Chapter 13

The men in black attacked with their sharp swords. The spiritual pressure soared around Zong Zi Heng, and his sleeves fluttered in the still air. His pupils were bloodshot, and his spiritual power rushed into his hand that was holding the long sword. When he attacked, his spiritual pressure changed into a tangible sword arc that had the power of sweeping out a thousand armies, and it was sharp and unstoppable.

All the men in black were knocked out by the enormous force. Bricks on the ground were sent flying, and all the tables, chairs, and dishes were shattered. Even cracks appeared on the two large wooden support beams in the lobby, and they looked like they might collapse at any moment.

Zong Zi Xiao was shocked and muttered, "Seventh Chongtian*..."

Zong Zi Heng had just grasped the Seventh Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword Technique and could not control it yet. This move was truly powerful, but it had overdrawn his spiritual power. He spat out blood from his mouth and his body swayed as he knelt down.

"Big brother!" Zong Zi Xiao supported Zong Zi Heng and cried out helplessly.

"Run...quickly..." Zong Zi Heng pushed Zong Zi Xiao, "Run."

"No, big brother, let's go together, let's go together!"

"Run!" Zong Zi Heng pushed Zong Zi Xiao out with all his strength.

That group of black men was badly injured, but two of them were already struggling to get up.

Zong Zi Xiao sat down on the ground and looked at his big brother with a face full of tears but refused to go.

"Go!" Zong Zi Heng’s whole body was covered in blood. His expression was grim and desperate like a dying beast.

Zong Zi Xiao bit his lips until blood oozed out. He wiped away his tears, got up from the ground, forced the door open, and rushed out.

Zong Zi Heng blocked the door and said viciously, "If you…want my golden core, then... let my younger brother go, or else..." He put his sword against his neck. "Your efforts will be wasted."

Sure enough, the man in black paused in his footsteps: "Alright then. You shall dig out the golden core yourself. The Little Highness’s golden core can't be compared to Your Highness's. Breaking through the seventh Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword at such a young age, I cannot keep you alive."

Zong Zi Heng felt the golden core in his body. When his spiritual energy was abundant, it was like a surging spiritual lake. From the formation of the core till now, not only was it the condensed crystal of his lifelong cultivation, but it was also like a source of vitality. A cultivator who lost his golden core was no different from a dead person.

Zong Zi Heng closed his eyes and covered his dantian with his bloody hands.

How can I let you fall into the wrong hands?

Suddenly, a sword flew in from outside the window, heading straight to the support beam.

The wooden beam, which was already damaged by Zong Zi Heng's sword energy, could no longer withstand the blow and broke with a loud bang.

As soon as one was broken, the other one had difficulty bearing the weight on its own, and the whole inn collapsed in a rumble.

Zong Zi Heng was just beside the door, and he did all he could to escape. A few screams came from behind him.

He toppled onto the ground. He saw the bricks and stones that were falling towards his head, yet he had no more energy to dodge.

A small hand suddenly yanked him and dragged him far away.

Zong Zi Heng looked up and saw that it was Zong Zi Xiao.

"...It's you?"

"Get up, big brother." Zong Zi Xiao tried to help him up, but he was also out of energy.

Zong Zi Heng's spiritual energy was exhausted, and he had lost too much blood. Hanging onto his last trace of sanity to keep himself conscious, he said weakly: "Didn't I tell you to...run..."

"How can I abandon you and run by myself? I want to go together with big brother."

Zong Zi Heng had no energy left to reply. He was afraid that they were still not out of danger. He only hoped that Zong Zi Xiao would leave as soon as possible.

"Your Highness, Ninth Highness!"

Hearing Huang Hong and Huang Wu's voices, the tension finally left his body. Zong Zi Heng's vision gradually blurred until it was pitch black.

---

In Zong Zi Xiao's memory, his big brother always smelled like orchids. His clothes, hair, and quilt were fragrant. Everything about him was fragrant.

But now, that light and refreshing orchid fragrance was gone. Only the bitterness of medicine and the stench of blood remained. His big brother, who was emitting this smell looked so pale that he was almost transparent, as if he might die at any time.

Zong Zi Heng was in a coma for two days, and Zong Zi Xiao stayed at his bedside for two days until he woke up. As if waking up from a nightmare, he suddenly called out "Xiao Jiu" in a panic.

"Big brother, big brother, I'm here." Zong Zi Xiao gently pressed his big brother's shoulder to prevent him from moving around and agitating the wound.

Zong Zi Heng's gaze gradually found focus. After seeing the person in front of him, his body went limp, and the pain spread throughout his body. He endured it without uttering a word and stared blankly at the drapery above his head: "You...I..."

"I'm fine. You're injured, but your golden core is still here. Big brother, they didn't get their way." Zong Zi Xiao held Zong Zi Heng's hand, and his eyes teared up again.

Zong Zi Heng let out a long breath and gently squeezed Zong Zi Xiao's small and warm hand: "Where am I?"

"We are in Exian*. This is the Exian branch of the Chunyang Sect. Huang Hong and Huang Wu brought us here."

