"Son, you—you're all right. That's all that matters." Unexpectedly, when Liu Tian met up with the others who had come up the mountain, the person at the very front wasn't the local landowner, his Second Uncle Liu Zhengde, but his own father, Liu Yun.
In fact, Liu Yun had pulled far ahead of everyone behind him. Thanks to his years of exercise and his anxious heart, he had made his way to the front, even though the others knew the mountain better.
The price was that his clothes were already in tatters, with scrapes in several places. "I'm glad you're all right. What happened?"
Liu Yun reached out to hug his son, but suddenly crouched down and changed it to a pat on the shoulder. Looking at his son, who seemed unharmed but whose clothes were just as torn, Liu Yun asked.
Seeing the anxiety his father could barely conceal, Liu Tian fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "It's nothing. Just a few setbacks."
"Are you really all right?" Liu Yun's nose twitched slightly. He had clearly caught the blood scent clinging to Liu Tian and couldn't help asking, "We're family. If something's wrong, tell me. Don't try to bear it alone."
"I really am fine. Look, I haven't got a single injury," Liu Tian replied. "Don't worry, Dad. They were just setbacks I've already overcome."
"By the way, how did you know it was me?" Liu Tian asked, changing the subject.
"Your mother suddenly got this uneasy feeling, but she couldn't find you." Liu Yun looked at his son, at once familiar and strange. Seeing his carefree smile and the blood scent he couldn't conceal, he didn't press further. "As it happened, the City Lord's son had gone missing. He sent someone to notify the legitimate families of Pei Commandery and ask us to help search. Your Second Uncle and I discussed it, then decided to bring the family guards up the mountain to look for you. On the way, we heard the commotion coming from over here."
"Pei Commandery may be known for its bold and rugged people, but these days, very few are willing to settle down and study Secret Martial Arts. At this hour, the only person nearby who could make that kind of commotion was probably you, son. Even if it wasn't you, it had to be related to Zhang Huan's disappearance, so we brought everyone over."
"So that's how it was." Liu Tian nodded, as if he understood completely. Then he greeted Second Uncle Liu Zhengde, who had caught up behind Liu Yun. "Good afternoon, Second Uncle! I'm all right for now. I ran into a lunatic here earlier who was practicing some Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique. We traded a few blows. I didn't beat him, and he didn't beat me."
"By the way, was the Zhang Huan you're looking for a tall, chubby man with fair skin, someone who looked pampered?"
"Yes, where is he now? Did he have a mole on his face?" At Liu Tian's words, Liu Zhengde, who had been about to ask a whole string of questions, seemed to forget them all and hurriedly pressed him. "Take us to see him at once."
"I didn't notice whether he had a mole, and now he's impossible to recognize anyway," Liu Tian said frankly. "I saw someone like that in the hands of that lunatic. He's already dead—he died during my fight with that guy who called himself Snake. He should be a little way over to the left. If you go there, you might find some remains the wild animals haven't carried off."
"But I'd advise against looking. The scene's pretty disgusting. It'll put you off your food."
"I see." Liu Zhengde looked as if he'd suddenly understood. He spoke loudly so the men behind him could hear. "So my nephew happened to run into the bandit who kidnapped Young Master Zhang Huan while out for a walk here. When the bandit realized you'd spotted him, he tried to kill you to silence you. But he didn't expect you to be so strong. After fighting for a while and realizing he couldn't take you down quickly—and hearing us approach—he hurriedly fled the scene. Is that right?"
"I had no idea Young Master Liu Wentian was so strong. Even the kidnappers who abducted Young Master Zhang Huan couldn't get the better of him." A few quick-witted men in the crowd caught on to Liu Zhengde's meaning and played along. "Young Master Liu Wentian truly is the family head's nephew. Such strength at such a young age—I'm sure he'll become a general one day!"
