Chirping Bird

Xue Yang was currently standing right where he started.

"The entrance is gone, but other than that, it's all the same."

The only difference was that the sun was out, and it looked like it had just risen.

[☆High Solar Sensitivity☆]

"Tch."

This meant that Xue Yang would have to avoid getting into fights and hopping over that final hurdle in his current stage.

But he didn't entirely mind.

High Solar Sensitivity was a better result than he had hoped for.

He expected and hoped for Severe Solar Sensitivity, yet he had gotten high.

It meant the punishment would be significantly more bearable if caught in the sun.

With all this, Xue Yang had no choice but to take his time.

This would be the first and probably last in a long time he'd get to relax a bit.

He decided to take his time in the day and enjoy a long walk, enjoying nature and the world's beauty.

Then, he would take his usual pace at night and return to the Li family before midnight.

He would then continue strolling for the entire day, taking in the scenery.

Stopping to look at various flowers or what a nearby animal was doing.

He'd listen to the birds chirp and the trees rustle in the wind.

He felt calm and at peace.

After walking for over 10 hours, the night started to creep in.

It slowly became darker and darker, and before he knew it, night had come.

Becoming free from his weakness, Xue Yang knew it was time to stop being lazy and rushed back.

He was using the same speed he had used to reach the inheritance, yet it wasn't his full speed this time.

Xue Yang could run even faster, but it would cost him a lot of energy. It would be better used for battle or emergency situations.

In no time, Xue Yang had reached the village where the Li family lived.

Yet something was odd.

The entire village was silent. He couldn't hear a single soul.

Not a single light was visible despite still being a time when a home or two were still active the last time he was here.

"Something happened."

Xue Yang extended his senses and could feel people in the homes, still alive and unharmed.

"They seem afraid of something, but what?" He could sense their emotions to a certain extent; the primary feeling was fear.

He felt his heart drop. His senses were screaming that something was wrong.

Xue Yang continued walking in the Li family's direction.

He could sense some people trying to take a peek at him from within their houses.

But they immediately ducked out of sight the second they saw his hooded appearance.

Their actions had confirmed Xue Yang's suspicion that they were afraid of someone.

Unfortunately, the questions of what happened and who the villagers feared were left unanswered.

After walking for a couple of minutes, Xue Yang reached what was supposed to be the Li Family's home.

Instead, he was greeted by a still smouldering pile of what used to be a home. 

A home previously filled with signs of life and, for Xue Yang, a brief yet happy memory was now reduced to rubble.

"Please no…"

Xue Yang couldn't help but hope for the best yet most unrealistic outcome.

Then, in the next moment, he spotted something he feared seeing.

Inside the burned and smouldering ruins were two burned-to-crisp bodies.

They were so charred that there were no defining features. 

They looked utterly devoid of moisture, meaning the fire lasted for some time.

Xue Yang's eyes glowed red as his fury rose.

He became hyper-focused and couldn't help but notice something.

"There are only two."

He could only see two bodies. Judging by their lengths, they were most likely the Li couple. 

With that information, he proceeded to look through the ruins and found nothing.

"This could mean one of two things."

"Either someone took Li Qing, or she wasn't here."

Both situations were better than her death, but Xue Yang doubted she could remain free for long.

It was only a matter of time before whoever did this found her.

He had to find some information on where to go next.

"Maybe these villagers know something."

In Xue Yang's eyes, they definitely knew, at the very least, who was responsible for this.

At worst, they would know what happened leading up to this outcome.

With his thoughts gathered, Xue Yang walked towards the nearest house.

Silently, the front door opened as Xue Yang entered without making the tiniest noise.

It was as if a ghost had just interacted with the realm of the living and simply let itself in.

Xue Yang entered the house, which reminded him of the Li family home.

These thoughts caused his rage to swell as he focused more on dealing with whoever caused this.

Inside, he found a man surrounded by empty bottles with a large, bushy beard and scruffy hair.

He had a large belly and was finishing yet another bottle of alcohol.

Because of this, he overlooked Xue Yang at first; by the time he did, it was too late.

Xue Yang activated his vampiric charm without even giving the man a chance to make a sound.

Now, he could get some information without making much of a sound.

It would also guarantee that the information would be true and accurate, no matter how drunk this man was.

"Tell me what happened to the Li family!" He commanded.

The man would then tell Xue Yang a story that would change him forever.

"The Li family's daughter was never seen outside her home unless dressed as a man."

"But lately, she had been going to the lone tree dressed like a woman at night."

Xue Yang continued listening intently despite knowing where the story was going.

"Apparently, one day, she snuck out of work and went shopping looking like her natural self. There, she was spotted by the city lord's son, who fell for her beauty."

"He tried to court her right there, but she refused and said she already had someone. The young lord left her alone for that day and looked into her background."

"After not finding anything about her, they started asking people using portraits of her drawn based on the young lord's description."

"So, did someone here sell her out and say she lived in this village?"

"No, a passing cultivator had spotted her late into the night and sold the information. But then they came here and couldn't find her at first."

"At first?"

Xue Yang knew what this meant, and then, as if by chance, he noticed the symbol on the bottles.

It could only be seen on a costly bottle of fine wine.

Yet this poor villager was drinking through it like a thirsty horse drank water.

Then, what he knew was true was confirmed.

"I told the man working for the young lord where the Li family lived, and I got rewarded in return."

Xue Yang gritted his teeth, trying not to immediately tear this man's head off. He still needed information, and this bird was singing nicely, so it would continue breathing for now.

"What happened next?"