"Are they okay?"

"They were also injured, but big brother suffered the most injuries." Zong Zi Xiao said indignantly, "As guards, they are not good at protecting their master. They’re so useless!"

"It happened suddenly, so it's not their fault." Zong Zi Heng remembered what happened at the inn and still felt scared. "That Gong Shu Ju is so powerful... By the way, has the culprit been caught?"

Zong Zi Xiao shook his head disappointedly: "At that time, we were afraid that there might be danger, so we escaped. After settling down, they brought the people from Chunyang Sect back to take a look. The inn was burnt down. Although they dug up a few bodies, none of them could be identified. The caster must have run away."

As they were talking, Huang Hong and Huang Wu knocked on the door and entered. Seeing that Zong Zi Heng had woken up, it was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. The two knelt in front of the bed and said with shame, "I failed to protect Your Highness. I really have no face to see Your Highness."

Zong Zi Xiao said angrily, "Save these words for the emperor."

"The enemy came prepared to ambush us. You guys don't have to blame yourselves too much." Zong Zi Heng asked, "The emperor came?"

"The emperor arrived at Mount Shu yesterday. Mount Shu is not far from here. He should be here soon."

"Mount Shu..." Zong Zi Heng suddenly remembered something, "The Jiaolong assembly!"

Huang Hong said unbearably, "Your Highness, the Jiaolong assembly has already started."

Zong Zi Heng's mind went blank.

The Jiaolong assembly had already started, and he was still in bed.

Four years ago, he was only twelve years old. He could only try at the Jiaolong assembly back then, mainly just to see and experience the world. But this year's Jiaolong assembly was his last chance, and everyone had high hopes for him. He had a firm mind and vowed to win the first place in one fell swoop, so as to bring back the glory of Daming’s Zong Clan.

But now it was too late. He had missed such an important event. How could he face his father and mother?

Zong Zi Xiao said comfortingly, "Big brother, don't think about this. Just take care of your injuries. Since you can comprehend the Seventh Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword, none of your peers will be able to rival you. You don't have to win the competition to prove yourself.

Zong Zi Heng's eyes were dim just like extinguished lights: "Father and mother will be very disappointed."

"No, they won't blame you. Father will definitely find those demonic cultivators to avenge us!"

Zong Zi Heng was silent. His heart hurt more than his body's wound. Since young, he had always regarded the Jiaolong assembly as his greatest goal because everyone said that as the eldest prince of the Zong Clan, he must outperform the other sons of other families at the Jiaolong assembly.

Unexpectedly, God would tease him like this and let his efforts turn into nothing.

Huang Wu said, "Your Highness, Ninth Highness is right. You don’t need anyone to prove your talent and diligence."

"Then how should I prove it?" Zong Zi Heng said quietly.

The room was silent for a moment.

Huang Hong coughed lightly, "Your Highness, the senior brother of the Chunyang sect's leader has arrived from Jingzhou to investigate our attack on the inn in Gutuo Town. Do you want to see him?"

Zong Zi Heng closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm tired, you guys leave first."

The two brothers, Huang Hong and Huang Wu, retreated.

Zong Zi Xiao remained by his bedside. His eyes were watching Zong Zi Heng unblinkingly. Taking in his pain, disappointment, and remorse one by one, his heart sank unbearably. It was only after a long time that he mumbled out, "Big brother, are you in pain?"

Zong Zi Heng said softly, "No."

"Liar."

Zong Zi Heng forced a smile: "Then why are you asking me?"

Zong Zi Xiao held Zong Zi Heng's hand and gritted his teeth, "Big brother, I was too useless to help you."

"You are not allowed to say that. In the end, it was you who saved big brother's life by causing the inn to collapse with your sword."

"But when they were attacking you, I couldn't do anything to help and dragged you down instead."

"You didn't drag me down. With or without you, we would have had a hard time escaping this disaster." Zong Zi Heng thought of what those men in black had said, and the wounds on his body were throbbing painfully once again, "These demonic cultivators are so unbridled. They even dare to crave our golden cores. Which cultivator in this world will be safe?"

"When father catches them, he will definitely hack them into pieces!" Zong Zi Xiao only felt his hatred rising towards the sky. He had never seen Zong Zi Heng look so fragile and downhearted before. That gentle and smiling big brother who seemed to be omnipotent had been hurt like this!

Zong Zi Heng thought of the Jiaolong assembly that he had missed. Even if he caught those men now, time could not be reversed.

Zong Zi Xiao crawled onto the bed. He put his face gently against Zong Zi Heng's shoulder. He sniffled and whispered, "Big brother, I will never skip class and be lazy again. From now on, I will listen to big brother. I will become very strong and powerful so that no one can hurt big brother anymore."

Zong Zi Heng gently held his younger brother's hand, thinking that at least the both of them had escaped from death, which was already a great fortune in misfortune. He felt much more comforted. He smiled lightly and said, "Good, Xiao Jiu has become more sensible."

