Book 2 - Fame Spreads - Chapter 62 - Aftermath

Chapter 62 – Aftermath
The chase for the bandits continued for several days. By the time He Quanxin and the rest returned to the He manor with the gold, this huge incident which caused a sensation in the whole Tai Cang county had already been concluded.
He Yitian repeatedly urged his father to quickly return and find out what happened.
However, all of his suggestions were turned down by the wise and experienced He Quanxin. Although the latter usually didn’t participate much in the clan’s affairs, at this moment, he was exceptionally resolute.
According to him, several days had already passed since multitudes of horse bandits attacked the county. Even if they rushed back at their quickest, it would still be too late to help. Moreover, He Yiming had already left, and if even he couldn’t salvage the situation, they would simply be following their path to death.
Rather than taking risks, it would be better to keep moving with the gold. First and foremost, this gold couldn’t be lost.
Even if the He family was completely in ruins, it could be re-established with the help of this gold.
However, when they returned, they discovered the course of events. Especially the legend of He Yiming had at least ten different versions. Even the servants of He family who witnessed the events unfold with their own eyes all had different versions. However, from all the versions, this much was clear, that He Yiming had turned into an inhuman monster in their eyes.
Amidst shouts and cries, a total of ten huge carriages galloped into the He family. Under He Yihai’s arrangements, all of the more than hundred members who had hailed from Yuan family found a lodging.
After going through the battle of Xu castle, even He Yihai had matured a lot. As of now, he’d begun to assist his father in managing the manor.
On the whole, it seemed as if the third generation of the three clans had matured overnight after experiencing the bloody war. They had begun to gradually touch the clan’s core and slowly but surely began taking over their clans.
He Quanxin along with He Yitian first arrived in the great courtyard of He family.
The lord He had already returned from the Xu castle and was again residing in the courtyard. Moreover, the ladies and children of He family who had escaped into the mountains during the chaos of war had returned even before him. The whole family had reunited, and a joyous and harmonious atmosphere pervaded the family.
Under the assault of horse bandits, the three influential families’ lords had joined hands disregarding all selfish desires. However, as soon as the horse bandits retreated, their minds immediately mobilized. But this much was certain, that as of now, unless either one of Xu Yinjie or Cheng Zhusheng had gone insane, they would never attempt to clash with He family again.
In Tai Cang county, He family, who had the shortest history, would certainly become the number one clan among the three influential families with absolute dominance.
Upon entering the courtyard, He Quanxin and He Yitian immediately saw He Wude in the main hall.
They immediately felt a tired feeling coming from his body. He was after all quite old and couldn’t be as energetic as young men.
“Father, your old self must have been shocked this time,” He Quanxin bowed and said.
He Yitian also performed a deep bow, then straightened his body, walked behind him, and began to slightly massage his back.
He Wude nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with his grandson’s attitude and skill.
“We fortunately had He Yiming this time,” The lord sighed, “If not for his abrupt return and killing off all of the four tenth layer bandit leaders in one swoop, those guys wouldn’t have dispersed so easily.”
He Quanxin’s brows faintly twitched before he said, “Father, this time while our visit to Yuan family, we were also fortunate to have He Yiming. Otherwise, we father and son also might not have been able to return.”
He Wude was alarmed inwardly. Seeing the two returning back, although he knew nothing ought to have occurred, upon hearing these words, he was unable to keep himself from worrying.
“What happened? Tell me everything.”
“Yes.”
He Quanxin recounted everything which he’d seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. When he mentioned Lu Xinwen, even his own bearing turned somewhat uncomposed. The shock He Yiming had given them at that time was indeed a bit too much.
He Wude faintly nodded while feeling gratified inwardly. Fortunately, he’d sent He Yiming this time. Otherwise, not only would they not have accomplished anything, he would have even lost his eldest son and grandson.
But nobody could have expected that small Fan family to have a connection with a Xiantian expert.
However, at the same time, a strange idea flashed in his mind. ‘There probably won’t be a person who could have expected to see a Xiantian expert in Tai Cang county’s He family, no?’
If a Xiantian expert’s existence was known, these horse bandits wouldn’t have dared to casually provoke Tai Cang county even if they had much bigger guts.
Subsequently, when He Quanxin mentioned the gifts given by Yuan family, He Wude’s brows involuntarily creased.
After a few moments, he said, “Quanxin, this is certainly a mistake on your part. The gold is alright, but twenty percent share in their shops is not acceptable,” He said in a lowered voice, “Yuan family currently resides in the outskirts of Zhen Tong county city. The influential families there are really deep, not something contestable by small families like ours. Yuan family has pulled you closer only because they want He Yiming to fight their battle for him.”
He Quanxin bitterly laughed and said,”Father, I obviously understand, but this was He Yiming’s work. I can’t refute him.”
He Wude lightly snorted, “You’re his elder uncle, how can you not….”
