Page 15

Could everything before him be another, even more realistic illusion?

Then a voice he had almost forgotten sounded beside his ear, with that same familiar tone. "Huh? You little brat, why are you standing here like a post? Scared the hell out of me. Where did you pop out from? You went off to gain experience, and now you're just standing at the front gate staring into space? Isn't it too early for you to be home?"

Pei Ling raised a hand and covered his eyes. He could not tell what emotion was surging in his heart, but in the end, it all sank into deathly stillness.

"Father." Pei Ling composed himself. The black mist faded from his eyes, and in an instant, he looked gentle and innocent again. "Is Grandfather home?"

Pei Father, who had still been chattering away, froze for a moment, swallowing the rest of his words. He felt that something about his youngest son had changed after this trip away to gain experience. Yet it was still the same face, still that same expression that made him want to give the boy a beating. He could not put his finger on what was different.

"He is."

Pei Ling said nothing more, but the moment he stepped through the gate, his steps suddenly felt a little unsteady.

"Hey!" Pei Father wanted to say more, but Pei Ling had already turned a corner and vanished.

Pei Father, who had been about to go out, thought for a moment and followed him inside. He did not know what was going on, but something kept making him uneasy. Yet even after preparing himself for the worst, he had never imagined he would hear anything like this from Pei Ling.

"Grandfather, what do you intend to do?"

Pei Ling told Old Master Pei about the Righteous Sects' sinister intentions. Their thoughts and plans were all vivid in his memory, and he concealed none of his injuries, either.

Most importantly, they were coming for the Pei Family's nonexistent Treasure Map. Even if the Pei Family handed over a Treasure Map and they achieved their goal, they would not show the family the slightest mercy.

He remembered rushing back in his previous life to find the Pei Family's ancestral estate in ruins, with rivers of blood flowing through it. He had fallen into their trap, without even the strength to struggle. For the sake of that supposed Treasure Map, they had spared his life, only to cast him into the Abyss, where living was worse than death.

The Pei Family would not be spared.

"Ling, what do you intend to do?" Old Master Pei looked at Pei Ling with a somber gaze.

He did not doubt Pei Ling's words. Old Master Pei had great confidence in the character of the Pei Family's sons. Besides, the injuries on Pei Ling's body—his heart clenched at the thought—were plain to see.

But the way Pei Ling looked made Old Master Pei's heart slowly sink. Even if Pei Ling tried to act more naturally, the suffering etched into his soul could never be erased. No matter how he pretended that nothing had happened, he had already changed, and there was no going back.

"Leave."

Thanks to Qiao Ranran's intervention, his injuries had been brought under control, and he had returned to the Pei Family ahead of time. Those Righteous Cultivators had not yet closed their trap. Since the Pei Family would not be spared, the entire family would leave.

Old Master Pei froze. The Pei Family's roots were here. If they simply left like this...

"Grandfather, it's only a residence, only a stretch of land. This isn't the Pei Family's roots. As long as our people are alive, we can put down roots anywhere."

Only by staying alive could they have hope.

Pei Ling's eyes flickered as he watched Old Master Pei, waiting for his decision.

Pei Father could not help speaking up. "But where can we go?"

Pei Ling raised his eyes to Pei Father, his voice calm. "Hidden Return Cliff."

Old Master Pei gathered the members of the Pei Family who had a say in its affairs. After explaining his intentions, they quickly decided where the family would go. Everyone was to pack their belongings within two hours, then leave in separate groups, making every effort to slip away unnoticed.

The Pei Family's greatest strength was probably its unity. Its greatest weakness was the lack of capable successors. The older generation had already reached the limits of their talent, while few of the younger generation had any talent worth mentioning.

The only one with outstanding talent was Pei Ling. But in his previous life, he had returned too late.

Pei Ling was Pei Mother's only son. When she learned that he would not be leaving with everyone else, tears immediately spilled down her cheeks.

"Ling, what are you staying behind for? Your father and uncles are here. Come with me!"

Pei Ling's gaze cooled slightly. He suddenly remembered seeing his frail mother lying in a pool of blood in his previous life, her hand outstretched as she struggled to reach his father's mutilated corpse...

Before Pei Ling could speak, Pei Father pulled Pei Mother over and pushed her into a maid's arms. "Go on, hurry. Ling has important business to attend to. Don't get in the way." Though he did not know why Pei Ling wanted to stay, Old Master Pei had agreed to it, so Pei Father naturally had no objections. He knew he was neither strong nor clever, but there was one thing he could do: listen to Old Master Pei.

Not only would Pei Ling stay behind, he would stay until the very end.

As Old Master Pei left, he looked at the grandson before him, who seemed to have grown up overnight, and felt a tangle of emotions. "Do whatever you want to do. Grandfather has only one request: stay alive. Everyone in the family will be waiting for you to come back."

Pei Ling's eyes curved as he gave an awkward smile. "All right."

The Pei Family had all left, slipping silently out of their ancestral estate and taking separate routes toward Hidden Return Cliff. Hidden Return Cliff was no pleasant place. Astral winds shrouded it year-round, and the terrain was treacherous. Pei Ling had chosen it because he knew the area. In his previous life, he had emerged near Hidden Return Cliff after climbing out of the Abyss, so he knew every hill, rock, blade of grass, and tree there. With his guidance, the Pei Family would have little trouble reaching its depths.

The depths of Hidden Return Cliff were not as perilous as the outskirts. In fact, they were better suited for the Pei Family to rest and recover, while the surrounding terrain would provide excellent concealment.

What Pei Ling intended to do was use the terrain of the ancestral estate, along with everything they could not take away, to teach those Righteous Cultivators coveting the Pei Family's possessions a small lesson.

The Ten-Thousand-Bone Soul-Birthing Formation would do nicely.

Though there were no ten thousand bones here to form its foundation, nor any living souls to sacrifice, as long as one of those righteous people stepped into the heart of the Ten-Thousand-Bone Soul-Birthing Formation, everyone within it would become its foundation, their living souls offered up as sacrifices to the formation.

Rankings

|

Transmigration into a Book

Sweet Romance Novel

Transmigration and Rebirth Romance

Big Black Loves Fish

Dual Rebirth

Xianxia Novel