Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 243: Taking Control of the Chu Family

The last scene showed Chu Tiancheng, Chu Tianyu’s elder brother! After saying those two words, Chu Tianyu closed his eyes. The scenes from earlier kept replaying in his mind. Although most of them were silent, the scenes of his elder brother talking to others included Zhan Yupeng, and even the assassin leader sent to hunt Jin Yujie was clearly visible…
All this indicated that what Chu Tianyu had been worried about but unwilling to face might indeed have happened!
Throughout history, it has been common for royal families and wealthy clans to suffer from internal strife and fratricide. Although nothing concrete could be seen from the video, nor any direct evidence, for Chu Tianyu, this was enough to prove everything.
“Tianyu, it seems you’ll have to face not only external threats but also internal troubles! And if these internal issues aren’t handled properly, they can cause even greater harm. It’s a tough situation—no matter how skilled you are, you might be at a loss for what to do!” His master, themad scholar, broke the silence to remind him.
Before Chu Tianyu could respond, Auntian Nianran took over the conversation and elaborated from another perspective: “But this is quite normal. Born into a wealthy family, unless you become a playboy who only knows how to indulge in pleasure or, like your third great-uncle, devote yourself to hobbies and miscellaneous studies, you must face these challenges—compete, fight, and strive. Survival of the fittest—only the winner is qualified to take over the family business. In this regard, you can’t blame your elder brother for being prepared and using any means necessary. After all, this isn’t just human nature; it’s also a rule for the continued prosperity of wealthy families. From another angle, if your grandfather hadn’t fought against your second great-uncle for so many years and worked hard to improve himself, the Chu family wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is today!”
Facing their words, Chu Tianyu finally opened his eyes. His gaze carried an indescribable emotion—calmness, understanding, or perhaps determination!
“By the way, master and auntie, what do you think I should do next?” Then, with a smile, Chu Tianyu suddenly asked, seemingly seeking advice, yet his tone was relaxed.
A teacher knows their student best. Seeing Chu Tianyu’s expression and question, themad scholar seemed to understand something. Instead of answering right away, he turned around, also smiling, and began to tidy up the documents on the table, acting as if nothing had happened, completely composed.

However, Nianran’s great-aunt frowned in confusion and said, “Do you really need to ask me that? Didn’t I just say it? Unless you choose to back out, you must face these things! Nianran’s situation is just a trigger—even if it doesn’t happen this time, it could still happen to someone else in the future, if you keep being the third young master of the Chu family and Chu Fangshan continues to nurture you as his successor!”
Faced with his great-aunt’s blunt truth, Chu Tianyu didn’t immediately explain or respond. After pondering for a while, he looked straight at her, though his gaze seemed to encompass everyone in the room. With a sly expression, he said, “Great-aunt, you might have misunderstood! What I meant wasn’t whether I should participate in the Chu family’s competition, but rather how we should deal with the current internal and external challenges! To be honest, we’re okay at fighting, but when it comes to business, family relations, or the charm of a superstar, we’re far inferior to Nianran, Zi Yi, and Fei Fei! Sigh, who would have thought we’d be so lucky to have so many capable wives? Shouldn’t we be humble and ask everyone’s opinion?”
Chu Tianyu paused here, seeing Nianran, Zi Yi, and the others rolling their eyes, and playfully winked at them, putting on an air of “good wives who understand each other.” This completely chilled the three heroic women opposite him, making them shiver.
With Chu Tianyu’s teasing, the atmosphere relaxed, losing its earlier tension. But then, he gradually put away his playful expression and continued calmly, “However… as for the so-called internal strife—my own elder brother—whether he truly acts for the Chu family or for personal gain, I won’t give up on the Chu Group. Our western development plan needs the Chu family, and I believe the Chu family needs me even more! This is an era of competition. As my great-aunt said, survival of the fittest—only the winner prevails! Brotherhood isn’t a synonym for kindness or compromise. Everyone desires success, and everyone has their own goals. What my elder brother does isn’t wrong; it’s the path he chose, and I respect that. Heh, I wouldn’t arrogantly claim to represent justice. So, aside from being competitors, my elder brother and I share the same blood!”
Facing Chu Tianyu’s ambiguous last words, Xue Fei Fei, being somewhat naive, glanced at the others and asked confusedly, “Tianyu, then… what exactly do you mean? Do you choose competition, or do you choose your elder brother?”

