Old Master Zhu, now in his seventies but still hale and hearty, sat at the head of the table. As he watched Yvonne Zhu walk through the doorway, his expression was especially grave.
“No matter what, our Zhu clan is still a top-tier family in Oceanport. You went and openly beat up Zheng family members, then barged into the Zheng Estate. If word gets out, outsiders are going to think the Zhengs are being bullied by us.”
“Yvonne, I believe you had your reasons for doing this, and I know you’re not the reckless type. So now, give me your explanation.”
Old Master Zhu’s words were slow and deliberate as he repeated himself, his gaze toward Yvonne Zhu growing even heavier.
Everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward Yvonne Zhu.
“Grandfather, may I tell you the reason privately?”
Yvonne Zhu glanced around, hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up.
“Just tell Grandfather? Yvonne, do you know what you’re saying? When you step outside, you represent the Zhu clan!” someone immediately snapped, clearly annoyed.
“That’s right! You’re just trying to use Grandfather’s favoritism to sweep this under the rug!” another person chimed in, glaring at Yvonne Zhu with open hostility.
“We hope Grandfather can give Miss Zhu a few minutes to speak with you in private,” said Bryce Gu, standing beside Yvonne.
As soon as he spoke, a man in blue, who’d kept his eyes closed the whole time, slowly opened them and looked at Gu Xiuran. His voice was icy: “Master Gu, even though you’re a guest of the Zhu family and have watched Yidong grow up, and you care for her, this matter concerns our Zhu family’s reputation. I hope you won’t get involved.”
That man, around forty, was none other than the Zhu clan’s eldest, Rowan Zhu. Years ago, he’d traveled abroad to study martial arts, then returned to the Zhu family. He spent his days tinkering with strange things, and no one really knew how strong he was.
“The old man’s got a point. Master Gu, you can’t play favorites with Yidong forever. If you keep spoiling her, she’ll get used to it and go off the rails.”
“Yeah, and today’s not just about her—it affects everyone in the Zhu family’s reputation. We can’t just let it slide!”
Hearing Rowan Zhu’s words, the atmosphere in the hall calmed down for a moment.
Gu Xiuran frowned at their words.
“Enough! Stop arguing!”
Old Master Zhu’s voice rang out from the head seat, and instantly everyone below fell silent.
He glanced at Yvonne Zhu, paused for a moment, then nodded: “Yidong, come here and tell me.”
With Old Master Zhu’s words, even if some people were still unhappy, they could only swallow it and keep quiet.
Yvonne Zhu walked up to Old Master Zhu, leaned in close, and quietly whispered a few words to him.
Hearing what Yvonne said, Old Master Zhu raised his brows slightly and looked at her: “Are you serious?”
“I saw it with my own eyes—he stomped Luke Lu to death, crushed fourth-grade Vajra Gavin Cheng, and at the Moore family in Jinnan, snapped Zack Zhao’s sword and made both Zack and Drake Yu bow to him.”
Yvonne Zhu nodded lightly and spoke in a low voice.
“Did you personally witness his fight with Mo Yang the other day?”
Old Master Zhu asked.
Yvonne’s face froze for a moment, then she shook her head: “I was still in Jinnan then, looking for Shi Qing. I didn’t get to see it myself.”
“Hmm.”
Old Master Zhu nodded, giving Yvonne a deep look. Then he turned to the Zhu family members below, who were all watching expectantly, and spoke calmly: “Since what happened today has already happened, let’s leave it at that for now.”
“For the next few days, there will be a guest staying in the Zhu family. No one is to disturb them.”
With just those two sentences, Old Master Zhu had everyone below glancing repeatedly at Yvonne Zhu.
Anyone with half a brain could guess—the guest was obviously the man Yvonne brought home tonight.
As soon as Old Master Zhu said that, the crowd below was instantly stunned.
“So, what—do you all have a problem with what I just said?”
Old Master Zhu’s face turned slightly stern as he looked around. But wherever his gaze landed, everyone lowered their heads in silence.
Yvonne Zhu finally relaxed inside. She hadn’t been sure if Evan Lin would want his identity revealed. If the Zhu family’s big-mouthed relatives found out he was Master Lin from Seacrest, they’d probably blab all over town. If that annoyed Evan, it could turn into a huge mess.
Seeing everyone below bow their heads and keep quiet, Old Master Zhu nodded and continued: “Actually, the real reason I called you all here tonight isn’t about Yidong.”
He paused halfway through, waiting until most people looked up at him before he spoke again: “You’ve all heard of Profound Clarity Sect, right?”
His tone was calm and heavy, like he was about to drop some serious news.
“Profound Clarity Sect? Isn’t that the legendary immortal sect? When I was a kid, I heard tons of stories about Profound Clarity—supposedly everyone there is an immortal, and they can even fly!” Hearing those words, a man below looked confused. “Grandpa, why’d you suddenly bring that up?”
“Isn’t that just a legend? In real life, who can really fly or become an immortal?”
As soon as he said that, someone else chimed in: “I heard some chatter about Profound Clarity Sect popping up recently, but those rumors are probably bogus—no one knows what’s real.”
“And even if Profound Clarity Sect is full of immortals, how could people like us ever get close to them? It’s always been just a legend—there’s no way it’s actually real, right?”
The younger Zhu heirs all looked confused.
They glanced up at Old Master Zhu, faces full of doubt.
Old Master Zhu swept his gaze around and said calmly, “You only know one side of the story.”
“You’re all still young, so it’s normal not to know about Profound Clarity Sect.”
Old Master Zhu’s tone grew heavier, then he continued: “The name Profound Clarity Sect has been circulating in Huadong for hundreds, even thousands of years. At first, I thought it was just a myth.”
“It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I saw a real disciple of Profound Clarity Sect for the first time.”
As Old Master Zhu spoke, his eyes showed a hint of nostalgia and reminiscence, his thoughts drifting back to decades ago.
Back then, he was just a teenager. The country was weak, wars were everywhere, but in the middle of all that chaos, there were Daoists in green robes passing through.
Those people were nothing like ordinary folks caught up in the flames of war.