Swordholder

He took a deep breath of the night air, pointed to the sky above, and sighed softly, "Young Master, this path is too difficult."

Chen Yuan tilted his head back, picked up the wine jar, and gulped down the entire jar of strong liquor. Then, he pointed his sword to the sky and shouted loudly:

"Divine authority has fallen, humanity should be respected, the world has changed hands, and peace reigns!"

A brilliant light suddenly burst forth from the originally cloudy and aged eyes of the Lake Lord!

Gazing at the young man drinking heartily under the blood-red moon, sword in hand, exuding confidence and arrogance, he exclaimed sincerely, "Young Master, what spirit and magnanimity you possess!"

Looking at Chen Yuan, who was full of heroic spirit, Chen Zhaoning and the others were all excited and their blood was boiling.

"Divine authority has fallen, humanity should be respected, the world has changed hands, and peace reigns!"

The crowd shouted in unison, raised their hands to clink the wine jars, and drank heartily.

Chen Zhaoning gazed at the starry sky, then slowly lowered her gaze to the carefree young man singing and wielding his sword under the blood-red moonlight, momentarily lost in thought.

"Ah Ning, the way you look at your younger brother is rather unusual."

Chen Jianchu spoke with a hint of sarcasm and curiosity.

"What's unusual about it?"

Chen Zhaoning snapped back to reality, rolled her eyes at him, and said disdainfully, "You're not convinced, are you? Come on, dare to have a drinking contest with me and see who's better!"

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who!"

Chen Jianchu immediately straightened his neck and, without saying a word, challenged his cousin Chen Zhaoning to a drinking contest.

The atmosphere on the deck became lively again, filled with laughter and cheers.

The Lake God looked at them, his cloudy eyes narrowing slightly, and a soft, humming sound rose from his lips as he began to chant.

"Autumn kills, winter kills, I ask Heaven for the way to survival, but only desolate hills bury my bones, and cold soil nurtures my lonely soul. My mortal body has tasted the marks of separation all my life..."

"Life leaves no trace, death leaves no spirit; let us offer a cup of wine to mourn the lonely grave. Chaotic clouds swirl in the cold mist, the sword withers, the root of evil remains, and life is gone..."

······

Chen Yuan and the others were slightly taken aback, and their souls were inexplicably saddened, but they did not pay much attention to it and continued to drink heartily.

Before long, everyone was thoroughly drunk amidst the melodious singing of the Lake God. They slumped to the ground, staggering and falling into a deep sleep, their snores filling the air.

Even Nuomi was clamoring to drink. Taking advantage of Chen Yuan and Li Wei's inattention, she secretly grabbed the wine jar and gulped down several large mouthfuls. Then, she hugged the empty wine jar, curled up to the side, and fell fast asleep, like a little kitten.

Uncle Hu stopped humming and, together with the Chen family guards, quietly watched the group of teenagers playing and sleeping soundly, his eyes full of gentleness and doting.

"Ah, youthful arrogance, how wonderful."

An elderly guard slowly approached Uncle Hu, gazing at the sleeping people on the deck, filled with emotion.

"yes."

Uncle Hu nodded slowly, his gaze falling on the group of spirited young men, and his own youthful days of recklessness and unruliness involuntarily surfaced in his eyes.

"We were young once too, and we were once passionate and reckless..."

As soon as Hu Bo finished speaking, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he abruptly turned his head to look at the lakeside.

As night fell, a large number of Tianqing County law enforcement guards quietly appeared, subtly surrounding the entire lakeside.

"Oh no, they've finally caught up with us."

The older guard looked solemn and said in a low voice.

"It's alright."

Hu Bo remained calm, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yuan and the others, who were sprawled out on the deck, fast asleep and drunk.

"That's enough about the little ones for today. Let them sleep peacefully."

The rest of the trouble will be handled by us old folks.

················

When Chen Yuan finally woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

He got up, washed up, took a refreshing shower, and changed into clean clothes.

This time, he wore a plain-colored long robe, his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, simple and elegant, like an ordinary boy next door, without the slightest hint of ostentation.

