Chapter 11: Becoming the Family Head, Bringing Back Everything

Study.

Candlelight flickers.

Behind the desk stood a middle-aged person, holding the brush with suspended wrist, writing boldly and splashing ink, recording Zhang Fu's assassination, Qin Feng revealing his strength by slaying a seventh-rank and wounding an eighth-rank.

Also, the details of what happened in the Second Branch.

"This child is only fifteen, yet possesses at least seventh-rank strength; his martial talent is stunning and unparalleled, and he has remained hidden until now, unseen by the world. Given time, he will surely become a Grand Master."

"Truly an unexpected joy!"

"Alas, for exposing himself as a family servant, he is loyal yet unwise, lacking vision; at this time of the Qin Family's decline, he instead provokes the Second Branch, arrogant and overbearing, self-centered, disrespectful of elders, trampling clan rules, which will cause resentment among all branches of the Qin Manor; a little provocation will cause the Qin Manor to split apart."

"The Qin Family is finished!"

"Qin Feng is dead!"

"Such a talent cannot die easily; at least his death must be worthwhile!"

"That eighth-rank must be him; this time you wounded him, next time I will let you die!"

"With Qin Feng's sword, I will make him frenzied, arrogant, angry, filled with hatred, so that he ultimately carves a blood-soaked path out of Wan'an City, and then I will press him down to death!"

Pop—

The brush tip fell, force penetrating the back of the paper.

Next day.

Qin Manor, main hall.

Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle brought Second Uncle along.

Also, the elders from Qin Family's manor outside, the stewards managing business, and others came.

"Qin Feng, what qualifications do you have to imprison the Second Branch? Who gave you the authority? Even if you were the head of the family, you wouldn't have this authority, let alone that you aren't, and you're merely a descendant generation. You have overturned the natural order, committed grave treason; if the Qin Family were in your hands, not to mention restoring past glory, just maintaining a foothold in Wan'an City would be difficult." The speaker was an old man leaning on a cane, occasionally coughing twice, his body swaying, as if he might fall at any moment.

Others watched silently, some anxious, some resentful, some coldly observing.

Qin Kai stood at the door with a few guards.

Also, Qin Yuan and others.

"Hah..." Qin Feng gave a cold smile. "Do you know the true situation of the Qin Family? Do you know what the Second Branch has done?"

He knew this person was of his grandfather's generation.

He had already completed the five mourning periods.

"No matter what happened, imprisoning the Second Branch is unacceptable. If you can imprison them today, tomorrow you could imprison us all. The Qin Family is not yours; it belongs to all of us," he shouted hoarsely, as if about to lose his breath.

"You know nothing, just meddling here; no wonder you'll spend your life stuck on a farm." Qin Feng said bluntly, "Fu Ye Ye, that is, the Head Steward, was deceived by the Second Branch's Qin Wen Yuan and lured out, then ambushed. If I hadn't arrived in time, he would have died miserably outside. In our Qin Family, Fu Ye Ye is now our greatest strength; tell me, if he died, what would our Qin Family face?"

"This..." the old man was momentarily at a loss for words; he truly didn't know this, yet he stuck out his neck and said, "There must be some misunderstanding. That's your Second Uncle—how could he be detrimental to you or to the Qin Family?"

"Knowing the situation, you still meddle here; giving you face, I call you an Elder; without face, you're nothing!" Qin Feng flared with anger, rose abruptly, releasing his aura, causing his clothes to snap and his hair to flutter.

The mighty aura pressed down on the hall, making everyone's hearts jolt with shock, especially the old man just now, who shuddered violently and nearly fell.

"You, you, you, you—disrespectful of elders, committing grave treason..." the old man, heedless, as if suffering great humiliation, pointed at Qin Feng's arm, trembling nonstop.

"If you utter another word, I will make sure your branch never steps out of the manor again!" Qin Feng's expression was blank, but his voice was cold.

The old man's face flushed, veins bulging on his forehead; he opened his mouth but could not utter a word, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"Someone, take him out!" Qin Feng ordered.

The guards came forward and carried the old man outside.

Someone felt resentful and wanted to intervene, but ultimately did not step forward.

Qin Feng channeled his power, his aura growing stronger; he scanned the crowd, oppressive to the extreme, then slowly spoke: "My parents met disaster abroad, even the Captain and the guards were all slain, indicating a powerful enemy abroad. A few days ago, over twenty assailants stormed the Qin Manor, seeking to exterminate my branch; among them was a seventh-rank martial artist. What does that signify?"

