Young Master Tu was a proud individual, but as he looked at Lu Yin’s face and powerful build, it was as though Young Master Tu was looking at a dream come to life after so many years. Even though he was certain that what he saw was nothing more than a similarity, he could not stop himself from asking, “What’s your name? Where are you from?”
Lu Yin frowned. “I’m Long Qi, and I’m from the White Dragon Clan’s Dalian Mountain branch family.”
“You’re from the White Dragon Clan?” Young Master Tu was stunned for a moment, but then his expression quickly became unsightly.
Uncle He’s expression also twisted.
The smug expression that had just filled Young Master Tu’s eyes changed to a gloomy expression, and he even radiated a bit of killing intent as he stared at Lu Yin’s face. “The White Dragon Clan? You don’t deserve to look like that.”
Lu Yin’s hands balled up into fists. “What did you just say?”
Uncle He’s attitude had also changed, and he gazed at Lu Yin with cold eyes that blazed with hostility.
It was at this time that Brother Hong, Che Zhan, Mr. Guo, and the Matriarch of the Eastern Mountains all arrived. Yesterday, they had noticed that Lu Yin had kicked up a fuss, but none of them had cared after seeing Lu Yin beating someone up. However, they had noticed that the troublemaker had returned once more, and there were very few individuals who qualified to live this far up the Stacking Mountain Range.
Young Master Tu stared at Lu Yin’s face for a moment before letting out a cold snort. “Disgusting! One day, I’ll peel that face off of you.”
He turned and left without looking back.
Lu Yin’s expression grew cold, and he looked at Uncle He. “What does that mean?”
Uncle He replied in an indifferent tone, “Excuse me.”
He left.
Che Zhan felt that the entire exchange was odd. “Who are those two?”
Lu Yin shook his head. “I don’t know, but they’re crazy.”
“Was that Senior He?” Mr. Guo hesitantly asked as he stared at the back of the departing Uncle He.
Several people looked over at Mr. Guo. “You know him?”
Lu Yin answered Mr. Guo, “He’s called Uncle He.”
Mr. Guo grew quite excited. “It really is Senior He!”
“You know him?” Che Zhan grew curious.
Mr. Guo explained, “He’s a member of the Qiming family.”
“The Qiming family?” Che Zhan, Brother Hong, and the Matriarch of the Eastern Mountains all shouted.
Lu Yin was completely clueless. “Who’re the Qiming family?”
“You don’t know?” Everyone showed even greater surprise at Lu Yin’s ignorance.
Lu Yin shrugged. “I grew up in Dalian Mountain and stayed there my entire childhood, never leaving. The first time I left there was when Long Xi announced that the clan was searching for a son-in-law.”
Mr. Guo stared at Lu Yin. “Brother Long Qi, you have a great deal of respect towards Zhou Tang, and also towards the Lu family?”
Lu Yin’s eyes flashed as he solemnly replied, “Very much so.”
Mr. Guo nodded and then explained in an emotional voice, “In the past, the Lu family ruled the Higher Realm while the current four ruling powers were restricted to the Middle Realm. However, the Lu family did not live alone in the Higher Realm, as their vassals lived there with them. There was the All-Dao family and also the Qiming family. That person is a powerhouse from the Qiming family, and if he is that young man’s guardian, he must be someone very important to their family.”
Lu Yin felt shocked; those two were from the Qiming family?
He had heard that some of the Lu family’s retainers had been recruited into the Forsaken Soldiers before he had arrived at the Stacking Mountain Range. However, he was worried that a Semi-Progenitor was watching him, so he had not actively sought out such people. Naturally, he had not expected two such people to actually have been so close to him this entire time. So those two were former vassals of the Lu family? It was no wonder why Young Master Tu’s attitude had changed so drastically after learning that Lu Yin was a part of the White Dragon clan.
At that moment, Lu Yin’s attitude towards the two changed in a fundamental way, and he unconsciously turned to stare at the two who had just left.
Those two were followers of his own family.
“Brother Long Qi, do you know what that young man’s name is?” Mr. Guo asked.
“Uncle He called him Young Master Tu.”
Mr. Guo felt shocked. “Unbelievable! Qiming Tu?”
