Chapter 80, Captivating Hearts and Execution

Translator: Raznick

 

Zhou Mingde who was furious like a roaring lion. Below him lay Zhou Zhengkang, trembling in fear, his liver and gallbladder nearly shattered, barely managing to keep from fainting. Never in his memory had he seen Zhou Mingde so enraged, and the fury was directed straight at him.

 

Looking at the jade vial held by Zhou Mingde and the numerous spirit coins pointed out by Zhou Daoyi, he was utterly terrified, his mind in turmoil. How could he possibly fabricate a plausible explanation on the spot? After all, the evidence spoke volumes. Now that he was caught red-handed, it was as if he were a foolish thief, leaving him speechless in defense.

 

“Mercy! Uncle, spare me! It was my moment of folly that led me to be deceived into this grave error!

 

“I was wrong. Please spare me, esteemed Uncle, out of respect for my late grandfather.

 

“I will make amends, I promise!”

 

Utterly horrified, Zhou Zhengkang ultimately chose to confess and beg for mercy, hoping Zhou Mingde would spare him once more, considering their familial bond.

 

However, he failed to notice that Zhou Daoyi, upon hearing his words, winced slightly and looked away out of disgust. Clearly, Zhou Zhengkang had no idea how well Zhou Daoyi knew Zhou Mingde.

 

He was unaware of Zhou Mingde’s temperament or the severity of his betrayal against the clan. For Zhou Mingde, this was an unbearable blow. How dare he even entertain the notion of forgiveness? It was almost laughable!

 

Zhou Mingde’s anger intensified further. He strode up to Zhou Zhengkang and looked down at him with a death glare, bellowing, “Speak the truth about how you conspired with outsiders. Dare to hold back anything, and I’ll execute you right here!”

 

As he spoke, he raised his hand, palm glowing with spiritual light, like flickering flames.

 

This sight struck Zhou Zhengkang with terror, spilling his guts and more.

 

He explained how Spirit Beast Manor had dispatched someone to lure him, and how he, enraged by Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi’s interference in his attempted entry into Green Lotus Monastery, had foolishly agreed to their scheme.

 

Not only was Zhou Mingde livid, but even Zhou Daoyi struggled not to lash out.

 

Zhou Mingde kicked Zhou Zhengkang away and roared, “Foolish brat! My brother was a clever and capable individual, how could he produce such a foolish descendant?”

 

“Xiao Lingyan is over two hundred years old, and you still dare entertain the idea of becoming her Dao companion?

 

“And what makes you think she would even look at you, you imbecile? Do you know what kind of person she used to be?

 

“What an utter fool! Once you reach Foundation Establishment and go to bed with her, you won’t last three days before exhausting your essence!”

 

It was no wonder Zhou Mingde was so furious. According to Zhou Zhengkang, the Spirit Beast Manor had taken the lead in luring a Violet Palace Stage cultivator named Xiao Lingyan with great ‘enthusiasm.’

 

She had promised that if he joined the Spirit Beast Manor after reaching Foundation Establishment, she would form a dual cultivation Dao companion relationship with him. This would allow her to help reach Violet Palace and even advance towards Golden Core Stage.

 

As for the Foundation Establishment Pill, artifacts, and spirit items that were promised beforehand, those were even more incredible—things not even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could dream of.

 

Any normal cultivator with a modicum of brain would know this was whisful thinking, but Zhou Zhengkang fell for it, which left Zhou Mingde absolutely livid.

 

Even Zhou Daoyi looked at Zhou Zhengkang with disappointment. “Zhengkang, Zhengkang,” he said, “If you betrayed the clan for your own path, though unforgivable, I could somewhat understand.

 

“But to be so shallow as to be deceived by Xiao Lingyan’s empty promises? To believe her words without question? It truly disappoints me.”

 

At this moment, Zhou Mingde seemed to recall something and glared at Zhou Zhengkang, saying: “So your body wasn’t taken by a woman rogue cultivator as you claimed earlier, but rather by that wicked Xiao Lingyan?”

 

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Zhengkang was completely speechless.

 

But Zhou Mingde, seeing his expression, knew he had guessed correctly.

 

He then roared furiously: “Damn whore! How dare she treat my clan with such disrespect! I swear I will make her pay for this!!”

 

Now it made sense to him why Zhou Zhengkang, the fool, had fallen for Xiao Linyan’s deception.

 

She was a stunning beauty of unparalleled charm, and her cultivation of secret art only added allure to her enticing looks.

