Chapter 317: The Expectations Of The General Public
It was rare to see a low-level spiritual weapon in C County.
In the past when Mike owned a high-level spiritual weapon, he stood out in the whole of C County and became the envy of numerous people at that time.
But time had changed. As several large-scale mines were discovered and exploited in C County, warriors became richer. Now, a few spiritual weapons were seen in C County.
The master of the Huang Clan was the one who prospered most rapidly with the thriving mining business. He was so wealthy that he could even afford a middle-level spiritual weapon.
Living in C county, Bryson's knowledge was limited to spiritual weapons. On the other hand, when it came to fairy weapons, Bryson thought that they were legends.
As Bryson gawked at Zen's sword, Zen said in a cold voice, “Bryson, did you hear that? That is how the junior members of the clan see you in their hearts. As the master of the clan, you have proved to be a complete failure.”
Bryson smiled mirthlessly. The twelve long swords behind him began to tremble. “How dare you say I'm a failure! These children are only trying to cause trouble. Do you think a child's lie can oust me? Do any older members support you?”
As soon as Bryson finished speaking, three middle-aged men walked into the Martial Arts Hall, followed by a dozen children of the clan.
“We support Zen,” the middle-aged man who led the team said.
“Bryson, you have gone too far in these past few years…” another middle-aged man added.
The three middle-aged men were Zen's uncles.
After they heard Zen's accusations, many of which implicated Bryson, they gathered the clan's children and rushed to the hall.
“Cletus, Hodge, and Chet! You want to rebel against the Luo Clan?” Bryson's face darkened as if a rainstorm were looming.
He knew that if elders in the clan stepped forward, then the matter would grow more serious. Zen's uncles were the heads of the other branches of the Luo Clan. As long as they chose to rebel, the members belonging to their branches would also follow them.
“Bryson, we're rebelling against you, not the Luo Clan!” Cletus Luo said.
They had long been dissatisfied with Bryson's and Ken's actions in the clan. However, what had prevented them from revolting was their concern that no one else was eligible enough to serve as the new leader. And, most importantly, no one dared to be the first to rebel against Bryson.
None of the clan branches felt as though they were strong enough to lead this coup. They were also aware that Bryson would slaughter the first person to rebel.
All they needed was an opportunity.
Once Zen returned, the older members felt that he was trustworthy. So they chose to back Zen unanimously.
Bryson sighed when he heard Cletus Luo. He sneered. “Okay, so this is how it is. If a wall starts tottering, everyone wants to shove it. But I tell you, you… will all regret it.”
At this time, they heard the sounds of a walking stick hitting the floor. The noise was coming from the gate of the Martial Arts Hall.
The clicking sound neared.
A grey-haired aged man ambled toward the hall with the help of two servants. In his hand, he held a crutch. The man was about ninety and on the verge of senility.
With great effort, the old man finally managed to reach the gate of the hall. He paused a while to take a breath before speaking in a hoarse voice, “Bryson, we… we will not regret our decision!”
The old man was a senior member of the clan. He was one of the few remaining members from the last generation and enjoyed high respect. He was Mike's grandfather. In terms of relationships, the old man would be Zen's great grandfather, Bridger.
“Grandfather, you also came?”
“Great grandfather has come here. He can't walk. How did he make it?”
“Great grandfather also supports Zen! Today, we will unite and topple Bryson!”
The children of the Luo Clan were in an uproar.
Bridger seldom appeared in public because of his senility. However, his seldom appearances couldn't change the fact that he was the oldest living man with the highest seniority in the Luo Clan.
Despite the fact that he could barely walk, nobody dared to ignore him.
After all, sometimes, seniority overweighed strength when it came to matters pertaining to the clan.
“Grandfather, you…” Bryson was speechless.
'My grandfather, who has one foot in the grave, also came to make trouble for me. Is there anyone in the Luo Clan who will show any support for me?
Huh! It is all because of Zen. You all just took the opportunity to stir trouble because Zen returned. Just wait and see how I slice Zen into pieces later. Then I'll see what you have to say.'
As the thought coursed through Bryson's mind, he felt more hatred for Zen.
Zen walked through the crowd and stopped by Bridger's side. He bowed and said, “Great grandfather.”
Bridger reached out with a trembling hand and said with his hoarse voice, “Zen, the Luo Clan is now at a dead end. The mongrel who stands up there is the cause of our misery. We feel very sorry for what was done to you and your father. The Luo Clan disappointed you. Now, you are the only one who can save the Luo Clan.”
