A Visitor in the Night

The journey from Hundred Flower Valley to the Qingguang Sect by flying Law Artifact should only take half a day. Logically, Wu Baoru and her group should have returned yesterday. But there's still no news. Liu Changqing, sitting cross-legged on the futon in the center of the Qingguang Grand Hall, felt a growing sense of unease. Could it be that, as he suspected, Fu Xian Island was targeting Liu Zhengguang and his group? He had initially worried that his suspicions were unfounded—that a prestigious island Fu Xian Island would stoop to such a thing—but for the safety of his grandson, he had still taken precautions. Now...

Recalling the news from Hundred Flower Valley, it turned out that Yue Qianchou, whom everyone thought was dead, was still alive and had even joined Fu Xian Island. Moreover, judging from the various reports, this young man seemed to be doing quite well, wielding considerable influence in Righteous and Demonic paths. Although he had beaten Liu Zhengguang, Liu Changqing, after much consideration, decided to swallow his anger for the time being. He had almost driven Liu Zhengguang to his death back then, so it was understandable that Liu Zhengguang harbored resentment. Circumstances were beyond his control; now was not the time to regain lost face.

"Junior brother, have the men you sent returned?" Liu Changqing asked one of the elders sitting below. Seeing that his grandson had not returned by the appointed time, he had sent two more elders to investigate what had happened, hoping that his fears would not come true.

The elder pondered and said, "My two junior brothers have been investigating along the route to Hundred Flower Valley. They should be back soon!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a ninth-generation disciple rushed in, bowed, and then looked troubled, unable to speak. Liu Changqing frowned and scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered? Speak quickly if you have something to say, is there news about the two elders?"

The ninth-generation disciple said awkwardly, "It's the two elders who have returned. The two elders respectfully request that the sect leader go to the outside of the mountain gate."

Liu Changqing didn't bother arguing with this disciple; his biggest concern was news of his grandson. He got up and walked directly out of the hall, followed by the elders on both sides. The group quickly crossed the plaza and arrived outside the Qingguang Sect's mountain gate.

A crowd had already gathered, but their expressions were grim. Upon seeing the sect leader and elders arrive, they quickly made way for them to pay their respects. Liu Changqing asked anxiously, "Have you two junior brothers received any news?"

The two elders who had been sent out exchanged glances, remained silent, and each took a few steps back to the left and right. Before Liu Changqing and the others lay a large pile of bloody, mangled limbs and severed legs; not a single intact corpse could be found. Two Storage Bag lay to the side, clearly containing the remains of the dismembered bodies. On a stone platform a little further away, a head sat alone, its features vaguely recognizable as Liu Zhengguang's.

The bloody scene before them couldn't overshadow the beautiful scenery surrounding Qingguang Mountain, but who cared to appreciate it now? No one dared utter a sound. Liu Changqing's breathing grew heavier, his eyes snapping open as he stared at Liu Zhengguang's head, his whole body trembling violently. After a long while, he closed his eyes and exhaled, regaining control of his emotions, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Where did you two junior brothers find this?"

"Reporting to the Sect Leader!" An elder bowed and said, "The place where their bodies were found is less than an hour's journey from Hundred Flower Valley. Judging from the congealed bloodstains, they were probably attacked not long after leaving Hundred Flower Valley, as there were signs of a fight in the area."

"So that means the people who killed them were very likely from Hundred Flower Valley?" Liu Changqing asked, his face ashen. The elder nodded and said, "Judging from the traces around, it's quite possible. Elder Wu showed signs of being pursued from the direction of Hundred Flower Valley. There's another strange thing, Zhengguang..." He paused, pointing to Liu Zhengguang's head, "Zhengguang's head was scattered several dozen meters away, as if it had been kicked away."

"What?" Liu Changqing staggered, wondering who had such a deep grudge against his grandson, killing him and then kicking his head! After regaining his balance, his bones cracked, and he gritted his teeth, uttering the words: "It's Yue Qianchou!"

Yue Qianchou probably never imagined that when he saw Liu Zhengguang's lifeless head at the murder scene, he felt extremely displeased and immediately kicked him a long way. Who knew that based on this alone, Liu Changqing intuitively judged that it was Yue Qianchou who did it? Nobody knows how he judged it.

The others also had doubts about the sect leader's judgment, but dared not say anything. An elder beside Liu Changqing advised, "Sect leader, please accept our condolences! The truth will surely come out one day."

With a livid face, Liu Changqing slowly closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Bury them all together in the back mountain." After saying that, he resolutely turned and left. He desperately wanted to find his grandson's body, but given the state of things, was it even necessary? The most important thing now was revenge!

