In a suburban area more than a hundred kilometers from Cangyun City stood Centipede Mountain.
A young man in white robes sat at a square table, holding a teacup. His clear eyes glinted with curiosity as he surveyed his surroundings.
"Young Master, about Cangyun City..." a middle-aged man beside him whispered.
Before he could finish, the white-robed youth waved a hand to silence him. "Let's not discuss business while we're relaxing."
"Yes," the middle-aged man responded with a respectful nod.
At the teahouse, a group of fully-equipped hikers were chatting excitedly. It was clear from their conversation that they had just descended Centipede Mountain.
"This time, we all broke our previous records! Especially Zhang, he reached the summit in eighteen minutes. That has to be an all-time record, right?"
"Definitely, and in this snowy weather! Now we'll see who can break *that* record."
Discussions buzzed from all corners.
The middle-aged man named Zhang laughed heartily and announced, "I'll rest for two days and then come back. I'm determined to reach the summit in under fifteen minutes."
"Haha!"
A wave of admiration and laughter erupted.
"Trash."
The white-robed youth shook his head and smiled faintly.
Huh?
His voice, not deliberately lowered, echoed clearly through the small teahouse. The hikers all turned, their gazes locking onto the young man with open hostility.
"Kid, who are you calling trash?" Zhang demanded, his voice sharp.
"What's with this guy? Just some wet-behind-the-ears kid thinks he has the right to criticize us?"
"The kid's an idiot," another hiker muttered.
The white-robed youth simply smiled without saying a word. He motioned for the middle-aged man beside him to leave a stack of money on the table. As he rose to leave, he said coolly, "Boss, please take this for your trouble."
Everyone was speechless.
"You think you can just insult someone and walk away?" Zhang roared, leaping to his feet in a fury.
Just as he was about to step forward to block the white-robed youth, Zhang's entire body silently disintegrated.
"What the..."
The pupils of the others constricted violently.
The once-bustling teahouse was plunged into a deathly silence.
"By the way, if you're worried about how to explain this, just use my name," the white-robed youth said, his voice drifting back as he stepped into the snowstorm. "My name is Tu Su, and I'm from the Imperial Clan."
The teahouse owner stood frozen.
The wind and snow cut like knives, the cold seeping into one's bones.
The young man named Tu Su, clad only in a light robe, strolled through the blizzard, an expression of serene enjoyment on his face. He finally turned to the middle-aged man beside him. "What were you about to say earlier?"
"Young Master, Tu Huan, whom our clan sent to manage the Elders' Court, was severely injured—almost crippled," the middle-aged man reported.
Tu Su reached out and caught a withered leaf carried on the wind.
"It was Chen Yang, the Former Chief Military Commander, who just returned from the national war."
The middle-aged man, Hou Jinshui, continued, "According to Tu Huan, he announced his affiliation with our Imperial Clan, but this Chen Yang showed no hesitation, attacking him with lethal force."
SWISH.
Tu Su flicked his finger. The withered leaf in his hand tore through the snowstorm and shot into the teahouse with lightning speed.
"I'm a little angry."
Tu Su shook his head. "Jinshui, how long has it been since our Imperial Clan was provoked like this?"
Hou Jinshui thought for a moment before answering with certainty, "Never before."
"Well, now it has." A faint smile played on Tu Su's lips. "Tell me, do you think it's because our Imperial Clan has remained hidden for too long, so seldom showing our face in the mortal world that so many people have forgotten that an Imperial Clan like ours even exists?
"To the point where they have no idea of our clan's power and heritage? So some piece of trash who leads armies into battle dares to come and stomp on us without a second thought?"
"Young Master, I believe that is the case."
Tu Su laughed. "That's fine, then! Since this Chen Yang fellow has some reputation, killing him will serve to warn the others."
"Young Master is wise."
* * *
Two directives issued by the Elders' Court caused a massive uproar in Cangyun City.
The first was another round of rewards for the Martial Guards who had participated in the national war.
The second, however, made many people's eyes twitch in disbelief.
The prior capture of Ning Kun had thrown the city into turmoil. It was widely believed that the Falcon Master had orchestrated it as a way to seize control of the Hanyun Valley Martial Guards.
But speculation was just speculation.
Who could have possibly imagined that, a mere half-month later, the Falcon Master himself would personally admit his mistake and apologize?
Wasn't that just slapping his own face?
This also served as an indirect admission that the reasons for capturing Ning Kun were fabricated. His only goal was to take control of the formidable Hanyun Valley Martial Guards.
"Breaking news! Just today, Former Chief Military Commander Chen Yang attended a banquet at the Elders' Court! These two directives were issued shortly after!"
"My God! Have those two powerhouses already started to clash head-on?"
"Heh. This clearly shows that a winner has already been decided."
All of Cangyun City was in an uproar, with heated discussions erupting everywhere.
"See? That Former Chief Military Commander still cares for his comrades-in-arms! He's fighting to vindicate the brothers who fought in the national war and secure benefits for them! Neither of the two directives was for himself."
"Alas! A man tries to hold up the sky for others, but this world has no place for him! What a damned world!"
As the subject of these discussions, Chen Yang left the Elders' Court and drove to the hospital.
Yang Hu had told him that the young women who had been victimized by Luo Chen were sent to the hospital in time and were no longer in serious danger after several days of treatment.
They wanted to thank Chen Yang in person.
Of course, Chen Yang wasn't going there to accept their thanks. He was going to take them to a funeral.
I wonder if they'll be too afraid to attend. But I have to try, don't I?
Soon, the business van arrived at the hospital entrance.
As usual, a steady stream of people hurried in and out.
What was perplexing, however, was the sight of five or six luxury cars, each worth millions, parked at the entrance of this ordinary hospital, along with a news van.
"Is something big happening at the hospital today?" Yang Hu muttered as he got out of the car.
Chen Yang's eyebrows lifted. He paused in thought, a cold smile soon curling on his lips.
As the old saying goes, if something seems strange, there's mischief afoot. Luxury cars and a news van... someone is probably here for those girls. The goal is undoubtedly to whitewash Luo Chen's reputation and salvage the Luo Family's honor, even if it means taking a great risk. After all, the video Luo Chen recorded before he died put the entire Luo Family in the eye of the storm. This mess has to be cleaned up one way or another.
Yang Hu led the way, noticing the cold sneer on Chen Yang's lips and the chilling light in his eyes.