Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: After Tonight, Who in the Liu Family Won’t Know You?

The room fell silent.

Beneath the silence was a surging, boundless killing intent.

”What did you say?”

Liu Zhensheng’s face darkened, filled with anger.

He had already learned some things about Ning Jiang from Ma Yuan. He had originally even considered befriending Ning Jiang, but who could have expected him to commit violence in the Liu Family’s home.

In an instant, he abandoned any thought of befriending Ning Jiang.

And now, Ning Jiang’s assertion that he was nothing special stoked the flames of his anger.

”The Subordinate Management Technique involves a mix of grace and might. A master must know how to treat his subordinates: punish them for their mistakes and reward them for their successes. Rewards and punishments must be clear. But above all, a master must first know how to protect his own subordinates. Only then can you win their hearts. Only then will they respect you, submit to you willingly, and work for you with true loyalty.”

Ning Jiang shook his head in disappointment. ”As for you, just to avoid offending Liu Zhengkun, you sold out your own subordinate on the spot, forcing him to kneel in humiliation. Someone like you will never win your subordinates’ loyalty. The moment you run into trouble and fall from grace, you’ll be abandoned by everyone. Like rats deserting a sinking ship, no one will be there to help you.”

”Aren’t you afraid of biting your tongue with all that talk? If it were you, what would you have done?”

Liu Zhensheng’s face was flushed as he glared at Ning Jiang. He knew Ning Jiang’s words were reasonable, but if he didn’t refute them at all, wouldn’t he lose all face?

”Me?” Ning Jiang’s gaze suddenly sharpened. Within his calm words was a resolve that could not be shaken even if the heavens and earth collapsed. ”If it were me, even if it were just a dog I raised, no one would be allowed to humiliate it without my permission!”

”Of course, I’m not unreasonable. If the dog I raised were to bite people indiscriminately and run amok, I wouldn’t need anyone else to act. I’d skin it and break its bones myself.”

Many people in the room looked on with surprise.

”This young man’s insight is profound, his talent extraordinary.” Liu Zhenghua slowly exhaled, a desire to recruit such talent stirring within him. ”He’s not wrong at all. What Fourth Brother did today has chilled his subordinates’ hearts. If word of this gets out, his other subordinates will also grow disheartened. This approach may have avoided offending Liu Zhengkun, but in truth, he has lost people’s loyalty—a classic case of saving a little only to lose a lot.”

”Shiyi, this young man is no ordinary person!”

Beside him, Liu Shiyi’s beautiful eyes twinkled. Her father rarely gave such high praise.

Besides Liu Zhenghua, many others present began to reflect silently on Ning Jiang’s words.

Many of them had subordinates of their own, but they lacked Ning Jiang’s insight.

”Hmph.” Liu Zhensheng snorted coldly, his face alternating between shades of red and pale. He was speechless.

Ma Yuan lowered his head slightly, a trace of emotion in his eyes.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the master he followed had tried to force him to kneel in humiliation, while Ning Jiang, with whom he had no significant ties, had come to his rescue.

Who was a wise master and who was a foolish one was clear at a glance!

”What a sharp-tongued brat.” At this moment, Liu Zhengkun spoke up, his gaze as sharp as a blade. ”Father, this boy killed Feng’Er. I ask that you hand him over to me so I may avenge my son.”

”This boy is audacious and reckless! He killed a member of our Liu Family. We absolutely cannot let this stand.”

”That’s right! A debt of blood must be paid in blood! We must kill him, and what’s more, we must grind his bones to dust to make an example of him.”

Liu Zhengkun’s words immediately found widespread agreement among those present.

”Killing him is too easy. I say we should cripple his Dantian first, then torture him endlessly until he wishes he were dead,” Liu Zhensheng chimed in, sounding as if he harbored a deep-seated hatred for Ning Jiang.

Clearly, he had taken Ning Jiang’s earlier words to heart and now held a grudge.

”Dad,” Liu Shiyi said, looking at Liu Zhenghua.

