Chapter 294: Chapter 48: The Dragon and the Elephant
“Elder, the people from the Inspection Bureau are here!”
A man burst into a room in a panic and shouted at the old lady sitting in a chair.
The old lady had silvery hair and her face bore layers upon layers of wrinkles. Her demeanor was very calm, a testament to the years she had weathered.
The old lady looked at the newcomer, “Our Chen Family is upright and honest, what’s there to be afraid of?”
Her name was Zhu Qingyan. She was the grandmother of the current Family Head of the Chen Family, Chen Yujing.
She did not reside with the Chen Family in Xing City but instead held her ground in Chen Family Village.
Here, everyone respectfully referred to her as ‘Elder’.
The man hesitated to continue.
He too was a member of the Chen Family. The women he had killed or maimed in Chen Family Village were more than a couple, which is why he was actually fearful of the sudden visit from the Inspection Bureau.
Zhu Qingyan looked at the man and said word by word:
“Have all Chen Family members retreat into the watchtower, just like we’ve practiced before. Guard the main gate well, and without my order, no one is permitted to open it.”
Feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders, the man turned to leave, but upon seeing Zhu Qingyan still seated there, he quickly asked:
“Elder, aren’t you going to join us in the watchtower?”
Zhu Qingyan calmly looked outside, “If all of the Chen Family members hide away, it would seem as if our Chen Family really has something to hide. I must go tell them whose land this is.”
“Qing Mei, help me up, I want to greet these jackals and leopards myself.”
She called out, and a maid came to her side to help her up.
The man opened his mouth to persuade her, but Zhu Qingyan was already being assisted by the maid as she walked outside.
The man gritted his teeth and eventually chose to hide in the watchtower.
Many bore the surname Chen in Chen Family Village, but not many were privileged to enter the Chen Family manor and take refuge in the watchtower.
Under Zhu Qingyan’s command, important members and guards of the Chen Family quickly retreated into the watchtower built within the manor.
Zhu Qingyan, assisted by a maid and accompanied by a few guards, came to the courtyard in front of the watchtower and stood there quietly waiting.
“Elder, someone has already broken in; our people couldn’t stop them.”
A steward came beside Zhu Qingyan and reported in a low voice.
“How many people have come?”
“Two, a young man and a young woman.”
“Has Master Qu gone?”
“Tell everyone to speed up, all into the watchtower.”
Zhu Qingyan instructed.
The Master Qu she mentioned was named Qu Wenhu, the strongest Tributor in Chen Family Village, and a Refining Strength Martial Master.
“Elder, with Master Qu’s strength, perhaps he has already subdued the intruders.”
The nearby steward reassured her.
Zhu Qingyan nodded and was about to speak.
Suddenly, a loud explosion came from ahead, followed by a series of rumbling noises.
Zhu Qingyan turned to look, only to see a house collapsing directly!
She was about to send someone to check what had happened, but before she could finish her sentence, a figure suddenly flew towards them.
Maid Qing Mei immediately stepped in front of Zhu Qingyan to protect her.
The figure crashed down not far in front of everyone.
This person’s face was covered in blood, their clothing torn and ragged, and they created a crater as they fell to the ground, motionless.
The nearby steward recognized the person, it was none other than Qu Wenhu, whom he had thought might have already dealt with the intruders, now lying on the ground like a dead dog.
The steward turned to look at Zhu Qingyan, finally showing panic.
Yet Zhu Qingyan’s expression remained calm, although the veins stood out on the back of the hand clasping her cane.
“Close the door immediately!”
“But there are still some people outside.”
Behind her, the large gate of the towering watchtower slowly shut.
At the same time, two figures were walking toward them.
The newcomers were Li Fei and Li Tianyu.
After letting Li Tianyu hold back, Li Fei took over the battle.
The battles he fought along the way were utterly dull and uninteresting:
Rush in, strike, resolve!
Whether the opponents used swords, Powerful Crossbows, or even guns, Li Fei didn’t dodge, instead crushingly overpowering them while accompanied by Li Tianyu.
It wasn’t until facing Qu Wenhu that Li Fei had to exert a bit of effort.
Compared to the several Refining Strength Martial Masters of the Chu Family, Chen Family Village’s strongest Tributor felt weak to Li Fei in every aspect — weak martial skills, weak extraordinary ability, weak application of force, weak equipment, and even a weak fighting spirit…
Li Fei didn’t use the Ghost Slash Blade to bully his opponent, opting instead to fight empty-handed and take the opportunity to practice the recently learned Vajra Seal.
Due to a lack of proficiency in the move, it took him fifteen strikes to finally defeat the opponent.
Li Fei, accompanied by Li Tianyu, stepped forward toward Zhu Qingyan and the others.
The Chen Family members hiding behind Zhu Qingyan, who hadn’t managed to enter the watchtower in time, subconsciously stepped back, showing signs of fear.
Zhu Qingyan showed no fear. She pushed away the maid beside her, propped herself up with her cane, stepped forward, and loudly demanded:
“What right do you have to storm into my home and injure our guards?”
Her voice was resonant and her presence commanding, not at all like an elderly woman in her twilight years.
“Inspection Bureau investigation,”
Li Fei replied succinctly.
Zhu Qingyan lifted her cane and brought it down heavily on the ground:
“Even if it’s the Inspection Bureau carrying out an investigation, there should be rules to follow, shouldn’t there?”
Li Fei, who had by then walked a few meters in front of her, pointed at Qu Wenhu, who he had thrown over:
“The Chen Family has illegally used Powerful Crossbows and firearms to violently confront law enforcement; this is the rule I’m teaching you.”