Saying up to here, the scene of He Yiming gliding in with the wind and terrifying four thousand bandits with one blade strike appeared in his mind.
At this point, he asked himself if He Yiming was present and he was resolute regarding some affair, in that case, would he have the courage to refuse?
As soon as he thought up to here, his face revealed a trace of bitter smile. How could one describe a Xiantian expert’s might in words?
Although this was his grandson, the latter couldn’t be treated with usual means.
“Yitian, would you go and look for He Yiming? Upon returning, he actually shut himself in again. Sigh….he’s already a Xiantian expert, what is he putting in so much effort for again?”
He Yitian made a sound of agreement and respectfully went out of the door.
However, inwardly he said, the old man seems to be grumbling but his expression and bearing don’t agree with it all. The old man really looks at sixth brother with a different gaze.
Seeing He Yitian leave, He Quanxin somewhat puzzledly asked, “Father, why did you send Yitian away?”
He Wude’s face gravened, “You just mentioned that Yuan family also sent two girls for Tian-er and Ming-er. What’s this about?”
He Quanxin’s face revealed an awkward expression, “Father, both of these are Yuan family’s pure girls, and one of them is even Yuan Earnest’s concubine-born daughter. So I allowed them to stay.”
He Wude’s face strictened before he lightly snorted.
He Wude immediately said, “Father, He Yiming has already advanced to Xiantian, even if he takes a few concubines, there shouldn’t be any problem at all. Enjoying women isn’t considered anything for Xiantian experts.”
He Wude sighed and said, “You understand fart. I’m not talking about Yiming, it’s Yitian. Don’t tell me you don’t care about his future prospects?”
He Quanxin immediately took out a jade bottle from his bosom and said, “Father, take a look at this thing. With this stuff, regardless of how many concubines Yitian takes, it won’t be a problem.”
He Wude somewhat suspiciously opened the bottle, resulting in a sweet odor spreading around.
His face faintly changed. He’d recognized the contents of the bottle. He then looked at He Quanxin with a bewildered and questioning gaze.
“Father, these are essence gold cores brought back by Yiming.” He Quanxin hesitated a bit before continuing, “From his tone, it seems he’s many more of these gold cores.”
He Wude gravely nodded. Although there were only three pills inside the bottle, he was aware of their worth. If used properly, the clan’s strength could be vastly increased.
“You’re right. With these gold cores, Yitian indeed won’t have any problems. However, Yitian was just married, if he takes a concubine right after, it won’t be good for Cheng family’s face.”
He Quanxin brightly said, “Father, if you want, we’ll go to Yuan family and talk to their parents. I’m sure they will understand.”
He Wude pondered for a few moments, then eventually nodded in silence.
“Quanxin, how is that girl who came with He Yiming?”
“I don’t know,” He Quanxin bitterly smiled and said, “I only know her name and identity, and even this I heard from He Yiming.”
“It was He Yiming again?” He Wude astonishedly asked.
“Yes.”
He Wude preserved silence for quite a while before letting out a deep sigh, “He Yiming has finally grown up and has begun to make his voice heard.”
He Quanxin lowered his head, feeling quite moved inwardly. He hadn’t expected that first among the third generation to have his voice heard among the elders wouldn’t be the eldest son’s eldest grandson He Yitian, but the sixth grandson He Yiming.
“Hold on a moment, call Quanming, Quanyi, Yitian and Yiming here, and those two girls as well,” He Wude said in a lowered voice, ”Since He Yiming has accepted that girl, he should have some of his own land as well.”
“Sixth brother, you really are too awesome,” In He Yiming’s room, He Yitao said with a bright face, “Really worthy of a powerful Xiantian expert, simply inhumane.”
He Yiming rolled his eyes, wondering whether these words were actually meant to praise him or condemn him.
Behind him was precisely the third generation’s smallest member, He Yitao.
After returning as a Xiantian expert while carrying the reek of blood on his body, He Yiming immediately shut himself in to escape from the strange gazes.
He Yitao repeatedly tried to find his sixth brother and ask what happened at the Xu castle but under He Quanyi’s strict gaze, he was never able to find an opportunity.
When He Yitian returned, he immediately saw an opportunity. He Quanyi also could only shake his head and bitterly sigh. He himself had been so cautious throughout his life, but the son he’d given birth to seemed to have the skin of a monkey. The latter simply couldn’t be controlled regardless of what he tried.
“Sixth brother, tell me tell me, how did you do it? Beheading two thousand people in one strike, and killing eighty percent of four thousand people…” He Yitao’s two eyes twinkled like stars, “Were they standing at their places, waiting to be killed?”
He Yiming faintly started, then said, “Yitao, what are you even saying? Where did you hear that I killed eighty percent of the horse bandits?”