Chu Tianyu smiled slightly and replied in a Zen-like manner, “Is competition opposite to brotherhood?”
“Isn’t it?” Xue Feifei was taken aback and blurted out instinctively.
But soon, seeing Chu Tianyu remain silent with a meaningful smile, she realized what he meant.
Competition is competition, and family ties are family ties. No one forces you to choose one over the other. Sometimes it’s people who insist on tying the two together. From another perspective, perhaps competing to determine a winner could actually be the best way to restore family bonds…
“Tianyu, I understand what you mean, but don’t you think putting your ordinary brother in a position to compete with you is meaningful for either of you?” Ouyang Ziyi suddenly interjected.
Before Chu Tianyu could answer, Qin Nianran calmly said, “Do you think Tianyu would use his cultivation skills against his brother? And would his brother not use other methods against Tianyu?”
Hearing this, Chu Tianyu continued, “Exactly. That’s the point! If I’m not wrong, the target of that night attacker might not just be Nianran and my aunt!”
Ouyang Ziyi gasped in shock, immediately realizing what he meant, and said in disbelief, “You mean your brother…”
Chu Tianyu nodded slightly and said calmly, “After all, he’s my brother. Matters related to the Chu family can be hidden from others, but those who are observant can still pick up on some clues. Do you still remember that luxurious gala where we clashed with the Zhou Group? After that night, my brother talked to me about what ‘the way of power’ is!”
With Chu Tianyu saying this, all the women present at that time still remembered how exhilarating his performance that night was. Even Qin Nianran was deeply impressed by his charisma, and for the days that followed, that image and presence remained unforgettable!
So, with Chu Tianyu’s explanation, things became quite clear. It was now evident that the current situation was like a hidden current—calm on the surface but turbulent beneath.
Coupled with the information and footage provided by themad scholar, it became even clearer that these seemingly unrelated events seemed to be controlled by an invisible force, with intricate connections between them. And the surface manifestations were that night’s attack and my brother Chu Tiancheng’s strange behavior…

“Heavenly Domain, what’s your next move? To be honest, it’s getting increasingly difficult to obtain these materials these days. Recently, some of our brothers have encountered problems, so I’ve ordered that all actions be suspended for now.” While everyone was still trying to figure out the complex situation, the Mad Scholar suddenly repeated Chu Tianyu’s question and explained the current situation of the Xuanji Sect.

Chu Tianyu, as if he already had a plan, replied without hesitation, “Master, you’re right. Before we understand the enemy’s strength, it’s better for the Xuanji Sect not to get involved for now, so as to avoid putting more brothers in danger and causing unnecessary losses. A good blade should be used where it’s most needed!”

“Without the help of the Xuanji Sect, how can you figure out the enemy’s strength on your own?” Granny Nianran asked.

Chu Tianyu smiled and said, “I don’t need to investigate. They’ll come to me on their own!”

“What do you mean?” Granny Nianran asked.

“It’s simple. Tomorrow, I’ll take charge of the Chu family!” Chu Tianyu said succinctly and firmly.

“Oh, right. After talking with Chu Tianyu last night, I did get in touch with Fangshan. I didn’t go into details with him, but the idea of Chu Tianyu taking charge of the Chu family was actually proposed by that old fellow Fangshan himself. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I might have forgotten!” Before anyone could react to Chu Tianyu’s words, the Mad Scholar suddenly spoke up as if he’d just remembered something.

Chu Tianyu shook his head with a wry smile. At his grandfather’s age, perhaps only a few masters could call him “that old fellow Fangshan.” He wondered if his grandfather would think he was still too inexperienced.

Ignoring Chu Tianyu’s random thoughts, upon hearing that he was going to suspend his studies to take charge of the Chu family, the three women immediately expressed their desire to follow him. Chu Tianyu, seemingly prepared for this, waved his hand to calm them down, then said with a smile, “There’s no rush. I’ll propose a plan for taking charge of the Chu family and for our future personnel arrangements later. We can brainstorm together. After all, our top priority now is to prevent anyone else from getting in danger! Otherwise, if a direct confrontation occurs, just thinking about the safety of our relatives and friends will put us in a very difficult situation! But before that, our main focus is tonight’s action…”

“What action?” everyone asked in unison.

“Just collecting some interest!” Chu Tianyu said calmly.

In the dead of night, accompanied by a loud crash, the main door of Dragon Soul’s headquarters was suddenly destroyed by a powerful force. At the same time, an arrogant voice rang out in the air: “Hah! I kicked down this door, I stand on this land—what can you do to me?”