Chapter 27 Ask Your Heart, Do Not Worry, for There Are No Friends on the Road Ahead

It was the dead of winter.

The sky was leaden gray, and the wind came from the north, sweeping past the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion and scattering Zhang Yuanhan's hair.

His mother finally achieved her wish and secured a position for him within the Zhang family. The woman pushed Zhang Yuanhan in front of Zhang Daolin, shrinking back and saying:

“Look at this child, how much he looks like you…”

Zhang Daolin remained unmoved, so the woman had to change her story:

"This child has a very good relationship with Yuanqian. You see... the two brothers will support and rely on each other in the future..."

The woman was dressed in thin clothes, her lips were purple from the cold, but her hand, which was holding Zhang Yuanhan's, was covered in sweat.

Only after hearing Zhang Yuanqian's name did Zhang Daolin finally deign to give the young child a glance.

Zhang Yuanhan is already six or seven years old, but his height is about the same as that of a four or five-year-old child.

He stared coldly at his nominal father, and didn't utter a word no matter how much his mother pushed him.

The pleasures of wine, women, and meat had emptied Zhang Daolin's body. He looked at Zhang Yuanqian, who was wearing a brocade robe, and then at Zhang Yuanhan, who was wearing old clothes, and slowly revealed a smile.

Seeing that Zhang Daolin was already tempted, Zhang Yuanqian suddenly said, "Father, no."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanhan showed no emotion, but the woman glared at Zhang Yuanqian with an expression that seemed to want to kill him.

Zhang Yuanqian ignored him and continued to try to stop him: "Father... I'm enough."

"The Zhang family... only needs me."

His words were vague, but Zhang Yuanhan automatically filled in the rest:

"The Zhang family's son and power are enough with just me."

So he began, "Father... Father."

With just that one sound, Zhang Daolin understood everything.

He slowly revealed an enigmatic smile.

Zhang Yuanhan believed that this was the beginning of gaining inheritance rights.

The woman believed this was the beginning of her rise in status through her son.

However, no one expected that the woman would not even survive the night, and Zhang Yuanhan would not receive the accommodation that a "young master" should have.

Like Zhang Yuanqian, he lived in a dark room in the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion.

It wasn't until Zhang Yuanhan witnessed Zhang Daolin's twisted and ugly quirks that he understood what Zhang Yuanqian had meant when he said:

"I should bear Zhang's pain alone."

His brother was powerless to stop it all and could only make a weak promise: "It's okay, I'll be fine when I'm older."

Zhang Yuanqian always comforted him like this, always holding him and licking his wounds on every painful night.

“When I’m older and have more power, he won’t be able to touch us.”

"I will protect you, Yuanhan..."

"younger brother."

Rights, rights, rights...

It turns out that power is the cure for all of this!

Zhang Yuanhan's eyes gleamed in the darkness. He had never longed for anything so much, never desired to possess it so urgently!

"elder brother……"

"I'm going to kill him."

Zhang Yuanqian's fresh wound on his back still throbbed slightly. He nodded haphazardly and solemnly made a promise.

"I will definitely kill him and set us free."

The distant mountains were obscured by a blanket of snow, their outlines blurred.

...

Zhou Ziheng was still unconscious, and Xi Bingyi was no longer as lively as before, listlessly resting her chin on her hand and sighing.

From her perspective, the two Zhang brothers were still facing off.

The Zhang family's ordeal has ended, but the question of who holds the Zhang family's rights has not yet been resolved.

Xu Yi stood guard in front of Zhang Yuanqian, staring at Zhang Yuanhan's eyes filled with boundless hatred, refusing to budge an inch.

Zhang Yuan sneered repeatedly: "The moment you appeared, my brother betrayed me and abandoned me!"

Xu Yi was baffled. In his eyes, Zhang Yuanhan was just like the real Xu Yi, surrounded by love but ungrateful and complacent.

—Even as paranoid and pathological as him.

Zhang Yuanhan felt nauseous when he saw Xu Yi's gaze: "Who are you looking at through me again?"

He roared, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

"You are a fire thief, you stole my brother!"

Zhang Yuanqian sighed, pushed Xu Yi aside, and gently cupped Zhang Yuanhan's face in his hands.

“Yuan Han…Xu Yi is not the one who stole the fire.”

"He is the wild goose that instilled hope in me."

Others might not understand why Zhang Yuanhan was acting so recklessly, but Zhang Yuanqian, his elder brother who had been his only family for decades, understood it better than anyone else.

"I have never loved power, Yuanhan."

On that cold winter night, Zhang Yuanhan wanted power, while Zhang Yuanqian wanted freedom.

However, by a twist of fate, Zhang Yuanqian became the head of the Zhang family, while Zhang Yuanhan remained a free-spirited young master.

Xu Yi's arrival ignited the younger brother's desire for power and brought the older brother hope for freedom.

“Yes…” Zhang Yuanhan burst into tears, glaring fiercely at Xu Yi, “That’s why I hate him!!”

"I know, you're going to travel the world with him, aren't you!"

"For your freedom...you chose to abandon me..."

His voice gradually faded, disappearing into sobs and the wind.

Zhang Yuanqian remained silent. He had indeed long planned to hand over the entire Zhang family business to his younger brother, and he had also long planned to travel the world with Xu Yi.

Zhang Yuanhan cried his heart out, as if to release all his unease, pain, and reluctance.

He sobbed, like a child unwilling to have a gift taken away: "You were the one who taught me about feelings, taught me about love... why... why did you have to leave me..."

When the sound of crying reached Xi Bingyi's ears, she couldn't help but wipe her eyes.

Huo Qin, who was wiping the Inviting Moon Bow, glanced at her with a rather strange look.

"What? Are you feeling sorry for him?"

