The pond's water was limpid and jade-green. The masked man lowered his hand into it.
Several blackfish immediately swam toward him, seemingly mistaking him for someone feeding them.
With one hand, the masked man snatched a fish. It was exceptionally slick and coated in slime.
The fish lay quietly in his palm without struggling.
The masked man suddenly chuckled. "Actually, I won't eat you after all."
With a flick of his wrist, a stream of water leapt upward, and the fish in his hand slipped into the current. He looked at the blackfish and said, "Go tell your mother you're about to set sail on a long voyage."
He scooped the blackfish into a bamboo canister and slung it at his waist.
Looking down at the corpses strewn across the ground, an eerie glint flickered in his eyes. "Should I loot the bodies?"
***
Zheng Jianghe wore tight-fitting black robes, his expression thoroughly grim.
"The people from the Black Mountain Sect are staying in the Chen Residence?"
A law enforcement disciple from Golden Light Hall nodded, the fury in his eyes practically burning hot enough to erupt into physical flame. "Yes!"
Zheng Jianghe clutched a shade-wood bead so hard it shattered right in his grip. "The Black Mountain Sect has pushed things too far!"
Just half a month ago, Chu Tianxiong had slaughtered the Chen household in cold blood.
That family was supposed to have celebrated a joyful wedding. They ought to have been rejoicing, yet dozens of lives were brutally snuffed out overnight, and the bride was sent straight to the Netherworld.
When Zheng Jianghe had rushed to the Chen Residence back then, he had been greeted by an absolute living hell.
At the time, the bride's dust-covered father had rushed to the manor and knelt before him, kowtowing relentlessly.
The sight of that white-haired old man on his knees was something Zheng Jianghe could never forget.
Even after Chu Tianxiong departed, that stubborn father had brought his wife to kneel outside the mountain gate of the Divine Light Sect, remaining there for over a dozen days.
It was etched deeply into Zheng Jianghe's memory.
And now, Chu Tianxiong had chosen to lodge in that very Chen Residence—what vile insolence was driving him?
"Come, follow me to the Chen Residence!" Zheng Jianghe gritted his teeth.
Initially, he had planned to send a few men to keep watch outside to prevent Chu Tianxiong from committing further atrocities, but after thinking it over, he decided to go in person.
Under cover of night, the group set off in unison toward the Chen Residence.
None of their expressions were pleasant, each face burdened with solemn tension.
They knew all too well that they were utterly powerless against Chu Tianxiong and the other Black Mountain Sect disciples.
It had been true last time, and it remained true now.
"The smell of blood!" Zheng Jianghe suddenly froze. He sniffed hard, then cast a Dao art to enhance his sense of smell. The scent of blood grew overwhelmingly thick.
And the source of that stench came straight from the Chen Residence up ahead—where Chu Tianxiong and his fellow disciples were staying.
Worry surged in Zheng Jianghe's eyes.
Could the Black Mountain Sect disciples have started another massacre in Rong City?
"Hurry!"
The group quickened their pace and rushed toward the residence.
Just then, the main gates creaked open. A white-robed figure wearing a bizarre mask walked out of the Chen Residence.
Zheng Jianghe's heart skipped a beat. Watching the masked figure, he grew instantly vigilant.
Someone from the Black Mountain Sect?
No, that wasn't right!
Disciples of the Black Mountain Sect all carried a faint aura of blood and gore about them.
This masked person had none of it.
Why was he coming out of the Chen Residence?
Where were the Black Mountain Sect disciples?
"Senior..." Zheng Jianghe hesitated before finally speaking up. "There are many Black Mountain Sect disciples inside the Chen Residence. Please be careful, Senior—those disciples have always been vicious and cruel."
Even though the stranger might well be an acquaintance of the Black Mountain Sect, he still offered the warning just in case.
When Qi Yuan saw Zheng Jianghe, he naturally recognized him.
In a raspy voice, he said, "The Black Mountain Sect folks are quite nice, actually. I wanted some fish, and they specifically opened the gates to let me in and catch one."
Zheng Jianghe was stunned.
The other Divine Light Sect disciples were equally astonished, entirely at a loss.
"My wife is about to give birth, so I have to go now," Qi Yuan added, then vanished in a flash.
He left Zheng Jianghe and his companions standing in the nocturnal wind, completely bewildered.
Soon enough, though, Zheng Jianghe turned his attention back to the gates of the Chen Residence.
The closer they got, the thicker the stench of blood became.
