Traceless Half-Step

The eldest master of the Lu family, Lu Dongliang, ascended alone to the third floor of Qianyue Restaurant. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lu Dongliang slipped off his suit jacket and hooked a finger at Qiu Zhiheng, gesturing for him to come take it. Such a trifle normally did not require Qiu Zhiheng's personal attention, but since Lu Dongliang had signaled him, Qiu Zhiheng dared not disobey and hurriedly took the jacket. Truth be told, Qiu Zhiheng still hadn't recovered from the shock. No one present had recovered their wits. None of them knew where Lu Dongliang had suddenly appeared from. Lu Dongliang's primary wife, Duan Shaoxia, stood up, tears glistening in her eyes. "Dongliang, you're back! You're ba—" Lu Dongliang pressed his palm downward, signaling her to remain silent. Duan Shaoxia noticed that Lu Dongliang was missing a tooth and had scars on his wrist, but she did not ask. In front of outsiders, she was very mindful of his dignity. Lu Dongliang focused his gaze on He Yuxiu's face. He Yuxiu looked at him. "You're still alive?" Lu Dongliang gave a cold chuckle. "Are you that eager to see me dead? Pity your skills fell short." He Yuxiu's sword-like brows shot up. "Make yourself clear! It's your brother whose skills fell short—he's the one who wanted to kill you." "Shameless," Lu Dongliang spat. "If not for Dongjun being there, I truly would have died by your hand that night! He Yuxiu, I never imagined you'd be so vicious as to collude with Zhuo Yuling to plot against me!" Everyone present was astonished; this completely contradicted the reports they had heard. The old master of the He family, He Cunshou—He Yuxiu's fourth uncle—shifted slightly. He was a seventh-tier Virtue Cultivator, and he had activated a technique. Anyone who lied in his presence would suffer severe backlash; even Lu Dongliang, at the ninth tier, would not escape injury. He Yuxiu stood up. "Lu Dongliang, you fucking make that clear! Who the hell colluded with Zhuo Yuling? Who plotted against you?" "That night at my house, weren't you and Zhuo Yuling the first to strike?" The words fell, and He Cunshou's technique did not trigger. Lu Dongliang had spoken the truth. He Cunshou shifted his gaze to He Yuxiu. He Yuxiu nodded. "I did lay hands on you, but I never meant to kill you!" This was no lie either. Lu Dongliang nodded. "You didn't mean to kill, but Zhuo Yuling did!" Nor was this a lie. He Yuxiu fumed, "I don't know what either of them was scheming! I'm not like them—I didn't use lethal force!" The two went back and forth, arguing fiercely. He Yuxiu repeatedly emphasized that she had not intended to kill anyone back then, while Lu Dongliang repeatedly emphasized that He Yuxiu had struck first that night. Both were speaking the truth. After they bickered for a long while, Old Master He could no longer hold out. The old man was over seventy; keeping a seventh-tier technique continuously active while listening to the two of them shout left him drenched in cold sweat from exhaustion. "I say, quiet down for a moment and let me speak," He Cunshou said, looking first at He Yuxiu. "Xiu, tell your fourth uncle the truth: were you the one who struck Dongliang that night?" "It was me," He Yuxiu admitted candidly. He Cunshou furrowed his brows and turned back to Lu Dongliang. "Dongliang, our Jiaqing was wounded by your daughter, and you promised to give our He family an explanation. Where is Lu Xiaolan now?" Lu Dongliang answered, "I don't know where she is either." The truth. Having asked the two key questions, He Cunshou shut off his technique, wiped his sweat, and said to He Yuxiu, "Xiu, you went into someone's home and injured them. You were in the wrong here. Offer Dongliang an apology first." He Yuxiu snapped, "I didn't want to strike—it was for self-defense! You can't pin the blame on me!" "You child!" He Cunshou frowned, then said, "Dongliang, Yuxiu simply has this temper; don't lower yourself to her level. But we still need to settle the matter regarding Jiaqing. When exactly will you give us an explanation?" Lu Dongliang looked at He Yuxiu and sneered. "That depends on your family's eldest young lady." He Yuxiu fumed, "Bullshit! Why ask me? I have no dealings with Zhuo Yuling or Lu Xiaolan!" Seeing them about to argue again, He Cunshou gave a wry smile. "I'm getting on in years and can't rein in these juniors anymore. Brother Lu, what do you say to this?" The Lu family had also sent an elder: Lu Dongliang's eldest paternal uncle, Lu Maoxian. Lu Maoxian was over