A Single Strand of Hair

"So what if he's an illegitimate son? He is still a direct descendant of the Luo Mansion. Do you really dare to touch him? How is the situation with Wuji?"

Upon learning of Sanbao's true identity, the clan head Yan Huishan looked somewhat dejected and asked lazily.

Since Sanbao was a direct descendant of the Luo Clan, he was not someone the Yan Clan dared to touch—at least, not openly.

"Grandfather, Wuji was heartbroken to learn that his father had been murdered. He wanted to return immediately, but I stopped him. However, Wuji said that he has already been accepted as a disciple by a sect leader of the Hundred Leaf Sect, and within three years, he will definitely return to Deer Mountain to make the Luo Clan pay..."

The one speaking was none other than Yan Wuhua, who had caused the trouble that day. He had been hiding away and only returned home yesterday from the Hundred Leaf Sect on Lishan.

"Good, good..." The members of the Yan Clan all suppressed their pent-up rage and shouted one after another.

"Good..."

Meanwhile, inside Sanbao's training room, Sanbao exhaled a breath of turbid air toward the ceiling. After nearly a month of closed-door cultivation, he had finally reached the realm of a one-star Spirit Scholar.

Feeling the pale golden, water-like spirit power filling his Dantian, Sanbao took out the Storage Spirit Ring from his bosom once more. As the spirit power from the Firefly Acupoint in his palm continuously flowed into the ring, Sanbao could clearly sense an unknown space drawing closer to him.

"Closer, come closer."

As the spirit power continued to flow, the unknown space grew closer and closer. Just as Sanbao felt his spirit power was exhausted and he could no longer sustain it, a sudden burst of red light erupted, and the space within the Storage Spirit Ring was opened.

The space inside the ring was not large, only about one cubic meter, and it could change shape at will according to Sanbao's thoughts—it could be long or short, round or flat, which was truly marvelous.

What disappointed Sanbao greatly was that the space did not contain the many precious items he had expected Thirteen to leave for him; there was only a piece of paper and a single feather.

Congratulations, Young Master Cheng. You have not only succeeded in Blood Fusion but are also a one-star Spirit Scholar. Are you a bit disappointed that there are so few things? To be more precise, there is only one feather. Do not be disappointed; this feather is no ordinary object. It was left specifically for you by His Majesty. This is the True Spirit Feather of the Luo Clan's ancestor, the Purple-Eyed Golden Peng. It will make it easier for you to activate your innate divine ability, but it can only be used after reaching the Spirit King realm. Remember this.

This spirit feather can likely provide the power of the bloodline three to four more times. It must only be used by yourself and must never be given to others. Below is the method of use: manipulate it with the power of the soul... Destroy this immediately after memorizing it. Thirteen.

After reading the contents on the paper, the image of a kind, thin old man immediately appeared in Sanbao's mind, and Sanbao felt a wave of warmth.

Thirteen, you must have reached Lanjing by now.

The purple-gold feather was less than half a foot long, light and unremarkable. With a thought, the feather lay quietly in Sanbao's hand. As he gave it a light squeeze, a peculiar ripple quickly spread across his body. Soon, the bloodline throughout his entire body felt as if it had been ignited, suddenly becoming restless. Sanbao felt his whole body filled with power, and he threw a heavy punch at the ground with one hand while shouting:

"Hah!"

Looking at the shallow fist mark on the ground, Sanbao understood instantly. With a thought, he retracted the precious True Spirit Feather back into the Storage Spirit Ring space. With another thought, the entire space vanished, as if nothing had ever happened.

Opening this storage ring is time-consuming and laborious, but closing it is convenient; it only takes a single thought, Sanbao muttered to himself.

Just as he finished, a hurried cry came from the doorway:

"Third Young Master, what happened?"

It was Meimei, the maid who served him outside.

"It's nothing, I was just too happy with my training," Sanbao pushed the door open and walked out of the backyard with a glowing face. It was time to practice his stone carving.

Spring passed and autumn came; Sanbao was now thirteen years old.

"Good, come again!"

With a loud shout, two young figures were once again entangled at the foot of Deer Mountain.

The two sons of the Luo Clan were sparring with each other.

Sanbao barely dodged a claw from Caiguang, but the mountain rock beside him was not so lucky. A rock weighing over a hundred pounds was instantly shredded into several pieces by Caiguang's large hand. With a puff, the crushed stones scattered, emitting layers of white smoke.

Sanbao seized the opportunity to dart to the side, stopping to shout: "No more, Caiguang, I can't beat you."

"Haha, Third Uncle, you're too much of a rascal. You concede every time it gets to this point. I know you haven't used your full strength."

