Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Fan Jinhua exclaimed in amazement, ”With these annotations for the Nine Primordial Yang Swords, I suppose my help wasn’t in vain after all.”

The Nine Primordial Yang Swords was a rare Sword Dao technique in its own right.

Lu Chao’s insights within the booklet, however, were so detailed and profound that even someone of Fan Jinhua’s caliber felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Like Wu Caicai, he was even inspired in his own Martial Dao.

He had originally thought his intervention would be a wasted effort, but he never expected to be repaid by Lu Chao so quickly. Fan Jinhua added, ”The ink on these Nine Swords annotations is barely dry. He must have deliberately added them after he returned to his room.”

Wu Caicai was extremely surprised when she heard this.

The Nine Swords annotations were actually added by Lu Chao at the last minute while Master Fan was confronting the Yangzhou City Lord, Wu Wei.

’This is his way of repaying Master Fan.’

At this thought, Wu Caicai’s expression grew serious. ”Master Fan, is there really nothing we can do?”

Fan Jinhua gave another bitter smile and finally said, ”I’ll see what I can do when we get back to Tiger Flame, but don’t get your hopes up. The most likely outcome is that Cheng Yunsu will still fail to get into Tiger Flame Academy. A Beast Bone substitute... it’s just not a proper solution.”

Feeling helpless, the three of them could only return to the room Cheng Weishan had arranged for them.

But they didn’t notice...

In a room they passed, a pair of eyes glinted with a cold light.

This was the Cheng Mansion’s pharmacy. The owner of those eyes was none other than Cheng Yunxiang. He was here to find medicine for his maternal grandfather, Bai Wenrong.

...

The Cheng Mansion courtyard was deserted.

Although Fan Jinhua said the banquet should continue, the guests had hurriedly taken a few bites and then taken their leave. Fan Jinhua was strong, but he would be leaving Yangzhou City in a few days. Of course, the guests wouldn’t offend the City Lord’s Mansion for his sake.

Inside the main hall of the Cheng Mansion, a bleak gloom had settled.

Everyone in the Cheng Mansion, high and low, wore expressions as grim as death masks.

Cheng Chuyan, her face pale, said, ”Father, we’re doomed. That bitch Cheng Yunsu has ruined us.”

Cheng Chugong also stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, ”Father, based on the City Lord’s demeanor as he left, he definitely won’t let us go.”

The other members of the Cheng Mansion also spoke up one by one, asking Cheng Weishan to think of a way out.

Earlier, Fan Jinhua had successfully confronted the City Lord, forcing City Lord Wu Wei to retreat while grinding his teeth. But before leaving, his killing intent toward the entire Cheng Mansion was palpable, his hatred at its peak.

Wu Xin had even deliberately mocked Cheng Weishan, saying, ”Congratulations to the Cheng Mansion on gaining a Tiger Flame Student.”

No matter how Cheng Weishan tried to present the facts or show his loyalty, it was useless. Since they couldn’t get to Cheng Yunsu, they would take it out on the Cheng Mansion. They were just looking for someone to vent their anger on.

Cheng Gai also said, ”Grandfather, as long as that bitch Cheng Yunsu is taken to Tiger Flame, we’re finished.”

As soon as Fan Jinhua left with Lu Chao and his wife, the City Lord’s Mansion would annihilate them.

Cheng Chuyan added, ”Cheng Yunsu is a damn bitch, finding a Life-taking Bone like that and bringing disaster down on our heads.”

She still hadn’t considered that it was her own fault, blaming everything on Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu.

The truth was...

If they had stood by Cheng Yunsu against Wu Xin’s bullying from the start, they could now be preparing to move to Tiger Flame with Cheng Yunsu and Lu Chao, and even gain the backing of Tiger Flame Academy.

But they refused. They just had to torment their own family to death.

And just as Cheng Chuyan’s voice fell... SLAP!

Cheng Weishan, without any warning, suddenly slapped Cheng Chuyan across the face.

Stunned, Cheng Chuyan clutched her face and asked dazedly, ”Father, why did you hit me?”

