Chapter 79: Yet It Seemed There Was Light
When they heard the name Gu Zhan,
a shadow suddenly rose in the hearts of everyone in the Rong Family; instinctively they wanted to say something, but though they opened their mouths, not a single word came forth.
In this upheaval for the Rong Family, those who managed to escape a reckoning—even if not the smartest—were all among the clear-headed in this human world; otherwise, they couldn’t have preserved themselves as the great pillars shook.
Thus, though they all knew the calamity befalling the Rong Family was, on the surface, brought by Gu Zhan, in truth, the grudge could not be pinned upon Gu Zhan,
The real hatred belongs to Wan Yan,
But as the scions of a noble family, they understood an even deeper truth: hatred, when traced to its root, is never so easy to untangle; everyone forms natural oppositions,
The winner stands upright, the loser lies down,
This is the immutable truth of the ages,
If there is any blame, they can only blame themselves for losing.
After a long silence, Rong Wanshan spoke: "Gu Zhan... can he protect the Rong Family?"
"I don’t know," Rong Yichu said. "But our Rong Family has lost all hope. We are not like those Martial World gangs; those gangs can flee far away if they lose. But our Rong Family... besides us, there are countless clansmen—they can’t leave.
Moreover, the clan’s legacy—cultivation techniques, the preserved foundation, none can escape the saying ’An innocent man is guilty if he possesses treasure.’ These things are too tempting, we cannot defend them. Also, our enemies outside the family—they won’t let us go, and certainly won’t give us a chance to escape afar. If this drags on, extinction is the crisis we face."
Everyone stayed silent.
Every success—whether for a person or a force—came upon the countless corpses beneath their feet; enemies accumulated all the way,
Even if they now abandoned everything and swore to relocate the entire clan, others would never grant such a chance.
The Martial World has always been a road of no return,
Either advance, or become the stepping stone for others to advance.
Rong Yichu let out a long sigh and said, "In the current situation of the Rong Family, there is no one willing to help us. If they aren’t adding to our woes, that’s already humanity.
As to whether Gu Zhan can protect the Rong Family—this question isn’t for us to consider. We have no other choice. Instead, we should consider: On what basis would Gu Zhan protect us?"
The Rong Family members all remained silent; truly, they could not think of anything about the current Rong Family that would make Gu Zhan fight to protect them.
In terms of ties, there is not a shred of sentiment between the Rong Family and Gu Zhan; in fact, some enmity exists.
In terms of benefit, the Rong Family now can hardly offer Gu Zhan any gain; rather, it will bring him a great deal of trouble. How much trouble is unknown—but certainly, the little benefit from the Rong Family cannot cover it.
Rong Wanshan asked, "Yichu, what do you plan to do?"
"I’m not certain," Rong Yichu shook his head and said. "All I can do is try my utmost, gamble on Gu Zhan’s intentions. I’m betting he’s not content with the status quo; so long as he isn’t content, we have the faintest hope he’ll shelter us."
After speaking, Rong Yichu took a deep breath, slowly looked at Rong Wanshan, and said, "Third Grandfather, as far as I know, Gu Zhan has always searched for advanced martial arts. His greatest skill is saber technique and archery.
The saber technique—he recently obtained a Profound Tier Middle Grade saber technique from the Embroidered Uniform Guard; it’s hard for us to tempt him further. But archery—I’ve heard the black market in Zhushan County has a Profound Tier Upper Grade archery technique. The price has been too high, so no one bought it. Please go yourself—no matter the money or the cost, we must buy it."
"Alright." Rong Wanshan immediately nodded in agreement.
Rong Yichu looked at another man and said, "Seventh Uncle, spare no expense in searching for bows and arrows. Remember: at all costs, find the very best our Rong Family can find."
The man clasped his hands and said, "Yichu, rest assured. I understand the gravity of this matter."
Rong Yichu picked up the divorce letter on the table, clutching it tightly. He closed his eyes slightly, pondered for quite a while, and said, "Have all our family’s inheritance secret manuals... sorted out!"
...
The turmoil in Linjiang City continued,
The government office—forces contended openly and in secret, all showing off their divine techniques; even mutual framing occurred. Somehow, some officials unaffiliated with the Rong Family case ended up involved due to fighting over posts at the Clear Transport Department.
Meanwhile, on East City’s side, there had been frequent brawls recently—several large ones broke out, only finally quelled when the Hundred Households Office personally intervened.
Yet these turmoils didn’t affect South City,
South City operations gradually returned to normal.
Gu Zhan, on the other hand, was quite busy,
Due to the previous battle, many—both from Martial World gangs and the South City Embroidered Uniform Guard—were wounded or killed. The subsequent compensation and relief work was complicated, plus Gu Zhan still needed to appease all the major gangs.
Gu Zhan personally attended over a dozen funerals.
On this morning, the heavens poured down torrential rain,
Gu Zhan had just returned from a funeral. He had carried the coffin himself and spent all night keeping vigil with the bereaved family, leaving his body weary. He didn’t go to the Hundred Households Office but headed straight to Qingping Lane to rest.
Long street veiled by mist and rain,
A personal guard held an oil paper umbrella for Gu Zhan, walking along the street, a squad of guards followed at his flanks.
"Sir."
A personal guard approached with a note, saying, "Just received word from the Hundred Households Office—Rong Yichu hasn’t left yet."
"Still hasn’t left?" Gu Zhan was a bit surprised.
Three days earlier, he happened to leave the Hundred Households Office for a funeral when he got a message: the Rong Family Patriarch, Rong Yichu, respectfully requested an audience.
Gu Zhan felt no goodwill toward the Rong Family, nor any interest in interacting with a family now beset on all sides; so he ignored it. Setting out, he attended a string of funerals, each time carrying the coffin himself, and didn’t return to the Hundred Households Office for three days straight.
Unexpectedly, Rong Yichu was still here.
"He never left and kept waiting?" Gu Zhan asked.
The personal guard nodded: "He’s stayed kneeling outside the Hundred Households Office—didn’t make any requests, just said he’d like to meet you once."
Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow and laughed: "This Rong Yichu really is fearless—dignified Patriarch of the Rong Family, kneeling in public for three days straight?"
"Yes," the guard replied. "Sir—the Rong Family’s situation is precarious; he must be seeking your protection..."
Gu Zhan suddenly raised his hand, halted his steps, and said, "Come—back to the Hundred Households Office."
The guards immediately shifted direction and followed Gu Zhan.
Rain in March and April is tinged with chill,
Now and then a withered peach blossom would be swept along; haze and drizzle blanketed the street, and everyone passing the office couldn’t help but glance at the kneeling figure—Rong Yichu at the gate.
Three days and three nights—
The Embroidered Uniform Guard had gone from initial bewilderment to a subtle respect.
Rain washed down his hair, blurring everything before him,
Rong Yichu’s body swayed, face ashen with not a hint of blood; he could no longer feel any warmth, his whole body numb, enduring by nothing but a single thread of faith in his heart.
No one knows how much longer passed before he suddenly felt the rain stop,
He slowly raised his head,
Saw a young man in black, holding an oil paper umbrella, standing before him, shielding him from the torrential downpour.
"Take care of yourself, then come find me."
There was an umbrella in Rong Yichu’s hand. He stared dazedly at the figure walking away,
In a haze,
He seemed to see—
That young man walking in darkness,
Yet he seemed to carry light!