 

It was no surprise that the dunce Zhou Zhengkang, in his early twenties, had been taken advantage of when she stole his yang essence. His usual arrogance and overconfidence left him devastated after being rejected, and with Xiao Linyan’s cunning seduction, he lost control and betrayed the clan.

 

“What of Jiahui? Where is she? If you want leniency, tell me everything!”

 

Zhou Daoyi fixed his gaze on Zhou Zhengkang and soon asked about Zhou Jiahui.

 

However, after hearing what he said, Zhou Zhengkang just turned his head away, not daring to look at him or answer.

 

Zhou Mingde roared: “You devil’s spawn! Tell the truth!”

 

But how could he?

 

No matter how stupid he was, he knew that if Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi knew that he had killed Zhou Jiahui and fed his body to the wolves, his fate was doomed.

 

Facing the their questioning, he could only bite the bullet and make up a lie temporarily and said: “I, I don’t know either. I just provided the information to Yu Deguang and gave him the bug that tracked Aunt Nineteenth and left it alone!”

 

Would a random lie fool these two experienced old masters of cultivation?

 

Zhou Daoyi said in a heavy voice with a heavy face: “It seems that he is unwilling to tell the truth. I am afraid that the real situation is much worse than we imagined!”

 

Zhou Mingde coldly fixed his gaze on Zhou Zhengkang and said, “You don’t want to tell the truth, do you? Then I’ll wring it out of you!”

 

He raised his hand and struck Zhou Zhengkang unconscious.

 

Then, he placed a hand on his waist, patted his storage bag, from which he took out a jade box.

 

When the jade box was opened, there was something resembling honey inside, from which crawled out a white worm-like creature that resembled a maggot yet sported two long antennae.

 

As Zhou Mingde gestured, the white worm instantly transformed into a streak of white light that vanished into Zhou Zhengkang’s nostril.

 

After some time, the seemingly unconscious Zhou Zhengkang “woke up.”

 

At this point, his eyes lacked focus, and his pupils were without expression, resembling a puppet.

 

Zhou Mingde looked at the lifeless figure before him, a flicker of unusual light passing through his eyes as he slowly spoke, “How is Zhou Jiahui now?”

 

“She is dead.”

 

Zhou Zhengkang opened and closed his mouth, softly answering Zhou Mingde’s question.

 

Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi frowned deeply.

 

Then Zhou Mingde continued to ask, “How did she die?”

 

“I stabbed her in the heart with my sword!”

 

Zhou Zhengkang answered without hesitation, seemingly oblivious to how detrimental his response was to himself.

 

At this point, Zhou Mingde restrained his anger and asked again, “Why did you kill her?”

 

“Because she noticed me following her and recognized me; I had to silence her!”

 

Then leaned back and fainted.

 

It turned out Zhou Mingde had been so enraged that he didn’t want to ask any more questions. He simply withdrew the Heart and Soul Seizing Bug that had been controlling Zhou Zhengkang’s mind.

 

“Senior Uncle, what will you do with him?”

 

Zhou Daoyi looked at the unconscious Zhou Zhengkang and asked the most critical question.

 

The truth was now completely revealed, leaving only conclusion undecided.

 

“A traitorous beast who profits from both sides—what use is keeping him alive? He should be publicly executed before all clan members as a warning to future generations!”

 

Zhou Mingde coldly glanced at Zhou Zhengkang and spoke in a chilling tone.

 

The more he had pampered Zhou Zhengkang, the more he now despised him. Now, he only wanted this foolish creature who had brought shame upon him to atone with his death!

 

“He most assuredly deserves death!”

 

Zhou Daoyi nodded in agreement first, acknowledging this verdict.

 

Then he shook his head and said, “However, executing him publicly in front of our clansmen does not seem advisable. Such a move could ignite the hatred of our people toward Spirit Beast Manor, escalate tensions between both sides, and also harm your reputation.”

 

He cupped his hands toward Zhou Mingde and suggested, “In my humble opinion, it would be better to secretly execute him under the guise of missing and then deliver his body to Yu Jinghua, compelling him to explain himself to us!”

 

Zhou Daoyi wasn’t the Clan Leader for nothing.

 

Zhou Zhengkang, who betrayed the Zhou Clan by turning against his own kind, ought to be publicly executed according to clan law to instill fear in the hearts of their people and serve as a stern warning.

 

Especially since the Zhou Clan had established its roots in Nine Peaks without ever having resorted to executing a clansman through public means.

