But these were special circumstances, and he could only respond in kind.
Besides, given the way things were, his refusal would mean utter ruin for the Cao Family.
At this thought, Li Chang’an sighed.
He had been with the Cao Family for a long time.
Both his master, Cao Shu, and his master’s wife, Zhang Xiang, had been very kind to him.
’He knew their kindness came with strings attached, but wasn’t that just how relationships worked in this world?’
’Keeping up appearances was more than enough.’
The Martial Champion’s Mansion’s estate wasn’t huge, but since the Cao Family insisted on him inheriting it, Li Chang’an had no reason to refuse.
Having made his decision, Li Chang’an bent down and helped the kneeling figures to their feet. Then he spoke, "Madam Zhang, my two brothers, please rise. We can discuss the inheritance later. First, let’s finish Master’s funeral."
Seeing that he hadn’t refused, the three of them let out an involuntary sigh of relief.
Zhang Xiang rose to her feet. "Yes, that’s for the best. After we’ve laid your master to rest, we’ll announce to the mourning relatives and friends that you are inheriting the estate. Your master worked his fingers to the bone to build this home; we can’t let those vultures who prey on families without heirs take it!"
Li Chang’an nodded, having no objection.
...
「Seven days later.」
Cao Shu’s funeral was over.
The crowd of Cao Family relatives couldn’t even wait for Cao Shu to be in his grave before baring their fangs.
The Cao Family’s Third Uncle stroked his beard.
He glanced at the two brothers, Cao Tianlong and Cao Dilong, and said probingly, "Tianlong, Dilong, now that your father is dead... that large plot of land in the Champion Scholar’s Mansion’s backyard can’t just sit empty. Why not build a house for your cousin? He still needs to find a wife!"
Cao Tianlong and Cao Dilong exchanged a look.
Zhang Xiang took the initiative and stood up, speaking coolly, "Third Uncle, my husband may be dead, but the Martial Champion’s Mansion hasn’t fallen apart. You want to build a house for your son on the empty plot in our backyard? That’s not a decision I can make!"
As she spoke, she glanced at Li Chang’an, who stood nearby. "My husband told me long ago that if anything should happen to him, all matters concerning the Martial Champion’s Mansion, large and small, would be handled by his head disciple. Chang’an, come and greet Third Uncle!"
Li Chang’an stepped forward.
Looking at the child before them, who was less than four feet tall.
The Cao Family relatives all exchanged glances, clearly baffled by what Zhang Xiang was up to.
After a long moment, a young man next to the Third Uncle sneered. "Second Aunt, have you gone senile? The brothers, Tianlong and Dilong, haven’t even inherited the estate. How could it be the turn of some outsider of unknown origin to get his hands on it?"
The young man shot a glance at Li Chang’an, then another at Zhang Xiang, and said with a sinister tone, "Could it be that with Second Uncle barely in his grave, you’re already siding with an outsider, Auntie?"
This young man was the son of the Cao Family’s Third Uncle.
He had often used Cao Shu’s reputation to throw his weight around the village.
Now that Cao Shu was dead, he was certain that with Cao Tianlong and Cao Dilong’s abilities, they’d never be able to protect the estate. Thus, he was the first to rush in, hoping to carve out a piece for himself.
Originally, he had only planned on taking a plot of land or two.
Then, he would slowly encroach on the rest.
But he never imagined that Zhang Xiang would have a screw loose and decide to pass the perfectly good family estate to an outsider instead of her own sons.
This gave him the perfect pretext to attack her.
So he immediately let fly with a few sarcastic, backhanded comments.
Hearing such cruel words, even though Zhang Xiang had been prepared for it, her face still turned pale with anger. She couldn’t stop herself from retorting furiously, "My husband built this estate with his own blood and sweat! He can give it to whomever he pleases! What have any of you from the Cao Family ever done to help? What right do you have to accuse me of favoring an outsider?"
The Cao Family’s Third Uncle wasn’t as quick on the uptake as his son.
Seeing that Zhang Xiang’s composure was cracking, the Cao Family’s Third Uncle finally caught on.
He immediately seized the moral high ground, pointing his finger at her. "Sister-in-law, now you’re talking like a stranger! We brothers were born into the Cao Family, and we’ll die as part of it! You don’t let the family’s fortunes flow to outsiders. What kind of logic is it to give such a large estate to an unrelated outsider instead of Tianlong and Dilong?"
Hearing this, the other relatives of the Cao Family also began to voice their strong disapproval.
One by one, they began to denounce Zhang Xiang.
The Cao Family’s Third Uncle was ostensibly standing up for Cao Tianlong and Cao Dilong.
In reality, he just wanted to use the collective attack from the relatives to remove Zhang Xiang, the only adult in the immediate family, from having any claim to the Champion Scholar’s Mansion’s inheritance.
Once Zhang Xiang was proven to be "siding with an outsider," she would lose the moral high ground. More importantly, she would lose her fundamental standing within the Cao Family. The assets freed up would be more than enough for all the relatives to feast on.
As the crowd of relatives chattered and pointed fingers, Zhang Xiang’s face grew pale, clearly overwhelmed with fury.
She sensed the danger.
Her eyes subconsciously scanned the crowd.
She hoped Li Chang’an or her own sons would stand up and speak for her, but her two boys were clearly terrified by the greedy, predatory expressions of their relatives.
Meanwhile, Li Chang’an, on whom she had pinned her hopes, had simply vanished from the crowd. She had no idea when he’d left.
A wave of despair washed over Zhang Xiang.
But just as she was desperately searching for a way out...
SHIIING!
The sharp ring of a blade being drawn suddenly came from the entrance.
Li Chang’an stood there, a long saber in his hand, his expression cold and grim. "Everyone, when I first became his disciple, my master taught me a simple, fundamental principle about life: when you can settle things with your fists, don’t waste your breath..."