0009 - Grandpa is not happy.

Lu Ming, the father of Lu Sheng, stood before the Clan Patriarch, his Great-Grandfather Lu Zheng. Trembling, he struggled to maintain calm amid an arsenal of weapons exuding the slaughter intent. Yet, the most suffocating intent radiated not from the arsenal but from the Clan Patriarch, Lu Zheng himself.

"Have you verified this?" Clan Patriarch Lu Zheng's overbearing voice echoed through the metallic walls of the Armaments Hall as he casually cleaned a sword with his Iron-like fingers. 

Clan Patriarch Lu Zheng, stood tall above Lu Ming, a giant of a man, bald and beardless, his hairless chest bared as he continued his task. 

The doused flickering firelight of the forge near him played a dance of shadow reflecting his Iron textured body, resembling an Iron statue riddled with scars, seared burns, and intricate tattoos etched onto his robust muscles. 

Each mark bore a tale of valor, every cauterized burn narrated a life shaped in the crucible of battle. Time had graced his skin, yet leaving no wrinkles—just the visage of an iron mountain prepared to face countless storms ahead.

"Yes. Physician Hong himself confirmed it. Eyewitnesses recounted how Physician Hong personally visited Lu Sheng's quarters and recruited him forcefully. My foolish, incompetent son was in such disarray that his senior brothers had to restrain him on a stretcher," Lu Ming confessed, a tinge of shame in his voice.

"Do you understand the implications of this?" The Clan Patriarch placed the sword he had been cleaning, the blade still vivid with dried blood. 

He then took a spear, riddled with dents and damages, and resumed mending it with a casual demeanor. With each gentle stroke of his iron fingers, the dents and damages seemed to dissolve, as if it was not made of metal but clay.

Lu Ming shook his head, although he could guess but this matter has blown up way out of proportion. 

"Are you aware that Senior Hong only has two disciples; the others are merely employees?" The Clan Patriarch disclosed an uncommon piece of information known to few. 

However, a chill ran down Lu Ming's spine upon hearing his great-grandfather addressing Physician Hong as a Senior. Although he is well aware of his great-grandfather's age, this revelation about Physician Hong raised new questions. If the Clan Patriarch deemed Physician Hong a senior, just how ancient and steeped in history was the esteemed Physician Hong?

"Both your father and my son insisted that I stay and hold the fort. They took 90% of our clan's strength to the 'Endless Battlefield.' They expect me to raise the next generation, to be an example for them," Lu Zheng sighed. 

"But, I understand. I am too domineering—the thoughts, the way of life, the path I have walked, and what I see as casual, are lethal for today's generations. That's why I left everything under your care."

As Lu Zheng spoke, Lu Ming sensed the weapons around him vibrating, and the slaughter intent emanating from them intensified.

"Did I make a mistake?" Clan Patriarch Lu Zheng calmly directed the question to Lu Ming. Lu Ming swallowed hard. "You planned for the Tranquil Spirit Realm event to raise our clan's strength or to impress me?"

"You overlooked a talent like your own son, and now Senior Hong has snatched it away right under our noses," Lu Zheng remarked, setting the spear aside and reaching for an old battered box.

The box was filled with silver needles, and he resumed his cleaning, delicately caressing each needle with newfound care. "If this is your method of putting me on the spot to remind me of my responsibilities, then you have succeeded," he added, acknowledging the weight of the situation.

"I am a mere creature, a fool in front of your wisdom, Patriarch. I can never even think of daring to dare something." Lu Ming tried to convey his earnestness, his voice wavering slightly with nervousness.

The Clan Patriarch continued his meticulous cleaning of the silver needles, each movement deliberate and measured. In the Armaments Hall, the weapons seemed to respond to his actions, their vibrations echoing the intensity of each word he spoke. 

"You are not a fool, Lu Ming. Wisdom is earned through experience, and you are on the path of gaining it," Lu Zheng spoke, his tone softening just a fraction. "However, the fruit doesn't fall far from its tree, we both slacked on our duties. But, no more."

Lu Ming was not sure what was going to happen but, inside he cursed his son, Lu Sheng.

Lu Zheng continued cleaning the silver needles with care and concentration. Lu Ming lacked the courage to request to leave, so he waited. After some time, Lu Zheng placed all the silver needles into the box, cleaned the box as well, and tossed it at Lu Ming. "Send my congratulations to Senior Hong for me and..."

