Chapter 121: Traces of Small Steps

Lu Dongliang, the eldest master of the Lu family, ascended to the third floor of Qianyue Restaurant alone.

Under everyone's gaze, Lu Dongliang took off his suit and crooked his finger at Qiu Zhiheng, signaling him to come and take it.

Qiu Zhiheng didn't actually need to handle such a minor task, but since Lu Dongliang gestured, he couldn't refuse and quickly took the suit.

To be honest, Qiu Zhiheng still hadn't fully processed what was happening.

Everyone present was equally stunned.

No one knew where Lu Dongliang had suddenly appeared from.

Duan Shaoxia, Lu Dongliang's legal wife, stood up, tears in her eyes, and said, "Dongliang, you're back, you're back..."

Lu Dongliang pressed his palm down, signaling her to be silent.

Duan Shaoxia noticed that Lu Dongliang was missing a tooth and had scars on his wrist, but she didn't ask further. In front of outsiders, she was very mindful of Lu Dongliang's dignity.

Lu Dongliang focused his gaze on He Yuxiu's face.

He Yuxiu looked at Lu Dongliang and said, "You're still alive?"

Lu Dongliang smiled. "Are you that eager for my death? Too bad you weren't capable enough."

He Yuxiu's eyebrows shot up. "Explain yourself! It was your brother who wasn't capable enough; he was the one who wanted to kill you."

"Shameless," Lu Dongliang spat. "If Dongjun hadn't been there that night, I really would have died by your hand. He Yuxiu, I never thought you'd be so vicious, colluding with Zhuo Yuling to ambush me!"

Everyone present was utterly astonished, as this account completely contradicted the information they had heard.

He Cunshou, the elderly patriarch of the He family and He Yuxiu's fourth uncle, stirred slightly.

He was a seventh-level De Xiu, and he had activated his skill.

Anyone who lied in his presence would suffer severe repercussions; even a ninth-level Lu Dongliang would be injured.

He Yuxiu stood up. "Lu Dongliang, you damn well clarify what you're saying! Who the hell colluded with Zhuo Yuling? Who ambushed you?"

"That night at my house, you and Zhuo Yuling were the first to attack, weren't you?"

As Lu Dongliang's words settled, He Cunshou's skill remained inactive, confirming Lu Dongliang spoke the truth.

He Cunshou then looked at He Yuxiu.

He Yuxiu nodded. "I did attack you, but I didn't intend to kill you!"

This statement was also true.

Lu Dongliang nodded. "You didn't intend to kill anyone; Zhuo Yuling did!"

This statement was also true.

He Yuxiu retorted angrily, "I don't know what their intentions were. I'm different from them; I didn't aim to kill!"

The two went back and forth, arguing, with He Yuxiu repeatedly insisting she hadn't intended to kill anyone at the time.

Lu Dongliang repeatedly stressed that He Yuxiu had initiated the attack that night.

Both were stating facts, and after a long argument, Old Master He couldn't bear it any longer.

The old man was over seventy, and with his seventh-level skill continuously active while listening to them shout, he became exhausted and drenched in cold sweat.

"I suggest you two settle down for a moment and let me speak," He Cunshou said, first looking at He Yuxiu. "Xiu, tell Fourth Uncle the truth: did you attack Dongliang that night?"

"It was me," He Yuxiu frankly admitted.

He Cunshou frowned, then turned to Lu Dongliang. "Dongliang, our Jiaqing was injured by your daughter, and you promised our He family an explanation. Where is Lu Xiaolan now?"

Lu Dongliang replied, "I don't know where she is either."

This was also true.

After asking the two key questions, He Cunshou deactivated his skill, wiped his sweat, and told He Yuxiu, "Xiu, you went to someone's home and injured them. That was wrong of you. You should apologize to Dongliang first."

He Yuxiu angrily retorted, "I didn't want to attack; I was defending myself! You can't blame me for this!"

"You child!" He Cunshou frowned. "Dongliang, Yuxiu just has that temper; don't take it to heart. But we still need to settle this matter about Jiaqing. When can you provide an explanation?"

Lu Dongliang looked at He Yuxiu and sneered, "You'll have to ask your family's eldest miss about that."

