Milin Commandery.
Milin Commandery possessed flat terrain and fertile soil, with a population reaching as high as five hundred and sixty thousand—truly a massive populace for a commandery established less than twenty years ago.
The Yu family was Milin Commandery's greatest and sole landowner. The land was entirely the private property of the Yu family's mortal scions; even the tenant farmers bound to the soil belonged completely to them. Even an ordinary concubine-born son of the Yu family could possess boundless stretches of farmland and a multitude of wives and concubines.
Among the few prosperous places was Milin City. Nestled beneath the main peak of the Milin Yu family, it reeked no less of blood, crouching silently upon the earth like a man-eating beast.
Yu Mugao sat silently within the opulent hall at the very top. Below his seat, a host of cultivators waited quietly for him to speak, but Yu Mugao uttered not a single word, merely watching them.
Yu Xiaogui had already departed for Xianyou Peak to attend Xiao Chuting's dharma assembly. With the various families to the east growing restless, Yu Mugao had once again been interrupted in his cultivation. Looking down at the subservient brothers, nephews, and younger cousins below, his rage threatened to erupt from his chest, yet he had no choice but to forcefully suppress it.
"Commoners are displaced and exchanging their children to eat, while the scions of my family drink wine, play pitch-pot, strike rhythms in merry song, whip the tenants, and laugh without end. The butchers hang out dog heads, yet human flesh is kept beneath the counter."
Yu Mugao slowly rose to his feet and walked out of the great hall. Looking out over Milin Commandery under the night sky, a thought that had surfaced countless times rose in his mind once more. A chill ran down his spine as he silently asked himself:
*Is this an immortal clan, or a demonic hellscape?*
A profound sense of powerlessness swirled within him. Yu Mugao was a ruthless, sinister man, yet he had never harbored any desire to torment the common folk or indulge his clan's debauchery. Now, however, he had no choice but to watch all of this unfold helplessly before his eyes.
Yu Mugao was not the culprit. The Yu family had already been like this when it passed into his hands. Even if he sought to change the slightest thing, the forces of resistance would drag out an entire faction of vested interests—led by his father, and even that old ancestor seated within the cave dwelling.
He raised his head silently and gazed toward the cave dwelling at the highest elevation. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the wooden walls and stone partitions, catching sight of the old man seated cross-legged within.
"Last year, human flesh was three qian a jin; now it is down to two..."
"Grandfather, just what do you intend to do?"
---
Within the grim stone cave, droplets of bloody water dripped down. Yu Yufeng stretched out his ruddy palms, submerging them into the shallow puddle gathered from the bloody water, and then silently lifted them up.
Having completed his routine tempering, Yu Yufeng regulated his breath to enter meditation once more. Yet he could not settle his mind for the longest time, growing exceedingly frenzied. He swept his hands across the wall, scraping down a smattering of stone powder. His eyes tinged red, his voice harsh and fierce as he muttered:
"Xiao Chuting... How could it be! How could he possibly have attained the Purple Mansion?"
He was a figure from the same generation as Xiao Chuting. Back then, he had sparred with Xiao Chuting many times, each having their share of victories and defeats, and his cultivation had even been a cut above Xiao Chuting's. He never imagined that after all these years of devoted cultivation, Xiao Chuting would instead surpass him.
Yu Yufeng raised his hands and examined them closely. Across each of his palms, a faint sword scar still lingered, which instantly made him all the more agitated. Tears spilled from his eyes as he muttered:
"Fine! Very fine! You are a genius, arrogant to the extreme—severing another's path with a single strike of your sword... On what grounds! On what grounds?!"
After roaring in the cave for a time and venting his emotions, Yu Yufeng sat cross-legged once again. Unexpectedly, this bout of venting brought clarity to his mind, making him feel increasingly tranquil. For a moment, celestial music seemed to drift vaguely into his ears, as though tiny figures were beating gongs and drums, creating strains of wondrous melody.
"What a prime opportunity."