Liu Zhenghua sighed. ”He can only rely on himself to get through this trial. There’s nothing Dad can do.”

”I am already aware of the matter concerning Liu Feng.” Just as the crowd was in an uproar, Liu Yuanlong’s voice slowly rang out, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

’He’s a dead man.’ Hearing this tone, Liu Zhensheng couldn’t help but sneer.

’Let’s see how you can maintain that calm facade now?’ Liu Yun’s gaze was sharp.

An even greater killing intent surged from Liu Zhengkun, pressing down on Ning Jiang.

However, even in such a predicament, Ning Jiang’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were used to weathering great storms.

He remained perfectly still, unperturbed by the rising storm.

His calmness was terrifying.

Liu Yuanlong’s gaze swept across the room. His mouth moved slightly, and he uttered four words: ”This matter ends here!”

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

Countless people’s mouths hung open.

’This matter ends here?’

In other words, Ning Jiang had killed Liu Feng for nothing, and there would be no consequences?

Many people looked at Liu Yuanlong as if they had seen a ghost, unable to believe what they had just heard.

”Dad, what are you saying? He killed Liu Feng! He killed your grandson!” Liu Zhengkun’s tone changed abruptly.

”Dad, you must be joking, right?” Liu Zhensheng was equally incredulous.

”Grandfather, we can’t let this boy go! He killed a member of our Liu Family. If we don’t punish him, what will become of our family’s prestige?”

”Only by killing him, blood for blood, can Liu Feng rest in peace in the Yellow Springs.”

The crowd was in an uproar, unable to agree with Liu Yuanlong’s decision.

At this moment, Ning Jiang actually started to laugh. ”Liu Yuanlong, it seems you’ve been injured for too long. You no longer hold much authority in this Liu Family. Even a group of juniors dares to question your words.”

He addressed Liu Yuanlong directly by his full name, holding nothing back.

But in the eyes of others, this was outrageously disrespectful, and many glared at him with anger.

Liu Yuanlong’s expression didn’t twitch, showing no sign of anger or pleasure. But Liu Xianyu, standing beside him, suddenly felt an oppressive atmosphere.

”Are you all questioning my decision?” Liu Yuanlong’s voice was slow.

No one spoke, but their eyes all showed a look of defiance.

”Zhengkun, what about you? Do you also question my words?” Liu Yuanlong looked at Liu Zhengkun. Though his face was old, his spirit was vigorous, and his eyes emitted a sharp light that made one shiver on contact.

Liu Zhengkun gritted his teeth. The pain of losing his son was not something that could be dismissed with a few words. He said firmly, ”I implore Father to seek justice for Feng’er and punish the murderer severely!”

”Good, good!”

Suddenly, Liu Yuanlong began to laugh, his voice shaking the room. But amid his laughter, his gaze turned ice-cold. ”It seems I’ve truly gotten old. I haven’t interfered much in the Liu Family’s affairs for the past three years, so now every one of you dares to disregard my words!”

”Twelve Golden Guards.”

When those three words were spoken, everyone’s expression changed dramatically.

Inside the room, twelve figures appeared.

A total of twelve people, each one radiating a dense killing intent.

Many disciples of the Liu Family’s third generation looked on in horror.

The Twelve Golden Guards, the Liu Family’s elite unit, personally trained by Liu Yuanlong. They had followed him into battle across the land, killing countless people. Each one was a merciless executioner.

This unit was powerful enough to annihilate any second-tier family. Even an Innate Late Stage expert would only face certain death against the Twelve Golden Guards.

Many of the Liu Family’s younger generation had only ever heard of the Twelve Golden Guards’ reputation but had never seen them.

Today was the first time they had seen them with their own eyes!

The twelve were dressed in loose black robes, their faces hidden within black hoods. Only the golden character for ”Liu” embroidered on their chests revealed their identity.

The killing intent emanating from the twelve caused the temperature in the room to drop, making many people shiver.

’What is Grandfather doing?’

