Chapter 586: Chapter Five Hundred Eighty-Two: Cause
Speaking as a representative of a branch family, Tang Cunfu’s act of harboring a traitor was, regardless of which clan he belonged to, a crime deserving severe punishment. Yet the Shenwu Army and leaders of all the branch families present did not question him.
This was not because Tang Cunfu’s sincerity moved everyone, but rather because they realized the significant advantage of capturing a high-ranking official alive. Even the strictest of traditionalists kept quiet, waiting for Yun Piaopiao’s response.
But Yun Piaopiao, the beautiful woman, remained resolute in the face of Tang Cunfu’s deep affection.
“How nice it would be if you were not a member of the Tang Family,” Yun Piaopiao spoke ruefully before returning to her fighting mode, launching an attack on Tang Yi, the commander of the Shenwu army, aiming for his vital points with each attack.
The soldiers of the Shenwu Army, on the other hand, directed their combined attacks at the Yun Family’s residence, maintaining pressure in a constant rotation.
Dressed like assassins, they arranged themselves against the soldiers. The balance of victory continued to tip in favor of Tang Clan. Watching the familiar faces of the Yun Family being blown apart, Tang Cunfu clenched his fists, his body trembling with rage.
He couldn’t understand why Yun Piaopiao, even with one chance of survival, still refused. Had the sincere affection of the past been a lie?
Elder Tang Zu looked at him and ordered in a quiet voice, “Stop the combined attack. Try to capture them alive.”
In just a short time, a third of Yun Family’s over three hundred musicians had fallen. The Shenwu Army, fully armored, had a clear numerical advantage, making capture fairly straightforward.
The vitality and spiritual power of ordinary warriors is very limited. In such high-strength battles, they will soon exhaust their strength. If these people can be used to coerce Yun Piaopiao, then it would be even better.
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers of Shenwu Army stopped their combined attack. They rushed into the chaotic crowd of the Yun Family in small teams, beginning a close combat fight.
In a short while, over two hundred Yun Family members were apprehended. However, the suppression by Shenwu Army’s close combat led to numerous casualties among the musicians and dancers, a sight that filled onlookers with regret.
At this point, only Yun Piaopiao and Tang Yi were still battling in mid-air. Each of their clashes emitted a dazzling glow of gold and white, creating a magnificent spectacle.
The woman in white was especially striking; she danced in the sky, dodging Tang Yi’s fierce attacks and treading lightly on clouds like a butterfly flitting among flowers, all the while maintaining a smile on her lips.
Tang Yi, unable to overcome her, launched more vicious attacks using the Sky-picking Hand and Extreme Mang Finger Techniques, but Yun Piaopiao dodged each one by a hair’s breadth, seemingly without any effort.
“Her agility is beyond the capabilities of the Mi Clan.” Elder Tang Hongtao said as he watched the two fight. “Her footwork incorporates the Phantom Body Technique, the Auspicious Cloud Step, and the Ghost Step. Each one is a profound technique requiring decades of immersion to master. There’s no way Yun Piaopiao, a side branch of the Yun Clan, could possess such a skill,” he concluded, unimpressed.
“What’s so surprising about that?” Elder Tang Zu sneered. “Twenty years ago, the Yun Clan of Chaochang were at the peak of their power, secretly controlling numerous other families. They’ve been coveting the two banks of the Lingjiang for a long time. Their only downfall was their own weakness. They were greedy but lacked self-awareness. Indeed, it was laughable when they got annihilated along with their territories on the eve of the Lunar New Year.”
The elders continued their conversation without any attempt to lower their voices. Each word filled Yun Piaopiao with anger as she heard the insult to her clan, right in the middle of her battle with Tang Yi.
Gathering all her strength, she released her internal cloud energy into dozens of energy swords and aimed them toward Elder Tang Zu. However, she was hit by Tang Yi’s palm in her back, sending her flying and spilling her blood all over the ground.
The cloud energy she was counting on was destroyed in a single hit from Tang Hongtao’s Sky-picking Hand.
Yun Piaopiao got up from the ground, wiping the fresh blood from her mouth. “Don’t forget where your own Tang clan was when the Yun clan flourished – looting everywhere!” she spat, bitterly. She was willing to accept defeat but would not tolerate an insult to her family.
Tang Zu, unfazed by Yun Piaopiao’s rebuke, simply responded, “Having a reputation without the strength to back it up is nothing but a piece of fat meat in others’ mouths. Does Grand Lady Yun agree?”
“Even so, it’s far better than the massacre committed by your Tang clan, who dare not leave their corners after such viciousness!” Yun Piaopiao retaliated, knowing her death was near but still striving to preserve her family’s honor till her last breath.
The repeated indictments darkened Elder Tang Zu’s face. Just as he was about to order her execution, a familiar voice rang out.
“If Grand Lady Yun despises killing so much, why did she ally with the Mi clan and repeatedly target the Tang clan over these past years?” Tang Luo carefully stepped around the bodies strewn on the ground to avoid the blood stains, and then respectfully greeted everyone present before turning a threatening glance toward the young boy, indicating his intention to settle scores later.
Upon seeing Tang Luo, Yun Piaopiao sneered and asked, “You want to know why?”
“Of course.” Tang Luo shrugged, “I’ve read all the archives about the Yun estate and the Chaochang Yun clan in the last few days. I simply can’t understand what the Tang clan did to offend you to such an extent, so much so that a master of the qin would give up her life’s pursuit for revenge.”
He knew that both the Tang and Mi clans had bloody histories, but Tang’s looting were mostly in the fringe territories of Outer Continent, and even East Victory Continent, which didn’t concern Yun’s at all. He pondered over this for days and could not find a reasonable explanation, so he decided to simply ask for the answer.
“Simply because the Tang clan is related to the Xu clan of Yuanzhou. I hope that satisfies your curiosity, Young prodigy,” Yun Piaopiao suddenly broke out into hysterical laughter, tears streaming down her face, “I was very well aware that I could never avenge my grievances on the Xu clan of Yuanzhou, and so, I turned to the Tang clan for payback!”
Mention of the Xu clan of Yuanzhou filled Yun Piaopiao’s face with bitterness. “I just hate how spineless the Mi clan is. They clearly knew that Old Man Xu carries a bloodline that could change the geopolitical layout of the continent, yet they dared not make a move!”
She thought she was closest to her revenge this time. If she could use Mi’s hand to kill Xu’s man who traveled the world, she would feel that she had done enough to honor her ancestors, even if she died afterwards.
But the Mi clan, who looked brutal and overbearing, were cautious in their actions. Even though she listed out all the merits of Xu’s bloodline ability, the Mi clan elders would not dare to take up such a risk.