Where Trouble Began

"Young Master Heng, you're awake!"

When He Heng woke again, he saw a gray-haired man in his fifties standing anxiously beside him, his gaze full of worry.

"Young Master Heng, how are your injuries? Shall I check them again?"

"No need, Steward Zhou. I'm feeling much better." He Heng rubbed his slightly aching chest and waved him off.

"As long as you're all right, Young Master. You gave this old servant quite a scare." The old man still looked shaken.

He was in charge of the He family's affairs in Shuangjiang City, and his duties included safeguarding the family's young members. He Heng wasn't among the He family's most outstanding youngsters, but he was still the family head's son and a direct descendant. If anything had happened to him here, Steward Zhou would probably have lost his head.

Compared with a direct descendant of the main family, an outsider servant like him was nothing. Unless he were a Dao Embryo Realm expert, the He family—a great clan with an Eternal Inheritance—wouldn't give him a second thought. They could kill him without batting an eye.

The Dao Embryo Realm marked the beginning of martial transcendence, a realm that truly separated its practitioners from ordinary people. How could someone like him ever reach it?

When Steward Zhou heard that He Heng had gotten into trouble at Linjiang Tower, he'd panicked and sent people to search the entire city, but they'd found no clues. At last, in despair, he'd even had a coffin prepared.

Then He Heng had returned from outside the city, covered in blood, and one of Steward Zhou's men had spotted him. The old man had been so overwhelmed with relief that he felt decades younger.

But the witch had struck He Heng with a palm before she died, and he'd then traveled more than a hundred miles without stopping. Add to that the ten years of hardship he'd endured in the Dragon Snake, and he'd been utterly exhausted in both body and mind once it was over. He'd collapsed as soon as he returned and remained unconscious for three whole days and nights. Steward Zhou had been beside himself with worry. Now that He Heng had finally woken, the old man could at last breathe easy.

"Young Master, this is a Mysterious Appearance Pill. I specially asked Master Feng to refine this top-grade spirit pill. It'll do wonders for your injuries." Seeing He Heng's pallid face, Steward Zhou quickly took out a bottle of pills.

"No need, Steward Zhou. Has anything happened these past two days?" He Heng shook his head and asked.

"While you were unconscious, the whole city was under lockdown. What could've happened? Who would dare?" Steward Zhou shook his head. "You know Young Master Wang was killed at Linjiang Tower. Do you think City Lord Wang wouldn't be furious? He sent soldiers everywhere to hunt for the culprit, but they couldn't find a single clue."

Of course they couldn't. The killer had turned to ash—no, into a pill. Where was he supposed to look? He Heng continued, "Did City Lord Wang come here to see me?"

"He did. You were at Linjiang Tower when Young Master Wang was killed, after all. But you hadn't woken up, so Young Master Ding sent them away."

"I see. I was caught up in this through no fault of my own. Someone struck me, and I sank into the river. The current carried me more than a hundred miles outside the city, and I barely made it back alive." He Heng sighed as if reliving the ordeal.

"So that's how you got those injuries. You truly have heaven's favor, Young Master." Steward Zhou finally understood. He'd been wondering what had happened to He Heng.

"Oh, right. Did anyone come looking for me these past few days?" He Heng thought for a moment, then asked.

Steward Zhou pondered briefly before replying, "When they heard you'd been hurt, Young Master Ding, Young Master Hou, Young Master Ning, and Miss Ling all came to visit. Apart from those young masters and ladies of the family, Young Master Ba Sixteen and Young Master Bai Seven came by as well. Instructor Dong from Flying Immortal Academy also visited yesterday."

"I see. I'll be sure to thank them properly later." He Heng nodded. He got along well with people; at least, plenty had come to see him after he'd gotten into trouble. It wasn't like in certain novels, where everyone took pleasure in others' misfortune, nobody cared, and some even kicked them while they were down.

In truth, unity was what mattered most to a family. No matter what disagreements its members had, they wouldn't spend every day plotting against one another like in novels. Otherwise, the family would never survive.

The members of any ancient clan with a long legacy were generally united. There were rivalries, of course, but they were healthy competitions that pushed everyone to improve. No one would bring outsiders in to harm their own family.

If factions fought among themselves day in and day out, how could the family prosper? A clan like that could never have lasted tens of thousands of years. It would have vanished into the river of history long ago.

The He family was no exception. Its young members competed with one another, but their squabbles were usually harmless and helped them spur each other on. They would never invite outsiders in to attack their own.

Half a month later, He Heng had mostly recovered. One day, he was relaxing in his room, reading, when the front door suddenly swung open and a round figure rushed in, flustered.

"He Heng, hurry and get out of here! My second sister's coming for you!"

