Chapter 177: Repairing the Old House to Plot an Escape

"... Zhou Laixi and his family are expelled from the clan!"

The moment the Grand Elder announced his decision, Zhou Laixi collapsed to the ground on the spot, his face full of despair.

Confiscating property and driving one out of the clan was no different from a death sentence for any household.

Although Zhou You's family was not listed in the genealogy, the old house still stood, so the connection had not been completely severed.

In a situation like this, Zhou Laixi had truly become a stray dog.

"Grand Elder, have mercy! This is unfair to me."

Zhou Laixi wept with snot and tears; this time he was crying for real, without a hint of pretense.

He begged toward Jing, then saw Zhou You and realized with a start, "It must be this brat who used flowery words to deceive you. Grand Elder, listen to my explanation."

Sowing discord and instigating conflict had originally been his specialty, but he never expected to capsize in the gutter and have his home stolen by a mere stripling.

Zhou You watched his performance quietly, still thinking he could turn the tables—he probably didn't know what a dimensional strike was! You are just a tool for the Grand Elder to do dirty work, while I, the young master, am his master. With this relationship, how could you possibly turn the tables?

The Grand Elder waved his hand. "Say no more. Clan rules show no mercy. It is also your fault for being so disappointing and failing my trust."

Zhou Laixi's sons still wanted to act tough, folding their arms and surrounding them. "Grand Elder, you are senile."

As soon as the words fell, Tie Niu, who was behind Zhou Laiwei, moved forward without a sound and threw a punch.

The few burly men tangled together, all using the Family Fist Technique, yet their styles were worlds apart.

Tie Niu's fighting style was completely reckless; he faced the crowd without dodging, his punches landing like iron hammers or pile drivers.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! * The sound of fists hitting flesh made one's scalp tingle, and even the echoes of bones being struck could be heard.

A moment later, Zhou Laixi's sons fell to the ground for the second time; this time the injuries were more severe, and they could not get up at all.

"Tie Niu, throw them outside the gate. Don't dirty the Ancestral Hall."

At Zhou Laiwei's command, the young man Tie Niu grabbed one in each hand and tossed the groaning fellows out the gate like dead dogs, kicking up a cloud of dust as they landed.

Now it was completely quiet.

Zhou Laixi's fate had been sealed from the very beginning.

Opening the Ancestral Hall, paying respects to the ancestors, and burning incense to report the matter, the Grand Elder knelt on the ground with tears streaming down his face, telling the ancestors that the unfilial descendant Zhou Laixi had corrupted the family style, oppressed his clansmen, and committed unforgivable crimes, and was thus expelled from the family...

The clansmen wore expressions of vindication, and the way they looked at Zhou Laixi suggested they wanted to devour him; one could imagine how miserable this guy's future would be.

With a stroke across the genealogy page, the names of Zhou Laixi and his sons were crossed out; their branch was from now on unrelated to the Zhou Clan.

During festivals and holidays, when paying respects to the ancestors, they would not even be allowed near the ancestral graves.

"Stop crying. I'll see you out."

Zhou Laiwei stepped forward, lifted the limp Zhou Laixi, and with a slight exertion, tossed him out the door.

Zhou Laixi rolled a few times on the ground, his silk outer robe covered in mud, yet he had no broken arms or legs.

His sons helped Zhou Laixi up, and they limped away from the village, drifting further and further away.

Zhou You rubbed his chin; this Fourth Uncle was quite a character.

Others couldn't tell, but Zhou You saw it clearly: that throw by Zhou Laiwei had directly ruptured Zhou Laixi's internal organs, achieving the same effect as the punch Zhou You had thrown earlier.

Zhou Laixi wouldn't even have the chance to harbor hatred or seek revenge before he discovered his body rapidly deteriorating, and he would die suddenly within a few months.

With Zhou Laixi's family expelled, it was now Father Zhou's turn.

"Laifu, you have suffered grievances all these years. Hmm, considering your sincerity, I agree to your return to the genealogy."

The Grand Elder looked around with a kind expression. "Does anyone have any objections?"

No one questioned it; it was passed unanimously.

Father Zhou was so moved he wept with snot and tears, repeatedly saying the Grand Elder was benevolent and that he had previously been deceived by the villain Zhou Laixi.

