He Yi-ming suddenly shot forward like a startled bird, briefly slowing as he passed Xu Xiang-ci before continuing on without pause. Beside him, the Second Master from the Xu Family Fortress made no move to intervene.

In just a few swift movements, He Yi-ming reached the edge of the mountain forest.

Seven men waited there; the one in the lead was Old Master He Wu-de of He Family Village, and behind him stood several of the village guards who had accompanied He Yi-ming to their temporary lodging at the post station.

He Wu-de’s thick eyebrows were slightly furrowed, a flicker of worry in his eyes. However, the moment he saw He Yi-ming bounding toward them hale and hearty, his brows instantly smoothed out, and the concern vanished entirely from his gaze.

"Grandpa, why are you here?" He Yi-ming asked with the bluntness of youth, though inwardly he felt immense relief that his grandfather had arrived so early and so coincidentally; who knew what might have transpired otherwise.

Though old, He Wu-de was tall and powerfully built, standing a good head taller than an average man. He now swept out a hand as large as a cattail fan and declared, "I’m getting old, suddenly felt a whim to see the world outside, so I came here to check on you."

He Yi-ming paused, glancing at the dust coating his grandfather's clothes, and connecting it with Hu Bin, he instantly understood. His grandfather must have heard news of Hu Bin heading this way and rushed over in a flurry. If not for that, his grandfather wouldn't look so disheveled.

A wave of warmth surged through him instantly. He lowered his head deeply and murmured softly, "I've troubled you, Grandpa."

He Wu-de reached out and patted his shoulder twice, a gentle, benevolent smile gracing his face. Then his gaze flickered toward Xu Xiang-ci, and he asked calmly, "Xu Er, why are you all here as well?"

Xu Xiang-ci immediately bowed low in deference, replying gravely, "Old Master He, we were tracking a fugitive and happened to encounter Nephew Yi-ming here."

As one of the main pillars of the Xu Family's second generation, he dared not show the slightest hint of arrogance in the presence of He Wu-de. Of course, were a second-generation member of the He family to meet the Old Master of the Xu Family Fortress, they too would dare not be negligent.

A tenth-level inner strength cultivator commanded admiration from the depths of anyone's heart.

He Wu-de’s gaze swept over the corpses being carried by the two yamen runners and he suddenly asked, "Is this Hu Bin?"

"Yes, this villain has been executed," Xu Xiang-ci stated truthfully. The other runners and servants stood respectfully aside; their abilities were too inferior, and even the government runners dared not interject rashly during the exchange between Old Master He and Second Master Xu.

He Wu-de nodded slightly. "Xu Er, you're lucky. What was this villain's martial technique like?"

Xu Xiang-ci’s face flushed red. He quickly replied, "Old Master He, I did not engage this villain in combat."

He Wu-de paused, sweeping his eyes over the men beside Xu Xiang-ci. With his sharp perception, he could tell that none of these fellows possessed inner strength cultivation reaching the fifth layer. Furthermore, they were not hardened men like Hu Bin, who had clawed their way out of heaps of dead bodies on the battlefield. They might manage odd jobs, but he absolutely did not believe they could kill the notorious Hu Bin.

His gaze sharpened. He Wu-de inquired, "Since it wasn't you, who delivered the blow? Allow this old man to meet them, perhaps?"

Xu Xiang-ci’s face grew even redder. At that moment, his hatred for Hu Bin burned to the core. This scoundrel was first met by the Xu family's elite third generation, yet the outcome was utterly unexpected. Hu Bin had managed to injure two of the most outstanding disciples of the Xu family's third generation at two separate ambush points. This had driven him to pursue relentlessly, intending to capture or slay the villain.

But unexpectedly, although they had finally caught up, the villain was now nothing more than a corpse. More importantly, the one who killed the villain was not a Xu family descendant, but someone from the He family, who were secretly locked in rivalry with them.

Glancing at the thirteen-year-old boy, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. The He Family Village already had the talents of He Quan-xin and He Yi-tian, father and son; were they now to have another genius? If this continued for a few more decades, what chance would the Xu Family Fortress have against them?

Facing He Wu-de's query now, even Xu Xiang-ci, thick-skinned as he was, found the words impossible to utter.

He Wu-de’s brow wrinkled slightly. "Xu Er, is my face not esteemed enough to warrant a refusal... Ah, Yi-ming, what are you doing?"

Seeing the other man hanging his head in silence, the Old Master He felt a surge of displeasure and was about to rebuke him sharply, when he suddenly felt someone gently tugging at his sleeve. He turned to see Yi-ming pulling him, his face etched with embarrassment.

He Yi-ming licked his slightly dry lips and murmured softly, "Grandpa, it was me."