eighty, his eyes barely able to stay open. He gave a perfunctory reply: "Let the children decide, let the children decide." Seeing this, He Cunshou held his tongue as well. Lu Dongliang glanced around at everyone and declared, "I will continue to track down Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan. Sooner or later, I will give your He family an explanation. While I am away from home, family matters are entrusted to Dongjun to handle. If any of you dare lay a hand on Dongjun again, don't blame me for turning ruthless!" Lu Dongliang snatched his coat from Qiu Zhiheng's hands, turned, and strode off. The first wife, Duan Shaoxia, rose and hurried after him. "Dongliang, where are you going? I'm coming with you!" Lu Dongliang whirled around and shoved Duan Shaoxia back. "Don't follow me! None of you follow me! I trust no one right now!" Duan Shaoxia was stunned. She never imagined Lu Dongliang would speak to her like that. Resentment sprouted in her heart, and bloodshot veins crept into her eyes. Lu Dongliang didn't notice. Sweeping his gaze across the room, he turned and departed. The entire room stood frozen. He Yuxiu cursed repeatedly, and Duan Shaoxia broke into loud sobs. He Cunshou sensed something was off, but in this setting, he could not probe further. Several important figures of the Lu family also felt something was amiss; they exchanged probing glances, but none spoke. He Yuxiu muttered under her breath, "Is that fucking Lu Dongliang?" More than one person had doubts, but no one voiced them. The Lu family members said nothing because misspeaking would invite serious trouble. The He family members said nothing either, merely watching in silence—why rush when watching a show? *** "Lu Dongliang" returned to Lu Dongjun's mansion and quietly entered his own bedroom. Facing the mirror, he peeled the fake skin off his face. Believing this performance had been executed without a hitch, he gave himself a satisfied smile. He retrieved the false tooth from the lion's mouth and placed it back into his own. Before long, spasms began racking his cheek. For the next three days, he would suffer from a relentless toothache. This was the price for using the lion. *** At Yuezhou Third Hospital, in a patient ward. He Jiaqing could no longer smile. A familiar voice reached his ears: "Lu Dongliang went to Qianyue Restaurant for the banquet and confronted your eldest aunt to her face." Lu Dongliang had returned just like that, as if nothing had happened? Lu Dongliang truly hadn't died? The other side asked, "Can you see it? How did Lu Dongliang survive?" He Jiaqing shook his head. "I can't see anything at all. It's completely blurred, as if shrouded by an immense power. Are you certain that person is Lu Dongliang?" "I'll go investigate," the other side replied. "Don't go. You can't afford to expose yourself yet. If that person truly is Lu Dongliang, we must be extremely cautious and on guard. Keep this matter out of the newspapers for now and await word from me. Deliver a letter for me—I'll find someone else to look into it." While the orderly beside him slept, He Jiaqing sat up. His body flashed briefly on the bed, and suddenly a pen, an envelope, and a sheet of writing paper appeared in his hands. All of these had been taken from the stationery shop downstairs; the shopkeeper hadn't seen anyone and had no idea what had happened. He quickly penned a letter, tucked it into the envelope, sealed it with saliva, affixed a stamp, and rubbed it between his fingers for a moment. A gust of wind blew past, and the envelope vanished. The orderly jolted awake and glanced up at He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing was still lying in bed, motionless. *** At the Lu family mansion, Monkey Qiu sat in a small two-story building in the front courtyard, uttering not a word. Although he was considered a figure of importance in the Lu family, Qiu Zhiheng was ultimately a servant. For a servant to have an independent building within the clan compound was unthinkable in other prominent families. Yet Qiu Zhiheng enjoyed this privilege. He had followed Lu Dongliang since the age of ten—twenty-eight years in the blink of an eye—which earned him a standing higher than many members of the Lu clan. Yet that standing seemed impossible to maintain now. Holding Lu Dongliang's coat in front of everyone was no great matter; that was merely a head steward's duty. What Monkey Qiu could not accept was that Lu Dongliang showed him not a shred of trust. Over all these days, he hadn't received the slightest word from him; Lu Dongliang hadn't notified him of his appearance today, and when leaving, had forbidden him to follow. *Knock! Knock! Knock!