Fifteen-year-old Caiguang already possessed the demeanor of an expert. His movements were measured and fluid. When Sanbao called for a stop, he stood up straight, though the expression on his face was somewhat displeased, clearly feeling that the fight hadn't been satisfying.

"No, no, I really am no match for you. You are already a four-star Spirit Scholar, and I have only just stepped into the three-star realm. With a one-level gap, I am naturally no match for you," Sanbao said with a smile while wiping the sweat from his face.

"Third Uncle, stop it. I know your comprehension of the Nine-Turn Golden Body is above mine. Tell me, what level have you reached? Confess!" Caiguang draped one arm over Sanbao's shoulder, and the uncle and nephew chatted as they walked away with their arms around each other.

"Just reached the second level, a little faster than you!"

"Eh, Third Uncle, you seem to have grown quite a bit taller. I remember last time you only reached up to here on me. Look now?"

"Is that so? Meimei has been taking good care of me lately, so I've grown a bit more. Don't mind it, don't mind it."

"Oh, I know. You must have done that with Meimei, right?"

"Nonsense! Aren't I still young? Besides, do I look like that kind of person to you?"

"Yes, of course you do. Look at our Luo Clan—who isn't a dashing, romantic figure? Thirteen years old, that's not young. When I was thirteen..."

"..."

"Third Young Master, Second Young Master, it's time for dinner." Just as the two reached the backyard gate, Meimei suddenly popped out from the side, giving them both a start.

A few years had passed, and Meimei had grown into an exceptionally beautiful young woman, her chest well-developed, leaving the uncle and nephew staring at each other in silence.

"So, Meimei, did you hear what my Third Uncle just said..." Caiguang teased.

"What else could you two be talking about? Cultivation, of course!"

Meimei had clearly heard something; her face was flushed red, looking quite shy. After replying, she glanced at Sanbao with a bashful look, which sent a chill down Sanbao's spine. He thought to himself, Mother, this girl couldn't be having romantic thoughts, could she?

Meimei had been serving Sanbao for years. The shy little girl from back then had long since become a graceful beauty, but Sanbao had always been focused on cultivation and never paid much attention. After today's incident, Sanbao suddenly had some ideas of his own.

Unlike the other masters of the Luo Clan, Sanbao had always viewed Meimei as family. In his past life, his childhood was largely spent under the care of his two older sisters, and he never had the chance to repay them; Meimei naturally became a "substitute" for that role. Now that Meimei was no longer young, Sanbao naturally wanted to find her a good home.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they headed straight for the dining hall. Just as they reached the entrance, several guards rushed out blindly, nearly colliding with the two of them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Caiguang's eyes flashed as he shouted sternly.

"Apologies, sirs. Someone has come to the Luo Mansion to cause trouble. We must head over there first, please enjoy your meal..." The leader of the guards apologized to the two of them while leading his men away in a hurry.

"What? Someone dares to cause trouble at the Luo Mansion? They must have a death wish." Upon hearing that there was a disturbance, Caiguang no longer cared about eating and immediately grabbed Sanbao to hurry over. Meimei started to follow, but quickly stepped back.

"I should still bring some food for the Third Young Master, lest he go hungry while he's still growing..."

At the front gate of the Luo Mansion, the area was already bustling with a crowd of onlookers. In the center of the throng, a middle-aged woman was weeping and saying something. The Luo Clan guards all wore bitter smiles and didn't take any aggressive action, merely blocking the gate completely to ensure no one could take advantage of the situation. Looking at the scene, it didn't seem like someone was there to cause trouble, but rather to plead for justice.

In recent years, the Luo Clan had grown increasingly powerful, sometimes even surpassing the prestige of the local government. As a result, people with grievances often came to the Luo Mansion, hoping the clan would uphold justice for them.

However, the Luo Mansion had always kept a low profile and naturally ignored such matters—at least, they never acknowledged them publicly. If there was a truly grave injustice, the Luo Clan would usually give the local authorities a subtle hint and otherwise let the matter take its course.

After all, truth be told, the Luo Clan was like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river—barely able to save itself.

As the woman spoke, she became increasingly agitated, eventually even pushing and shoving the Luo Mansion guards in an attempt to force her way inside.

"Let me in! I want to see your Eldest Young Master!" The woman's voice was piercingly shrill, carrying far into the various corners of the Luo Mansion.

"What a joke. Who do you think you are? Our Eldest Young Master isn't someone you can see just because you want to. While the masters haven't arrived yet, go back the way you came and don't look for trouble..." The guards naturally stood their ground, brandishing their iron staves as they shouted.