Chapter 660: The Rabbit Has Grown Up

Chapter 660: The Rabbit Has Grown Up

Cui Wenwei and the others stared blankly at Zhao Changhe, swallowing unconsciously.

Though Zhao Changhe was clearly at the end of his strength, his aura was so overwhelming that no one could see it, and no one dared step forward to test him. Cui Wenwei himself was on the Human Roll, leading countless clan elites on their home ground, yet he dared not even move a finger.

The bloodthirsty dread that scattered gods and buddhas still lingered in the air. It had no effect on Huangyang, but for others it was like an echo that refused to fade, carrying the psychological weight of a great demon's defeat. At this moment, Zhao Changhe seemed invincible in their eyes.

If before, others' choices between Zhao Changhe and the demon had been influenced by factors beyond family interests, that factor was the difference in oppressive force brought by strength.

When a demon god so overwhelmingly powerful that he could annihilate your entire clan alone makes you a promise, you instinctively choose to believe, "He has no reason to deceive me"; subconsciously, you find a step for your fear, "I cooperated because of interests"; and you admire the strong, "Only by following him can I succeed."

Such is human nature.

Zhao Changhe's side had never brought such a sense of oppression to others. Zhuque and Xuanwu were merely on par with Cui Wenjing; Zhao Changhe's record looked brilliant, but in truth he might not withstand a siege by Cui's elites—besides Cui Wenwei and other pillars, the Cui family also had Lu Ya, a guest elder on the Earth Roll.

Even in military strength, there was no advantage; they were roughly equal. The Cui family truly did not consider the New Han a force stronger than themselves, lacking the qualification to make them submit.

From the moment he entered, Zhao Changhe had deliberately cultivated this psychological pressure, building the illusion that he stood equal to or even above the demon gods. At this moment of defeating Huangyang, the might of that demon was truly branded into the heart of every Cui family member.

Cui Wenwei had no doubt that if his elder brother did not intervene, Zhao Changhe could indeed wipe out the Cui clan. If only the Qinghe Sword were still here, at least they would not be so defenseless...

By the way, where was his elder brother?

"You are my son-in-law. By the rules of clan extermination, you yourself should also be executed." Cui Wenjing's voice came from afar, approaching leisurely.

Zhao Changhe: "..."

The Cui family members all bowed their heads in silence. Whether it was extermination of three clans or nine, it had nothing to do with a son-in-law... The family head was bullying this rustic prince who didn't understand, but they'd better not expose it. Then again, this Prince Zhao was deep; perhaps he understood but was just using it as a step down?

Ironically, they had originally thought that Yangyang, as a premium resource, should choose a more suitable marriage alliance, but in the end, everyone had to rely on Yangyang's connection to save the nine clans!

Cui Wenjing arrived before the crowd, his expression sharp as he swept his gaze around, and said coolly, "Quite impressive, aren't you? Not only did you take it upon yourselves to assassinate an envoy, but you also lured Huangyang to strike at my son-in-law. Whose idea was this?"

Clearly, everyone could see that Cui Wenjing had intentionally let Zhao Changhe fight this battle, both to let Zhao Changhe establish his authority and because Cui Wenjing himself wanted to gauge Zhao Changhe's current strength. In other words, the father-in-law and son-in-law had long known Huangyang was here; they could have avoided it. Was this entrapment?

It was a bit complicated to calculate... In any case, under the current circumstances, someone had to take responsibility.

Cui Wenwei said frankly, "Elder brother, it was me. I also ordered the poisoned wine for the Prince of Zhao. I alone bear this matter."

With that, he drew his sword to cut his own throat.

Just as the blade touched his throat, his wrist was caught by Cui Wenjing.

Cui Wenwei was startled: "Elder brother, you..."

Cui Wenjing looked at him for a long moment, then suddenly turned and knelt on one knee before Zhao Changhe: "The Cui family surrenders. I will fully cooperate with the new dynasty's reforms, only begging for a favor—to spare them the death penalty."

Zhao Changhe had never expected Old Cui to kneel to him; he was startled and instinctively moved to help him up. Cui Wenjing shook his head almost imperceptibly, giving a signal.

Zhao Changhe halted his motion to help, and said slowly, "For my father-in-law's sake... death penalty can be spared, but punishment cannot be avoided. I will not inquire into the details of the punishment; I trust the Cui family knows what to do."

With that, he turned and left: "Huangyang is a type of primordial demon god, of high rank, but belongs to the god of calamity. His cooperation with you is absolutely ill-intentioned, and his so-called sword forging is specious at best; it will lead to a great pitfall in the future. You would rather trust a bringer of disaster than leave the shelter of the old days and strive for a future on your own... Is this the glory of the great clans, the wisdom of the great clans? How laughable."

As his words faded, he had already walked far away, too lazy to continue speaking with the Cui family, lest he could not suppress his murderous intent.

If not for Cui Wenjing and Yangyang, Zhao Changhe would have truly been moved to kill. Sometimes he could truly understand Li Shentong's impulse to just gun down all these bastards—only by smashing everything could it be reshaped. If he kept compromising with the great clans, it would end up like the early days of Xia Longyuan, becoming harder to change as time went on.

