Urban God of War: The Live-in Son-in-law-Chapter 765 - 739: Why Treat Him Like This!
Hong Wuji, clad in a black robe, stood with an air of imposing authority; behind him were four Experts of the Golden Core Realm and eight Experts of the Yin-Yang Realm. It seemed that this was almost the entirety of the Hong Family of the Ancient Clan's peak power, and they were all temporarily back from the Outer Battlefield.
However, Ye Feng knew that these ancient clans with two thousand years of heritage would definitely not just have the forces that appeared openly. Old Man Huang Niu had told him that above Ancestor Hong Wuji, the Hong Family of the Ancient Clan seemed to have three Elders of the Supreme Clan.
In fact, every one of the Four Great Ancient Clans had Elders of the Supreme Clan who were generally over two hundred years old, and some had even lived for three to four hundred years. These were the truest old monsters of bone ash level.
These old monsters seldom made an appearance in front of others, only emerging if the clan encountered a life-and-death crisis, otherwise, they spent most of their time in seclusion, cultivating. Even if they walked among the clan lands on a regular basis, as long as these old monsters did not wish to reveal themselves, the people of the clan naturally could not recognize them.
Thus, aside from a few high-level members of the clan, most of the younger generation barely knew of the existence of the Elders of the Supreme Clan, let alone having heard of them.
Furthermore, as Old Man Huang Niu had said, the cultivation realm of these Elders of the Supreme Clan of the Four Great Ancient Clans was at least at the Peak of the Yin-Yang Realm. To live for centuries, such cultivation was a necessity, and there was even the possibility of some being in the Half-Step Void Realm.
But what of the Half-Step Void Realm? Presently, Ye Feng was not afraid at all. He now had full confidence, so even though he knew this visit to the Hong Clan might provide them with an opportunity to exploit, he still resolutely came.
Hong Wuji stood at the entrance, looking at Ye Feng with a mocking expression on his face.
Members of the Hong Clan emerged from their wooden houses one after another, congregating in the square to watch the excitement.
Ye Feng remained composed and said with a light smile, "Yes, I have come. Speaking of which, as the son-in-law of the Hong Family, I've been somewhat neglectful, as this is my first visit!"
As his voice fell, Hong Renze immediately hummed with a heavy voice, "Son-in-law of the Hong Family? Do you really think you're worthy? Our Hong Family has never acknowledged you as such!"
"Indeed, you're far too arrogant and oblivious of gratitude. Not even kneeling in the presence of our Ancestor of the Hong Family, this is simply outrageous!"
Having said that, Hong Dize suddenly turned his head towards Hong Wuji and said, "Ancestor, this Ye Feng just now actually severed our tendons and even broke our Dantians, causing us to become invalids. He should be immediately captured!"
Hong Wuji hummed heavily, "Good for you, Ye Feng, you're truly too arrogant and disrespectful. It seems, you don't take the Ancient Hong Clan seriously at all."
Seeing the atmosphere suddenly tense up, Hong Qingyan quickly spoke up, "Today, Big Brother Ye and I came to visit just to see how my father is doing—what's his condition now?"
Pausing, Hong Qingyan continued, "Since you called us here, we have just arrived and haven't even drunk a cup of tea before you start making trouble. Could it be that this is the Ancient Hong Clan's way of treating guests? If that's really the case, then this so-called ancient clan with more than two thousand years of heritage, I think, is worse than an ordinary family outside. At least those families know the most basic hospitality."
Hong Qingyan said all this in one breath without any pause; Ye Feng couldn't help but silently marvel, as this was almost the most she had spoken in the past six months.
It seemed that this time, Hong Qingyan was truly angry. In fact, the more upset Hong Qingyan was, the calmer and more steady she became, a stark contrast to those who rage when they're angry. Of course, this was also to her advantage.
Upon hearing this, Hong Renze and Hong Dize became furious and shouted through gritted teeth, "You little wench, don't think that just because you're the clan chief's daughter, you can spout nonsense here. Let me tell you, even the clan chief must be respectful in the presence of the Ancestor!"
But at this moment, Hong Wuji suddenly waved his hand and interrupted the two, saying in a heavy voice, "You two talk less. Hong Qingyan is not wrong. After all, we're one of the Four Great Ancient Clans with a long history of heritage. We cannot abandon the most basic rules of hospitality, lest we become a laughingstock to others."
Hearing their Ancestor speak this way, naturally Hong Renze and Hong Dize dared not say any more.
In fact, many people present could clearly see that Hong Wuji was so accommodating with Hong Qingyan because she was not only a member of the Hong Family Direct Lineage but also the only one who had awakened the ancestral bloodline Wings of Light of the Hong Family of the Ancient Clan.
One must know that awakening such a bloodline meant a very high chance of breaking through to the Half-Step Void Realm in the future; even with the risk of entering the territory of the Demon Horn Tribe, it was not impossible to achieve the true Void Realm.
In other words, even though Hong Qingyan's Cultivation Battle Power was not the highest among the younger generation of the Hong Family, her potential was undeniably the strongest!
Hong Wuji then stepped aside, saying, "The two of you come in, let's have tea."
Having said that, Hong Wuji immediately walked into the hall, followed closely by more than a dozen powerful figures.
"Big Brother Ye, let's go in first!" Hong Qingyan was holding Ye Feng's arm all this time.
Ye Feng nodded, and the two of them stepped into the hall. As soon as they sat down, servants approached to pour the tea.
Hong Qingyan took a small sip and immediately asked, "Where's my father now, and how's his condition?"
Having come from afar, her greatest concern was her father; as for the other matters of the Hong Family, Hong Qingyan couldn't be bothered to ask.
