60: Chenjia Village

The courtyard was a mess after the battle. It was late autumn, and the temperature was low. If left untouched, the ice on the ground and walls would likely take a long time to melt.

Perhaps some time had passed since the battle in the courtyard ended, as a head peeked out from behind the broken wall, wanting to see the outcome of the fight.

Seeing Chu Jingyu standing in the courtyard while Chen Chengwen lay on the ground, riddled with bloodied holes, the guard's face instantly changed. He quickly crouched down, trying to sneak away while Chu Jingyu wasn't paying attention.

The guard was now filled with regret, wondering why he had been so eager to curry favor and had come over so early.

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when golden sand suddenly appeared, floating in the air before him.

His body stiffened, then he lifted his head and saw Chu Jingyu standing not far in front of him, and the golden sand floating up and down between them.

The guard's hands were propped on the ground, and his raised head revealed a flattering smile. "Sir, congratulations, congratulations..." He didn't know what he was congratulating him for, so he only said half a sentence before trailing off.

Chu Jingyu had no intention of making things difficult for a mere ordinary guard. He simply spoke lightly,

"Go gather the elders of Chenliu Village here. If you handle this matter well, your life will be safe."

Hearing Chu Jingyu's instructions, the guard's eyes instantly lit up. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go, right away."

The guard stumbled to his feet and ran along the path, which the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast had cleared when Chu Jingyu arrived, to the village road.

The servants in Chen Chengwen's courtyard were all very quick-witted. They had hidden far away the moment the battle began, and the coachman, along with the carriage, had already vanished.

Presumably, he had taken advantage of the chaos to secretly drive the carriage back to town.

Chu Jingyu's expression was stern as he walked through the main hall towards the back courtyard. What he needed to do now was to eliminate all potential future threats to his family in their infancy.

Chen Chengwen also had a wife, two concubines, and a pair of eleven or twelve-year-old children. These were all potential hidden dangers, and Chu Jingyu naturally wouldn't be soft-hearted and leave trouble for his family.

With the "Heart of the Earth Vein" skill for detection, Chu Jingyu walked with a clear purpose towards the deepest part of the back courtyard.

He walked until he reached the high wall at the very back of the courtyard. Chu Jingyu looked at the locked gate. In the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast's perception, someone had escaped from here into the valley behind the courtyard.

The Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast's pincers gently clamped the padlock, and the lock and chain fell off with a clang.

Chu Jingyu gently pushed open the metal gate, which was even taller than the main entrance, and a cool breeze eagerly rushed out from behind it.

This was an extremely narrow valley. The section near the entrance was only about a dozen meters wide, but the valley walls on both sides were extremely high, allowing only faint light to scatter on the valley walls, never reaching the valley floor.

Ice crystals hung on the valley floor and the walls on both sides, continuously releasing a cold air that ordinary people would find unbearable.

Chu Jingyu slowly walked into the valley. After walking for nearly a hundred meters, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and the valley walls on both sides curved outwards.

The view quickly became vast. Colorful crystals emitting different glows grew on the ground here.

"Bone Crystals," Chu Jingyu's eyes slightly brightened. This was a widely useful material because it could accommodate different types of elements and make violent elemental energy more docile. Therefore, although common, the demand for it was very high.

As far as the eye could see, these "Bone Crystals" were everywhere, some of the larger ones already over a person's height.

However, there were noticeably more ice-blue "Bone Crystals" here. Although other attributes were also present, they were significantly fewer. All other colors combined amounted to only half the number of ice-blue ones.

As Chu Jingyu was immersed in the joy of his harvest, the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast, which had once again used "Heart of the Earth Vein," conveyed a solemn emotion.

In the deeper part of the valley, there was a Source Beast far more powerful than it.

Recalling the Sea of Freezing Points just now, Chu Jingyu guessed that the Source Beast within might have some connection to the Ice Lotus that Chen Chengwen had contracted. However, as a plant-type Source Beast, it couldn't leave its habitat without being contracted.

Chen Chengwen's family was hiding near that Spirit Rank Source Beast. Chu Jingyu frowned and didn't rashly venture deeper.

According to the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast's detection, this valley should have no other exits. Chu Jingyu only needed to guard here; he would eventually outlast them.

Leaving the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast to guard there, Chu Jingyu returned along the original path.

Back at the place where he had just fought Chen Chengwen, several older-looking elders had already gathered on the ground covered in ice crystal shards.

At the end of the main road leading directly to the village, many villagers stood at a distance, constantly talking about something.

The guard, who was constantly paying attention to the surrounding movements, was the first to spot Chu Jingyu. He immediately trotted over, his face full of fawning flattery, and said:

"Sir, all five elders of Chenliu Village are here."

Chu Jingyu nodded faintly, then walked towards the group of elders.

Seeing that Chu Jingyu had no other attitude, and looking at so many people around, the guard felt much more at ease. This person wouldn't kill someone in front of so many villagers, would he?

The elders looked at Chu Jingyu approaching, their expressions varied. Some showed doubt, some harbored deep resentment, some merely observed, and others had calm expressions.

At this moment, Chen Chengwen, riddled with bloodied holes, still lay on the ground, but no one dared to step forward to collect his body.

"Are you all the elders of Chenliu Village? Chen Chengwen defied his superiors, disobeying the master family's orders, and was killed on the spot. I presume none of you elders have any objections, do you?"

Hearing Chu Jingyu's words, one of the elders was the first to step forward,

"Even if Chen Chengwen had done something wrong, as an Uncommon Rank Contract Master, his case should have been reported to the Town Chiefs Mansion before any action could be taken. Clan Head Chu's actions are against regulations."

Chu Jingyu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected a mere ordinary elder to dare to question him so sternly. Was the deterrent effect of Chen Chengwen's corpse not enough?

"Rules? From the day Chenliu Village was assigned to the Chu family, the Chu family is your rule."

Chu Jingyu raised his finger, pointing it from a distance at the forehead of the elder who had spoken. Under the horrified gaze of the surrounding people, that elder had already fallen backward, limp and lifeless.

"I know you've been under the jurisdiction of the Liu family for a long time, and you've inexplicably developed some arrogance, looking down on a newly established small family like ours, the Chu family.

But the Liu family has moved away, and they won't be back for a hundred, a thousand years. The loyalty you guard won't be seen by the Liu family, nor will it bring you blessings.

Now, the Chu family is in charge of you. If you still can't recognize your place and allegiance, this won't be the last one."

The remaining four elders' faces turned pale. The gap between ordinary people and Contract Masters was immense; even without using Source Beasts, they still had no means to resist the power of a Contract Master.

One of the elders knelt down towards Chu Jingyu, "We, the people of Chenliu Village, will henceforth faithfully serve the Chu family. We only wish for the master family to prosper and be blessed for years to come."

This elder's status in Chenliu Village should have been relatively high. As he knelt, the remaining three elders exchanged glances, and upon seeing the other elder's corpse lying on the ground, they inexplicably shivered and also knelt down one after another.

Chu Jingyu looked towards the village along the main road, "To sever ties with the past and also to represent the rebirth of Chenliu Village, Chenliu Village will henceforth be renamed Chen Family Village."