Chapter 6: Ruthlessness

Although it was Chu Sheng who caused him to be demoted to the mines, it was mostly this second wife who provided the idea behind it

Moreover, after not seeing each other for more than a year, she felt that the Chu Xiu before her seemed like a completely different person. A year ago, he would not have dared to speak to her like this

The moon's face revealed a look of terror, and she stammered, "Young master, do you already know?"

In the end, the State of Yan reached an agreement with Wei County, stating that it would not station troops within Wei County, but would send civil officials to manage it

Upon hearing this, the moonlight girl immediately displayed a relieved smile on her face, but Chu Xiu suddenly exerted force and directly crushed her neck

The carriage stopped in front of the Chu family's gate. As Chu Xiu just got off the carriage, he saw the main door being pushed open. A middle-aged noblewoman, dressed in luxurious attire and in her forties, emerged accompanied by a group of maids and servants. Upon seeing Chu Xiu standing in front of the carriage, her expression immediately showed a slight change.

The former Chu Xiu had long since given up the struggle for the position of family head; perhaps it was out of despair, or perhaps he truly lacked ambition. However, the current Chu Xiu does seem to have some interest in this position

Chu Xiu smiled and said, "Rest assured, I do not kill women"

Inside the carriage, the moonlight trembled softly, and she could not comprehend how, despite the fact that the Second Madam had arranged everything, such an unexpected turn of events could occur now

At that moment, the carriage was suddenly lifted, and upon seeing Chu Xiu ascend the carriage, Yue Er immediately assumed a pitiful appearance.

Gao Bei and the other servants all trembled, yet no one dared to speak up.

Since Chu Xiu has chosen to compete for the position of the family head heir, his three brothers are all obstacles. If he can obtain evidence now, he can completely eliminate one of them first

With a cold snort, the second lady said lightly: "Since you are back, then let us go in, the master and the others are all waiting for you."

It was precisely because he took a stand too early that the eldest of the Chu family, Chu Kai, and his aunt did not regard him as a significant matter at all. When he was embroiled in trouble due to the schemes of the third son of the Chu family, Chu Sheng, they did not intervene.

Moreover, this second lady has an impressive background; she is the only daughter of Ding Kaishan, the master of the Kaishan Martial Arts School in Tongzhou Prefecture, known as 'Golden Hand'.

Certainly, these significant matters within the court have little to do with a small family like the Chu family. Without the oversight of court officials, the atmosphere in the martial arts community of Wei County is quite free, and some martial arts factions are living exceedingly well.

Chu Xiu let out a cold laugh and said: "Ten thousand taels of silver, what a grand gesture! Does my second mother hate me so much that she would rather spend ten thousand taels of silver to have me killed than allow me to return to the Chu family?"

The second lady looked around but did not see the figure of Yue'er; she could not help but ask, "Where is your maid, Yue'er?"

The second lady looked at the smiling Chu Xiu in front of her, and she couldn't help but furrow her brows

As the heir of the family, the resources of the Chu family, if not entirely his, are at least half his, which can enable Chu Xiu to progress more rapidly in martial arts

The moon said cautiously: "The second lady mentioned that you have always stubbornly stood by the eldest son, and it will eventually lead to trouble. Moreover, she has recently won over the fourth son, which is just right to eliminate you and prevent future issues."

Seven days later, Chu Xiu finally emerged from the Shangmang Mountain. At the end of the official road, a bustling prefecture appeared before Chu Xiu's eyes; this was Tongzhou Prefecture, where the Chu family was located, one of the few large prefectures in Weijun.

Just as Yue'er let out a sigh of relief, Chu Xiu's hand slid down her face and grasped her neck, gradually applying pressure

If he continues to remain neutral, what awaits him is being courted, much like the fourth son of the Chu family, Chu Shang. Although he is young, he has already been courted at great expense by his second mother. How is this comparable to him, who has been eliminated at such a high cost by others

Wei County was originally a small state known as the State of Wei, situated between the Northern Yan and Eastern Qi, two of the three major powers of the time. It once assisted the State of Qi in attacking the State of Yan, but ultimately was destroyed by the State of Yan

Thus, Wei County nominally obeyed the jurisdiction of the Yan State, and taxes were to be paid to Yan, but in reality, it operated independently.

Chu Xiu raised his eyebrows and instructed Gao Bei to take the others down to rest first, while he followed the Second Madam into the Chu family's conference hall

The moon pondered and said: "There is no evidence. The second lady directly sent one of her trusted subordinates to find the bandits. Those bandits only knew that the person coming to find them was from the Chu family, and they did not even know who it specifically was. No tangible evidence was left behind."

Looking at that face, so close yet both familiar and utterly strange, the moonlight forced a faint smile as she said: "Young master, you jest. It is a good thing that the bandits have been repelled; how could I possibly be disappointed?"

It was all planned, so how could Chu Xiu still come back alive? Could it be that that foolish girl, Yue'er, messed things up and Chu Xiu did not take the small road out of Yuanbao Town?

