"How did this have anything to do with the Lu Clan? King Cobra is a wanted criminal who has taken countless lives as a lone wolf. Despite the fact that the w.a.n.g Clan is not on good terms with the Lu Clan, they can't possibly s.h.i.+ft the blame on the Lu Clan just because someone died in their clan. It could be that the w.a.n.g Clan offended someone themselves or w.a.n.g Haofei offended King Cobra. There's also a possibility that maybe King Cobra killed him for wealth!"

"You may be right about that, but you are missing a key point!"

"Which key point?"

"Now that things have turned out this way, there's really nothing to hide from Liqiang!" Lu Peien shook his head and smiled wryly. If Yan Liqiang was an ordinary youth, it would be fine if he didn't tell Yan Liqiang. However, Yan Liqiang was a shrewd boy. Things had blown up between the w.a.n.g and Lu Clan. If he didn't tell Yan Liqiang now, there might be misunderstandings and rifts between them by the time Yan Liqiang found out for himself in the future. Hence, it was better to clear things up with him now. After all, this was also one of the reasons behind his visit to Pingxi City. "This matter is also related to Beixin!"

"What has it got to do with Miss Lu again?" Yan Liqiang asked, despite knowing the answer already. Deep down, he suddenly managed to connect all the dots.

"Beixin also studies at the martial arts academy and she previously became acquainted with w.a.n.g Haofei. She then got into some sort of relations.h.i.+p with him and kept it a secret from the clan. Don't overthink this, Liqiang. Although Beixin was in a relations.h.i.+p with w.a.n.g Haofei, she had to scrupulously abide by the rules and she didn't go overboard. Heaven and Earth can testify to this…"

"Yes, I have met the Ninth Lady. She is indeed rational and well-behaved. I believe she wouldn't do anything that is over the top either. I am guessing that w.a.n.g Haofei initiated the relations.h.i.+p between him and the Ninth Lady, possibly with some impure intentions…"

"Exactly!" Lu Peien slapped his thigh. "But the Old Master still found out about this in the end and he was extremely furious. When the academy reopened during the ninth lunar month, he grounded Beixin. As punishment, he shut her up and made her reflect on her mistake. He also forced her to promise that she wouldn't have anything to do with that w.a.n.g guy from then on. But w.a.n.g Haofei didn't know about this. The night he was murdered, he was actually waiting to meet Beixin on that isle. Unfortunately, he was killed by King Cobra instead. What do you think the w.a.n.g Clan would think about this?"

The w.a.n.g and Lu Clan had always been sworn enemies. A man from the w.a.n.g Clan seduced a woman from the Lu Clan and was murdered by someone at the place where he was supposed to meet the woman. Of all places, the two of them had chosen a very obscure place to meet. Apart from the both of them, no one else would really know about the place. What would the w.a.n.g Clan possibly think of this…?

"This is indeed hard to explain!"

"Indeed. In Huanglong County, we, the Lu Clan, have never feared the w.a.n.gs even in the slightest. When push comes to shove, we will just deal with it when the time comes. If we are going to fight, there are fighters in our clan. However, the Lu Clan has really been falsely accused over this incident. It is not worth it for us to take the blame either. If the w.a.n.g Clan really decides to take revenge for this incident, then it's inevitable that there might be casualties, even among our younger generation. Even if we can avenge them, we can't avoid turning this into an armed battle. Right now, things are extremely tense between the w.a.n.g Clan and the Lu Clan in Huanglong County. The younger ones are growing wary when they are outside, fearing that the w.a.n.g Clan will come for revenge…" Lu Peien explained, his eyebrows tightly knitted together.

"How does Old Master Lu plan to handle this?"

"Old Master Lu doesn't wish to turn this into a conflict with the w.a.n.g Clan without rhyme or reason. Therefore, he personally wrote a letter to the Old Master of the w.a.n.g Clan. But according to the messenger, the Old Master of the w.a.n.g Clan tossed the letter into the brazier in which they burnt paper money for w.a.n.g Haofei without even reading it…"

"That means that the w.a.n.g Clan isn't willing to leave this matter alone!"

"Yes, w.a.n.g Haofei was always deemed as the most outstanding youth among the younger generation in the w.a.n.g Clan. He was even a potential candidate to succeed as the next w.a.n.g Clan head. Now that he was murdered just like this, the w.a.n.g Clan definitely won't take this while lying down."

"How are the preparations coming along in the w.a.n.g Clan?"

"Naturally, they are eager to get into action and are already rounding up people who can fight with them!"

"Just let me know if you need my help, Sixth Master!"