Unwittingly, Yu Yufeng became more deeply engrossed. Feeling refreshed and clear-headed, his expression filled with immense joy as waves of enlightenment welled up in his heart. Past numerous forests and roads, a small hill appeared before his vision.
"This is... an opportunity for breakthrough!"
Behind Yu Yufeng's head of disheveled white hair, two blossoms of colorful light surfaced and vanished in a flash, yet he was completely oblivious. His eyes grew somewhat murky. Overjoyed, he kicked open the stone door, rose upon the wind, and descended into the great hall.
Yu Mugao had been staring blankly at the night sky when suddenly, an emaciated old man with disheveled white hair materialized before him. Greatly startled, he hastily lowered his head to conceal the strange look in his eyes, bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Ancestor!"
The brothers, uncles, and nephews behind him exchanged bewildered glances. After a moment of fluster, they dropped to their knees one after another and called out respectfully in unison:
"Greetings, Ancestor!"
"Mm."
Yu Yufeng slowly narrowed his eyes, casting a strange glance at Yu Mugao kneeling at his feet, and asked in a low voice:
"Has Yu Xiaogui not returned yet?"
"Replying to Ancestor, he has not."
Yu Mugao replied with utmost deference. Below him, the kinsmen were exchanging glances, thinking that Yu Yufeng's emergence from seclusion must mean he had made a major breakthrough. Yu Mugao, however, felt deeply uneasy. Hesitantly raising his head, he asked in a humble tone:
"Ancestor has emerged from seclusion this time—could it be you have made a breakthrough?"
"Yes and no."
Speaking of this, Yu Yufeng instantly grew exceedingly excited, laughing aloud as he answered, "During this seclusion, I happened upon an enlightenment. My mind feels completely refreshed, and I have comprehended where my opportunity for breakthrough lies! Ah! How splendid!"
"Congratulations to Ancestor on discerning the opportunity—the Purple Mansion is in sight!"
Yu Mugao's kinsmen instantly kowtowed one after another, shouting loudly in reverent celebration. Their cries made Yu Yufeng look even more pleased with himself, and he nodded slowly.
Yu Mugao, however, found Yu Yufeng's exaggerated expression increasingly abnormal. Suspicion quietly took root in his heart as he said respectfully:
"Congratulations to Ancestor on comprehending the heavenly secret—the Purple Mansion is in sight... Discerning a heavenly secret is something heard of only in ancient legends, attained exclusively by supreme divine methods and immortal physiques. It has not been heard of in several centuries. For Ancestor to attain enlightenment this time is truly earth-shattering!"
Yu Mugao intentionally phrased his words strangely to drop a subtle hint to Yu Yufeng. To his dismay, Yu Yufeng did not pick up on it in the slightest; instead, he took it as pure flattery, laughing loudly and declaring with pride:
"Naturally so!"
How could such words possibly come from the mouth of a Foundation Establishment ancestor? The statement exploded in Yu Mugao's mind like a clap of thunder. He had met Yu Yufeng before, and the ancestor was never this arrogant and volatile. Alarm bells blared wildly in his mind, and he cried out:
"Ancestor, do not fall prey to another's spell!"
These words detonated beside Yu Yufeng's ears. Yu Yufeng paused slightly, his eyes clearing for merely an instant. But as a white jade fishing rod thousands of li away gave a gentle tug, Yu Yufeng's eyes instantly clouded over once more. He barked in fury:
"Cowardly junior, trembling in fear—you actually dare hinder my path to the Dao?!"
With a sweep of his gray long sleeve, he struck Yu Mugao so hard that stars burst before the younger man's eyes. Spitting blood, Yu Mugao rolled three times across the ground and coughed up two teeth, his magical power collapsing. Yu Yufeng said coldly:
"A minor punishment to serve as a warning. Remember it well!"
With that, he rose upon the wind and soared eastward. On the ground, Yu Mugao was covered in dust and drenched in blood, yet he still cried out at the top of his lungs. Weeping and shouting, stumbling and falling as he ran after him, he sobbed:
"You cannot go, Ancestor! You cannot go! Ancestor! Ancestor! You cannot go—!"
Chapter 236