"That kid still dares to show his face here?"
"Hmph, puffed up with pride and pushing people too far!"
Inside the Zhou family's gate, a few disciples whispered with their heads bowed.
Their gazes were fixed on the Zhang family's entourage.
Among them were the Zhang father and son, along with their disciples, but two figures stood out: one clad in a black military robe with sharp eyes, and another, tall and broad, with a bald head and a bushy beard—Li Yan and Sha Lifei.
The Zhou family disciples couldn't help but feel indignant.
Other factions were one thing; they all operated in Xianyang City and had some history of grudges or ties with the Zhou family, which needed to be settled today.
But who did Li Yan think he was?
Since arriving in Xianyang, he'd crippled Zhou Bai to make a name for himself, and even Zhou Peide had taken a desperate risk because of it, landing in prison and facing execution after autumn.
From start to finish, he hadn't suffered a single loss.
And now he had the gall to show up here? Wasn't this just rubbing it in their faces?
Of course, given the current situation, no one dared to say much.
After the anger came a wave of helplessness and desolation.
Li Yan's keen senses naturally picked up on the hostile glances.
He couldn't be bothered to care and instead cast a glance backward.
There stood a middle-aged man dressed in black, wearing a square cap, tall and imposing, with graying temples and a stern, upright face, accompanied by two yamen runners.
It was none other than Xianyang's chief constable, Guan Wanche.
Sha Lifei, noticing this, muttered with disdain, "Why bother looking at him? Just a fence-sitting opportunist. No need to pay him any mind."
Sha Lifei wasn't wrong. Many in the Guanzhong region knew that Guan Wanche and Li Yan's father, Li Hu, had once been sworn brothers, closer even than Old Master Zhang.
Yet when his father died, Guan never showed up, nor had he ever visited the Li family fortress to check on Li Yan or his grandfather. Li Yan hadn't even known such a man existed.
According to Zhang Shitung, when Guan Wanche was transferred to Xianyang as chief constable, many thought he'd come to settle scores with Zhou Pan. But nothing happened.
The only time he acted was during the Zheng Xianhuai family massacre case, when a yamen runner tried to pin the blame on Li Yan, only for Guan to intervene and stop it.
Li Yan didn't care about the ways of human warmth or coldness.
In the martial world, it wasn't uncommon for the tea to cool before the person had even left.
What puzzled him was why Guan Wanche was here.
As if sensing his gaze, Guan Wanche strode forward, expressionless, sizing him up before saying flatly, "Do you hold a grudge against me?"
Li Yan replied calmly, "We're strangers. What grudge could there be?"
"Good enough."
Guan Wanche nodded with a cold smile. "I was sworn brothers with your father, but he betrayed my sister. He ran off to Taibai Mountain to pursue the Dao, leaving my mother to wash her face with tears every day. Have you ever seen such a brother?"
Li Yan's face stiffened, and he gave an awkward smile. "That… I'm not too clear on the older generation's affairs."
At that, he recalled past events.
One New Year's, his father hadn't come home, already infuriating his grandfather. Then two beautiful women showed up at the gate, vying for his father's affection and fighting fiercely, driving his grandfather to the brink of rage.
One of them, it seemed, was surnamed Guan.
And from what they said, his father's romantic debts didn't end there…
Thinking of this, Li Yan felt a pang of exasperation.
Looking around, not only was Sha Lifei wide-eyed, but even the Zhang father and son and their disciples were all ears, faces brimming with gossip.
"Get lost."
Li Yan shoved Sha Lifei aside and said solemnly, "I won't meddle in the older generation's affairs, but if there's any grudge, just come at me."
"Come at you?"
Guan Wanche sneered. "My sister's honest and swallowed her losses, but some women aren't so easy to deal with. Think you can handle them?"
His expression softened, and he sighed, patting Li Yan's shoulder. "You're the son of an old friend. Now that you're in the martial world, take care of yourself. Don't end up like your father."
With that, he turned and strode into the Zhou family mansion.
Zhang Yuanshang, stroking his beard, nodded. "It seems this Constable Guan isn't entirely heartless—just harboring some resentment."
"Let's go. Today, we'll see the old monkey off."
With that, he led the group into the mansion.
Li Yan deliberately lagged a few steps behind, discreetly pulling a note from the seam of his shoulder garment. Seeing the writing, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
…
The Zhou family's compound was truly spacious, with multiple courtyards, each equipped with a training ground and racks of weapons. It was said that in its heyday, the family had hundreds of disciples.
And that was just the martial school disciples, not counting the outer followers under the Eight Great Guardians.
One could imagine the Zhou family's former glory.
But now, fewer than a hundred disciples remained, and many courtyards stood empty and neglected, the grounds littered and untended.
Soon, the Zhou family's main hall was filled with people.
The hall itself was massive, three times larger than the Zhang family's martial school, with prominent figures seated on both sides, their disciples standing behind.
Even so, much of the hall remained empty.
Presiding over the "washing hands in the golden basin" ceremony was Zhou Pan's disciple, Zhou Yuanshan, one of the Eight Great Guardians and a Zhou family member. Unlike Zhou Peide, he was tall and had a simple, honest demeanor.