The dark clouds parted to reveal the blue sky; nothing is better than one's own kin! Zhou You watched with a twitching mouth; if his father didn't have his help, he would surely be schemed against until not even dregs remained.

The clansmen also saw that the true turning point in this matter was Zhou You.

After the Grand Elder spoke with him, his attitude changed one hundred and eighty degrees immediately.

The truth was: the Grand Elder liked this junior very much, to the point of doting on him. "Laifu, come back to the old home often in the future, and get closer to Laiwei as well."

The Grand Elder had just said that Zhou Laiwei was the next Record Keeper he had designated, and also the Clan Head of the Zhou Clan.

Zhou Laiwei seemed to know something as well; facing Father Zhou, his cold face rarely melted a little, revealing a reluctant smile. "Brother Laifu."

Father Zhou returned to the big family of the clan, immersed in unprecedented happiness.

Seeing this, Zhou You breathed a sigh of relief; at last, one matter was settled.

Next...

"Repair the old house?"

While eating dinner that night, Father Zhou was in high spirits, recounting the events of the day with the tone of a man who believed good deeds were rewarded.

Hearing Zhou You suddenly suggest repairing the old house, he froze on the spot and fell into deep thought.

"Father, this is what I'm thinking: our relatives don't have it easy, so we should help where we can."

"Our family can scrape together some silver, put up a sum of money to repair the old house, and let the clansmen in the village help. We'll pay for their labor and meals, letting everyone earn a little money so they can at least afford a few feet of cloth or a few ounces of meat."

Proposing to repair the house was intended to keep him in his hometown for a while longer, and incidentally find something for his parents to do so they wouldn't always be watching him.

If he couldn't get away, how could he go to the Moun Mountain Stronghold to retrieve the Zang?

Father Zhou suddenly slapped his thigh. "Good idea! You're really sharp, You'er."

Now that he had returned to the clan and was living well, he couldn't let the old house fall into disrepair; it would have to be fixed sooner or later.

His son had also said that repairing the house would require labor, and hiring their own kin to help would give them a chance to earn some wages, which would also win him a good reputation.

One act, two benefits—it was settled.

The next day, Father Zhou went to discuss the house repairs with Zhou Laiwei.

The old house was too dilapidated; calling it a repair was effectively the same as tearing it down and starting over.

Bricks, tiles, wood, stone, lacquer, iron nails, as well as grain, oil, rice, and flour—all had to be purchased in sufficient quantities before work could begin.

Recruiting people is easy; Zhou Laiwei can hold down the fort, and the young men he selects are all loyal, honest, and capable.

"Father, I'm going to stay at Great-Grandfather's house for two days to keep him company."

Zhou Laodie was busy purchasing supplies and arranging personnel, and even Mother was bustling about; hearing this, she didn't even look up, "Go ahead, take good care of Great-Grandfather."

The clansmen in the village all know that Great-Grandfather is very fond of his son; Laifu's family is truly blessed!

Great-Grandfather's house...

"Great-Grandfather, don't kneel; it would be bad if outsiders saw you."

When he saw Zhou You, Great-Grandfather's first reaction was to kneel, but he was stopped by Zhou You.

Great-Grandfather chuckled, "There are few people here, and usually no one comes by."

"Whatever business the Young Master wants to attend to, feel free to do it; this old servant will cover for you."

Zhou You nodded, "Very well, I need to go out for a few days; tell everyone I'm staying at your place, and keep it hidden for me."

"How many days will you be gone?"

Zhou You calculated, "Three to five days at most."

"Done, Young Master, go ahead."

Great-Grandfather agreed readily.

With all matters fully prepared, Father was also busy repairing the house and had no time to pay attention to him, and he had Great-Grandfather to vouch for him.

Finally, he could set off for Cloud-Touching Stronghold to retrieve the treasure.

After Zhou You left the village, he brought up the Void Mask from the Armory, and his whole body squirmed to transform into the appearance of Lu Zhigang.

His second persona, Yan Ping, had not yet been fully developed and it was not yet time to use him; for this kind of work, Lu Zhigang still had to be the one to step out.

(End of chapter)