"It was you?" He Wu-de startled, then his eyebrows shot up abruptly, his eyes flashing with keen light. He looked at his grandson, then at the irrevocably dead Hu Bin, finally connecting the two facts.

"Yi-ming, did you kill this villain?"

"Yes," He Yi-ming affirmed seriously.

He Wu-de opened his mouth, his heart filled with disbelief. After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Xu Xiang-ci. "Xu Er, I heard this villain injured your Yu-de and Yu-cai. Is that true?"

Xu Xiang-ci’s face darkened; he had truly spoken of the very thing he feared most, poking at a raw wound.

If anyone else had asked under these circumstances, he would have immediately turned hostile. But before the foremost cultivator in Taicang County, he managed only a strained smile. "Old Master, it is indeed this villain who wounded Yu-de and Yu-cai, which is why your junior pursued him relentlessly. But I never expected this villain to encounter Nephew Yi-ming; that was simply seeking his own death."

At this point, He Wu-de finally believed it. The look he gave Yi-ming instantly held a different kind of brilliance. He had rushed here for fear that Yi-ming might encounter that scourge. Yet, upon arriving, he found Hu Bin had been slain by Yi-ming. This strange turn of events, while greatly unexpected, filled his old heart with immense satisfaction.

However, a quick glance at Xu Xiang-ci’s strained smile made him immediately understand. He gave a soft cough. "Since this villain is dead, quickly report it to City Protector Cheng so everyone can disperse."

Xu Xiang-ci hastily agreed and prepared to lead his subordinates—the fortress guards and the three yamen runners—away. Yet, for some reason, he forgot to mention the corpse, seemingly intending to take the body with them.

He Wu-de suddenly raised a hand to stop them. "Wait a moment. Let me see if this is truly the villain." Saying this, he strode forward to the body. He glanced at Hu Bin's face, now devoid of any color, and then lightly patted his body a few times.

Nearby, He Yi-ming quickly caught the flicker of a strange expression crossing Xu Xiang-ci’s face—a complex mix containing regret, shock, anxiety, and anticipation that even He Yi-ming couldn't correctly decipher.

He also noticed that Old Master He’s pats were highly skilled, targeting key areas where something might be concealed. With his grandfather's years of experience and his sublime inner strength cultivation, after these few probing touches, whatever was hidden on the body must be as clear as day to him.

Soon, He Wu-de retrieved several miscellaneous items from Hu Bin's corpse. To He Yi-ming's great embarrassment, this included a gold ingot and some scattered silver.

He wondered how these things had been hidden; he hadn't found them just now. It seemed his experience in looting the dead was still too slight.

After glancing at these items, both He Wu-de and Xu Xiang-ci displayed a flicker of disappointment. They completely ignored the gold ingot that had drawn everyone's attention earlier.

After a moment of thought, He Wu-de waved his hand. "Xu Er, you take them to report to City Protector Cheng. We will return to the village first."

Xu Er agreed without hesitation. Only after He Wu-de and his group departed did he turn back to rummage through Hu Bin’s corpse with a sliver of residual hope. But moments later, he gave up dejectedly; there was nothing else of note on the body.

He waved his hand, tossing the gold ingot to one of the yamen runners. "Take the corpse and these things to the Cheng family. You can divide this money among yourselves. But what happened today is not to be spoken of outside, understood?"

"Yes," the yamen runners and guards quickly bowed in unison, their gazes fixed on the gold ingot with greedy expressions.

Xu Er watched the direction He Wu-de’s party had taken, his eyes flashing with an uncanny light. He still couldn't fathom how He Yi-ming managed to kill Hu Bin—a man capable of injuring two fifth-layer cultivators consecutively. Did that young man possess some hidden reserve of strength?

※※※※

Leaving the mountain pass, He Wu-de immediately ordered the village guards to fetch a large carriage from the post station.

With his status, obtaining a large carriage was effortless. He then had the driver skillfully guide it toward He Family Village. Not long after they set off, they saw He Quan-xin following them, also dusty from his journey.

Although neither elder said a word, He Yi-ming understood the meaning behind their hasty arrival—that they had abandoned everything to come. A fire instantly ignited in his heart, his entire body suffused with a wonderful, burning sensation.

Along the way, He Wu-de remained silent, leading the group back to the family compound, where he dispatched men to summon all the clan disciples.

Having completed all this, he, along with He Quan-xin and He Yi-ming, entered the most revered place in the He Family Village.

The He Family Great Courtyard, where the Old Master had lived alone for decades.

Ps: Today is Thursday, I have to accompany my daughter to calligraphy practice, especially since she has a test today, so this is delayed, sigh…

Just got home, finished revising and uploaded immediately. It’s a bit late, I ask my brothers and sisters for forgiveness, Bai He apologizes!