case, the blame could be destructive when other families use it as a weapon to attack the Chen Family.
It was not a secret that the five families were competing against one another for the sake of the leader of five families in this Crimson River Town. Obviously, the one named the family's leader would take the larger portion of the pie before dividing them into the rest.
While the sum might be meager in the eyes of the county governors, it is still worth a bite to large families like the Chen.
Who would complain if they're given an additional spoonful apart from the portion they're entitled to?
Just look at the Phoenix Pavilion. Didn't they secretly plant the Heaven and Earth Grass just for the sake of "profiting" a bit more? Although the Spiritual Garden is destroyed, the losses are just a fraction of the whole slice of cake they got.
It was unknown if they still have ten or a hundred such Spiritual Gardens elsewhere, growing more Heaven and Earth Grass.
Needless to say, Chen Zigang's action today created fear in the people of Phoenix Pavilion and deterred them from being high-profile on the outside. The crux of the issue still persists, but at least they'll be slightly docile on the outside.
"Then what about teasing Liu Xiaofei? Don't tell me the crap about she's the head of the underground business." Chen Tian Peng suddenly remembered that there was something he had missed out on.
The issue was with the young miss of the Liu Family and their pearl jewel of pride.
Unlike the Chen Family, which can produce offspring here and there, the Liu Family is more moderate. Moderation means more cultivation resources could be allocated to their younger generation members. Hence, Liu's cultivation level is also much higher than Chen's.
Amongst the younger generation in Crimson River Town, the Liu Family lead first, with three younger generation members in the seventh, eighth, and ninth level of the Body Tempering Layer. On the contrary, Chen Tian Peng's oldest three children are merely at the fifth and sixth levels.
The other families are at the same level as the Chen Family, with a member or two at the sixth and seventh levels of the Body Tempering Layer.
"Ahem!" Chen Zigang coughed again. It was a sign for Chen Tu to continue.
"The young miss from the Liu Family is coincidentally at the wrong place at the wrong time. To make it clear, the young master had no interest in her." Chen Tu answered. Apparently, this is all the excuse battered in his mind by Chen Zigang.
It was mentioned earlier that Chen Zigang hardly behaves like a child around Chen Tu's age. And having the opportunity to accompany him wherever he went, it was understandable that Chen Tu would somehow be influenced by Chen Zigang's mentality.
Unlike his six older brothers, Chen Zigang's interest was mainly in their family business. Over five years, with Chen Tu accompanying him, Chen Zigang had been running all over the Crimson River Town searching for business prospects. Although he's still a fraction away from establishing his own business, he's about there.
"Humph! A toad lusting for a swan's flesh. Even if the other party is willing, you'll end up as her punching bag with your cultivation level." Chen Tian Peng expressed dissatisfaction after hearing what Chen Tu answered on Chen Zigang's behalf. It was too obvious that Chen Zigang was doing this on purpose.
"A toad shall lust back on the flies around the well. Don't worry... Snore..." Chen Zigang mocked his father's words and acted like he spoke in his dreams.
"I'll... Snore... Make sure I'll produce a bunch of flies in return after lusting for the bigger... Snore... Flies..."
"I have no eyes to see both of you!" Chen Tian Peng was annoyed by the sleeptalking and left the dungeon.
"Go to sleep. The other servants will let both of you out tomorrow. And try to be a little obedient. Don't you know it's a headache to your parents?" Chen Tian Lang followed after he finished what he had to say.
The dungeon went into silence as everyone gradually went to sleep. Another half an hour later, two plain buns were thrown into the cell containing Chen Tu and Chen Zigang. Needless to say, it was from Chen Gou.
...
...
"Why are you still getting angry at the two? Obviously, you're happy with what they did. Can't you be a little honest before your own children?" Chen Tian Lang spoke. The two look like they are talking casually. But a layer of Spiritual Aura covers them to avoid others eavesdropping on their conversation.
