Chapter 253: Close On The Heels Of The Four Great Families

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When they heard Lu Yu and Chu Qinglin’s conversation, both Zheng Xiaochuan and Zheng Dalong were very surprised. This guy Lu Yu was really full of surprises. He not only Imew Yao Xianming, but he was also acquainted with Chu Qinglin.

Chu Xiong’s mind exploded inwardly and his face turned ashen white.

It was over. This time it was really over! This guy Lu Yu was actually acquainted with Chu Qinglin. Looking at the way the two of them chatted, their relationship did not appear superficial.

As was well-known, Chu Qinglin was the number one weapons blacksmith in the Chu family. Although his relationship with the family head was not very good, he was still very influential in the Chu family. If Chu Xiong had known that Lu Yu had such a relationship with him, he would not have dared to join hands with the Southern Seas Hotel to kill Lu Yu even if someone gave him a hundred balls of steel.

“Kneel down before me!”

Chu Qinglin’s face changed suddenly and he flew into a thunderous rage. His demeanor frightened Chu Xiong so badly that the latter sank to the ground on his knees immediately. That aura from Chu Qinglin’s body also erupted, astounding Lu Yu. This number one weapons blacksmith in the Chu family was not only excellent at making weapons, but he was also a War General!

“Uncle Qinglin, have mercy on me! I didn’t know Lu Yu had such a close relationship with you. I promise you that I will never cause trouble again in the future.” Chu Xiong kowtowed furiously, his face smeared with tears and snot.

“Hmph! You think I’m making you kneel for this?” Chu Qinglin berated him. “This hotel is one of the most prized assets in the Chu family. The family let you manage the hotel, yet you not only did not cherish this chance, but you also besmirched the Chu family’s reputation!”

“From now on, I will cripple your cultivation training and kick you out of the Chu family!”

Chu Qinglin slammed one palm on Chu Xiong’s abdomen. With a wretched scream, Chu Xiong lost his whole life’s cultivation achievements. He flopped down on the floor like a dead dog, and was carried out by the other Chu family members.

When the other Chu family members saw what happened, they were all frightened into silence. Quite a few of them had participated in this incident. If Chu Qinglin decided to pursue this matter to the end, none of them would escape punishment.

Thankfully, Chu Qinglin did not pursue the matter further but simply used Chu

Xiong as a warning to the rest. Following that, he tossed an interspatial ring to

Lu Yu. “Rascal, this is the compensation you asked for.”

Lu Yu smiled apologetically and said, “How can I possibly accept this?”

Chu Qinglin glared at him and said, “Oh? In that case, I will take them all back.”

The corner of Lu Yu’s mouth twitched violently momentarily. He then quickly said, “Sir, I was only joking.”

With that, Chu Qinglin gave a scornful snort and did not make fun of Lu Yu anymore. He dismissed Chu Cheng and the rest. When Zheng Dalong saw this, he also led Zheng Xiaochuan away and left the premises after bidding farewell.

In the empty treasure vault, there were only Lu Yu and Chu Qinglin left. Chu Qinglin sized Lu Yu up carefully and then said with a sigh, “You rascal, you have really grown capable.”

From the first time he met Lu Yu until now, it was barely more than two months, yet Lu Yu had already blossomed into a Grade 9 Great Grand Master cultivator. Furthermore, Chu Qinglin could clearly sense an aura that made Chu Qinglin tremble all over lying dormant within the body of this Great Grand Master Grade 9 cultivator standing before his eyes.

Lu Yu replied humbly, “All this was down to good luck, that’s all. Compared to Uncle Qinglin, I’m still a long way off.”

Although it was a bunch of flattery, Chu Qinglin seemed quite pleased to hear them. Nonetheless, he still gave a scornful snort and said, “If your ability to stir up trouble was half as subdued as your humility, you will not end up causing so much trouble.”

Lu Yu’s face darkened somewhat. Since when did he stir up trouble? It was blatantly the other party who targeted Lu Yu without any provocation on Lu Yu’s part. Lu Yu was simply returning the courtesy.

