Grandfather Tang Wan Li was frozen in shock, his eyes were bulging in surprise and his mouth was slack. Amidst the unexpected and sudden sound from the drums of war, he had momentarily forgotten about the humiliation and unhappiness he had felt just seconds ago. He had only one thought: Jun Zhan Tian has gone mad! This old bastard! What is wrong with him? Why is he going mad right when his Jun Family is at its weakest?!
"Everyone, return to the Tang Residence now! Those who serve in the military are to return and change to your uniform as fast as possible before reporting! As for the rest, you are not allowed to even step out of the residence without my permission!" commanded Grandfather Tang in a swift and decisive manner as he rolled out his orders in succession.
Instantaneously, dozens of the expert saluted Grandfather Tang ceremoniously before they turned and hurried away hastily. They were moving at a speed that had exceeded the fastest speed that they could muster.
As soon as the Generals Summoning Drum had sounded, it signified that the situation had reached an extremely critical point. There was no doubt that any officer that reported late would have his head chopped off! Everybody in the military knew how strict Jun Zhan Tian was. A finger was all it took for him to deal with you!
Regardless of their status, whether they are royalty, generals, children from powerful families, child of a phoenix, or even the grandchild of a dragon, anyone who dared to violate his command would be killed without any mercy!
The thundering sound of horses’ hooves could be heard consistently, coming from all directions. Like the waters of a raging river, all of them surged towards the military field in the city center. The soldiers’ armor was polished and their faces were eager as they urged their warhorses forward!
"Duke, what do we do with them?" questioned one of the experts from the Tang Family, as he gestured towards the remaining members of the Northern City Clan.
"Bring all of them home, and interrogate them!" Grandfather Tang knew that the interrogation would not give them any results at all, but he could not help but hope.
As the warhorses galloped forth, military forces within and outside the city gathered in the barracks urgently. The military trumpets were blaring loudly and every soldier was fully alert and ready. They were prepared to receive their orders once their superiors returned. Once their orders were received, they would all move out!
Grandfather Jun was going mad!
These words were nothing but the truth.
The assassination attempt had already occurred for half an hour before Princess Ling Meng sent someone to the Jun Residence. At that moment, Grandfather Jun was happily reading in his study and he was feeling satisfied. Not only had his grandson turned over a new leaf, but also the level of strength and perseverance that he was showing far exceeds that of the Young Masters of the noble families in Tian Xiang Empire. Nobody could beat his grandson!
His grandson was a beacon of hope as the Jun Family was slowly dying around him, so how could Grandfather Jun not feel elated?
Right at that blissful moment, Housekeeper Old Pang gently knocked on his door. Solemnly, he entered the room and informed Grandfather Jun that Princess Ling Meng had sent someone to report something to the House Master.
Grandfather Jun Zhan Tian called the man in immediately. As soon as he laid eyes on the man, he noticed the blood on him. Grandfather Jun’s heart skipped a beat. The man was speaking hesitantly and was looking everywhere except at Grandfather Jun. Grandfather Jun began to feel an ominous sense of trepidation and his face turned sour. Old Pang was standing next to the man with a strange expression on him, causing Jun Zhan Tian to feel that something was very wrong...
After pressuring and questioning the man, the man finally sputtered out, "The Third Young Master Jun’s corpse had disappeared…"
The sentence was short and simple, but for Jun Zhan Tian, it was like the clapping of ten thousand thunders from the Nine Heavens roaring out in unison! Jun Zhan Tian trembled uncontrollably, his face as white as sheet. The atmosphere around him was suffocating!
Old Pang was shocked, but thankfully he had expected it. He immediately slapped and pinched Grandfather Jun’s chest, allowing Grandfather Jun to compose himself. The bodyguard shuddered in fear as he knelt on the floor, still as a statue. It was common knowledge that the debauchee, Jun Mo Xie, was extremely treasured by Grandfather Jun. Any harm that befell him would end up bringing about a horrifying catastrophe!
As Grandfather Jun composed himself, he coughed out some blood and his face turned ashen gray. His eyes were hazy and out of focus, yet his power of speech remained. His voice was sturdy as he asked in a deep voice, "What happened, exactly? Bring me through everything slowly and do not miss out anything." His voice was low and heavy, like a huge mountain pressing down with immense force.
