Chapter 99: Sect of Flame Troublemakers and Black Three Lady
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
When the fire started, it was evening.
Almost at the same time when Junior Leopard opened the windows, the fire started.
First, it was a loud piercing shout, tearing at people’s eardrums. Zhonghe City’s Wu’s branch began to be in a mess.
The study room was on fire. Wu Yuntian lit up the study room, a billow of thick smoke came out of the study room. Within a short period of time, the whole study room became a sea of flame.
Junior Leopard heard the shocked cries outside “It’s on fire…!” He softly sighed. From his position of view, not only the Wu’s, but also a lot of places of the entire Zhonghe City were billowing thick smoke.
He walked to the side of the bed, and arranged his clothes neatly. The twin silver hammers were hunging on both sides of his waist. Then he approached the big bronze mirror inside the room and arranged himself, then left out of the door.
At this moment, the Wu’s branch in Zhonghe City was already in a complete mess. Servants and craftsmen were shouting and running to and fro. A group of people in servants’ clothes were carrying pails and basins, and even everything that could hold water.
The well at the courtyard already was enveloped by a group of people. There were also some people who ran to the back of the yard. There was a pond there. Junior Leopard meandered through the chaotic crowd of people. Without much time, he reached the entrance of the study room. At this time, there was already a big group of people standing at the entrance of the study room.
“Junior Zhou, you have come!” seeing Junior Leopard appear, Jin Nanqing’s eyes flashed, revealing his smile.
“Senior Brother, what happened?!” Junior Leopard asked.
“I am not too sure either. It looks like it was Seneschal Wu himself setting the study room on fire. I don’t know what he put inside, perhaps some form of fire catalyst. In a blink of an eye, it was burnt till it was this serious. Even if we want to douse the fire we can’t!”
“So it’s this case!” Junior Leopard nodded. He noticed that even though Jin Nanqing was talking to him, he somewhat did not put his heart into the conversation and his attention was focused on the other side.
The surroundings were very noisy. Once the fire started, naturally there were a lot of people. There were people who saved the fire, and there were those who saved people. Hence, when they came to the entrance of the study room, Junior Leopard’s ears were filled with sounds. The only thing he could do was to pretend that he heard nothing.
However, when he realized Jin Nanqing’s state was not right, and that his attention was diverted to other places, his gaze wandered around for a while. He realized there were a few women lying on the ground in front of the entrance of the study room. They were crying very miserably. Junior Leopard recognized these few women who were the family members of Wu Yuntian.
This world was just like ancient China. Men marrying three to four wives was a very common thing. With Wu Yuntian’s ident.i.ty, apart from the first wife, he still had several concubines, lying on the floor now.
Jin Nanqing’s target naturally was not them, but a 15-16 year old young woman. Speaking of 15-16 year old women, there were many of them. Wu Yuntian’s youngest concubine had married half a year ago, just reaching 15 years old.
“Wu Yuzhu?!” Junior Leopard’s gaze s.h.i.+fted. He understood Wu Yuzhu was Wu Yuntian’s only daughter. She looked pretty and was educated since young. She was a model renowned family heiress. Of course, the most important thing was that her surname was Wu.
From this period of interaction, Junior Leopard was able to tell, that Jin Nanqing was an ambitious person. However, his position in the Wu’s was not considered to be very high. Even though he was an inner core disciple that was only compared to the normal Wu’s inner core disciples only.
With his apt.i.tude and cultivation, in this lifetime in the Wu Family, at most he could only take up an Elder position. Just like Xu Yong, he would wield some special power, but he would never have control of the real authority in the Wu Family.
Wu’s real authority had always been in the hands and control of Wu’s own descendants. Now the Wu’s had a big family and big business. However, those resources which really concerned the fate of the Wu Family, the branches, those who were Seneschals, were all Wu’s immediate descendants or disciples from their collateral families.
Wu Yuntian in Zhonghe City was an example.
In the Wu Family, unless you were like Lyu Yiyue, cultivation reaching the Tendon-Changing Realm, Level Seven, only then would you possess a power that was near to the Wu’s Family Head. Even the Wu’s Family Head would be extremely respectful towards you.
However, this kind of power could only be possessed by yourself. Maybe when you were still around, your disciples would possess some special powers that normal inner core disciples and even Wu’s direct descendants would not have. However, these special powers, when you were dead, would disappear.
Unless, among your disciples, there would be another Tendon-Changing Realm expert. This was almost impossible. No one could ensure that within one vein, there would repeatedly appear Tendon-Changing Realm experts.
What Lyu Yiyue couldn’t do, Jin Nanqing’s teacher would not be able to do either. Jin Nanqing was a person who had an ambition and was extremely unwilling to be lonely. He naturally would not be willing, when he was done training with his teacher, to stay at the Wu’s headquarters to be a high-level fighter. Or that he would be posted to an unimportant place to be a supervisor. This kind of position was yearned for by the Wu’s disciples. However, to Jin Nanqing it might not amount to much in his eyes.
Hence, he needed a chance to change this situation. He needed a ladder on which he could step upon to rightfully claim the Wu’s power. To do this it was not easy, but it wasn’t without solutions either.
He couldn’t be a descendant of the Wu’s or his cultivation couldn’t reach Level Seven that was fine. There was another route that was to become a son-in-law of the Wu’s.
Even if it was a branch of the Wu Family, as long as the surname was Wu, then, your chances would be much more than normal Wu’s disciples.
However, this was easier said than done?
This was not an easy matter. Most of Wu’s daughters at birth, or even when they were not even born, they engaged. There was no chance for outsiders to intervene at all.
