He had joined the family many years ago.

Most importantly, he was a man who had no apparent reason to do any of this.

He had never been oppressed, punished severely, or shown any hostility toward Lu Yang or his parents.

No matter how one looked at it, he seemed like the wrong person.

But sometimes, the most suspicious thing was precisely someone who should not have any motive.

The human heart is the most unpredictable thing in this world.

Soon enough, several clan cultivators returned with the steward in tow amidst the rain.

The man appeared utterly bewildered, looking around in confusion and fear.

"W-What’s happening?"

His face was pale as he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

"Grand Elder, why have I been brought here? Did this servant do anything wrong?"

Anyone looking at him would think he had no idea what was going on.

The gathered clan members exchanged glances as the Internal Affairs Grand Elder narrowed his eyes.

His Divine Sense had already locked onto the steward from the moment the latter arrived.

Every heartbeat, twitch in motion, every subtle movement of muscle and expression, nothing escaped the perception of a Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator.

The steward’s performance was nearly flawless. Unfortunately, nearly was not enough.

The Internal Affairs Grand Elder’s eyes turned colder with each passing second.

Just as he was about to step forward, a figure moved without warning.

*Boom!*

Rainwater exploded outward from the surge of crimson Blood Qi as the ground shattered into pieces!

Before anyone could react, Lu Yang had already appeared before the steward.

His speed was simply too fast!

Even the few late stage Body Tempering cultivators felt a faint chill in their hearts; had he attacked them, they wouldn’t even have the chance to retaliate before falling!

The steward’s pupils contracted, true fear surfacing in his eyes as he instinctively opened his mouth to speak.

However, Lu Yang was faster.

*Rip!*

A horrifying sound echoed across the courtyard as blood splashed through the rain.

The steward let out a miserable scream, slumping to the ground in terror, blood mixed with rainwater flowing down his robes.

Several women and younger mortal branch members in the crowd instantly turned pale, and even numerous cultivators felt their scalps go numb.

Lu Yang’s hand had directly entered the steward’s mouth and ripped out his lower jaw!

The entire courtyard seemed to freeze, as if someone had clicked the pause button; nobody expected such brutality, especially not from a young man such as Lu Yang!

The steward collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring endlessly from his mouth as he writhed in agony.

The Internal Affairs Grand Elder’s expression changed.

"Yang’er!"

But before he could continue speaking, his gaze suddenly froze.

His Divine Sense instantly locked onto the bloodied maw where a small black worm was moving.

Its body was only several centimeters long, covered in strange crimson patterns.

The moment it was exposed to the outside world, it immediately began twisting violently.

The Internal Affairs Grand Elder’s pupils shrank slightly.

"A Silence Gu?"

Several experienced cultivators nearby sucked in cold air, their faces grim.

Silence Gu, although not particularly valuable for cultivators above the Body Tempering Realm, was still an extremely vicious thing.

It was usually hidden beneath the tongue, remaining dormant under normal circumstances. However, once the host attempted to speak certain predetermined information or if the Gu was forcibly removed improperly, it would immediately awaken and release poison throughout the entire body.

It had no effect on Spirit Awakening cultivators, but for Body Tempering cultivators and mortals, death would occur within moments.

The Internal Affairs Grand Elder’s expression was extremely ugly at this moment, immense rage surging through his heart.

The person behind this matter had truly prepared everything; even if the steward had been captured, he would’ve died before revealing anything.

Unfortunately, they had still miscalculated one thing, which was Lu Yang’s extreme perception and brutality, not like that of a young man at all.

What the Internal Affairs Grand Elder did not know was that Lu Yang had dealt with the Silence Gu more than once in his past life as a outer sect disciple of the Azure Spirit Sect.

In sect missions, investigations, mortal world tasks, he knew a lot of things.

His understanding far surpassed ordinary Body Tempering cultivators, including even some Spirit Awakening cultivators who hadn’t been exposed to the outside world much.

At the same time, the person behind this had underestimated the observational abilities of a Spirit Awakening Realm expert. The steward’s disguise had already revealed too many flaws.

Even without Lu Yang acting, after a few months of investigation, they could have uncovered the truth.

The Internal Affairs Grand Elder took in a deep breath, "So that’s how it is..."

On the other hand, Lu Yang remained expressionless, rainwater continuously flowing down his face as blood dripped from his hand.

His eyes were frighteningly calm, like the bottom of an ancient well.

Without hesitation, he crouched down and made a sword shape with his fingers.

*Swoosh!*

His fingers sliced across the steward’s arm, causing a deep wound to appear instantly as blood began flowing onto the ground.

The steward squirmed in horror, his eyes filled with terror.

Lu Yang pointed at the muddy earth and uttered a single word.

"Write."

The steward froze, his entire body trembling.

He understood what Lu Yang meant in an instant.

He wanted to know who ordered him to do this.

If he didn’t write, he would die, and if he wrote, he might still die, but at least there was a chance of survival as a crippled person.

Even ants cling to life, let alone humans.

With shaky fingers, he dipped his hand into the blood flowing from his arm and slowly began to write.

The words were crude, barely visible due to both the rain and the fact that the one writing them was half dead, but the blood of a Body Tempering Realm cultivator was extremely dense and viscous, making it harder to be washed away by simple rainwater.

Everyone present stared intently at the words, stroke after stroke, as the courtyard became completely silent for a moment. Even the sound of rainfall seemed distant.

Gradually, several words appeared on the ground.

The moment everyone saw them, their expressions changed drastically.

’Madam Shu’s personal maid.’

Even though many people had already guessed the answer, seeing it confirmed still sent chills through their hearts.

The atmosphere became incomparably oppressive.