He Yuxiu fumed, "Bullshit! Why ask me? I have no dealings with Zhuo Yuling or Lu Xiaolan!"

Seeing them about to argue again, He Cunshou gave a wry smile. "I'm old now, and I can't control these younger generations. Brother Lu, what do you say about this?"

An elder patriarch from the Lu family was also present: Lu Maoxian, Lu Dongliang's grand-uncle.

Lu Maoxian, over eighty, could barely keep his eyes open. He casually offered a perfunctory remark, "Let the children decide, let the children decide."

Seeing this, He Cunshou also fell silent.

Lu Dongliang looked around at everyone and said, "I will continue to investigate the whereabouts of Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan. The He family will get an explanation for this matter eventually. During my absence, household affairs were handled by Dongjun. Should any of you dare to lay a hand on Dongjun again, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Lu Dongliang snatched his suit from Qiu Zhiheng and turned to leave.

Duan Shaoxia, the first wife, stood up and hurried after him. "Dongliang, where are you going? I'm coming with you!"

Lu Dongliang suddenly turned, pushing Duan Shaoxia away. "Don't follow me. None of you follow me. I don't trust anyone right now!"

Duan Shaoxia was stunned; she couldn't believe Lu Dongliang would say such a thing to her.

Hatred began to sprout in her heart, and her pupils showed a hint of bloodshot.

Lu Dongliang didn't notice. He glanced at everyone and turned to leave.

The entire room stood frozen. He Yuxiu cursed repeatedly, while Duan Shaoxia burst into tears.

He Cunshou sensed something was wrong, but given the circumstances, he couldn't ask further.

Several key figures from the Lu family also felt uneasy. They exchanged cautious glances but remained silent.

He Yuxiu muttered to herself, "Is this really Lu Dongliang?"

More than one person had doubts, but no one spoke them aloud.

The Lu family members kept quiet because if they were wrong, things would become very complicated.

The He family members also remained silent, quietly observing. Why rush when watching a play?

"Lu Dongliang" returned to Lu Dongjun's residence and quietly entered his own bedroom.

Facing the mirror, he peeled off the prosthetic skin from his face.

He believed his performance had been flawless, and he smiled with satisfaction at himself.

He removed a set of false teeth from the lion's mouth and put them into his own.

Soon, his cheeks began to twitch.

For the next three days, he would suffer from a toothache.

This was the price of using the lion.

In a hospital room at Yuezhou Third Hospital.

He Jiaqing could no longer smile.

A familiar voice reached his ears: "Lu Dongliang went to Qianyue Restaurant for the banquet and confronted your eldest aunt."

Lu Dongliang just returned as if nothing had happened?

Lu Dongliang really didn't die?

The voice from the other side asked, "Can you see it? How did Lu Dongliang survive?"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I can't see anything clearly; it's all blurry. There seems to be a very powerful force. Are you sure that person is Lu Dongliang?"

"I'll go investigate," the other side replied.

"Don't go. You can't expose yourself yet. If that person truly is Lu Dongliang, you must be extremely cautious. Don't let this matter be reported for now; wait for my update. Help me deliver a letter. I'll find someone to help me investigate."

The nearby nurse was asleep. He Jiaqing sat up, and his body flickered on the hospital bed. In his hand appeared a pen, an envelope, and a sheet of paper.

He had taken these items from the stationery store downstairs. The store owner hadn't seen anyone and had no idea what happened.

He quickly wrote a letter, placed it in the envelope, sealed it with saliva, affixed a stamp, and rubbed it in his hand for a moment.

A gust of wind blew, and the envelope vanished.

The nurse suddenly woke up and looked at He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing was still lying motionless in bed.

In the Lu family's large estate, "Monkey" Qiu sat silently in a small building in the front courtyard.

Although Qiu Zhiheng was considered a significant figure in the Lu family, he was ultimately a servant. For a servant to have a separate small building within a large estate was unimaginable in other prominent families.

However, Qiu Zhiheng enjoyed this privilege. He had followed Lu Dongliang since he was ten years old, a period of twenty-eight years, which granted him a higher status than many members of the Lu family.

