Chapter 26: The Marshal’s Lineage

Zhong Yun and his companion were wholly unaffected by Niu Ben’s actions; they spent the entire day out enjoying themselves, only returning to the inn at seven in the evening. Upon their return, Zhong Yun set his things down and immediately sought out Chen Wen.

It was as if Chen Wen had known all along that Zhong Yun would come looking for him. Before Zhong Yun could speak, Chen Wen asked, “You have something to ask me?” Seeing him nod, he continued, “You want to ask about Niu Ben, don’t you?”

“How did you know?” Zhong Yun asked, surprised.

Tian Hai interjected, “We all saw what happened this morning. A real hero-saving-the-damsel spectacle. So, did Liu Yunqi reward her hero with her heart?”

Ignoring his nonsense, Chen Wen sighed. “You shouldn’t have stopped Niu Ben.”

“What are you talking about?” Tian Hai protested before Zhong Yun could. “You’d rather let Niu Ben lay a hand on the lovely Miss Liu?”

Chen Wen shot Tian Hai a glare for interrupting him. “By doing what he did, Zhong Yun actually saved Niu Ben’s life.”

“What do you mean?” Tian Hai was baffled. Beating someone up equated to saving his life? That was truly bizarre.

Chen Wen sneered. “If Niu Ben had dared to lay a hand on Liu Yunqi, he’d be courting death. If Zhong Yun hadn’t intervened today, Niu Shunjin would be mourning his son.”

“You mean Niu Shunjin is Niu Ben’s father?” Zhong Yun asked.

“That’s right,” Chen Wen nodded. “You might say you saved his son, but don’t expect gratitude. On the contrary, he might seek revenge.”

He glanced at Zhong Yun. “Niu Shunjin may not be among the real powers, but if he’s foolish enough to retaliate, he’ll only make trouble for himself.”

Zhong Yun fell silent. He knew his own circumstances. Contrary to what Chen Wen seemed to believe, he wasn’t from any powerful family. His parents worked for a large corporation, but wielded little influence.

Getting on the wrong side of an underworld boss was indeed troublesome, but Zhong Yun wasn’t someone to be trifled with, either.

“So, is Liu Yunqi really as formidable as the rumors say?” Tian Hai, curiosity piqued, couldn’t help but ask.

“Formidable is putting it mildly,” Chen Wen shook his head. “Her background is well known to many; it’s no secret. I can tell you.”

He glanced warily around, then leaned in. Sensing his seriousness, Zhong Yun and Tian Hai also leaned closer, their heads nearly touching.

Chen Wen licked his lips, lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “Have you ever heard of the Yang family?”

Zhong Yun and Tian Hai exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Chen Wen gave Zhong Yun an odd look. It wasn’t surprising that Tian Hai hadn’t heard of them—the Yang family kept a low profile and rarely made media appearances—but he was surprised Zhong Yun hadn’t, either.

But he held back his comment and continued, “Then have you heard of Yang Binggang?”

“I know! The former Supreme Commander of the military.” Tian Hai, a weapons enthusiast, was familiar with military news.

“Exactly.” Chen Wen pressed on, “Do you know how many Supreme Commanders in history have had the surname Yang?”

“How many?” Zhong Yun couldn’t help asking.

Chen Wen held up three fingers and uttered a number, “Three hundred and twenty-one.”

“No way—don’t tell me all of them were from the Yang family.” Tian Hai was alarmed, unable to hold back a curse.

The Supreme Commander of the military—what a position! Commander of eighty million troops, five hundred interstellar warships, and a hundred thousand mech units.

The Supreme Commander’s term lasted five years; to date, there had been over eight hundred of them. If what Chen Wen said was true, that meant over a third of the Supreme Commanders had come from the Yang family. It was practically a family monopoly.

Tian Hai was unwilling, even afraid, to believe it.

Freedom and democracy were enshrined in the supreme and sacred constitution. How could an institution of such power be monopolized by a single family for generations? It seemed impossible.

Chen Wen’s words mercilessly shattered his disbelief. “Not all of them—a couple weren’t from the Yang family.” In other words, the Yangs produced three hundred and nineteen Supreme Commanders.

Hearing such certainty, Zhong Yun was stunned, drawing in a sharp breath, speechless for a long time.

“That’s just outrageous. How could it be?” Tian Hai muttered.

Chen Wen leaned back, a mocking smile on his lips. “Why not? The Yang family is known as the House of Marshals, a lineage five thousand years old.”

“But why have I never heard of them? And the media, why has it never been exposed?” Tian Hai remained unconvinced.

“You underestimate the power of great families,” Chen Wen said seriously. “You think the media can report whatever it wants, unchecked? You give them too much credit. Not even the president can do as he pleases. The media’s power is limited; when interests are involved, it all comes down to compromise between the powerful.”

“Besides, most of the big media outlets are controlled by those very families. At the very least, when it comes to a behemoth like the Yang family, the media treats them as taboo.”

“Well, I’ve certainly learned something today,” Tian Hai exclaimed with a sigh.

“So what’s Liu Yunqi’s connection to the Yang family?” Zhong Yun suddenly asked.

Chen Wen gave him a meaningful look and revealed, “Actually, I knew Liu Yunqi before.”

“What?” Tian Hai nearly jumped up. Pointing at Chen Wen, he accused, “That’s not right! Why didn’t you say so before? You knew full well…”

“Enough, Tian Hai,” Zhong Yun pulled him back, stopping him from finishing.

Tian Hai sat down in a huff, glaring at Chen Wen as if to say, “Explain yourself or else.”

Chen Wen gave a wry smile. “We were just ordinary friends back then. The matter is complicated—I couldn’t tell you before.” His meaning was clear: now that he considered Zhong Yun and Tian Hai true friends, he could trust them with such things.

“It’s always your so-called noble principles,” Tian Hai retorted, though his tone had softened.

Chen Wen pretended not to hear. There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

“Your goal must be the same as Niu Ben’s,” Zhong Yun said unexpectedly.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Chen Wen’s face, but he didn’t deny it. “It’s true. My old man sent me to this public school just to forge connections with the Yang family.”

“What? You want to steal Ah Yun’s girl?” Tian Hai nearly exploded again, face flushed, and Zhong Yun had to restrain him.

Scratching his head, Chen Wen said innocently, “I didn’t know you guys at the time.”

“That’s no excuse,” Tian Hai nearly spat in his face, his voice so loud it made Chen Wen’s ears ring.

“Alright, I admit it. Don’t worry, I absolutely have no designs on Liu Yunqi,” Chen Wen conceded, trying to calm him down.

“That’s more like it,” Tian Hai grumbled, finally sitting down properly.

Chen Wen could only shake his head and smile bitterly. In the past, if anyone had dared point at his nose and shout, he would have fallen out with them on the spot. Today, he was uncharacteristically forbearing.

He had to admit, since befriending Zhong Yun and Tian Hai, he had changed a lot. He’d realized these past few days how good it was to have friends with no hidden agendas, with whom he could joke, bicker, tease girls, or even camp out all night for collectibles.

They spoke their minds, vented their frustrations, and never held back if they had a problem. With them, there was no need to be on guard or walk on eggshells. He could be his truest self.

Chen Wen cherished this life; he knew Tian Hai counted him a real friend.

It turned out, being scolded to one’s face wasn’t such a bad feeling after all.

PS: Thanks to all the readers who voted for me—finally made it into the top one hundred of the new authors’ list. Thank you!