A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 977 Why Are You Leaving Me in the Lurch?

Chu Zheng-Liang returned to the Chu family that night and requested to speak to the elders.

The council of elders had the power to rein in the authority and power that the head of the Chu family held.

Chu Zheng-Hong had no power to change any decision that was reached unanimously by the elders, even if he disagreed with them.

After all, there was a reason that for the Chu family's longstanding supremacy in the realm of martial arts.

A democracy that kept those in power in check was definitely better than leaving the family in the hands of just one person like the Qiu family did.

"What did you just say?"

"Did Zheng-Hong really deploy the family's resources and declared war on Japan without consulting anyone?" "What a fool!" "How could he act unilaterally without seeking anyone's advice?"

"His actions might disrupt the Chu family's ambitions. How is he going to answer for that?"

In the meeting room, the upper echelons of the Chu family were bristling with rage after having heard from Chu Zheng-Liang that Chu Zheng-Hong had led a big group of grandmasters into Japan and carried out a massacre.

They reached a unanimous decision after a discussion.

"We will recall Chu Zheng-Hong's authority as the head of the Chu family. Chu Zheng-Liang will be in charge of the family until the old patriarch returns! Chu Zheng-Liang will take the Cloud Sun Token with him to Japan and recall our grandmasters. He will command Chu Zheng-Hong to return to the Chu family and face punishment!"

The Cloud Sun Token was akin to a tally that could deploy and dispatch the troops under one's command.

The council of elders at the Chu family was the ones who held it.

The Cloud Sun Token represented the will of the Chu family and possessed authority that surpassed that of the head of the family.

The Chu family's rules dictated that the head of the family must kowtow in deference when he was presented with the Cloud Sun Token. It was a powerful item that could rein in the power and authority of the head of the family.

The Chu family was going to use the Cloud Sun Token to summon Chu Zheng-Hong back home.

It was evident that the upper echelons of the Chu family were livid at what Chu Zheng-Hong had done.

Chu Zheng-Liang got to Japan in the nick of time and managed to summon everyone back before things spiraled out of control.

He also commanded Chu Zheng-Hong to return to the Chu family immediately to face punishment.

But Chu Zheng-Hong seemed oblivious to Chu Zheng-Liang's words.

His eyes glowed with an icy, murderous rage as he stared Chu Zheng-Liang straight in the eye.

"My dear brother, please don't make things difficult for me. You should return home with me right now as our elders have commanded you to. You can disrespect me, but are you going to disrespect the orders of our elders? You should know the consequences of disobeying the authority of the Cloud Sun Token," said Chu Zheng-Liang.

They were in Tokyo. With the Cloud Sun Token in his hands, Chu Zheng-Liang stared at the man before him with a serious look in his eyes as he spoke slowly in a deep voice.

His words were heavy with the promise of what was to come if Chu Zheng-Hong disobeyed his order.

As the saying went, the royal family was the most heartless of all families.

The Chu family was the most powerful family in the world of martial arts and were akin to kings and queens in that realm.

The family's history was rife with struggles for power.

No love was shared or lost between brothers.

"Master, let's go home. We did act rather rashly this time," said Han in a pleading tone.

Ye Fan had been expelled from the Chu family long ago, so his death meant nothing to the Chu family. But Chu Zheng-Hong had deployed the family's resources for a personal grudge, so he was in the wrong this time.

There was still time to turn back before everything was too late.

Han was worried about the irreparable wedge that would eventually drive Chu

Zheng-Hong and the Chu family apart if they didn't turn back now.

Their misfortune would become the fortune of someone else.

The air of murderous rage around Chu Zheng-Hong gradually receded and faded away as Han continued to plead with the man.

Chu Zheng-Hong looked up and stared Chu Zheng-Liang in the eye.

"News travel fast, doesn't it? You managed to find out what's going on just as I was getting started. Did you receive a call for help? I find it hard to believe that you have nothing to do with Fan's death," said Chu Zheng-Hong in a frosty tone.

Something flickered imperceptibly in Chu Zheng-Liang's eyes as he feigned confusion.

"Fan? Who's that? Are you talking about the child whom the old patriarch cast out from our family years ago? My nephew? What happened to him? Is he somehow involved in what you're doing now?"

Chu Zheng-Liang's performance was flawless. But the icy look on Chu Zheng-Hong remained unchanged. "I hope for your sake that you have nothing to do with this. If I find out that you're the one who got Fan killed, I swear that kinship wouldn't save you then. I won't spare you even if you're my brother!"

His merciless words were heavy with the promise of violence.

Anyone who heard him would tremble with fear as their hair stood on end.

Chu Zheng-Liang began to feel slightly uneasy for some reason.

He was aware that his brother still cared for that son of his, but he had not expected the boy, a bastard birthed by a lowly woman who came from a village, to hold such an important place in his brother's heart. The man had broken the family rules in trying to seek revenge for his son's death.

He had actually risked his position as the head of the family for a child that had been cast out of the family.

Chu Zheng-Liang knew his brother's character. This was a man who loved and cared deeply and who would transform into the devil himself the moment his wrath was incurred.

Chu Zheng-Liang was beginning to regret what he had done. Perhaps he should not have killed that young man.

But it was too late for him to do anything about it now.

All he could do now was to conceal his involvement in the young man's murder and do his best to usurp Chu Zheng-Hong's power and status.

When he and his son finally seized complete control over the Chu family, it wouldn't matter if Chu Zheng-Hong found out that he was the mastermind behind Ye Fan's death then. There was nothing he would be able to do about it.

Chu Zheng-Hong ended up returning to the family with Chu Zheng-Liang to face punishment.

Sato finally released a long sigh of relief when the grandmasters of the Chu family left Japan. His heart fell from his throat and returned to its rightful place in his chest.

"Thank god, they're finally gone. I thought I was done for." His near shave with death had him on the verge of tears.

But Sato's mind wasn't fully set at ease.

He had a feeling that their departure was going to be temporary. No one knew when they would return again.

He couldn't let his safety rest on the mercy and compassion of others.

"I have to think of a way to guarantee my own safety. Men, get the car ready! We're heading to Sanshin Organization!"

One needed a grandmaster to deal with another grandmaster.

Sato headed straight for Tokyo and requested a meeting with Grandmaster Yukiteru, the chief of the Sanshin Organization.

He was going to request Yukiteru's protection!

He did not expect the grandmaster to turn down his request.

"But I don't understand, Chief Yukiteru. Why won't you help me? Think of all those men that Chu Tian-Fan killed and all the men from Sanshin Organization whom you lost! Shouldn't he pay for those deaths? By killing him, I avenged the deaths of the men from Sanshin Organization and the deaths of those in the Japanese martial arts circle. I don't ask for your gratitude. I simply ask for your protection. Is that not the least that you can offer? Why won't you help? I'm not asking for too much, only to save myself. Why are you leaving me in the lurch?" Sato stared at the person before him with bloodshot eyes as he howled in fury and disbelief.