"I've been suspecting the Phoenix Pavilion for a while now... To think that the seventh is the one noticing what they're doing in the dark. But their actions are likely going to alert the others." Chen Tian Peng responded.
"I'm not worried about Zilong, Ziyang, and Ziming, but Zigang. The people behind Phoenix Pavilion will likely not be nice to them. If something going to happen, the two brats are going to be the one getting targetted." he added.
"Shall I order a few men to follow them?" Chen Tian Lang asked casually. The men he mentioned are naturally the Chen Family's Shadow Squad, which Chen Tian Lang was a part of. Even amongst the seven siblings, it was a secret that only both knew.
"Send all of them. I have a hunch that the two brats still kept something from us. They're likely going to deliver themselves into the tiger's mouth after coming out from the dungeon." Chen Tian Peng replied, making an unexpected decision.
"All?" Chen Tian Lang revealed a shocking expression before turning to his casual, uncaring look.
"Yes. If the brats are delivering themselves to the tigers, we'll hunt all the tigers and leave them to have nothing to play with. This will teach them to be more obedient before me." Chen Tian Peng snickered and felt delighted with his choice.
"Ah!!! Fresh air, at last!" Chen Zigang screamed after coming out from the dungeon, where he spent a night without worry. Needless to say, Chen Tu followed him closely but didn't behave as freely as Chen Zigang.After all, he was a mere servant while they were still inside the Chen Manor. Unlike Chen Zigang, who had absolute privilege inside this manor, Chen Tu would be punished if he followed everything Chen Zigang did.To him, Chen Zigang is the reincarnation of a law obstructor. Each step he took was right on the track to trashing all established rules. Still, it's not like Chen Tu is anywhere better.If Chen Zigang was the bulldozer of rules, then Chen Tu is definitely the stead that went amok for no reason.After returning to their respective room, they quickly clean themselves from all the filth before stepping outside the Chen Manor again. As Chen Tian Peng had guessed, the two did keep a secret from the family.The two proceeded without noticing they were followed. It was a gr
"Get in there!" the follower yelled before kicking the two into the prison cell. The kick comes at Chen Tu and Chen Zigang as a surprise and causes them to tumble inside.The two finally stop after coming to the end of the prison cell.This was the second time they were thrown into the dungeon. Surprisingly, it happened not long after coming out from the first one. It's like history is repeating itself.Unfortunately, this place is filthier compared to the previous dungeon. A pile of bones can even be seen at one of the four corners, heightening the prison cell's creepiness. At another corner is a bundle of feces, likely dumped by the previous resident of this cell."Let me out! Let me out!!!" Chen Zigang immediately bangs on the door in a panic. But no matter how loud the noise he's making, nobody made a trip over to check them out. At the very least, the dungeon back in the Chen Family is well-lit and properly ventilated.Over here, the stench was too strong, to the point it made th
"Chen Zigang.""Chen Tu.""Get out of the cell and get changed. The family elders summoned both of you." said the dungeon's supervisor. He had quite a curious expression plastered to his face like he was wondering about something.They were supposed to be punished by getting locked inside the dungeon for three days. This was the decision made by Chen Tian Peng to teach them a lesson for acting secretly and endangering themselves.But something happened because only two days had passed. They weren't informed about what happened, so the elders summoned them to the Family Hall.After changing into clean clothing, the two made their way quickly to the Family Hall."The Chen Family is honored with your visit today, milord." Chen Tian Peng's voice can be heard clearly outside the Family Hall. Judging from his tone and manner of speech, the background of this guest is quite powerful.After all, Chen Tian Peng is accepted to be the number one martial artist here in this Crimson River Town, wi
