Chapter 24: Shu Marquis Manor, Lu Tianhe’s Apology

Several days quietly passed afterward.

The storm that had erupted within the Lu Family showed no signs of calming down; instead, it only grew increasingly intense.

Inside a spacious courtyard, Lu Yang slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

The faint crimson Blood Qi surrounding his body gradually receded afterward.

His previous injuries had already recovered completely.

The recovery ability of Body Tempering Realm cultivators was naturally far beyond ordinary mortals, especially with the Lu Family sparing no expense on medicinal resources.

Almost every day, elders personally delivered healing medicines.

At this point, only several faint scars remained.

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside as a servant respectfully entered.

"Young Master, the Law Enforcement Hall has summoned you."

Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes, his expression calm.

"I understand."

...

Half an hour later.

Inside the Law Enforcement Hall, several elders sat silently within the chamber, with the Law Enforcement Grand Elder occupying the main seat.

The moment Lu Yang entered, numerous gazes immediately landed upon him.

The atmosphere was solemn.

Clearly, this was no ordinary conversation.

The Law Enforcement Grand Elder slowly nodded.

"Yang’er, we need you to recount everything once more."

Lu Yang naturally understood why; the matter involved too many important figures, every detail needed to be verified repeatedly.

Thus, he calmly retold the events once again.

The journey, rhe ambush, the battle, the deaths of Xu He and Guard Zhou, the appearance of Fang Chen...

Every detail remained exactly the same as before; no contradictions appeared whatsoever.

Several hours passed before the questioning finally ended.

The Law Enforcement Grand Elder slowly nodded, his eyes carrying faint appreciation.

"You’ve done well."

He paused briefly before continuing, "From today onward, your protection will be strengthened."

Soon afterward, a old man entered the hall.

Dense Blood Qi flowed beneath his skin, a true peak Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator on the same level as Lu Yang from his past life, invincible beneath the Spirit Awakening Realm.

The man cupped his fists respectfully, "This subordinate greets Young Master."

The Law Enforcement Grand Elder spoke calmly.

"His name is Zhang Lie, and from today onwards, he will remain responsible for your safety."

Lu Yang quietly nodded.

At the same time, he could not help remembering another figure.

Guard Zhou, that loyal subordinate who had accompanied him for over ten years.

For a brief moment, silence appeared within his eyes.

Zhang Lie was stronger, more experienced, perhaps even more useful, but... he was not Guard Zhou.

Some people could not be replaced, no matter how capable the replacement might be.

...

After leaving the Law Enforcement Hall, Lu Yang unexpectedly changed direction.

Rather than returning to his courtyard, he headed outside of the clan, towards the west city.

Not long afterward, he arrived before a place; it was the mortal branch estate of the Lu Family.

Soon, he arrived before his parents’ courtyard.

The moment his father, Lu Yu, saw him enter, his eyes widened, and he dropped whatever he was doing to rush toward him.

"Yang’er."

His hands immediately grabbed his shoulders.

"Are you truly alright?"

Although Lu Yang had already returned safely several days ago, hearing about the assassination attempt still frightened him greatly.

After all, he was merely a mortal man; the cultivation world remained distant and unfathomable in his eyes.

His mother, Feng Xiaoxiao, also stepped forward, the usually composed lady now carrying visible concern.

"Yang’er... your father hasn’t slept properly these past few days."

Lu Yang smiled faintly.

"I’m fine."

His father still looked unconvinced.

"How can you call this fine? You almost died."

The room gradually became quiet.

Several moments later, Lu Yang calmly spoke.

"The cultivation world has always been like this."

His voice remained peaceful, "If I wish to keep walking this path, sooner or later, I will face such things."

Lu Yu lowered his head slightly.

He naturally understood. Ever since Lu Yang displayed his talent, he had known this day would eventually come.

The stronger a cultivator became, the more dangers would follow.

This was reality.

After remaining silent for a long time, he finally let out a tired sigh.

"Do you still remember what you promised the day you left for the main family?"

Lu Yang nodded.

"I do. I will never do anything to reach a point of no return."

Only after he said that did the atmosphere gradually relax.

...

Meanwhile, the entire Lu Family remained in turmoil.

The investigation had already reached its conclusion.

The evidence was overwhelming and the identities of the three servants alone were enough.

There was simply no possibility of denying responsibility.

As a result, the Twin Stars’ mother was immediately placed under indefinite confinement.

Every privilege she possessed within the clan was stripped away temporarily, and even her personal attendants were replaced entirely.

At the same time, a detailed report was personally written by the Family Head and sent toward the Imperial Capital.

Its destination was the Marquis Shu Manor, the maternal family behind the Twin Stars’ mother.

The contents of the letter were simple, it was everything that happened over the past several years, from assassination attempts to deaths.

The Lu Family might not possess the same strength or influence as the Marquis Manor, but they were no pushovers either.

Most importantly, this time they possessed legitimacy, a moral high ground.