However, Hong Wuji asked, "Has your father ever told you the reason he abandoned you all those years ago?" ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"He did; I am fully aware of everything." Hong Qingyan nodded in response.
"Then do you bear any resentment towards your parents? Resentment towards our Hong Family?" Hong Wuji continued to inquire.
Hong Qingyan replied without hesitation, "If I still resented them, I wouldn't have come today. As for the Hong Family, I don't wish to make any comments."
Hong Wuji's brows furrowed slightly, feeling some displeasure in his heart. He, of course, could see that Hong Qingyan held grievances or even complaints against the Hong Family.
Hong Wuji was well aware that once Clan Chief Hong Tianguo passed away, the tie between the Hong Family and Hong Qingyan would be completely severed, making her return to the clan all but impossible.
Hong Wuji couldn't help but say, "Since your father's incident, during this period, our entire Hong Family has been trying our utmost to rescue him. Not only did an Elder of the Supreme Clan intervene, but we also invited a godly doctor from the Valley of the Medicine God. However, we have yet to find a solution."
Hong Qingyan replied, "I want to see my father first. As for everything else, let's discuss it after I've seen him, if that's alright?"
Hong Wuji nodded and said, "That's fine, then follow me."
From the looks of it, it seemed highly probable that Hong Tianguo had indeed met with trouble, and the Hong Family hadn't lied about it. Whether Hong Wuji, the Ancestor of the Hong Family, had taken this opportunity to set up a scheme against Ye Feng remained unknown. At least for now, it wasn't evident.
Immediately, under the lead of Hong Wuji, the group left the council hall and walked along a path of blue and white stone tiles deep into the fortress.
Many young members of the Hong Family closely followed behind. After all, it was rare for outsiders to enter their territory, and naturally, they were very curious. According to the rules of the Four Great Ancient Clans, clan members under eighteen couldn't leave the clan grounds, and even if they were older, they had to be at least at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment in their cultivation realm; otherwise, they were equally forbidden from venturing out.
This resulted in those with low aptitude in the common family ranks who'd spent their whole lives without leaving the valley, being naturally very curious about the outside world.
Following the blue and white stone path to its end, they arrived at the foot of a greenstone mountain.
The top of the large greenstone rock was enveloped by colorful mists, obscuring its height, but at the base, there was a stone chamber, which, judging by the surrounding traces, was clearly carved out manually.
Before Ye Feng and Hong Qingyan could approach, they heard a series of clangs and roars coming from inside the chamber.
"No, Wanrou, I won't leave, I can't go, I cannot leave you behind!"
"Wanrou, I'm sorry, it's my inability... I failed to protect you..."
"Qingyan, from now on your name will be Hong Qingyan. Child, don't blame your father, I'm heartless, I had no choice. To survive, I could only leave you behind..."
Intermittent roars echoed from within the chamber. The voice went from loud to soft, now urgent, now descending into maniacal laughter, sounding delirious as if spouting madness.
But as Hong Qingyan made out these words, she suddenly choked up, and tears streamed down from her eyes.
The person inside the chamber was her father, Hong Tianguo. His delirium indicated that he had indeed fallen into madness, but it seemed that he hadn't completely lost his mind, because the repeating phrases he spoke suggested that deep within his consciousness he still remembered some things.
Of course, under such a state, anything that could still be remembered must have left the deepest impression or been something unforgettable to him.
The phrases he obsessively repeated were about his wife and Hong Qingyan. From his words, it was evident that he was filled with immense guilt and self-blame towards his wife and daughter.
It was even likely that his perpetual inner guilt and remorse towards his wife and daughter had piled up over time, eventually becoming his Heart Demon, causing him to deviate during his Golden Core Realm breakthrough.
However, the fact that a person in such a frenzied and mad state could not forget these things means they couldn't possibly be feigned.
And it was because of this that Hong Qingyan choked up; if she ever held even the slightest hint of blame or resentment towards her father before this, it had now vanished into thin air.
Because Hong Qingyan could see that her father had not had an easy life over these past twenty years!
Inside the chamber, Hong Tianguo was shackled by four thick chains made of special materials, locking him in that narrow, dimly lit stone room. His appearance was disheveled, and his body was filthy, exhibiting an indescribable look of distress and pity.
Upon seeing this, Hong Qingyan couldn't hold back anymore, and her tears flowed like a flood breaking its banks.
"Father..." She shouted, rushing over, but the chamber only had a small iron window, through which it was impossible to enter.
Inside, Hong Tianguo continued repeating those phrases over and over, the thick chains clanging on the ground.
"You, why are you locking up my father, why are you treating him like this?" Hong Qingyan yelled out.
The Elder on guard sighed deeply and said, "We didn't want to do this either, but the Chief has entered a state of frenzy. If we let him out, with his high power, he could bring disaster upon the entire clan grounds. Several of our clan's young have already died by his hand, so we had no choice but to lock him up."
Hong Qingyan shouted back, "Deep inside he still clearly remembers some things, which means he hasn't completely lost his mind. Is there really no hope for him?"
The guarding Elder still shook his head and sighed, "If there were a cure, could we bear to watch the Ancestor reach such a state?"
Hong Qingyan fell silent.
Yet Ye Feng frowned slightly and suddenly asked, "What's going on, from Chief Hong's aura, he seems to have reached the Golden Core Realm?"
"Yes, he has indeed reached the Realm of the Golden Core," Hong Wuji replied.
"So you mean to say, he only deviated after making a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm?" Ye Feng said, then shook his head slightly and continued, "That really is strange."
