Chapter 145: Assassination at the Liu Estate

The sun had just risen when a knock came at the door. Ye Sansi crawled out of bed, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and slowly pulled the door open. To his surprise, it was Liu Zhen standing there.

Ye Sansi bowed and asked, "Father, is there some urgent matter?"

"Sansi, didn't you say there would be good news today? I couldn't fall asleep until late last night, and I woke up early, so I came looking for you."

Liu Lingshuang heard their conversation from inside her room, walked out, and smiled. "Father, why are you so impatient? If you calculate the time, that person won't arrive until noon. What's the rush?"

Ye Sansi continued, "In that case, we can wash up first, have some breakfast, and take Yinv to the weapons smithy to wait. Along the way, we can see if the shop has any new trinkets we can buy for the road, just so Shuang'er has something to defend herself with."

After Lingshuang finished speaking, Yinv bowed, and Liu Zhen nodded in return.

Ye Sansi smiled. "Father, come with us to the weapons smithy in Lingzhou City shortly. We have good news to share with you."

"Alright, alright. I know you like to keep secrets. I want to see what kind of wonderful news could be so mysterious."

Liu Lingshuang quickly chimed in, "Wonderful! I didn't get a chance to look around properly the last time we were at the shop. Since we're doing the owner a huge favor today, I won't let him off easy. I'm going to make him give me plenty of hidden weapons as a bonus."

Liu Zhen smiled indulgently and hurried off to arrange breakfast. Liu Lingshuang washed up and went to find Yinv. When the four of them gathered, Liu Zhen noticed Yinv and casually asked, "And who is this young lady?"

"She is a friend of Sansi and me," Yinv replied. "We were passing through, so she invited us to stay at the Liu Family Fortress for the night. We'll be heading out together soon."

The shop owner smiled and bowed. "The Fortress Lord still remembers me, which I truly appreciate. But this old man is used to being alone and has no desire to marry. I honestly have other matters to attend to today."

Liu Zhen pondered this, unable to think of what could possibly be considered good news. The weapons smithy had been open for over a decade. Although the owner loved money, he was righteous and kind-hearted. Liu Zhen treated him very well, considering him a friend.

Ye Sansi smiled at the owner. "You should know the character and conduct of the Liu Family Fortress Lord over the past decade—the common folk all praise him. So you can completely tell him the truth."

After breakfast, Yinv, Ye Sansi, Liu Lingshuang, and Liu Zhen set off together for the weapons smithy.

Upon seeing the Fortress Lord, the weapons smithy owner quickly stood up to greet them, hung the 'Closed' sign, brought out several chairs, and invited them to sit.

Liu Zhen smiled. "Old Sha, these kids of mine claim they have good news to share and brought me to your shop. Seeing that you've been by yourself for over a decade, could it be that you're finally getting married? So that's why they were acting so mysterious! This calls for a grand celebration; we mustn't be careless."

Liu Zhen chuckled. "Old Sha, looking at how mysterious you're being, is there really a major event? Just speak your mind. I am well-acquainted with the movements in Lingzhou City. If anyone approaches, I will sense it, so you needn't fear eavesdroppers."

"Fortress Lord, you are a good man. Over the past decade, I thank you deeply for taking care of my business."

"Hahaha, Shuang'er simply likes your work. You provide the goods, I provide the money—there's no need for thanks."

Liu Zhen was deliberately brought here by Ye Sansi. His purpose was to let Liu Zhen know of the Tang Clan's existence. With the support and protection of the Liu Family Fortress, they would have no fear of Wei Feiliang's desire to exterminate them.

The owner carefully weighed Ye Sansi's words and felt they made sense. The Liu Family Fortress was already allied with the Tang Clan, and Liu Zhen was a renowned hero throughout the martial world. It was safe to confide in him.

To guard against eavesdroppers, the owner stepped outside to look around the shop. Seeing no one about, he returned inside.

