Chapter 164: Lu Yangxiu, Aren't You Furious?

"Well fought, Master Lu!"
"Master Lu is incredible! To fight a Tier 10 opponent while still at Tier 9, and actually land the first blow!"
Down below, the martial artists standing with the Lu family immediately cheered and applauded!

However, some frowned and muttered, "Still, Master Lu's strength isn't quite enough. That level of attack is nothing more than a minor itch to Qing Zong."
Indeed, Lu Yuqing's clever little stunt gave him a slight advantage, but it couldn't shake Qing Zong's foundation at all.
Instead, it completely infuriated him!

Lu Ye sighed, "Looks like Lao Lu will lose in under three moves."
Cheng Qimeng said huffily, "He deserves to lose. Who told him to waste his martial arts for the past dozen years?"
"Not only has he made zero progress, he's even worse than when he was young."
"Given his talent, if he had practiced in seclusion for these past ten to twenty years, he should have reached Tier 10 long ago, and he wouldn't be humiliated under Qing Zong's foot!"

Lu Ye nodded in silence. That was true, but after all, Lao Lu was his biological father.
He had already unconsciously clenched his fists and taken half a step forward. The moment Lu Yuqing was in real danger, he would immediately intervene to stop Qing Zong from delivering a fatal blow.

"Thud, thud, thud!"
Qing Zong's fists landed on Lu Yuqing's chest with several muffled thuds.
Lu Yuqing involuntarily tumbled backward through the air several times, then landed flat on his back, facing upward on the arena platform.
Puff!
A mouthful of dark red blood spewed out like a fountain. It was clear he had suffered severe internal injuries...

Qing Zong strode forward, grabbed Lu Yuqing by the hair, hoisted him entirely into the air, and shouted harshly toward Qing Qin's direction below the stage, "Kneel! Kowtow and apologize to my sister!"

At this, everyone from the Lu family was filled with righteous fury.
A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated.
Not to mention that the man on the stage was the head of their family!

The elderly and frail Lu Yangxiu finally stepped out of the house with a shaky gait, shouting, "Qing Zong, don't go too far!"
"You came to the Lu family as a Tier 10 master to challenge our dojo and you won. I concede."
"But trampling on the dignity of our Lu family like this is unacceptable!"

Qing Zong, still clutching Lu Yuqing's hair, turned around and sneered at Lu Yangxiu, "Old man, if your Lu family could beat me, I'd naturally let him off."
"It's a pity you don't even have a single Tier 10 master. I'll insult you however I please today. Being a Tier 10 master means I can do whatever I want, and that's a feeling you'll never experience in this lifetime!"

"You...!"
Lu Yangxiu slammed his dragon-headed cane down in a rage.
Helplessly, pulling rank on old age was useless here.
When your own fists aren't hard enough, anything you say is merely asking for humiliation.

Qing Zong shouted again, "Lu Yuqing, get on your knees for me!"
Covered in blood, Lu Yuqing managed to pull off a brilliant smile and mocked, "The dead are paramount. If you die, I might actually go kneel in front of your grave."
"You're at death's door and you still dare to run your mouth? I'll beat you until you kneel!"
"Bang!"

Qing Zong kicked hard at Lu Yuqing's lower leg.
Lu Yuqing's knee joints suddenly buckled forward, but just before touching the ground, they snapped rigidly back up!
"Though I, Lu Yuqing, have been spineless and unmotivated for most of my life, as a son of the Lu family, I still possess the backbone I ought to have. Trying to make me kneel is not going to be that easy."

This was Xuan-yuan Peak, named after the founding ancestor of the Lu family.
If Lu Yuqing were to kneel and apologize to an outsider right in front of his own ancestral gates today, what face would he have to look the ancestors of the Lu family in the eyes down in the netherworld?
Today, he would rather die than submit.

Qing Zong gathered all his strength into his right palm, raising it high to bring a devastating blow crashing down onto the crown of Lu Yuqing's head, intending to kill him on the spot while he was forced to kneel and apologize to his eldest sister.

"Whoosh!"
At that moment, a figure swept across the air like a gust of wind and leaped onto the stage.
"Slap!"
Qing Zong's iron palm was solidly blocked by a young man's shoulder, remaining completely motionless...

Qing Zong was slightly startled, and barked, "Whose disciple are you? Don't meddle in other people's business. Get lost!"
Lu Ye chuckled and said, "I'll take this blow for my dad. Consider it a son making amends to Aunt Qing Qin on behalf of his old man."

Qing Zong's eyes instantly narrowed into slits, his expression turning venomous and fierce as he sneered, "Ah, so you're the bastard son born from the illicit affair between Lu Yuqing and that vixen surnamed Cheng!"
Lu Ye's expression instantly turned glacial, and he slapped Qing Zong across the face with a swift backhand.
"Slap!"

