Chapter Forty-Nine: Death Message
“I am very disappointed.”
When Zheng Xiu put away the star fire and walked into her study, there was a young person standing by the pond and speaking to a person sitting on a chair under the eaves.
There was a gurgle. The carp in the pond spit out bubbles.
The carp in this pond were very fat, and their red, white and black colors were very vivid, and not messy at all. They were very rare specimens. There were many who were pure all over their bodies, except for a red patch on their forehead. The value of these carp surpassed the simple courtyard itself, and could not be obtained just with money.
The only thing in the world which surpassed money was power.
This young person had previously been called Li Xin but now, Fang Xin. Originally, this courtyard belonged to him. In the past, he gave people the feeling he was a spirited young cultivator, but now, he stood with his hands behind his back, and felt like he had a powerful presence. He looked at Fang Xiang on the chair, his expression angry and gaze aggressive.
Changling’s weather had warmed up already, and the carp which stayed at the bottom of the pond during the winter were playing at the surface and creating splashes. However, on the bamboo chair, Fang Xiang still feared the cold, and had a thick fur blanket over him.
“What are you disappointed about?”
Hearing Fang Xin’s question, Fang Xiang’s expression did not change much. He was just like usual, slightly indolent in his speech, like nothing had happened.
“Why pretend?”
Fang Xin sneered, and took out a letter from his sleeve. He said in a cool voice, “Since you have accepted the arrangements, and I have called you father, why did you secretly write a letter to your distant relatives, describing the matters of the marquessate establishment?”
Fang Xiang heard these words and wordlessly looked at the spirited and domineering young man.
“Is it not good for you to be here and enjoy the rest of your life in peace?”
Fang Xin looked at the silent Fang Xiang, and thought the other feared him. He said earnestly as he looked at the letter in his hand, “Food, drink, shelter, what are you dissatisfied with? You can have all the food you wish, and even beautiful servants, what are you not satisfied with?”
Fang Xiang looked at him, still silent.
“It is impossible to hide your little actions from me. So please do not do this.”
Fang Xin used a bit of force to crush the letter in his hand. The pieces fell into the pond next to him.
The carp were beautiful, but not smart. They thought this was food, and immediately swallowed the pieces.
“I think there is something that you have wrong.”
Fang Xin had turned to walk out of the courtyard, but at this time, Fang Xiang’s voice sounded.
Fang Xin’s heart suddenly shook. He abruptly turned around, and he said solemnly looking at the other, “What?”
“My father and I created this Fang Marquessate Establishment through fighting. I still have a younger brother. Even if I accept you as my son, it is not your turn to be in charge of this Fang Marquessate Establishment.” Fang Xiang laughed and said, “And if you really want to recognize me as your father, each time you see me, you have to kneel to greet me. Where in the world are there such domineering sons like you.”
“You want me to kneel to greet you?” Fang Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly and he laughed.
Fang Xiang looked at him, just looked and did not speak.
“Just because of you, a cripple?”
Fang Xin’s smile completely disappeared, and his expression turned cold. “Even if your father manages to survive the war this time, I fear that he will not be transferred back to Changling in his life, and the younger brother you speak of? Does he dare to return to Changling? If he appears, he will be killed before he enters the city. So please be more clear minded.”
After a pause, Fang Xin looked with scorn at Fang Xiang and said, “You can only rely on me. The Fang Marquessate Establishment still exists because the empress needs to give the marquises some face, and need the marquessate establishment to be maintained. If you attempt to do anything that makes people unhappy, maybe your good life will disappear at any time, and even your food will be worse than the servants.”
He was a member of the Li family, and close to Minister Li. At this time, he controlled the Fang Marquessate Establishment. His words and conduct gave off the air of an important person, and his threat seemed to turn this courtyard into winter.
“So there is something you still do not understand.”
Hearing this threat, Fang Xiang laughed like he was looking at a pitiful worm.