Tang Yuan nodded. Liu Zhen sat down heavily, recalling an old friend, and muttered to himself, "Old Tang, Old Tang, can your spirit in heaven see this? Your sect still lives, and now it seems your children are safe and sound. The Tang Clan's return to the pugilistic world is just around the corner."

Liu Zhen looked at Yinv and asked, "Are you Old Tang's daughter, the young lady of the Tang Clan?"

Yinv bowed and replied, "Indeed I am. I only have hazy memories of what happened over a dozen years ago, but there was a wooden box left with us containing several martial arts manuals..."

"Fortress Lord, you once asked about my surname," the owner began, "but I casually adopted the first character of my shop's name, having you call me 'Old Sha'. You treated me like a friend, and I am truly grateful, but... but I deceived you. In truth, my surname is Tang, and my given name is Yuan..."

Liu Zhen fell into a brief contemplation and muttered, "A descendant of the Tang clan? Yinv? Could it be! Could it be... that you are the Tang Clan..."

Before he could finish, Tang Yuan nodded in confirmation. Tears welled up in Liu Zhen's eyes. Deeply moved, he grabbed Tang Yuan by the arm and exclaimed, "The Tang Clan... the Tang Clan still lives?"

Liu Lingshuang smiled. "Sister Yinv, from now on, the Tang Clan will depend on you and Little Ye. You will surely destroy those villains and restore the glory of the Tang Clan."

Yinv said softly, "Rather than saying the Tang Clan depends on us, it is more like Little Ye and I are placing our hopes in the Tang Clan, borrowing its strength to avenge my father and the tragic deaths of the Tang family. That will be enough for this lifetime."

"Well said!" clapping came from outside the door, and everyone stood up.

"It is indeed well said. Old Tang could leave behind anything, but he never forgot his ancestral foundation. He saved your lives, preserved the Tang Clan's techniques, and then went off to sacrifice himself... Ah, such a pity."

Upon seeing Yinv and realizing she was the young lady of the Tang Clan, the owner knelt and bowed.

Seeing this, Yinv quickly helped him up and said, "Uncle, please don't stand on ceremony. Growing up, I've never received such a grand bow. Please, rise quickly."

Yinv looked at the man's face, tried to recall, and suddenly covered her mouth in shock. "Second Uncle? Why... why do you look so aged?"

The Great Elder smiled. "The battle over a dozen years ago damaged my core meridians. It took me half a year to wake up, and when I learned of the Tang Clan's destruction, grief surged to my heart, aggravating my wounds. My hair turned white in a single instant. It's no matter, no matter—all trivial things."

Liu Zhen patted the man's back and asked, "Over the past dozen years, has the Tang Clan been rebuilt and grown entirely by your hand?"

An elderly man with white hair slowly walked into the weapons smithy. As if he had sensed the man's presence long beforehand, Liu Zhen stood up to greet him, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Liu Zhen pays his respects to the Great Elder."

The man hurriedly returned the bow with cupped hands and laughed. "Hahaha, why has Big Brother Liu aged so much? I truly never expected that in the blink of an eye, over a decade would pass..."

Ye Sansi hurriedly asked, "Yinv, do you recognize this person?"

Ye Sansi smiled. "Since the matters discussed by the Senior concern the Tang Clan, we have no need to intrude. Having Father present is enough. Shuang'er and I are juniors and shouldn't know too much, so we will take our leave first." With that, the two bowed and left the weapons smithy.

Liu Zhen sat down, pondered for a long while, and slowly asked, "Since the Tang Clan survived and still has many disciples, why didn't you come to seek refuge in our Liu Family Fortress? Wouldn't that have spared you all this constant fear and anxiety?"

The Great Elder replied, "The ambush on our Tang Clan was a long-laid scheme by that villain Wei. If he discovers that survivors of the Tang Clan remain, naturally he will leave no loose ends. The Liu Family Fortress is backed by the imperial court, so he dares not make a move against it. But if it became known that the fortress was sheltering Tang Clan descendants, I fear that scoundrel would hatch another plot. If the Liu Family Fortress were to fall, there would be no force left in this world capable of standing against him..."