Brother Hong was equally surprised. “The Qiming family’s talented young master from back then?”
“How is that even possible? Are you sure that you heard right? Did Uncle He really call him Young Master Tu?” Mr. Guo reconfirmed as he stared at Lu Yin in blatant disbelief.
Lu Yin replied, “That’s right, Young Master Tu.”
The Matriarch of the Eastern Mountains murmured, “Is he really Qiming Tu? How is that possible? Even though this old woman seldom wanders out, even I’ve heard of the Seven Heroes of the Higher Realm, as they were famous throughout the entire universe. If not for Qiming Tu being too young, his cultivation would not have been any worse than theirs, and he could have almost been considered an eighth hero. He was even acknowledged by the Lu family’s young master.”
Lu Yin’s finger suddenly twitched. Seven Heroes? The image of a paper contract appeared in his mind. On the paper were the palm prints of seven sworn siblings, and the faint trace of their oaths with each other.
‘Third Bro, you’re the smallest, so from now on, you’re Seventh Bro. Come, talk to your elders!’
“Big Sis, Second Bro, Third Bro, Fourth Sis, Fifth Bro, Sixth Sis, hello.’
‘Good, Little Seven. Whoever bullies you from now, we’ll all help you get revenge.’
‘You’ll be called Little Seven from now.’
‘Little Seven, are you happy? You have so many older siblings watching over you, so nobody will dare to bully you.’
‘Your elder siblings will take care of you.’
Little Seven, your elder siblings will take care of you. Lu Yin’s head suddenly exploded with pain. Blurred appearances emerged in his mind, giving him a splitting headache that forced him to his knees. As the pain intensified, he was assailed by sorrow that seeped out of his heart, and his eyes flushed crimson.
The people around Lu Yin were all startled by his sudden reaction. “Brother Long Qi, what’s wrong?”
“Brother Long Qi?”
Lu Yin put a hand on the ground to support himself as he gasped for breath. Sweat poured from his forehead, and his vision blurred. However, those fervent oaths still echoed in his ears.
He took some time to recover.
Mr. Guo checked Lu Yin’s eyes. “Do you have an injury that hasn’t healed?”
Lu Yin sucked in a breath. “I’ll be okay. It’s an old issue.”
Mr. Guo was solemn as he replied, “If you’re suffering from a problem, then you should treat it as soon as possible. Given your cultivation, if you are suffering from that much pain, then something is terribly wrong.”
Lu Yin nodded. “Don’t worry, I know the reason behind it.”
He then changed topics. “Who are the Seven Heroes?”
In a very deliberate and obvious manner, not a single one of the people present answered Lu Yin’s question.
Che Zhan patted Lu Yin on the shoulder. “Brother Long Qi, there are certain things that can’t be spoken. There are eyes observing us in the dark, and speaking some names would invite terrible disasters.”
He then left after dropping this warning.
Mr. Guo, Brother Hong, and the Matriarch of the Eastern Mountains also slowly took their leave.
However, Mr. Guo departed in a different direction from the rest; he went after Uncle He.
…
Elsewhere, Young Master Tu had a miserable expression on his face, and he kept muttering curses about something.
Uncle He followed behind the younger man.
Young Master Tu’s expression turned grim. “It’s all because of him. Just why does someone from the White Dragon Clan look like that? That ugly mug can only belong to one person! So why does he have the same face? Why?!”
Uncle He looked at his ward. “At best, he only has a quarter of similarity.”
“That’s not good enough! Let alone a quarter, even a hundredth is too much!” Young Master Tu roared in anger.
Uncle He sighed.
A voice came from outside their quarters. “The All-Dao family’s Guo Hai is honored to see Senior He.”
Young Master Tu and Uncle He were startled for a moment, but then they suddenly shot to their feet while staring at each other. The All-Dao family?
Uncle He casually walked over to the entrance, but when he saw Mr. Guo waiting outside, Uncle He frowned. “Weren’t you one of the people standing next to that kid from the White Dragon Clan?”
Mr. Guo respectfully responded, “Mr. Guo Hai, a teacher from the All-Dao family, greets Senior He. We met once before, at the Food Paradise.”
