Chapter 119: Is the Majesty of a Great Master as Worthless as Dog Dirt?

"Sister Chuwan, who are these two?"

Chen Xiao was young, yet her manners were impeccable. Her words revealed a level of refinement that already hinted at the poise of a true noble.

Chen Chuwan had considered revealing Jiang Yu's formidable background, but these young Chen family members were still too young to understand the complexities of the secular martial arts world, let alone the reputation of "Jiang the Great."

"He is an honored guest of the Chen family. Remember, you must not offend Mr. Jiang."

Among the Chen family's youth, Chen Chuwan was the eldest and was deeply cherished by them; her words held more weight than those of the older generation.

As for the Qin girl, Chen Chuwan said coldly, "As for that woman, there is no need to introduce her."

The Qin girl crossed her arms and looked away, thinking to herself, "Hmph, as if I care."

Once in the car, silence fell over them. With the Chen family facing disaster, no one was in the mood for idle chatter. If they could not weather this storm, the family might truly face annihilation.

In just ten years, the Chen family’s assets had shrunk by ninety percent. Once a reclusive, powerful clan with tens of billions in wealth, they were now buried in debt. Over the last two years, their situation had gone from bad to worse, leaving them with over twenty billion in external debt to the Bank of China.

To spare their feelings, Chen Chuwan did not mention the traitor within their ranks. She let out a soft, desolate sigh.

This trip to the Frozen Cold Pool was intended to find a legendary life-prolonging elixir to save Chen Jianyan. Not only had Chen Chuwan returned empty-handed, but the dozen or so internal-energy experts of the Chen family had all perished in the Ten Thousand Mountains at the border of Yannan.

"What happened?"

Jiang Yu could sense the sorrow and indignation permeating the group; clearly, the Chen family's crisis exceeded his expectations. Logically, even a fallen camel is larger than a horse—surely the Chen family shouldn't have reached such a desperate state?

Chen Chuwan explained, "After my grandfather, Chen Shanhe, disappeared, only my father remained as the family's pillar. Before he was injured, even though the three great clans we suppressed were constantly stirring, they never dared to strike openly."

"Unfortunately, five years ago, after attending the Martial Arts Assembly, my father was severely wounded by the Celestial Master sect leader using their sect's artifact, the 'Thundering Seal.' He never recovered; his injuries went deep, and his cultivation regressed. Recently, he has been on the brink of death, his cultivation nearly shattered."

"Without a pillar to guard us, the other reclusive clans grew bolder. They not only hunted our people in secret but also targeted our businesses. Eventually, they began to suppress the Chen family openly. My father, in his rage, was driven to his sickbed."

Listening to the bitter history of the Chen family, Jiang Yu's brow furrowed deeper.

He had not expected the Chen family's fortune to decline to such an extent that even stray dogs dared to trample upon them. As Chen Chuwan finished, her eyes turned red, and she sighed sadly, "Heaven does not permit the survival of the Chen clan."

Facing the imminent collapse of her family, Chen Chuwan felt powerless; her ambitions had nowhere to be realized. The alliance of the three reclusive clans was too powerful—so powerful that even the Hidden Gates of China dared not confront them directly.

She recalled how, in the past, Chen Shanhe had been full of spirit, a master of the Earth Immortal realm, almost like a god.

The other Chen family members, seeing Jiang Yu’s plain attire and noting he was only a boy of eighteen or nineteen, lost interest. As members of the Chen family, their own starting point was high; even the wealthy heirs of the outside world were inferior to them.

Even if Jiang Yu were the child of a wealthy family, they wouldn't give him a second glance.

"Sister Chuwan, did you find the elixir?" Chen Xiao asked with anticipation.

Everyone in the Chen family had pinned their hopes on that elusive medicine. A month ago, they received news of a cold pool near Yannan where it might grow.

The desperate family had pooled their last resources to gamble on this final hope. When Chen Chuwan and her brother Chen Kun left, they took the last eleven secular martial artists the family possessed.

Now, over a month later, Chen Xiao noticed that none of those warriors had returned. With her keen mind, she vaguely guessed the truth.

As expected, Chen Chuwan bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I have failed the entire family."

Chen Xiao’s frame trembled, and the expectation on her face collapsed. She smiled bitterly, "Sister Chuwan, don't blame yourself. Doesn't the family still have Uncle Chen?"

Even as she said it, Chen Xiao lacked conviction. For a reclusive clan to be left with only one master of internal energy as its sole defense—how tragic was that?

***

In the evening, the car stopped at the mountainside, where a paved road wound toward the summit. On both sides of the road were orchards and vegetable patches. As a once-great family, the Chen clan had supported over a hundred people at their peak, with over a dozen direct descendants.