He Yitao innocently said, “Sixth brother, I heard all of it from the servants. They were all with grandfather in the war. They all said that you killed two thousand men in their backlines. Then, in the next strike, you killed more than half of the remaining. After that, the left over horse bandits went on their knees and begged forgiveness. As a kind-hearted person, you saved their lives.”
He Yiming’s mouth was wide opened. Although he was a peak, Xiantian realm expert, upon hearing this tenfold exaggerated version of the war, even he felt his scalp going somewhat numb.
He looked over towards his eldest brother, only to see that the latter was also looking at him with a face full of curiosity as if eagerly waiting for his explanation.
Taking a deep sigh, He Yiming said, “Eldest brother, Yitao is still small, I have nothing to say about him, but even you believe it?”
He Yitian hesitated a bit and said, “If it was someone else’s legend, I may not have believed it. However, as far as sixth brother is concerned, I don’t dare say anything.”
Indeed. He’d seen too many miracles appearing on his sixth brother’s body. After being astonished for countless times, a feeling had developed inside him.
Anything could happen if his sixth brother was concerned.
If he’d heard someone else killing two thousand men in one blade strike, He Yitian would only have scoffed. However, when his sixth brother was concerned….
Even though his reason told him otherwise, he was still half-doubting inwardly.
Feeling the two extremely hopeful gazes on him, He Yiming was eventually rendered speechless.
He shook his head before suddenly feeling as if there was a heavy burden on his shoulders. The people beside him had such a trust in him, believing him to be an omnipotent deity. It quite touched him, but at the same time, made him feel somewhat apprehensive. If there was a day when he failed to live up to their expectations, how much disappointment would he cause?
As soon as this thought flickered in his mind, he immediately suppressed it down.
After going through repeated tempering, his willpower had turned rock solid. This momentary lapse of himself was like a wave clashing against the pillar that supports the heaven and disappearing immediately afterward, incapable of constituting any threat to him at all.
“Eldest brother, Yitao, let me honestly tell you, this is nothing but a rumor,” He Yiming said in a lowered voice, “Nobody could kill two thousand cultivators in one blade strike, because it’s simply not something a human can achieve.”
As he was saying these words, a question emerged in his mind.
When he’d unleashed that strike, he’d used every last bit of his strength to barely produce the drizzling blade light to envelope a formation of two hundred men.
If those two hundred men had not produced a neat formation and confined themselves in a small area instead of spreading out, his blade strike wouldn’t have seemed so outstanding and brilliant.
In a different situation, it would have been impossible for him to kill two hundred men in one blade strike.
One could say that this blade strike’s might had already reached its peak.
However, in his mind, a frightening thought emerged.
If his movements became quicker, his true Qi became stronger, and if his body truly blended into the entire mountain rain, would he able to shroud everything before him with his blade strike?
If he truly attained this realm, not to mention two thousand men, even if there were twenty thousand men, they wouldn’t be able to resist such a blade strike.
Of course, such a thought was too far-fetched. Even for him, it was merely a wild imagination.
How could an individual’s strength be matched against nature? Those who brew such imaginations are only those lunatics who overestimate their abilities.
He Yitian and He Yitao exchanged glances. Seeing that He Yiming seemed to have been lost in thoughts, they both felt quite strange.
“Sixth brother, what are you thinking?”
As if waking up from a dream, He Yiming awkwardly smiled and said, “I was thinking about a move and somewhat lost myself.”
He Yitian and He Yitao both sighed inwardly, wondering if only such a attitude where one always put martial dao before anything else would yield such an inconceivably powerful person.
“Sixth brother, so you didn’t kill two thousand men in one blade strike?” He Yitao quite disappointedly said.
He Yiming irritatedly said, “Yitao, think a bit more realistically, one strike two thousand men? What else? You won’t even be able to cut two thousand wheat plants.”
As he spoke up to here, an idea emerged in his mind. He suddenly patted his thigh and said, “I understand.”
He Yitao asked in puzzlement, “What did you understand?”
He Yiming turned his head and confidently said, “Eldest brother, do you remember Lu Xinwen?”
“Of course.”
“This man has a legend to have slaughtered a millennial influential family, killing uncountable number of people,” He Yiming bitterly laughed, “If everyone had escaped in different directions, how would he have gone about it? These were simply exaggerated rumours.”
He Yitian exclaimed in surprise, then relaxed.
Although this was only a conjecture, with He Yiming’s current identity, he knew it was more or less true.
Although Xiantian cultivators were quite powerful, if a crowd of people escaped in all directions, he only had a pair of hands and legs after all. How many of them could he have chased and killed?
Suddenly, a mild but somewhat powerful voice came from outside, “Yiming, Yitian, come out. Grandfather has some instructions for you.”
He Yitian and He Yiming immediately stood up. As for He Yitao, he pulled his neck in and quietly escaped in He Yiming’s inner room, not even daring to poke his head out.
He Yiming and He Yitian exchanged a glance. Before their third uncle, He Yitiao truly turned into a chicken.