As everyone stared in shock, Cheng Weishan suddenly exploded...

”It’s all your damn fault! If you all hadn’t been constantly badmouthing my dear granddaughter, how could I have treated her like that?”

”Now, slap yourselves ten times and come with me to apologize to my dear granddaughter.”

When these words came out, the entire room was dumbfounded.

’Dear granddaughter? He can’t be talking about... Cheng Yunsu, can he?’

Slowly, everyone began to understand. The Cheng Mansion now had only one path to survival: to beg for Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu’s forgiveness.

To have them take the entire Cheng Mansion with them to Tiger Flame.

But Cheng Yunsu hated them to the bone...

So of course they had to apologize, and they had to make a big show of it.

Thinking of this, although Cheng Chugong, Cheng Chuyan, and the others were extremely unwilling, to save their own lives they of course... SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

One by one, they slapped their own faces until they were red, and then, under Cheng Weishan’s lead, they all arrived before Cheng Yunsu’s door.

At this moment, Cheng Weishan spoke loudly...

”How do you people do things?”

”My dear granddaughter is a newlywed, yet her door is in this state! Why haven’t you fixed it? Fix it for me, now!”

Immediately, craftsmen rushed to the dilapidated doorway and began to repair the door.

At this time, Cheng Chuming was the first to walk out. He stared blankly at everyone before him and asked, ”Father, what is all this?”

Cheng Weishan immediately stepped forward, his face wreathed in smiles...

”Chuming, my good eldest son.”

”I was foolish before, listening to the slander from your brother and sister. I know I was wrong now. I apologize to you.”

At this point, he pointed to Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan and said, ”I have already punished them.”

”Do you think you can... forgive your father?”

As he spoke, Cheng Weishan’s old face was covered in a sycophantic smile, squeezing out all his wrinkles.

Cheng Chuming’s eyes turned red. Though he was a middle-aged man, he felt the urge to burst into tears. He had suffered so much during the time his daughter had been treated as a cripple. Now, finally, the clouds were parting to reveal the sun.

Just as he was about to say something, Lu Chao abruptly stepped out of the room...

”Three conditions.”

”First, Bai Xin must get out of the Cheng Mansion. Second, Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan must be crippled. Third, you must publicly pass the position of Patriarch to my father-in-law.”

As his voice fell, Cheng Chuming stared blankly at Lu Chao.

The wrinkles squeezed together on Cheng Weishan’s face all froze. The smiles that Cheng Chuyan and Cheng Chugong had worked so hard to produce vanished instantly.

But Cheng Gai was still young and roared, ”Life-taking Bone Calamity Star, don’t push us too far!”

Lu Chao sneered. ”If you can’t do it, then just wait for the City Lord’s Mansion to raze this place to the ground.”

After speaking, Lu Chao directly pulled Cheng Chuming back into the room.

’Dear granddaughter? Good eldest son?’

’It’s nauseating just to hear it. If I weren’t considering my father-in-law Cheng Chuming’s situation, I would have killed them all long ago.’

The frozen wrinkles on Cheng Weishan’s face slowly twisted into a grimace, but he still tried to speak calmly, ”Yunsu, my dear granddaughter, you...”

Before he could finish his words...

Cheng Yunsu’s voice came from within the room: ”When a woman marries, she follows her husband. What Lu Chao wants is what I want.”

Instantly, Cheng Weishan was at a complete loss for words.

His gaze slowly shifted to Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan. The two of them trembled in fear. They knew their father Cheng Weishan’s personality all too well—he would do anything to save his own skin.

The two cried out, ”Father, d-d-don’t do anything rash!”

Cheng Weishan walked toward them step by step, the True Qi in his hands already gathering. Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan retreated frantically.

Just at that moment, Cheng Yunxiang suddenly ran over. ”Grandfather...”

He quickly whispered a few sentences in Cheng Weishan’s ear.

Cheng Weishan’s eyes widened. He stopped in his tracks and asked in return, ”Is what you say true?”