I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1140 - Chapter 1140 Chapter 434 Yun Ji

Chapter 1140: Chapter 434: Yun Ji Chapter 1140: Chapter 434: Yun Ji Hearing Yun Xiu mention that she had lost the Immortal Cloud Whisk Soul, Yun Ji, who was wiping away tears, had his hand stiffen for a moment before resuming his calm and continuing to wipe away tears. With a helpless expression, he said, “The Yun Clan still has a few Divine Artifacts, but it will indeed be difficult to deal with if the elders inquire about it. How about this? Your punishment will be to keep this secret. If the elders ask, just tell them you’ve returned the Immortal Cloud Whisk Soul to me!”

Glancing at her somewhat bewildered younger sister, Yun Ji turned away and pointed toward the spirit-stele, asking, “Do you still remember this passage?”

Back then, it was from here that we left Chaochang. Uncle was holding the two of us, you were crying non-stop, and I clung onto the spirit-stele, refusing to leave. There are still marks from that time here.”

Yun Ji caressed the marks on the wall, his deep and handsome eyes as if piercing through time, returning to that scene, and said solemnly, “Back then, I swore, no matter who initiated this massacre, no matter how powerful they are, I would use every means at my disposal to reclaim this blood debt!”

“One day, I will bring our clanspeople back to Chaochang, back to this city that should belong to us and retrieve everything the Yun Clan has lost!”

In the gloomy passageway, his resolute oath echoed, sinking deep into the bone marrow, unending and relentless, cold and grim. Such a far cry from the friendly elder brother of before, like the difference between heaven and earth.

“Did I scare you?”

As if realizing his outburst, Yun Ji, turning his head back, became gentle again and chuckled, “I originally thought that returning to Chaochang would take a very long time, but I didn’t expect such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to appear! Xiu’er, Master Iron Divination was right, you really are the lucky star of the Yun Clan!”

Perhaps to Yun Ji, this was an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years, but only Yun Xiu knew the true extent of the Xiang Family’s power. Although the Xiang Family’s reputation had plummeted, its strength had scarcely diminished, and to confront them with the Yun Clan’s mere twenty-some years of accumulation was like striking a stone with an egg!

And those auspicious words from the diviner at the anniversary banquet were something that only a brother, who was family, would remember and force into relevance at a time like this.

Despite her respect for her elder brother, Yun Xiu felt it was necessary to make things clear, “Family head, although Master Chen heavily injured two of the Xiang Family’s grandmasters, the military strength of the Xiang Family hasn’t suffered much. Wouldn’t restoring our clan now be… a bit too hasty?”

“Do you think I intend to restore the clan through force?” Yun Ji, looking at the worried Xiu’er, couldn’t help but laugh, “The Hawk Faction’s clanspeople might advocate martial strength, but they are not the ignorant brutes who only value force. Even if we reclaimed the lost Divine Artifacts, a forceful restoration would be utterly impossible. But for the Yun Clan to take back control of Chaochang, why would we need to overpower the Xiang Family’s military might?”

“It’s all because Xiang Ange is too confident in himself, thinking that by borrowing the Yun Clan’s tiger skin, he can continue to command the wealthy merchants of Chaochang. Even the city’s decrees are issued from the city hall of the Yun-end Council, without ever considering that if one day, someone were to add bones and flesh to that tiger’s skin, and awaken its spirit, the first thing the revived beast will do is to devour the one masquerading as the tiger!”

“What are you planning to do then, elder brother?”

“Although the Yun Clan disciples in the Yun-end Council are from collateral lines, they are ultimately of our Yun Family’s bloodline. The reason they obey the Xiang Family’s orders is only because they lack the power to defy them, so they have to compromise. But what if the Yun-end Council had military strength that’s not restrained by the Xiang Family? What would this hollow shell become then?”

Yun Ji’s smile illuminated, “Chaochang may seem to be thriving, but its bones are rotten. Behind the scenes, who knows how many noble families bear resentment towards the Xiang Family. The Arbitration Office, in collaboration with the Dutian Heavenly King and the Xiang Family, raided the family lands of several prominent merchants in the inner city earlier this year. Those people have long hated the Xiang Family to their core. It’s just that, constrained by the Xiang Family’s moral high ground, they could only seethe in silence. However, the Yun Clan’s reappearance provides them the perfect righteous cause to retaliate against the Xiang Family, and they will surely stand with us.”

“After the Yun Clan regained great power, they would enact decrees through the Cloud Council, reclaiming all authority over city defense, water conservancy, and policing from the Xiang Family, and redistributing it among the suppressed but militarily capable merchants and foreign clans. It wouldn’t be long before the Yun Clan held power and influence in Chaochang!”

Worry filling her heart, Xiu’er spoke again, “Even if one controls the Cloud Council, there’s still the city lord, Yun Xiu. Though she is of the Yun Family, her veins carry the blood of the Xiang Family. She would never stand on our side.”

The plan sounded perfect, but it faced an insurmountable issue–aft after all, the Xiang Family were not wooden figures. They would surely not watch the Cloud Council grow unchecked.

A lie told a thousand times becomes truth, and everyone says that Yun Xiu is the sole surviving heir of the Yun lineage, the rightful successor of the Yun Clan.

As for the young mistress of the Xiang Residence, she is the young lady of the Yun Clan. Even if Sister Xiu’er were to step forward now and claim her identity, what good would that do?

Thus, in the eyes of outsiders, the Xiang Family’s actions are seen as nothing more than inheriting the Yun Family’s legacy, and that’s why some people, despite sensing something amiss, still praise the Xiang Family for their righteousness.

After all, in their eyes, with the Xiang Family’s current strength, after consuming the Yun Family’s legacy, they could have simply wiped their mouths clean and walked away, unconcerned about any consequences.

Yet the Xiang Family insisted on giving the Yun Family face; not only did they allow Yun Xiu to take the position of city lord, but they also issued all decrees through the Cloud Council.

The reason the Xiang Family has such an esteemed reputation in Longzhou, renowned for their unparalleled righteousness, is that many families secretly believe that if they were in the same position, they could not manage it with such grace.

Thus, the same unparalleled righteousness means two entirely different things when spoken by noble families and the common people.

The common people truly believe that the Yun Family, and the Cloud Council, still rule over Chaochang, and that the Xiang Family, despite their military power, has not staged an uprising, hence their unparalleled righteousness.

The noble families, on the other hand, say that the Xiang Family’s righteousness, the graceful way they have ingested the legacy, not to mention the enhancement of their clan’s strength, coupled with giving the Yun Family face, earning both honor and profit, is truly unparalleled!

It is this absurd coexistence that has made the Xiang Family’s righteousness widely acclaimed in Longzhou, and even if their reputation has plummeted to rock bottom this time, it’s because the warriors of the Xiang Family were not up to standard, and they failed to protect the four Divine Artifacts of the Yun Family. But to overthrow the rule of the Xiang Family based solely on this might be insufficient.

Moreover, a huge obstacle named the city lord still lies between the two parties.

Yun Ji seemed to have already anticipated this: “Since the false Yun Xiu has become the true Yun Xiu, let her continue to be true. One need not vie for those who cannot be won over. The sole heir of the Yun Clan’s main branch still lives; it is not her turn, a mere woman, to call the shots. There’s no need for worry at this time; your brother has everything under control!”

“What you need to do now is to secure the affection of the Devil Lord Gong Chen. If things were to escalate to the worst scenario, he would be the key to turning the tide of battle!”