They Thought You'd Save Them Even As They Died

Black Tiger Mountain is located in the southeast of Chaoyang County, at the border with Baiyun County. It got its name years ago from a black tiger.

In a hidden valley at the foot of the mountain stands a small tree, entirely black, its trunk covered in red veins like blood vessels.

And within the black leaves, more than ten red fruits are faintly visible.

Two people stand beneath the tree: one is Zhang He, the master of the Zhang family, and the other is a man in black, Zhang Zhi, Zhang He's youngest son.

Zhang Zhi looks up at the red fruits, his eyes filled with unconcealed longing.

"Father, the fruits have grown much better this time. Not only has the quantity doubled compared to before, but they've also gotten much bigger."

Zhang He laughs heartily, stroking his beard.

"What blood did we use before? Pig and dog, or dead people? It lost its spiritual essence long ago."

"But this time, we used living people."

"The effect is naturally different."

As Zhang He spoke, he carefully stroked the tree trunk with his hand.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhi's eyes showed a hint of worry.

"Father, didn't we use too many living people this time? A total of ten people."

"And the job in Baiyun County wasn't done cleanly. The Imperial Guards have already caught our trail..."

For years, they had only used the fresh blood of livestock, occasionally stealing the remains of dead bodies, and always cleaning up thoroughly.

A harvest every two months, eight or nine fruits, with ninety percent going to their own family and the remaining ten percent diluted with water for others.

Although the process was slower, it was safe and stable.

In four years, everyone's cultivation had doubled.

His five brothers had all broken through to the Houtian Realm, and their parents had reached the late Houtian Realm.

A family with seven Houtian Realm cultivators would be considered a prominent family even in Qiushui City.

But since the beginning of the year, the family had become increasingly impatient, resorting to using living people.

From a young age, Zhang Zhi had a special intuition about certain things, simply put, it was a knack for avoiding danger and seeking good fortune.

He was exceptionally sensitive to perceived danger.

Starting this year, he had a constant sense of foreboding, and today, that feeling had reached its peak.

Zhang He reprimanded him.

"Hesitant and timid, how can you achieve great things?"

"The Imperial Guards in Baiyun County? Commander Sun Yan? He's just a useless fellow."

"As for the Imperial Guards we found, your third and fourth brothers are handling them."

"When morning comes, and I break through to the Xiantian Realm, we will leave Yongning Commandery, change our identities, and even the Imperial Guards won't be able to track us."

Zhang Zhi was stunned for a moment, then his voice rose a few octaves, joy evident on his face.

"Father! You're going to break through to the Xiantian Realm?"

Zhang He stood with his hands behind his back.

"Indeed. I felt the bottleneck at the beginning of the year. These past few months, that barrier has become as thin as a cicada's wing."

"As long as I consume the Sacred Fruit tonight, breaking through to the Xiantian Realm is practically guaranteed."

The Xiantian Realm was the pinnacle of the Yongning Commandery martial arts world. In all of Qiushui City, there were fewer than ten Xiantian Realm experts, and many of them were affiliated with the government.

For example, Imperial Guard Centurions, or the commanding generals of the city guards.

As long as their family could escape Yongning Commandery, change their identities, and find a city similar to Qiushui City to establish themselves, it wouldn't be long before the Zhang family could also be considered a noble clan.

However, the joy did not cloud Zhang Zhi's mind. The sense of danger had not dissipated, not even slightly, despite hearing that his father was about to break through to the Xiantian Realm.

He felt as if an invisible hand was choking him, and his intuition told him to run now, and that escaping Yongning Commandery was his only path to survival.

But after weighing his options, the allure of a Xiantian Realm family ultimately won out.

He kept telling himself that intuition could sometimes be wrong.

"Father, I will protect you during your breakthrough tonight! You can break through with peace of mind!"

"Good son!"

Zhang He looked at his son, who supported him, and was very pleased.

Of his five sons, Zhang Zhi was the one he was most satisfied with – the smartest, most talented, and most filial.

Since childhood, Zhang Zhi had never been wrong about anything he was certain of, so before undertaking any major task, he would always seek Zhang Zhi's opinion.

With his son's affirmation, he felt completely secure.

The Yongning Commandery martial arts world? The Imperial Guards? Nothing to worry about!

Just as the father and son were sharing a tender moment.

He Lian's shrill scream echoed from the woods: "Old Zhang, Ah Zhi, run quickly!"

Zhang He and his son immediately recognized He Lian's voice, their faces changing drastically.

"Dad, is that Mom's voice?"

Zhang He didn't reply, only rushing into the forest and running towards the source of the sound, with Zhang Zhi close behind.

In the woods, Black Dog was repeatedly slapping He Lian across the face.

Beside them, a scrawny Imperial Guard stood in fear.

"Sir, it was my negligence. I failed to keep an eye on this prisoner and she managed to cry out..."

To put it bluntly, this was already a missed opportunity in battle, disturbing the target of capture.

Shen Qing glanced towards the depths of Black Tiger Mountain, waved his hand, and turned towards He Lian.

"You'll be fined a month's salary and stand guard for three months. If you make this mistake again, you can get out of the Imperial Guards yourself."

The scrawny Imperial Guard looked up at Shen Qing in disbelief. Wasn't this punishment too light?

He had been transferred from Luoshui City, where a crime like this would have cost him his head.

But only a month's salary and three months of guard duty?

This was simply a fantasy.

The scrawny Imperial Guard knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Thank you, sir! I will never make such a mistake again. If I do, I will take my own life as atonement."

Shen Qing stood before He Lian, whose face was already red from Black Dog's slaps.

"As expected of someone in the Houtian Realm, your skin is thick."

Saying that, he grabbed He Lian's skull and applied slight pressure. He Lian let out a scream of pain.

"Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish."

He Lian's face contorted, and she squeezed out a few words from her mouth.

"Even as a ghost... I won't... let you go."

Shen Qing's face remained expressionless. Such cliché threats.

"Then you'd better bring your whole family, or they won't be enough for me to kill."

He Lian's face was ferocious. Her skull was already slightly deformed from Shen Qing's grip. The immense pain made her unable to utter any more threats.

"Stop!"

Zhang He burst out from the woods, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Shen Qing's lips curved slightly upwards, and he suddenly tightened his grip. He Lian's head exploded like a watermelon.

Shen Qing had been waiting for this moment. Crushing He Lian's head took less than an instant, but he wanted Zhang He to arrive and witness it firsthand.

Turning around, Shen Qing revealed a gentle smile.

"Are you Zhang He?"

"Let me tell you, He Lian was murmuring your name when she died."

"Also, your four sons all thought you would come to save them, right up until their deaths."

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