He cupped his fists to the crowd. "Today is an auspicious day, the moment my master washes his hands in the golden basin. Your presence here brings honor to the Zhou family."
"Spare us the pleasantries."
A man in green robes, looking displeased, took a sip of tea and said coldly, "So many martial world comrades have come, yet Zhou Pan doesn't greet us at the gate and keeps us waiting. Isn't his arrogance a bit much?"
The speaker was Han Kun, leader of the Cao Gang.
The Cao Gang was a true behemoth, dominating northern docks with branches wherever rivers flowed.
The Cao Gang in the north, the Pai Sect in the south, and the Four Seas Gang on the seas—anyone making a living on the water was tied to them.
The Xianyang Cao Gang was just a small branch.
Even so, Han Kun's status was significant, and he was a master of the same level as Zhou Pan.
It was the involvement of the Cao Gang and the Taixing Carriage Company that made Zhou Pan wary, prompting him to conserve his strength and bide his time.
Zhou Yuanshan, sweating at Han Kun's outburst, was about to explain when a few hoarse coughs came from behind.
"Leader Han, it's not that I'm putting on airs."
An old man slowly entered from a side door—Zhou Pan himself.
But now, he looked exhausted, his hair and beard white and dry, as if he'd aged drastically in a short time.
"Let me be the laughingstock."
Seeing the crowd's astonished looks, Zhou Pan gave a self-deprecating smile. "I was just handling some family matters. My disciples refuse to show up, fine, but even my own family is clamoring to split. Heh, truly laughable."
Many in the room were heads of their own households.
Those who didn't run a household wouldn't know the cost of daily necessities.
But those who did knew that rice and salt were trivial—disunity was what truly vexed.
Recalling Zhou Pan's once-invincible aura, the crowd felt a pang of empathy. The martial world was tough—who knew when their turn would come?
Zhou Pan seemed to have lost his spirit, cupping his fists and saying hoarsely, "In my life, I've fought to win, made few friends, and many enemies. Only now do I see that fate rules all, and we control nothing."
"If I've offended anyone in the past, I ask for your forgiveness."
Seeing the crowd's silence, he gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I'm tired now and wish to return home as a simple farmer. If anyone has grudges, let's settle them today."
"Life or death, let all grievances end!"
With that, he nodded to the side.
A copper basin was ready, set on a fine sandalwood frame, the basin itself gleaming gold with five bat carvings, half-filled with clear water.
Zhou Yuanshan lit three sticks of incense, bowed three times to the ancestral portrait, and placed them in the censer.
The Cao Gang, Taixing Carriage Company, and the martial schools led by the Zhang family had already made arrangements and wouldn't make trouble.
Their leaders nodded, and disciples stepped forward to tie red cloth strips to the basin's frame, signaling no objections.
If no one raised an issue by the time the three incense sticks burned out, the ceremony could proceed, and Zhou Pan would fully retire from the martial world.
"Some things need to be addressed!"
Luo Shihai slammed his teacup down and said coldly, "Old Monkey, don't play the victim here. When you were strutting around, you didn't think of this!"
Zhou Pan seemed to have anticipated this, bowing with clasped fists. "Brother Luo, I wronged you before. Bring him up!"
At his words, two disciples dragged a man into the hall.
He was a handsome middle-aged man, but his eyes were puffy, his face marked by excess, and he knelt, kowtowing in terror. "Uncle, spare me! Uncle, spare me!"
Zhou Pan sighed. "With a big family, many things are beyond my control. Back then, my mother was still alive, and at her command, I had to wrong you, Brother Luo."
"Zhou Luohai committed some crimes, and I've reported him to the authorities. Constable Guan is here today to take him away, likely for execution after autumn."
"Brother Luo, are you satisfied?"
"Ha!"
Luo Shihai wasn't satisfied and scoffed. "You old fox, always quick to sacrifice kin. Where was this righteousness before?"
Still, he had no grounds to press further. Glaring at Zhou Pan, he signaled a disciple to tie a red ribbon.
Zhou Pan, face calm, cupped his fists to the crowd. "Anyone else wish to settle a grudge?"
Though he'd lost everything, he wouldn't perform the ceremony unprepared. He'd already made private deals and concessions with various factions.
Even the troublesome Luo Shihai had been handled.
Once the ceremony ended, he'd leave Xianyang immediately.
But just as he felt a flicker of triumph, Li Yan slowly stood.
"Oh?"
Zhou Pan's eyes darkened. "Kid, others might have a case, but you crippled my Zhou family's disciples. We're the ones with the grudge!"
"Settling scores doesn't work like that…"
Li Yan, expressionless, stepped into the center of the hall and asked bluntly, "I only want to know—was my father's death tied to you?"
Zhou Pan shook his head. "Your father's death was dishonorable. If I had the chance, I'd have rather defeated him openly."
"How noble of you!"
Li Yan's eyes flashed with killing intent. "Anqing Hall, Lu Gongyuan—don't tell me you've forgotten, Zhou!"
At those words, Zhou Pan's face changed instantly…
*(End of Chapter)*