Chapter 409: You’re Our Kin?
Translator: Novel Saga Editor: Novel Saga
General Jun Wu Yi had described everything in extreme detail in his report. Moreover, he had done so in a very straightforward and unobtrusive manner. The report read that Guan Qing Han’s engagement-based relation to the Jun Family had been revoked. He then stated that she had also been adopted as his daughter. It further said that Dugu Xiao Yi is now devoted to Jun Mo Xie, and feels threatened. Therefore, she had caused a lot of trouble owing to her jealousy. She had planned to commit the un-mendable act of ‘cooking rice’ using a very heavy drug…
However, she was unable to keep up with Jun Mo Xie’s advances because she didn’t have full knowledge of the matter. She had then escaped at the time of committing the act. However, Jun Mo Xie had lost his mind with desire. But, Guan Qing Han had arrived at the spot at that moment. And, she didn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself to save his life. And then, the act was committed…
Later on, the report put emphasis on Jun Mo Xie’s behavior. The incident where he pointed out the Jun Family’s ancestral teaching of ‘a real man takes responsibility’ was also noted in particular. The report further said that he’s coming to the Tian Xiang City to face the criticism from the world, and that he’s prepared to deal with it head-on.
There was a lot written there.
"You still feel like laughing?" Jun Zhan Tian looked at his old brother-in-arms in bafflement, "Is it still funny? Do you know how big this problem is?! Do you know that our Jun Family will drown in disaster if we don’t handle this matter properly?!"
"I’m laughing because… this Young Lady of the Dugu Family… is just too much! Hahaha…" Old Pang paused for a bit before he continued, "She wanted to ‘cook rice’, and even administered the drug. But, she backed away at the last moment. This is just too much! It must be very difficult for Dugu Zong Heng to have such a granddaughter…"
"Huh? The Dugu Family…?" Jun Zhan Tian’s eyes lit up. He then clapped his hands, and puffed his beard, "Isn’t it? Damn! How can that old fool Dugu Zong Heng not be involved into this when such a huge thing has happened? After all, this happened because of his granddaughter’s meddling! I won’t be able to rest in peace if I don’t drag him down with me on this one…
"However, that little scoundrel Mo Xie can’t be let off cheaply now! I won’t see him when he returns!" Jun Zhan Tian’s mood had brightened up. He moved in circles and snorted for a while. However, he didn’t speak a single word.
"Ahem, My Lord… This matter… isn’t the Young Master’s mistake… or that Young Lady Guan’s… But, it’s still not a trivial matter. Those Imperial Censors won’t let this off easily. They may use this as a pretext to rise against us. In fact, even those gifted scholars may rise against us en-mass. Those scholars don’t care about the long run. They only care about the immediate results..." Old Pang said cautiously, "…after all, Young Lady Guan is still the Young Master’s elder sister-in-law in their eyes… So, this…"
"Those rotten scholars know nothing! My grandson is much more powerful than them! He’s worthy of being my grandson! He’s worthy of being a man of the Jun Family! He’s a real man!"
The Old Man Jun waved his big hand like he was swatting a housefly, "Those shit-scholars only have the capability to make shit outside of writing screwy poems and romances. They’re only worth a fart! I will ride my horse against the world with nothing but a sword! I will climb mountains and wade into a forest of blades, and return alive! And, I will make a mountain of corpses and an ocean of blood while doing that deed! There’s no need to pay heed to the chatter of those defenseless officials. I will purge them if they dare to provoke me. And, it will be an extraordinary clean up! They will be removed from every part of the city!"
Old Man Jun not only had a haughty and heroic aura to him when he was speaking… he also had a roguish charm! He had said that he didn’t care about the matter at hand. But, the fact was that he cared. In fact, this matter had unexpectedly brought back his brutish behavior from decades ago…
He was very similar to his grandson. He wanted to conquer the world, and he wished to burn those scholars. He wanted to ride upon his horse and purge the Imperial Court. And, he wanted to achieve all of this with a blatant, bloody, and powerfully ferocious method. The grandfather and grandson Jun were very ferocious men!
"I will go and find Dugu Zong Heng!" Old Man Jun quickly walked out, "That demon’s granddaughter has caused me a lot of trouble! How can I forgive him so easily? He must be dreaming if he thinks that he can stay out of it!"
"Good idea, My Lord!" Old Pang blindly followed suit, and walked after him. He grabbed a cloak, and quickly draped it over his master’s shoulders. After all, it was already early winter, and the weather had become very cold. He then respectfully saw the master off. The majestic Jun Zhan Tian was ready to move out. And, his palanquin-bearers came with the palanquin when they saw him. But, the Grandpa Jun waved his hand, "This Old Man will ride his horse today!"
Jun Zhan Tian turned and mounted his steed once it was brought over. He was about to shake his reigns and leave. However, he then stopped and lowered his head to look at Old Pang. After that, he asked in a somewhat exhilarated tone, "Old Pang, do you think that the seed Mo Xie shot into the earth will bloom into a flower? Will it be possible for this Old Man to hold his great-grandson this year?"
