Cultivation Online
chapter-1489

1489 Chu Family's Downfall

"I doubt this is a coincidence," Yuan said after seeing Sebastian waiting by the gate.

"Oh, I called him right before leaving so they know we're visiting," Chu Liuxiang quickly explained. "Should I not have done that?"

"You did the right thing. I didn't have his contact information, so I wouldn't have been able to contact him even if I had wanted to. This is much better than hoping they accept us at the front gate."

When they arrived, Sebastian bowed to them in a respectful manner, "This humble servant greets the Young Lady and the Young Master."

"We'd like to visit the Chu Family. Would that be a problem?" Yuan inquired.

"No, there is no problem at all. The Master is expecting your arrival inside."

Sebastian opened the gate and gestured for them to enter the vehicle parked right inside.

Once they were seated, Sebastian drove the vehicle toward the mansion.

The atmosphere inside the vehicle was awkward and silent. Chu Liuxiang looked like she wanted to speak but didn't know how to start the conversation.

Seeing her fidgety movements, Sebastian broke the silence with a question, "Young Lady, how have you been? I hope you've been living a healthy and happy life outside the Chu Family."

Chu Liuxiang nodded, "I've been doing great with Yuan and everyone at the Demon Sealing Faction. What about you, Sebastian?"

"The same as usual—is what I would like to say, but without you there, I've been reassigned to be your brothers—the Young Masters' butler."

"Are they causing you any trouble?"

"They can be a handful from time to time, but so were you, Young Lady."

"Is that so…"

The vehicle became silent again for another moment before Chu Liuxiang asked, "I heard the Chu Family has been having troubles lately. Is it the Qin Family's doing?"

Sebastian didn't immediately respond this time and even looked hesitant.

"I will find out the answer even if you don't tell me, you know." Chu Liuxiang gave him a slight push.

Sebastian sighed and said, "The Master told me to keep this a secret from you even if you asked, but because you had left the family, your marriage with the Qin Family's eldest son had to be canceled. Apparently, the Qin Family had prepared a lot for the marriage and even announced it to many people, causing them to be humiliated."

"Since then, the Qin Family has been coming at our Chu Family like wild beasts. They're also receiving help from someone from the Ten Great Families, making them even more difficult to deal with."

"Even if the Qin Family is supported by the Ten Great Families, there's no way the Chu Family could have fallen so low so quickly!"

Sebastian shook his head and explained, "The Chu Family has been declining even before we adopted you, Young Lady. It just wasn't apparent from the surface. Meanwhile, the Qin Family continued to grow. Even without external help, they could've bankrupted us within a decade. This is why the Masters agreed to marry you into the Qin Family—they were essentially blackmailed into doing so. Of course, they were too prideful to tell you the truth."

"No way…" Chu Liuxiang wore a look of disbelief on her face.

She turned to look at Yuan, who silently sat beside her with a pondering expression on his face.

"You don't need to feel guilty about it, Young Lady. Even if they were pressured to marry you off to the Qin Family, they shouldn't have obeyed without any resistance, so the Masters are still in the wrong."

"..." Chu Liuxiang lowered her head and sighed.

Yuan then spoke, "Honestly, I expected the Chu Family to take revenge for what I did. Why aren't they doing anything?"

"There are two reasons. One, we've been too busy dealing with the Qin Family to even care about something like revenge. Secondly, the Qi Family warned us never to touch you and to forget about taking revenge."

"I see… are you guys still in touch with the Qi Family?"

"No, they've been quite silent since the warning."

Sometime later, they arrived at the Chu Family's living quarters.

"I will bring you to the Master now," Sebastian said as he led them inside the building.

As they walked through the hallways, Chu Liuxiang noticed how empty they were. When she was still living there, over a dozen housemaids constantly cleaned the building, but there hadn't been a single one since they entered it minutes ago.

The windows and walls were dusty, and there was less furniture in the hallway, not to mention the artwork.

Chu Liuxiang was shocked, to say the least, after seeing how far the Chu Family had fallen in just a year.

'What on earth happened? To fall this much in so little time doesn't make any sense!' she cried inwardly.

They stopped in front of a certain closed room sometime later.

Sebastian knocked on the door and said, "Master, Chu Liuxiang, and Yuan have arrived."

"Let them in…"

A weak voice responded a second later.

Sebastian opened the for them and gestured for them to enter without entering the room himself.

"I will stay out here," he said.

Chu Liuxiang nodded and entered the room, followed by Yuan.

"Father…?" Chu Liuxiang's eyes widened with shock when she saw Chu Shijian's appearance.

He was sitting on the bed with a pale complexion. His eyes, which once shone with pride and strength, now appeared dull and lifeless. He had also become very thin, resembling a sick patient. Compared to a year ago, he looked like an entirely different person.

Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly at Chu Shijian's appearance. Even with his Dantian crippled, it wouldn't account for such a drastic transformation. There had to be another reason for his sickly appearance.

"I never thought you'd come back…" Chu Shijian spoke with a bittersweet smile on his face.

"I'm glad to see you looking healthy. Unfortunately, I have to greet you in such a pathetic state."

Chu Liuxiang was utterly speechless.