Chapter Twenty-Nine: Wu Family Village

The news of the Gu family envoy’s death threw the entire household into chaos. Gu Cangyu, the head of the family, felt particularly drained and weary. He was caught between the pressure of explaining the incident to the sect that backed his family and the necessity of placating his subordinates. Sitting at the head of the main hall with a pale face, his eyes were filled with helplessness. If it were merely a matter of handling his subordinates or reporting to the sect, he might have managed, but he also had to guard against the killer of Zi Chao. Zi Chao was a cultivator at the Golden Core stage; if even he could be killed, who else in the Gu family could hope to stand against such a person?

"Zi Yue! Yes, there is still Lord Zi Yue. Since Lord Zi Chao has been killed, Lord Zi Yue will surely avenge him. I shall take this opportunity to report the matter to the sect," Gu Cangyu thought. A hint of color returned to his pale face as he called out loudly, "Someone, come here!"

No sooner had he spoken than a middle-aged man, who appeared to be the butler, walked in. "Master, do you have any instructions?"

Gu Cangyu stood up, surveyed the vast hall, and said slowly, "Prepare the carriage. I must meet with Envoy Zi Yue."

"Lord Zi Yue? Master, the young master has truly brought ruin upon me. He told me to keep things from you, and now look—you haven't returned, and if the master investigates, I will be the one to take the fall." The butler’s face changed, and after gritting his teeth, he said, "Master, the young master took Lord Zi Yue out yesterday afternoon and has not yet returned."

"Nonsense! Yun'er is becoming more and more reckless," Gu Cangyu said, his face darkening. He lowered his head for a moment of thought before ordering the butler, "Pass down the word: no one is to stir up trouble outside these next few days. Offenders will be executed."

The butler, fearing the master’s wrath, bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

"Wait," Gu Cangyu called out. "I will be leaving the estate for a few days. While I am away, you are to manage things here. And as for Yun'er... sigh..." After a brief pause, as if contemplating something, Gu Cangyu drew a palm-sized golden token from his sleeve and handed it over. "If anything happens to the estate, have Yun'er take this token to Purple Cloud Mountain. That is all... you may go." He waved his hand weakly and sat back down.

*Zi Yue is not in the residence either,* Gu Cangyu muttered to himself. He had no way of knowing that his son and Zi Yue were already dead in a valley in Mount Fengming, and that Zi Chao had been killed because of the destruction of Zi Yue’s Golden Core. After a moment of hesitation, Gu Cangyu decided to depart for Purple Cloud Mountain immediately. It was better to report this as soon as possible. He dared not send anyone to track the person who had killed Zi Chao; sending ordinary people to trail someone capable of killing a Golden Core cultivator was nothing short of a death sentence.

At dusk, a carriage departed the Gu estate, accompanied by a dozen of the family’s elite guards. Shortly after they left Yi City, Lei Yan and his companions also departed.

On the main road, an ordinary carriage bumped along incessantly. Inside sat Lei Yan, Qing Ling, and the Flower Demon, while Ding Wei drove. Ding Wei’s face was radiant with excitement; he had reached the Innate realm in just a few short hours, and his joy was irrepressible.

Inside the carriage, Lei Yan sat near the silk curtain, while Qing Ling and the Flower Demon sat together in the middle.

"Ding Wei, you should be familiar with this area. Let's stop at the village ahead," Lei Yan said softly.

"Understood!" Ding Wei replied. He flicked the reins, urging the horses on. The speed of the carriage increased abruptly.

"Brother Lei, why are we stopping again? Shouldn't we go straight to Niu Village?" Having already been delayed quite a bit on this journey, Qing Ling asked with a hint of confusion.

"Yes, we are heading to Niu Village, but I will be going alone. You will wait for me at the village ahead," Lei Yan said slowly. He did not want Qing Ling to suffer any harm. Of course, should there be danger, he could escape using his "Hidden Dragon Spirit Wander."

"Why? Why must Brother Lei always face everything alone? Why don't you understand my feelings?" Qing Ling’s expression immediately turned gloomy, and she muttered under her breath.

Though the voice was soft, it pierced Lei Yan’s heart like a needle. He looked at the dejected Qing Ling and felt a pang in his chest. He did not know how to respond, so he could only think silently to himself, *Ling'er, you don't know how important you are to me now. In my previous life, I would have strangled such attachments in the cradle, but now I cannot. You are deeply etched into my mind and my heart. If anything happened to you, I would go mad.*

"I understand, Brother Lei," Qing Ling said, falling silent.

A strange atmosphere filled the carriage. Perhaps sensing the tension, the Flower Demon pouted. "Daddy is mean. Not taking Big Sister, not taking Little Lan. Little Lan isn't talking to Daddy anymore."

"Little Lan, it's not that I don't want to bring you, but you are all too important to me. I fear you might come to harm—even the slightest bit." Lei Yan looked directly at Qing Ling as he said the last part, hoping she would understand his intentions.

Sure enough, Qing Ling’s expression softened considerably. Although she still looked a bit melancholic, she began to comfort the Flower Demon. The atmosphere finally eased.

In the blink of an eye, with a shout of "Whoa!" from Ding Wei, the carriage came to a halt.

Wu Village was the village closest to Yi City. Although it had a population of only three or four hundred, more than half were sturdy, strong-bodied villagers, making it a well-known small village in the vicinity.

As soon as Lei Yan and the others stepped out of the carriage, a stout, middle-aged man in his forties emerged with over thirty villagers. Upon seeing Ding Wei, the man gave a soft exclamation of surprise, then lunged forward, throwing a punch toward him.

Ding Wei smiled, unfazed. He extended a palm and effortlessly blocked the blow. The tremendous recoil forced the middle-aged man back a few steps, but Ding Wei remained composed and smiling.

The other villagers, thinking Lei Yan and his group were there to cause trouble, immediately surrounded them. However, the middle-aged man burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Brother Ding, it has only been a few months, yet your cultivation has progressed so rapidly!" He then scolded the villagers, "What are you doing? What are you doing? This is Ding Wei, the one I’ve told you about—the greatest expert of the Ding Family Manor!" He then pulled Ding Wei into a bear hug.

"The greatest expert of the Ding Family Manor?" The man’s words stung Ding Wei. He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "The Ding Family Manor is finished. What kind of 'greatest expert' is that?"

"Brother Ding, what do you mean by that?" the man asked, startled. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. "Oh, forgive me. Come, come, let us go into the village to talk."

When the villagers heard that the visitor was the premier expert of the Ding Family Manor—and having witnessed his display of power just moments ago—their eyes lit up with admiration as they cleared a path.

Ding Wei turned to see Lei Yan’s interested gaze and said awkwardly, "Master, villages often have dealings with one another, and Village Chief Wu Zixiong of Wu Village and I are on friendly terms. Please forgive the spectacle."

"It is fine. I am glad you have such connections," Lei Yan said with a smile. The three of them followed Wu Zixiong into the village.