"Not only is Young Master Liu Wentian powerful, he's also a man of honor. He fought those vicious criminals until we arrived, just to preserve as much of Young Master Zhang Huan's body as possible. I'm sure City Lord Zhang Ning will thank him properly!"
"That's right! If the bond between mother and son hadn't warned us that Young Master Liu Wentian was in danger, we might not have arrived in time. Judging by how fierce the fight was, if we'd been any later, something terrible might have happened to him!"
"So Young Master Wentian risked his life fighting that bandit? What a noble and selfless man!"
"..." Liu Tian had more or less understood what Liu Zhengde was getting at, but he still lowered his voice and said, "Actually, I killed that guy. Snake used him as a shield, and I blasted him to pieces without even thinking."
"Who cares about that scumbag? He deserved to die a hundred times over." Liu Zhengde shrugged, unconcerned. "If he didn't have a good father, his conduct would've gotten him stuffed into a sack and killed in some alley long ago. Good riddance."
"But you can't be the one who killed him, nephew. That would make it difficult for us to ask the City Lord for compensation. So he has to have been killed by that Snake you mentioned." Liu Zhengde waved away the men who were about to fish the remains out of the mountain, then said with a solemn expression, "I know who you mean by Snake. He's a bandit skilled in all kinds of martial arts, and he enjoys torturing people. I saw him on the battlefield once. Given his nature, he could've caused any amount of destruction. I also heard that he underwent Gene Modification to pursue the limits of martial arts, which made him even more unstable. Who knows what horrific things he did to Young Master Zhang Huan?"
At this, Liu Zhengde paused and sighed. "Young Master Zhang Huan must have all sorts of strange wounds on him now, right? I wonder if his body can even be identified."
"I used the Heart Severing Path of the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao to kill Zhang Huan. The wounds are unusual. Someone familiar with them might recognize them at a glance," Liu Tian added, understanding what his Second Uncle was asking.
"Oh! What kind of wounds? How would they recognize them?" Liu Zhengde asked, pretending to be confused. "Wasn't part of Young Master Zhang Huan's body completely destroyed by Snake, and part of it eaten by wild animals? This mountain is so vast. How could we find the beast that ate his remains? Bringing back a piece or two will be enough to show we tried. Don't worry, nephew. Your Second Uncle isn't someone to be pushed around. The City Lord will have to accept it, even if he doesn't like it."
"Speaking of a direct fight, Snake could take on at least ten of you, Second Uncle, even if you had a gun." Now that Liu Zhengde had made his plans, Liu Tian said no more. "And the martial arts he practiced weren't from the Crimson Cloud Empire. You said you saw him on the battlefield, Second Uncle. There's a good chance he took part in this too. Given his strength, there'd be no reason for him to show up in a small place like this otherwise."
"Is that so? I understand." Liu Zhengde didn't dismiss Liu Tian's judgment. "I think I can guess who's behind this." Then he asked, "Speaking of which, nephew, did you know that in this world, guns and cannons rule everything, and armies are far stronger than Martial Artists? As it happens, I have some standing with the local troops. You don't need to worry."
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved." Liu Tian replied as if he completely trusted Liu Zhengde's words, then seemed to remember something in passing. "By the way, Second Uncle, do you know which families in the ancient capital and nearby areas collect antiques from the Lost Empire?"
"You really do like that sort of thing." Liu Zhengde chuckled and shook his head. "In Pei Commandery, the City Lord probably has the biggest collection. He used to be an antique dealer and was always stingy. Later, he made a lot of money and got in with the Capital City's big shots. Otherwise, he'd never have become City Lord. He's always been at odds with us. Even after you've done something this great, he might not let you take a look in his collection vault. I'll think of something."
"As for the families nearby, ask the housekeeper to look into it. I may have some standing in the area, but after the birthday banquet, I'll take you around to visit them one by one."
"Then there's no need. I'd be putting you to too much trouble, Second Uncle. Once I'm in a position to do so, I'll go myself. For now, I was just asking in advance so I could keep an eye out..."
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