Xi Bingyi sighed: "How could that be? I was just thinking that I was also a child whose family was destroyed."

Huo Qin was completely bewildered: "Your father...?"

Xi Bingyi said "Oh," and quickly spat out, "No, I misspoke. My father is still alive."

"I'm talking about my mother. After she died, Plum Blossom Manor never regained its former glory. Now even Aunt Yu has become a henchman..."

Huo Qin lowered his eyelids, and his hand wiping the bowstring paused slightly.

Xi Bingyi was still sighing, "Perhaps I should go back to Plum Blossom Manor..."

Huo Qin smiled and said, "That's good. I happen to have some things to do too."

After they finished speaking, when they looked up again, they saw that Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi had already left, leaving only Zhang Yuanhan standing there dejectedly.

The Zhang family compound was in complete disarray, except for the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion, which remained radiant and beautiful.

"How pitiful..."

Xi Bingyi stared at the waterside pavilion and sighed.

Just then, Zhou Ziheng's weak voice came from behind, sounding like a ghost:

"Why don't you take pity on me..."

Xi Bingyi turned around speechlessly and saw that Zhou Ziheng had already woken up and was propping himself up.

He was leaning against the bed, his face still somewhat pale.

Xi Bingyi said irritably, "Why should I pity you? Pity you for not being able to beat Xu Yi and suffering a crushing defeat?"

"Who said that?" Zhou Ziheng's eyes widened immediately. "Xu Yi didn't hit me like that!"

He recounted the story of the woman in detail, explaining that he was truly exhausted and had been delayed, which was why he arrived late, and that he had no intention of watching the show.

As the group was still talking, Zhang Yuanhan floated over like a ghost. Like a male ghost desperately needing human attention, he instinctively sidled up to the three heroes.

Zhou Ziheng asked in confusion, "Young Master Zhang, do you have any advice for me?"

Zhang Yuanhan remained silent.

When Xi Bingyi saw his bewildered eyes up close, she was shocked to realize that beneath the outermost layer of disguise and the shell of hatred and madness, there was actually a heart that could be described as childish.

So she spoke up to advise him, "Second Young Master, you shouldn't hate Xu Yi."

Zhang Yuanhan looked anxious.

"...Sometimes I hate him, sometimes I'm grateful to him. I hate that he took a part of my brother away, but at the same time I'm grateful that he supported a part of my brother."

After he finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and said, "That's all beside the point. I hate him because he never works for me and always looks at me with that disgusting look!"

Zhou Ziheng: "..."

My head hurts so much, my mind is a mess, and I can't understand what a madman is thinking.

“Okay,” he interrupted, “you hate him, anyway, he’s about to go wander the world with your good brother.”

This time, it was Zhang Yuanhan's turn to remain silent.

Of the four, only Huo Qin cared about the important matter. He coughed and said, "Xiao Shan is dead. The court will investigate, won't it?"

"Zhang Yuanqian is going on a long journey. Can you handle it alone?"

When the topic of power came up, Zhang Yuanhan immediately snapped out of his grief and sneered arrogantly, "It's nothing more than negotiation and maneuvering. For a behemoth like the Zhang family, it will take time for him to make a move."

"Besides, Xiao Shan died in the turmoil of the martial world, so how can you blame the Zhang family?"

He raised his eyes, a cold glint in them: "My brother suffered, the successor of the Broken Goose departed, and a host of servants were killed or injured. Clearly, the Zhang family is also a victim."

Zhou Ziheng had to admit that the Zhang brothers were absolute monsters of power.

The eldest son imprisoned Zhang Daolin, put aside years of blood feud, and used his father's power to bring the Zhang family to its peak.

The second young master is cunning and shrewd, with an indelible ambition for power. It is estimated that the Zhang family will not decline under his control.

Zhou Ziheng nodded: "Good, it's good that you already have a plan."

"We've spent quite a bit of time in Zhuanglan, it's time for us to leave."

Zhang Yuanhan hesitated, his lips opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.

Zhou Ziheng quickly tidied himself up and prepared to leave. As he brushed past Zhang Yuanhan, he heard a sigh-like apology.

"sorry……"

Zhou Ziheng didn't react. Holding the Red Dust, he left without looking back.

...

Although they said they would set off as soon as possible, the group waited until the next day to leave.

Although Xi Bingyi was eager to go home, she still asked Zhou Ziheng to rest for another day, saying that there was no rush. Zhou Ziheng had no choice but to stay at Zhang's house a little longer.

During this time, Zhang Yuanhan sent three cotton-padded coats and some travel money through someone, but he himself did not appear.

Zhou Ziheng stroked the warm cotton coat, which was embroidered with sword patterns in gold thread and adorned with pearls at the hem and cuffs, making it look incredibly expensive.

He sighed, turned his head, and sure enough, saw Xi Bingyi's awkward expression.

She looked at the cotton-padded coat again and again, feeling both sentimental and indignant, but in the end she decided to accept the fluffy coat.

Now that the Zhang family is completely under Zhang Yuanhan's control, all dissenting voices have disappeared after the massacre of the Zhang family that day.

Zhou Ziheng sometimes wondered if Zhang Yuanqian had given prior notice and paved the way for him before leaving, otherwise Zhang Yuanhan's rise to power would have been far too smooth.

But he also understood that it was probably all Zhang Yuanhan's doing.

"Tsk tsk... Planning for so long, adapting so quickly, what a monster..."

Zhang Yuanqian and "Xu Yi" left Zhuang Lan and disappeared. Perhaps soon, the complete Broken Goose Blade will become famous throughout the world.

On the day he left, Zhou Ziheng looked back from afar and saw the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion reflecting a dazzling light in the Zhang family compound, which was in dire need of reconstruction.

Amidst the dazzling lights, blurry figures watched the three depart.