Heretic Apothecary Genius - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: A Gutsy One

In those days, during the time of war, no one would question it. However, now, when one suddenly gathered the army without the royal decree of the emperor, it was almost equivalent to revolting. What was even scarier was that, once they entered such an emergency state, the orders of these elders who usually supervised the daily operations of the family clan would lose effect unless all members of the Elders’ Union were present. And not only would this war drum gather people affiliated to the Rens in Jade Capital and put the Ren family into a battle state, but the information would also be sent out to affiliates everywhere in the country. It could be said that this was almost equivalent to setting off a volcano that could erupt anytime.

“Consequences? The Fang family led more than a thousand people to stir trouble at the gates of my Ren residence. If we do not respond, the consequence would be that everyone who follows the Rens would be bitterly disappointed. They would think that the Ren family is dying. We’re being bullied right at our doorstep, yet you people are claiming that nothing is happening? Once you’ve lost the hearts of people, anything you try to do then would be too late. When the frog is boiled slowly, it doesn’t even know how it died.”

Ren Jie said angrily, “I really don’t f*cking know how your minds are thinking. Are you all still part of the Ren family? My father told me a long time ago. Members of the Ren family can die in battle, but they can never be bullied. Right now, other people are already treating us like garbage, yet you still claim that everything is fine. What about it? if someone dares to come to the gates of the Ren family with troops, I am going to enter combat readiness. I want to tell everyone that the males of the Ren family, other than you three, are bold and gutsy.”

Ren Jie did not give them any chance to say more. He simply walked over and exploded, then left the three alone and headed straight towards the gates, disregarding them.

“In the past, when you fooled around, we let it pass on your father’s account. However, beating the war drum has alarmed the entire Jade Capital, bringing tens of thousands of troops to gather at the Ren family and the Ren family to enter combat readiness. This has exceeded the limit that we can tolerate. The Ren family can have an idiotic, ignorant and incompetent family head because we are powerful enough. With anyone as the family head, the Ren family will still be as powerful. But we absolutely cannot have a family head like you. You will ruin the Ren family like this. If you continue on like this, we can only dismiss you as a family head at the Elders’ Meeting. You can look out for yourself.” Seeing as Ren Jie totally disregarded them, Ren Junyang directly put the cards on the table while watching as Ren Jie walked away.

Ren Hanlin and Ren Wenxu were instantly startled. Originally, they’d only discussed about this issue in private. Now that Ren Junyang had put it clearly, it went to show that their relationship had come to a point of no return.

Hmph!

Ren Jie sneered coldly in his heart. Idiotic, ignorant, and incompetent. You all wish I was like that all the time, because only that way will you be able to hold power all the time. Dream on. But it was good that they had said it out loud, Ren Jie couldn’t be bothered to pay them any attention.

There was no meaning in paying attention to this bunch of fellows who only knew to fight inside their own family. Back then, without his father Ren Tianxing, what kind of plight had the Ren family been in, and what was their situation nowadays. He actually had the cheek to say such words.

Big spectacle, big spectacle, combat readiness, alarming Jade Capital, tens of thousands of people…

Originally, when he heard Ren Jie say big spectacle earlier and heard the three elders anxiously roaring about combat readiness and alarming Jade Capital, gathering tens of thousands of people, Chang Laosi did not really feel the scale of it all. However, once he walked out following Ren Jie and saw archers, crossbowmen, and all sorts of array formations in the air being activated everywhere, then came to the gates and saw Zhan Tianlong and others leading their troops, seeing that the huge square was filled with people, Chang Laosi could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Damn it, it was really a big spectacle.

Although he had seen lots of ups and downs through many years of battles in the Jianghu and Chang Le Gang’s fights with some gangs back then were also felt really horrific, those fights merely had a few hundred people. It was nothing compared to what was before his eyes.

The Ren family was indeed impressive, too impressive. Bows, arrows, and crossbows were regulated, especially some that had been refined to deal with powerhouses in the Divine Power Realm and above. The Ren family actually owned so much of them.