Given the Chen family's current high regard for him, it wouldn't be difficult for him to wear fine clothes and be adorned in luxury.

Chen Yuan, however, preferred this simple and carefree life, and was much more satisfied than the days he spent in Qingshan Village wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

Just then, a maid gently knocked on the open door.

"Young Master, the Patriarch requests your presence."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly and gestured for the maid to leave.

He then sat alone on the threshold of the courtyard gate, silently contemplating the aftermath of last night's events.

The old man's sudden summons was most likely because of the burning of the Spring Dream Pavilion last night.

Everyone got completely drunk in the latter half of last night. How will this end?

He had no idea how the Chen family had resolved the trouble.

As he was pondering, the light and shadow in front of him were suddenly blocked, and a warm hand gently rubbed the top of his head.

A familiar scent, accompanied by a unique, faint fragrance, lingered around his nose. Without even looking up, Chen Yuan knew who it was.

I simply sat still and let the other person do as they pleased.

"Hehe, my dear brother, handsome and mighty young master of the Chen family, you're awake?"

A crisp sound rang out, accompanied by an increased kneading force on his head, and Chen Yuan looked up helplessly.

As expected, the woman in his line of sight was Chen Zhaoning, whose face was stunningly beautiful and whose eyebrows exuded a heroic air, and who was giving him a bright and radiant smile.

"Hey, little brother, are you sitting here daydreaming and worrying because you're afraid of being punished by Grandpa?"

"no."

Chen Yuan shook his head and chuckled, "Why would your grandfather punish me?"

"What? My grandfather? He's our grandfather."

With a hint of smugness, Chen Zhaoning straightened her dress and sat down next to Chen Yuan.

The young boy and girl sat side by side on the threshold, gazing quietly at the distant rolling green mountains and the scattered palaces and pavilions on Five Finger Peak.

Even from here, looking down, you can see the shimmering waves of the palm-sized lake.

"Yes, it's our grandfather."

Chen Yuan responded in agreement.

Chen Zhaoning looked up at the sky, and even though the sun in the sky was covered by a layer of black mist, it could not hide the bright smile on her face.

She hugged her knees, her pale red lips parted slightly, "Hehe, as for whether Grandpa will punish you?"

"That's not necessarily true. Last night we burned down the Spring Dream Pavilion."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Chen Yuan's sharply defined profile, and suddenly said seriously, "However, if Grandpa wants to punish someone, then punish me as well!"

She paused, her tone growing increasingly firm: "Hmph, so what if we burned down the Spring Dream Pavilion? In my heart, we did nothing wrong!"

"Especially you, you did a wonderful job last night."

Even if Grandpa thinks you're wrong, I still believe you're right. In my heart, you're a great hero!

Hearing these words, which sounded like a declaration, Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback.

How could he not know a young girl's thoughts?

Immediately, he turned his head and looked at her quietly. Looking at her beautiful face so close to his, he sighed inwardly, thinking how wonderful the breath of youth truly was.

Chen Zhaoning felt a little flustered under his gaze, her eyes darting away for a moment before she quickly stood up.

"Hmph, I'm going to play with Nuomi! Go see Grandpa yourself. If he dares to scold you, just tell him."

I...I'm never talking to him again!

As Chen Zhaoning spoke, a smile appeared on her face, and she dashed off to find Nuomi.

Chen Yuan helplessly touched the tip of his nose, understanding dawning on him.

This girl was clearly worried that the old man would blame her, so she came here specifically to comfort him and support him.

A warm feeling welled up in his heart. Chen Yuan stood up, composed himself, and went straight to pay his respects to Chen Qingcang.

------

"Hahahahaha!"

To Chen Yuan's surprise, Chen Qingcang not only showed no resentment, but instead stroked his beard and laughed, praising him for doing a great job.

"It's good that Lu Zhiyuan died. He was just a spoiled brat. Countless women died under his crotch."

"And the Spring Dream Pavilion, it was burned well too!"

Damn it, they're all dens of filth, snakes, rats, and dogs!

