Chapter 175: What Is Called a Reversal

The atmosphere in the Ancestral Hall grew increasingly tense; sparks were visibly bursting forth.

Zhou Laixi was accustomed to acting like a tyrant within the village and the clan; no one dared to defy his family, and he was practically a local despot.

Although they were all of the same lineage, as generations passed, the so-called blood relationship had faded.

Relying on his cunning, his many sons, and the favor he had curried with the Grand Elder, he firmly held the power of the family in his hands.

He only had to coax someone like Zhou Laiwei, who served as the family's muscle; all other clansmen were treated like lackeys to be ordered around.

He had never imagined there would come a day when a member of the younger generation would challenge him.

Zhou Laixi gave two dry laughs, which echoed in the crowded Ancestral Hall, sounding strangely hollow.

It was too quiet; everyone had their eyes wide open and their mouths tightly shut, not daring to let out a breath.

"Kid, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhou Laixi's sons were used to being overbearing; they glared with wide eyes, rolled up their thick arms, and prepared to throw their weight around.

They were forced back by a single look from Zhou Laiwei: "If you don't want to die, don't move."

These burly men looked broad-waisted and thick-armed, but they were all just bloated with wine and meat, hollow and lacking true substance.

With their shallow, forceful boxing, wasn't it suicide to dare to lay a hand on Zhou You? The Ancestral Hall could not be stained with blood; offending the ancestors would surely bring a great omen of disaster! Zhou Laixi's heart skipped a beat; even the best fighter in the clan was standing on the other side—this was bad.

He forced a smile and said, "I wouldn't dare talk nonsense in front of the ancestors; what have I done?"

He considered himself intelligent and cunning, believing no one knew of the bad things he had done, so he stubbornly refused to yield.

Zhou You was just a kid from the city who had only been here a few days; what could he possibly know? "You embezzled public funds under the guise of renovating the Ancestral Hall, thinking you were being discreet, but do you not know it has already been exposed?"

A gasp of shock erupted in the Ancestral Hall; stealing money meant for the Ancestral Hall was something that would get one's spine poked by everyone.

What a beast! Zhou Laixi's expression was one of shock; the matter was known only to him and his sons, so how did he know? Zhou Laodie looked at Zhou You, his eyes asking: How do you know? Zhou You's eyes replied: I don't, I'm just scaring him.

There is no one who handles infrastructure contracting who doesn't take the opportunity to skim off the top; you don't even need evidence, one guess is always right.

Zhou Laixi and his sons were fat and greasy from their gluttony; was there any need to doubt their innocence?

"Furthermore, you and your sons have run rampant in the village, and the clansmen have dared to be angry but not speak; you've borrowed grain without returning it, seized land, harassed women, and haven't you often kicked down the doors of widows at night?"

Another gasp of shock! The expressions of Zhou Laixi's sons were sheepish, undoubtedly admitting to having done similar things.

A nest of scum! Zhou Laodie's gaze was even more astonished: You know this too?

Zhou You's eyes replied: Basic behavior for a bully, don't be surprised, I just said it at random and hit the mark.

Do not underestimate the moral bottom line of villains in a rural, pastoral setting; the answer is that there is no bottom line.

The countryside is not a place where reason prevails; when things happen, people only look at who has more men and more fists. If you can't reason, you curse; if you can't win the cursing, you fight.

There are armed feuds between different villages, and within the village, there is fighting over fields, water sources, livestock, and women.

Zhou Laixi had several adult sons, was full of evil schemes, and knew how to bully the weak, fear the strong, and deceive the Grand Elder, so he quickly occupied the top of the village's ecological food chain.

Which of the young women in the village with any beauty hadn't been taken advantage of? There was even a widow who was forced to jump into a river, and the matter was left unsettled afterward.

As for the land of neighboring houses, secretly moving boundary stones at night to annex others' fields was a daily operation.

Under the oppressive atmosphere, beneath the cold expressions of many clansmen, anger was brewing, constantly on the verge of erupting.

It seems that for all these years, the Zhou Laixi family hasn't done a single human thing, only things that aren't human.

