readytorunbook Chapter 17 A bit interesting
Chapter 17 A bit interesting
The old butler's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Zhuang Yu's ears.
Is that the girl named Ruyan from Miaoyinfang?
What is she here for?
Could it be...
Zhuang Yu felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
It seems there's an unexpected surprise in today's show!
He feigned confusion and asked, "Miss Ruyan? What is she doing here?" The old steward smiled mysteriously and said, "Young master, don't pretend. Miss Ruyan has brought a generous gift, saying she wants to thank you for saving her life before."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding tribesmen immediately erupted in uproar.
"What? Miss Ruyan from Miaoyin Pavilion? She's the most beautiful woman in Tianyuan City!"
"When did Zhuang Yu start hooking up with Miss Ruyan?"
"Could it be that he pretended to be weak to attract Ruyan's attention?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment as they looked at Zhuang Yu.
Zhuang Xiong's face turned ashen; he never expected that Zhuang Yu would have such a trick up his sleeve.
If Zhuang Yu really has a close relationship with Ru Yan, then his situation is even more dangerous.
Although those families who were still observing saw Zhuang Yu's strength, they were still hesitant, worried about offending the faction of the First Elder and the Second Elder.
An elderly man with gray hair and a goatee stepped forward, stroked his beard, and said, "Young friend Zhuang Yu, your strength has indeed impressed us. However, if you want us to support you, you need to show more sincerity."
Another burly man with a face full of scars chimed in, "That's right, you have to prove you're qualified to lead us." They presented Zhuang Yu with even harsher conditions, demanding that he complete an almost impossible trial in the family's back mountain before they would support him in acquiring family resources.
The First Elder Zhuang Xiong and Zhuang Wen, from the Second Elder's faction, exchanged a glance, a sinister glint flashing in their eyes.
They fanned the flames from the sidelines, saying that if Zhuang Yu dared not accept, it meant that he had been bluffing all along and was just relying on some underhanded tricks.
Zhuang Yu looked at them, his heart filled with fighting spirit.
He took a deep breath and said loudly, "Alright, I accept your challenge!" His eyes were sharp as he looked around at everyone and said, word by word, "I'm going to the trial at the back mountain!" After saying that, he turned and walked towards the back mountain, leaving only his tall and straight back.
"Young Master..." The old butler hesitated, his eyes filled with worry as he watched Zhuang Yu's departing figure.
He quickly followed, whispering, "The back mountain is extremely dangerous, you..."
Zhuang Yu raised his hand to interrupt the old butler, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Some scores need to be settled..."
Zhuang Yu's figure disappeared into the dense forest, and the back mountain was filled with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.
Various exotic flowers and plants adorn the area, creating a seemingly peaceful and serene atmosphere, yet concealing deadly dangers.
Having only stepped a few hundred steps into the back mountain, Zhuang Yu triggered the first mechanism—a hail of arrows flying everywhere!
"A mere trick!" Zhuang Yu sneered, his figure flashing like a ghost, causing the arrows to miss their mark.
He casually plucked a large leaf, flicked his wrist, and the leaf transformed into a sharp blade, precisely severing the trigger wire of the mechanism.
"Interesting." Zhuang Yu's lips curled up slightly as he continued to delve deeper.
The journey that followed was even more perilous, with poisonous miasma, mazes, illusions, and all sorts of traps appearing one after another.
But for Zhuang Yu, who possessed a mysterious space, these were merely appetizers.
He took out the antidote pills he obtained from his spatial storage and easily passed through the poisonous miasma. He also used the array formation knowledge taught to him by the expert in his spatial storage to break the illusion. As for the illusion, well, he was a man who had read countless online novels in his previous life. What could such a little trick do to him?
Along the way, Zhuang Yu killed many low-level magical beasts guarding the spiritual herbs, reaping considerable rewards.
The family members watching were dumbfounded. They had thought Zhuang Yu was doomed, but now it was like watching a wonderful performance.
"666, that was an amazing move!" Zhuang Wen couldn't help but exclaim, though it was hard to tell whether his exclamation was more of an admiration or a hint of jealousy.
As they ventured deeper into the back mountains, a powerful demonic aura swept over them, and a gigantic ape of enormous size blocked Zhuang Yu's path.
The giant ape's eyes were bloodshot, and it let out a deafening roar that made the surrounding trees tremble.
"Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived." Zhuang Yu was filled with fighting spirit, and a long sword gleaming coldly appeared in his hand.
"I heard this beast's weakness is under its armpits, let me test if it's true!" He lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body moving like lightning, heading straight for the giant ape.
The giant ape swung its enormous fists, creating gusts of wind. Zhuang Yu nimbly dodged, searching for an opportunity to attack.
The giant ape slammed its fist into the ground, creating a huge crater.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhuang Yu leaped up and thrust his long sword straight at the giant ape's armpit.
However, the giant ape's reaction speed far exceeded Zhuang Yu's expectations...
It actually...
Laughed?
"Kid, you've been tricked!" the giant ape spoke in a human voice, its tone rough and thunderous.
"What? This thing can talk?" Zhuang Yu muttered, quickly retreating.