Of course, throwing them all into the Yellow River and earning a reputation for cruelty was not ideal either. The current situation might be the most suitable... The meaning of Cui Wenjing's kneeling, setting aside his pride, was clear: it represented not cooperation but submission. A defeated and subjugated party could only be disposed of at will, allowing many deeply entrenched things to be shattered.

This required Old Cui to be willing to cooperate resolutely. Zhao Changhe himself was not very skilled in this area; he was not even clear on the power structures of prefectures and counties, let alone the distribution of power and interests within the clan. He would leave it to Cui Wenjing to handle; he should know what to do.

But Cui Wenjing could be trusted; other families could not. This model only applied to the Cui family.

Zhao Changhe turned his gaze eastward. It was time for the Wang family to be erased from the world... The different treatment of Cui and Wang would send a clear signal to other onlookers.

"Brother Zhao!" Suddenly a rabbit head appeared before him.

Zhao Changhe was startled and couldn't help reaching out to rub it: "Hey, how old are you now, still wearing a rabbit head? Aren't you afraid people will laugh?"

"Brother Zhao likes it, so I don't care if others laugh." Cui Yuanyang hummed.

Zhao Changhe laughed: "I like Little Yangyang like this, but I didn't say I like Big Yangyang like this too."

"I see you don't like the rabbit head; you just like Little Yangyang!" Cui Yuanyang stomped her foot: "I've grown up, and you don't like me anymore!"

Zhao Changhe was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Where did that come from..."

Cui Yuanyang said, "Before, when you saw me, you would only say a few words like this. The words you say to me aren't even one percent of what you say to my father!"

Zhao Changhe was speechless: "Hey, do you know why I came this time... Theoretically, I came to wipe out your family... If not for your sake, the banquet hall would have been a river of blood just now."

Cui Yuanyang rolled her eyes: "You don't even have any strength left, and you talk about a river of blood."

Zhao Changhe was shocked: "You... how did you know?"

Cui Yuanyang smiled slightly: "I know your temper... Second Uncle poisoned you, trying to kill you. You would definitely retaliate in kind, cutting off the chief culprit to intimidate the rest, and wouldn't give Father that face. The reason you didn't move is that you were bluffing; you actually have no strength left."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Cui Yuanyang sighed: "Don't worry, Father will give you a satisfactory explanation. Second Uncle will be in for a rough time this time."

Zhao Changhe asked in surprise: "You clearly understand everything, so why do you still act so carefree, only talking about likes and dislikes..."

"First, even without me, just based on Father's relationship with you, you would never choose to wipe out the Cui family. I'm not at all worried about what you'll do to the Cui family; what I worry about is you going it alone and getting the short end." Cui Yuanyang puffed out her chest: "Did you think I was preparing for the wedding? I was hiding here to come rescue you!"

Zhao Changhe was taken aback, looking at the carved bow still strapped to her, imagining the little rabbit lurking on a distant rooftop, bow drawn, ready to rescue her lover, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Second..." Cui Yuanyang bit her lower lip, somewhat plaintively: "You don't like me being so perceptive at all; you just like a little rabbit. So why should I have a heart and lungs? I'll just be heartless."

"But Yangyang..." Zhao Changhe finally couldn't help asking: "This time, I am indeed opposed to the Cui family's stance. No matter how nicely it's put, the Cui family can never return to its former glory. As a member of the Cui family, what do you think about this?"

"No matter what I think, the tide is unstoppable; I cannot change it." Cui Yuanyang tilted her head: "Since in their eyes, Cui Yuanyang is just a marriage resource, why should I care about their future? What is it to me? Who wants to bother thinking about preserving their luxurious lives and hereditary nobility? Brother Zhao, don't you know that what Cui Yuanyang wants is to elope with the commoner who was at the fourth level of the Mystic Barrier, to wander the northern frontier?"

She reached out her hand, caught a snowflake, watched it slowly melt in her palm, and said softly, "Remember? In that ruined temple in the wind and rain, the Cui family thugs before us."

Zhao Changhe nodded: "Mm. Back then, the ones who wanted to kill you came from your own family."

"Even now, it's still the same... You will spare them for my sake, but they will not show you mercy for my sake. Brother Zhao, the great clans... can truly disappear... At least in my heart, aside from Father and my brother, there is nothing else worth clinging to. I only regret that my cultivation is still too shallow; otherwise, I would shatter it with my own hands."

Zhao Changhe scratched his head.

Didn't you seem confused when you heard me talking with your father earlier...

Cui Yuanyang turned back, beaming: "So you see, Brother Zhao only likes the little rabbit."

Zhao Changhe laughed: "I also like the big rabbit."

Cui Yuanyang blinked: "It's indeed not small anymore."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

I was talking about you, what are you talking about?

Cui Yuanyang looked around, bit her lower lip, and suddenly her eyes grew seductive: "The Prince of Zhao has suppressed Qinghe, and the Cui family has submitted... At a time like this, shouldn't you be thinking of having them offer up their wives and daughters for your pleasure? That would be a true conquest."

Zhao Changhe's heart thumped, and he thought to himself, this is trouble.

All those demonic cult seductresses pale in comparison. Zhuque and the others would never imagine that the hottest one, aside from Sisi, had always been this rabbit.