Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 290: Harmony is Paramount

On the surface, Chu Tianyu remained calm and stopped in his tracks. There was no need to maintain any imposing demeanor when dealing with an enemy—after all, his elder brother was just an ordinary person.
Chu Tianyu stood still, watching his elder brother calmly until he gradually calmed down before slowly saying, “You’re my elder brother. What can I do?”
These simple words from Chu Tianyu made his elder brother, Chu Tiancheng, feel ashamed instantly. If he weren’t at fault, would he need to feel so guilty?
Watching the changing expressions on his elder brother’s face, Chu Tianyu stopped pressuring him and instead stretched, saying, “Elder brother, you can’t have just this one study room, right? Let’s go somewhere else. I think it’s time for us ‘brothers’ to have a proper talk!”
Hearing the emphasis Chu Tianyu placed on the word “brothers,” Chu Tiancheng couldn’t help but lower his head, feeling a mix of emotions.
“Mm, yes, there’s another one on the second floor!” Chu Tiancheng said, turning to lead the way, but he never raised his head, as if too ashamed to face Chu Tianyu.
After they sat down, another silence ensued. But this time, it was Chu Tiancheng who broke the silence and spoke first, “Tianyu, just say whatever you have to say. I’ll accept everything. As the old saying goes, whatever you do in life, you’ll have to pay for it someday! This is good too. Anyway, it’s a relief for me!”
After saying these words, Chu Tiancheng seemed truly relieved, shedding his earlier gloom and despair. His cloudy eyes also gradually cleared. Before Chu Tianyu could say anything, Chu Tiancheng continued, “I’m not worthy of staying in the Chu family anymore. From now on, it’s up to you and the second brother to take care of it. With one focusing on business and the other on politics, I believe you’ll bring the Chu family to new heights!”
“Elder brother, are you really giving up? I came to see you by chance. Don’t misunderstand—I’m not trying to use force, like Lord Qin, to solve problems. So far, you and I are still each half of the Chu family!” Chu Tianyu said calmly.

Chu Tiancheng looked at the calmly composed Chu Tianyu and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He said, “If you had said that just now, I might have really thought it was a threat. But not now. As the saying goes, ‘Where you sit determines your thoughts.’ It’s simple—where a person sits determines their mindset. It was only after you said those words that I truly felt a sense of regret. Heh, life is really strange. One moment I was scheming and living in constant fear, while now there’s only peace and comfort—a sense of calm after letting go…”

Hearing his elder brother’s somewhat erratic words and the sense of relief they conveyed, Chu Tianyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The task assigned by their two grandfathers should provide them with a satisfactory answer.

Just then, as if remembering something, Chu Tiancheng said, “By the way, Tianyu, did you really kill Grandpa Tai? He was alone. I believe as long as he hasn’t returned, his henchmen will arrive soon. You, you need to leave quickly—otherwise, it will be too late. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything here… Oh, and third brother, please pass on a message to Grandpa to be careful of Second Grandpa and that kid Tian Ao. They’re always eyeing the Chu family’s business. To be honest, last time I even considered cooperating with them to take over the entire Chu family. If not for their hesitation and insistence on having a plan, maybe the Chu family would be in our hands now, and that Tai guy would have gotten the advantage…”

Chu Tiancheng continued to speak, but Chu Tianyu stopped him with a smile and said, “Elder brother, stop talking. Things aren’t as bad as you think, and there’s no need to worry. To be honest, hearing you say this today makes me happier than anything! I don’t want to go into too many details. I’ll just say one thing: Get up where you fell! Come, let me tell you a story first. I believe after hearing it, you’ll have a different perspective!”

With that, Chu Tianyu repeated the story he had just told Ao Xue to his elder brother, adding insightful analyses along the way. By the time he reached the part about his grandfathers’ thoughts, Chu Tiancheng’s eyes were already red—showing the kind of determination where a man holds back his tears until the time of true sorrow comes.

At this point, Chu Tianyu knew he still fell short. As for what to do with his elder brother next, that was the grandfathers’ concern. In fact, once his elder brother’s concerns were resolved, all other problems would be easy to handle.

At this moment, Chu Tianyu was also in high spirits. He never expected that Tai Ye’s interference would resolve his elder brother’s problem so smoothly. Brothers should get along harmoniously, not harm each other—could there be a more satisfying outcome than this?

So, Chu Tianyu whistled outside. With the sound of the whistle, Ao Xue appeared at the door. His elder brother, Chu Tiancheng, was stunned. What day was it today that someone was still lurking outside?