Zen nodded and said, “Great grandfather, I know. That's why I came back.”
The truth was that Zen had returned not because he wanted to take something from the Luo Clan.
In fact, he was wealthier than anyone else standing in the hall. The Streamer Sword, for example, was so expensive that even if all the assets in the Luo Clan were sold, they wouldn't be able to buy one-tenth of the sword.
But the Luo Clan was Zen's family. It was the place where he grew up. He had the same blood as the other members of the clan.
After he finished speaking, Zen jumped onto the roof. He gazed at Bryson coldly and said, “Bryson, did you hear that? Now you know what the clan members think. Who is the legitimate heir of the clan? What is the aspiration of all the people in the clan?”
Zen roared, "I am the direct descendant of the clan, and I'm the legitimate heir. This is the expectation of the general public, and this is the aspiration of all the people.
You, Bryson. You killed the eldest son of the clan and usurped the position of leader of the clan. You went against the trend of the times and let undesirable behavior of troublemakers go unchecked. The wall falls not because everyone is shoving it, but because you do not deserve to be the wall of the Luo Clan. A person who commits many injustices is doomed to fail. This outcome suits you well!"
Zen's?rebuke came in a loud voice and with a stern expression. Every word was like a hammer that hit Bryson's heart hard.
Zen knew that he was strong enough to crush Bryson. There was no need for him to speak so much. But he didn't plan to kill Bryson like this.
Yes, Zen hated Bryson to the core. Bryson had framed and killed Zen's father. He had squandered the family's fortune to satisfy his desires. He had locked Zen in the cellar and treated him like a dog.
Such hatred could not be erased with only a hack on his neck.
Zen's words hit home. Bryson's face paled, and his expression became sullen. After a short while, Bryson trembled intensively and spat a mouthful of blood.
“Bryson spat blood!”
“What happened? Zen only said a few words. How could that have made Bryson spit blood?”
“Is he afraid of Zen? Or is it because Zen's criticism distressed him so much?”
The children of the Luo Clan were dumbfounded.
Yan stood at the back. She glared at Bryson. While the children were stirred up by Bryson's reaction, Yan remained nonchalant. She was not surprised at all.
Everyone practicing the martial arts had a warrior spirit. It represented their belief, likes, dislikes, world views, etc.
The warrior spirit was, in fact, a kind of belief. The warrior spirit could be very fragile. Warriors had to reinforce their determination to strengthen their warrior spirit continuously.
Some warriors would provoke each other at the start of a fight. Some would resort to unfair means to weaken their opponents. They intentionally pointed out their opponents' weakness or ridiculed their strength and derided them. These were all tricks that meant to weaken the enemies' warrior spirit. If anyone's determination in martial arts wavered or cracked, the opponent would seize the chance and defeat him.
When Bryson saw Zen and all the people that supported him, Bryson's belief that he was the natural leader of the Luo Clan faltered. A crack began to form in his heart which was dedicated to martial arts.
And later, Zen denounced him and listed every fault and unfair action. Every word spoken by Zen rang in Bryson's ears. It was loud and clear and hit every nerve. Almost in an instant, Bryson's warrior spirit was breached by Zen. His determination for martial arts began to waver violently.
As the sudden bouts of anger and anxiety damaged his heart and mind, Bryson's body was affected. The damage had led to his mouth filling with blood.
“You spat blood, that shows that you have a bit of humanity left in you. You feel some guilt. But…” Zen shook his head and said, “It is too late. You have already led the Luo Clan into an abyss. I will clean up the mess you have made, but the price will be your life.”
“Hahahahahaha…”
Bryson suddenly laughed hysterically, almost madly. The roar of laughter continued for a while before it stopped.
“Yes, you're right. As you said, I'm sinful. But so what? You want to end my life? What makes you think that you can defeat me? If you died, who else in the Luo Clan would dare to act against me? Ours is a world that is ruled by strength!” Bryson went berserk, and his expression looked sinister. He shouted, “I'll kill Zen, then you, you and you, you old mongrel Bridger, Cletus Luo, Hodge Luo… Who else dares to be rebellious? And say unfavorable things about me?”
As soon as he finished, blood spurted from Bryson's mouth. Streams of malicious aura oozed from the blood. The deep purple life vitality that was attached to his swords turned to bloody red.
Every sword emitted a strong stench of blood as if those swords had slaughtered thousands of creatures.
“Zen, come on! Since you joined Cloud Sect, you must have grown in strength. Let me see whether all you have is a sharp tongue!”