Chapter 40: Farewell
The sun was shining brightly, and the fragrance of flowers filled the backyard garden.
Liuu Kui was in a pleasant mood, sipping his tea.
Suddenly, he heard a soft thud in the courtyard. Beneath the wall stood a masked giant.
Just by looking at the man’s build, Liuu Kui could tell his cultivation was at least at the Blood Forging Fifth Layer!
"Who are you?" Liuu Kui shouted, retreating warily.
"Uncle, I hope you’ve been well." Lu Changfeng removed his mask.
Liuu Kui stared at Lu Changfeng for a few moments, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, it’s you, Changfeng!"
Liuu Kui recognized Lu Changfeng. He was his son’s junior brother from the same sect, a Martial Artist with exceptional Talent.
He turned and waved away the servants who had been drawn by his shout.
Then he stepped forward and gripped Lu Changfeng’s arms. "Tsk, tsk, you’ve gotten much stronger. Have you reached the Blood Forging Fifth Layer?"
"Ye’Er told me you left on your own. I even scolded him a bit for it. You should have stayed! If you had stayed with the Liuu Family, I would have treated you like my own son!"
Lu Changfeng took a shallow breath, having no time for pleasantries. "Is Third Senior Brother at the residence?"
Liuu Kui slapped his forehead. "Look at me. You haven’t seen Ye’Er yet, have you? Your senior brother went to the Outer City to purchase a batch of furs for me. He probably won’t be back until later."
Lu Changfeng frowned. "I’ll go find him."
After a pause, Lu Changfeng said, "Uncle, you must find a way to disperse your family members immediately. The Wang Family has decided to make a move on you. They’re acting today."
Hearing Lu Changfeng’s words, the smile on Liuu Kui’s face stiffened.
"Changfeng, where did you get this information? Are you joking?"
Lu Changfeng shook his head. "Uncle, I’m not joking. For the past two years, I’ve been serving as a Retainer for the Wang Family. Today, I received a mission to annihilate your Liuu Family. I refused the mission and rushed out of their estate to warn you."
Liuu Kui stood frozen in place.
Details of recent family events surfaced in his mind.
Things he couldn’t explain, which he had attributed to the family’s good fortune, now had an answer.
He had originally thought it was a sign of the family’s resurgence.
’Now it seems someone has their eyes on the Liuu Family, preparing for our destruction!’
’Was it because we were acting under Wang Shou’s name? Did that displease the old master?’
A thousand thoughts raced through Liuu Kui’s mind.
He never imagined that in just a moment, the Liuu Family would fall from heaven to Hell.
"Don’t hesitate. Act now, Uncle," Lu Changfeng urged.
Liuu Kui swayed and snapped back to his senses. "Right. I’ll immediately make arrangements to flee Feng City."
Having spent time with the Wang Family in his youth, Liuu Kui knew better than anyone how terrifying they were!
Not to mention the vast number of descendants in the Wang Family’s own bloodline, just the Retainer Hall alone could easily annihilate the Liuu Family!
"Then, what about Ye’Er..."
"Don’t worry. As for Third Senior Brother, I’ll do everything in my power to keep him alive."
Lu Changfeng pulled his mask back on, his voice confident.
Given his current strength—Blood Forging Sixth Layer, the second layer of the Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill, and Intermediate Sword Intent—Lu Changfeng was extremely confident. He wasn’t afraid of facing the ordinary Tendon Transformation Realm expert the Wang Family dispatched for this mission head-on.
After learning the location where Liuu Ye was handling the cargo, Lu Changfeng vaulted over the wall and left the Liuu Family estate.
Meanwhile, Liuu Kui began to act quickly.
He knew it was impossible to give every member of the Liuu Family a chance to survive.
He quickly arranged a dozen escape routes, offering three of his Retainers enough benefits to protect three separate groups from the main family line.
As for himself, he remained in the Liuu Family’s main hall with his servants, acting as a decoy while awaiting the arrival of the Wang Family’s assassins.
...
Lu Changfeng activated Blood Burst Step and raced all the way to the Outer City.
With Lu Changfeng’s current cultivation at the Blood Forging Sixth Layer, his speed using Blood Burst Step was astonishing.
Lu Changfeng soon arrived at a fur market in the Outer City.