Lu Peien smiled. With haughtiness in his tone of voice, he said, "Just concentrate on your studies in the martial arts academy, Liqiang. Although the Lu Clan didn't wish to be involved in this incident without rhyme or reason and have to put up a life or death struggle against them, we definitely are not targets for the w.a.n.g Clan to bully either. If the w.a.n.g Clan can round up people, so can we. Besides, this isn't the first time we have fought with them. Anyhow, even if we are not the ones who ordered someone to a.s.sa.s.sinate w.a.n.g Haofei, he deserves to die. He definitely had some impure intentions in approaching Beixin. I went to the martial arts academy this time to look for two academy tutors I know because I wish to find out if w.a.n.g Haofei had any enemies, if he offended anyone in the academy, or if anyone had deliberately framed the Lu Clan because they wanted us to fight the w.a.n.g Clan…"

"Did you find out anything?"

"They said the young lord of the Prefectural Governor is the only person w.a.n.g Haofei was close with. He rarely appeared at the martial arts academy and didn't offend anyone either."

"Rest a.s.sured, Sixth Master, I know a few people in the martial arts academy too. My friends and I will keep an eye out for things. I will inform Sixth Master immediately if we have any information!"

"Good!" Lu Peien nodded and glanced at Yan Liqiang again before he laughed. "Liqiang, don't be a stranger. Stop calling me Sixth Master. Call me Sixth Brother like Beixin does. Being called Sixth Master makes me feel old!"

If Yan Liqiang got together with Lu Beixin, then he'd really have to call Lu Peien his 'Sixth Brother'. For Lu Peien to ask Yan Liqiang to change his form of address meant that Yan Liqiang had won his approval and he was about to treat Yan Liqiang as his younger brother-in-law.

"It is an honor, Sixth Brother!" Yan Liqiang stood up and gave Lu Peien a solemn bow.

Lu Peien smiled and quickly pulled Yan Liqiang up. He then fished out a shortsword and handed it over to Yan Liqiang. "I didn't prepare anything for this visit to Pingxi City. This shortsword is something I got a few years ago by chance, and I named it 'Black Scale'. Rumors have it that this was tempered with by an expert with some sort of unusual flame. I shall give you this today, Liqiang!"

Unusual flame? This was the second time Yan Liqiang had come across this term. He heard it for the first time at the Divine Sword Sect — that there was a type of unusual flame within Tianqiao Peak.

Yan Liqiang accepted the shortsword Lu Peien handed over to him without declining, and then immediately unsheathed it.

The sheath and grip of the shortsword were made out of ordinary wood while only the guard and the pommel were made out of steel. It didn't really have that many decorative designs on it. It was a simple and non-flashy weapon. When Yan Liqiang drew the sword out, he was slightly stunned by the sight of the dark and swarthy blade.

Lu Peien smiled beside him and grabbed a pair of chopsticks on the table. Without exerting much force, he lightly tapped the chopsticks on the edge of the blade. The chopsticks instantly split cleanly in half.

The sharpness of this shortsword was simply beyond imagination.

"Ah!" Yan Liqiang gasped in surprise.

"It has been said that the unusual flame will be able to draw in the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, mixing it in with the item that is being tempered with during the process. Hence, items that have been tempered by these unusual flames contain outstanding qualities!"

"Sixth Brother, this is much too expensive for a gift!"

"This thing isn't too useful to me since I am not a Martial Warrior. If the Lu Clan really needed someone like me to draw my sword and fight, then it must be at the end of its line. Liqiang, you have boundless future prospects ahead of you. As the saying goes, 'a great gift is for a great man'. You are the more fitting owner of this shortsword!"

"Thank you, Sixth Brother!" Yan Liqiang put away the shortsword in his hands. "What exactly is that unusual flame you speak of?"

"That unusual flame? I have never seen it so I don't know too much about it either. All I know is that the unusual flame seems to be a mysterious matter born from Heaven and Earth. The ores and weapons tempered with the unusual flame are extremely sharp. Refined objects that are tempered with it will also possess some strange attributes. By the time you progress into becoming a Martial Warrior and get to know more people, you will probably find out more about it…"

"Alright…"

...

After finis.h.i.+ng their meal, Lu Peien left on his horse carriage. Before he left, he reminded Yan Liqiang to visit the Lu Residence when he had the time.

After seeing Lu Peien off, Yan Liqiang held the Black Scale shortsword close to his chest and went off in the direction of the Nine Dragons Bridge.

On his way there, he kept thinking about w.a.n.g Haofei. He couldn't help but feel astonished. He didn't expect that by killing w.a.n.g Haofei in advance, thus changing history and dispelling his imminent crisis, would in turn aggravate the relations.h.i.+p between the Lu Clan and the w.a.n.g Clan. After coming back full circle, he was once again indirectly involved in this matter. The will of Heaven was indeed hard to fathom...

...

Yan Liqiang stayed for two consecutive days in the room he had rented near the Nine Dragons Bridge. During the day he wandered and strolled around to observe and shop a little like someone who had nothing better to do. Apart from cultivating Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing in his room, he frequently went out at night and didn't return until the wee hours of the night. Two days later, on the 30th day of the tenth lunar month, the moment Yan Liqiang had been waiting for finally arrived...