They had always been self-sufficient; besides rice, all their fruits and vegetables were grown on the mountainside. They also raised thousands of chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep.

The family had spent one billion to purchase this mountain. Seen from the slope, it looked more like a leisure farm. Surrounded by forests and blooming orchids, the scenery was pleasant.

...

At the summit, the architecture was a mix of vintage tiled courtyards and modern villas.

In the Chen family hall, tensions were at a breaking point. Hanging in the most prominent spot was a plaque with the words "Spirit Swallowing Mountains and Rivers" written in bold, sweeping calligraphy.

Beneath the plaque sat a pale, haggard middle-aged man.

His fists were clenched, his eyes dull, and a large, striking bloodstain marked his chest. He was clearly in a state of intense agitation.

"Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought that a master of this era would decay into such a state?"

Opposite him, a hunched old man sighed with mock emotion.

There were a dozen people in the hall, the strongest of whom had already reached the peak of the internal energy realm.

"Chen Jianyan, have you thought it through? If you submit to our Han family, perhaps we will spare a few of your juniors to allow the Chen family line to continue," the old man said, stroking his beard while seated in a chair.

In the center of the hall, a plaque made of golden silk nanmu wood had been violently driven into the floor, causing cracks to spread several inches outward.

On the plaque were the words: "The Chen Family Has No Men."

Faced with this naked humiliation, Chen Jianyan was overcome with rage, which aggravated his injuries, causing blood to splatter for several feet.

"Those who know the times are heroes. Letting Miss Chen marry our young master is hardly an insult to her status. As long as the head of the Chen family agrees, our Blackwater Bodyguard Company will leave right now," said a burly man dressed in special combat gear.

A tiger fallen in the plains is bullied by dogs. Since being crippled by the Celestial Master sect leader, Chen Jianyan had been terminally ill, possessing none of the dignity of a master. Now, even a single internal energy master could kill him with ease.

"You have gone too far!"

An elderly man of the Chen family, white-haired and bearded, roared and lunged at them with all his might.

"Hmph, Chen Hanqing, back then I only needed seven steps to defeat you. Now, I don't even need my hands." The hunched old man stomped his foot on the hall floor. The courtyard shuddered, and a crack as thick as an arm spread out from his feet.

Chen Hanqing was struck as if by lightning and flew backward; there were levels of strength even among masters.

*Snap!*

Surrounding tables, chairs, and teapots shattered into pieces.

Chen Hanqing vomited blood and collapsed, unable to rise. The last few members of the Chen family stood at the doorway, watching with sorrow, many of the women weeping softly.

Today, if the Chen family did not agree to all their demands, it would be the end of their clan.

"Haha, the Chen family truly has no men," the burly man in combat gear laughed, standing up and stepping onto Chen Hanqing's face.

In the world of martial artists, the strong rule. Laws and rules are merely to protect the weak. When the strong wish to humiliate the weak, what need is there for a reason?

Weakness is the original sin.

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

Chen Jianyan felt the sorrow swell in his heart. He forced the blood in his body to burn, seeking to preserve the dignity of a master with his death.

"All members of the Chen family, listen: you may die with honor, but you shall not live in shame!"

The dignity of a master, even one dying of wounds, could not be insulted by mere dogs.

*Bang! Bang!*

Two gunshots rang out simultaneously. Chen Jianyan, in the midst of burning his life force, could not dodge and was struck in the chest by high-caliber sniper rounds. The plaque hanging behind him, bearing the words "Spirit Swallowing Mountains and Rivers," was splattered with blood.

Chen Jianyan collapsed limply into his chair. He looked down at the blood on his chest, his eyes gradually brightening. His sunken eyes seemed to fill with life for an instant, his aura climbing step by step.

The dignity of a master cannot be insulted.

*Bang!*

Another gunshot echoed through the courtyard, piercing the sky.

"Big Brother!"

"Master Chen!"

The Chen family wailed, falling to their knees one by one.

Sounds of misery filled the air.

The final bullet shattered Chen Jianyan's head.

A generation of masters, once feared across the heavens, fell today, dying to a sniper's bullet—a profound insult to a master.

The burly man pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the fallen Chen Hanqing, sneering, "Bullshit dignity of a master. Under a sniper rifle, everyone is equal. The 'dignity' of a master is just something for me to step on."

"Today, wipe out the entire Chen family to boost our might!"

*Bang!* The gunshot rang out, and Chen Hanqing died on the spot.

Every member of the Chen family was filled with despair, weeping bitterly.

"Do it."

The burly man laughed wildly and holstered his pistol.

Just then.

A cold voice, carrying a monstrous killing intent, arrived in the blink of an eye.

"So you are the one who says the dignity of a master is as cheap as dog shit?"

The voice arrived with the man.

Before the burly man’s eyes, a refined face suddenly appeared.