Not to mention the generals like Zhan Tianlong that weren’t much weaker than him. All these people were the elite of the elite. When all these forces were put together, even if powerful Yin Yang Realm experts came, they could only escape in self-preservation.

The scariest was that all these people did not make any sound at all. This pressure finally allowed Chang Laosi to realize why those great generals or family clans had no regard for the so-called Jianghu gangs. This force was too terrifying.

Big spectacle, even Chang Laosi who was at the ninth level of the Divine Power Realm and somebody amongst the gangs in Jade Capital felt extremely worked up at present. Because such a big spectacle was something that the Jianghu battles could never attain. This was a true big spectacle.

“Ren Jie, release Fang Yan immediately, hand over Chang Laosi, then come meet the emperor with me. Sounding the war drum to gather the army for no reason, I’ll wait to see how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Although Fang Tianen was very worried, when he saw that it was Ren Jie walking out from the inner quarters, he calmed down immediately and also assumed the imposing manner of the family head of the Fangs and a Minister of the court.

No amount of people you gather can do anything. Do you dare to touch me? If you do touch me, you’ll really be rebelling.

“Chang Laosi is a disciple that I took in before members of the five big family clans and leaders of Jade Capital’s top ten gangs. Earlier, your family’s Fang Yan threatened to kill him right during the ceremony, that was why I captured him and tied him up here. Truly, a crooked stick will have a crooked shadow. Now you’ve also come to the gates of my Ren residence to cause a din. Will you only be satisfied after I capture you and tie you up on the pillar to teach you a lesson too?” Ren Jie did not escalate the matter to suffer from it. He naturally wouldn’t let him have his way.

“I’m the Fang Family Head and the Minister of Justice. Do you really think that you’d be able to hoodwink the public because your Ren family is powerful? Do you still have the law in your eyes? Disregarding the laws, what is your Ren family trying to do? What are you, Ren Jie, as the family head of the Rens, trying to do?” Fang Tianen seemed to be extremely furious as he roared.

It was very easy to infuriate someone, but Ren Jie knew very clearly that the sly old foxes, Fang Tianen and Gao Zhanyuan, weren’t easy to deal with. He had hit Gao Peng in front of the palace and asked for his money at the royal feast at the Five Clans Hall. Gao Zhanyuan looked extremely furious, but later on, acted as if nothing had happened. Whereas for Fang Tianen’s side, although they could almost confirm that the poisoning had to do with him, when he called on them to extort them, they’d set up a trap in that situation.

In reality, such a situation was indeed infuriating. However, he had yet to truly enrage Fang Tianen. His wrath, losing his cool, had come a little too early.

F*ck. He’s f*cking saying it for other people to hear it, for the emperor to hear it.

Since things had been escalated to such a scale, it was impossible that the emperor was unaware of their every act and move here.

“What am I doing…” Ren Jie looked at Fang Tianen and the people from the Fang family who had marched over valiantly earlier but were nervously surrounded now and suddenly laughed. “Don’t you know what I want to do? Your Fang family gave a false account of true facts. Didn’t I use my precious treasure to save your daughter? Back then, it was you Fang Tianen who came over to beg me. My treasure was valuable, but seeing that you were anxious to save your daughter, I agreed to have the Fang family buy it with five million jade coins to save her. You claimed that you didn’t have that much cash, but said that Chang Le Casino was a property of the Fangs that could be pledged to me. Then you brought out one of Fang Yan’s apothecary room, three silk manors that belonged to your daughter, and one of your own manors, together with a million jade coins and a middle-grade spiritual artifact that we’d long agreed on as compensation. Then I agreed to use the treasure to cure her poison.

“But what have you done? Damn it, old bastard.” Ren Jie suddenly raised his voice and berated. “You actually went to extort the gang leader of Chang Le Gang, saying that I wanted to seize his property and forced him to hand Chang Le Casino to me. Claiming I was the bad guy, you went forward claiming to protect Chang Le Gang and Chang Le Casino, completely appropriating everything that he owns. You had a good plan. Unfortunately, you didn’t expect Chang Laosi to be unconvinced of me taking over Chang Le Casino and gambled a few rounds with me. Finally, everything was revealed. Because Chang Laosi lost to me in gambling, he acknowledged me as his Master and your plot was exposed then.

