Various Parties Demand Answers, the Mountain Forest Turmoil Temporarily Settles

The blade-wielder stepped forward, searched Chen Sanmu's body, and took away everything of value.

A fresh breeze swept through the woods, rustling the forest canopy, while the blade-wielder's figure had long since vanished without a trace.

Outside Azure Radiance Mountain, at the Martial Academy's encampment.

Figures bustled about, and injured martial artists were brought out of the mountains by stewards from time to time.

Within the encampment, chatter, conversation, and shouted calls mingled into a noisy din, creating a lively scene.

Elder Lu stood atop the platform, his brows tightly furrowed as he looked over the many Martial Academy students below. He felt that these people were restless and impetuous, with few able to truly settle down.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but mediocrity!

Li Qinwu took it in stride and smiled calmly. "Elder Lu, put your mind at ease. Children and grandchildren will have their own fortunes."

"Alas..." Elder Lu let out a soft sigh, a trace of melancholy surfacing in his eyes. "As a teacher and role model, I simply cannot bear to watch the younger generation grow lazy and slack."

Li Qinwu shook his head. As the saying went:

"Form ties with talents of surpassing brilliance; pull away from the troubles of the mediocre."

He had long seen through it all. There were countless mediocre people in this world, not because their natural gifts were lacking, but because they had lost the will to rise. Such people were mud that could not be plastered onto a wall.

Li Qinwu chuckled. "Elder Lu, the good seedlings are still in the mountains. Only half the hunting period has passed."

Elder Lu glanced at him. "That boy of yours certainly had good fortune, picking up a tiger cub for nothing."

At the mention of Li Xuansheng, the smile in Li Qinwu's eyes spilled over uncontrollably. "My son's luck is indeed not bad, and he knows how to judge the times and assess the situation. That puts me much more at ease."

All of a sudden, waves of commotion rose from outside the encampment. The two looked up to see more than a dozen people filing out of the forest in a dark mass.

At their head were Steward Pei and Jiang Xu. Behind them followed members of the three great families, with Liu Yunche and Shi Qingyue mixed among them.

Anyone with eyes could see that this group had gone through a fierce battle. Their bodies bore no shortage of wounds and blood-crusted scars.

"Let's go take a look."

Elder Lu and Li Qinwu descended from the platform and slowly made their way outside the encampment.

A short while later, Jiang Xu entered the encampment carrying a crimson little beast in his arms.

Elder Lu, Li Qinwu, and Tao Ran, Liu Sheng, and He Wei, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, made five in all as they went forward to meet him.

All their gazes fell upon the Red Dog Zheng. Its three swaying red tails held their attention fast.

Liu Sheng asked in surprise, "Little Brother Jiang, did you find a Red Dog Zheng cub?"

Jiang Xu shook his head, while Steward Pei covertly cast a glance toward Elder Lu.

Elder Lu understood the refined meaning behind the stringless lute and said flatly, "This is not the place to talk. Follow this old man."

With that, he led the group inward.

Tao Ran and the other two each summoned their juniors and asked what had happened.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Tao Ran nodded with a smile.

"Xiaoyun, you did well. You brought your father considerable honor. Better yet, you found yourself a Golden Radiance Lion mount."

"Elder, then Liu Yunche..."

Tao Ran did not think much of it. He had seen far too many geniuses, though there was no harm in looking into it.

"Fine. Once we return, I'll have the family investigate."

"And the matter of the mountain bandits..."

"You needn't worry about that. We elders will handle it ourselves. Go on."

On the other side, Liu Sheng looked at the injured Liu Tianlin and frowned slightly. "What happened?"

"When He Chaoyang and I fought over the Red Dog Zheng, he injured me."

Liu Tianlin grinned. "But he didn't get off easy either. I punched him hard enough to give him internal injuries."

Only after hearing this did Liu Sheng's brows ease somewhat. As though he had thought of something, a probing glint appeared in his eyes.

"You returned together with Liu Yunche. Did you learn anything?"

Liu Tianlin looked startled and asked in return:

"Elder, could that Liu Yunche really be a member of our Lineage?"

Liu Sheng narrowed his eyes as he examined Liu Tianlin. "Where did you hear that?"

With the elder's gaze resting on him, Liu Tianlin felt tremendous pressure. He quickly waved his hands.

"I saw that Liu Yunche was skilled with the saber and also bore the surname Liu, so I thought he might be a clansman from our Lineage who had been stranded outside."