Uncle He stared at Mr. Guo for a moment before suddenly making a connection. “I remember now. When the Food Paradise was built, you and I both contributed to it. I did see you there.”
“Food Paradise? The Lu family’s island of food? I went there frequently,” Young Master Tu interjected. After speaking, he stared at Mr. Guo with cold eyes. “Since you’re a member of the All-Dao family, why were you speaking with one of the White Dragon Clan? Did you betray us?”
Uncle He stared at Mr. Guo in a similar manner. It was not impossible for some of the Lu family’s former vassals to have betrayed the exiled family or have been recruited by the four ruling powers. However, if this Mr. Guo was one of those people, Uncle He would have no reservations in killing the person. After all, they were the Forsaken Soldiers, and people here were expected to die, so no one would be concerned about such deaths.
Mr. Guo stared at Master Tu, clearly excited. “You really are the Qiming family’s Master Qiming Tu! Only he could have frequently visited the Food Paradise.”
Young Master Tu grew impatient. “Answer my question! Why are you spending time with that kid from the White Dragon Clan?”
“Come in and explain,” Uncle He said quietly.
Mr. Guo followed the two men in.
After half an hour passed, Young Master Tu was shocked. “Such a person still exists? In order to expose a Redback, he didn’t hesitate to offend the four ruling powers, and he was even chased after by a few Semi-Progenitors?”
Mr. Guo smiled. “Long Qi is just that sort of person. He greatly respects the Lu family, and he fell down to the New World because of Zhou Tang. He actually hates the four ruling powers’ control, and he was the one who saved all of us. If not for him, we would have all died.”
Uncle He was taken aback. “The child has already built up quite the legend.”
“I don’t believe it! The four ruling powers are all traitors! How old is Long Qi? He’s never seen the majesty of the Lu family, and his childhood education would have included nothing about the Lu family at all. How could such a person possibly feel anything for the Lu family at all?” Young Master Tu angrily retorted.
Uncle He looked at his ward. “You forget the fourth hero.”
Young Master Tu’s body went stiff, and he gradually calmed himself down. “Four- Fourth Sister is different.”
Mr. Guo’s voice was thick with emotion, “Every group has both good and bad people—Light and darkness have always coexisted. We have watched Long Qi for a long time, and we have determined that he is different from the current four ruling powers. If it were not so, we would have never gotten close to him.”
As he spoke, the man’s smile grew bitter. “Besides, given our identities, why would the White Dragon Clan even bother with us at all? All of the people who mattered disappeared with the Lu family long ago. We’re nothing but relics of the past, nothing more.”
Uncle He turned his head as he recalled the past. “Sometimes, I wish that I had gone with the Lu family instead of staying in this Perennial World to be humiliated by people.”
Young Master Tu’s expression grew gloomy, and he slowly walked out of the room.
Mr. Guo had grown curious. “How could such a thing have happened to Young Master Tu? Back then, his talent was enough to shock the universe as well. It was said that when he grew older, he would become the eighth hero. What happened?”
Uncle He grew melancholic. “His cultivation was destroyed.”
Mr. Guo’s pupils instantly constricted. “Who did that?”
Uncle He clenched his hands into fists. “Who else?”
Mr. Guo punched the ground with a fist. He was a man with a refined bearing and a teacher, but at the mention of that person, he could not suppress his anger. “If possible, I really wish that I could kill her with my own hands.”
Uncle He’s clenched fists were actually trembling. “Not only did my young master lose his cultivation, but he also suffers from a form of mental torture every month. It’s enough to even drive an Envoy crazy, but the young master has persevered despite enduring such agony every month. He’s living an existence that is more painful than death. There are times when I truly wish to help the young master by ending his life, but the young master wishes to continue living. Only by doing so can he possibly wait for them to return. The young master has always held onto this hope.”
Mr. Guo closed his eyes to hide the pain buried deep within his eyes. “Honestly, is there any hope?”
Uncle He solemnly replied, “By staying alive, there is always the future. If you die, there is nothing left.”
Mr. Guo’s eyes opened back up as he let out a sigh. “I hope so.”
Mr. Guo left soon after. He had received a message from someone, and he raced away.