"...Announce that we are invading the Ten-Thousand Year Yin Marsh. Everyone below the Foundation Realm has to participate, guards, maids, servants, concubines, everyone. whoever will bring the heads of Feral Barbarians will earn the right to enter the Tranquil Spirit Realm. anyone below the age of twenty will get a reward from me." Lu Zheng's domineering voice shook the foundation of the Armaments Hall.

_________________

Yu Yunxia desperately fled through a dense jungle from the Lu Clan as a cold fog descended in the evening. No longer dressed as a maid, she had discarded any resemblance to one. Her face was painted dark red and black, and her attire consisted of tight, dark leather, making it difficult to discern her gender.

A shadowy vapor emanated from her as she harnessed her malicious essence to the fullest, using it to escape. Her eyes glowed blood-red from the strain on her cultivation base. Vines and leaves whipped at her face as she rushed blindly through the bushes, the cold fog shrouding her vision.

"Leaving so soon?" a mocking voice of a man echoed between the trees, halting her steps. She looked around the fog-shrouded jungle to find the source of the voice.

"Did we not treat you well enough?" the mocking male voice continued, the sound seeming to come from all directions. She pulled her twin swords out, ready to face anything.

"No farewell for your beloved?" a shadow emerged from the fog, clad in a white robe adorned with a blue cloud pattern. With a manly chin, an arrogant smile, a long ponytail, and eyes emitting blue vapor, he held a spear with one hand, playing it like a children's toy, the other hand casually placed behind him.

Yu Yunxia gritted her teeth upon seeing the person in front of her. "Lu Jing!" she whispered the name with hatred.

"I'm alone. You can open your heart to me," Lu Jing smiled, his expression innocent or wicked, hard to discern as he spoke casually as if flirting or attempting to soothe a lover's anger.

Yu Yunxia had no intention of clashing so close to Lu Clan territory, so she turned and dashed away from Lu Jing.

"Aww! You're now breaking my heart, dear!" He called after her, his tone a mix of mockery and amusement.

She was already overtaxing herself, and in no condition to fight, feeling like a bird in a trap. She cursed herself for thinking she was in control all along, realizing she had been dancing in the palm of the Lu Clan; everything was under their control.

*SHAA*

A sharp, piercing attack brushed past her as she dodged at the last moment, causing her to lose balance and crash into a tree. "Uhh!" a grunt escaped her lips.

"Please, I am here to talk," Lu Jing emerged from the front, smiling. "Also, you are running in circles; you will not be able to escape unless you deal with me."

Yu Yunxia stood up, drawing her twin blades into a stance.

"Now, that's what I remember about you." Lu Jing dashed with his spear, his other hand still behind his back. Three piercing attacks—head, torso, and knees.

She dodged two but not the torso; that was the real attack. She deflected the strike, but the spear was as heavy as a mountain, and she failed to counter the aftershock, sending her back into the same tree. "Urgh!" This time blood spilled from her lips.

"Aww! I didn't mean to hurt you," Lu Jing sounded genuinely concerned.

Yu Yunxia raised her twin swords again into her stance.

"You're no fun anymore; let's talk, then." Lu Jing pulled his spear back, holding it like a stick behind his back.

Seeing that Yu Yunxia was not in the mood to talk, he resumed, "Fine, then let me start. We knew about the Yu Clan sheltering the Six-Eyed Demon tribe," he said, looking at Yu Yunxia, whose eyes widened with shock. "Oh, yes! We knew all along," Lu Jing relished the shock on her face.

"I genuinely loved you. If you had shared with me the secrets of the Six-Eyed Demon tribe, then I would have loved you even more. But you chose the secret over your lover." His eyes held regret, sadness, and melancholy.

Yu Yunxia's expression turned disgusted seeing that expression on Lu Jing's face.

"Don't hate me, dear. My heart still hurts, the day you saved my life but still didn't use Six-Eyed Demonic Cultivation. You jumped in front of me to save my life, but you decided to sacrifice yourself instead of revealing the Six-Eyed Demonic Cultivation," Lu Jing's eyes began to well up.

"You chose the secret over your own life?" His voice carried a sense of hurt. "How could you? Have you ever thought about me? How would I live the rest of my life without you? How could you do that?"