 

If he were to publicly execute Zhou Zhengkang, who was once a prized Foundation Establishment seed of the clan, it would undoubtedly achieve an excellent intimidation effect. It would strike fear into the hearts of those who are not sufficiently loyal to the clan, and let them know how severe the consequences of betrayal against the clan could be.

 

However, the drawbacks of such an action were also obvious. As the descendant of Zhou Mingde, a Grand Elder, Zhou Zhengkang had always been favored and supported by the entire clan. But the highly anticipated Foundation Establishment seed of the clan betrayed the clan. What would the others feel after resenting the extraordinary treatment that Zhou Zhengkang received? How would they view Zhou Mingde, the Grand Elder? Would they trust the judgment of this Grand Elder anymore? The considerable prestige that Zhou Mingde had accumulated over the years would suffer a heavy blow. This was worked against  Zhou Mingde and the clan leadership.

 

A trust crisis, once formed, would have disastrous consequences for any faction. Zhou Mingde knew this well, but as the uncle of Zhou Zhengkang, he had to avoid any appearance of bias and could not bring it up himself. However, Zhou Daoyi, as the Clan Leader and overseer of the clan rules, stood as the third party.

 

Thus, after hearing Zhou Daoyi’s words, Zhou Mingde hesitated only slightly before nodding in agreement: “Alright, let’s do it as you suggested. I myself will go to perform the execution on this beast!!”

 

He awoke Zhou Zhengkang, whose mental state had been severely affected.

 

Turning to Zhou Zhengkang, who upon waking looked full of terror, Zhou Mingde angrily rebuked him: “Wretched creature, out of respect for our brotherly bond, you are to leave the Zhou Clan right now and never set foot in the Nine Peaks again!!”

 

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Zhengkang first seemed slightly taken aback, then filled with overwhelming joy as he repeatedly bowed and kowtowed: “Thank you, Uncle, thank you! I will leave at once, I will depart from the Zhou Clan immediately!!”

 

After speaking, he rushed out of the palace, scrambling forward in a panic, afraid that if he lingered any longer, Zhou Mingde might change his mind. Once outside, he discovered that both his storage bag and spirit beast pouch were missing. His face turned pale, and he glanced back at the Central Palace behind him before clenching his lips and fleeing toward the entrance of the estate in haste.

 

Compared to those possessions, he valued his own life more. After hastily leaving Nine Peaks, Zhou Zhengkang set a determined course straight for the Red Cliff Market. Deep down, he still harbored no regrets, clinging to the hope that throwing his lot with the Spirit Beast Manor would still earn him a welcome. Yet, he remained oblivious to the fact that even if he somehow survived the journey to the market, once he had outlived his usefulness, he would be discarded like stale rice.

 

Soon after leaving the Nine Peaks, less than a thirty miles away, a figure of intense reddish hue suddenly appeared before him.

 

“Fire Spirit Jackal!!”

 

As he looked at the enormous wolf-like creature with fiery red fur before him, Zhou Zhengkang’s face twisted in horror as he collapsed to his knees.

 

“No, Uncle! You broke your promise! You said you would spare my life!”

 

He let out a desperate scream, finally realizing the significance of the Fire Spirit Jackal’s appearance. In response, the Fire Spirit Jackal unleashed a fierce blaze from its mouth.

 

A crimson-red flame erupted, engulfing Zhou Zhengkang and reducing him to a pile of ash in mere moments—this ruthless man who had butchered his own kin.

 

“Without a body as evidence, Yu Jinghua likely won’t admit to anything,” someone remarked.

 

Inside the Central Palace, Zhou Daoyi gazed at the returning Fire Spirit Jackal. He shook his head lightly, sighing with regret.

 

But Zhou Mingde spoke coldly: “Whether Yu Jinghua admits it or not is beside the point. What matters is that I have lost my most beloved successor due to their Spirit Beast Manor. If he doesn’t give me an explanation for this, rest assured that the Zhou Clan will make them answer for it!”

 

Zhou Daoyi remained silent.

 

He could see that even after Zhou Zhengkang’s death couldn’t extinguish Grand Elder’s anger; if anything, it had grown stronger now that he had personally witnessed the execution of his own kin. And since this rage couldn’t be directed toward fellow members of the Zhou Clan, it naturally turned outward.

 

Zhou Mingde departed alone for the Spirit Beast Manor’s estate, still burning with fury.