He Yiming dashed ahead like a bird. As he went past Xu Xiangci, his movements faintly slowed down a little for a moment. He didn’t slow down again after that. The Senior Xu-second of the Xu Family Castle also had no intention to take any action.
After a few ups and downs, He Yiming arrived at the mountain forest’s entrance.
Seven males could be seen here. In the lead was He family’s lord father He Wude, and the few individuals behind were, in fact, the manor’s servants who were staying in the relay station for the time being.
He Wude’s brows were slightly creased and eyes had a slightly concerned expression. As he saw He Yiming coming towards him seeming full of life and vigor, his dense eyebrows immediately smoothened and the concern in his eyes also completely disappeared.
“Grandfather, why have you come?” He Yiming frankly asked the question which was in his mind. Of course, he was extremely glad in his heart. Fortunately, his grandfather had arrived early and timely, otherwise who knows what would have happened.
He Wude had aged, but his stature was tall; being one head taller than an average person. He waved his big hand, which seemed like a leaf fan, and said:
“This old man suddenly felt like going outside and roam a little. So, this old man came here to see you.”
He Yiming was slightly stumped. As he looked at the dust on his grandfather and thought about Hubin, he immediately understood. His grandfather must have heard the message about Hubin being headed here, and thus, his grandfather had rushed over with all of his might. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t look like such a sorry figure.
Instantly, a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He faintly lowered his head and softly said:
“I’ve troubled grandfather.”
With a gentle and kind smile on his face, He Wude reached out with his hand and lightly patted his shoulders. Subsequently, as his vision fell on Xu Xiangci, he indifferently said:
“Xu-second, why are you here?”
Xu Xiangci faintly bowed at once as a courtesy and earnestly said:
“Lord Father He, we came here chasing the fugitive and met small nephew He Yiming.”
Despite being a pillar of the strength of He family’s second generation, he was not presumptuous in the slightest in front of He Wude. Of course, He family’s second generation would also not dare to be neglectful in the presence of Xu family’s Lord Father.
A cultivator possessing the tenth level of Internal Energy could cause anyone to feel admiration from the bottom of one’s heart.
He Wude glanced at the corpse carried by the three lower-officials, before he suddenly asked:
“This is Hubin?”
“Yes, this traitor has already been executed.” Xu Xiangci honestly and sincerely said. As for the lower-officials and the rest, they stood respectfully. Their strength was too low, and even the lower officials, who could be considered as a part of the authorities, didn’t dare open their mouths in an on-going conversation between He Wude and Xu Xiangci.
He Wude faintly nodded his head and said:
“Xu-second, your luck is good. What was this traitor’s skill?”
Xu Xiangci’s face turned slightly red as he promptly said:
“Lord father He, I haven’t exchanged blows with this traitor at all.”
He Wude blankly stared, before he swept his gaze through the individuals who’d come with Xu Xiangci.
‘This guy….they don’t have a single expert who has the fifth layer of Internal Energy.’
Furthermore, they couldn’t be compared to a man like Hubin who’d experienced battlefield and had crawled up from beneath piles of dead bodies. They might be assigned some odd jobs, but striking down a man like Hubin who’d such a vicious reputation? He didn’t believe such a thing was possible.
With a constricted gaze, he said:
“Since it’s not you, let this old man see the face of the person who did it.”
Xu Xiangci’s face was becoming increasingly red. At this moment, his hate for Hubin truly seeped into his bones. This traitor first encountered the elites of Xu family’s third generation. However, the result was completely out of everybody’s expectations. At two separate ambush points, he injured two of the most outstanding disciples of Xu family’s third generation. This caused Xu Xiangci to pursue him disregarding everything, wishing to chase or kill this traitor.
However, he hadn’t expected that even though he’d eventually caught up to Hubin, the latter had already turned into a corpse. The much important thing was the individual who killed him was not from the Xu family, on the contrary, he was from the He family; the family they constantly struggled against in secret.
When he saw that the individual was only thirteen years old, his heart was overwhelmed with emotions. He family already had He Quanxin and He Yitian; father and son, the genius duo. Could it be… another genius has emerged yet again? After ten years or so, on what basis would Xu family contend against the He family?
This instant, when faced with He Wude’s question, he couldn’t open his mouth despite being quite thick-skinned.
He Wude’s brows slightly creased as he said:
“Xu-second….don’t tell me this old man’s reputation is not enough? You actually don’t….ah…Yiming what are you doing?”
Upon seeing Xu Xiangci had his lowered in silence, He Wude was dissatisfied and was about to rebuke him a little, when he suddenly felt someone faintly tugging at his clothes. He turned and saw He Yiming softly pulling at his clothes with an embarrassed face.
