Chapter 374: Trouble at the Door
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The relations.h.i.+p between the Huo Clan and Qin Xiaoyou was indeed a little complicated. To be exact, it was the relations.h.i.+p between Huo Changxing and Qin Xiaoyou’s mother, w.a.n.g Huiru.
w.a.n.g Huiru and Huo Changxing were cla.s.smates when they were studying at Hua Xia University. At that time, Huo Changxing was greatly attracted to w.a.n.g Huiru, who was young, beautiful, and very talented. It could be said that w.a.n.g Huiru was the only woman whom Huo Changxing had ever been attracted to.
However, w.a.n.g Huiru was very outstanding then and was one of the well-known beauties in the school who was pursued by many guys. Huo Changxing had a very strong compet.i.tor, Qin Xiaoyou’s biological father, Qin Yi.
Qin Yi hit if off very well with Huo Changxing when they were young. As both of them had common hobbies, they became best friends and both of them liked w.a.n.g Huiru very much. They had always been compet.i.tors in the compet.i.tion of love.
At that time, Huo Changxing was the eldest son in the main line of descent of the Huo Clan, one of the five big aristocratic families in the capital. His talents were so shocking that he was named as the only young genius in the Huo Clan’s 100 years of history. On the other hand, Qin Yi was considered worthless, even though he was born in the main line of descent. He was not valued by his clan and had always been very ordinary.
However, w.a.n.g Huiru had eventually chosen Qin Yi.
While Huo Changxing enjoyed successes at a young age and was in high spirits, he was not so lucky in love. He lost to Qin Yi, an ordinary person who couldn’t practice ancient martial arts.
Huo Changxing was so angry that he left the Hua Xia continent for a distant land. He left for dozens of years without sending back any news. n.o.body knew where he went, and even the Huo Clan had forgotten they ever had this genius who had been the pride of the clan and the clan’s successor.
Recently, this pride of the Huo Clan had finally returned to Hua Xia and back to the Huo Clan. Then, he immediately succeeded and became the Clan Leader of the Huo Clan.
Although Huo Changxing had left Hua Xia for dozens of years, he constantly kept in mind his feelings for w.a.n.g Huiru. After inquiring at different sources, he got to know w.a.n.g Huiru and her daughter’s situation. He went to the Qin Clan in a rage to demand an explanation, but returned with his tail between his legs, as the Qin Clan’s Eldest Great Grandfather had broken through to the Embryonic Breathing realm.
Qin Xiaoyou could naturally appear in the Huo Clan because of her mother. Since Qin Yi’s death, w.a.n.g Huiru had brought Qin Xiaoyou up single-handedly and didn’t remarry. Using an unknown method, Huo Changxing had actually managed to make w.a.n.g Huiru agree to move to the Huo Clan.
Qin Xiaoyou didn’t object to her mother’s choice but was very supportive, as she knew how hard it was for a poor single woman to bring up a daughter. If Uncle Huo loved her mother, perhaps he would bring her happiness.
Qin Xiaoyou partic.i.p.ated in the Capital Martial Arts Symposium this time mainly because of the Huo Clan and her mother.
After Huo Changxing left the Huo Clan for the distant land, it had gradually weakened. After dozens of years, it was no longer as strong as before. Its future generations had ordinary apt.i.tude and geniuses rarely existed among them. Compared to the other four big aristocratic families which were flouris.h.i.+ng, the disparity was getting greater.
The old Clan Leader of the Huo Clan was already very old. Due to his earlier injuries, he had some hidden diseases that made his Cultivation regress, so his days were numbered. If this main pillar of the Huo Clan were to fall, the Huo Clan would probably be completely done.
During this Capital Martial Arts Symposium, many ancient martial arts aristocratic families were eyeing the Huo Clan, and some ambitious aristocratic families had the thought of defeating and replacing the Huo Clan. After all, among the five big ancient martial arts aristocratic families, the other four aristocratic families were still flouris.h.i.+ng and were difficult to shake. Hence, it would be difficult for the other ancient martial arts aristocratic families to replace them.
A mother’s honor would increase due to their child’s position, so if Qin Xiaoyou were to perform well at the Capital Martial Arts Symposium and exhibit shocking talents, she would be valued by the Huo Clan, and in turn, her mother would also be valued.
She understood that although Uncle Huo loved her mother deeply, the others in the Huo Clan might not identify with her mother. After all, her mother was merely an ordinary person with a low status and didn’t have the backing of any influences. How would the people of the Huo Clan agree to let this kind of person be the Mistress of their Clan Leader? On the surface, they wouldn’t comment much in consideration of Uncle Huo’s face and power, but they would definitely gossip and disrespect them secretly.
Therefore, Qin Xiaoyou intended to perform at the Capital Martial Arts Symposium so that the people of the Huo Clan would value both her and her mother.
“Uncle Huo, Mo Wen killed the Meng Clan’s genius. If the Meng Clan is to look for Mo Wen, I won’t simply watch on the sidelines,” Qin Xiaoyou said with determination on her face while glancing at Huo Changxing.
“Girl, you want me to clarify my stance? Since I’ve considered you as my own daughter, then your issue will naturally be my issue. When the people of the Meng Clan are here, I will guarantee that they won’t harm your little boyfriend,” Huo Changxing said while casting a smiling look at Qin Xiaoyou. He stood with his hands behind his back while radiance flashed in his eyes. Although he didn’t look very healthy, he had an outstanding loftiness.
Mo Wen was a little surprised when he looked at Huo Changxing. This middle-aged man’s loftiness was unusual. It was not only the strength shown by his Cultivation but also the confidence attained through experiencing the world.