* A knock sounded at the door. Qiu Zhiheng gave a response, and head guard Zuo Wugang walked in. "Chief Qiu, I brought a jug of wine. Thought I'd have a drink with you." Qiu Zhiheng started, taking in Zuo Wugang's expression, and understood his intention. "You're leaving?" Zuo Wugang nodded. "Whether I can leave depends on a word from you." "Why leave? Afraid the master will lay the blame on your head?" Zuo Wugang set down the wine jug and sat across from Qiu Zhiheng. "If you ask whether I was scared, well, I was a bit before. If the master were simply gone, I couldn't shirk the blame. But today the master returned. I received him at the entrance, and far from blaming me, he didn't even look at me once. Just from that, I understood—the Lu family has no place for me anymore. Chief Qiu, from the moment trouble started until now, I haven't complained, and I'm only saying this to you alone: this isn't my fault, not from start to finish! And it's even less your fault. I truly can't fathom what the master means by this. I'm leaving. With our cultivation, we can earn a bowl of rice anywhere. Chief Qiu, if you want to leave, we can go together." Qiu Zhiheng remained silent for a long time, then shook his head. "I cannot leave. My life was given to me by the Lu family. Take care of yourself." Zuo Wugang said no more. He rose to take his leave, but as he reached the door, he noticed a letter tucked in the crack of the doorframe. "Chief Qiu, there's a letter here." Qiu Zhiheng blinked. "You wrote me a letter?" Zuo Wugang waved his hand. "I barely know a few characters, why would I write a letter? Besides, I'm right here—what couldn't I just say to you?" He handed the letter to Qiu Zhiheng and turned to leave. Qiu Zhiheng tore open the envelope, skimmed the contents, and froze on the spot. The sender claimed to be Lu Xiaolan, and the handwriting was indeed hers. The letter read as follows: *The Lu Dongliang you saw is an impostor.* *He used my necklace.* *There are scars on his wrists.* *Anyone who uses that necklace is left with scars on their wrists.* *** Li Banfeng was heading to the newland to fetch bonding mud. On the way, Li Banfeng asked about something. "Brother Ma, have you ever met a second-tier journey cultivator?" Ma the Fifth nodded. "I have." "What technique does a second-tier journey cultivator have?" "You shouldn't be asking me that. Aren't you a journey cultivator?" Li Banfeng replied with a solemn look, "I'm a first-tier journey cultivator. Of course I don't know the second-tier technique." Ma the Fifth said, "The technique of a second-tier journey cultivator is called Traceless Half-Step." Li Banfeng blinked. "Is that lightness skill?" "It's not lightness skill. It allows a journey cultivator to steal a step while in motion. When two combatants are fighting three paces apart, the journey cultivator can suddenly close the distance by a step or retreat by a step mid-combat. That step takes virtually no time, and not even the vision of a Scrying Cultivator of the same tier can discern the footwork of a journey cultivator. It often catches opponents off guard." Li Banfeng recalled Huang Guangshi, the second-tier journey cultivator who had been killed. Huang Guangshi had been able to move instantaneously, holding every advantage when fighting Li Banfeng. Not knowing the man's cultivation at the time, Li Banfeng had assumed he was employing some extremely high-tier technique. A formidable skill indeed, but how was it executed? Ma the Fifth pondered for a good while. "I once heard a journey cultivator say that the underlying principles of their techniques aren't difficult; the difficulty lies in controlling the scale. Traceless Half-Step seems to involve using one's intent to drive the feet. The practitioner must firmly believe that they can take that step, and they must strongly desire to take that step for it to work." Li Banfeng frowned. "In other words, you can't just use it whenever you feel like it. If you lose your nerve at a critical moment, it might not even work?" Ma the Fifth nodded. "Just as you say, Brother Li. I once heard of a third-tier journey cultivator who, in the heat of battle, originally intended to take a step back. But in his impatience, it turned into a step forward—plunging him straight into the enemy's blade and ending his life." *PS: During his battle with He Yuxiu, Lu Dongliang once used Traceless Half-Step.*