The Pain of Losing a Son

"Senior Brother, I still don't understand what that killer was trying to do. Even if they could create a rift between us and Junior Brother Bai, what then?

Junior Brother Bai is skilled in martial arts, but the Golden Cauldron Sect has more than just Bai Xiwen."

With outsiders gone, only members of the Golden Cauldron Sect remained in the grand hall. They could speak more freely, and Shi Jian, full of confusion, asked.

"Whatever his objective, we cannot let our guard down.

There is still much we need to do.

The first step is to find that traitor. If it truly is one of the outer disciples, finding him won't be difficult. After that, I'll leave him to you, Shi Jian.

I don't care what methods you use, but you must get him to reveal if he has any accomplices on the mountain and who is behind him.

Secondly, concerning the Ruan family down the mountain, Zhiwei, Ruan Dong was your disciple. Now that he's dead on the mountain, the Ruan family will surely not let this go. You go and appease them."

Ruan Dong hailed from the wealthy Ruan merchant family of Wei Prefecture. His family possessed considerable wealth, so even though Ruan Dong's aptitude wasn't particularly good, they poured vast sums of money into having him accepted as a disciple under Liu Zhiwei, turning the impossible into the possible.

For the past three years, the Ruan family had not only provided a fixed sum of money annually to the Golden Cauldron Sect as Ruan Dong's tuition for martial arts but had also offered much assistance to Liu Zhiwei. Now that Ruan Dong was dead, they would naturally demand an explanation.

"This, I understand."

Liu Zhiwei's face was etched with bitterness. The Ruan family was no ordinary household. With their son dead, they would certainly seek justice. He could only hope their demands wouldn't be too excessive, as he feared it would be difficult to manage otherwise.

In Daming County, within the rear courtyard of the Ruan family residence, an elder with white hair and beard, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, was watering the vibrant, blooming flowers in a small flowerbed with a watering can. Several maids and servants stood by, attending to him.

He appeared relaxed, his movements practiced, a faint smile on his lips that made him seem exceptionally approachable – truly a kind and amiable elder.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man dressed as a steward hurried through an arched gate at the back of the garden. His face was grim. He approached the elder from behind, waved off the servants, and dismissed them, leaving only himself and the elder in the flowerbed.

"Old Xu, why the rush? Is there some problem with the business?"

The elder stopped his watering and looked at the steward with great familiarity.

This was a man he had personally promoted and mentored. Not only was he intelligent, but he was also loyal, making him the ideal candidate to help his young son manage the family business in the future. He treated this steward like family.

Otherwise, what ordinary steward would have the audacity to overstep their bounds and bark orders at servants in front of their master?

"Master, Liu Zhiwei has arrived. He brings news that… that… Young Master has been murdered on the mountain."

Steward Xu stammered out the information he had just received, his face a mask of extreme distress and worry.

His face was grim because the young master had been harmed, and he worried that his master wouldn't be able to bear such a blow.

The elder before him was named Ruan Xiang, the head of the Ruan family. He was a formidable figure who had dominated the Wei Prefecture business world, accumulating immense wealth, and was someone Steward Xu deeply admired and respected.

But even the most powerful individuals have their soft spots, their weaknesses. Ruan Xiang's weakness was his son, Ruan Dong.

Ruan Xiang had his son late in life, having him only when he was nearly fifty. He doted on and cherished Ruan Dong immensely, allowing him to have whatever he wished for, always granting his requests.

When Ruan Dong grew older and expressed a desire to learn martial arts, Ruan Xiang spared no effort, calling in favors and spending a fortune to have him accepted as a disciple by the Golden Cauldron Sect's deputy sect leader. This demonstrated his fatherly devotion.

Now that Ruan Dong had been killed within the Golden Cauldron Sect, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to Ruan Xiang, an elder in his sixties. It was uncertain whether he could endure it.

"What?"

The watering can slipped from Ruan Xiang's grasp and fell to the ground. His vision blurred, and his frail, aged body swayed precariously, almost collapsing. Fortunately, Steward Xu reacted quickly, grabbing him and steadying him.

Clutching Steward Xu's arm tightly, Ruan Xiang's clouded eyes burned with an unprecedented fury. Like a lion whose cub had died, wanting to tear everything apart, he roared, "What happened? How could Ah Dong be murdered within the Golden Cauldron Sect? Tell me clearly."

As he spoke, tears began to stream down Ruan Xiang's face, flowing endlessly. Images of Ruan Dong flashed through his mind, from his first babbling words to his departure from home to learn martial arts. He felt as if his heart were being squeezed, causing unbearable pain.