Liu Sheng took his words to heart. Recalling that vague yet persistent sense of familiarity, he found himself believing three parts of Liu Tianlin's words.

Liu Sheng found it somewhat amusing, yet also felt his thoughts churn into disorder. He then waved his hand. "I have my own judgment on this matter. You may go."

Inside the tent erected by the He Clan, He Wei looked He Chaoyang up and down, lingering a few extra moments over his chest.

Looking down at him from above, He Wei's expression carried a hint of teasing.

"Well, if it isn't our Young Master He. How did you end up in such a sorry state?"

He Chaoyang clenched his fists. Faced with the mockery of an elder from his family, he lowered his head and said bitterly:

"Elder, why must you say that? I admit it. I was arrogant and underestimated my enemy."

"Reckless!" He Wei looked as though he hated iron for not becoming steel.

Then he sighed softly. "How did our He Clan raise such a wild and defiant person as you?"

"If you had the strength to be arrogant to the very end, others would only praise you for your true temperament. But you came back in such a sorry state..."

Before He Wei could finish, He Chaoyang cut him off coldly. "I'm going to cultivate right now!"

With that, He Chaoyang turned and left, clearly carrying anger in his heart.

Long afterward, a faint sigh drifted out from the He Clan's tent.

"So, Blackwind Stronghold is making a major move deep within Azure Radiance Mountain." Li Qinwu frowned, his gaze heavy.

He turned to Elder Lu, questioning in his eyes. "Then this hunt..."

Elder Lu pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

"These past few days, the stewards have not found any traces of mountain bandits in the outer regions of Azure Radiance Mountain. It seems these bandits have been active in its depths."

He lightly tapped the table and continued, "This is the Martial Academy's first hunt. If its results are notable, it will become an annual tradition from now on."

"The hunt is already more than halfway over. How can we withdraw over this? If word gets out, people will think Green Grain Martial Academy fears a gang of bandits."

"As for safety, every notable force in Verdant Grain County has sent people for this hunt. Even if Blackwind Stronghold had ten times the courage, they would not dare do such a thing."

At last, Elder Lu stated plainly, "Besides... the Academy Head is still watching from the city."

At those words, Li Qinwu's heart trembled.

He smiled. "Elder Lu handles matters with great care. Li admires you."

Once the two had reached an agreement, they turned back toward Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu stood below, quietly awaiting the two elders' decision.

Elder Lu nodded slightly and praised him.

"Boy Jiang, you did well this time."

Upon hearing Elder Lu's praise, Jiang Xu showed no joy at all. Instead, he restrained his smile, his expression open and upright as he bowed with clasped fists.

"It was Junior Brother Liu Yunche who first discovered the mountain bandits' scheme. This disciple does not dare claim the credit."

At the words Liu Yunche, both elders were visibly taken aback.

Li Qinwu chuckled. "So it was that boy."

Elder Lu smiled as well. "No matter what, Boy Jiang, you have rendered a service. I have several bottles of Tendon-Forging Pills here, just right for your cultivation."

With that, Elder Lu took three exquisite jade bottles from his sleeve and tossed them to Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu caught the jade bottles, his eyes smiling.

"A gift from an elder must not be refused. Many thanks, Elder Lu."

He was known as Bookworm. He was upright and courteous without being pedantic, and he also understood how to adapt.

After Jiang Xu withdrew, Li Qinwu sighed with feeling. "He truly is a good seedling. Humble and polite, and he knows when to advance and when to retreat."

Elder Lu added, "More importantly, Boy Jiang has talent. Achieving Blood Exchange in the future is no empty boast."

Li Qinwu nodded, clearly agreeing with Elder Lu's assessment.

Then he changed the subject and brought up Liu Yunche.

"How did that boy stumble into the mountain bandits' scheme? He hasn't learned even a trace of his father Liu Sandao's essence—not cautious in the slightest."

Li Qinwu's tone carried reminiscence, teasing, and all manner of other emotions.

"He is a youth in high spirits, after all. How could he possibly make every arrangement watertight?" Elder Lu smiled and shook his head. "Were we not also high-spirited in our youth, with pride soaring to the clouds?"

"That's true." Li Qinwu nodded, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. Myriad feelings filled his heart, yet he found them difficult to put into words.

In the end, he left behind only a wistful sigh. "Youth is wonderful..."