Chapter 45 – The inner court war of words (up)
Ling family’s inner court!
Of the cabinets, the head of Ling family and eight other elders all sat in the hall. On the other hand, there were two strange old men about seventy years old sitting at the VIP location. Their faces were not easy to look at. The two strange old men appeared very angry. Obviously, something upsetting had just happened here.
At the VIP section, the old man wearing ash grey outfit talked to Ling Cang at the center of the hall: “Chief Ling, I am here today with the head of Lan family to ask for some justice. From before, both our families have never stood in the way of each other. Even though your Ling family is really powerful, we could not sit still unless you could give us a satisfactory answer… We could be broken gems, but not tiles.”
Surprisingly, this old man was the head of Li family in this generation, Li Chongqian, and the one sat beside him was head of Lan family, Lan Zhenfeng.
Ling Cang squinted and changed his usual friendly and jovial demeanor. The aura of the one in the top position projected all over and it didn’t lose a bit even when he was facing these two people.
“Chief Li, Head Lan, for this issue, let’s have Ling Xiao arrive and defend for himself. If both of you do not have the patience, then just help yourself, we at Ling family would not bother you.” Ling Cang said plainly.
“Humph, use a life to pay for a life. Otherwise, there is no negotiation.” Lan Zhenfeng coldly grunted beside.
“Head Lan had said it right; Ling family would definitely give you a satisfactory answer.” The fifth elder, Ling Yan, replied.
“Do you want our Ling family to put our hands together and give in to people!” the third elder, Ling Yin, raised his voice cynically.
“What did you just say!” the fifth older Ling Yan frowned and stared at the other elder.
“Humph humph, what I said is very clear. Our members of the Ling family aren’t for other people to kill randomly.” The third elder Ling Yin was talking face to face at fifth elder Ling Yan.
“So it’s the people from our families worth dying?” Chief Li Chongqian expressed the qi all over his body as he asked coldly.
These were all the best of the best warriors at the scene, yet upon facing with the aura given out by the head of Li family, everyone felt a sense of choking.
The second elder Ling Mo waved gently: “I believe that our Head would never cover for the culprit. So all three families could progress in peace, we must have a correct decision to give you the answer you’re looking for.” The second elder made an innuendo: at first, he brought Ling Cang
upwards, then hanged him right in the air so he couldn’t get down.
“If Ling Xiao killed someone unreasonably, I’ll kill him myself.” A flame of anger ignited from within Ling Cang. After he said so coldly, his hand squeezed the cup of tea into dust.
Then, the aura—which was even more powerful than the head of Li family’s—on Ling Cang’s body had completely released. In a blink, it covered the whole hall while saying, “If there was ever someone who shove my grandchild as a martyr, even if I am not holding this Head position, I’d twist that person’s head down.”
From the moment he had taken the role of family head, there was not a day that went by that he could enjoy any family gathering. Each day was tied up with thoughts for development of the family. Then, he had also had the anger stemmed from having to face the resistance from the second and fifth elder.
In fact, he had yet fulfilled his role as a grandfather towards his grandsons; on the contrary, he had almost caused one of his sons and grandson to be harmed by others. Then he also made them suffered for years. Being a father and a grandfather beside head of the family, he had been keeping his calm for quite a long time; yet today someone wanted to take his grandson’s life directly in front of his face. Therefore, his anger eventually exploded.
Ling Cang also couldn’t stand it anymore: whoever wanted to take my grandsons’ lives, I’ll twist his head down even if I might not be head of the family anymore.
Meanwhile, two to three elders standing next to the second elders were also scared by the aura coming from Ling Cang to the point they didn’t dare to exhale heavily. By this moment, they could truly realize that their head was not a puppet for others to do as they wish; just that normally he didn’t show off much.
“Chief Ling, seems like you don’t intend to give up the killer to us? If that is the case, then off we go, Chief Lan. I do not believe that your Ling family could rule the world with your own effort!” Head of Li family stood up angrily and shouted out. He was about to walk away.
Then, the second elder Ling Mo stood up: “Chief Li, please wait!” then he turned to beg Ling Cang: “Chief, I know that Ling Xiao is your grandson, however please be fair, and it is good not to ignore the family benefits!”
“So you second elder wants to teach me the way things work?” Ling Cang looked intensely at second elder Ling Mo and said.
Ling Mo was so shocked. He didn’t think Ling Cang could ask him like that. In his impression, this was the very first time Ling Cang appeared to be
be that strong. So could he be afraid of Ling Cang? The answer was no!
Through that many years, he was still against Ling Cang and everyone knew his gut. The previous head was his deceased father, so all he wanted to do was to take that position back, was it wrong?
For a moment, the whole hall turned cold immediately.
At this moment, there were sounds of footsteps coming from outside the door. Right after that, Ling Tang walked inside and performed rituals with everyone sitting there: “Chief, and all elders, Ling Xiao has been brought here.”
The fourth elder Ling Wei gestured his hand for Ling Tang to retreat.
Ling Xiao swaggered with a faint smile on his face. He knelt to tell Ling Cang sitting on top: “Ling Xiao wanted to greet the chief and all the elders.”
“So you’re Ling Xiao?” Head of Lan family, Lan Zhenfeng, stared at Ling Xiao and asked gloomily, with his eyes displayed a sense of intense murderous intent.
“So this old lady is?” Obviously, Ling Xiao could guess the two old people sitting at one side were this generation’s head of Li and Lan family. He just didn’t know which one was coming from which house.
Lan Zhenfeng grunted: “You aren’t qualified to know who I am. If you could kill yourself right here today in front of us, this thing will be considered done; otherwise, you’d be Ling family’s sinner.”