---

Later in the evening, Zong Zi Heng got up with difficulty. After dinner, Zong Zi Xiao was feeding him medicine when he heard a rush of footsteps approaching from outside the house, followed by the door being roughly pushed open and banging against the wall.

"Father!"

Zong Ming He looked at Zong Zi Heng. His expression was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with anger.

"Father, I ......"

"You stranded yourself in that poor countryside for an unknown walking corpse, exposed your identity, provoked the demonic cultivators, caused your younger brother to get in danger because of you, and even missed the Jiaolong assembly. Are you stupid?!"

There was dead silence in the room.

Zong Ming He's anger came straight at Zong Zi Heng, causing him to feel a pain that burned his heart and lungs.

As the eldest son, he was forced to be precocious and sensible at an early age, but he was only sixteen years old after all. Barely surviving and being bedridden due to injuries at this time, he thought that his father would at least comfort him, but he did not expect...

Zong Zi Xiao was the first to come back to his senses: "Father, how can you blame big brother for this? He..."

"Shut up!" Zong Ming He said sternly, "Do you know the importance of the Jiaolong assembly? Do you know that you can only win but not lose this battle? Do you know that as the eldest son, you are shouldering the mission of reviving the Zong clan? But you missed the Jiaolong assembly for some nonsense. What's the use of giving birth to you?!"

Zong Zi Heng's eyes were red. He stiffly gripped the blanket with his fingers. His lips were moving, but he was unable to speak.

Zong Zi Xiao stood up: "Father, w-why are you saying such things? We were attacked, and big brother almost died."

"Then whose fault is it? Right now, both of you should be in Mount Shu's Yunding, not here. The Jiaolong assembly or the walking corpse, can't you tell which is more important? Who told you to meddle in other people's business? Who wanted to investigate it? Who was it that wanted to stay in that inn? Was it your younger brother? Was it Huang Hong and Huang Wu?!"

Zong Zi Heng said in a trembling voice: "It was...me."

"You not only missed the Jiaolong assembly, but you also let Zi Xiao follow you into danger. You're the one who brought him out. If anything bad happens to him, how are you going to explain?!"

"...... It's my fault." Zong Zi Heng held back his tears, falteringly lifted the quilt, and wanted to get out of bed.

"Don’t move, big brother!"

Zong Zi Xiao hurriedly supported Zong Zi Heng with his hand but was pushed away by him. He endured the pain of his injuries and insisted on climbing out of bed.

Zong Ming He looked coldly at his eldest son kneeling in front of him with difficulty.

Zong Zi Heng kowtowed deeply, and his voice was trembling beyond recognition, "I was wrong, I've let father down."

However, Zong Ming He did not look at him again, "Zi Xiao, return to Daming with me."

"But big brother..."

"Let’s go."

"No, I want to stay with big brother!"

"Huang Hong and Huang Wu."

"Yes."

Although Huang Hong was feeling awkward, he still had to go over and pick up Zong Zi Xiao in his arms.

Zong Zi Xiao kicked and punched angrily, "Go away, don't touch me, go away! Big brother----"

Zong Ming He flicked his sleeves and left. Zong Zi Xiao was also taken away. In an instant, Zong Zi Heng was the only one left in the room. He still maintained his kneeling position with his head lowered into the dust. A while later, his shoulders twitched slightly.

 

----

Chongtian* [重天] ---There isn't a good explanation on google. Usually, this term is used in Buddhism. In this novel, you can treat Chongtian like a level. The higher the Chongtian, the higher the level. In this novel, you will not only encounter the Seventh. Eighth and Ninth chongtians will also be in this novel.

Exian* [鄂县] ---the current Hubei province now

Editor Thoughts:

Heya! It's been a while since I did some explanation on stuff so today I'm back with another episode of "Limit Explanations" (sounds quite lame I'm sorry LOL). But anyway, today I'm gonna talk about this concept of "face". To newer readers and maybe veterans readers who never understood this, "face" is a concept that is quite frequently used in Chinese. When we say something like we lose face, or we have no face to meet you, or I just threw my face, don't imagine it literally please the image is a little disturbing LOL. 

Throwing my face is a term used when you or someone else embarrasses you.

Lose face has somewhat the same meaning as throwing your face I guess...? But I would say that usually, it's an event that causes embarrassment to you that makes you "lose face?" 

No face to meet someone is something like you are too embarrassed to meet someone.

Let me give you an example of this:

Kid: "Mum, I've scored last in class for exams"

Mum: "How could you do something so disgraceful? You just threw our family's face/made our family lose face. Now I don't have the face to meet your Aunt anymore. I heard that her daughter got first in her cohort."

The example is a little extreme but I hope you get the gist of it. I'm sure you'll see the concept of face coming up every now and then so just take note! (and please don't imagine the person becoming faceless when he says he has no face xD)

Took a short break last weekend so I ended up with a short lesson to make up for it ^^ I hope that it was educational! As usual, if you liked this chapter, leave a like and comment below!

Edited on 12 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

Edited on 16 Jul. 21 (Ari)

Edited on 2 Aug 21 (Limit)

 

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