The giant ape's armpits were completely bare; there was no weakness to be found.
Instead, it opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, and a foul stench wafted over.
"Ah, I'm dead (AWSL is a popular internet slang term meaning extremely excited)! This move was too slick!" Zhuang Yu thought to himself, "This is bad. This giant ape is obviously pretending to be weak while actually being strong."
The real battle has just begun.
The giant ape's attacks were ferocious and swift, each punch carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.
Zhuang Yu dared not take the attack head-on and could only dodge it constantly with his agile movements.
He discovered that although the giant ape was powerful, it was relatively slow, so he changed his strategy and began to use his speed advantage to outmaneuver the giant ape.
"You can't escape!" the giant ape roared, slamming its fists into the ground repeatedly, trying to restrict Zhuang Yu's movement.
The ground continued to tremble, cracks spread, and Zhuang Yu's space to dodge became smaller and smaller.
"Looks like I'll have to unleash my ultimate move!" Zhuang Yu thought to himself and took out a bead that emitted a dazzling light from his mysterious space.
This is the treasure he obtained in the space – the "Void-Breaking Pearl".
As soon as the Void-Piercing Pearl appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy instantly became violent, forming a powerful energy vortex.
The giant ape was also stunned by this energy, stopped its attack, and looked warily at the bead in Zhuang Yu's hand.
"What is this?"
"This is what I'm sending you back to your hometown!" Zhuang Yu sneered, tossing the Void-Piercing Pearl into the air.
The Sky-Piercing Pearl shone brightly, instantly unleashing powerful energy that engulfed the giant ape.
After a loud bang, the giant ape vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a huge crater.
Zhuang Yu dusted himself off and walked out of the back mountain with a relaxed expression.
He held in his hand a shimmering crystal core, which was the giant ape's energy core.
The family members watching were dumbfounded, staring blankly as if they had seen a ghost.
"This...this is too powerful!" Zhuang Wen swallowed hard, his heart filled with shock.
Zhuang Yu returned to his family with the giant ape's crystal core, causing a sensation.
Those forces that had previously been observing the situation all expressed their willingness to support Zhuang Yu.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Zhuang Yu reached agreements with various forces. He would share some of his resources from the ruins with his family, and in return, his family would fully support his cultivation.
This agreement greatly enhanced Zhuang Yu's status within the family, allowing him to successfully gain a foothold in the family's internal conflicts.
"Next..." Zhuang Yu looked at the crystal core in his hand, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips, "It's time to go into seclusion and cultivate properly."
The old butler stepped forward respectfully and said, "Young Master, all the elders are waiting for you in the council hall. They say they want to discuss something..."
"What do you want to discuss?" Zhuang Yu raised an eyebrow.
The old steward paused, then lowered his voice and said, "Let's discuss... the selection of the next patriarch of the family." Zhuang Yu strode arrogantly into the council hall, where he saw a group of elders who had been waiting for a long time, all with solemn expressions, the atmosphere comparable to the scene of a large-scale palace intrigue drama.
Elder Zhuang Xiong broke the silence first, his tone tinged with barely concealed jealousy: "Zhuang Yu, your performance this time... well, quite good, you've brought honor to the family." His tone sounded exactly like he was praising the neighbor's husky.
Zhuang Yu smiled slightly, revealing a very kind expression: "Elder, you flatter me. It's all for the sake of the family. It's only right, only right." But in his heart, he thought to himself: What kind of trick is this old fox up to?
“Since that’s the case,” Zhuang Xiong cleared his throat, “regarding the selection of the next clan leader…” Before he could finish speaking, Zhuang Wen from the Second Elder’s faction jumped out, cupping his hands in a fawning manner towards Zhuang Yu, and said, “In my opinion, Young Master Zhuang Yu is intelligent, strong, and deeply loved by the people. This position of clan leader is definitely his!” Goodness, this change of face is faster than flipping through a book, a performance worthy of a Sichuan opera face-changing master.
Zhuang Yu glanced at Zhuang Wen without showing any emotion, thinking to himself: This guy betrayed us really fast. Just two days ago, he was in cahoots with Zhuang Xiong.
Zhuang Yue, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and said gently, "Brother Zhuang Yu is indeed very capable." This girl had always been his staunch supporter, and Zhuang Yu gave her a grateful look.
The old steward and Master Zhuang also expressed their support for Zhuang Yu, and the atmosphere in the council hall instantly turned in Zhuang Yu's favor.
Zhuang Xiong's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a dead fly, but there was nothing he could do.
Ultimately, under everyone's "strong demands," Zhuang Xiong had no choice but to announce Zhuang Yu as the next successor to the family patriarch.
Zhuang Yu appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was overjoyed: This is fantastic!
The plan was successful!
He glanced around at everyone, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Since everyone trusts me so much, I will naturally not let you down. Next, I need to go into seclusion for a while to consolidate my cultivation." With that, he turned and left the council hall, leaving behind only a dashing silhouette.
Back in his room, Zhuang Yu sat cross-legged, holding the giant ape's crystal core in his hand, preparing to begin cultivating. Suddenly, the old butler's voice came from outside the door: "Young Master, the Master requests your presence..."