He Yiming licked his somewhat dry lips, before lightly speaking:
“Grandfather, it’s me.”
“What you?” He Wude stared blankly, before both of his ears suddenly perked up, and his eyes gleamed as his vision alternated from his grandson to the already dead Hubin. Eventually, he made the connection.
“Yiming, this traitor was killed by you?”
“Yes.” He Yiming resolutely said.
He Wude’s mouth was opened, and his mind was full of disbelief. He hesitated for a moment, before turning his head and asking:
“I heard this traitor injured your family’s Yude and Yucai, how can this be?”
Xu Xiangci’s face turned dark. What could he say? He Wude had unscrewed a pot that cannot boil1.
If it had been another person in place of He Wude, Xu Xiangci would have immediately turned hostile. However in presence of Tai Cang county’s peak cultivator, he forced out a smiling expression as he said:
“Lord father, only because this traitor injured Yude and Yucai, the second generation had madly pursued him. But we didn’t expect this traitor would run into nephew Yiming, which turned out to be the path of his doom.”
He Wude was eventually convinced. His eyes, which were on He Yiming, gleamed with several colours. He’d hurriedly rushed here only because he feared that He Yiming would run into that fiend. But he didn’t expect that after fleeing here, the latter would instead die at He Yiming’s hands. This bizarre transformation came as a huge surprise to him, but at the same time, it immensely comforted his old heart as well.
Though as he saw that forced smile on Xu Xiangci’s face, his thoughts immediately cleared. He lightly coughed and said:
“Since this traitor has already been executed, quickly report to the Cheng Citywatch, and also let everyone break up.”
Xu Xiangci promptly sounded his agreement. He was just about to leave with the numerous servants under him and the three lower-officials, but he somehow forgot to mention the matter of the corpse. It seemed as if he was going to take the corpse with him just like that.
He Wude suddenly made a stopping gesture with his hand as he said:
“Hold up, let me confirm.” He Wude arrived beside the corpse in large strides. He glanced at Hubin’s lifeless face for a moment and gently patted his body a few times.
Not too far away, He Yiming caught a strange expression on the face of Xu Xiangci. It contained regret, anger, anxiety, hope, expectations, and many other things. Even He Yiming couldn’t exactly discern.
Furthermore, he also saw that He Wude’s pats were extremely refined. He’d covered all the main concealing positions in just a few pats. With He Wude’s experience combined with his cultivation of Internal Energy, which had almost reached the perfection, it took him just a few probes to be familiar with all the stuff on Hubin’s body like the back of his hand.
Soon after, He Wude took out some stuff in bits and pieces. The thing that caused He Yiming to blush with shame was that these things still contained a gold coin and some loose silver.
Where on earth were these? He’d not found them back then. It seemed like his experience in making riches off dead people was a bit too low.
Upon looking at these things, He Wude and Xu Xiangci both revealed faint expressions of disappointment. The gold coin, of which everybody was sneaking glances, they chose to turn a blind eye.
He Wude muttered something under his breath, before he waved his hand and said:
“Xu-second you report back to the Cheng Citywatch, and we will return to the manor first.”
Xu Xiangci agreed without the slightest hesitation and waited for He Wude to leave along with the rest. Following which, he rummaged through the corpse just in case. He disappointedly gave up after a few moments, upon not finding anything that could garner his attention.
With a wave of hand, he threw the gold coin into the hands of a lower-official and said:
“Take this corpse and the stuff, and deliver it to the Cheng family. You can divide the money. But today’s matter mustn’t be disclosed, clear?”
“Yes.” The servants and lower-officials bowed and sounded their agreements, while their eyes, which were brimming with greed, stared at the gold coin.
His head turned in the direction in which He Wude and the rest had just left, with a strange expression in his eyes. In the end, he remained unclear on how could He Yiming kill Hubin, who’d injured two cultivators of the sixth layer in succession.
‘Could it be…..that youngster was still concealing some strength?’
* * * *
Leaving the mountain pass, He Wude ordered the servants to arrange a big carriage from the Relay Station.
There was naturally no difficulty in obtaining a carriage with his identity. Not long after they had started, they saw He Quanxin, covered in dust, hurrying towards them.
Although the two elders didn’t say anything, He Yiming knew the reason they had rushed to him disregarding everything. Seemingly, a flame was suddenly ignited in his heart, gently warming up his entire being to a kind of wonderful realm.
He Wude didn’t ask anything throughout the journey, rather returned home with everybody in complete silence and called back all the dispatched people.
After all this, he, along with He Quanxin and He Yiming, entered the most revered place in the entire estate.
The place where Lord Master had spent several tens of years in solitude; the Great Courtyard of He family.
A sore point that shouldn’t have been touched