Late at night.
Shen Yuyan was already asleep.
Her breathing was soft and steady, and one hand rested loosely on the edge of the quilt. Even in sleep, her brows seemed faintly furrowed, as though some worry had followed her into her dreams.
Lu Xuan watched her for a while.
His expression gradually turned serious.
He rose quietly, careful not to wake her, and stepped into the courtyard.
The night air was cool. Above him, the stars shone faintly, while the distant city lay beneath a veil of darkness.
Lu Xuan’s gaze settled in the direction of the Lu Family estate.
The Lu Family and Flying Cloud Fortress were still holding themselves back.
Neither side had made the first major move. They were circling one another like two dogs, each waiting for the other to expose a weakness.
From the outside, it might have seemed like a contest of patience.
Lu Xuan knew better.
The longer the stalemate continued, the more time both sides would have to investigate their enemy, reinforce their defenses, and prepare for a decisive confrontation. If they continued to hesitate, the conflict might drag on for weeks or even months.
He couldn’t afford that.
The Lu Family was still his greatest concern. Although his cultivation had advanced rapidly, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that reaching the Martial Artist Realm made him capable of confronting the entire clan.
His second uncle and the clan elders had resources, connections, and years of accumulated power. A direct confrontation now would be little more than suicide.
He needed time to grow stronger.
And if the Lu Family became too preoccupied with Flying Cloud Fortress to pay attention to him, that would be ideal.
Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"It seems..."
Lu Xuan murmured softly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"I need to give them a little push."
His figure vanished from the courtyard.
The next day.
Early morning.
[Ding! Sleep Cultivation complete.]
[Five Animals Transformation Art progress: 93%.]
[Deer Form: Great Perfection. Tiger Form: Great Perfection. Bear Form: Great Perfection. Crane Form: Great Perfection. Ape Form: 85%.]
[Demon-Subduing Righteous Sun Blade progress: 0%.]
[Current Realm: Martial Artist Realm: Level One.]
Martial Artist Realm.
Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes.
For several seconds, he remained still, silently sensing the changes within his body.
A smile appeared on his face.
He had finally crossed the threshold.
After washing up, he headed to the Iron Mountain Escort Agency.
He hadn’t even properly settled into the gatehouse when Xiao Lin came rushing over, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Brother Xuan! Something HUGE happened!"
Lu Xuan looked up from his seat.
Xiao Lin’s face was flushed, and he seemed to be struggling to contain himself. The young man had always been lively, but today he looked as though he had personally witnessed the fall of a dynasty.
"What happened?"
"One of the Lu Family’s warehouses was burned down by Flying Cloud Fortress!"
Xiao Lin leaned closer, lowering his voice despite the fact that he was clearly eager for everyone nearby to hear the news.
"I didn’t expect them to make such a big move!"
He shook his head in amazement.
"I thought Flying Cloud Fortress would keep its head down rather than provoke them so openly. Now they’ve gone and burned a warehouse right under their noses!"
He paused, scratching his head.
"I just don’t know what was in that warehouse or whether it was important."
Lu Xuan’s expression remained calm.
"Silk and satin." Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Xiao Lin blinked.
"Very valuable."
"Eh?"
Xiao Lin stared at him.
"How do you know?"
Lu Xuan didn’t answer.
Because I’m the one who lit the match.
Instead, he calmly looked away.
Xiao Lin scratched his head again, still puzzled, but then seemed to remember something.
"Oh! Right, I forgot you used to be..."
Xiao Lin suddenly stopped, he realized he had almost touched a sore subject.
"Ahem. Anyway..."
He hurriedly changed the topic.
"On my way to the agency this morning, I saw that young master of the Lu Family."
"Lu Hao?"
"That’s him."
Xiao Lin shook his head.
"He was leading a whole column of men out of the city on horseback. There were so many of them that people were moving aside before they even reached the road. They’re probably heading straight for Flying Cloud Fortress."
Lu Xuan remained silent., Lu Hao.
Oh, Lu Hao...
You’d better be careful out there.
Don’t you dare die at someone else’s hands.
That privilege is reserved for me.
Xiao Lin, oblivious to the thoughts passing through his mind, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... this is definitely going to be a bloodbath!"
Thick black smoke still rose from the ruins of the Lu Family warehouse when Lu Hao’s forces reached Flying Cloud Fortress.
The smell of charred timber and burned silk lingered in the air. Workers and servants had spent the morning salvaging what they could, but most of the goods had been reduced to ash or ruined beyond recovery.
The burning of that single warehouse had enraged the entire Lu clan.
What infuriated them most was how precise the attack had been.
The Lu Family owned dozens of properties, shops, and warehouses throughout the city.
Yet Flying Cloud Fortress had somehow identified and targeted the most valuable one.
