The aftermath of the ferocious ghost was a manor full of dead bodies. All the disciples were bewildered and deeply regretful for what had become of the family.
Feng Huiyi looked at Jingfeng Jun and asked.
"Jingfeng Jun, what is this vicious ghost?"
Jingfeng Jun ran his hand over the pouch while infusing spiritual power into it to see what kind of ghost this was, but midway, he stopped, looking stunned.
"Jingfeng Jun? What's wrong?" Feng Chunlei asked.
Jingfeng Jun shook his head and said.
"This isn't a ghost. This is the essence of the Crane's Amulet."
Silence filled the air as the name lingered in their minds. Only one other name came to their minds when they heard of the Crane's Amulet.
"Bai Ruyi."
Once a cultivator who was part of the eminent pair of twins from the Bai/Long clan. Now, people only remember them as the ruthless and cruel ghost general.
Scratching his forehead, Feng Chunlei asked.
"Wasn't the Crane's Amulet destroyed during the Seige of Eternal Night? How can it still be here?"
Jingfeng Jun didn't answer the question; his face darkened, and all the disciples knew to not ask any more questions. As the silence loomed over them again, Huiyi suddenly remembered about the madman and asked.
"Has anyone seen Xia gongzi?"
Feng Chunlei looked around and pointed to the body lying on the floor and said.
"Isn't that him right there?"
"No, I meant the other Xia gongzi," Feng Huiyi responded.
"Oh, you mean the madman?"
Upon hearing about the madman, Jingfeng Jun looked at the two boys and asked.
"Madman?"
"Jingfeng Jun, Xia gongzi is the nephew of the patriarch. This time it was thanks to his help that we were able to solve some of the issues."
Jingfeng Jun nodded and said to the group.
"I see. If you see him later, tell him I would like to ask him a few questions. Otherwise, clean up the place and head back to the clan. The hunt will start soon."
"Understood!"
With the Crane's Amulet stored in a secure place, Jingfeng Jun returned to the clan first.
When the sun rose and shops began to open, the person used the money they had taken from the manor to buy a new outfit. As the person changed into new clothes, they looked at the lotus tattoo under their collarbone. Four of the petals have now faded, leaving only a scar as a reminder.
I didn't take part in killing the Xia family. So, just how?
A thick sense of unease settled over the person, but with two petals left to wither, they knew they had to stow that worry away for the time being. Besides, they didn't know who the last two enemies were, but if they had to guess, it would be none other than Xia Luli's father and stepmother. The question, however, was, who were they? Although the diary mentions them, there were no mentions of which family or sect they were from. However, as if the heavens had heard their thoughts, the boss and some of her staff started to gossip about the Xia family.
"They're all dead."
"Not a single person survived? What about the cultivators then?" the boss asked.
"I heard that they were fine. But the incident was covered up well. No one knows what caused the death of the Xia family."
"How unfortunate," - the boss sighed - "I especially pity the nephew. First, he lost his mother, now his life."
"Hmm, but what can we say. His mother was unlucky to be spotted by the Jin clan. But I don't think her ending would have been any better living in that family."
The Jin clan? Looks like I found my next destination.
Dressed in a simple black robe, they secured their hair with a dark ice-blue ribbon. After securing the mask on, the person took their horse and embarked on their journey.
To get to Jinshan, one had to take the road that leads to the Feng clan. Although it wasn't an ideal route, it was the fastest way. Leisurely riding their horse, the person enjoyed the view along the way. Although they had a mission to complete, taking a few extra hours to enjoy the scenery wouldn't hurt. It had been too long since they had been able to enjoy the fresh air and green leaves of spring.
At the pace that they were going, it took almost a full day to arrive at the Feng clan. Expecting to pass by the area quickly, they were instead greeted by the sound of fighting.
"Who do you think you are to stop me!"
"Who do you think you are?! You can't just do whatever you want because you have money!"
"Chunlei, calm down. Long gongzi, the hunt will start tomorrow. If you enter the hunting grounds now and set up traps, it will be unfair to the others and may cause injuries."
The person got off their horse and hid behind a tree to see what was happening. Peering out from behind the tree, they could see Feng Huiyi, Feng Chunlei, and the rest of the group fighting with another group of boys dressed in deep ocean-blue robes with waves embroidered on them. The boy arguing with Feng Chunlei seemed to be a few years younger than him. His clothes were embroidered with a dragon, signifying that he was someone with a high status within the clan, and the sword by his side was a high-quality spiritual tool.
Huh... the kid is already a brat at such a young age, the person thought.
Continuing to observe the situation, they then heard the boy say.
"Humph... If they can't tell where the traps are, they don't deserve to be here."
Feng Chunlei could not hide his anger and wanted to storm up to Long gongzi, but Feng Huiyi pulled him back.
"Chunlei, calm down. They are our guest. We can not cause trouble for Hanhuai Jun."