He stepped forward.
*Thud, thud!*
The knocking echoed loudly, sounding exceptionally hollow and deep in the quiet night.
Inside the Chen Residence, all was silent. There was no reply.
Zheng Jianghe exchanged glances with his companions, a chilling suspicion dawning in his mind.
Suppressing his racing heart, he looked once more at the others, then raised his foot and kicked hard.
The heavy gates swung wide open.
Peering inside, everyone gasped cold air.
Lying across the courtyard were over a dozen corpses.
Zheng Jianghe spotted a severed head—it belonged to Chu Tianxiong!
"Patriarch Baiji! That's Patriarch Baiji!" a Divine Light Sect disciple shrieked in a trembling voice.
Zheng Jianghe looked over. Patriarch Baiji, who had carried himself with such terrifying prestige just moments ago, had been cleaved in two at the waist. His eyes were wide open, locked in an expression of sheer disbelief.
This was an Origin Core True Person who had formed a Golden Core!
Yet he lay dead right here!
Zheng Jianghe suddenly burst into wild laughter, shouting three times in a row, "Good! Good! Good!"
He recalled the strange figure he had just crossed paths with.
Could it be... that he was the one who killed them?!
Though he had already suspected it, seeing the reality before his eyes left him thoroughly shaken.
However, Zheng Jianghe quickly reined in his emotions.
He knew this was an enormous matter with catastrophic implications.
The Black Mountain Sect itself was not terribly formidable, boasting merely a few Origin Core True Persons, but behind them loomed Old Demon Black Chicken.
"Men, bring fire! Burn this place to the ground!" Zheng Jianghe ordered directly.
The Divine Light Sect disciples scrambled into action, lighting torches to set the Chen Residence ablaze.
Zheng Jianghe wanted to destroy the crime scene for that masked figure.
Even if it didn't help much, it was better than doing nothing at all.
***
Outside the mountain gate of the Divine Light Sect.
The evening glow had long faded, and the moon rose slowly into the sky.
At night, the air around the Divine Light Sect carried a distinct chill.
A white-haired old man knelt outside the sect's mountain gate, fine beads of cold sweat dotting his forehead.
In his twilight years, his life flickered like a candle in the wind; any stray fall or heavy sleep could claim it.
"Old man, let's go back," whispered an elderly woman. Her hair was gray and somewhat disheveled, but going by her clothing, she had clearly once lived a refined life.
"I'll kneel a little longer. If an immortal master happens to pass by, perhaps they will be moved by my plight and avenge our Qianqian!"
The old woman looked at her stubborn husband, mist welling in her eyes.
For mortals like them living in a world of cultivation, everything depended on fate.
Those born in lands held by the Black Mountain Sect suffered wretched lives.
Those living under the righteous aegis of a great sect like the Divine Light Sect were far more fortunate.
Yet in the eyes of lofty, supreme immortals, were they not still mere ants?
Against someone like Chu Tianxiong, they possessed no means of vengeance; they could only pin their hopes on the Divine Light Sect.
Right now, they were like peasants blocking the imperial carriage to lodge an appeal.
At the very least, no one here had driven them away.
Just then, a clear, pleasant voice drifted over.
"I caught a nice mackerel today and felt in good spirits, so I brought you both some fish soup."
Qi Yuan appeared, carrying two bowls of steaming fish soup in his hands.
The aroma was rich and appetizing.
Seeing him, the old man grew excited and moved to kowtow. "Please, Immortal Master, uphold justice for my poor daughter!"
With a flick of Qi Yuan's finger, a strand of spiritual energy held the old man steady, keeping his forehead from hitting the ground.
Qi Yuan set the fish soup before the couple.
"The sect is already aware of your grievance."
"Drink this soup, and get some proper rest."
Qi Yuan turned away, murmuring to himself, "The great men were right: if the heavens had feelings, they too would grow old; the righteous path of humanity is full of vicissitudes. Since ancient times, passion leaves only lingering regret; this sorrow stretches endlessly without end. Justice delayed is justice denied; wherever my heart finds peace, there is peace."
Qi Yuan was spouting sheer nonsense again.
At last, he let out a soft sigh.
"I only hope anyone who overhears me doesn't get misled."
With that, his figure vanished without a trace.
The elderly couple kowtowed repeatedly, joy finally washing into their tearful eyes.
An immortal master had noticed them!
Their perseverance had not been in vain.
Yet in this world, far more acts of persistence ended in hollow silence.
Chapter 31