The sky was a deep, unfathomable blue, without a trace of cloud or dust, and the crescent moon, clear and bright, hung in the southern sky as if suspended by invisible threads, yet it seemed to float without support, like a divine sickle that had suddenly paused in its flight.
A shadow stood under a large tree, its presence almost indiscernible in the visual contrast between the moonlight and the shadow of the tree. Having received news about his mother during the day, Ye Han had been anxious to learn of her current state and what games the Helian clan were playing. So, with the cover of darkness, he had stealthily made his way here.
The residence he looked upon, comparable to Western architecture on Earth, exuded an aura of antiquity and prestige. On its gate hung a signboard a meter in length, inscribed boldly with the characters "Helian".
Ye Han had no intention of entering directly. Instead, he used his stealth techniques to observe the Helian family mansion from the outside. He was astounded to find as many as forty hidden guards around the residence, making it utterly impenetrable.
"They think they can find me," Ye Han muttered to himself, his figure suddenly vanishing without a sound.
Although the Helian family was considered a second-rate clan, their mansion was undeniably vast. Ye Han moved beneath the ground, occasionally popping his head out before disappearing again.
"Finally here," Ye Han sighed with relief, extending his soul power to probe his surroundings. Detecting no hidden presence, he moved towards a room ahead, the very courtyard of the Helian family where he had lived for nearly fourteen years.
He pushed open the door only to find it empty. After a quick survey, just as he was about to leave, he heard someone approaching and quickly retreated underground.
"Ah, honestly, why does the third mistress even bother with these old things from here?" one of the two servants who arrived lamented.
"Isn't she thinking of her son?"
"Which one?"
"The seventh young master." After a brief search inside the house, they took some items frequently used by Ye Han and left.
Ye Han, listening from beneath the ground, followed them as they left, locking onto their scents. They walked for about fifteen minutes, passing through three courtyards, when Ye Han suddenly sensed a familiar aura.
"The items you requested, third mistress."
"Just leave them there, and you may leave," a voice tinged with sorrow came from the house. Ye Han, listening intently from just outside, was thrilled; it was his mother's voice.
"Wuji, where are you now?" The voice from the house sounded again, this time with a cry.
Emerging slowly from the ground, Ye Han pushed open the door. "Didn't I tell you to leave?" a faint voice of reproof came from within.
Ye Han ignored it and proceeded towards the source of the sound. The interior was identical to the courtyard he had just left.
Without pausing, he continued inside. "Who is it?" The person inside, sensing something amiss, quickly asked, followed by footsteps.
"Who are you?" the woman who emerged asked, slightly frightened by the sight of the figure in black.
Ye Han slowly removed his black hat, revealing snow-white hair and a face familiar to the woman, who burst into tears, rushing towards him.
"Wuji, is it really you?" she asked, grasping his hands in disbelief.
"Mother," Ye Han said simply, the word heavy with meaning. In the fifteen years of his life, only this woman had truly been kind to him.
The woman's tears flowed even faster upon hearing his response. "A month, it's been a month. Do you know how much I've missed you?" she sobbed.
Ye Han remained still and silent, simply watching his mother. One cried while the other stood quietly until, half an hour later, the woman finally stopped her tears but continued to hold onto Ye Han's hands.
"Mother, what's this about?" Ye Han finally spoke when he saw her tears had ceased.
"It's your father's arrangement."
"Mother, weren't you..." Ye Han started to ask a difficult question but then hesitated, leaving it unasked.
"I survived because of your father and grandfather. They pleaded with the Ottofo sacrificial rites to save me, granting me the status of our clan," his mother said, her face briefly lighting up with a smile, indicating her current well-being in the Helian clan, but her smile was soon replaced by a look of worry.
After years of waiting for such an outcome, she should have been happy, but now, having these things meant losing her son who had been by her side for years.
"By the way, Wuji, I heard from your father that you killed those they sent after you, is that true?" she asked abruptly.
"Yes. All those who tried to catch
me had to die," Ye Han replied gravely.
"Wuji, you shouldn't have."
"If I hadn't killed them, they would have killed me," Ye Han argued, his anger rising, the savage nature of his undead heritage beginning to alter him.
"People should be killed, but not those from the Helian clan. You've misunderstood your father," his mother replied, not opposing Ye Han's actions given the world's nature where strength ruled all.
"Misunderstood? How can I misunderstand what happened in the hall that day? He wished me dead," Ye Han replied, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Ah, it's all because of the Patrickly family's coercion. We, the Helian clan, are but a minor second-rate family. The Patricklys are among the ten great families in Kelter City, so your father..."
"Just because the Patrickly family is powerful, should my life be used to atone to them?"
"No, your father never intended to hand you over, but they captured your fourth and sixth brothers to threaten him and your grandfather. They wanted your cultivation method," she explained urgently, seeing Ye Han's deep misunderstanding of the Helian family.
"He told you that, didn't he?" Ye Han sneered coldly. "Since you're here, come in," he called to someone at the door.
With a sigh, the door opened, and Helian Jing Lei entered, taken aback at the sight of Ye Han.
"You..." As a ninth-grade swordsman, Helian Jing Lei immediately recognized Ye Han's strength, which was puzzling given that Ye Han had been crippled before and now possessed the strength of a fifth-grade swordsman.
"Surprised?" Ye Han asked, his voice cold as ice.
"Indeed, I am surprised," Helian Jing Lei recovered quickly, a flash of regret and confusion in his eyes, but he wisely refrained from asking further questions.
"The things my mother just mentioned, you told her those?"
"Yes, I know you may not believe me, but it's all true."
"Should I believe you?"
"Come with me, and you'll see that what I say is true," Helian Jing Lei said, walking outside. Ye Han followed.
"Wuji," his mother's voice, filled with worry, reached Ye Han's ears. He stopped, turned around, and reassured her before continuing outside.
Father and son walked in silence. Led by Helian Jing Lei, they soon arrived at another house. Inside, two young men lay on single beds, pale and unconscious, recognizable as Ye Han's fourth and sixth brothers.
Their condition was dire, with severed limbs and gouged eyes, a state identical to Kai Yi, whom Ye Han had crippled. Seeing this, Ye Han finally believed his mother's words.
"Very well, Patrickly family," Ye Han clenched his fists, his voice deep and ominous.
"Wuji, it wasn't that your grandfather and I turned on you suddenly," Helian Jing Lei began, lacking the demeanor of a ninth-level powerhouse.
"No need to say more. Take good care of my mother. The Patrickly family will die," Ye Han declared, disappearing from the room as his threat echoed.