"Huiyi, don't hold me back. I'll take the punishment later. Let me teach this jerk a lesson first!"
It took the entire group to hold Feng Chunlei back. Meanwhile, Long gongzi was standing there with a smug look on his face. Frustration simmered within; the person tethered their horse's reins to a sturdy tree and crept silently up behind the group. Quietly, they whispered a word and knocked out the Long clan disciples, leaving Long Gongzi alone.
Hearing the drop of bodies, everyone turned to see what was going on. The moment Feng Huiyi spotted them, he shouted.
"Xia gongzi!"
The person gave the group a little wave and said.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll help you take care of him."
"But..."
"Don't worry. I'm not part of your guy's clan, so I won't bring trouble to you all. Besides, you helped me before. Let me repay the favor."
"But..."
"Go!"
The power and authority in their voice were so familiar that the boys couldn't help but obey. As the boys ran away, Long gongzi pulled out his sword to attack the person. However, they were one step ahead and knocked the sword out of Long gongzi's hand. Falling out of his reach, Long gongzi resulted to his hands and feet to fight. Yet once again, he was one step behind the person. By the time he spotted where the person was, he had already been struck by an invisible force, crushing him to the ground, rendering him useless.
"You! Who do you think you are?! Release me!"
The person bent down, patted the boy on the back, and said.
"You don't need to know who I am. All you need to know is that your manners are still lacking in many ways."
"You! Who are you to care about my manners! Don't you know who my father is?!"
Sarcastically responded, the person said.
"Oh no, I'm so scared. Please, do tell. Who is your father?"
"My father is clan leader Long," -the person froze when they heard the name- "What? Are you scared now?"
The person laughed out loud. Who would have thought that this little brat before them was their nephew? The world, indeed, was good at playing tricks on people. As their last laugh left their mouth, footsteps could be heard approaching them.
"Long Jing, what are you doing on the ground?"
Peering through the trees, the person could see a familiar face. However, the features have become more mature, and the skin is taner due to the years spent under the sun. To avoid trouble, the person drew a smoke talisman and released it after freeing Long Jing. They then climbed up a nearby tree and used an invisibility talisman.
Long Jing quickly got up and ran to his father.
"Dad, that person, he..."
Turning back, Long Jing realized the person was nowhere to be seen. Consumed with rage, he screamed.
"Coward! Come out here if you dare!"
Long Yuzhe couldn't understand what his son was screaming about and told him to be quiet.
"What are you yelling for? There's no one here."
"Dad, there was a madman here earlier. He knocked out our men and hit me as well."
Long Yuzhe looked around to see some disciples passed out on the ground. However, no matter how much spiritual power he released, he could not sense the presence of another person nearby. Suddenly, a new set of footsteps could be heard approaching them. It turns out the Feng clan disciples had returned. This time, they came with Jingfeng Jun.
Coming to a stop, Jingfeng Jun simply stood there without saying a single word while all the other disciples paid their respects to Long Yuzhe.
"So it turns out to be Feng Er gongzi. To what pleasure do we owe you?"
Jingfeng Jun didn't respond.
"I heard you have traveled a lot these past 15 years. Have you found anything worth sharing during your journey?" Long Yuzhe continued.
Jingfeng Jun still didn't respond to Long Yuzhe's comments. He only turned his head back slightly to Feng Huiyi. Catching the signal, Feng Huiyi stepped forward, bowed again to Long Yuzhe, and said.
"Clan leader Long, the welcoming banquet will start soon. Please allow us to lead you in."
Watching from the tree, the person couldn't help but think of the situation before them. Back then, Jingfeng Jun and Long Yuzhe had a great relationship and often hung out together. So what had happened while the person was dead?
Feng Zhiyu seems to want no association with Xiaolan. He won't even look at him, the person thought.
While they continued to observe, Long Jing said.
"Humph... What are you not going to act all tough anymore?"
Seeing Long Jing's arrogant attitude, Feng Chunlei wanted to storm up to him and give him a good beating, but the others held him back. Feng Huiyi only smiled politely and responded.
"Long gongzi, you are unfamiliar with the hunting grounds here. If you insist on setting up traps now and get hurt, it will put us in a difficult position."
"You-"
"Enough! Long Jing, stop causing trouble for Jingfeng Jun. We are guests, after all. We should follow their rules and mind our own business."
A palpable tension hung in the air as everyone recognized the double meaning behind Long Yuzhe's words. Yet, with Jingfeng Jun remaining unresponsive, no one dared to break the silence. Long Yuzhe and Long Jing then followed some of the disciples and left.
As the person waited for the rest to leave, they suddenly heard the sound of their horse. Looking back to where they tied it, they realized that their steed had escaped. This also caught the attention of the others. So the rest of the disciples went to find the source of the sound, leaving Jingfeng Jun behind.
Thinking that Jingfeng Jun would soon leave, the person relaxed a bit. Yet, before the tension could leave their body, they heard Jingfeng Jun say.
"Come out."