There is no greater sorrow in the world than for a parent to outlive their child, especially when Ruan Dong was Ruan Xiang's late-life son, whom he cherished and had poured all his hopes and emotions into. Now, heaven had cruelly snatched him away. How could he not be consumed by grief and rage?

Ruan Xiang even began to hate himself. In the past two years, his energy had waned significantly. He had already considered bringing Ruan Dong back to train and mentor him, allowing him to inherit the family business. He never imagined that a single thought would lead to the loss of his son.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. Liu Zhiwei is waiting outside. Master, perhaps you should hear what he has to say. He is Young Master's master; if Young Master was harmed, he bears responsibility."

Steward Xu, seeing that Ruan Xiang, despite his grief and anger, had not completely collapsed, felt a sense of relief. He then spoke with resentment.

When Ruan Dong began his martial arts training, Ruan Xiang had gone to great lengths to have him directly accepted into the Golden Cauldron Sect because of its renowned reputation in Wei Prefecture as a prestigious sect.

No one could have predicted that this Golden Cauldron Sect, which looked impressive but was useless, would be so incompetent, and that their young master would die within its very gates. It was a colossal joke.

"Yes, Liu Zhiwei. I want to see how he plans to explain this to me."

Hearing Steward Xu's words, Ruan Xiang finally remembered the main issue. Forcing down his sorrow and anger, he pushed Steward Xu away, wiped the tears from his eyes, and regained his composure, though his tone was extremely unfriendly. His pent-up rage seemed to have found an outlet.

Having navigated the ups and downs of the business world, rising from poverty to build his current empire, he was clearly no ordinary man.

Within the main reception hall of the Ruan family, Liu Zhiwei, dressed in slightly disheveled purple robes, absentmindedly swirled his teacup, contemplating how to resolve the situation perfectly.

As his disciple, Ruan Dong hadn't actually earned much of his favor.

This was because the young man's talent was mediocre, yet he was overly ambitious and arrogant, possessing too many flaws.

The only thing Liu Zhiwei appreciated about him was Ruan Dong's family background.

Not only did Ruan Dong frequently bring him rare and valuable items to please him, but he also significantly subsidized Liu Zhiwei's martial arts training expenses, allowing him to live comfortably for two years.

Now that Ruan Dong was gone, the support he had received had become a hot potato. After all, he hadn't looked after the young master properly.

Soon, Ruan Xiang arrived in the main hall with Steward Xu. He exchanged pleasantries with Liu Zhiwei, refraining from an immediate outburst, demonstrating excellent self-control.

After they were seated again, Ruan Xiang directly inquired about the circumstances of Ruan Dong's death and the identity of the killer.

Liu Zhiwei had already drafted what he wanted to say. Without delay, he recounted the entire story of Ruan Dong's death, expressing the Golden Cauldron Sect's guilt and their hope to offer some compensation to ease Ruan Xiang's grief over his son's passing.

"Lost the sword duel? Left in shame and anger? Used and killed by someone else?"

Upon learning the full story, Ruan Xiang's aged face contorted in sorrow. His hands clenched, veins bulging on his arms.

His son had died so unjustly, so miserably. If he didn't seek justice for Ruan Dong, how could he face his beloved son again after death?

"So, the murderer of my son can't escape, but what about that person named Duàn Yì? If it weren't for him, my Ā Dòng wouldn't have left in shame and anger, allowing an opportunity for the killer. Does he bear no responsibility at all?"

Ruan Xiang suddenly narrowed his eyes and questioned Liu Zhiwei. Those who kill are naturally guilty, but those who caused Ruan Dong's death should not be let off either. This was his line of thinking.

Even though he knew Duàn Yì was just an old man with no martial arts skills, Liu Zhiwei still felt a chill run down his spine. What kind of terrifying, venomous gaze was that?

"This, Master Ruan, regarding the sword duel, Duàn Yì did not employ any tricks. He won fair and square. What happened afterward was merely a series of unfortunate coincidences, and he truly cannot be blamed. Furthermore, if it weren't for him, we would have been deceived and almost wrongly concluded that Ruan Dong committed suicide, thereby letting the real killer escape. In that sense, it would be unreasonable to hold Duàn Yì responsible."

Liu Zhiwei harbored no affection for Duàn Yì, but the latter had Bái Xī Wén behind him, and Qū Dōng Liú wished to avoid further complications. Thus, he spoke a few words in Duàn Yì's defense.

"Wrong. In my view, without Duàn Yì, my son would not have left alone, creating an opportunity for the killer. While he didn't directly cause my son's death, he is an indirect accomplice. I don't want any compensation from your Golden Cauldron Sect. I only want the lives of the killer and Duàn Yì as compensation. Deputy Sect Leader Liu, can you agree to this?"