This scene instantly caused every martial artist present to drop their jaws in shock...
That pretty boy was Lu Yuqing's son?
The young master of the Lu family?
What tier is this kid, to actually be able to slap Qing Zong across the face?
Could he be... a Tier 10 as well?

The most deeply shaken of all were the Wan and Mo families and the others.
During the previous battle with Maxwell, they had just learned that Lu Ye was a Tier 10 master.
A Tier 10 of such a young age was already world-shaking, yet how long had it been since that battle, and he had already advanced?
This rate of progression was unimaginably fast!

With a cold face, Lu Ye pointed toward Cheng Qimeng's direction below the stage and shouted at the dumbfounded Qing Zong, "Kneel down, and kowtow to apologize to my mother for what you just said!"

Only then did the crowd notice that the stunning and radiant woman down below was the very culprit who had once infatuated Lu Yuqing so deeply that he willingly broke off his engagement and ran away from home.

Qing Zong glanced at Cheng Qimeng below the stage, only to see her coldly turn her head away in disdain.
He turned back, glared at Lu Ye, and shouted, "Your dad was beaten until he vomited blood by me, and you're putting on a show here? Do you believe I'll make both father and son bleed right here on this stage?"

Lu Ye returned the exact same words right back to him: "If you don't kneel, I'll beat you until you do!"
"Cough, cough..."
Lu Yuqing coughed twice, his breath weak as he grumbled, "You brat, don't go sticking your neck out for me. You'll just piss your mother off again later."
Lu Ye pursed his lips and said, "Spare me, Lao Lu. If I don't clean up this mess for you, who will?"

Supporting Lu Yuqing by the arm, he wobbled over to the edge of the stage, where Lu Yangxiu immediately stepped forward with people to receive him.
This grandfather and grandson, meeting for the very first time, locked eyes and both felt a trace of awkwardness...

Lu Yangxiu helped Lu Yuqing down from the stage and whispered to Lu Ye, "Xiao Ye, I leave the dignity of our Lu family in your hands."
Until Lu Ye gained his mother's forgiveness, it was impossible for him to utter the word "Grandfather."

Lu Ye loudly and righteously declared, "Old Master Lu, please get one thing straight."
"My sole purpose in stepping onto this stage is simply to protect my old man's life. As for how I fight Qing Zong next, that is purely a personal grievance between Qing Zong and me, and has nothing to do with the martial arts Lu family."

The subtext was clear:
I am fighting Qing Zong because he insulted my mother, not to stand up for the Lu family.
Moreover, Lu Ye deliberately spoke loud enough for everyone present to hear. A curve finally formed at the corner of Cheng Qimeng's lips.
Her son had vented her pent-up rage in the most satisfying way possible!

Seeing Lu Yangxiu's expression, which looked worse than if he had swallowed feces, gave her a continuous surge of secret delight.
Back then, Lu Yangxiu had treated her like dirt and had even entertained the thought of killing her with a single strike.
Now, the son she had raised herself looked down upon Lu Yangxiu from a position of absolute superiority. Cheng Qimeng finally vented every ounce of resentment in her heart.

A man of extraordinary talent, Lu Ye was more than enough to look down upon the descendants of all contemporary martial arts families.
The Lu family ought to have possessed such an outstanding young master, but without her nod of approval, he would never acknowledge you as his grandfather. Aren't you furious, Lu Yangxiu?

On the stage, Lu Ye and Qing Zong stood facing each other, the atmosphere tense and primed for battle.
Below the stage, the martial artists glanced back and forth between Cheng Qimeng and Lu Yangxiu, whispering and gossiping amongst themselves.
Compared to the life-and-death struggle on the stage, they seemed far more interested in the Lu family's scandalous gossip...

Qing Zong had calmed down. Thinking carefully about the slap Lu Ye had just given him, both the speed and the strength were at the Tier 9 peak or higher.
Without a doubt, this kid was definitely a Tier 10 master as well!
And judging by his attitude toward Lu Yangxiu, it was clear that his path in martial arts had never received any systematic cultivation from the Lu family.
Though scion of a prominent clan, he was essentially self-taught through unorthodox paths.
Such an age, such experiences, such strength...
Even as an opponent, Qing Zong couldn't help but feel a shred of admiration.
He had cultivated bitterly for decades, only reaching the threshold of Tier 10 upon entering middle age, while this kid was easily two full Chinese zodiac cycles younger than him, if not more.

"Brother Lu, go for it!"
"Knock him flat!"
Wan Quan and the young Mos cupped their hands around their mouths like megaphones, shouting encouragement from below.
The other factions standing on the Lu family's side quickly chimed in, shouting cheers for Lu Ye: "Young Master Lu, we're counting entirely on you!"

No matter how terrible Lu Ye's relationship with the Lu family was, as long as he won this battle, these martial arts families would not have to bow and submit to the Qing family.
Now, the ones who should be worried were those opportunistic families who had gone and attached themselves to Qing Zong...