The Liuu Family had an outpost at this market.
Liuu Ye was currently discussing the quality of goods with a group of foreign merchants.
Lu Changfeng stepped forward and interrupted Liuu Ye’s negotiations.
"Senior Brother Liuu, I need to talk to you."
"Junior Brother?" Liuu Ye’s eyes lit up with surprise.
He pulled Lu Changfeng to the side. "Where have you been all these years?"
"Listen to me first."
"The Wang Family is coming after you..."
After Lu Changfeng finished speaking, Liuu Ye was still in disbelief.
"I have to go back to the city and see."
"Don’t go back. If you do, you won’t make it out again," Lu Changfeng said, stopping him.
Liuu Ye was still incredulous. His father had old ties with the Wang Family, so why would they want to annihilate the insignificant Liuu Family?
"Then my father..."
"I’ve already met with your father. He should have already started making arrangements to disperse your family members."
"Just focus on taking care of yourself. I’ll escort you out of Feng City first."
Liuu Ye was still reluctant to believe it, until two purple-robed Retainers from the Wang Family appeared at the street corner.
"Go!"
Lu Changfeng pulled Liuu Ye onto a horse, and the two galloped out of the market.
Of the two purple-robed Retainers the Wang Family had sent to the Outer City to kill Liuu Ye, one was an old acquaintance of Lu Changfeng: Liu Anx.
Liu Anx was a little surprised. Why did Liuu Ye run the moment he saw them?
’Could he have received some news?’
He looked at the person next to Liuu Ye; the man’s back seemed somewhat familiar.
However, both purple-robed Retainers were at the Blood Forging Fifth Layer. How could they let a mere Blood Forging Third Layer like Liuu Ye escape so easily?
"After them!"
The two of them snatched two horses from merchants in the market and gave chase to Lu Changfeng and his companion.
The Outer City had no walls.
Lu Changfeng led Liuu Ye, racing toward Cyan Mountain Prefecture.
They galloped madly for half a day.
As the sun set in the west, their horses were exhausted and foaming at the mouth, and the figures of the two purple-robed Retainers behind them finally disappeared.
"I..."
Liuu Ye fell from his horse. In a single day, he had gone from being the heir of a prosperous family in Feng City to a lone wanderer, displaced and alone.
Although Lu Changfeng had warned his family in advance, they were all in the Inner City.
Liuu Ye didn’t think his family members in the Inner City had much of a chance of escaping the city.
He was probably the last of the Liuu Family.
Within Liuu Ye’s dazed eyes, a bone-deep hatred slowly began to burn.
At the same time, he hated himself for not focusing on his cultivation.
If his cultivation had been higher, if he were in the Tendon Transformation Realm, perhaps the Wang Family wouldn’t have chosen to annihilate the Liuu Family.
"Wang Family!..." Liuu Ye growled, his voice laced with unforgettable hatred.
Lu Changfeng sighed. As far as he was concerned, saving Liuu Ye’s life was more than enough to repay any debt he owed.
Liuu Ye was his senior brother, and it was Liuu Ye who had introduced him to Celestial Silkworm Meat.
With this, Lu Changfeng had more or less repaid the favor he owed Liuu Ye.
"Third Senior Brother, what are your plans now?" Lu Changfeng asked.
Liuu Ye was, after all, a man of some character. Calming his emotions, he slowly climbed to his feet. "Junior Brother, thank you for saving my life today. If I have the chance in the future, I will surely repay you."
"I’ve heard that the cultivation techniques of the Blood Evil Sect in Cyan Mountain Prefecture are famous for allowing rapid advancement. It’s one of the six major sects of the Demon Dao."
"Now that I’m burdened by a blood feud, I will go to the Blood Evil Sect in Cyan Mountain Prefecture and see if I can change my fate in this life."
Lu Changfeng remained silent. While the Blood Evil Sect’s cultivation techniques allowed for rapid progress, countless people had died from cultivation deviation.
However, Lu Changfeng couldn’t bring himself to persuade Liuu Ye otherwise.
If their positions were reversed, he would probably make the same decision.
Liuu Ye gave his horse some water, then mounted up and slowly rode toward Cyan Mountain Prefecture.
Lu Changfeng watched him leave, then turned back toward Feng City.