37: This matter is somewhat strange.

After Hong Yu brought the Tiger Yao's corpse back to his residence, he began to dismantle it.

A Yao Beast with a cultivation base is full of treasures; besides the portion for the mission, the rest were his own spoils of war, which could be traded at the market for a significant amount of Spirit Stones.

Hong Yu worked with great enthusiasm while looking at the empty loft, unable to help shaking his head.

Who would have thought that of the group that set out, he was the only one left.

Sun Yang's duplicity and City Lord Wang's ruthlessness made Hong Yu sigh inwardly; cultivating was truly difficult, and everyone seemed to have eight hundred hidden agendas.

He wondered if it was because the stupid System had used up all his luck; ever since activating the System, the peaceful life he craved had drifted further and further away.

After handling everything, Hong Yu continued to Cultivate while waiting to return to the Xuan Yun Residence with the merchant caravan.

Time spent in cultivation always passed quickly. The next day, Hong Yu used the token Wang Lie gave him to hitch a ride with the merchant guild.

Because of the token, the people from the merchant guild didn't make things difficult for him; instead, they provided him with good food and drink, not daring to be even slightly negligent.

Hong Yu was happy with this arrangement, cultivating on the way back while thinking about what to do after his return.

The punishment from the sect rules was only one aspect; the backgrounds of Li Fei and the other two were also very troublesome. Once they knew he was the killer, they would surely retaliate.

While he was lost in thought, inside an elegant residence on Pan Mountain at the Xuan Yun Residence.

Pan Mountain Elder Li Guangen was currently cultivating. Sixty-nine years old this year, Li Guangen was already at the Foundation Establishment Stage; he looked full of vitality and youthful, no different from a man in his prime.

This was one of the benefits of cultivation: successful cultivation brought a long lifespan and the ability to maintain one's youthful appearance.

At this moment, a plump woman dressed in gaudy clothes stumbled into his residence, then knelt before him with tears streaming down her face, clutching Li Guangen's leg and pleading, "Father, Li Fei is your own grandson! You must help him get revenge."

The woman cried more and more bitterly, her tears and snot smearing all over Li Guangen's leg. "My poor son, so young and talented, he should have had a bright future, yet he met such a tragic end at the hands of a villain. You are the Pan Mountain Elder, and that beast named Hong Yu is also a Pan Mountain Disciple. He openly murdered my son, clearly showing no respect for you or our Li Family! Father... you... you must seek justice for us."

Li Guangen frowned slightly, gently pushing his daughter away and asking solemnly, "Is it certain that Hong Yu did it?"

"The people from the Law Enforcement Hall just gave the investigation results." The woman wiped her tears, pulled a stack of crumpled files from her bosom, and sobbed, "The investigation is clear. That beast was originally an Outer Sect Disciple brought up the mountain by Pang Hu and then placed on Pan Mountain, where he happened to become roommates with Fei'er and the others. Who knew this beast had such wild ambitions that he would murder Fei'er and the others that very night? The location was actually the Immortal Cave where they lived!"

Speaking to this point, the pain in the woman's heart became even more unbearable, and her expression was one of extreme sorrow. Yet, she endured the grief and continued, "The Law Enforcement Hall inspected the scene and speculated that the beast knows a very powerful Sword Technique capable of seizing the opponent's essence blood for his own use. Furthermore, that beast is extremely clever; he first suddenly attacked to heavily injure one person, then feigned weakness to lure them into the forest to hide, and finally struck suddenly, using a sneak attack to kill Fei'er... to kill all three of those poor children."

"Father, you must uphold justice for Fei'er. That beast's methods are so vicious; he could strike so ruthlessly upon their first meeting. How is he any different from those heartless wretches of the Demonic Sect?"

"If he isn't severely punished, not only will our Li Family lose face, but it will also have a significant impact on the reputation of the Xuan Yun Residence, Father."

Hearing this, Li Guangen remained silent. He gently turned the Thumb Ring on his thumb and, after a while, muttered to himself, "Hong Yu, Pang Hu, Fifth Level of Qi Refining, mastering a powerful Sword Technique, assigned to the same room as Fei'er upon entry, and killing people the same day... this matter is somewhat fishy."

Then his face darkened, and he asked, "Where is he now?"

The woman answered tearfully, "I heard that early the next morning, he went to the Mission Hall, took a mission with Sun Yang and the others, and left the residence."

Li Guangen gave a cold laugh and then said, "In that case, I'm afraid he won't be coming back. An Outer Sect Disciple with a cultivation level similar to Fei'er and the others—how could he possibly take on three opponents at once and even kill them?"

The woman looked puzzled. "Didn't the Law Enforcement Hall say he knows a powerful Sword Technique?"

Li Guangen said coldly, "Coming from the Outer Sect, what kind of powerful technique could he have learned? Even if he relied on the power of a technique, let me ask you, where did he learn it from?"

"This... this, what do you mean, Father?"

"It must have been at Pang Hu's instigation. He has always been at odds with me; I didn't expect him to stoop so low as to use such methods against my blood relatives!" Li Guangen sneered, "All these years since he was parachuted into Pan Mountain, despite his efforts to infiltrate, I still have the final say in all matters here. He must have long been dissatisfied and borrowed a blade from the Outer Sect to commit such a foul deed!"

“He is all alone and unafraid of retaliation, especially with Saintess Xu backing him up."

"It would be one thing if he sought revenge against me, but he should never have involved those two children, Tong Ming and Zhang Meng."

The woman was stunned, her tears stopping unconsciously as she asked in confusion, "Father, are you saying the actual culprit is Pang Hu?"

Li Guangen narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them. He said unhurriedly, "Otherwise, do you think a Qi Refining Stage Disciple who finally made it from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, with a low cultivation level and no prior acquaintance with Fei'er and the others, would be crazy enough to destroy his own future?"

Hearing this, the woman finally understood everything her father was saying, and the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She stood up in a rage, gritting her teeth as she said, "Father, since Pang Hu did it, we definitely can't let him off!"

Li Guangen smiled coldly, turning his Thumb Ring even faster. "The debt must be repaid; otherwise, that fellow Pang Hu will surely get even more arrogant."

"However, with Saintess Xu backing him, we must plan this carefully."

"Go and inform the families of Tong Ming and Zhang Meng of this result. Let Tong Ming's sister keep Saintess Xu occupied while I join forces with Zhang Meng's brother. This time, we must make Pang Hu pay a heavy price!"

"Alright, I will do as you say, Father." The woman haphazardly wiped the tears from her face and turned to leave, filled with Killing Intent, while saying shrilly, "I will surely avenge Fei'er!"