Book 2 - Fame Spreads - Chapter 52.2

Subsequently, an ominous glint flickered in his eyes, brimming with such hate that it could make one shiver.
Under his gaze, He Yiming’s brows slightly creased. He was exceptionally displeased with this gaze.
“So, you’ve come after all. Didn’t expect you can even keep the senior granduncle in the dark,” His voice seemed to be coming from in between his teeth; the hate within apparent to whoever heard it.
Since He Yiming had come looking for him, the former must have heard his final words, and since He Yiming knew his intentions, he had no chance.
“That’s right, I’ve come.” Looking at Lu Xinwen, who had already closed his eyes, He Yiming slowly said, “In fact, he didn’t have to die at all. If your Fan family had not coveted Yuan family’s assets, him, his three disciples, your father, and you….nobody needed to die.”
For some reason, emotions completely overtook He Yiming’s heart. He was having some trouble speaking, feeling kind of choked.
Perhaps it was related to the death of a Xiantian cultivator by his hands.
The awe-inspiring Fan family, due to coveting something that wasn’t theirs, was ultimately exterminated even while having the assistance of a Xiantian cultivator.
Although He Yiming’s age was not big, during this short time he’d interacted with Yuan Earnest, he’d understood a few matters.
If Yuan Earnest agreed to spare Fan family, sun would be rising from the west.
Going by Yuan Earnest’s conduct, not only he would be swallowing all of their assets, he would absolutely not spare their remaining bloodline either.
However, the Fan family had nobody but themselves to blame for all of this. Even He Yiming had no way to meddle with it.
What they could do was to obtain their share from this giant feast, as to be expected.
A trace of peculiar red color appeared on Fan Vastsun’s face as he sneered and said, “Our Fan family is strong, and Yuan family is weak, moreover we have an insider to exploit, why can we not profit by their assets? However, the only thing we didn’t anticipate was that Yuan family will actually invite you….”
Hearing his blunt, completely undisguised explanation, He Yiming’s heart turned cold.
Today’s Yuan family, why couldn’t it be He family of the future?
Although He family was thriving today, if someday in the future it turned weak, there were certainly other clans lying in wait to replace it.
At this moment, He Yiming vaguely had an objective in mind. He would certainly make He family a great, millennial clan like Jadeting’s Lin family and Fire Crow’s Xie family.
Only such clans who had deeply twisted and entangled connections with other powers of the same region could deter and cope with challenges of the rising and falling waves of newly emerging clans.
Although Fan Vastsun’s face carried a sneer, he didn’t dare even budge his body.
Even though he stood right before death’s door, he didn’t wish to die straightaway. If he moved and managed to gain He Yiming’s misunderstanding, he wouldn’t be able to sustain even a single move from He Yiming.
Fan Vastsun’s vision slightly dropped, falling onto the bosom section of his robe.
Here was a sheepskin scroll, which was given to him by Lu Xinwen right before the end of his life. The old man hoped for him to continue the legacy of his technique. Even if it couldn’t be passed down for millenniums, its legacy wouldn’t have ended at his hands.
However, this moment, Fan Vastsun only had one thought; how to destroy this map without leaving behind any trace.
He’d already believed his death to be a forgone conclusion. However, even in death, he wouldn’t allow this map to fall into He Yiming’s hands, which would allow the latter to find that cave and Lu Xinwen’s remnants.
His mind reeled, even a trace of perspiration appearing over his head. Suddenly, his eyes shined as he said, “Master He, I know that my death is certain today. I don’t dare ask forgiveness from you. However, I request you to let me dig this grave and bury Master Lu Xinwen. Then, I will take my own life.”
He Yiming thought for a moment, then said, “Fine, go ahead.”
Fan Vastsun cupped his fists, turned around, picked up a long stone, and jumped into the grave.
He superficially sneaked a glance in He Yiming’s direction, only to discover that the latter’s vision was still on Lu Xinwen with something strange in his eyes.
Inwardly rejoicing, he turned his body, positioning so that he could block He Yiming’s eyesight, then gently stretched his hands inside his bosom.
With his seventh layer Internal Energy, as long as he could pinch the map, he could destroy it in its entirety. After that, even if it fell into He Yiming’s hand, the latter wouldn’t be able to gain any use from it.
However, as soon as his hand made contact with the sheepskin scroll, his face, which was somewhat gratified, somewhat sinister, and somewhat smiling, immediately froze stiff.
Because he suddenly discovered that he couldn’t move. Not only could he not circulate Internal Energy, he couldn’t even budge his body.
