Martial Saint with Passives

「Three days later.」

In the Vice Sect Leader’s courtyard.

Xie Songnian stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back, his brow furrowing ever deeper.

Three waves of men sent to find Xie Xingwen had already returned, yet there was still no word.

They had even reached out to Xie Xingwen’s maternal relatives, but there was no news from them either.

Furthermore, Liu Cang, who was with Xie Xingwen, had also vanished without a trace!

A terrible premonition began to stir within him.

’Could it be... something happened?’

Xingwen was at the Peak of the Bone Forging Realm, and Liu Cang was at the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm.

For them both to disappear, their opponent had to be a true master!

And in the Cangzhou Territory, who was both powerful and held a grudge against them...

The You Family?!

’Could they have been hunted down by You Honglang and his servant?’

Xie Songnian’s heart lurched at the thought.

You Honglang was at the Mid-stage of the Refining Organ Realm, and his old servant, You Zhong, was at the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm!

If Xingwen had run into them alone, he would have faced certain death!

Even with Liu Cang, they would have been no match for them...

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He decided to investigate further.

He immediately turned to a trusted disciple waiting at his side and said in a low, heavy voice:

"Go. Bring me Tang Qiaoqiao from Yanluo Courtyard and Jiang Che from Yunhai Courtyard!"

’Those two are the most likely to know about Xie Xingwen’s situation. Perhaps some clue was overlooked!’

"Yes, sir!" The disciple acknowledged the order and hurried away.

Before long, Tang Qiaoqiao and Jiang Che arrived, one after the other.

Xie Songnian sat in his Grandmaster’s Chair, his face as still as deep water. His gaze swept over the two of them like a cold blade.

"Jiang Che, you may go outside. I want to question Qiaoqiao alone," Xie Songnian said in a low voice.

"Yes, sir." Jiang Che gave a bow and exited the room.

Xie Songnian turned to Tang Qiaoqiao, his voice softening as much as possible. "Qiaoqiao, tell me again what happened after you ran into Xingwen that day. Tell me everything, in detail. Try not to leave anything out."

The formless pressure emanating from Xie Songnian drained the color from Tang Qiaoqiao’s face. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "Master Xie... that day, Brother Xingwen... he... he called me into the woods... Then we ran into those two from the You Family... They wanted to kill him, and he—he just ran away by himself... Later, when they were about to take me away... Jiang Che ran over and threw a poison gas pellet and saved me..."

She spoke in fits and starts, her eyes darting away from his.

The memory was an unpleasant one, and recalling it still filled her with a lingering sense of fear and shame.

After listening to her account, Xie Songnian’s expression grew even darker.

He questioned her about a few more details, but seeing that Tang Qiaoqiao truly had no more information and didn’t seem to be lying, he dismissed her.

He then had Jiang Che called back in.

When facing Jiang Che, his voice became much colder, carrying an oppressive weight that tolerated no argument.

"Jiang Che, what was the situation when you found Qiaoqiao? Did you see Xingwen? Or... a powerfully built Martial Artist of the Refining Organ Realm?!"

Jiang Che instantly felt an icy killing intent wash over him!

His All-Seeing Eye activated on its own!

A premonition flashed through his mind!

The vision showed that if he didn’t answer correctly, the slightest misstep would result in his immediate death!

Jiang Che forced himself to remain calm, while deliberately affecting an expression of appropriate fear for a disciple facing the Vice Sect Leader. Then, he slowly recited the story he had already prepared:

"Vice Sect Leader, I was urgently tracking Junior Sister Tang’s trail and found her in a forest clearing. You Honglang and his servant were holding her captive. I was desperate to save her, so I used the Illusion Mist Pearl that Dean Ye gave me and managed to rescue her. As for Senior Brother Xie and the Refining Organ Realm Martial Artist you mentioned... I truly did not see them. The situation was urgent, and I was focused only on escaping with Junior Sister Tang. I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings. However..."

His tone shifted, becoming hesitant. "You Honglang was extremely agitated at the time, cursing nonstop... Especially when he mentioned you, Vice Sect Leader, and Senior Brother Xie, his hatred was overwhelming. He swore that he would find and personally execute... his enemies. My guess is that, perhaps... Senior Brother Xie and the others were unfortunately found by You Honglang later on..."

As he finished speaking, Jiang Che saw the corner of Xie Songnian’s eye twitch violently.

This speculation had clearly struck a nerve, hitting upon his deepest fear!

Xie Songnian fell silent for a moment. The very air in the room seemed to freeze.

He stared at Jiang Che with a deep, dark gaze and began to ponder.

’From the looks of it, Jiang Che has nothing to do with my son’s disappearance.’

’But then again, this brat ruined my plans for the Mining Area and has opposed Xie Xingwen multiple times.’

’Should I just get rid of him while I’m at it?’

Jiang Che could feel that the killing intent directed at him had not completely dissipated!

His All-Seeing Eye instantly issued its strongest warning, and every muscle in his body tensed.

He suspected that Xie Songnian wouldn’t necessarily make a move here.

But with his son missing, the man might not be able to remain rational!

Jiang Che was ready to activate Shadow Escape, the Active Skill of his True: Shadowless Escape Stream, at a moment’s notice!

If Xie Songnian made the slightest move, he would vanish instantly!

It would mean revealing his trump card, but he had no other choice!

After a long moment, Xie Songnian seemed to finally suppress the urge.

’To personally act against a junior with no backing would be beneath my station. It could also cause unnecessary trouble. The potential gains aren’t worth the risk.’

’I’ll just find an excuse to have someone deal with him later. There’s no need to act now.’

He waved a dismissive hand, his voice returning to its usual indifference. "Very well, I understand. You may go."

"Yes, sir." Jiang Che breathed a silent sigh of relief. The back of his shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.

He gave a respectful bow and, keeping his head lowered, slowly backed out of the room.

It wasn’t until he had left the Vice Sect Leader’s courtyard and stepped back into the sunlight that he felt the almost tangible sense of oppression finally begin to lift.