“This Fang Yan wanted to kill my disciple in desperation and now you’ve led people to charge right to the doors of my Ren abode. And you’re still asking me what I’m trying to do!”

Ren Jie spoke, then suddenly looked towards all the soldiers around. “The war drum is a personal possession of my father, Ren Tianxing. There was never any rule stating what would happen when the war drum is sounded. However, before my father left, he told me, if anyone were to take advantage of me because of my age, I can beat this war drum. If those who went into battle with him in those days still have that life and death brotherhood in mind and still remember him, they’d be able to protect this junior just a little. Even if I’ve caused the biggest mess, I’d have them holding things up for me. Besides, my father Ren Tianxing also said, males of the Ren family can die in battle but should never be humiliated.

“I don’t know about any bullsh*t rules. I only know one thing. They’re bullying me for being young, turning matters upside down, and even dirtied my father, Ren Tianxing’s reputation, so I beat the war drum. Even if the emperor was here, I would say the same thing. Someone has bullied us right to the doors of my residence, why can’t I sound the war drum? If you believe that I have done wrong, you may leave now. Even if I am the only person left here today, as Ren Tianxing’s son, as the Family Head of the Rens, I absolutely will not take even half a step back. If you all dare to charge right to my door, I dare to beat all of you till you can’t stand up.”

Ren Jie then pointed at Fang Yan. “Just like him, beaten till he can’t stand and tied here to show everyone that Ren Tianxing’s son is a gusty one.”

Who were all these people who’d rushed here? They were those who’d survived after going through more than ten years of battles with Ren Tianxing back in the days. Ren Tianxing was a god-like presence in their hearts. Earlier, when they saw Ren Jie walk out instead of Ren Tianxing, they felt sad, and some people even felt very displeased. How could the war drum be sounded so jokingly? At the bottom of it all, it was because Ren Jie’s usual reputation had been too terrible, especially news from the morning’s court assembly and news that had been spread the whole of today.

However, at this moment, when they heard Ren Jie and looked at Chang Laosi who was standing behind him and that Ren Jie’s claims were backed by concrete evidence, loud and clear, totally unlike a casual statement, they instantly felt enlightened. That wasn’t it. Ren Jie’s subsequent words totally roused this bunch of soldiers who had been asleep for many years. Especially when he said “even if I’ve caused the biggest mess, I’d have them holding things up for me” and “Ren Tianxing’s son is a gutsy one”, it fully made these people flare-up.

“Boom…” The Qis of the Body Refinement Realm were activated, True Qis of the True Qi Realm condensed and exploded, and even powerful dharmic powers of the Divine Power Realm charged into the sky. Killing intent gathered instantly.

“Damn it, someone actually dared to slander the Marshal. Turns out dealing with Little Family Head was fake, they want to attack the Marshal.”

“Whoever dares to bully the Marshal’s son, I’ll be the first to kill him.”

“Don’t worry. Back then, if it wasn’t for the Marshal, I wouldn’t have been able to keep this arm. Marshal cured my poison and broke into the enemy’s camp three times. Although I no longer command troops, the three men of my Cao family will not allow anyone to take advantage of you.”

“That’s right, see who dares to bully you. Don’t f*cking mention it if we haven’t done it. So what if we have?”

“Kill them, why keep them tied up there…”

“Yes, a gutsy one. Good job, young lord. Good job, Ren Family Head.”

The entire square before the Ren residence and the surrounding streets had all blown up. Everyone’s righteousness and killing intent were triggered as they roared, returning to back when they followed Ren Tianxing into battle.

Because this wasn’t only fighting the enemy, this made them even more agitated than fighting the enemy. Marshal had left those words before he left, he was entrusting his child to them. Right now, there was someone who wanted to bully him. Damn it, kill him…

Who cares who he is, who gives a damn about what the matter is about.