But when he saw Ao Xue’s face, he was taken aback. He didn’t expect her to be a woman, and moreover, an ordinary-looking one. This made him glance at Chu Tianyu in surprise, thinking to himself, “Has the third brother seen too many beautiful fairies these days? Now he’s back to something more plain?”

Chu Tianyu didn’t expose her nor asked Ao Xue to take off her mask. Instead, he said, “Elder brother, later, send the servants away first, then check if there are any important items. After that, come with us. Let’s stay at Grandpa’s villa for a couple of days. After all, as you said, Tai Ye’s henchmen might show up again!”

“Mm!” Chu Tiancheng nodded without hesitation. But before his words faded, it seemed he remembered something and quickly added, “By the way, third brother, there’s still Tai Ye’s body on the third floor. What should we do? We should call the police first. After all, they broke in illegally. If there are any legal issues, I’ll take responsibility!”

Chu Tianyu smiled and said, “No need. Let’s leave first. Someone will come to clean this up later. Don’t worry!” With that, he dialed the Beijing branch of the Xuanji Sect’s phone…

…

After sending his elder brother back, Chu Tianyu briefly talked with Grandpa, explaining the situation in general, then hurriedly left under the pretext of having urgent matters, taking Ao Xue with him. Grandpa was left stunned, filled with confusion.

But his confusion wasn’t about worrying about what urgent matters Chu Tianyu had—it was about the girl by his side. No matter how he looked at her, she seemed ordinary, completely different from the graceful figure he had seen in the morning. Was it the same person?

Chu Tianyu really did have urgent matters. He had retrieved some useful information from Qin Ye’s mind, especially information about Jin Yujie’s parents. So, Chu Tianyu feared that if the people from the Netherworld found out about Tai Ye’s misfortune and took action, it would be troublesome.

But before that, he still needed to resolve the matter with Aoxue first. Otherwise, with such a young woman following him around all day, even if Chu Tianyu were willing, it was hard to know what she would think. Besides, Aoxue had a sister and a master—it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to stay with him so casually all the time.

Moreover, the information Chu Tianyu obtained from Tai Ye fully confirmed his earlier suspicions. The actions of the Nether Realm were nothing short of heinous crimes. This indirectly proved the relationship between the Nether Realm and the Heavenly Holy Gate—just as Aoxue’s master had said: one defied heaven, the other followed fate. The two sects were inherently one black and one white, destined to be enemies!

So, for now, they should be friends rather than enemies with the Heavenly Holy Gate. He didn’t need to continue pretending to be their Holy Lord anymore. He could just ask Aoxue to handle it—claiming that as the Holy Lord, he had only taken her to a few places to observe the local customs before letting her go. That was all. He believed the people of the Heavenly Holy Gate would have no reason to doubt anything.

Although Aoxue was extremely reluctant inwardly to Chu Tianyu’s plan, she couldn’t say anything out loud. After all, she couldn’t just abandon her master and sister and insist on following him, shouting that she wanted to go with him.

However, Chu Tianyu noticed her thoughts. Before parting, he leaned close to her ear and said softly, “Don’t worry. In a few days, I’ll visit your master under another identity to discuss how to deal with the Nether Realm together. But absolutely don’t reveal that I pretended to be the Holy Lord. Otherwise, I really won’t know how to face your master. As a young kid, I made her kneel and scolded her—what a sin!”

“Stop it, calling it a sin? If you’d felt embarrassed, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place,” Aoxue retorted playfully.

Chu Tianyu chuckled, his expression saying it all.

……

After parting with Aoxue, Chu Tianyu went all out. Following the clues provided by Tai Ye, he first arrived at an apartment complex and found Jin Yujie’s family imprisoned in the basement of one of the buildings.

They were lucky too. After being captured, due to the war between the Nether Realm and the Heavenly Holy Gate, plus Chu Tianyu stirring things up, Tai Ye didn’t have time to deal with this matter right away, allowing them to survive.

When Kim Yuji saw her family with joy, her excitement and enthusiasm were self-evident. Yuji’s family never expected to see each other again either. They hugged tightly for a long time before parting, still filled with emotion, as if it were another world. They were also extremely grateful to Chu Tianyu, whose courtesy made him feel embarrassed. It was Yuji who gradually regained her composure, pulling her family away from Chu Tianyu, saying they couldn’t keep him occupied any longer—someone else was already waiting anxiously! This made Li Rou, who was standing nearby, turn red with embarrassment and scold Yuji, “You little girl…” At that moment, Chu Tianyu didn’t hesitate either. He put his arm around Li Rou’s waist, smiled generously, and said, “Hehe, you guys chat slowly. Stay here for now for a few days. As for Kim’s Company and those who kidnapped you, I’ll give you a satisfactory answer!”