The bodyguard was already scared stiff and his face was deathly white, but he still managed to slowly described the ordeal in detail. While he talked, Grandfather Jun’s face had turned into a scowl and he remained silent. When the bodyguard was done describing, Jun Zhan Tian waved his hands weakly and said, "You can leave now."
The guard reacted as though he had just been granted amnesty and retreated trembling. He then realized that he was drenched in sweat from head to toe!
In the study, Jun Zhan Tian closed his eyes and raised his head upwards. He swallowed with much difficulty, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. A tear rolled down from his wrinkled eyes...
If Jun Xie was like the original Jun Mo Xie, who was an unbearable and disobedient debauchee, Grandfather Jun would not be in as much pain as he was now, if the same thing were to happen to the original Jun Mo Xie. Grandfather Jun had already given up on him, so if such a tragedy had befallen on the original Jun Mo Xie, so what? The Jun Family were already doomed to demise, so for it to happen earlier made no difference.
However, Jun Zhan Tian had just witnessed his own grandson’s incredible transformation. He had finally seen the light, a beacon of hope! He was delighted and had begun to daydream how the Jun Family could recover, but alas, this unexpected news had come and thrown Grandfather Jun into an abyss of despair!
Given the situation, Grandfather Jun did not turn delirious immediately which indicated that he had a respectable amount of self-control.
Mo Xie had died for the sake of warning Princess Ling Meng! This was Grandfather Jun’s first inference.
The assassination attempt was targeted at Princess Ling Meng and the only ones who had enough courage to attempt it would either be the three princes of the hostile forces from the other kingdoms. However, the current position of Crown Prince was vacant and the three princes were in the midst of vying against one another for the position. Under such circumstances, the other kingdoms would not want to interfere. Therefore, the most likely suspects would be the three princes! This was his second inference.
Thirdly, Princess Ling Meng was supposed to be the main target of the assassination mission. However, Mo Xie had died instead of the princess! This was something that did not add up to the story. Could it be that the suspects were Mo Xie’s enemies - the Li and Meng Families? Could they have hired the assassins to paint this scenario? Was the assassination attempt on the princess just a camouflage for their real target? This was Grandfather Jun’s third inference.
Mo Xie was merely delivering a warning, but he ended up dying while the princess who was supposedly the target of the assassination remained alive. This implied that even though Mo Xie had warned the princess, she failed to send anyone to protect him but had instead focused on protecting herself. This had caused Mo Xie to be easily killed! This was the fourth inference!
The more Jun Zhan Tian pondered about it, the colder his face became and the sharper his eyes shone. Eventually, he could only see red!
Why is it that my grandson, who only delivered the warning, ended up dying while the damned girl did not?
I, Jun Zhan Tian, joined the army even before I was of age, and fought in hundreds and thousands of battles! I killed my way through millions of people to become a Grand Duke and contributed generously to the kingdom. Nobody could even do what I had done or been who I had become! I, Jun Zhan Tian, had three sons and three grandsons. Two sons died fighting for the country while the youngest was crippled for life. Out of my three grandsons, two died for some unknown reason on a war campaign. Now, my only heir that I am left with, had died for the sake of the princess...
Is this how the valiant warriors in my family would end? If this is so, then what is the purpose of me living on? Since it would cease to exist no matter what, I might as well drag everyone who is trying to take down my Jun Family with me!
Jun Zhan Tian began to laugh bitterly and sorrowfully. He laughed louder and louder while his face became streaked with tears. Suddenly, he sprang up violently, his eyes flashed like lightning and his vision turned blood red. He glanced coldly at the night outside his window, before he turned and walked slowly to stand before the portrait of his late wife. He stood as straight as a pencil as he gazed at the portrait for an extended period of time. His mouth was moving, as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he chose not to. He stretched out his hand and stroked the air, as though he was trying to feel something or bid a final farewell...
Grandfather Jun narrowed his eyes slightly as if he was trying hard to hold back something. Abruptly, he swiveled away and brandished the sword that had hung on his walls for a long time. His white hair rippled as he strode out without glancing back!
As soon as he turned away, two drops of tears fell onto the ground and shattered into a million pieces!
On the wall, the portrait showed an image of a benevolent and motherly old woman with an everlasting smile. Yet, her eyes seemed to portray sadness beneath it. A gust of wind blew into the room through the window, causing the portrait to flip, implying how powerless it was...