At dawn, Zhou Liangchen returned to the Zhou Clan Manor in Linhai Commandery.
His face was pale and ashen, his eyes dull and vacant. He walked in a daze.
Several stewards and servants had already come forward, fussing over his well-being. Zhou Liangchen ignored them all and continued forward with uneven steps.
But as he rounded the screen wall, Zhou Liangchen's eyes stirred slightly.
The spacious, imposing Zhou Clan Hall ahead was actually filled with people.
His father, the Three-Fingered Divine Shocker Zhou Xiongba, sat facing south with his back to the north, commanding the center of the hall.
Those seated along either side were either clan elders and leading members of the Zhou Family or outstanding figures among its retainers.
There were more than twenty seventh-rank experts in the hall alone.
His maternal uncle, Cloud Sword Manor Lord Du Yunlai, was also among them.
They seemed to be discussing something, but now they all turned to look at Zhou Liangchen outside the hall.
Zhou Liangchen met their gazes expressionlessly, then continued shuffling toward the East Side Court.
"Liangchen, stop right there!"
A middle-aged woman with pretty features and an elegant bearing stepped through the doorway.
Her slender brows knitted as she looked Zhou Liangchen up and down. "Liangchen, what happened to you? Why do you look as though you've lost your soul?"
Zhou Liangchen not only kept walking, but showed no interest in even answering her. He continued toward the East Side Court.
Helplessness immediately appeared on the middle-aged woman's face. Ever since this boy had begun fighting in the Life-and-Death Arena under the alternate surname Zhou, he had grown increasingly unwilling to heed her discipline.
Du Yunlai, however, gave a mocking chuckle and lifted his teacup. "You found Chu Xisheng? Judging by the state you're in, you lost