Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Junior Brother Xu, something’s happened! Junior Sister Lin Wei has been missing for two days."

His voice was panicked and trembling slightly.

Missing for two days basically meant something had gone wrong. She was likely already gone.

"Someone who lives in the same courtyard as Junior Sister Lin Wei just came and told me that she left two days ago and hasn’t returned. I went to the sect entrance to ask around. She left the sect by herself two days ago and never came back."

If something had happened to Lin Wei, he truly didn’t know how he would face Lin Cheng.

Xu Yang’s expression shifted. It seemed his premonition was coming true.

Xiao Hua, Xiao Chen!

The first thing he thought of was that this father and son had killed Lin Wei.

"Did you find out why Junior Sister Lin Wei left the sect?"

Sun Tao said, "It seems she left her courtyard after someone gave her a note, and she never came back."

He then urged, "Don’t worry about that for now. I’ve already asked Senior Brother Jiang Ping to find Junior Brother Zhang Yong. I’ve contacted some people to help search for her down the mountain."

"One moment, Senior Brother!"

Xu Yang returned to his room, grabbed his Wolf Fang Saber, and then left with Sun Tao.

When the two of them hurried to the sect entrance, Xu Yang realized Sun Tao had gathered quite a few people—more than a dozen in total.

Some were allies from Sun Tao’s own alliance, while the rest were disciples from Sunv Hall, the ones allied with Lin Wei.

"Brother Sun, how do you plan to search for Junior Sister Lin?" Liu Qian asked.

Sun Tao said, "Let’s search Cyan Yang City first. If we still can’t find her, we’ll search the roads on the way back."

The group consisted of Sun Tao’s friends and Lin Wei’s friends, so no one objected. They immediately left the sect entrance and hurried toward Cyan Yang City.

In truth, everyone knew they were just doing their best and leaving the rest to fate. Lin Wei was most likely already gone.

The journey was uneventful, and they soon arrived at Cyan Yang City. Sun Tao said, "Let’s split up and search the city. Whether we find anything or not, we’ll regroup at the city gate at the Hour of the Rabbit."

Upon entering the city, the dozen or so people split up.

By the Hour of the Rabbit, Xu Yang had found nothing. He returned to the city gate to meet up with Sun Tao and the others, only to find everyone shaking their heads.

"Let’s search along the road back."

Sun Tao sighed. In his heart, he had already accepted that something terrible had happened to Lin Wei.

Over the course of a day, the dozen or so people had combed through basically every street and alley in Cyan Yang City. If Lin Wei were in the city, it would have been impossible not to find her.

The group searched along the road all the way back to the Purple Sun Sect, but still found nothing.

Sun Tao treated everyone to a meal. Afterward, Liu Qian and the other Sunv Hall disciples, as well as Sun Tao’s allies, took their leave.

Back at their courtyard, Sun Tao found an opportunity to slip away from Jiang Ping and enter Xu Yang’s room.

"Junior Sister Lin Wei has probably been murdered. It’s all my fault for not looking after her."

Sun Tao reproached himself, "I never expected... you were right."

Xu Yang didn’t know how to comfort him.

There’s no use trying to talk sense into someone determined to die. From the moment Lin Wei ignored his advice and insisted on pestering Xiao Chen, he knew this would be the outcome.

’If the Xiao father and son did this, I’m afraid Sun Tao and I will be dragged into it,’ Xu Yang mused. ’A father and son as ruthless as them would surely eradicate all future threats. Jiang Ping and Zhang Yong aren’t a big deal, but Sun Tao and I once visited Xiao Hua with a letter from Lin Cheng. Plus, I know about the situation with Su Man and Xiao Chen, so it’s easy to guess that the Xiacos are connected to Lin Wei’s death. Whether to silence us or to prevent us from growing strong enough to one day take revenge for Lin Wei, it’s highly likely the Xiacos will try to eliminate me and Sun Tao. And now that I’m one of the Ten Heroes, I’m an even more obvious target they’d want to get rid of sooner rather than later. If I were in their shoes and had done such a thing, I would never leave behind someone who could threaten my life in the future; I would definitely find a way to get rid of them.’

"Junior Brother Xu, how are we supposed to explain this to Master?" Sun Tao’s face was etched with worry.

He wasn’t particularly sad. Unbeknownst to Xu Yang, he had already argued with Lin Wei several times over the Xiao Chen affair and had long since grown disappointed in her. He just felt he had let Lin Cheng down.

Xu Yang said in a low voice, "Just tell Master it was an accident. Don’t mention the Xiao father and son. Master can’t fight them. If we stir the pot, we’ll be the first to die."

Hearing this, Sun Tao’s expression changed. "You’re saying they’ll come after us, too?"

