A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1726

"Such is the fate of the Chu family," the voice of the old lady continued sadly, laden with grief accumulated over the decades. "Go, and never show yourself here again." Despite her pleas, the old matriarch was forced against her will to watch her family tear each other apart.

Long before she was deemed senile, nobody in the Chu family took her seriously. Not even Chu Yuan, with whom she begged to reverse his decision on Ye Fan's banishment.

It seemed as though the vicious cycle of history would never cease to torment the old woman. Ye Fan was yet another one of her descendants destined to disobey her. With the lethargy of old age settling in her bones, she had finally given up on the impossible task of trying to reconcile her kin. Besides, her age gap with Ye Fan was far too great for the pair to communicate as equals.

The old woman often found herself wandering about the Chu residence only to realize how few of them she actually knew, with Ye Fan being the one she was most acquainted with.

Before, she had planned for Ye Fan to inherit the ancestral sword at a more suitable time as the Sword ofYunyangwasto be unleashed at the moment it was needed the most.

However, she felt as if there might not be another opportunity to do so given the turn of events over the past couple of months.

Outside of the compound, the ancient sword glowed green as it hung suspended in midair.

With the forlorn voice of his great-grandmother still echoing through the air, Ye Fan found himself frozen in shock.

Gazing into the depths of the sword before him, he saw the soul within swirling along with the green light as it pulsed and shimmered.

"Could this be the very same sword used by our great ancestor?"

Ye Fan gazed at the sword before him, lost in thought for a long time. Unable to understand the emotions that heaved in his heart, he found it difficult to calm

himself.

Ye Fan recalled that there was a record of the founder of the Chu family, Chu Yunyang, in the Book of Celestial Cloud.

The legend was that he had set out to establish a foothold of his family in the land armed with nothing but a sacred sword.

This must have been the sword in question! The Sword ofYunyang!

At last, Ye Fan reached out in a daze and grabbed hold of the hilt.

The moment his skin made contact with the sword, he began to convulse violently.

Thrown into a swirling river where time and space ceased to exist, Ye Fan stood transfixed, his hand still glued to the hilt, as centuries of the noble family's history flashed before his eyes. Without even realizing it, tears of reverence for the founding patriarch rolled down his cheeks.

At the same time, a figure as broad as a mountain appeared in his mind's eye. With his powerfully built body drawn to full height, his shoulders became lost in the clouds. Gazing down with regal haughtiness, he looked as if the world belonged at his feet.

"Mr. Yunyang," Ye Fan whispered.

If Tsukuyomi was the deity of Japanese martial artists, the founding father of the Chu family, Chu Yunyang, was Ye Fan's.

Ever since embarking on the path of the warrior, every obstacle he had encountered along the way was once overcome by Chu Yunyang all those millennia ago.

Aside from his martial accomplishments, the founding patriarch had also been a talented scholar. The Book of Celestial Cloud, filled with elegant yet concise instructions, was said to have been the written record of his ancestor's thoughts. A byproduct of random musings in his spare time.

Ye Fan became thunderstruck by the realization that the sword he was wielding had once been used by his ancestor in his own quest. Despite the millennia that separated them, Ye Fan was not so different from Chu Yunyang after all.

His feeling of awe was fleeting.

When he grasped the hilt, the sword hummed louder for a moment and with a flash of green light, swiped across his palm.

A drop of blood fell onto the blade and turned into vapor the moment it made contact with the metal.

With a final hum, the sword quivered once more before falling still. Its green light faded slowly away.

In the absence of the green light, the sword of Yunyang looked like an ordinary, battle-worn old sword. Despite its shabby appearance, the ritual of the blood had solidified its allegiance to Ye Fan. Gazing in wonderment at the sword, he turned toward the Chu residence once more and sank into a deep bow.

"I will never forget this, great-grandma. It has been an honor being your great-grandson. I hope that I would be able to repay all that you have done in another life. Take care of yourself."

With one last gaze at the decrepit structure through bloodshot eyes, he sheathed the sword in the scabbard on his back and began his descent down

the mountain.

Ye Fan did not intend to return to Jingzhou, nor did he have any plans to head back to Mount YundingVilla in Yunzhou.

Instead, armed with the sword of Yunyang and the knowledge of its symbolic bequeathal, he traveled to Mount Chumen.

Ye Fan did not undergo solitary training. Being familiar with his own progress, he was confident that he would not be able to make any progress during this juncture.

Ye Qingtian made zero headway despite numerous attempts over dozens of years. There was no way that I would be able to obtain a breakthrough even if I forced the issue. He merely fed Gaius that story so that the latter would not have any reason to suspect his motives.

After leaving the Chu residence, Ye Fan made up his mind to head for Mount Chumen. The singular purpose of slaying Chu Zhengliang was fixated on his mind. This time, however, Ye Fan would be declaring war

against the Chu family without his allies.

If it weren't for Moon God's intervention during the previous fight with Chu Sect, Gaius and the rest might have been killed.

The risk of ascending Mount Chumen a second time was exponentially higher than the first.

Even if Moon God and Gaius were willing to provide assistance, they might not even be able to leave in one piece.

After all, Chu Sect was most likely going to side with the Chu family.

Rather than lead Gaius and the rest to their deaths, Ye Fan felt it more prudent to undertake the quest by himself.

There is no holding back from this upcoming battle. With the Sword of Yunyang on my side, I am finally able to avenge Angie and put an end to this once and for all. Even if it became a fight to the death, Ye Fan was determined to impress upon the Chu family that he and his loved ones were not to be trifled with.

The Sword of Yunyang rattled in its scabbard with every step forward as Ye Fan trudged eastward with grim determination.

All that kept him going at that moment was the fantasy of reveling in the blood of his sworn enemies.

Who knows if I will be able to return from this trip?

On the other side of the ocean atop Mount Chumen, Tang Yun had resigned herself to a simpler life after Ye Fan descended the mountain with the Dragon Slayers. Aside from presiding over occasional reports from the elders, she spent most of her time recuperating.

Instead of being resentful, Tang Yun had chosen to view the injuries inflicted upon her as opportunities to grow and strengthen herself.

Slowly but surely, the decades of stagnation once again dissolved to make way for progress.

Meanwhile, all was quiet within the Chu residence.

Chu Yuan, the former patriarch, was forced to leave the confines of his solitary training to intervene when Ye Fan had stormed the gates.

After the latter's departure, Chu Yuan once again retired into his solitary space and left the domestic duties to be taken care of by his son, Chu Zhengliang.

With the help of the family's considerable resources, Chu Zhengliang had managed to regain nearly all of his strength within the span of a month.

It was already late at night when the family meeting had ended. Upon dismissing the elders, Chu Zhengliang made his way past a narrow path surreptitiously before slipping behind a secret door. Though it was dim within, he sensed a steady flow of energy.

Before he was the figure of a young man sitting cross-legged atop a bed which shimmered mysteriously under the soft yellow lights.

The latter was clad in a set of loose, flowing robes. A black cloth was wrapped around his eyes.

As if sensing the presence of another, the young man jerked slightly out of his reverie. "Dad?"

"I'm here. Don't move a muscle, I'm going to examine your eyes."

Striding across the room, Chu Zhengliang gently removed the black cloth and peered carefully at his son's eye sockets.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked quietly.

"Not anymore, Dad," Chu Qitian replied. "It itches, though."

Chu Zhengliang smiled with satisfaction. "That's a good sign. It means that your immune system is incorporating the eyes from a foreign object into an extension of your body. Before long, Jade Eyes will be yours to command. Our experiment is a success, son! There will be no fighter in the world equal to you once you harness the power of Jade Eyes!"