Few members of the clans knew that the territories of the Cheng and Xing families were actually connected.
Under the Cheng family's Chongben Hall, there was a secretly sealed underground network, absolutely never to be used, leading north to Luoyang, west to Xiangyang, east to Songjiang, and south to Lin'an. Should the two families ever face the threat of extermination, they would disperse the seeds of their clans in all directions.
Cheng Jinyang and Xing Yuanzhi hurried to the front of Chongben Hall, where they suddenly saw a flash in the distant sky.
"Heavens..." Xing Yuanzhi's face turned pale instantly, "Tianjie Fire?"
In the aristocratic circles, the strategic weapons carried on the Jingwei flagship were no secret. One was the high-energy laser emitter "Three-legged Crow," and the other was the cluster bomb system "Tianjie Fire." The latter could launch over 100 submunitions in a single strike, each containing more than 13,000 high-explosive incendiary bombs, capable of turning every inch of the Pukou District center into a sea of fire.
Due to the bulk and number of the submunitions, they were launched as ballistic missiles: adjusting the launch angle, engine boosting, entering a fixed trajectory, then engine cutoff, and finally reaching the target and detonating. Upon launch, all the engines of the submunitions would ignite simultaneously, the concentrated lumens produced could turn night into day in an instant.
Atop Chongben Hall, the old master of the Cheng family Cheng Benhe, stood leaning on a cane, beside him the Xing family head Xing Shuhe. The two fifth-grade supernaturals stood side by side, watching the rapidly approaching Tianjie Fire missiles from the southern sky.
"Shuhe," Cheng Benhe said finally, his voice somewhat weak, "From now on, I entrust Jinyang to you."
"Alright," Xing Shuhe replied.
In just those few words, the Tianjie Fire missiles had already traversed over 30 kilometers, breaking through the clouds and entering inertial flight, shooting down from above the Yangtze River, targeting the Cheng and Xing family territory in Pukou District!
Xing Shuhe gave a low shout, his mind instantly concentrating, completing massive calculations in an instant.
Mass Effect: Azure Realm!
With the missiles traveling at over Mach 20, locking onto them with superpowers was unrealistic. The only option was to cover their trajectory with a wide-area effect.
Azure Realm, the azure sky.
The ancients said, "The clear rises, the turbid sinks," implying the collection of light gas, symbolizing mass reduction.
With immense inertia, many Tianjie Fire missiles entered the Azure Realm field, their mass drastically reduced. Under the effect of air resistance, their speed also plummeted.
Cheng Benhe gathered his strength, and once they slowed down, he immediately locked onto all the missiles and swiftly activated his power.
Universal Gravitation: Triple Strings!
The gravity of these missiles instantly tripled, directed towards the northwest. Thus, they traced a perilously close parabola over Pukou District, shooting back towards the northern sky.
Below, Cheng Jinyang and Xing Yuanzhi sighed in relief at this sight, also feeling some lingering fear and awe.
This is the significance of fifth-grade supernaturals to their families: as the bloodline concentration crosses the boundary, the powers themselves undergo a qualitative leap.
Universal Gravitation can adjust magnitude, multiplying the gravity of a mass source several times or reducing it to a fraction; the adjustment range of Mass Effect also greatly expands, capable of reducing any mass source to a near-zero minimum or increasing it to tens of thousands of tons.
Without the two fifth-grade patriarchs, the family would have been doomed this time!
Cheng Jinyang looked up again, just in time to meet Cheng Benhe's gaze from the rooftop. They stared at each other for a moment, the latter seeming to want to say something, his lips moved slightly.
Then he fell back powerlessly.
Cheng Jinyang: ??!
He hurriedly led Ah Zhi into the main hall of Chongben Hall, only to see Cheng Benhe had already been transported downstairs, undergoing rescue in the nearby medical room.
After a moment, his cousin Cheng Yuexian also returned to Chongben Hall. Seeing Cheng Jinyang and Xing Yuanzhi standing outside in confusion, and the light on in the medical room, she immediately understood what had happened and sighed deeply.
Just then, the door of the medical room suddenly opened, and the head of the Xing family, Xing Shuhe, walked out and nodded to Xing Yuanzhi nearby. Then he turned to Cheng Jinyang and said, "Old Master Cheng has awakened... Hurry, his time is running out."
Everyone rushed into the medical room and saw nurses busy in front of the equipment.
Both the second uncle and the third uncle were already standing by the side. Cheng Benhe, with tubes inserted all over his body, lay on the bed, his cloudy eyes looking over.
"Where's Cheng Huaiyan?" Third Uncle Cheng Qingping, seeing his son hadn't returned yet, frowned and took out his phone.
Just as he was about to make a call, he heard someone shouting outside, "They're here, they're here!" Then Cheng Huaiyan and Xing Junmo rushed in.
"Everyone's here, so let's begin." Second Uncle Cheng Qingyuan said expressionlessly.
Cheng Benhe spoke slowly, and Cheng Qingping placed a microphone by his mouth, adjusting the volume to the maximum.
"From today onwards," the old master's voice seemed as if it had been polished with sandpaper, like a candle in the wind that could extinguish at any moment, "the position of patriarch of the Cheng family... shall be passed on to Cheng Jinyang, to succeed."
For a moment, it seemed as if the whole world had quieted down. Cheng Jinyang stood there in bewilderment, his mind filled with questions like "Who am I?", "Where am I?", and "What am I supposed to do?"
How could the old master unleash such a bombshell, passing on the patriarch position directly to him after saving the family's territory and suddenly becoming unwell?