More than twenty years ago, the Chu family had just moved to Tongzhou Prefecture, and it was precisely because Chu Xiu's father, Chu Zongguang, married the daughter of Ding Kaishan that they were able to establish themselves so quickly in Tongzhou Prefecture

The moon is a maidservant bought by the Chu family, her life belongs to the Chu family, so they can play with her as they wish, and kill her if they desire

Hearing this, Chu Xiu was somewhat speechless; in this body, the previous Chu Xiu had indeed done many foolish things

The noblewoman before me is the mother of Chu Sheng, the third son of the Chu family, known as the second madam of the Chu family, and is reputed to be ruthless and merciless

It seemed that Chu Xiu's hand began to tighten again, and Yue'er quickly said: "I will tell you everything, my lord! The second madam spent ten thousand taels of silver to hire these bandits!"

Chu Xiu placed his hand on Yue Er's face, gently caressing her smooth and delicate features, and said, "Of course, they have all been repelled."

Looking at the lifeless figure, with a lingering expression of confusion in her eyes, Yue'er, Chu Xiu said lightly: "I was just kidding you. You actually believed that? How naive of you to try to be an undercover agent like others"

Chu Xiu shook his head with a look of regret and said: "Yue'er is too frail; I accidentally played her to death. I heard that there are some pretty maidens at Second Madam's place. Why not grant me another one?"

Since ancient times, it has been said that the wealthy are skilled in martial arts while the poor are skilled in literature. From tempering one's muscles and bones to refining one's vital energy and blood, which of these does not require a significant amount of resources and time

The State of Yan, harboring resentment against the State of Wei, implemented a policy of oppression in Wei County, leading to widespread rebellion among the common people and martial artists. Even Fang Longquan, the General of the Yan forces stationed in Wei County, known as 'Hengshan Bajiang', was severely injured by a mysterious assailant, resulting in the loss of an arm. In a short period, Wei County fell into chaos, forcing the Yan forces, who dared not massacre the city, to temporarily withdraw their troops.

Chu Xiu dragged the corpse of Yue Er out of the carriage and instructed Gao Bei, "Bury her."

In fact, Chu Xiu did not pay much attention to the position of the head of a small family, as according to the original plot, he would eventually become the leader of the demonic sect that would bring chaos to the world

The expression of the second lady suddenly changed, "Yue'er is dead? Does he know about her arrangement for the bandits to ambush Chu Xiu?"

The head of the Chu family, Chu Zongguang, has four sons. Even though Chu Xiu was previously a concubine's son, the chances of inheriting the position of family head are slim, yet there is still a possibility. Why must one declare their allegiance so early?

Chu Xiu leaned his face close to Yue Er's and said softly, "The bandits have been repelled, and I am not dead. You must be very disappointed, right?"

After saying this, the moon revealed a pitiful expression as she looked at Chu Xiu: "Young Master, I have said all that I needed to say, could you possibly spare my life?"

Seeing the person before him, Chu Xiu wore a faint smile on his face and clasped his hands, saying: "I have met you, Second Mother. It has been a year since we last met, and you have become even more youthful."

As he spoke, Chu Xiu's gaze brazenly turned towards the maids behind the Second Madam, instantly causing those maids to change color in alarm

Young master, have those bandits been repelled?

The Chu family, being one of the three prominent families of Tongzhou Prefecture, occupies an entire street in the southern part of the city.

Before Chu Xiu, he was notorious within the Chu family as a waste. His martial arts talent was not particularly strong, yet now he is able to easily inflict serious injuries on the seemingly ferocious bandit leader.

Ding Kaishan is a local tyrant in Tongzhou Prefecture. Although his strength has not reached the innate realm, he is at the peak of the Blood Condensation realm and is well-connected in various aspects within Tongzhou Prefecture

Chu Xiu turned his gaze towards the moon and said softly, "My second mother actually chose to hire bandits to kill me. Does she not fear being discovered by the Chu family? Do you have any evidence of her collusion with the bandits?"

But the issue is that this is the original plot, while the current Chu Xiu is the one who has been reborn and traversed. Heaven knows how things will ultimately unfold, so one must take things step by step, eating one bite at a time, and walking one step at a time. First, one must secure the position of the heir to the Chu family head before anything else.

The origin of the Wei County is quite interesting to discuss

Chu Xiu let out a cold laugh, tightening his grip around the neck of the moon until the other party's face turned red, struggling to utter a word. Only then did Chu Xiu release his hand and coldly said: "Do you really think I am a fool? Speak up, how much silver did my dear second mother spend to hire this bandit?"

Moreover, in the past two days, the second young master has clearly been acting somewhat differently, as if he has become a completely different person in terms of his ruthlessness, and they do not dare to speak carelessly.

As for the later group of people, why did they come to help Chu Xiu? These months have been unable to understand this no matter how hard they think.