Old Pang was at his master’s side. However, he was frowning since he was deeply worried. [This impending matter isn’t trivial by any means. I hope it gets over in a smooth fashion. Otherwise, the tyrannical powers of the Jun and the Dugu Families will end-up clashing over this…] He was praying to the Gods when he heard the surprising words that were spoken by Jun Zhan Tian. He couldn’t help but lift his head. He had been left stupefied and speechless by them. Old Pang obviously hadn’t expected these words at this moment. After all, Jun Zhan Tian thought process… was too bold…
"What? No… wouldn’t that be too big a coincidence?" Grandpa Jun had been looking forward to this for ages. And, Old Pang had always been aware of this desire of his master’s. Therefore, it was rather coincidental that his reply was very different from his master’s desires. In fact, his answer was poles apart from what Jun Zhan Tian had been expecting…
"You old fool! It feels like you've splashed cold water over me! My grandson has always been brilliant! Do you think he would miss the target?!" Old Man Jun puffed his beard, and gave a hateful glance downwards. It seemed like Old Pang's words were akin to declaring Jun Zhan Tian's great-grandson ‘dead’. Old Man Jun kicked his horse. Consequently, the horse neighed and darted forward.
The Dugu Family's guards saw old man Jun Zhan Tian arrive astride his horse in an aggressive manner. In fact, it appeared as if he would tear down the Dugu Household. Therefore, one guard ran inside to inform his superiors, while the remaining seven braced themselves for the new arrival.
Old man Jun Zhan Tian pointed with his horsewhip, and cried out in a loud voice as he stood atop his horse, "Where is that old bastard Dugu Zong Heng?"
The guards replied respectfully, "His Lordship has returned to his residence..." Who would lie when facing Jun Zhan Tian…? However, the guard hadn't even finished speaking when Old Man Jun tightened his reigns and burst through the Dugu Household’s entrance. He then swung his whip as he roared, "Dugu Zong Heng! I have come for you! Come out! Hurry up and come before me!"
The obviously horse shot-in brutishly in the face of that whipping.
The Jun Family’s guards dismounted and followed after him. However, they advanced slower in comparison since they had jogged in. Jun Zhan Tian could obviously charge-in on a horse. However, they couldn’t dare to burst-in in that manner. In fact, they were well-aware that even the Lady of the Dugu Family would step out of her palanquin when she’d arrive, and would only proceed inside on-foot. Who would dare to provoke the infamous family which was a gathering place for hoodlums and a den of troublemakers?
Only Grandpa Jun Zhan Tian had the courage to do that in the entire empire. Excluding this Old Man… even the Head of the First Family of the empire — Murong Feng Yun — would arrive here in a polite manner.
The Dugu Family’s household had turned into a chaotic mess for a moment.
General Dugu Wudi hurried out in an anxious manner. He had returned only moments ago, and had then comfortably lain down at the thigh of a young concubine. However, it was then that he had heard that great roar. And, he had obviously been frightened by it. General Dugu rushed down the stairs in ‘threes-and-twos’ when he saw the Great General Jun Zhan Tian burst into the Dugu Family's large courtyard alone and astride his horse. It seemed as if the Old Man had boldly charged through the enemy's door…
A myriad of exotic plants had been planted in their courtyard. Moreover, these plants didn’t even wither in the winter. The Dugu Family had obviously spent a lot of effort and money to grow those evergreen plants. However, they had been reduced to a mess at this time. Everything had collapsed and muddled. General Dugu's mouth was left to twitch at its corners when he saw that scene…
"Uncle... Uncle... you must calm down... you must really calm down... what's the matter?" Dugu Wudi ran to the front of Jun Zhan Tian's horse. His rough face appeared nervous as he spread his hands and stepped back since the horse continued to advance.
"Move away from me, boy!" Jun Zhan Tian shouted loudly. His voice resounded like a thunderclap, "See that I don't remove you from duty. It will affect your military career!"
[Huh? Remove me? My career would be affected? What relation does this have with my military career being affected?!]
"You're so mighty and awe-inspiring! You're amazing! You bastard Jun! You're becoming increasingly excessive today. You've actually come to my house and trampled it. And, you’re still strutting around! And then, you threatened to remove my son from his position…? Tch... I never knew that you had that much official authority. Don’t I owe you some money? You're excessively tyrannical! Affect his military career…? Explain to me… how will you affect his military career? And, you can consider that money I owe flushed down the toilet if you don’t have a good-enough explanation for this debacle!"
A voice filled with rage echoed as the old man Dugu Zong Heng slowly arrived. His roar was equal to that of Jun Zhan Tian’s. His head was covered in a square hat, and his beard resembled the whiskers of a lion. His hands were folded across his chest. He sneered back at Jun Zhan Tian when he saw his contemporary sneering at him.
There was a time when Old Man Jun would come and take a stroll at the Dugu Family's courtyard. This was because Dugu Wudi owed the Jun Family a large sum of money due to the ‘wine’ incident. That Old Man Dugu obviously didn’t wish to see the Old Man Jun during that time. However, Jun Zhan Tian had arrived one particular day, and had started to ramble about random stuff. However, the Old Man Dugu had later managed to obtain some information which could be used to wipe out his entire debt…
"Ah... my kin has arrived! What difference does a little money make? All of us are on the same side! What's a little money when it comes to family? Your family is my family, and my family is your family!" Jun Zhan Tian laughed and jumped off his horse rather uncharacteristically. He then proceeded to greet Dugu Zong Heng in a very affectionate manner.
"What? Family…?" Dugu Zong Heng and Dugu Wudi's eyes opened wide in a blank stare.
"Wait! Jun Zhan Tian, you're our kin?" Dugu Zong Heng’s brain couldn’t comprehend these words. He immediately extended his hand, and pushed backwards to avoid contact. In fact, he couldn’t even help himself as his body stumbled one step backwards. This had happened because Grandpa Dugu had suddenly contemplated a very dreadful possibility...