50: Chapter 50 A Single Tear

A quiet valley with beautiful mountains and clear waters.

Two figures stood in silence before a simple tombstone.

Chi Wanhe knelt before the tomb, arranging the offerings one by one.

She kept her head lowered, her shoulders trembling slightly as silent tears slid down, dampening the green grass beneath her knees.

Ling Hao stood silently not far behind her, glancing at the message sent by Huang Yutong:

Gongsun Family intervention: The revenge operation has fully commenced.

Retainer defection: A Qi Refining Late Stage retainer has absconded with wealth.

Branch disassociation: Key collateral branches have relocated their entire families to flee.

Industrial collapse: Shops across the city were smashed, employees dispersed, and businesses shuttered; small families have come calling to demand debts and seize assets.

Grand formation broken: The clan protection formation was destroyed.

Old Ancestor critically injured: The Chi Family Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor is in a coma and dying.

Family head killed: Chi Wuhong was slain by Gongsun Family assassins within the residence.

After a long while, Chi Wanhe slowly stood up.

Her eyes were red-rimmed and still filled with tears. She turned abruptly and threw herself into Ling Hao's embrace, burying her face deep into his chest, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Ling Hao patted her back gently, his voice low and warm:

"It's all in the past, don't be too heartbroken. If your parents know of this in the afterlife, they would surely wish for you to be safe and happy."

He paused, "Revered Master is here, your Old Ancestor Shuying is here, and the Moonshadow Sect will always be your home. We are all your Family."

Chi Wanhe gave a muffled "Mn" in his embrace and held him even tighter.

After a good while, she raised her head, gazing blankly at Ling Hao's gentle face so close by. His reflection was mirrored in her clear eyes, as if she wanted to carve his appearance at this moment into the depths of her heart.

Seeing her dazed, Ling Hao's lips curled slightly as he asked softly, "What's wrong?"

This question seemed to startle Chi Wanhe awake.

A flush of red instantly bloomed on her fair cheeks. Before Ling Hao could react, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and quickly planted a light kiss on his cheek!

"Revered Master..."

She left behind only a shy murmur before turning and running away quickly.

Ling Hao was slightly stunned. Feeling the fleeting soft sensation and faint warmth on his cheek, he subconsciously raised his hand to gently brush over it.

The mountain breeze blew by, lifting her fluttering skirt and seemingly carrying away some crystalline glimmers.

Those were the undried tear drops she had just shed, drifting away with the wind.

Ling Hao watched her retreating figure, and in his momentary daze, he subconsciously raised his hand.

A touch of coolness suddenly landed in his palm.

This was a tear Chi Wanhe had left behind in the wind.

Ling Hao's fingertips closed silently. That clear tear, carrying the sorrow of the past, trembled slightly between his fingers before instantly turning into even finer glimmers, dissipating completely into nothingness.

"It seems that girl, Wanhe, really likes you very much."

A soft female voice carrying a hint of emotion came from behind him.

Chi Shuying had appeared quietly at some unknown time, her pink dress swaying in the breeze as she gazed with complex eyes in the direction where Chi Wanhe had disappeared.

Ling Hao did not turn back; in his mind, bits and pieces of his time with Chi Wanhe surfaced.

From the vigilance and distance when she first entered the Sect, to the gradually opening heart of trust and reliance, and now to this level of intimacy...

The corners of his lips couldn't help but curl into a faint arc, his voice carrying a softness he hadn't even realized himself: "Is that so? I like her very much too."

Ling Hao paused for a moment and then asked, "How do you feel about how I handled the Chi Family matter, Shuying?"

A flash of cold anger crossed Chi Shuying's face: "This is the main branch bringing this upon themselves! Suppressing the collateral branches, not even allowing ashes into the ancestral grave! To fight for mere benefits, they were willing to collude with demons and harm their own kin... They do not deserve the surname Chi!"

Her voice carried a chill: "If my brother were still here... with his temperament, he would surely purge the Sect himself and leave those people with their Divine Souls utterly destroyed!"

After a moment of silence, the anger in Chi Shuying's eyes gradually dissipated. Her gaze towards Ling Hao's back became soft and sincere: "Thank you, Sect Master... for sparing those innocent Chi Family collateral branches. Allowing my brother's Bloodline... to continue."

This gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.

Innocent?

Ling Hao did not respond.

Tianhuo Sect, inside an elegant courtyard.

Song Qingfeng was cuddling and flirting with a beautiful, enchanting woman.

"Don't be like this, what if your father bumps into us?"

The woman half-resisted, her voice filled with coquettishness.

"Don't worry, Aunt Qiu,"

Song Qingfeng didn't care, chuckling, "My father is still in seclusion. Uncle Lan said he wouldn't be able to come out for half a month..."

Yang Qiuchi was still a bit hesitant, but she couldn't resist Song Qingfeng's closeness.

"Feng'er, Qiuchi, are you here?"

A steady voice suddenly rang out from behind them!

Song Qingfeng and Yang Qiuchi stiffened, hurriedly straightening their slightly disheveled clothes.

Turning around, they saw a middle-aged man dressed in a red robe with a thick aura, turning out from the moon gate of the courtyard.

"Brother Shan!"

Yang Qiuchi revealed a charming smile on her face and hurriedly called out.

"Father! You've come out of seclusion?"

Song Qingfeng forced himself to stay calm, squeezing out a smile, "Aunt Qiu and I were just talking about when you would come out of seclusion! Coming out early this time, you must have made great progress in your cultivation, with a Breakthrough in sight?"

Song Lushan's gaze swept over the two, not delving deeper, just nodding slightly: "Mn, I had some insights."

"I heard that you had some friction with that newly risen Moonshadow Sect some time ago, Feng'er?"

"Father, that Moonshadow Sect..."

"No need to worry."

Song Lushan waved his hand, his tone carrying the arrogance unique to a major Sect, "It's just a Sect that got lucky, with a shallow Foundation, it can't stir up any big waves. Even if it's inconvenient for me to act, your mother is in the Earth Flame Sect, which is also your solid backing."

He changed the subject, his expression becoming a bit more serious: "Currently, there is an anomaly in the Spiritual Qi within Qing State, storms are rising everywhere, and I fear a Secret Realm may appear in the Demon Subduing Plains."

"My father speculates that it is highly likely the Immortal Cave left behind by the Demon Subduing True Venerable, who suppressed an otherworldly demon sovereign 1,500 years ago and eventually fell!"

"This is a tremendous Opportunity, your mother and I must go personally."

Song Lushan patted Song Qingfeng's shoulder: "During the time I am away, the Sect's affairs will be temporarily managed by you and a few Elders."

Song Qingfeng and Yang Qiuchi exchanged a subtle glance. He immediately puffed out his chest and said loudly: "Don't worry, Father! This child will definitely not fail the task!"

After Song Qingfeng and Yang Qiuchi left, the warmth on Song Lushan's face faded. He walked to the rockery in the courtyard, formed hand seals with both hands, and shot a beam of spiritual light into the stone.

A seemingly ordinary stone slightly lit up with a faint light, and he took it into his hand.

This was a recording stone that records images!