Chapter 705: The Skywings are a Fiend Blade?
In a secluded garden hidden within the bustling city of White Horse Constellation, beautifully crafted pavilions and wondrous rockery, which created an aesthetically pleasing environment, could be seen amidst the countless peach blossoms. These cherry blossoms had been genetically modified so that they would never age, so that no matter the seasons, this garden would forever be graced by this brush of natural splendor.
White Horse Constellation was the main settlement for humans in the Law Realm, where the Nine Great Clans and countless other major clans and families resided. This garden, known to many as the Cherry Garden, was a famous scenic spot locally and an alternate residence of the Moonward Clan.
The aged old great clans were rich and powerful, each with practically their own distinguis.h.i.+ng characteristics. An example was how the Cruelwolf Clan and Withered Mu Clan were known for their stubbornness, with the clansmen staunch in their beliefs and extremely protective of their own shortcomings; another example was how the Snowdrift Clan and Glacier Clan were otherworldly. Though they lived in the White Star Constellation, they did not interact much with outsiders. The members of the above-mentioned clans were known for their icy personality; this included the fact that everyone from the Snowdrift Clan was a woman.
Meanwhile, the Nine Fan Clan and Moonward Clan were known among the Nine Great Clans as the most romantic. Aside from Cherry Garden, the Moonward Clan also had another even more lavish Plum Garden, covering over thousands of hectares of land, where the fragrance of plum was everywhere, the residence of over tens of thousands of elites in their clan.
The Law Realm was a cruel, man-eat-man world, and behind such prosperity would be countless unspeakable illegal transactions. The romanticism of the Moonward Clan was a farce; it was really more insidious and sinister. At that very moment, three black figures had entered a tunnel underneath the garden filled with cherry blossoms.
The tunnel was cramped, damp, and cold. It was in stark contrast with the garden above, which looked like it was basking in a state of ever-spring, well lit and open. No one would ever imagine that the lush Cherry Garden actually had such an insidious and dark corner if they were not familiar with the inner workings of the Moonward Clan.
Taking a few turns, the tunnel began angling upward, The light slowly became ample, making it possible to identify one of these men as Yu Hua, who was being sandwiched between two guards of the Moonward Clan as they led the way, entering an inconspicuous house inside Cherry Garden.
Two elderly individuals were already awaiting his arrival. Both were dressed casually, with one seated on a raised platform at the head of this room and another standing beside him, seemingly like a pair of master and servant.
Yu Hua was being extremely respectful, reporting to them about everything that had happened in the Yu family’s Ancestral Hall today after bowing. Neither man said a word, as they intently listened to everything.
The more Yu Hua spoke, the more agitated he got. His expression also turned pale over time; this slap Xia Fei had delivered was truly vicious, having sent him from cloud nine right down to the bottom of h.e.l.l.
It must be said that Yu Hua had been quite figuratively 0.01 millimeter away from achieving his dream of sitting on the coveted throne as the new family patriarch. How could he be reconciled with this fact when it got s.n.a.t.c.hed away from him just as he was that close?
The look on the faces of the two elderly men on the platform became even more severe as Yu Hua spoke, and by the time he was done with his tale, they had exchanged glances with each other and nodded. The elder seated on that raised platform waved his hand, and the two guards immediately carried Yu Hua away, the same way he entered.
Without getting a clear answer, Yu Hua was uneasy. However, he did not dare to go against the wishes of such significant figures. All he could do was sigh and pa.s.s through that dark tunnel once again, his mind clouded in thoughts as he departed.
There was no one else in that room aside from the two elderly men.
White Ward stood up from the seat and began strolling out to his beloved Cherry Garden, while his ever-present retainer, Boson Ward, followed closely behind.
No one knew Old Ward’s true age. Some said that he was an old monster well over five hundred years old. Because his father had Ward as his surname and his mother was White, he took up both to form the name White Ward. He was currently the patriarch of the Moonward Clan. Wielding great power in his position, he was a significant individual in the White Horse Constellation, able to call forth great changes with a swing of his arm.