“Rascal, I have to remind you. This place is not Lunan City, and most definitely not the Gamma Military Zone. This is the capital of Flame Country. Even if you have backers watching over you, you can’t do whatever you like.” Although Chu Qinglin’s words were hard to swallow, they were nevertheless words of concern.

This was the capital city of Flame Country, where the powerful and influential congregate. The country’s top powerful experts all gathered here. Even the four great families sometimes had to keep a low profile. Someone like Yao

Xianming, who was a War General himself, also had to restrain himself a lot.

“I heard that you have a grudge against the Southern Seas Hotel. Do you know what kind of force the Hu family, the owner of the Southern Seas Hotel, is?” Chu Qinglin asked with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t tell me this Hu family is one of the four great families?” Lu Yu shook his head and said with a soft laugh.

Chu Qinglin smiled meaningfully and gave a reply that surprised Lu Yu greatly. “Although the Hu family is not one of the four great families, its friendship with the Nie family, one of the four great families goes back a long time. Through generations of inter-marriage, they have formed an offensive and defensive alliance.’

Surely this couldn’t be true? Lu Yu’s face clouded over instantly. It was clear that he had indirectly offended the Nie family. He had offended two out of the four great families by now. Furthermore, if not for his friendship with Chu Qinglin, he would have offended the Chu family as well.

Having offended half of the four great families, any cultivator in Flame Country would be praying and making offerings all the time to ask for ancestral protection.

Chu Qinglin launched into a detailed exposition of the history of the four great families. They all rose rapidly during the post-Holy War years.

One of them, the Chu family, was well-known for crafting weapons. They practically monopolized the whole Flame Country’s, and even the federal government’s weapon-making business. The Song family, on the other hand, had deep connections with the military zones. The last patriarch of the Song family made a great war contribution for Flame Country.

Most of the clansmen in the Song family had served in the various major military zones. They were a military family, so to speak. The honors they obtained were also the most plentiful and illustrious among the four great families. Offending the Song family was equivalent to making enemies with all the military zones of Flame Country. In a nutshell, one could forget about joining the military for an opportunity to gain access to upward mobility after that.

On the other hand, the Ying family was the family with the largest number of officials in the federal government. In the vast Flame Country, many political positions were occupied by the Ying family members. It could be said that the city lords of major cities needed to foster a good relationship with the Ying family if they wanted to be promoted further.

The last one whom Lu Yu had yet to meet was the Nie family. They were a family of alchemists specializing in concocting medicinal pills and elixirs. Among the four great families, they were also the most low-key. However, they were the most highly-regarded by the federal government. In the entire Flame Country, half of the alchemists hailed from the Nie family.

For this reason, they specially set up an alchemist association encompassing practically all the most elite alchemists in Flame Country. Even the various major military zones had to look up to the Nie family.

There was no other choice. The various major military zones were situated in no man’s land and were the front lines in battles with the Fearsome Beasts. With so many casualties and endless bloodshed, their need for pills and elixirs was also the greatest.

The Hu family, which had formed close connections to the Nie family through generations of marriage, was not merely the owner of the Southern Seas Hotel. They were also a family that had survived for a hundred years as a mining magnate through their control of the bulk of Flame Country’s spiritual energy ore mining business.

Spiritual energy ore mines were the most important strategic resource for the federal government, but the federal government only controlled the huge spiritual energy ore mines. The civilians were allowed to mine the rest of the ore mines and refine the ores. In this aspect, the Hu family had the greatest influence when it came to the control of civilian mines.

As Lu Yu listened, his eyes sparkled brightly. It could be seen that these four great families had achieved their best in their individual fields of dominance.

Lu Yu was a member of the military forces. In the realm of politics, he did not need to rely on these people so even if he had offended the Ying family, there was no harm. On the contrary, he should be glad that he did not offend the Song family. Otherwise, he would not have a single foothold in the military zones.

At the same time, Lu Yu could understand now why Song Yu, the Song family’s rich and well-bred daughter, could abandon the life of luxury and wealth, forsaking feminine clothes in lieu of military uniforms. So it turned out that joining the military was a family tradition. All of a sudden, Lu Yu gained a new level of respect for this family..