"What’s that guy selling with his tricks... Is it, is it raining?!"
The murmuring suddenly stopped as Li Lu, left by Crescent Lake, widened his eyes, his mouth agape and frozen in place; it was the peak of July’s heat.
Following his gaze outside the town, a cluster of black clouds magically formed in the clear sky, casting its shadow precisely over Lake Heart Island.
Woosh, woosh, woosh!
The weather changed suddenly as a violent storm erupted, pouring rain from the dark clouds.
"Is this a coincidence?"
Li Lu couldn’t believe his eyes. Although he knew that Li Feiyu’s martial arts were formidable, the spectacle before him surpassed his imagination.
The rain came abruptly and left quickly.
After a short while, a figure darted from Lake Heart Island, lightly tapping the lake surface with his heel, creating ripples that hadn’t even spread fully when the shadow already spanned more than a dozen yards, leisurely stepping before Li Lu.
"Alright, let’s go."
"Was that rain just now your doing?"
Su Mu remained ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying, as a spiritual light flashed in his hand, holding firmly the medical flag ’Curing the World with a Pot’ and stepping forward, Li Lu hesitated then grunted, chasing after him at a trot.
"Hey, wait for me... Master, Master!"
...
Flowers bloom on two branches, beyond Qifeng Town.
"We can’t delay any longer... My little sister is still in the town."
Two days later, Li Heng had recovered seven or eight tenths; Zhou Ying maliciously poisoned the sword’s edge, and although Li Heng had not fully recovered, he couldn’t wait any longer.
His little sister Li Yao remained in the town, impulsive by nature. If she discovered he had disappeared, she might confront the Wang Family.
As for the stranger from the inn a couple of days ago who promised to help, Li Heng felt the person was sincere, having diverted the Wang Family’s attention away; he didn’t expect more.
Moreover, Zhou Family members weren’t to be underestimated, and the Wang Family had four Sixth-Grade Martial Artists; such power could count as third-rate authority in an ordinary small county and shouldn’t be taken lightly, not easily offended by ordinary folks.
"The Wang Family deserves to die!"
Thinking of the Wang Family, Li Heng clenched his fists tightly, his fingertips turning pale with a ’crack’ sound; about a hundred years ago, the Wang Family ancestors were merely Seventh Grade martial artists, servants of his Li Family.
If not for the Li Family’s support, how could the Wang Family have grown to such a scale in merely a century?
Yet, when the Wang Family expanded, they burned bridges, proving treacherous, not only seeking independence from the Li Family but also maliciously betraying them, embracing their enemy, the Zhou Family.
This trip between Li Heng and Li Yao was to investigate the Wang Family and the disappearance of their family members in Qifeng Town.
Upon encountering Zhou Ying, Li Heng understood everything; surely the Wang Family and Zhou Family colluded, harming their Li Family members. But now, the Li Family was equally troubled, having no time to care for this issue.
Yet Li Heng and Li Yao couldn’t swallow their grievance; the Li Family members couldn’t die in vain!
"Even if I can’t kill Zhou Ying this time, the Wang Family will not know peace."
Li Heng determinedly held his resolve; aware of his strength gap with Zhou Ying, he knew he couldn’t confront him directly, but he could first collect some blood debt from the Wang Family.
At the moment, a spiritual light flashed in Li Heng’s hand, taking out a mask as thin as a cicada’s wing, translucent, sticking it to his face; instantly it fit seamlessly, changing his face into another.
After changing clothes, Li Heng left the small forest, heading toward Qifeng Town.
Outside Qifeng Town, Li Heng’s eyes showed a hint of worry, sharply noticing an unusual atmosphere; Qifeng Town served as a hub among nearby towns, the ten-mile center.
This was why the Li Family initially settled the Wang Family here; typically, people coming and going were unceasing, the gate often lined with a long queue, yet today’s gate appeared unusually quiet.
More unsettling was that more people were leaving the town than entering; upon closer inspection, the departing people carried loads of bags, moving hurriedly like refugees.
"Something’s wrong!"
Li Heng’s eyes deepened in worry, about to inquire when suddenly a few words carried by the wind froze his step, his face showing disbelief.
"If you ask me, the Wang Family deserved it! Wiped out overnight, it’s justified retribution!"
"It’s about time! Over the years, the Wang Family committed many atrocities..."
"Stop talking, let’s quickly leave. This town might get chaotic soon..."
Li Heng’s pupils narrowed, his expression shifting back and forth, joy, doubt, and confusion mixing.
"It was him... But why did he help me?!"
...
The July weather remains unpredictable.
It was clear just moments ago, yet now dark clouds gathered, pebble-sized raindrops falling heavily, forming a dense curtain.
"This rain won’t stop anytime soon... Let’s go ahead and take refuge."
"Alright."
The young girl didn’t rush and run but followed closely beside the old man, pacing leisurely toward the nearby deserted temple.
"Squeak—"
The door’s old and worn hinges emitted a piercing low groan; the temple’s mottled statues had long lost their gold plating, akin to ordinary clay figurines.
The old man’s clear eyes narrowed slightly, scanning inside the temple; the altar’s dust wasn’t thick, and a few corners had fresh footprints, clearly indicating recent lodging.
But for now, they two were the only guests in the deserted temple.
Li Lu discovered, as Li Feiyu mentioned, that the rain hadn’t ceased for a while, drizzling from noon until it continued into night; in the deserted temple, Li Lu found a pile of wood and joyfully set them alight.