This was too sudden, wasn't it?!!
"As for personnel..." Cheng Benhe continued with difficulty, "the third branch will assist in management..."
Cheng Qingping nodded.
"For finances... the second branch will act as agents..."
"Understood," Cheng Qingyuan murmured. Meanwhile, Cheng Yuexian behind them softly called out, "Grandfather," and then couldn't say anything else, tears silently streaming down her face.
"But... all matters must be decided by the patriarch," Cheng Benhe turned his gaze to Cheng Jinyang, his left hand gesturing slightly, "come..."
"Go ahead," Cheng Huaiyan gently pushed from behind.
So Cheng Jinyang walked to Cheng Benhe's side, wanting to say something but completely unable to speak.
"Jinyang..." Cheng Benhe seemed unable to see clearly anymore, his eyeballs stiffly turning.
"Grandfather," Cheng Jinyang called out softly.
"The family... in the future..." Cheng Benhe's lips moved weakly, his breath like a strand of silk, "...will be in your hands."
"Okay." Cheng Jinyang hesitated for a moment before speaking, "But, I don't know if I'm capable."
"Do your best... and leave the rest to fate," at the last moment, Cheng Benhe said, "No matter... whether ahead... is good or bad..."
His eyes suddenly widened, as if squeezing out the last bit of strength from his body:
"...lead everyone... forward."
And then this old man stopped moving.
The heart rate on the monitor also turned into a straight line, starting to beep intermittently.
In the medical room, the atmosphere froze for nearly half a minute, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Then Cheng Qingping spoke up:
"Prepare him for burial, time is running out."
The two nurses hurriedly brought over a shroud and carefully placed Cheng Benhe's body into it.
Glancing at Cheng Jinyang, who was standing there in shock, Xing Yuanzhi was about to say something when Xing Shuhe's hand rested on her shoulder.
Xing Shuhe shook his head at her, indicating for her to follow him as they left, leaving the remaining time for the Cheng family.
After they left, the remaining people looked at each other, until Cheng Yuexian wiped away her tears and spoke up:
"I'll explain."
She approached Cheng Jinyang and whispered softly:
"In fact, long before you reclaimed your ancestry, Grandfather's health had been deteriorating for a long time, which is why he had been in the hospital fighting for his life."
"Since his return to the ancestral land, in the month you were away, Grandfather's health declined daily. Despite his illness, he managed to handle most of the transition matters. All the Cheng family descendants who opposed you have also followed the First Uncle to join the Longxiang Army, starting a new lineage."
"So, the people remaining in the ancestral land are basically those who recognize you as the clan leader. You don't have to worry about opposition or being sidelined…"
"I didn't mean that." Cheng Jinyang fell silent for a moment before saying, "Why has no one ever told me all this before?"
"During this month, you've just been going to the Luo Hall to receive tasks and then returning to your residence in Wujiang Town without ever coming back to the ancestral land to inquire about Grandfather and us, right?" Cheng Yuexian sighed softly.
"Grandfather said that because you grew up outside and lacked emotional ties with the family, even harboring some estrangement, it's normal. But since his remaining time was short, what should be handed over to you would eventually have to be." Cheng Huaiyan added succinctly from behind.
"If we had told you earlier, we were afraid you wouldn't agree." Cheng Qingyuan supplemented briefly.
"Do you think by suddenly informing me now, I will agree?" Cheng Jinyang laughed bitterly, his expression extremely complicated.
"At least now is the most likely time for you to agree." Second Uncle Cheng Qingyuan sighed.
"If you don't agree, there's nothing we can do." Third Uncle Cheng Qingping added, "But in doing so, the Shendu Cheng family will inevitably be expelled from the noble clan and reduced to commoners. Most of the clan members will also have to be dispersed to make their own way in life."
"We're not trying to force you into anything." Cheng Yuexian concluded softly, "Originally, we were going to wait until things settled down a bit and Grandfather planned to find a time to have a good talk with you. It's just that this sudden attack by the Longxiang Army happened…"
"I understand." Cheng Jinyang interrupted her, "The spiritual shield here has already been broken, and Pukou District is definitely not defensible. Let's take the remaining clan members on the underground rail and send them to the southern urban area. We'll discuss the rest later."
"Okay, I'll organize it." Cheng Huaiyan nodded quickly and immediately left with Xing Junmo.
"Is the situation in the urban area okay? Can it be confirmed?" Cheng Jinyang asked, turning to Second Uncle.
"At the moment, only the relay station in Pukou District has been destroyed." Second Uncle Cheng Qingyuan said, "The force field over the urban area is still holding, but it's still dangerous in the long run. We can consider taking this opportunity to directly evacuate the clan members to Lin'an…"
"No." Cheng Jinyang rejected his suggestion, "If we evacuate directly to Lin'an, it will be seen as the Shendu Cheng family fleeing without a fight. Plus, with Grandfather already deceased, being expelled from the noble clan is inevitable."
"We can evacuate the clan members without combat capability to Lin'an, but before that, we must negotiate and reach an agreement with the court. I'll handle this matter. Third Uncle, you can start screening the list of clan members accordingly."
"Okay." Third Uncle Cheng Qingping nodded.
"I can't think of any other urgent matters for now." Cheng Jinyang rubbed his temples, "If you don't have any other objections, let's all leave and prepare for evacuation at the underground entrance."
Ever since Cheng Yuexian asked him to spare Cheng Yizhou's life after the war, he should have realized: if you weren't the clan leader, then what qualifications and authority did you have to spare his life?