Chapter 27

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Chapter 27: Lou Family\’s Ancient Language

As the sound rang out, everyone saw Lou Yun actually let go, throwing a palm-sized ball of red flame!

Lou Yun had realized his Second Uncle was now powerless to fight. He was preparing to walk over and help Second Uncle back, when he discovered that Lin and Wang weren\’t only unwilling to stop, but launched another attack instead. They clearly intended to kill Second Uncle!

Firstly, Lou Yun knew he couldn\’t possibly be a match for both of them. Secondly, the distance was too great; he was utterly unable to intervene in time. In his desperation, he thought of Fusang Fire and, treating the Fusang Fire like a hidden weapon, hurled it at the two men.

The fire shot through the air at extreme speed, trailing a dazzling red line.

\"BOOM!\" With a tremendous explosion, the flame successfully struck the magical weapons in their hands moments before Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng\’s attacks could land on Lou Tianzhi.

Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng hadn\’t remotely anticipated anything attacking them at this moment. All their attention was completely focused on Lou Tianzhi; the others were momentarily forgotten. Furthermore, from the instant Lou Yun threw the Fusang Fire to the moment it struck them, only a split second passed, giving them no time to react.

Almost simultaneously, the two men first saw a surge of red flame flare up on their respective magical weapons. Immediately after, a wave of searing heat washed over their faces. In the next instant, the temperature of their magical weapons rose violently and intensely; faintly, they could even smell the scorched odor of burnt skin.

Unable to help themselves, both men let out pained cries in unison, stumbling backward hastily as they bent down to examine their magical weapons.

The originally silver-colored magical weapons had now turned black—whether burnt by the fire or smoked was unclear. However, aside from that, they seemed otherwise unharmed.

Little did they know that while Lou Yun could now control the temperature of the Fusang Fire adeptly, his own strength was insufficient to unleash the fire\’s true inherent heat. He could only make the Fusang Fire radiate the highest temperature he could manage at his level. That was what allowed them to escape with their lives.

If the true heavenly fire temperature of Fusang Fire had been unleashed fully, it would have incinerated their magical weapons into nothingness in an instant. Once the magical weapons vanished, they personally would naturally suffer. Even if they didn\’t die, they would certainly become utterly useless cripples in the future.

Taking advantage of the two men stepping back to check their weapons, Lou Yun made several swift jumps. His figure instantly appeared horizontally in front of Lou Tianzhi. His left hand gripped the Dream Yellow Sword, his right hand held the Stone Sword. His killing intent was palpable as he glared fiercely at Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng. Should either of them dare take another step forward, demanding bloodshed and death, he would resist them with every ounce of his strength.

At this moment, Lou Tianming used all his strength to prop himself up and stand. He shouted at the obviously shaken Lou Family members still standing dumbfounded, \"What are you waiting for? Hurry and carry the clan head back!\"

Everyone jolted awake as if waking from a dream. Roars of anger erupted from their throats as they charged forward vigorously.

Lou Tianming deliberately glanced at Lou Tianlei and noticed that although he too rushed out, his face unmistakably flickered with an expression of disappointment. This discovery made Lou Tianming\’s heart pound heavily. Why was Lou Tianlei disappointed? Could it be that he was disappointed his Second Brother hadn\’t been chopped down?

Lou Tianlei had been momentarily stunned before, but now his spirits seemed visibly lifted. He single-handedly blocked others, stepping forward alone to support Lou Tianzhi\’s body. The others stood side by side with Lou Yun. The sharp metallic sound \"Clank! Clank!\" rang out continuously; a flash of cold light filled the air as every person drew out their magical weapons. They glared ferociously, eyes locked on the members of the Lin and Wang families.