Xu Yang nodded. "Let me ask you, if one day you had the power to crush the Xiao father and son, would you take revenge?"

Sun Tao fell silent for a long moment.

If he had the power to easily crush the Xiao father and son, he would definitely help Lin Cheng avenge his daughter’s murder.

Xu Yang sighed. "If the Xiacos really did kill Junior Sister Lin Wei, then we’re in danger. From now on, Senior Brother, try not to leave the sect. As for Junior Sister Lin Wei’s matter, it’s best to act like you don’t care. Maybe we can live a little longer that way."

A cold sweat broke out on Sun Tao’s back. He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for the warning, Junior Brother Xu. I’ll be careful."

If it weren’t for Xu Yang’s warning, he wouldn’t have realized that Lin Wei’s death had already dragged him into a deadly maelstrom. He could have died one day without ever knowing why.

He had originally planned to continue looking for people to ask about Lin Wei tomorrow, but now he immediately abandoned the idea.

After a few more words, Sun Tao got up and left.

...

「The Xiao Family Estate, in the study.」

Xiao Chen respectfully poured his father a cup of tea. "Father, the matter with Lin Wei has already attracted the attention of Xu Yang and Sun Tao. He organized a large group to search for her down the mountain today. Did you clean up everything afterward?"

Xu Yang’s guess was correct. Lin Wei was indeed dead, and they were the ones who had done it.

After Lin Wei achieved Qi Cultivation Gang, she came back to pester Xiao Chen again. He and Xiao Hua discussed it and decided they had no choice but to be ruthless.

Xiao Hua’s face was expressionless. "What are you afraid of? I’ve already destroyed her body and eliminated all traces. Forget a dozen people, even if the entire Purple Sun Sect turned out, they wouldn’t find a single clue."

Xiao Chen let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Xu Yang and the others might find some clues. If word of this got out, he and his father would become rats scurrying across the street, reviled by everyone.

"But that Xu Yang... he once saw me and Su Man in the city. Could he have guessed something because of that?" Xiao Chen asked worriedly.

Vengeance between Martial Artists isn’t like a Government Office investigation; you don’t need witnesses or physical evidence. A mere suspicion is enough.

Once they’re strong enough to beat you, they’ll just show up at your door to take their revenge.

Xu Yang is one of the Ten Heroes and will most likely reach Marrow Cleansing in the future. He has the potential to become a threat to them.

Xiao Hua’s expression didn’t change. "So what if he guesses? That Xu Yang is overly cautious. Without evidence, he would never make a scene and bring disaster upon himself. He’ll even help us by warning Sun Tao.

Do you really think your father wouldn’t have thought of this and needed you to remind me?

It’s just that the time isn’t right. They’re already on my kill list. When the time is ripe, I’ll eliminate both of them to prevent any future trouble.

I’m teaching you a lesson today, son. Remember it: when you cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots."

Xiao Chen cupped his fists. "This child will remember."

Xiao Hua nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand. "You may go. Remember, Cultivation is fundamental. Schemes and plots are ultimately inferior methods. If you were the Sect Leader of the Purple Sun Sect, you could just go and kill Xu Yang and Sun Tao right now, instead of sitting here with your father discussing conspiracies."

...

’This is trouble. I wonder when Xiao Hua will make his move.’

Xu Yang felt agitated. Lin Wei’s death had pushed him into a true crisis.

He couldn’t hide in the Purple Sun Sect forever, nor could he keep hiding indefinitely. Xiao Hua was a Steward in the Task Hall; he could force him to leave the sect with any random excuse.

The only way to break this deadlock was to rapidly increase his Cultivation. With enough Cultivation, he wouldn’t have to fear even Xiao Hua himself.

[Root Bone: 85]

[Comprehension: 80]

[Cultivation: Gang Qi Minor Achievement]

[Cultivation Techniques: Fuyue Bear Scripture Gang Qi Chapter·Small Achievement (364/4000), Golden Gang Skill·Minor Achievement (26/4000), Phantom Star Gang Fist·Minor Achievement (687/2000), Fierce Sun Gang Blade·Minor Achievement (1379/2000), Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind·Minor Achievement (543/2000)]

[Skills: Mining Level 3 (283/400)]

[Remaining Lifespan: 78]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 162]

After another period of accumulation, his Martial Arts Longevity Points had reached over one hundred and sixty.

Xu Yang stared at the panel and thought for a moment. He felt that this amount of points wouldn’t do much to upgrade his Cultivation Techniques. It would be better to directly raise his Root Bone to one hundred to improve his absorption of medicinal effects. That way, his strength would increase faster.

’Root Bone, upgrade!’