His retainer, Boson Ward, was not much younger than him and was also considered an old monster of the Moonward Clan. Because he was not a direct descendant, Boson Ward did not join the Elder Court, nor was he qualified to take on any of the important positions in the clan. As such, he followed White Ward and stayed by his side as his retainer.
Actually, given Boson Ward’s intelligence and breadth of mind, he was more than capable of leading the Elder Court. Being White Ward’s retainer was a little waste of his talent, but White Ward had always shown great appreciation for Boson Ward, showing great favor toward him. Similarly, Boson Ward reciprocated this friends.h.i.+p with the patriarch, and the two men got along with each other fairly well.
Pus.h.i.+ng the door open and stepping into the garden filled with cherry blossoms lifted his mood quite a lot. White Ward chucklingly took a stroll among the flora and fauna as he asked, “Boson, what are your thoughts?”
Boson Ward answered, “Yu Hua has been tricked and got set up by that young man called Xia Fei. Looks like he won’t be getting out of this one any time soon, meaning that he’s of no use to us anymore.”
White Ward nodded slightly. He continued along the green cobblestone path toward a pavilion in the middle of a reservoir.
“I think that it’s not just Yu Hua who got tricked; we’re also part of his scheme. Since that person has evidence but didn’t reveal it, choosing to wait till a critical moment before showing it to the public, causing such a stir all across the city, this isn’t good. I’m afraid things have already gotten out of hand by now.”
“We really shouldn’t have listened to Yu Hua’s one-sided words and lifted him up to the post of the Yu family’s patriarch. Now, he’s put us in such a mess that we can’t even clean up. After all, he didn’t even manage to acquire the Nine Night Plum that we wanted. How unlucky.” White Ward’s eyebrows arched as he spoke.
Boson slightly shook his head. “Patriarch, you can’t say that. We can’t blame Yu Hua for failing to get hold of the Nine Night Plum. Who would expect that young man, Xia Fei, to come causing trouble, even possessing the ability to break through a Law Isolation?”
White Ward nodded. “I’m curious about that, too. We should order our men to find more information about this. We must find just how Xia Fei managed to break the Law Isolation as soon as possible and understand just how he wields such a strange law power.”
“That’s only natural, but Xia Fei has hidden well. He’s gone dark while we’re out in the open. It won’t be easy locating him,” Boson Ward said, mildly annoyed over their helplessness.
White Ward sighed. “Slowly look for him then. As for Yu Hua, I think that we should just get rid of him and his two brothers, Yu Jin and Yu Peng. They know too much, and that’s disadvantageous to us.”
“Patriarch, I’m afraid that we can’t do that.”
“Why not?” White Ward was mildly surprised, asking in puzzlement.
“Yu Hua betrayed his Clan for you, killing even his own patriarch. This is a very serious matter in the Law Realm. Even though he failed to acquire the Nine Night Plum for us and got no results to show, they at least put in the effort of trying. If we were to just toss Yu Hua away here, the smaller families and clans who’re dependent on us might be alarmed by our heartlessness. We promised Yu Hua before he accomplished his task that we would help him obtain the patriarch seat of the Yu family, all in order to win him over. It isn’t hard to get rid of Yu Hua, but by doing so, we will appear heartless.” Boson Ward a.n.a.lyzed the situation calmly and carefully.
The great clans had complex roots, and aside from their own clansmen, there would also be countless other small families and clans who depended on the Moonward Clan. Every move they made would always be a weighing of pros and cons. Thus, Boson Ward’s a.n.a.lysis was not without merit. People’s hearts were nothing like cheap vegetables, able to be chopped into pieces. The moment people lost faith in a large clan like the Moonward, it would be extremely difficult to win back goodwill and credibility.
White Ward was disgruntled. “Well, neither option is right. Are you telling me that we’ll just have to wait till Yu Hua takes a bite out of us? Our clan will lose out even more if that happens.”
Boson Ward laughed. “You’re worrying too much, patriarch. The Law Realm is huge, and with your abilities and power, it’s not difficult for you to arrange a place for Yu Hua; killing him is easy, but so is protecting him.”