If they hadn't provoked Zhou You's father today, they could have continued to live carefree, acting as a village despot.

"Zhou Laifu, you and your son are deliberately causing trouble and ruining our family's reputation, aren't you?"

Zhou Laixi realized what was happening and pointed at Zhou Laodie, shouting curses.

Laifu? Who are you calling that!

Zhou Laodie decided to go all out and retorted, "You can do these things, but we can't talk about them? Everyone, judge for yourselves: who is ruining the family reputation today?"

The surroundings were deathly silent; for years, Zhou Laixi's tyrannical power had been too strong, and under that shadow, no one dared to speak. "Fourth Brother, don't get involved in this; beat them out for me."

Zhou Laixi glared, and his sons rolled up their sleeves and rushed forward.

Did I do a bad thing despite my good intentions?

Zhou Laiwei closed his eyes, shook his head, folded his arms, and stayed out of it.

Zhou You saw the several vigorous, burly men pouncing over and didn't forget to remind his father, "It's fine, it's fine."

Zhou Laixi's sons practiced the family's Zhou Family Fist; each punch they threw carried the wind, and the surrounding clansmen, fearing they would be hit, scrambled back in terror, clearing a large open space.

Some even couldn't bear to watch and closed their eyes, listening to the sounds.

Ouch, ouch—miserable cries followed one after another, immediately accompanied by a series of dull thuds.

So many people present hadn't seen it clearly; in the blink of an eye, the several burly men were all lying on the ground, twitching.

Only Zhou Laiwei saw it: Zhou You's punch was like sweeping away fallen leaves, striking them all at once.

It was a seemingly plain punch, yet it left the several strong men unable to rise, without even the strength to groan.

"A lesson is enough; don't kill anyone."

Zhou Laiwei kindly reminded him; he could see that Zhou You was unconstrained by any taboos, and he explained, "Some things should be discussed after leaving the Ancestral Hall."

This Fourth Uncle was quite devious himself, directly hinting that he would settle accounts later, regardless of whether they were beaten to death.

Zhou You shook his head; there was no need. He had already ruptured their internal organs with that punch; nothing could be seen now, but in a month or two, they would vomit black blood and die suddenly.

The mastery of Qi and blood was like the King of Hell summoning a soul; if he said you would die at the third watch, it would never be delayed until the fifth.

"Grand Elder! You are still alive, and yet there are unfilial descendants causing trouble!"

Seeing that his sons couldn't win, Zhou Laixi used his final move: crying, making a scene, and...

He wailed, tears and snot flowing wildly; he really could set aside his pride in front of everyone.

The commotion was so great that no matter how soundly the Grand Elder was sleeping, he was woken up.

The old man was helped out and was startled to see Zhou Laixi kneeling on the ground, "The ground is cold, get up quickly."

Zhou Laixi pointed behind him, "Look at Zhou Laifu's son; look at what he's done to my sons!"

"It doesn't look like anything happened!"

The Granduncle squinted his eyes to look, then shook his head.

It turned out that the several burly men were rubbing their bellies and had already stood up from the ground, feeling that a Qi-Blood Warrior was not so formidable after all; the pain had faded so quickly that they and their brothers could still fight him again.

They were safe and sound, so the emotions Zhou Laixi had been brewing fell flat, and he was momentarily speechless.

"Granduncle, you must uphold justice for me; I am devoted to the public good, but what does that greenhorn know? He actually slandered his elder—don't you think we should invoke the family law?"

Hearing him crying and shouting, the Granduncle became even more confused and directly called Zhou Laiwei to his ear to explain in detail.

A moment later, the Granduncle sighed and beckoned to Zhou You, "Come inside, I have questions to ask."

Zhou Laixi wanted to follow, but was stopped by his fourth brother, "The Granduncle only called for Zhou You to enter alone."

Turning into the back hall of the Ancestral Hall, it was the place where the Granduncle had just been taking a nap; the space was not large, and the light was relatively dim.

"..."

The Granduncle sighed again.

Zhou You was still wondering what he was going to say when he suddenly heard a thud.

The Granduncle had knelt down before him! (End of chapter)