Inside had been the finest silks and satins transported all the way from the Southern Provinces.
Their total value...
Three hundred thousand silver pieces, that number alone was enough to make the entire Lu clan furious, they wanted to skin every last person in Flying Cloud Fortress alive.
Lu Hao was the most furious of them all, he led six clan Elders and nearly a hundred Martial Academy apprentices straight to the fortress.
He swore that he would leave no one standing, regardless of age or gender, not even the livestock.
He would even dig up the earthworms beneath the fortress and chop them in half if that could somehow vent the hatred boiling in his chest.
By the time they reached Flying Cloud Fortress, the opportunity for a peaceful resolution had already vanished.
The battle was brutal.
Flying Cloud Fortress fought with the desperation of cornered animals, refusing to surrender even when the situation became hopeless.
Its defenders knew what awaited them if they laid down their weapons. They had seen the Lu Family’s reputation, and they understood that surrender might not save them.
So they fought.
The Lu Family’s forces advanced through fierce resistance, paying for every step with blood. The fortress defenders used the terrain to their advantage, forcing the attackers into narrow approaches and making them fight for every opening.
But the difference in numbers and resources eventually became decisive.
The Lu Family paid a heavy price for its victory.
Two clan elders died.
Thirty Martial Academy apprentices were killed.
By the time the fighting ended, the ground around the fortress had been trampled into mud, and the air was thick with smoke and the smell of blood.
Another massive expense.
Another pile of dead bodies.
Lu Hao himself suffered only a minor wound to his arm and was otherwise unharmed.
All eighty-seven people inside Flying Cloud Fortress, young and old, had been slaughtered.
The fortress was set ablaze.
An eye for an eye.
A life for a life.
The smoke climbed into the sky, carrying away the last visible traces of the stronghold that had dared to challenge the Lu Family.
Yet no one in the Lu Family could bring themselves to celebrate.
The victory had cost too much.
The ride back was almost completely silent.
As they passed through a particular stretch of mountain forest, Lu Hao suddenly pulled on his reins.
The horses behind him slowed in succession, and the column came to a halt.
"Young Master? Where are we going?"
Lu Hao looked toward a narrow path leading east.
"To the Ancestral Home."
The servant beside him hesitated.
The old residence had long since fallen into disuse. There was little reason for a young master of the Lu Family to visit it, especially after a battle that had left everyone exhausted.
Still, the servant didn’t question him.
The group turned east.
They rode for a while before an old thatched cottage appeared through the trees. Its roof had weathered badly, and weeds had grown along the path leading to the entrance.
Lu Hao dismounted.
He walked to the door and pushed it open.
The room was empty.
Cold air drifted through the doorway. Dust covered the furniture, and the stale smell of an abandoned dwelling lingered in the corners.
No one had lived here for a long time.
Lu Hao slowly scanned the room.
There was nothing unusual at first glance. An old table, a few pieces of worn furniture
He was about to turn away when something in the corner caught his attention.
A pile of bones, he crouched down and picked one up, A wolf bone.
His brows furrowed, upon closer inspection, the bone hadn’t been cut, It hadn’t been broken by a weapon, It had been smashed.
Completely shattered by overwhelming force, Lu Hao’s eyes narrowed, who could smash a wolf to death with their bare hands?
His first thought was absurd: that trash?
He stood and walked outside. The courtyard had long since become overgrown with weeds, but an old oak tree still stood in the center.
Lu Hao stopped. The trunk was covered in fist marks. Some were shallow, barely leaving a dent in the bark, while others were much deeper... deep enough to completely shatter the bark and expose the pale wood beneath.
Lu Hao slowly reached out and touched one of the deepest marks. His fingers traced the edges, and his expression gradually darkened.
"That trash Lu Xuan..."
His voice was low, "How long did he live here?"
The servant beside him immediately lowered his head.
"I... I don’t know."
Lu Hao said nothing. He remained beneath the tree, staring at the fist marks. The wind moved through the leaves overhead. For some reason, the sound suddenly seemed very quiet.
Could a piece of trash kill a wolf? Could a piece of trash leave fist marks like these on a tree?
Lu Hao wasn’t sure. But for the first time in his life, when he thought about Lu Xuan, he felt something he had never felt before: doubt. A faint, unsettling doubt.
He remembered the Lu Xuan he had known: weak, useless, a person who couldn’t even cultivate, and someone everyone in the Lu Family had long since stopped caring about.
Yet now...
Lu Hao looked at the shattered wolf bone in his hand. His fingers tightened.
Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe everyone had been wrong.
His expression became cold.
"Search."
The servant looked up, Lu Hao turned toward him.
"Even if you have to tear this entire city apart, stone by stone..."
His eyes were filled with suspicion something more... fear, "Find that trash for me."
"Yes!"