Deep inside Blustering Wind Martial Hall, in Shi Lie Feng's study.
A charcoal fire burned quietly in the bronze beast-shaped brazier, driving away the chill of late winter, but not the invisible weight hanging in the air. Tea fragrance curled upward, but Li Yuan, seated below the host's seat, merely watched the hall master calmly and didn't touch the steaming cup.
Shi Lie Feng lifted his own cup and blew away the foam, but didn't drink. He set it down, fixed his gaze on Li Yuan, and slowly began:
"The Li Family was wiped out last night."
His voice was even, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him. Yet his sharp eyes closely watched for the slightest change in Li Yuan's expression.
Li Yuan's face didn't change at all. Not even a ripple stirred in his eyes, as if all he'd heard was, "The weather's nice today." He met Shi Lie Feng's gaze and nodded.
"I know."
Three words, tossed off lightly.
Deep in Shi Lie Feng's eyes, his pupils contracted slightly. Though he'd already suspected as much, hearing Li Yuan's answer—which came close to an admission—still shook him. The Li Family had held sway over Black Mountain City for nearly a hundred years! In a single night, its key figures had all perished, its businesses had been carved up by various factions, and the vast family had vanished into thin air!
And the one who'd done all this was the calm young man sitting before him, not yet twenty.
"The Netherworld Cult's stronghold in Black Mountain City was uprooted, too," Shi Lie Feng continued, probing him. "The traces of power left behind at the scene... were very distinctive. Pure yang and unyielding, yet carrying an overbearing force that could burn all things."