However now, there was a chance lying in front of Jin Nanqing.
Wu Yuzhu.
He didn’t know if Wu Yuzhu engaged with another person, however, he knew, even if there was a marriage agreement, after the thing caused by Wu Yuntian, the marriage agreement would be nulled.
In the pugilist world, what was the most important? Reputation was an extremely important thing.
Wu Yuntian landed himself huge debts and was forced to death by the creditors. This reputation was then finished. No one would be willing to marry with this kind of person. Apart from owing debts, the goods that were lost by the Wu’s this time, had some faint connection with him. It was concerned with him colluding with bandits, biting the hand that fed him. The scheme to rob his own goods was already spread to all fours.
These two reasons added together, there wasn’t even a need to think carefully. Junior Leopard believed, very quickly, there would be someone rejecting the marriage proposal with Wu Yuzhu. In this world, the reality was much more than ideals.
In this kind of political marriage, originally it was birthed forth from benefits. Without benefits, who would want to marry for no reason?
This was Wu Yuzhu’s misfortune, yet it was Jin Nanqing’s luck.
If he could take this chance to have some relations.h.i.+p with Wu Yuzhu, then, his position in the Wu’s would be different.
Wu Yuntian made a mistake and the gossips in the pugilist world were flying all around. However, Junior Leopard believed, those who really had brains in Wu’s would not believe those rumors. They would definitely not believe that the batch of goods was colluded and robbed by Wu Yuntian. Such a brainless thing, who would do it?
If it was really done by him, then why would he be forced to death by the debts?
To the Wu Family, Wu Yuntian at most amounted to an unfilial disciple that racked up a lot of debts outside. No matter how unfilial he was, he was still a Wu’s person. In this era where the bloodline was extremely important, no matter what kind of mistakes he committed, he was already dead. Then, as the clan, it would take up the responsibility of taking care of his descendants.
Hence, even though Wu Yuntian had died, Wu Yuzhu would still receive the care of the Wu Family. There wouldn’t be anyone denying that the Wu’s bloodline flows in her. Even though her position would no longer be like what it was in the past, even though she might be reduced from a n.o.ble lady to an adopted daughter from the branch family. There was still one point that would never change, and that her surname was still Wu.
This was Jin Nanqing’s chance!
Looking at the big fire that was burning fiercer and fiercer, and looking at the family members of Wu’s that cried till they fainted on the floor, Junior Leopard lightly sighed. He said, “Senior Zhou, things do not look right!”
“Ah, urgh, what, not right, what is not right?!”
Very obviously, Jin Nanqing seemed to be distracted. He seemed to have realized his own manners and said embarra.s.singly.
Junior Leopard’s heart softly sighed, and said, “I have observed, the Wu’s is not the only place on fire!”
“Not only the Wu’s?!” Jin Nanqing still couldn’t understand in a while.
“I observed, apart from our Wu’s branch family, the city had many areas that were set on fire. North South East West all four directions there were. When I came over, I could faintly hear sounds of killing. I mean, could there be something happening in this city?!”
Jin Nanqing’s expression finally changed. Not speaking a word, he concentrated on listening, his expression slowly sunk. “It seems like there is something happening…!”
His words haven’t finished, hurried footsteps could be heard from outside of the courtyard.
“Help, Sect of Flame, Sect of Flame troublemakers attacked the city—!”
The cries could not cover the extreme panic within it. A few Wu’s servants came in droves from outside. Their mouths were shouting loudly, but they were rough all the same meaning.
The Sect of Flame troublemakers attacked the city and set fire to kill people everywhere. Now they were headed to the Wu Residence.
“What did you say, they are heading for us? Who they are, what are they here for?!” Jin Nanqing’s face changed, and violently lifted the collar of a servant and asked.
“I..I don’t know. I.. I only saw a group of men and horses coming towards our Wu Family. Hence I hurriedly came back to report the news. The others, I don’t know anything!”
“Useless thing!” Jin Nanqing’s face flashed across some seriousness. He threw the servant on the ground, and then said to Junior Leopard, “Junior, looks like things are really not right. We should go out to take a look!”
Junior Leopard nodded, yet he didn’t speak. He followed behind Jin Nanqing.
However, within his eyes, it vaguely revealed some excitement.
The Sect of Flame troublemakers, which was also Sect of Flame, was the greatest resistance force that hid within Great Jin’s people. It was just like the White Lotus City from Junior Leopard’s previous life. They always liked to stir people up to rebel. In the government’s mouths, they were Sect of Flame troublemakers. However, in the lower strata of society, they were the Holy Sect of Flame.
However, the Sect of Flame was not fools. Even if they wanted to rebel, they had to choose a good timing. They could only have a chance of stirring things up when there were a big desolation and a big disaster, army disaster and uncomfortable lives for the people!
Now at this timing, the cla.s.sic peaceful times, there were no reasons to rebel against them. They even attacked Zhonghe City. This Zhonghe City in Qianzhou was considered a city that was slightly rural. However, in the whole Great Jin, it was the hinterlands. Why were they attacking here?
Junior Leopard now couldn’t figure out what was going on. However obviously, now was not the time to dwell on this problem? When they reached the Wu’s manor door, they could see a group of horses and men coming from afar, stirring up waves of dust.
“That is, d.a.m.n it, it’s Beard Ma!” Looking afar at that group of horses and men, they could see a big man full of beard sitting on a big horse. Junior Leopard and Jin Nanqing’s hearts sunk.
“No, he is not Beard Ma, he, he is, he is Black Three Lady!”
A servant who was holding a saber beside the two of them said.