Ling Xiao rubbed his chin as he considered Lan Zhenfeng before he said in a very undermining manner: “Such an old hag. I called you old lady because I’ve been respectful to you, yet you even tell me to go and die right the moment you start talking. I * your grandmother so why don’t you go committing suicide in front of me, then I will go to your grave and piss for your honor.”
The words from Ling Xiao was truly disrespectful and made Lan Zhenfeng so angry that she almost took action.
Ling Cang started to intervene: “This one is the head of Lan family and the other one was heading Li family. They also claimed that you’ve killed their grandson and granddaughter, so did you Ling Xiao do it?”
Ling Xiao was still very respectful when he answered Ling Cang very honestly: “Yesterday I killed so many dogs and cats, and yet I could not distinguish which ones were Li family’s grandson or Lan family’s granddaughter.”
“Bastard!” The head of Li family, Li Chongqian, shouted very loudly upon hearing so. His hand smashed the tea table into pieces; then he plunged forward toward Ling Xiao with powerful qi wrapped around his body.
In a blink, Ling Xiao could merely feel like there was an invisible hand that grasped his neck. It was very difficult for him to breathe. Right at the moment when he wanted to exert Three Points to Return Vitality to
Vitality to resist, Ling Cang had waved his hand and the spirit of Chief Li immediately dissipated.
“This is Ling family’s member. So well-cultivated and arrogant. Finally, we have our eyes opened. Lan brother, let’s go!” Li Chongqian looked past Ling Xiao and Ling Cang and then said to Lan Zhenfeng.
“You all wait to wage war with our family!” Lan Zhenfeng nodded before saying ferociously.
If there was just Lan family only, Lan Zhenfeng would definitely not dare to provoke the power of Ling family like that. However, today they were standing on the same boat as Li family, so with the combined strength of both families, how could they be afraid of not being able to fight off Ling family?
“Please wait!”
“Please wait!”
Two voices came at the same time: one was from Ling Xiao, and the other one came from the second elder.
“What more do you have to say?” Li Chongqian asked.
Ling Xiao paid no attention toward the second elder Ling Mo as he looked at Li Chongqian: “So do you intend to just walk out like that? It is like having no manners.”
“How? So do you have the gut to keep me back? Or you Ling family would like to suppress us by outnumbering?” Li Chongqian was judging Ling Xiao. He couldn’t really think why this brat could be so arrogant like that. Was it really because he had become the disciple of the Ling family’s immortal elder, so he turned so crazy for fame?
“There was nothing more for you to speak here, Ling Xiao. So shut up!” The second elder Ling Mo grunted coldly at Ling Xiao.
“If there was nothing for me to say so why do you call me here? Then I will leave, no need to send me off.” Ling Xiao had soon seen through the malicious intent of the second elder Ling Mo, yet he intentionally pretended to walk away.
The wrinkles on second elder’s old face gloomed. “Insolent, is that how you talk to your elder? Do you know your sin, having killed the head of Li family’s granddaughter and head of Lan family’s grandson?”
Ling Xiao turned with his contemplative look at the second elder, then he looked at the facial expressions of those elders around. Suddenly he faced the sky and bursted out laughting: “Haha! There are countless reasons if one would like to accuse somebody wrongly. So does each one of you here all want me to kill myself in front of these two old people?”
“Boy, don’t be impulsive and put your words carefully. Your grandfather would always stand by you” Ling Cang was so strongly provoked as he saw Ling Xiao alone without anyone helped him. He absolutely would not let this child face any more trouble. As he stopped, he left the seat for chief. In a short moment, he walked toward Ling Xiao as he was as he was afraid that the boy could not stand the pressure and would do something harmful to himself.
Seeing Ling Cang risked everything to protect him, Ling Xiao felt so warm inside his heart and he thought for himself that this old man was still somewhat humane. In the past two years, Ling Cang had never been to their home so there was always that wondering inside Ling Xiao about this. That day, the wonder had gone.
“Relax, grandpa. This boy would not think too much.” Ling Xiao looked at Ling Cang and felt very touched. Then he turned to the second elder: “Second elder, I’ve always known you and the fifth elder do not like my family and you all want to replace my grandfather’s position, is it right?”
The two elders felt surprised and then a deep murderous intent came from within his aging eyes: “Brat, you dare to accuse me falsely?”
Not just those two elders changed how they look, the faces of other Ling elders changed constantly. Everyone knew so clearly about those two elders who wanted to replace Ling Cang, but no one wanted to say it out loud. However, as Ling Xiao said it out loud in front of everyone, would it mean Ling Cang and those two elders wanted to fight off each other?
“I falsely accuse you? Haha, alright, so I’d like to ask you why you would help outsiders against me? Don’t you know I am the true grandson of the head?” Ling Xiao looked at those two elders as he was exerting the Three Points to Return Vitality to resist their spirits.
“So being the grandson of the head, you could do anything you want? We Ling family, no matter who committed a crime, they should take responsibility for it. You’ve killed people from Li and Lan family and about to start a war between three families. Thus, you’re already the sinner of the family.” The second elder’s gloomy and aging eyes kept staring at Ling Xiao as he smiled faintly.
“Haha, so you would just punish me without asking further? So if the two of them were to take your lady and daughter and sell to the brothel, you wouldn’t feel anything and just left them to be abused by other people, for what is called the family benefits. And you wouldn’t involve weapons?” Ling Xiao laughed so loudly as he questioned back with each word so powerful, unafraid of those two elders.
“You want to die!” Even with good cultivation, as they were provoked time and again by Ling Xiao, both elders just wanted to smash him death with a move.
The words coming from this brats were truly hitting their wrinkled faces. Even as the head of the family, Ling Cang also didn’t dare to speak to them like that so how could tolerate they such things.