The night at the summit villa.
Lin Zhao treated everyone to a meal. As they finished eating and dispersed, Lin Zhao walked out of the Natural Residence and stood before the lotus pond, his expression growing serious again.
It was his habit to thoroughly understand the origins and consequences of many matters.
"Shu Zhi?"
He suddenly looked up and called out.
Immediately, a figure clad in snow-white descended. It was Shu Zhi. Shu Zhi had always been one of the most beautiful women in the Heavenly Lake of the Snow Region. Although her right sleeve was now empty, and she was a one-armed female sword immortal, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. She looked at Lin Zhao and smiled, "Sir, do you have any orders?"
"Accompany me to Danxia Sect."
"Mm!"
...
Danxia Sect, having also just finished dinner.
The craftsmen on the mountainside and summit resumed their work after eating, lighting torches for a night of strenuous effort. Xu Mingan, Chi Zhongyu, Xiao Han, and Xiao Man had also finished their meal. Chi Zhongyu sat on a stone mill, meditating to nurture his sword intent, while his two disciples went to cultivate Taoist heart techniques. Xu Mingan was washing bowls by the well outside the kitchen.
Lin Zhao and Shu Zhi descended gracefully. Lin Zhao was not in a hurry, watching him wash bowls, and Xu Mingan was also unhurried, washing each bowl meticulously to ensure cleanliness. Shu Zhi watched from the side, frowning. The state of mind of these two was truly extraordinary; they were destined for great things.
Soon after, Lin Zhao led Xu Mingan to the edge of the cliff. He looked at the distant mountains and frowned, "There is a matter I still wish to clarify, so I came to find you."
Xu Mingan looked surprised, "What is it?"
"The matter of the prescription leak back then."
Lin Zhao said, "Logically speaking, a renowned sect like Medicine King Valley would not know about your small mountain peak. How did Sun Tingxuan find his way here back then? I want to understand this matter. There must be a reason, right?"
"Oh my, I almost forgot about this!"
Xu Mingan frowned and said, "Lin Zhao, at the beginning, when I took Xiao Man and Xiao Han down the mountain to eat wontons, I met a brother and sister at the wonton stall. They said their grandfather was a great cultivator of the Fifth Realm, Divine Treasury, and was nearing the end of his lifespan because he couldn't break through. Seeing their plight, I gave them two Zhenyuan Pills. But Du Yang and Du Yue had promised me they would keep their mouths shut and not bring any trouble to my Danxia Mountain. Yet later... people from Lu Clan of Yun Province and Medicine King Valley still came to our door."
"It seems there was a problem with the siblings, Du Yang and Du Yue."
Lin Zhao said calmly, "Do you remember where they were from? Which sect?"
"No sect."
Xu Mingan recalled, "They just said they were from the Du family of Yun Province, and that there was an ancestor in their family who was a great cultivator of the Fifth Realm. I didn't think about anything else."
"I see."
Lin Zhao turned and looked at Shu Zhi, asking, "The Du family of Yun Province, with an ancestor who is a Fifth Realm cultivator. After consuming Xu Mingan's Zhenyuan Pills, they should have broken through to the Sixth Realm. Shu Zhi, please investigate if there is a Du family that fits these characteristics."
"Mm."
Shu Zhi said, "We might as well go to Tianji City and check the records at the Shanhai Division's yamen. There should be something."
"Alright."
...
Tianji City, Shanhai Division yamen.
A sword light descended, and Lin Zhao and Shu Zhi landed in the courtyard of the Shanhai Division's yamen.
"Who's there?"
A Seventh Realm cultivator from the Shanhai Division rushed out of the yamen, looking at the two in front of him with surprise. The young man's aura was decent, that of a Fifth Realm sword cultivator, with two swords on his back and a spiritual gourd hanging from his waist. He looked like a mountain sword cultivator. Apart from being good-looking, he was unremarkable. However, the female sword immortal was extraordinary, her sword intent extremely profound. If he wasn't mistaken, she should be an Upper Fifth Realm sword cultivator, a genuine sword immortal!
For a moment, the Seventh Realm cultivator's heart was in turmoil. The sword immortals on the mountains of Yun Province could be counted on one hand, and there might not be any in Tianji City. So, who was this Upper Fifth Realm sword immortal?
Lin Zhao cupped his fists and said, "Lin Zhao from the Summit Villa, Heavenly Lake of the Snow Region. I wish to borrow the yamen's records to investigate someone. I wonder if it's convenient?"
"This..."
The Seventh Realm cultivator frowned.
"What?"
Shu Zhi asked indifferently, "Is it not possible?"
After she spoke, her aura surpassed the Eleventh Realm, becoming that of a true Twelfth Realm Grand Sword Immortal. The Seventh Realm cultivator's spiritual sea felt as though it was about to be crushed. He frowned and said, "It can... it can. May I ask what the two sword immortals wish to investigate?"
"The Du family of Yun Province."
Lin Zhao said, "Recently, there was a Du family where an ancestor in the Fifth Realm broke through to the Sixth Realm."
"Yes!"
He immediately turned back into the yamen and pressed his hand down, signaling his colleagues to remain quiet and not to anger the sword immortals outside. Shortly after, he returned, holding a map of Yun Province, and said in a deep voice, "There is only one Du family with records of an ancestor in the Fifth Realm breaking through to the Sixth Realm recently. It's at this location."
Lin Zhao glanced at the map, nodded, and smiled, "Thank you!"