“You probably do not know why as the Deer Mountain Conference started, Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu deliberately targeted the Fang Family. In reality, the true reason is not that my younger brother left Changling before the Deer Mountain Conference, and angered Yuanwu. It is not because my cultivation is crippled, and I have lost all value.”
Fang Xiang looked at the dazed Fang Xin and said with slight scorn, “The true reason is because the Fang Marquessate Establishment is too strong. Because my younger brother was someone who even Wang Jingmeng thought highly of in the past, and thought that he was the cultivator with the most potential in Changling. Adding on me and my father, the Fang Marquessate Establishment was much stronger than the other marquessate establishments.”
Fang Xin unconsciously swallowed. He did not have time to think carefully about the deeper meaning here, but for some unknown reason, he started to feel cold inside.
“You are a member of the Li Family, and are born with Minister Li’s trust, but you are too young, and too stupid.”
Fang Xiang looked with sympathy at this young person and slowly said, “So you probably will not understand. Yuanwu was able to tolerate Ye Celeng, one because he needed to balance some of the powers of Changling, and two because she cultivated overseas. In reality, her progress was not fast, and she killed sea monsters in order to help the medicine seeking fleets so she also got many hidden wounds. Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu are different in many aspects, but they are similar in one. They are jealous of talent, jealous of cultivators who may pose a threat to them, and even surpass them.”
Fang Xin was more shocked the more he heard. He forced himself to be calm and said, “You have said so much, but what does it have to do with now?”
“Yuanwu had my younger brother go to his death before his breakthrough, had my cultivation crippled at Deer Mountain. The Fang Marquessate Establishment endured all this.” Fang Xiang said emotionally, “Even if you have used some of the power of the Fang Marquessate Establishment, even if you have postured in front of me, even if my brother had to go hide out in the sea, all this can be endured. But making my father go to the border to die is too much.”
“I sent that letter to my distant relative because my younger brother had gone there a few times when young, and may revisit. Even I do not know where my brother has gone to cultivate. I sent a letter there. Maybe he would have some information.”
After a pause, Fang Xiang looked at Fang Xin who was paling. He said, “There is actually a simpler way of letting him know about the Fang Marquessate Establishment. But in the past, I felt the price was too high, or rather, there was no need.”
Fang Xin could not understand the meaning in Fang Xiang’s words. He just felt cold, and started to feel terror.
“Some people can endure because I am still alive. This Fang Marquessate Establishment does not seem very different than before. But if I die, many people will not be able to endure. Also, no one will be able to conceal the news that I am dead. My brother will learn of this.”
“What are you saying!” Fang Xin screamed.
Fang Xiang smiled, a smile filled with scorn.
“You…” Fang Xin took a step back in disbelief.
“You probably want to ask why I feel that there is such a need now. Very simple, you even blocked the letters I sent out. Also, you probably have not had the time to know what happened over at the Yin Mountain battlefield.”
Fang Xiang took a deep breath. He looked at the carp in the pond, and inexplicably felt happy. “The only pity is, if you had been more respectful to me, even a bit, even on the surface, maybe I would have spared your life. But you always thought of me as I cripple. You did not know that I could kill you at any moment because your cultivation is really too weak.”
As he spoke, Fang Xin’s hair stood on end. With a shrill scheme, his body madly retreated.
But at this time, Fang Xiang’s body expelled hundreds of streams of energy. The energy was very mixed, but condensed and powerful, like shattered blades.
These energies came from the Deer Mountain Conference. These were the powers that those strongest experts of the world forced into his body when fighting.
These energies had been nailed into his body like daggers, crippling his cultivation and unable to be removed… because at the same time they were removed, it was like hundreds of daggers being pulled out of him at the same time. He would suddenly get hundreds of unhealable wounds at the same time.
Fang Xin’s body was swept up by this energy. As he screamed, his body split into countless pieces, giving off a disgusting white and blood color under the sunlight.
Fang Xiang was too dizzy under the blinding sunlight, but he was very content, and he closed his eyes with a smile.
Translator Ramblings: I don’t think Li Xin knew what he was getting into at all. Through suicide to send a message is also pretty … astounding.