The Twelve Golden Guards had appeared. What was Liu Yuanlong planning to do?

At this moment, Liu Yuanlong’s gaze swept across the room like a sword across their throats, leaving everyone feeling suffocated. No one dared to meet his eyes.

When his words rang out, countless people revealed looks of absolute horror.

”Break Liu Zhengkun’s arms and legs.”

”What?” Liu Zhengkun’s expression changed in shock.

”Yes.”

Among the Twelve Golden Guards, six of them acted at once.

They were Liu Yuanlong’s trusted confidants, fiercely loyal to him. They would carry out any order without hesitation, even if it meant killing Liu Zhengkun.

”AHHH!”

Along with the sound of breaking bones, a miserable scream rang out. Liu Zhengkun, with his Innate Middle Stage Cultivation, was a powerful expert in his own right, but how could he possibly be a match for the notoriously fearsome Twelve Golden Guards?

The foundation upon which the Liu Family stood consisted of two pillars: one was Liu Yuanlong, and the other was the Twelve Golden Guards.

Seeing Liu Zhengkun on the ground with his limbs broken, a chill ran down everyone’s spine.

”Father, what are you doing?” Liu Zhensheng felt as if he were in a dream.

”Shut up.” Liu Yuanlong’s tone was filled with disappointment. ”I had thought you would have shown some improvement over the years, but you are still so useless. From this day forward, all of your assets will be handed over to Xianyu’s management.”

Liu Zhensheng’s face turned white as a sheet.

Liu Yuanlong had stripped him of all his assets in one fell swoop, turning him into a solitary figure with no power to his name.

The crowd was even more shocked.

”Liu Zhengkun, you failed to raise your son properly, producing such a rebellious child as Liu Feng. If not for your contributions to the Liu Family over the years, I would have done more than just break your limbs. You should be grateful that Ning Xiaoyou is safe and sound. Otherwise, I would have killed you with my own hands.”

Liu Yuanlong’s tone was sharper than ever before. Anyone could hear the cold, murderous intent in his voice.

Liu Zhengkun’s body trembled, and he dared not say a word.

Liu Yun lowered his head, stunned by Liu Yuanlong’s ruthlessness.

Feng Xue’s face was pale, and she was terrified.

The rest of the crowd was as silent as cicadas in winter, utterly terrified.

Only Ning Jiang remained composed. ’This is how it should be,’ he thought. ’This is the kind of decisiveness the head of a family should possess. When it’s time to be ruthless, one must show no mercy. So what if they are your own descendants?’

’How could an ambitious and ruthless leader be bound by ties of blood?’

’If it were me, and my descendants dared to commit evil, I would uphold justice and eliminate them myself without a shred of mercy.’

”From this day forward, I want every one of you to remember: Ning Xiaoyou is my peer, an honored guest of our Liu Family! No one is to disrespect him!”

Liu Yuanlong’s words made everyone turn pale with shock. ”The reason Liu Feng died is that he sent assassins after Ning Xiaoyou. His death is not worth grieving. If anything like this happens again, don’t blame me for being ruthless and disregarding the ties of blood.”

’A peer... death not worth grieving...’

These key phrases sent a huge shock through everyone. At this moment, they all realized they had underestimated Ning Jiang’s importance in Liu Yuanlong’s heart.

Ning Jiang’s importance outweighed any ties of blood!

”An ambitious leader... willing to make painful sacrifices... to uphold justice over family...”

Liu Mi murmured, her beautiful eyes filled with shock. She recalled Ning Jiang’s assessment of Liu Yuanlong back then. At the time, she had thought he was talking nonsense.

But now, at this moment, her regret finally erupted. Why hadn’t she spoken up to help Ning Jiang then?

Once again, she had missed an opportunity to befriend Ning Jiang!

The night was cold and clear.

Gaze after gaze fell upon the quiet young man beside Liu Yuanlong, filled with both shock and fear.

After tonight, who in the Liu Family would not know his name!