"Tiangang Sword Pavilion?" Chen Zigang pondered.He had heard about the Blood Refining Grotto, Golden Staff Abode, and Meteor Fist Academy but not about Tiangang Sword Pavilion. The thought that he had no idea where it was made Chen Zigang wonders if he should say yes or no."Stupid brat! Tiangang Sword Pa... Umph?" Chen Tian Peng tried to interrupt, but before he finished his words, a strange power covered his mouth, stopping him from making a sound.Everyone inside the Family Hall gasped for air and tightly shut their mouth. Naturally, they're afraid that they'll be treated similarly."The Tiangang Sword Pavilion is one of the five superpowers in the Grand Blue Sky Prefecture. Naturally, your background would be much stronger if you joined and be a part of us." Elder Jian said."Is that much bigger than Blood Refining Grotto, Golden Staff Abode, and Meteor Fist Academy?" Chen Tu asked while biting into another steamed bun. The bowl of steamed buns was finished by Chen Tu alone."Of
(Toothpick? Don't you see all these muscles we have all over our body?)Those born with the surname "Chen" wished they could correct what the expert from Blood Refining Grotto said. But again... What kind of status they had, except for being a slightly large family in this Crimson River Town?For this faction alone, the town-level settlements serving them numbered over twenty. There are even three cities affiliated with Blood Refining Grotto alone, providing more than a thousand potential candidates for them to choose from.The people from Chen Family can't do anything, even if the expert decides to renegade his decision later. After all, he was here today to give some face to Elder Jian, who hails from the Tiangang Sword Pavilion.If it was normal for an individual to hug firmly at the thigh of someone powerful. Then it was acceptable for a small faction like Blood Refining Grotto to worship the Tiangang Sword Pavilion like it was their ancestor.Someone might ask if they're devoid o
Morning.This was Chen Tu's first day here in this Blood Refining Grotto as its outer disciple.Although he was already here the previous afternoon, it couldn't be accounted for because the registration alone took almost the entire afternoon. It was already evening when he was guided to the disciple's accommodation building.Because he missed the chow time last night, Chen Tu woke up starving. After ensuring where the disciple's canteen was, he made his trip to the building in a hurry.Chen Tu was the first to wait outside the canteen. The waiting lasted for a while until the door to the canteen was opened by those on duty.He immediately went to where the cooks were waiting.It was quite a long meal distribution counter with several options. There are plenty of choices, from steamed buns to congee, sweet cakes, flatbreads, and crepes. But surprisingly, everything here is made from rice, wheat flour, and eggs.There's barely any seasoning added to the food, making them taste bland. Ev
Chen Tu lay flatly on the bed to start reflecting on what had happened earlier. Being alone inside this ten by ten feet room provided to each individual allows him to think quietly.(You're too passive...)The word Chen Zigang said came into Chen Tu's mind.(If there's an opportunity where you're accepted into a faction, make sure you behave like I do. Do not simply give in to other's threats and place all the concern on yourself first. It won't be too late to consider other matters after you do what I said...)This was what Chen Zigang told him back when they went to their secret hideout. Based on the word's content, he greatly highlighted his concern over Chen Tu, worrying that he'll suffer from unjust from all sides.To ensure he wouldn't go empty-handed, Chen Zigang even packed a few belongings for Chen Tu in case his worry developed. And inside the item he prepared for Chen Tu, there's something he secretly pocketed from the treasure chest brought back by Chen Tian Lang.Inside t
His schedule was about the same as yesterday. But not before filling his stomach to the brim to compensate for skipping his dinner last night. After he had his fill, Chen Tu made his way to the Mission Hall in a hurry.After all, this was his second day here in this Blood Refining Grotto. Thanks to the practice where all transactions require Contribution Token to proceed, how can Chen Tu stay idle without looking for things to do?Not doing anything was the luxury of well-to-do disciples, and not him. Unlike them, he had neither a good background nor a supporter standing tall behind him.Chen Tu would likely be drowned by the disciple's spit if his thought was known by the others.Because he was illiterate, it greatly hindered Chen Tu's process in picking a work to do. He had no choice but to go for something nobody would go for. Reaching his hand out on one of the papers, Chen Tu asked people to read the work on his behalf.It turned out that the assignment paper he had gotten was a