Just when a few people were talking, a gust of wind howled from afar. Clothes started flying with constant flapping sounds as if many people were rus.h.i.+ng towards that direction. After a while, a few figures appeared in the courtyard and then more figures gradually appeared. Soon, they had surrounded the Huo Clan’s area completely.
Huo Changxing looked at those people before commenting nonchalantly, “Meng Clan’s people, you have intruded into the Huo Clan’s residence in such an aggressive manner. What’s your intention? Do you intend to stir up a fight between the two clans?”
“Huo Clan Leader, we are not against the Huo Clan, but we are here to look for a person. He has killed the successor of Meng Clan, so we have to capture him, and n.o.body can obstruct us.” A middle-aged man in green walked out, glanced at Huo Changxing, and saluted with hands folded in front of him. However, when he saw Mo Wen, killing intent flashed in his eyes. This person was so audacious to actually kill the people of the Meng Clan, including the Meng Clan’s number one genius, Meng Guo.
“Not against the Huo Clan? But the Meng Clan’s people have surrounded Huo Clan’s area with such a grandiose might,” Huo Changxing commented coldly. The commotion at this place had obviously alarmed many people. Many people from the Huo Clan came from their residences and glared angrily at the arrogant people of the Meng Clan.
“Huo Clan Leader, I have already explained very clearly. There is someone here who has killed the Meng Clan’s successor. We must capture this scoundrel, and n.o.body shall obstruct us. Please forgive us if we offend you in any way. After we have captured this scoundrel, we will surely apologize and compensate the Huo Clan.” After the middle-aged man in green finished his words, he ignored the people of the Huo Clan as if they were invisible. Then, he looked at Mo Wen and immediately attacked like this was not the Huo Clan’s area but the Meng Clan’s territory.
A green figure flashed and pounced towards Mo Wen in an arrogant and overbearing manner. In a flash, he strode across a distance of more than ten meters. He actually had Cultivation in the intermediate stage of the Qi Nucleation realm. This kind of person was a rare tip-top expert in the capital region, and even the five big aristocratic families might have only a handful of them.
“Arrogant.” Huo Changxing snorted coldly, and in the meantime, he made a move. His body shook slightly to block in front of the green figure. The next moment, a terrifying aura was released with a ma.s.sive pressure that caused the green figure to s.h.i.+ver.
In a few moments, that green figure retreated in a flash as if he had been struck by lightning and returned to his original position. Blood trickled from his mouth while his face paled. He had been instantly injured when he was. .h.i.t just now.
“Pinnacle of the Qi Nucleation realm.” That middle-aged man in green gasped in shock while he looked gravely at Huo Changxing. His face became a little more serious.
According to the rumors previously, after Huo Changxing had returned to the Huo Clan, he immediately gained the Clan Leader position, and his Cultivation was at the pinnacle of the Qi Nucleation realm. Indeed, it was true. He hadn’t believed it previously, but now the truth was in front of his eyes, so he had to believe it.
Many aristocratic families heard the news that the old Clan Leader of the Huo Clan was not among the Huo Clan’s team who came here, and Huo Changxing was fully in charge of it. Many people thought that the Huo Clan was rendered hopeless and wouldn’t be able to maintain its position among the five big aristocratic families. For this reason, he had taken Huo Clan lightly.
“Huo Clan Leader, the Meng Clan doesn’t have the intention of offending you but merely wants to capture the scoundrel. He killed the successor of the Meng Clan. As Huo Clan’s Leader, you definitely would understand the severity of the matter. Our Meng Clan’s Eldest Great Grandfather is already in a rage, so I hope the Huo Clan will do the Meng Clan a favor and not meddle in this matter. We shall appreciate it with great thanks in the future.” The middle-aged man in green saluted Huo Changxing with his hands folded in front of him. His att.i.tude had changed from arrogant to respectful. However, that’s how it was in the ancient martial arts world; the strong ones would be respected, and everything was about actual strength.
Now, Huo Changxing had Cultivation at the pinnacle of the Qi Nucleation realm, so he was the same as the old Clan Leader of the Huo Clan. Moreover, he was only 45 years old. His future achievements might be great, and he had a strong possibility of breaking through to the Embryonic Breathing realm. Such a person was naturally not to be offended casually. Those people who were hoping for the Huo Clan to wane and those who intended to replace its position would be disappointed.
“You are not qualified to talk to me. Ask the one who is in charge of the Meng Clan to come out. However, I can tell you certainly that whoever is in the Huo Clan’s territory will be the Huo Clan’s guest, so n.o.body can capture him in the Huo Clan’s territory,” Huo Changxing uttered indifferently. He stood with his hands behind his back and didn’t look interested in discussing the matter any further.
“Huo Clan Leader, are you insisting on being the Meng Clan’s enemy?” the middle-aged man in green asked with a frown. What did Huo Changxing mean? Wasn’t he obviously harboring that scoundrel who had killed the Meng Clan’s successor? The Meng Clan might not be stronger than the Huo Clan, but it was not any weaker, either. This Huo Clan actually thinks lightly of us and didn’t hesitate to offend the Meng Clan for the sake of a person whom they are unrelated to.
“If you are here alone, you had better leave immediately. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not going easy on you. Not every Tom, d.i.c.k, or Harry is qualified to talk to me,” Huo Changxing remarked stoically.
“You…” The middle-aged man in green pointed at Huo Changxing but was speechless for a while. n.o.body has ever dared to humiliate me and the Meng Can. Is this Huo Changxing set on going against the Meng Clan?
A cold voice resounded. “Huo Clan’s young fellow, your grandfather didn’t even dare to think lightly of the Meng Clan. Now, you have grown up with strong wings and are able not to think highly of anyone.” The next moment, a gust of wind gushed in, and all the leaves on the ground rustled. A figure quietly appeared in the courtyard.