A shriek so horrific it could curdle blood jolted He Heng from his sea of books. He looked at the familiar round figure.

"Wang San, what are you doing?"

The newcomer grabbed both of He Heng's hands and squeezed them tightly, peering at him with a round face and big, watery eyes.

"Hey, hey! Wang San, I'm really not interested in you. Don't look at me like that!" He Heng quickly pushed him away and shouted.

"He Heng, how can you treat me like this? I came out of kindness, to stand by my friend, risking getting cut down by my second sister just to warn you!" The figure grumbled indignantly after He Heng shoved him away.

"Anyone would be uncomfortable if you grabbed their hands like that, Wang San," He Heng said matter-of-factly.

This spherical creature was one of his closest friends—the third son of the unlucky Wang Yu from last time, and the youngest son of Shuangjiang City's lord, the Blood Butcher, Wang Panlong: Wang Bian.

He Heng looked at him helplessly. "All right, why have you come rushing over here today?"

"Oh, right. I came because something's happened..." At He Heng's question, Wang Bian suddenly remembered and grew visibly anxious. "He Heng, you need to run! My second sister's coming for you with a sword!"

"Huh? What does Wang Bi want with me?" He Heng asked, puzzled.

Of the three Wang brothers, the other two were both outstanding, unlike Wang Bian. As for the dead Wang Yu, there was no need to discuss him. Wang Bian's second sister, Wang Bi, was one of the top students at Flying Immortal Academy. At just nineteen, she had already reached the peak of the Second Marquis Realm, matching Wang Yu despite being several years younger. She was said to have inherited her father's spirit and was known as the Little Butcher.

She was famous at Flying Immortal Academy as a fearsome tigress. She practiced the sword and idolized Heavenly Sword Jun Rushih, whose sword could shatter all laws. If she took a dislike to someone, she'd go straight for them with her sword. He Heng had always kept his distance from her, and she'd always looked down on a nobody like him. Why had she come to cause trouble now?

"Is it because of Wang Da?" He Heng immediately guessed the reason. That was probably the only thing that would make the peerless prodigy come looking for trouble.

"Exactly. My big brother died at Linjiang Tower, and you were there. My second sister decided you must be connected to what happened and plans to cut you down. I barely managed to get here and warn you." Wang Bian sounded helpless.

"Even City Lord Wang came to question me and proved I had nothing to do with it. What's your second sister's problem? Why's she gone mad and come after me?" He Heng said, exasperated.

In the days since Wang Da's death, the Blood Butcher, Wang Panlong, had thrown the whole city into an uproar. He'd interrogated just about everyone who'd been at Linjiang Tower, and He Heng hadn't escaped his scrutiny.

In this world, Martial Dao Experts never needed torture to interrogate anyone. They usually went straight to soul-searching, which revealed everything.

But He Heng was a direct descendant of the He family, so Wang Panlong couldn't go too far. Instead, he'd used a lie-detecting divine art to question him. The truth was, He Heng had nothing to do with Wang Da's death. Besides, he possessed the Human Law Realm and could speak without showing the slightest hint of nervousness. Anyone else questioned by Wang Panlong would have been trembling with fear and might have slipped up.

But He Heng had acted as if nothing had happened, posing as a victim. With a little help from the Myriad Heavens Treasure Mirror's power, he'd managed to bluff Wang Panlong.

He Heng had even secretly congratulated himself for it. Fooling a Dao Embryo Realm expert and notorious killer like the Blood Butcher was an achievement in itself.

By rights, Wang Panlong had already questioned him and confirmed he was innocent. The matter should have been settled. Why was Wang Bi coming after him now?

"My second sister said her Sword Cultivator's Intuition told her that there was more to Big Brother's death than met the eye. She's convinced there's a hidden story and thinks you're a key part of it, so she plans to cut you down," Wang Bian said in a low voice.

"Isn't a sword cultivator's intuition just a woman's sixth sense? But... she's frighteningly accurate!" He Heng's mouth twitched. His perfect disguise had been exposed by that? "And even if she suspects me, shouldn't she arrest me for questioning or investigate me in secret? At the very least, she needs evidence. What does she mean, coming straight over to hack me to pieces?"

He Heng couldn't understand people like Wang Bi. The moment they suspected someone, they drew their swords and went for them. What a ferocious temperament.

"You can only say it's a bad habit among sword cultivators: domineering and direct!"

"Enough talking. Let's get out of here before my second sister arrives!" Wang Bian hurriedly pulled He Heng toward the door.

"Hmph, you two, stop right there! Don't even think about escaping!" A cold voice suddenly rang out. He Heng felt a blade of icy light rushing toward him.