That night, the sky was ablaze with stars, and the stars could be counted on Qingguang Mountain. A figure streaked across the night sky and disappeared into the distance.

In the back garden of the Yue Mansion in Swallow City, Xue Erniang was preparing to go to her room to rest, with two maids leading the way carrying lanterns. Suddenly, someone called out, "Descendant of Xue Daniu, come here!"

Xue Erniang and her two maids were startled. In the pavilion in the back garden hung a lantern that seemed to have died of exhaustion, and beneath it stood an old man, holding a whisk, looking like a celestial being. His presence there in the dead of night seemed rather strange. The newcomer was none other than Liu Changqing, the Qingguang Sect Master.

"Immortal Master!" Xue Erniang recognized him at a glance. She quickly moved over and bowed deeply with a joyful expression, saying, "Immortal Master, why have you come here so late at night? Oh! Immortal Master, please wait a moment. I will call my husband and son to pay their respects to Immortal Master right now." Upon hearing that he was the Immortal Master, the two maids stood trembling to the side, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Wait!" Liu Changqing said in a deep voice, "You mean your son is here too?"

Xue Erniang exclaimed in surprise, "What? Immortal Master doesn't know? Didn't my Qianchou tell you? Oh! This child really..."

"No need for that. Take me to see him now." Liu Changqing waved his hand to interrupt her. Knowing that Yue Qianchou was here, he was unwilling to say anything more. In order to appease Xue Erniang, he even managed to force a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Xue Erniang dared not say another word and quickly led the way.

The study in the Yue Mansion was brightly lit. Yue Changgui was at his desk, watching his youngest son practice calligraphy, when he heard hurried footsteps outside. He frowned. They had been married for many years, and regardless of the speed of the footsteps, Yue Changgui could tell that one of them was his wife. Why was she so agitated in the middle of the night? The half-open door to the study was suddenly pushed open, and Xue Erniang rushed in, her face beaming with joy. "Changgui, Qianchou's immortal Immortal Master has arrived!"

Yue Changgui asked in shock, "Which Immortal Master is Qianchou?" Xue Erniang stamped her foot and said, "Which Immortal Master do you think is the one? It's naturally the Immortal Master who took Qianchou away. He's already outside. You two, father and son, why don't you come and pay your respects!"

"What?" Yue Changgui was shocked. He hurriedly pulled a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and quickly opened the lid. Unlike Xue Erniang, he knew nothing. His eldest son had talked with him before leaving that night and specifically mentioned Liu Changqing. The two had a deep-seated hatred for each other. The three porcelain bottles his son left behind were most likely to protect him from this person, because only he knew where the Yue Family lived.

"Don't delay, you two, father and son, come and pay your respects!" Xue Erniang urged. Yue Wuchou didn't understand what his parents were talking about, holding a pen in his hand, his eyes darting around aimlessly. Yue Changgui steadied himself, put on a smile, and said to his youngest son, "Go and pay your respects to the Immortal Master!"

"No need!" Liu Changqing barged in, his face grim and eyes darting around. Not seeing Yue Qianchou, he turned to Xue Erniang and demanded, "Didn't you say your son was here too? Where is he?"

Xue Erniang pulled up her kneeling youngest son and said, "This is my youngest son, Yue Wuchou."

"You mean his son?" Liu Changqing felt like he'd been tricked. Xue Erniang, still nonchalant, replied, "That's right." Yue Changgui, a shrewd businessman, sensed something was off and frowned, remaining silent.

In fact, Liu Changqing and Xue Erniang had a huge misunderstanding in the back garden. Liu Changqing thought Xue Erniang was referring to Yue Qianchou as her son, because he had no idea that Xue Erniang had suddenly gained a younger son. Xue Erniang, on the other hand, was prone to being a bit slow on the uptake, and this was partly due to her lack of understanding of Yue Qianchou's situation. She mistakenly thought Liu Changqing was asking about her younger son. Hence, this scene unfolded.

"Hmph! Yue Qianchou killed my grandson. Now that I can't find him, I have no choice but to take your whole family to be buried with my grandson!" Liu Changqing's ferocity was immediately revealed.

Yue Changgui immediately pulled his wife and children behind him, while he stood in front of them, and said sternly, "You old scoundrel! You are the head of a sect in the Cultivation World. If you want revenge, go after my son. Why drag us mortals into this?"

The mother and son behind him were momentarily stunned, unsure of what was going on. Liu Changqing's usual composure vanished completely; he chuckled sinisterly, "I kill what I want, do I need to explain to you?" His whisk trembled slightly...

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