"I've had my eye on this for a long time. If it weren't for so many people watching, I would have burned it all down!"

Chen Qingcang spoke heartily, his face beaming with confidence.

He was once a young man who could be angry for the sake of a beautiful woman.

However, after becoming the head of the family, he became bolder and more cautious, and was not as impulsive as Chen Yuan and others.

However, Chen Qingcang was willing to back up Chen Yuan and his fellow young people's spirit.

Chen Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Don't worry.

Chen Qingcang leisurely sipped his tea, his smile composed. "Last night, the law enforcement guards did come to the Chen family to arrest you, but we old men drove them away."

"Hmph, my grandson slept soundly at home all night, how dare they slander him without cause?"

Chen Yuan, "..."

The old man's ability to blatantly lie is truly remarkable.

Chen Yuan clicked his tongue, but still felt a bit worried. "They really came knocking on our door in the middle of the night? Did the Chen family pay any price?"

"Pay nothing at all!"

Chen Qingcang waved his hand dismissively, his face full of disdain.

"After you were all drunk and fast asleep, that old bastard Sun Chengzong came over in person, but couldn't find a single clue, so he had to leave in a huff."

As Chen Qingcang spoke, he took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and said nonchalantly, "As long as they don't have witnesses and evidence on the spot, they won't dare to openly make trouble."

Even if we know in our hearts that it was us, we can only swallow our anger and suffer in silence!

"As long as I am here, no one will be able to harm the Chen family on Five Finger Peak."

Upon hearing these words, Chen Yuan felt much more at ease.

He had been worried that his actions last night were too reckless and might implicate the Chen family, causing trouble for the old man.

"For now, they are holding back. In my opinion, they intend to bide their time and wait until the aristocratic family assessment conference to secretly kill you and take the opportunity to eliminate you."

Chen Qingcang put down his teacup, his gaze gentle yet profound, and looked at Chen Yuan, saying:

"As the young master of my Chen family, if you are unwilling to participate in the aristocratic family gathering, you don't have to force yourself."

"Like other human clans, the young master is not required to participate, after all, the death of the young master would be a tremendous loss."

"No, sir, I want to go."

Chen Yuan shook his head slightly, his tone firm, "The Aristocratic Clan Conference is related to the allocation of resources in the entire Tianqing County, as well as our alchemy qualifications. I must fight for it for the Chen family."

"At the same time, we must also protect the younger generation of the family and not let them suffer unnecessary losses in the conference."

Among the young members of the Chen family, those like Chen Jianming and Chen Jianchu, if they were to attend the meeting rashly...

Given their current cultivation level, this journey will undoubtedly be fraught with peril.

Only if he could seize this opportunity to break through to the Yellow Court Realm, he would not only have the power to protect himself, but also be able to avenge the old grudges of the previous Beast Clan's wanton slaughter of the Chen family.

"Good, that's ambitious!"

Chen Qingcang's gaze was intense as he said in a deep voice, "Then you should stay in the clan and remain secluded from now on."

"From this day forward, you may use all of the Chen family's cultivation resources at your disposal to fully support your cultivation. We hope you can make further progress!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed solemnly to Chen Qingcang: "I will certainly live up to your high expectations, sir!"

"Hahaha, great, really great!"

Chen Qingcang laughed heartily, and after Chen Yuan enjoyed the nourishing soup in the courtyard, he let him return to his own courtyard to recuperate.

------

Upon returning to his own courtyard, Chen Yuan immediately sent people to summon Chen Jianming, Chen Jianchu, Li Wei, Chen Zhaoning, and other core disciples.

He then took out all the Heavenly Grade Pills that he had previously purified and distributed them to everyone.

"This...Young Master, this item is far too precious; we absolutely dare not accept it!"

Chen Jianchu and the others were stunned into silence.

It has long been rumored that this top-grade elixir was obtained by Chen Yuan in the secret realm of divine and demonic ruins, making it extremely rare.

Even for ordinary cultivators, obtaining just one is as difficult as ascending to heaven!

Now the young master is actually taking out so much and distributing it to his disciples?