Chapter 175 – No compromise
Guan Dong Liu’s eyes roved as he closed them: “How can I ever feel at ease… she is my own family’s daughter. But this is happening to her, and if my family had the power to protect her, then I would have spared no effort….. but since my family doesn’t have the ability to defend her, then sacrificing them would be useless!”
“Nonsense! You aren’t even trying, you’re not even trying to make an effort, so then how do you know that you don’t have the ability?! You’re simply sacrificing your daughter’s happiness; you still call yourself a man? You’re a coward!” Jun Mo Xie retorted furiously: “You’re just afraid of your enemy’s strength. Your daughter isn’t as strong as your family’s forces, but you’re still using her as a s.h.i.+eld? You’re just using her as an excuse to conceal your cowardice!”
Guan Dong Liu’s facial expression was still as calm as ever: “If I have to sacrifice one person for the sake of the entire family, then I consider it to be a worthy price. If I could sacrifice my life to save my family… then I’ll look forward to that day. But if Li Jue Tian spares no effort to take my daughter, and if I bet my whole family’s fate on her protection….. and lose, then where’s the rationality in it? What I can choose, is to defend my family and the friends.h.i.+p between our two families. And therefore, for the sake of this friends.h.i.+p, and that of the Jun Family’s safety, I request that you stay out of it!”
It must be recognized that Guan Dong Liu understood his own limitations very well even though he was the master of the Guan Family and had thousands of people under his command. And even when faced with this tough situation, he was still unwilling to abandon his friends.h.i.+p with the Jun Family, which too was worthy of admiration. However, even though his actions were worthy of praise, but the praise still wouldn’t be justified in the context of this situation!
“The master of the Guan Family speaks about his daughter’s fate; my sister-in-law’s fate! But now she belongs to the Jun Family; she’s not the Guan Family’s daughter anymore! Alive, she belongs to the Jun Family; once dead, even her ghost belongs to the Jun Family! She’s a married woman, and no longer has any relations.h.i.+p with your family now! You do not have the right to decide her fate!” Jun Mo Xie’s voice resounded throughout the hall.
He smiled grimly as he continued to despise: “As for your family, what’s the point of such a useless family that can’t even protect its own women? You should simply put a knife to your throats and be done with it!”
Guan Qing Han was wanted by the Xue Hun Manor, and if their demand wasn’t met then they would inevitably destroy the Jun and the Guan Family! No one had ever dared to go against the command of the Xue Hun manor!
Therefore, Guan Dong Liu’s predicament, choice and helplessness were more than understandable!
Many-a-men would have made the same choice in this situation since the relations.h.i.+p between women and their parents was as such in this era. If two families were capable of surviving at the cost of one woman’s happiness, then most people in this world would pick the same choice as Guan Dong Liu, or at least wouldn’t contradict his choice.
After all, she was just a woman! It didn’t matter if she was his own daughter…..
However, Jun Mo Xie could never allow himself to live with this shame!
If the men of my family can’t even protect a woman, then what’s the point of having such men? What is the meaning of such a humiliating existence? For Jun Mo Xie, this wasn’t a question of Qing Han’s reputation or integrity, or even survival. This was a question of his life’s principles!
Perhaps this decision was foolish, and perhaps this decision would eventually lead to the destruction of the Guan and the Jun family, but for Jun Mo Xie….. this matter had no room for compromise!
Even if this decision costed the lives of tens of millions of people around the Empire, Jun Mo Xie still wouldn’t alter his decision!
Life or death? What’s the meaning of it?
We all breathe so someone can light incense sticks in our memory!
If I exchange the innocence of a woman for my survival, then I might as well be dead. Whether she’s innocent or not, this will be a matter of grave shame!
And real men cannot stand shame!
And now this was all happening in front of Jun Mo Xie!
Even if this wasn’t happening in front of him, and Jun Mo Xie simply found out that such a thing had happened somewhere, then he would probably set out to punish those who had bullied a woman from a less influential family into marrying their son, but only after he had first destroyed the family who had sent their daughter away under these circ.u.mstances!
Such people aren’t worthy of living in this world! What is the meaning of life if one’s dignity is lost? You don’t value the dignity of another’s life? Then I must first destroy yours! Then I’ll let you live on! I’ll make you live like your mother’s a.s.s!
Hitman Jun’s ideology was undoubtedly very strange for some and obviously differed from the rest of the world’s opinion, therefore it was naturally very difficult to gain the approval from the majority of people, such as……
“Third master Jun! You will bring a disaster towards the Jun Family! Have you even considered how much ruin this impulsive decision of yours’ will bring to the Jun Family? And the Jun Family is your own Family!” Guan Dong Liu spoke out sternly in a fit of anger.
“I’m the only heir to the Jun Family! The Jun Family’s future is in my hands. If the Jun Family’s destruction is to come at my hands, then I don’t mind letting it happen a little early. My decision is the decision of the Jun Family!” Jun Mo Xie sharply glared back at Guan Dong Liu as he stated these words slowly enough for the man to understand them very, very clearly: “Master of the Guan Family, the Jun Family disagrees to withdraw the engagement! Your family has no rights or relation to Qing Han, so you may please stay out of this!”
“If the power of the Jun Family cannot protect her, then before my Family is destroyed, I will personally kill her! A death is far better than the existence of such shame!!”
Jun Mo Xie’s stern and stubborn words suddenly stirred up a storm of emotions in Qing Han’s heart.
He was ready to let thousands and thousands die for one person! None of it mattered to him! He was simply unwilling to look at the big picture here, not even for a second!