White Ward’s eyes looked out to the reservoir, taking quite a few minutes to think before saying, “Then we’ll do as you said. Send Yu Hua away to somewhere far away from the Law Realm, including everyone connected to this operation. They must disappear by today; do all this so as to redress everything for Xia Fei. Put everything on Yu Hua and think of ways to get rid of him once the storm subsides.”
Boson Ward was startled, but he spoke in a firm tone. “Patriarch, we can’t let Xia Fei live.”
“What now? You’ve seen it for yourself; that young man is no fool, and the footage he showed was edited. He intentionally kept Ulcen Ward’s ident.i.ty a secret, all so that we would let him off. We should give him a taste of his own medicine; first, keep things under wraps and hold back before finding an opportunity to get rid of him later. Wouldn’t this be a very good plan?” White Ward was utterly perplexed. His ideas were usually in unison with Boson Ward, yet there were plenty of differences today. The killing of Yu Hua was rejected, and neither was his plan to subject Xia Fei to his own schemes. Just what was going on here?
Boson Ward unhurriedly explained, “I know that the patriarch wants to keep Xia Fei around. Aside from the fact that he’s shown himself to be fairly clever and how he hasn’t directly picked a fight with you, the most important fact is his ability to break the Law Isolation. You’re very interested in finding out just how he did it.”
“That’s right. I am indeed very curious about that ultimate technique of his that can subvert another’s law powers. Such a technique is highly valuable to the Moonward Clan or any other law-practicing clan out there for the matter. Besides, he’s a person of little significance. We can easily snuff him off any time we want, and though he’s made friends with quite a few established clans in the circle and is able to mobilize the younger generation in the Law Realm, there’s no need for us to be overly cautious about any of that.”
Boson Ward sighed. “Xia Fei keeps his thoughts close to his heart and acts with vicious efficiency. Leaving him around will just invite endless trouble, and once he grows up, he’ll surely be an immense detriment to us in the Moonward Clan, but none of those is important. The only thing that matters is that Xia Fei has Skywing blood coursing through his veins!”
“Skywing!” White Ward’s two eyes instantly widened, seemingly having just swallowed a housefly, which he was now choking on. His entire face turned green right there and then!
“Say that once more!” White Ward clutched onto Boson Ward’s sleeve, furious. The demeanor he had before was gone, and all that remained was manic rage!
*Crumple*
Boson Ward immediately knelt, seeking his patriarch’s forgiveness, “Yu Hua already told us about Xia Fei possessing the Skywing bloodline, and I’ve kept you in the dark, hoping you’ll be able to get rid of him in private, to avoid causing another incident. It’s also me who made the decision to put a one-million-grade-4-Origin-Crystal bounty on his head without consulting you on this.”
“Great!” White Ward was so angry that his whole body shook. His mouth went open, but he was having a hard time articulating his words. “Good job, Boson Ward! You’ve really done it this time! You’ve really kept me in the dark for the worse! Let’s head back. Perhaps you’ve really doomed the clan this time.”
Boson Ward knew that what he had done was indefensible, so he refused to get up, attempting to explain himself in a low yet urgent voice, “The fewer people who know about this, the better. If you knew about this, you’d surely have your doubts and wouldn’t be willing to deal a killing blow on Xia Fei. The reason I’ve kept this from you is solely for the sake of the clan. Now that this has happened, I, Boson, am willing to take the punishment for my folly.”
“Folly, my *ss!” White Ward spat, even beginning to hurl curses at the man. This was enough to see just how shocking it was for him to even hear of the word, Skywing.
“You ought to know that the Skywings are like a blade—a demonic blade that the G.o.d Race uses to kill people! No one dares to touch that demonic blade, and that includes anyone from the Nine Great Clans! The moment this matter gets leaked, the demonic blade will be unsheathed! Great catastrophe has visited upon our Moonward Clan this time!” White Ward was sweating profusely in his agitation, so much so that his entire back was drenched.
“Let’s go!” White Ward turned to leave, using his sleeve to wipe off the sweat from his forehead.
“Where are we going?” Boson Ward asked softly.
White Ward glared at him angrily, “Where else are we going?! We’re off to the G.o.d Race to ask our grand ancestor for help! Xia Fei has to die, no matter what!”