Chapter 566: Chapter Five Hundred Sixty Two: Conflict

Twenty-ninth of October, Winter Solstice

Lately, the whole western Longzhou had been restless; the surging floods finally passed their peak and the Longjiang River began to gradually calm down. However, the diverted Longjiang River water seemed to have no intention of returning to its original course, instead, it set its course towards the Lingjiang River.

The low-lying areas in the midsection of Lingjiang had already entirely become water bodies; the turbid river water drowned the once-existing civilization. The once-prosperous commercial heavy city could never return to its former glory, and the entire central Lingjiang has become a chaotic mess.

The various mountain peaks stood; originally, the established clans began to do trade without any capital; the strong became stronger, the weak, annihilated.

The first day of November was the day of the duel arranged between Tang Luo and Xiao Ziyu. The once lax atmosphere of the Tang Clan immediately tightened. Numerous squads of martial artists were dispatched to the defensive works on the periphery of the North Mountain, and a large number of active Martial Ancestors were summoned back to the Martial Hall.

In view of Mi Yang’s assault against Tang Luo on Red Cloud Mountain more than ten days ago, the Tang Clan was extremely cautious about this duel, sending a total of four small Martial Ancestor Teams. In addition, the personal direction of Great Elder Tang Siyuan and Sixth Elder Tang Gaomin meant the formation was extraordinary.

It was merely a competition between two young individuals of the Mortal Realm, undoubtedly stirring the hearts of current various forces. The clever Wu brothers took advantage of the emergency preparations for Tang Luo’s duel, embarked on four warships overnight, and broke through the Tang Clan’s defences along the western river course.

Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, two of the Wu Family’s four warships suffered waterwheel damage and started taking in water from the hull during the breakout of the Tang Clan’s defence. The martial artists on board, despite their brave resistance, ended up being caught in the Tang Clan’s net.

In addition to the two Wu Clan ships that escaped the encirclement, Xiling was completely taken by the Tang Clan.

Although these days, the Mi Clan’s allied forces had already jointly occupied more than ten strongholds, because of the change of hands at Xiling, the Mi Clan is afraid to advance further, pausing their attacks on cities and strongholds. The volatile situation in Xiling went back to being stable. Still, both families were preparing for battle, making the whole central Lingjiang extremely tense.

In the temporary quarters of the Marshal Star Pavilion, Great Elder Tang Siyuan and Sixth Elder Tang Gaomin were instructing Tang Luo about several significant recent events in Xiling and the matters related to tomorrow’s escort.

It looked like an instruction, but it was more like a chat between the two elders, with Tang Luo merely listening on the side.

As soon as the two sat down, the Sixth Elder began to sharply criticize the Wu clan who had already fled. Wu Huan became a completely shameless villain in Tang Gaomin’s mouth, angrily saying, “Knowing early on that Wu Huan would be so despicable, we should have intercepted his other two warships and let him taste the feeling of a fruitless endeavor!”

The original intention of letting the Wu Clan go was to have them leave Xiling and all the small clans under their control. But who would have thought that they would forcibly break through the blockade line during the Martial Ancestors’ guard change? Two of the charging warships were disabled in the middle of the river. The families on those ships were mainly small clans, elderly, women and children, and Mortal Realm Squads with a few frail Fierce Realm individuals. But Xiling’s true elite was completely taken away by Wu Huan.

It’s unknown what kind of rumors Wu Huan spread among the clans who pledged allegiance to him at Xiling. As soon as they saw the Tang Clan’s warships approaching, these groups began furiously attacking. The two disabled warships successfully resisted the Tang Clan’s advances for an entire night and were not taken until dawn.

Martial Ancestor Tang Cin, responsible for this battle, returned with two ships full of old and weak, gritting his teeth with hatred. If not for the intention of capturing these people alive, he would have used his Star Removing Hand to break their formation and order his squad to attack.

“After suffering for forty years, Wu Huan had seen such an opportunity for expanding clan power, how could he be willing to let go of the elites he had gathered?” Great Elder Tang Siyuan had a clear view of the situation and lamented.

He knew that Tang Gaomin was venting and complaining because he was afraid that it would be difficult to explain to the clan leader. After all, it was Tang Zhi who had entrusted Xiling and the Wu Clan entirely to Tang Gaomin. Now that such a big loophole has appeared, it’s easy to imagine the pressure he is under.

But he also knew clear well that this mistake was directly related to Tang Gaomin’s negligence. If the organizer holds him responsible, Tang Gaomin might lose his elder’s seat. Considering that his old partner might be relegated due to such a mistake, Tang Siyuan also couldn’t tolerate it at heart.

“In the end, I was negligent.” Tang Gaomin appeared disconcerted: “In recent days, Wu Huan has been communicating daily about the situation with the Martial Ancestors patrolling the west. His humble attitude was exactly the same as the Wu Clan used to be. Who knew this man’s appetite would be this big.”

Great Elder Tang Siyuan also shook his head and sighed, “Wu Huan is thick-skinned and black-hearted, capable of bending and straightening. You’ll see. In the future, there will undoubtedly be a place for the Wu Family in the Longzhou Territory. Now you should think about how to deal with the consequences from the law enforcer.”

It’s always been like this at the top of the clans. You could maintain your position only by continually doing the right thing for the clan to gain benefits. Any single mistake meant having to bear the consequences. Even the core of the elder committee has to pay the price for making mistakes. This is not forgetting one’s roots, but the rules of the clan.

Capable people rise to power, mediocrity results in demotion, no excuses, only outcomes.

The topic inside the hall suddenly became heavy, and the two bigwigs seemed to reflect or lament. Tang Luo knew it was time to pretend not to exist. He held his breath and left space for the two bigwigs.

With a brief silence, Tang Gaomin quickly regained his state. He turned his head to see Tang Luo, who was quietly sitting and not saying a word. Knowing the latter was considering his feelings, he felt warmth and jokingly reproached, “Stop pretending to sleep. This talk is meant for you to hear. Admit your mistakes when you make them– this is the rule of the clan. All of your achievements will not be erased, and each mistake will not be forgotten. So, do you understand?”

This kind of personal conversation could be held anywhere. It was discussed in front of Tang Luo just to let him know that Elders also make mistakes. Even though Tang Luo was currently being praised by the Clan for his many contributions, he would still face prosecution from the law for making mistakes.

“The youngster understands.” Tang Luo said solemnly.

The two elders who had never seen Tang Luo so obedient laughed out loud. The Great Elder shook his head and smiled, “The idle chat concerning the Sixth Elder is over, now it’s time to discuss official matters.”

Great Elder Tang Siyuan looked at Tang Luo’s eyes and said, “Actually, we must talk to you today primarily about your duel with Xiao Ziyu tomorrow.”

Tang Luo was taken aback, puzzled, because a few days ago the Clan Leader and the Department Head had just discussed the many aspects of the duel with him. Why did the Great Elder come again today? Therefore, he asked, “What does the Great Elder want to instruct?”

“Our main purpose for coming here today is to hope that Minister Luo can restrain himself tomorrow. Determine the victory and defeat, but don’t kill.” Great Elder Tang Siyuan looked at Tang Luo with a serious face.

Shocked and puzzled, Tang Luo stood up at once.