Although Lou Tianzhi was injured, his wounds weren\’t particularly severe. Seeing this scene, he forcefully pushed away Lou Tianlei\’s supporting hand. He strode to the front of his clansmen and faced Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng. \"Clan Heads Lin and Wang,\" he said. \"A bet lost is a debt owed. I lost. As clan head, I now hand over the mining rights to the Lou Family\’s spiritual crystal mine.\"

After a deliberate pause, an icy light suddenly blazed in Lou Tianzhi\’s eyes. \"However, remember this! I will repay today\’s enmity. And no matter what future schemes your two families concoct against our Lou Family, we swear to be your deathmatch partners to the end!\"

Having spoken, Lou Tianzhi turned to all his clansmen and loudly declared, \"We go!\"

Watching the Lou Family members guard Lou Tianzhi as he slowly withdrew, Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng did not dare give the order to stop them. Only when the Lou Family was out of sight did the two men exchange a look. Simultaneously, they erupted into loud laughter, leaving even their own clansmen utterly baffled as to what they found so funny.

What happened next was even more perplexing to them. The Lin Family publicly admitted its strength was inferior to the Wang Family\’s, willingly ceding control of the spiritual crystal mine to the Wangs. Wang Feng was visibly startled by Lin Yongdu\’s decision. But after a few perfunctory expressions of modesty, he accepted the mining rights without further pretense.

After exchanging a few more polite words, Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng also took their leave and departed.

Only after returning to his own home did Lin Yongdu dismiss his clansmen. He headed towards his room. The moment he stepped inside, before he could even close the door, Lin Yuehua barged in, furious and exasperated. \"Father! Father! Wasn\’t it agreed that the spiritual crystal mine would belong to our family? How could you just hand it over to the Wangs?\"

Lin Yongdu swiftly pulled his son into the room and quickly shut the door. He walked over and sat down, letting out a cold chuckle. \"Son, do you really think your father is such a generous man?\"

Lin Yuehua shook his head, thoroughly confused. \"Then why did you give it to the Wangs?\"

\"Come, sit. Son,\" Lin Yongdu said. \"Not only am I giving the Wangs the mine, later I will take you with me, bearing lavish gifts, to the Lou Family to offer apologies!\"

\"What?!\" Lin Yuehua could hardly believe his ears. Not only did they gain nothing, they had to apologize?!

\"My son,\" Lin Yongdu sighed. \"It\’s good fortune that we didn\’t kill Lou Tianzhi today. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The present Lou Family… they are forces we cannot afford to provoke!\" He sighed again. \"Some matters are far more complex than they appear. Do you recall the exact terms of the agreement stated among our three parties when the challenge commenced?\"

Lin Yuehua knew it perfectly well; that\’s why he was so angry now.

Just a month ago, an unusual occurrence happened at the Lin Family: they received two unexpected guests – Wang Feng and Lou Tianlei!

Conventionally, the three great families maintained a surface amicability while harboring deep-seated friction. Private visits between families outside public events were unheard of. Lin Yuehua had found it incredibly odd at the time.

However, he later discovered they had come to negotiate with his father. The outcome was an agreement between the three parties: Lou Tianlei would find a way for the Lou Family to lose the upcoming duel, surrendering the mining rights to the spiritual crystal mine. In exchange, the Lin and Wang families must assist him in killing Lou Tianzhi during the contest.

Once Lou Tianzhi was dead and Lou Tianming was practically an invalid, the position of clan head would inevitably fall into Lou Tianlei’s hands. To satisfy the Lin and Wang families, Lou Tianlei further guaranteed that, after becoming clan head, he would give away half of all Lou Family assets to either the Lin or Wang family.

After several rounds of negotiation, the three parties finally decided: the Lin Family would gain the mining rights to the spiritual crystal mine, while the Wang Family would receive half of the Lou Family’s assets.

The prerequisite for all this was the death of Lou Tianzhi and Lou Tianlei’s ascension as clan head of the Lou Family. However, since Lou Tianzhi hadn’t died, Lou Tianlei naturally couldn’t become clan head, rendering the agreement void. This was why Lin Yuehua couldn’t understand: since the agreement was null and void, her Lin Family could easily compete against the Wang Family for the mining rights. Moreover, in terms of strength, her father Lin Yongdu was indeed a bit stronger than Wang Feng. Why voluntarily give up now? This meant her family gained nothing.