He Yiming’s figure walked out from behind his body, looking closely at him, “Since brother Fan is destined to die today, the map Lu Xinwen gave to you has no use for you. So….” He Yiming softly sighed and said, “Leave this map in my safekeeping. I will fulfill Lu Xinwen’s desire and not let the legacy of his learning to be cut.”
Fan Vastsun’s face immediately turned ashen. His face weakly collapsed. But his mouth could still twitch. His eyes seemed to be wishing to come out of the rims, and his face was red as if iron. If a gaze could burn somebody, He Yiming would have long evaporated away as of now.
“You…. are even snatching away granduncle’s possessions. You won’t die in peace.”
He Yiming coarsely laughed and said, “Brother Fan, didn’t you just say, Yuan family is weak and Fan family is strong, therefore you should rightly take their position? Today, you sir are weak, and this He is strong. Why should I not be able to take this map instead of you?”
Fan Vastsun started. His lips trembled and two red streaks flew out of the corners of his mouth. He then loudly laughed, laughed until his throat turned sore and voice turned coarse, as if metal and stone grinding against each other.
Ultimately, his laughter slowly dimmed, and his mutterings could be heard, “Retribution, it’s retribution. Today, it’s our turn, and in future, it will be yours.”
His voice sank lower and lower. Suddenly he spit out half of his tongue, spurting out a huge amounts of blood
He Yiming didn’t stop him and only revealed a trace of pity in his eyes as he watched him in silence.
Not too long after, Fan Vastsun’s body twitched a few times before becoming completely motionless.
He Yiming faintly shook his head and picked up that simple stone stripe Fan Vastsun had been holding. He jumped into the hole and completed Fan Vastsun’s job, digging out a deep hole in a few turns.
Living right before the mountain range in the He family, He Yiming was well aware that one must dig a deep grave to bury somebody. Otherwise, there would certainly be some wild beast that would dig out the corpse, and fill its belly such that not even the bones would be left behind.
Lu Xinwen although had died, he was after all a peak, Xiantian expert. In any case, his corpse shouldn’t be left out in the wild.
Although the current conditions were far from ideal, it should be enough to allow him to rest in peace.
As for Fan Vastsun, although Fan family’s destruction was deserved by all means, after going through this whole ordeal, He Yiming had understood one reasoning.
Weak died, and strong survived; this was the only truth of this world. The reason Fan family had taken such actions was also in order to become a millennium clan.
Only with one’s own power would one be able to avoid other clan’s substitution.
All they had done, how was it actually wrong?!
Furthermore, in He Yiming’s mind, there was actually a forbidden zone. Something he absolutely didn’t dare question, or think too much.
Forty years ago, He Wude, relying on Reclining Moon Blade and assistance of He Laibao, established He manor.
In the course of this process, how much blood would have been spilled, and how many small clans had been exterminated?
To say that they had the ability to establish He manor without hurting anybody….
Although he admired his grandfather and grandpa Bao, he also knew that despite their strength being counted exceptionally high in Tai Cang county, this feat was simply on a different level in respect to their abilities.
Therefore, he didn’t want to think along these lines, nor he wished to ask. If he could turn his eyes away from the truth, he could live his life with a clear conscience.
Digging a deep hole, he buried the corpses of Lu Xinwen and Fan Vastsun.
The depth of the grave he’d dug out went past beyond two meters, which was deep enough that ordinary wild beasts wouldn’t be able to dig the corpses out.
Of course, before burying them, He Yiming checked their bodies and grabbed some of the things that were useful.
In any case, they were just to be buried. These things held no value for a dead person and would be better off with him, where they still might serve some purpose.
There was nothing on Lu Xinwen’s body. Surprisingly, it was Fan Vastsun’s body that had a few things.
Apart from the sheepskin scroll, there were actually a few gold ingots and a bottle.
Opening the lid, He Yiming sniffed a few times. His face slightly changed as he discovered that the bottle actually contained Essence gold cores, moreover five pills at that.
He Yiming immediately understood that these gold cores were not Fan Vastsun’s property at all. He’d taken it from Lu Xinwen’s body.
It was no wonder that there was nothing on a Xiantian cultivator’s body. It turned out that he’d already been plundered before. Fan Vastsun could never have expected that although he’d obtained the gold cores and map, he would immediately follow after Lu Xinwen’s steps and wouldn’t even get an opportunity to increase his strength.
After collecting his gains, He Yiming opened the scroll.