She belonged to the Jun Family, in her life, and then in her death; no matter the circ.u.mstances, she would always belong to the Jun Family!
This was just in Jun Mo Xie’s nature, whether in this life or the previous, he would have done the same! Even if this matter wasn’t concerned with Qing Han, he would have still done the same thing! Even if he didn’t know the woman, he would have still done the same thing!
Tears came streaming down from Qing Han’s eyes.
She had already submitted herself to a life of despair! Xue Hun Manor was one the strongest factions in this world, even the most talented and powerful individual or factions wouldn’t dare to stand up against their commands! Had Guan Dong Liu insisted on it, even Jun Wu Yi wouldn’t have been able to stop this. After all, Qing Han was the Guan Family’s daughter, and once the engagement was withdrawn, the Jun Family would have no control over her life or future!
Qing Han had already decided to make the sacrifice for her Family’s sake, and was preparing herself to commit suicide after reaching the Xue Hun Manor!
But she had never expected that Jun Mo Xie would actually decide to take a stand for her at this moment! She had always looked down upon her brother-in-law, and had been really mistreating him for the past several months…. She had never even imaged that her insolent brother-in-law would really be capable of saying something like this!
He is even willing to accept the blame for the destruction of our two families… even in the face of this tragic fate! He’s even willing to risk his own life, and that of his entire family!
It was obvious to Qing Han from Jun Mo Xie’s firm and resolute voice that he was actually ready to sacrifice everything before bending to the will of such an enemy!
Qing Han almost wanted to burst into tears at this moment! Even her own family, and her own father had abandoned her in this moment of need and dark, but this man had risen up and had decided to risk everything for her in her moment of extreme desperation!
Jun Mo Xie’s slim stature, and his average shoulders….. suddenly became the most reliable structure in this world for her! He became the only support she had in this downpour and heavy wind; the only one she could hold on to!
She had been very moved when brother had opted for the same decision when it came to Yue’er, but it suddenly seemed to her at this moment….as if he was nothing compared to Jun Mo Xie! After all, Guan Qing Yue had arrived in the Tian Xiang city in order to persuade the Jun Family to withdraw her engagement, and allow her to remarry. However, Jun Mo Xie hadn’t even hesitated in picking the choice of defending her against all odds!
One man was ready to betray his own sister’s trust for the sake of his own survival, and was ready to subject her to a drifting life with no purpose. This man had also ignored his own principles and morals for the sake of a vulgar woman! While the other had fiercely risen to protect her in the face of extreme difficulty!
It wasn’t even correct to say their names in the same breath, and suddenly they were like to extremes in her eyes…. Like heaven and earth; there was absolutely no comparison!
Guan Qing Han’s face turned red with embarra.s.sment as this thought crossed her mind, out of sheer guilt over the actions of her past: could it be…… earlier, he was only….is this the real ‘him’? Was he just pretending to be someone else all this time…..why….?
Otherwise, why would he act out so emotionally today? He didn’t even show one sign of hesitation! He is ready to risk everything and fight the entire world for me?!
G.o.d, why didn’t I see the good in him?
A moment of fear, a moment of despair, a moment of excitement, and a moment of emotion…. Qing Han stood rooted to her spot with a blank expression on her face as a violent storm continued to churn inside her heart.
She was completely unaware that Jun Mo Xie wasn’t doing this for her sake, but for the sake of his own principles! Jun Mo Xie would never change his principle; he would never allow anyone to hurt his pride!
He would readily and madly go to war with the entire world than drag out an ign.o.ble existence!
In Hitman Jun’s mind, life and death was nothing more than mere fantasy; an illusion… nothing more. But principles and pride, they were factors of immortality!
And he would never compromise on them!
Jun Mo Xie’s words and fierce att.i.tude frightened Guan Dong Liu for a moment, but then he immediately thought of the last decade of the Jun Family’s existence, and couldn’t help feeling anxious again. Therefore, he looked towards Jun Wu Yi: “Brother Jun, the young master Jun is still naïve and speaks out of pride, but may not have considered the consequences of such actions under the influence of his youthful vigor. The Jun Family is far more powerful than mine, but when compared to the Xue Hun Manor……”
Jun Wu Yi smiled faintly, and flatly replied with a calm expression on his face: “Mo Xie is right; Qing Han is my Family’s daughter-in-law. As the head of the Jun Family, I agree with him; Mo Xie’s decision is the Jun Family’s decision!”
Even though Jun Wu Yi was sitting in his wheelchair, but the strength and resolve of his voice coupled with the power of his wide shoulders was enough to send the heavens shaking!
Jun Mo Xie might have spoken his words under the influence of his youthful vigor, but Jun Wu Yi, being a veteran generalissimo was well aware of the endless struggle that his family would have to face against the might of the Xue Hun Manor!
Guan Dong Liu stared at him for a long while. Suddenly a deep sense of guilt arose from the bottom of his heart! He had given up his daughter; however the young and the old of the Jun Family had risen to take a stand for her without any hesitation!
He was unaware of the rivalry between the Jun Family and the Silver Blizzard City; he was unaware that these two factions were mortal enemies! And now, these men were even willing to face the Xue Hun Manor for Qing Han’s sake!
The two most powerful forces of the continent were standing against the lone Jun Family! One enemy in the north and the other in the south; and Jun Family was right in the middle!
[Xue Hun is probably in the south, and the Silver Blizzard City is in the north…. Most likely. They haven’t made this very clear, probably due to the secretive nature of these two factions.]
But Jun Mo Xie, and Jun Wu Yi were still smiling, indifferent to it all; still holding their heads proudly high up in the sky!