Not me alone. Although the Clan Master perished, many of our disciples were out on missions and escaped the calamity. Some of our brothers who fell during the ambush tumbled down the mountain and landed in a deep ravine, miraculously avoiding being smashed to pieces..."

Sensing that these words were not meant for his ears—being matters of the Tang Clan—Ye Sansi smiled and said, "Now that everything is well, Yinv has reunited with the Tang Clan's Great Elder and you all know one another, you can talk amongst yourselves. Shuang'er and I will head back to the fortress first."

The Great Elder perceived Ye Sansi's reservation and quickly intervened. "Everyone present is our own people. The young hero has rendered a great service to the Tang Clan; it would be utterly discourteous of me to ask you to withdraw."

"Understood, this young maiden will keep it in mind."

After exchanging a few more words, Liu Zhen also departed, leaving the internal affairs of the Tang Clan for them to deliberate among themselves. Upon returning to the fortress, he sensed an unusual atmosphere. Xu Xuan was not guarding the entrance, and not a single guard was in sight.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Liu Zhen rushed into the fortress. The moment he looked up, he saw corpses strewn across the ground. With a leap, he vaulted into the air and saw that the martial arts training courtyard was also flowing with blood...

"Very well. From this day forward, the affairs of the Tang Clan are the affairs of the Liu Family Fortress. Anything you find difficult to accomplish, come to me; I shall naturally lend my aid."

Yinv bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Fortress Lord. Young Hero Ye is my younger brother's master, and he has bestowed upon us the immense grace of helping us return to our ancestral roots. With the Fortress Lord showing such righteousness, this humble maiden... this humble maiden is endlessly grateful..." With that, she moved to drop to her knees.

Liu Zhen quickly caught her by the arm and lifted her up. "Good child, no need for formalities. Your father and I were dearest friends. How could I, as your uncle, ignore the children of my brother? Hurry and go with the Great Elder to attend to your business, take charge of the Tang Clan as soon as possible, and let it re-emerge in the martial world."

Liu Zhen walked over to Xu Xuan. Xu Xuan explained, "Shortly after you left, I heard the sound of synchronized footsteps at the entrance—much lighter than ordinary footsteps. Since you were already far away, you didn't notice. Realizing something was amiss, and knowing there was no time to fetch you, I saw that the assassins were numerous and we couldn't hope to resist them head-on. So I ordered the fortress disciples to conceal themselves and wait for an opportunity to strike."

Liu Zhen frowned and asked, "And then?"

"These assassins were extremely cautious, clearly seasoned veterans. Seeing no guards, they advanced very carefully, giving us no chance to launch a surprise attack. We had no choice but to wait. Who would have thought that shortly after, Young Master Ye and the Eldest Miss returned? The moment they stepped into the fortress, they ran right into these people."

Yet, strangely enough, none of the corpses belonged to the Liu family disciples; all were dressed in black. Judging by their physiques, they were no ordinary assassins. There were so many of them that it was clearly a premeditated plot—disguising themselves as commoners to hide in the city, then launching a sudden assault the moment he was away from the fortress.

Silence hung heavy within the Liu Family Fortress, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Father, you've returned." Xu Xuan stepped out from the shadows, leading the Liu family troops. Liu Zhen asked in puzzlement, "Xuan'er, what has happened here? I didn't sense a thing..."

Alarmed, Liu Zhen demanded, "How are Sansi and Shuang'er? Nothing happened to them, did it?"

"Father, you needn't worry. Young Master Ye single-handedly wiped out all these assassins. He was a bit tired afterwards, so the Eldest Miss escorted him back to his room to rest. Not a single one of our Liu family disciples was injured—this is a resounding victory."

Though this was indeed good news, Liu Zhen could not bring himself to cheer. Frowning, he ordered, "Clear away these bodies, seal off the news, and investigate who instigated this bunch. Although we won today, we must never let down our guard. With the five elders currently in closed-door cultivation, I must trouble you to be extra vigilant."

Xu Xuan acknowledged, "Understood!"