But it seemed this status might not last.

Handing Lu Dongliang his clothes in front of everyone was no big deal; it was a butler's duty.

Yet, Lu Dongliang showed no trust in him. He hadn't given him any news for days, hadn't informed him of his appearance today, and wouldn't allow him to follow when he left. This was something "Monkey" Qiu couldn't accept.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A knock sounded. Qiu Zhiheng answered, and Zuo Wugang, the "Big Branch Leader," walked in.

"Head Qiu, I brought you a jar of wine. I'd like to have a drink with you."

Qiu Zhiheng paused, looking at Zuo Wugang's expression, and understood his intention: "You're leaving?"

Zuo Wugang nodded. "Whether I can leave or not depends on your word."

"Why leave? Are you afraid the Master will blame you?"

Zuo Wugang set down the wine jar and sat opposite Qiu Zhiheng. "If you ask if I was afraid, I was a little at first. If the Master had simply vanished, I couldn't have escaped responsibility. But today the Master returned, and I received him at the door. Far from blaming me, he didn't even look my way. Because of that, I understood in my heart that the Lu family no longer has a place for me. Head Qiu, I haven't complained since the incident, and I'm only saying this to you: this isn't my fault, not from beginning to end! It's certainly not your fault either. I truly can't understand what the Master intends. I'm leaving. With our cultivation levels, we can find a living anywhere. Head Qiu, if you want to leave, we can go together."

Qiu Zhiheng was silent for a while, then shook his head. "I can't leave. My life was given by the Lu family. Take care of yourself."

Zuo Wugang said no more, stood up to leave, and at the doorway, noticed a letter in the crack of the door.

"Head Qiu, there's a letter here."

Qiu Zhiheng was startled. "You wrote me a letter?"

Zuo Wugang waved his hand. "I can barely read a few characters, what would I write a letter for? Besides, I'm still here, couldn't I just tell you anything?"

He handed the letter to Qiu Zhiheng and turned to leave.

Qiu Zhiheng tore open the envelope, scanned its contents, and immediately froze.

The letter claimed to be from Lu Xiaolan, and the handwriting was indeed hers.

The letter read as follows:

The Lu Dongliang you saw is a fake.He used my necklace.He has scars on his wrists.Anyone who uses that necklace will have scars on their wrists.

Li Banfeng headed to Xindi to get clay.

On the way, Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Ma, have you ever encountered a second-level Traveler cultivator?"

Ma Wu nodded. "I have."

"What skills do second-level Traveler cultivators possess?"

"You shouldn't ask me; aren't you a Traveler cultivator yourself?"

Li Banfeng replied seriously, "I'm a first-level Traveler cultivator, so of course, I don't know second-level skills."

Ma Wu said, "The second-level skill for Traveler cultivators is called 'Traceless Step'."

Li Banfeng blinked. "Is that a form of light-body skill?"

"No, it's not a light-body skill. It allows a Traveler cultivator to 'steal' a step while moving. If two parties are fighting three steps apart, the Traveler cultivator might suddenly close or widen the distance by one step during the combat. This single step takes almost no time, and even a Seeker cultivator at the same level can't discern the Traveler cultivator's footwork, often catching their opponent off guard."

Li Banfeng remembered Huang Guangshi, the second-level Traveler cultivator he had killed.

Huang Guangshi could move instantly and had gained a significant advantage when fighting Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng, unaware of his cultivation level, had thought he was using a very high-level skill.

This was a formidable ability, but how was the skill used?

Ma Wu pondered for a moment. "I once heard a Traveler cultivator say that the mechanics of their skills aren't difficult; the challenge lies in controlling their scale. 'Traceless Step' seems to involve using one's mind to move the feet. The caster must firmly believe they can take that step and genuinely desire to take it for it to work."

Li Banfeng frowned. "So, this skill isn't something you can just use whenever you want? If you lose confidence at a critical moment, it might not work?"

Ma Wu nodded. "Precisely as Brother Li said. I once heard of a third-level Traveler cultivator who, during a battle, intended to retreat one step but, in his impatience, advanced a step instead, directly crashing into his opponent's weapon and losing his life."