Attempting to assassinate a clan genius was an extremely serious matter, especially one with Lu Yang’s talent.

At the cost of Lu Yang’s talent being revealed to the outside world, if news of this spread throughout Great Qian, countless clans and sects would immediately side with the Lu Family.

After all, every faction possessed geniuses.

If such actions became normalized, then nobody’s younger generation would remain safe.

Facing the forces of the entire dynasty, including giants with Essence Gathering Realm powers in charge, even the Imperial Court would face enormous pressure.

Even if this was a cultivation world where might determined right, Great Qian was ultimately a faction itself, a dynasty, and a dynasty needed people to run it. They couldn’t just indiscriminately slaughter every opposing voice, specifically if those voices had the moral high ground.

Thus, several weeks later, a distinguished guest personally arrived in the Canglan Prefecture.

The elder brother of the Twin Stars’ mother, a genuine Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator in his fifties, an important figure of the Marquis Shu Manor, Shu Chenrui.

The moment he entered the Lu Family, countless eyes focused upon him.

Naturally, the meeting between both sides remained hidden from ordinary clan members, but the outcome soon spread.

The Marquis Manor had apologized, at least outwardly.

A tremendous quantity of cultivation resources accompanied the apology, including medicinal herbs, spirit medicines, rare ores, and various treasures enough to make ordinary cultivators dizzy.

The official explanation was simple: the Marquis Manor failed to properly educate their daughter, thus they felt ashamed.

However, when Lu Yang eventually met the man personally, he immediately sensed something else.

The middle aged nobleman smiled warmly, his attitude remaining courteous throughout the entire conversation.

"Young Master Lu truly deserves his reputation, the Lu Family has produced a remarkable descendant."

His words sounded sincere, but Lu Yang noticed it immediately.

Hidden beneath that smile was fury, extremely deep fury.

Not directed toward him personally, rather, directed toward the situation itself.

Noble families valued face more than almost anything else.

Their own daughter causing such a scandal, being reprimanded and forced to apologize...

This was nothing short of humiliation, even if it was only known to the Lu Family and the Marquis Shu Manor.

Naturally, they could not direct that anger toward their own bloodline, thus, some of it inevitably landed elsewhere.

Lu Yang understood this clearly, but he did not care.

From beginning to end, he had done nothing wrong, it was the other party that wanted him dead first.

The nobleman eventually left as the matter officially came to an end, at least on the surface.

The Twin Stars’ mother remained confined, for slightly more than one year. Afterward, the issue would be considered settled.

Many elders felt dissatisfied, but they understood reality.

The Marquis Manor was stronger than the Lu Family.

They could demand justice, but not endlessly. Sometimes, compromise was unavoidable.

The cultivation world had always been like that.

Justice only existed when supported by sufficient strength.

...

That same evening, as the sky gradually darkened, moonlight illuminated the quiet courtyards of the Lu Family.

At this moment, a familiar figure appeared outside Lu Yang’s residence.

The servant guarding the entrance hesitated briefly before entering.

"Young master, someone wishes to see you."

Lu Yang put down the cultivation manual in his hand, "Who?"

The servant’s expression became somewhat strange.

"Young Master Lu Tianhe."

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly.

Several moments later, a tall youth entered the courtyard.

His appearance remained as handsome as ever, and his bearing was extraordinary.

It was none other than one of the Twin Stars of the Lu Family, Lu Tianhe.

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

Then, Lu Tianhe directly cupped his fists and bowed.

The movement was extremely serious, with no trace of his usual arrogance and confident air.

"I came to apologize." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

His voice was calm, completely sincere.

Lu Yang quietly looked at him.

The atmosphere became silent.

After several breaths, Lu Tianhe continued speaking

"My mother’s actions, I cannot defend them. They were wrong."

His gaze remained steady.

"Retainer Xu and Guard Zhou both died, and you also nearly perished. Whether intentionally or not, me and my sister bear responsibility. I’m here to apologize on my mother’s behalf."

The moonlight quietly illuminated the courtyard as Lu Yang silently observed him.

In truth, he himself never disliked Lu Tianhe, instead, there was actually a sort of rivalry between them. The conflict had always originated elsewhere.

Eventually, Lu Yang replied, "It has nothing to do with you."

Lu Tianhe froze slightly.

Lu Yang continued,

"You cannot control your mother’s actions, nor can I blame a son for the sins of his mother."

The tension within Lu Tianhe’s expression eased slightly, but a faint guilt still remained in his eyes.

Lu Yang looked toward the distant night sky before speaking again.

"Ultimately, we are still members of the same clan, with the same ancestor’s blood flowing through our veins."

The courtyard became quiet.

For the first time since arriving, Lu Tianhe finally revealed a faint, genuine smile.

Then, he cupped his fists again.

"Thank you."

Afterward, he turned and departed into the night.

Lu Yang watched his figure disappear beyond the courtyard gates, his expression composed.

The matter with the Twin Stars’ mother had ended, at least temporarily.