Lin Yongdu smiled slightly, took a sip of tea, and said, \"My son, on the surface the Wang Family might seem like the biggest winner this time, the Lou Family the biggest loser, and us gaining nothing. But you only see the present. Always keep an eye on the long term. Remember this when you become clan head one day.\"

Lin Yuehua still didn’t understand: \"Father, if we can’t even secure immediate gains, what future are you talking about? What exactly is in your mind?\"

\"Though the Lou Family appears to have lost, they’ve actually won. Because they have Lou Yun. As long as Lou Yun survives, it will be far too easy for the Lou Family to recover. The Wang Family may look like they’ve won now, but ultimately, they will lose. The Lou Family will never willingly relinquish the spiritual crystal mine. They\’ll use every means to take it back from the Wang Family.\"

Hearing his father’s fear of Lou Yun, Lin Yuehua replied somewhat irritably: \"Father, why do you constantly praise others and belittle our own? Can\’t you stop going on about Lou Yun? Is he truly that formidable?\"

Lin Yongdu looked at his son gravely. \"I don’t know how you’ve provoked Lou Yun, but remember this: avoid him at all costs from now on. Stay as far away as possible. The issue isn\’t merely his strength. You saw the flame he threw, right? How old is he? To force Wang Feng and myself back with just one flame – such ability alone is terrifying. Moreover, there’s only one kind of person who can manipulate fire with such ease: a skilled weapon maker!\"

\"A skilled weapon maker?\" Lin Yuehua was finally shocked. \"Lou Yun is a skilled weapon maker?\"

\"Perhaps not yet. But judging by that flame he conjured earlier, I am certain he will become one – and no low-level weapon maker at that.\"

\"With his strength and that identity as a weapon maker, my son, do you still think our family has the means to compete with his?\"

Lin Yuehua thought for a moment. \"If that’s the case, why don’t we join forces with the Wang Family now? Kill Lou Yun. Eliminate the Lou Family. Crush the threat in its cradle!\"

Lin Yongdu shook his head. \"Impossible. Though we three families coexist in Lingjiang City, seemingly comparable in strength, the truth is the Lou Family\’s roots run far deeper. They could have stopped our families from rising in Lingjiang City, yet they chose not to. I don\’t know the exact reason. But I know the Lou Family’s true strength is absolutely not what we see now.\"

\"The Lou Family can be allies, they can be ignored, but they cannot be destroyed!\"

Lin Yuehua listened in stunned silence. After a long pause, she managed another question: \"Then why did you agree to ally with Lou Tianlei in the first place?\"

\"A family holds many secrets known only to the clan head. That’s why I sought an alliance with Lou Tianlei – to have him become clan head, then pry the Lou Family’s secrets from him. But since that plan has failed, the alliance cannot continue. In fact, we must sever ties with the Wang Family as well. Act wisely, preserve ourselves – only then can the Lin Family continue to survive in Lingjiang City. Otherwise, we\’d have to consider relocating our entire family!\"

After saying this, Lin Yongdu slowly closed his eyes, unwilling to speak further. Lin Yuehua also gradually sank into deep thought.

…

At that very moment, in the Lou Family residence, brothers Lou Tianming and Lou Tianzhi were in the study discussing the day’s events. Both sensed something amiss with Lou Tianlei’s behavior, yet they were reluctant to believe he actually wished his own elder brother dead.

After a long, silent standoff, Lou Tianming finally spoke: \"Second brother, from now on, have people keep an eye on Third brother. Better safe than sorry.\"

Lou Tianzhi nodded. \"Yes, I’ll assign people to watch him.\"

\"Alright, you\’ve had a taxing day. Get some rest. I will go see Yun’er now.\"

\"Elder brother!\"

Lou Tianzhi stopped Lou Tianming. After a pause, he asked, \"Brother, the words Yun’er shouted when he saved me today… were they \’Fusang Fire\’?\"

\"They were.\"

\"Then do you recall that ancient saying passed down through generations of our family? The one only the clan head and elders are privy to know?\"

Lou Tianming was silent for a long while before nodding solemnly.

\"Fire rises over the Fusang… and nine clans shall perish.\"