The steward collapsed weakly to the ground, his breathing becoming increasingly ragged.

Lu Yang glanced at the words, pausing for a moment, but his expression did not change in the slightest, almost as if he had expected this answer from the very beginning.

He lowered his gaze once more and asked another question.

"What happened to the woman and child?"

The steward froze, his body trembling violently as blood continued gushing forth from his arm.

He hesitated for a moment before raising his hand, his fingers shaking uncontrollably as he began to write.

’Killed.’

Silence descended upon the surroundings as every present felt their hearts turn cold.

Even some veteran cultivators widened their eyes slightly, slightly shocked inwardly.

To silence witnesses and erase evidence, the mastermind had truly left nothing behind.

They probably never intended to let the cultivator’s family go even if he had escaped successfully.

The steward collapsed onto the ground, his remaining strength completely drained as his face turned pale as paper.

At this moment, Lu Yang finally stood up, rainwater sliding down his robes.

*Crackle!*

A streak of lightning flashed through the dim sky, causing the blood covering his hand to seem even brighter.

The steward looked upward, his eyes filled with fear, as if looking at something extremely terrifying.

Just then, Lu Yang raised his foot.

*Boom!!*

The earth exploded outward as a crater several feet deep appeared on the ground, causing mud and rainwater to shoot into the sky.

Beneath his foot was not even a complete corpse, but just a mangled clump of flesh and bones barely resembling the person.

The sudden violence caused many mortal clan members to shudder involuntarily.

Many of them had watched Lu Yang grow up, but this was the first time they ever saw such a side of him.

The current Lu Yang was no longer calm or rational, neither was he the gentle, polite genius admired throughout the Lu Family.

He was a son whose parents had just been murdered; nothing more, nothing less.

The next moment, he vanished from his original spot.

*Boom!*

The rain curtain exploded apart as a figure covered in crimson Blood Qi shot toward the distant main family estate at a terrifying speed.

The gathered clan members stared blankly, at a loss for several seconds until someone finally reacted.

"What do we do now?"

All eyes turned towards the Internal Affairs Grand Elder.

The old man stared at the distant figure speeding through the thunderstorm, letting out a long sigh filled with helplessness.

Then, he finally spoke in a weary tone.

"Follow him."

The surrounding cultivators immediately nodded.

"Yes!"

One after another, figures rushed into the rain.

...

The journey back to the main family took only minutes.

Along the way, countless clan members noticed the disturbance.

Although no one yet knew the results of the investigation, everyone knew that Lu Yang’s parents had been murdered.

Now, since he appeared in the main family in such a hurry, something was definitely wrong.

Lu Yang’s robes were soaked, blood staining his hands.

The rain washed endlessly over them, but the crimson color just wouldn’t fade.

Soon enough, a large mansion appeared ahead in his vision.

It was Madam Shu’s residence.

At this moment, after noticing the direction he was going, numerous clan members had already gathered nearby.

Nobody spoke or moved, the atmosphere feeling extremely suffocating.

A storm was coming, and everyone knew that they were powerless to stop it.

Lu Yang stopped at the entrance of the mansion, his gaze landing on a familiar figure standing before the gates.

Rain poured down from above, but the handsome man stood motionlessly, his back facing the gates.

His clothes were completely soaked, his fists clenched tightly.

It was none other than Lu Tianhe.

The moment their eyes met, an oppressive silence blanketed the surroundings like a curtain.

Countless clan members held their breath, watching the two greatest geniuses in the history of the Lu Family face each other under such circumstances.

Lu Tianhe looked older than before, having lost much of his younger arrogance.

His expression was complicated, guilt clearly visible in his eyes; he knew why Lu Yang was here.

Several moments passed in silence, lightning flashing and thunder roaring continously in the heavens above as the rain intensified even more.

Finally, Lu Tianhe stepped forward, his voice hoarse.

"Lu Yang, I know what happened."

The rain continued falling as Lu Yang remained silent, choosing not to speak.

Lu Tianhe continued, sounding almost desperate, "There has to be something we’re missing, no, there must be some misunderstanding."

His voice became increasingly strained as he spoke.

"I know my mother, she..."

The words caught in his throat; even he no longer fully believed them.

However, he still continued.

"Please, at least let us investigate further, maybe—"

"Move."

Only a single, cold word escaped Lu Yang’s lips, instantly interrupting Lu Tianhe.

Lu Tianhe froze, his expression twisting slightly, a hint of struggle appearing on his face, but he ultimately did not step aside.

Instead, he stood directly in front of the entrance like an impenetrable wall, the final barrier holding back a flood.

"No."

His voice trembled slightly for the first time.

"Whatever happened... she’s still my mother."

The surrounding crowd became even quieter as his words fell.

Lu Tianhe lowered his head briefly before raising it again, extreme pain and guilt filling his eyes.

"I know what she did before, and I also know how much she hurt you. I know all of it, but..."

His fists clenched until blood stained his palms, nails breaking the skin.

"I can’t let her die. No matter how guilty I feel, no matter what happened, I just can’t."

Rainwater continuously poured down between them as silence descended briefly once more.

Then, Lu Yang raised his gaze and looked directly into Lu Tianhe’s eyes.

The temperature of the entire area seemed to drop; every clan member felt chills run through their spines.

In an incomparably cold voice, Lu Yang finally spoke, each word striking the hearts of everyone present like a sledgehammer.

"Get..."

He took a step forward, Blood Qi beginning to condense around him.

"Out..."

He took another step, clenching his fists tightly.

"Of..."

The pressure surrounding him surged, immense Blood Qi roaring like a raging river.

"My..."

The stone beneath his feet cracked under the pressure as Lu Tianhe’s face turned extremely grim.

"Way."