He paused, letting them digest: "It means our vast Qin Family actually received no prior warning, meaning some force concealed their movements. Investigation revealed the seventh-rank martial artist was from Lianyun Stronghold; such an expert entering the city could not go unnoticed—yet our Qin Family had no knowledge!"

"Within the city, there are forces seeking our demise!"

"Last night, Fu Ye Ye, the Qin Family's ostensible strongest, was lured out by a seventh-rank expert leading a gang, while an eighth-rank expert lurked in the shadows. If I had not concealed my strength and arrived in time to slay the seventh-rank and grievously wound the eighth-rank, what would have happened? Fu Ye Ye would have been killed, and then what would follow?"

"The Qin Family is doomed!"

"You too will be doomed!"

"Our Qin Family already faces a life-or-death crisis, yet you—no countermeasures, no concentration of strength, still scheming in the dark for power, a bunch of short-sighted fools."

"If the main branch falls, do you still think you'll fare better? Delusional. Even if you don't die, your men will be enslaved, your women defiled, and you will sink into lowliness." "Didn't you think of that?"

"Now, besides me, who among you can legitimately take charge of the Qin Family?"

"Who can make all Qin descendants convinced?"

"Who can bear this great banner?"

"Who possesses the strength to slay a seventh-rank and grievously wound an eighth-rank?"

"Besides me, who?!"

Qin Feng's voice boomed, each utterance higher than the last, reverberating in the hall, making everyone's ears ring. At the end, he swung his palm and smashed the nearby table to pieces, making everyone shudder.

They also all showed looks of astonishment.

Some, unaware of the details, were shocked by the perilous situation facing the Qin Family.

They were also shocked by Qin Feng's strength.

Fifteen years old, slaying a seventh-rank and grievously wounding an eighth-rank?

Some came to their senses, gazing at him with fiery eyes.

Because they now understood what this signified: the Qin Family would produce an invincible expert who would lead it to rise again, even stronger.

"Since you're all here, today I announce one matter: I have taken the position of Qin Family head. As of today, who approves, who opposes?" Qin Feng spoke again, his tone icy.

His voice was low, without emotional fluctuation.

Only his aura enveloped the entire hall.

Second Uncle wanted to speak, but remained silent.

Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle exchanged a glance, both showing a complex expression, and in the end said nothing.

"Is there anyone who objects?" Qin Feng scanned the room, sat down slowly, "Then, from now on, I am the head of the Qin Family."

"Salute the family head!" Qin Kai rushed in, dropped to one knee, "I am willing to die serving the family head!"

"I am willing to die serving the family head!"

A few of the accompanying guards also dropped to one knee.

"Salute the family head!"

Someone took the lead; combined with the legitimacy of the title and the crisis facing the Qin Family, the decisive factor was Qin Feng's displayed power, causing the others to bow repeatedly.

Qin Feng silently exhaled.

Just as he said, after last night's events, he truly understood that the Qin Family was perched on the crater of a volcano, ready to be blown to pieces at any moment.

Especially his own displayed strength, which would certainly unsettle the enemies and make them try every trick to put him to death.

So now the most important thing is to consolidate the Qin Family's strength.

He even prepared to carve out the second branch as a warning to the rest, but did not expect it to go so smoothly.

In fact, he also made the worst-case plan: simply dust himself off and leave, find a hideout in a mountain ravine, cultivate diligently for a few years, and then return to strike back.

As for the clan?

Even though he merged with his former self's memories, there truly isn't much feeling.

"Most of you are of my grandfather's generation, uncle's generation, so you should know the danger our Qin Family faces," Qin Feng said after having everyone stand up. "We share each other's glory and each other's loss. For the glory of the Qin Family, for preserving this legacy, I will now adjust the family enterprises, the guards, and so on, consolidating our strength. If anyone dares to outwardly comply but secretly oppose, to block the Qin Family from overcoming this crisis and achieving new brilliance, then don't blame me if I turn my face and refuse to recognize you, don't blame me if my long sword stains the clan with blood!"

"Alright, everyone sit down; let's discuss what we will face next and how to respond," Qin Feng reined in his power, smiled, and shouted, "Xiao Qing, bring tea!"

The oppressive atmosphere eased.

The crowd also exhaled a breath of staleness.

They talked for a long time but produced no constructive ideas, and eventually each went their separate ways.

Qin Feng was about to have lunch when Xiao Qing came over.

Qin Bo followed behind.

Because of last night's incident, Qin Feng placed the other person beside him to serve.

"Young master, you have brought back what was sent out to be found," Xiao Qing said.

"Brought it back?" Qin Feng rejoiced, and hurried out.

(End of chapter)