novelraw Chapter 444 - 445: Extermination of the Clan
Chapter 444 - 445: Extermination of the Clan
Chapter 444: Chapter 445: Extermination of the Clan
Dog had been Master Leland’s nickname. Now that he was successful, naturally, no one dared to call him by it anymore. This did not include some of the elderly members of the Leland clan.
"Ninth Great-Uncle, why have you brought this crowd here to mourn at the crack of dawn?" Cynthia Leland’s voice was sharp and resentful. She had changed into a red dress and descended the stairs with a graceful, yet provocative, air.
"Our Leland Ancestral Tomb has been desecrated, and you, a woman, dare to wear something so red? Unfilial girl!" Ninth Great-Uncle glared at Cynthia Leland, his face contorted with anger, his crutch striking the porcelain floor tiles forcefully as he vented his fury.
"Ninth Great-Uncle, what on earth are you talking about?"
Cynthia Leland was furious too. What was wrong with her wearing red? She loved wearing red. Whose business was it if she wore red?
"Ninth Great-Uncle, this Dog has been a scoundrel since childhood. Don’t be fooled by his respectable appearance now; he’s involved in the underworld. Back then, you shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted as to let him return. And look where it’s gotten us! He doesn’t know who he offended, but they’ve completely desecrated our entire Leland Ancestral Tomb!"
"..."
"If our ancestors cannot rest in peace, how can we, their descendants, live in peace?" an old man, who had always been at odds with Master Leland, loudly accused.
"Waterford, I know we had some disagreements when we were young, but we’re both nearly fifty now. Why are you still dwelling on those things?"
"Dog, you’ve been a cunning schemer since you were young. I was never a match for you! Today, we are here to demand an explanation! Our Leland family’s ancestral graves have been dynamited, and the burial ground is now littered with the remains of our ancestors... What do you intend to do about this?" Uncle Waterford pressed aggressively.
"Everyone, please, could you give me some time to investigate this thoroughly? I only just heard the news this morning myself; I don’t even know the full details yet..." Master Leland pleaded, trying to placate them.
"You’ve definitely offended someone powerful. The remains of your grandparents and parents are gone. They must be targeting you," someone said, clearly relishing his misfortune.
"What?"
"Dog, what despicable thing did you do that made someone dig up your family’s graves? Every debt has its debtor. They dug up *your* family’s section of the ancestral tomb, so why did they have to drag the rest of us into it? No wonder our families have been plagued by misfortunes recently; it turns out our ancestors have withdrawn their protection!"
Master Leland’s vision blurred, and he swayed, barely staying upright with his daughter’s support. Glancing at the sea of angry faces filling the room, he ordered Parker Leland, "Go! Go right now and find out what in the world happened!"
"Yes, Master Leland!"
Parker Leland dared not delay and immediately rushed off to investigate.
Ninth Great-Uncle said, "Dog, we came here today to demand accountability. The graves of the Leland family have all been dynamited. Now we can’t even tell whose remains are whose."
"Ninth Great-Uncle, please rest assured, I will find out who committed this despicable act. I’ll catch them and bring them to justice."
"Whoever committed such a vile and sinister act must pay dearly!"
"Yes, yes, of course."
Someone urged, "Ninth Great-Uncle, we can’t bear to stay here a moment longer. Please get straight to the point with him. We need to hurry back and arrange for reburial."
Master Leland said respectfully, "Everyone, please don’t be anxious. Ninth Great-Uncle, perhaps we could sit down and discuss this?"
"Dog, your own parents’ graves have been desecrated, and you’re not even anxious? You’re a truly dutiful son, aren’t you!" someone sneered sarcastically.
Ninth Great-Uncle looked at Master Leland, sighed, and said, "Dog, don’t blame us. We’re all ordinary folk who’ve worked diligently our entire lives. We may not be wealthy and influential like you, but all we seek is a life of peace and contentment."
"I know."
"Since you know, I won’t beat around the bush. We have unanimously decided to expel you from the clan. Your relatives’ graves were desecrated, and their remains are missing. If their remains are found, they are not to be interred in the Leland Ancestral Tomb again."
Master Leland stared at Ninth Great-Uncle in utter shock, stammering, "Ninth... Ninth Great-Uncle, what... what are you saying?"
"You walk a dangerous and unsavory path; who knows how many people you’ve offended. I can’t judge the rights and wrongs of it all. However, as the clan leader, my duty is to protect the interests of the majority of our clan. After what has happened, I cannot allow you to remain."
"..."
"I came today to inform you of this. In a few days, we will make a public announcement in the newspapers. Henceforth, your enemies should not come looking for trouble with the people of the Leland clan. The main Leland clan will have no further connection to you, Dog!"
As Ninth Great-Uncle finished speaking, Master Leland, unable to bear the crushing blow, fainted on the spot.
"Dad!" Cynthia Leland cried out in alarm.
The room erupted into chaos. Cynthia Leland glared at the instigator, Ninth Great-Uncle, and seethed, "You old bastard! I’m warning you, if anything serious happens to my dad, I’ll make you pay!"
Ninth Great-Uncle, a man of high standing and respect in the village, was so incensed at being pointed at and berated by a young woman that he flung his sleeves in anger and stormed out, exclaiming, "If the main beam is crooked, the supporting beams will be awry!"
"Get out! All of you, get out!" Cynthia shrieked.
"Dog’s house! You invited us here; we won’t be coming back!" one of the clan members retorted.
"..."
"Pah! Thinking you’re so great just because you have some filthy lucre. Well, look at you now! Offended someone powerful, haven’t you? Even your ancestors’ remains are gone!" another jeered.
Cynthia Leland screamed at them, "Haven’t you said enough? My dad is in this state, and you still have the gall to stand there making such heartless remarks?"
"He brought this on himself! Serves him right!"
"..."
"He should have focused on accumulating some karmic merit. Now he’s even dragged his ancestors into his misfortune..."
"Get out! All of you, just get out!" Cynthia Leland yelled, cradling her unconscious father and glaring at those spewing venomous words.
She couldn’t understand it. Her father had been doing perfectly well in City A, so why did he insist on returning to a small place like Sileria City? This talk of ’returning to one’s roots’... what a joke! These vile people... even if they were relatives from their own Leland clan, so what? They looked down on her family, considering them ’unclean’ and utterly contemptible.
Seeing that he had said all that needed to be said, and with Master Leland having fainted, Ninth Great-Uncle saw no point in staying. He led the large group of clan members away.
"Dad, wake up..."
"..."
"Where’s the doctor? Why isn’t the doctor here yet?" Cynthia Leland shouted.
"Miss, the doctor is on his way. He’ll be here very soon."
"Dad, don’t scare me. Please, wake up."
Master Leland awoke, his eyes holding a frightening intensity. He looked around, saw that the clan members had departed, and asked, "Where’s Ninth Great-Uncle?"
"I told them to get out!"
"Jayce, how could you be so disrespectful to Ninth Great-Uncle?"
Cynthia Leland didn’t feel she was in the wrong at all. "They were berating you so harshly! Was I supposed to be polite and deferential to them?"
"Sigh..."
"Dad, please don’t be anxious. Calm down. What if you damage your health over this?"