Shu Zhi drew her sword, and in the blink of an eye, the two transformed into a spark and vanished from the sky.
...
Late at night.
Somewhere in Yun Province, at the foot of a mountain shrouded in mist and clouds, a cluster of connected buildings marked the location of the Du family on the map. Soon after, Lin Zhao and Shu Zhi appeared on a small bridge in the town. They inquired about the location of the Du family mansion from the tavern owner and headed straight for it.
"Sir."
Shu Zhi asked, "What should we do in a while? Should we be gentle or forceful?"
"A combination of both..." Lin Zhao replied.
Shu Zhi rolled her eyes, which was equivalent to saying nothing.
Soon after, a rather luxurious mansion appeared ahead. The entrance seemed to have been recently renovated and expanded. The plaque read "Du Residence." In front of the gate stood a pair of stone lions radiating spiritual energy, adorned with red lanterns. However, these stone lions could only ward off evil spirits and were useless against righteous cultivators like Lin Zhao and Shu Zhi.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
After Lin Zhao knocked, a servant opened the door, looking at the two in confusion. "Young master, young lady... looking for someone?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded, "I am a close friend of Du Yang from the martial world. We had agreed to visit the Du family as guests before. Now, I finally have some free time. Unfortunately, I missed the inns along the way, so I traveled here late at night. Please inform Young Master Du Yang that his close friend Bai Yu Tang is here to see him."
"Ah???"
The servant frowned. His young master and young lady had been confined for almost a month after angering the ancestor. Now, a former friend of his had suddenly arrived. What should he do?
After a moment of thought, he reacted quickly. "Young master, my young master is away on his studies and has not returned. Please come again another day."
"Swish!"
In that instant, a flying sword hummed and hovered in front of his forehead. Lin Zhao's gaze was calm. "Tell me the truth, has something happened to Du Yang and Du Yue?"
"I..."
The servant gritted his teeth, not daring to tell the truth. Ever since that ancestor, Du Fen, became a Fifth Realm immortal, no one within dozens of miles dared to defy Du Fen's will, let alone the Du family. If he were to reveal the whereabouts of the young master and young lady, and the ancestor found out, he would be doomed, just like the other servants who had become fertilizer in the backyard.
"You won't say?"
Shu Zhi smiled slightly and took a step forward, unleashing a Twelfth Realm miniature world. An immense and powerful heavenly pressure descended, directly crushing the servant's soul. The pain was unimaginable. She said with a faint smile, "Don't worry, if you tell the truth, we can spare your life."
"Yes... yes..."
The servant, covered in cold sweat, said in a deep voice, "Ancestor Du Fen... after entering the Sixth Realm, Violet Mansion Realm, for some reason... he confined his most beloved eldest daughter and young master in the backyard, preventing them from being seen... The ancestor's temperament has changed drastically recently. Many cultivators in the vicinity have died by his hand. Although our Du family keeps buying properties and land to strengthen our power, everyone is very scared..."
"I see."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile, "Take us to see the young master and young lady, and then you'll be free."
"Yes..."
Under Shu Zhi's miniature world, the three of them avoided all eyes and ears and went straight to the backyard. Indeed, in a room in the backyard, Du Yang and Du Yue were confined. A thin miniature world was set up outside, which couldn't trap a Fifth Realm cultivator, but it was more than enough to trap these siblings.
Lin Zhao raised his sword and split the restriction, then kicked open the door and walked in.
...
"Who?!"
In the dimness, the already frightened siblings Du Yang and Du Yue cried out tremblingly.
Lin Zhao raised Li Quan, illuminating his face with the sword light of his ghost artifact, and said calmly, "My name is Lin Zhao, a friend of Xu Mingan. I've come to figure out why the leakage of Xu Mingan's Zhenyuan Pill refining occurred. I believe you should know, right?"
"We know, we know..."
Du Yue nodded tearfully.
Thus, the siblings Du Yang and Du Yue recounted everything their grandfather Du Fen had done and his collusion with Medicine King Valley. They had long been deeply disappointed in their overbearing and heartless grandfather and no longer cared about anything.
"The human heart is like a dark abyss, nothing more."
Shu Zhi sneered, "Xu Mingan kindly gifted Zhenyuan Pills to save Du Fen's life, yet Du Fen plotted to exploit Xu Mingan's value, even going so far as to endanger his life. What a fine ancestor of the Du family, truly lived a wasted life."
Lin Zhao nodded, "Du Yang, let's go. Take us to meet that ancestor Du Fen. I will give you, and your Du family, justice."
"Yes!"
...
Late at night, in the courtyard of the Du family ancestor, a banquet was being held. Attendees included the Sixth Realm Great Cultivator Du Fen and several friends from the martial world in the Fourth and Fifth Realms. These friends were mostly kept by Du Fen with his wealth. The Du family had already become quite influential in the area, nearly rivaling the local aristocratic families.
"Hm?!"
Du Fen frowned, looking at the two people walking in. One was a young sword cultivator with swords on his back and a wine gourd at his waist. The other was a delicate female sword cultivator who appeared to have low cultivation. Following behind them were the stern-faced siblings Du Yang and Du Yue. Who dared to be so audacious as to let these two unfilial descendants out?!
For a moment, a fierce killing intent flashed in Du Fen's eyes. That young sword cultivator could be killed with a palm strike. That female sword cultivator, who looked like she was in the Fourth Realm and was quite attractive, could be kept as a personal maid. As for Du Yang and Du Yue, these two traitors deserved to die!