Chapter 34: The Aftermath
Rain continued falling as thunder rumbled across the sky.
Each droplet of water struck the shattered courtyard outside Madam Shu’s residence before flowing quietly through the cracks left behind by the battle.
Lu Yang slowly turned around.
Without another glance at the lifeless figure seated behind him, he stepped out of the hall.
The cold rain immediately soaked his robes once again.
The blood staining his sleeves gradually dispersed into countless crimson threads before disappearing into the flowing water beneath his feet.
His footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, appearing almost mechanical.
The clan members gathered near the mansion unconsciously moved aside upon seeing him emerge.
No one spoke, and no one dared to ask what had happened inside. It was because they already knew the outcome.
Looking at Lu Yang’s expressionless face, everyone understood that everything had already come to an end.
He simply continued walking towards the main gates of the Lu Family.
His destination was the mortal branch.
After all, his parents were still waiting for him. He still had to accompany them on their final journey.
In the rain, that sole figure appeared so lonely, so desolate, as if detached from the entire world.
...
More than a hundred meters away, atop the seven story pavilion, the Family Head quietly watched the desolate figure disappear into the rain.
For a long while, he remained silent, his gaze fixed on the spot where that figure had disappeared.
Finally, an almost imperceptible sigh escaped his lips.
Within that sigh was exhaustion, regret, and a trace of sorrow that even he himself could not completely conceal.
The mortal woman who had accompanied him for decades... had ultimately chosen a road from which there was no return.
He could not be a good husband, and he could not be a good Family Head either.
Oftentimes, he wondered, if he was born an ordinary mortal, would things have turned out differently for him and Madam Shu?
He slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them moments later again, only the calmness befitting the Family Head remained inside.
"Let’s go."
He slowly turned around, and without another word, walked back into the pavilion.
Behind him, the Great Elder, the Internal Affairs Grand Elder, the True Teaching Grand Elder, and the Law Enforcement Grand Elder silently followed.
No one mentioned Madam Shu again.
...
Outside the main estate gates, rain still poured relentlessly.
Lu Yang walked alone through the empty pathway.
The once ethereal, tranquil clan grounds had become much more unusually quiet.
Every clan member who encountered him instinctively lowered their heads before silently stepping aside.
No one obstructed his path.
Before long, another figure gradually entered his vision.
Standing quietly beneath the rain was a young woman dressed in white.
Her robes were completely soaked, drops of rain continuously sliding down her long black hair.
She did not attempt to shelter herself, instead, she simply stood there, as if she had been waiting for a very long time.
It was none other than Lu Qingyu.
The resemblance between her and Madam Shu was unmistakable.
The moment their eyes met, neither spoke immediately.
Both pairs of eyes carried the same, indescribable emptiness.
One had lost her mother, and the other had lost his parents.
Neither had truly won.
Several breaths later, Lu Qingyu slowly stepped forward.
Then, under Lu Yang’s calm gaze, she bowed deeply, lower than she had ever bowed to anyone before.
Seeing this scene, Lu Yang was reminded of when Lu Tianhe did the same years ago.
When she finally spoke, her voice was somewhat hoarse.
"The grudge between us... has ended."
The pitter-patter of the rain filled the silence between those words.
She slowly straightened her body.
"The elders are growing old, and the next hundred years will belong to us."
Her eyes held no grievances or unwillingness, only determination.
"As cultivators, the future pillars of the Lu Family, I hope today’s events... will not become tomorrow’s division."
Unlike her mother, she had long since become capable of seeing beyond herself.
As one of the greatest geniuses within the Lu Family, no one could force her into a political marriage. No one could decide her future with a single word.
She possessed both talent and strength, which naturally transformed into freedom.
The same freedom of choice that her mother never had.
Perhaps... that was the greatest difference between mother and daughter.
Lu Yang quietly looked at her with that same empty gaze for several moments.
Finally, after a few breaths of time, he gave a faint nod of acknowledgement, nothing more.
Then, he directly walked past her, not even glancing in her direction once.
Lu Qingyu remained standing beneath the rain until his figure completely disappeared into the distance. Only then did she slowly lower her head.
Unnoticed by anyone, a single tear mixed with rainwater slid down her cheek, falling quietly into the puddle below.
...
Several days later.
Both funerals concluded.
Lu Yang personally buried his parents beside a peaceful mountain overlooking the western district where they had lived most of their lives rather than the ancestral grounds of the Lu Family.
Many people attended, including his mother’s family and the close relatives of his father.
There were also several elders from the mortal branch, individuals who admired Lu Yang from both the main and mortal branches, and even the Internal Affairs Grand Elder personally came.
There was no lavish ceremony or unnecessary speeches, only silence throughout the process.
Seeing the corpse of his daughter, Lu Yang’s maternal grandfather closed his eyes and patted Lu Yang’s shoulder with an emotional sigh, not saying anything.
After placing the final handful of earth upon the graves, Lu Yang stood there quietly until sunset, and no one disturbed him.
Meanwhile, the funeral of Madam Shu also followed similar procedures.
...
Time flowed onward.
Months gradually passed since that incident.
Following the funeral, Lu Yang almost completely disappeared from public view.
He rarely left seclusion, devoting almost every waking moment entirely to cultivation.
On the other hand, news spread rapidly throughout Wuyuan Province.
The Lu Family had produced a supreme genius.
A twenty-four year old cultivator who had reached the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.
The news spread with astonishing speed, far faster than the Lu Family had anticipated.
Even distant cultivation forces in Wuyuan Prefecture soon heard of Lu Yang’s existence.
Many Spirit Awakening Realm experts were shocked, especially those within the Canglan Prefecture.
Of course, the Lu Family understood exactly why the news had spread so quickly.
The Shu Marquis Manor.
Although neither side publicly acknowledged what had happened, rumors had already begun circulating in the outside world:
The Lu Family and the Shu Marquis Manor had fallen out.
However, neither side made any attempts to deny it.
...
During this period, Fang Chen also visited once.
Upon hearing everything that had happened, the usually carefree young man remained silent for an unusually long time.
Several times, he opened his mouth as though wishing to say something only to close it again.
In the end, he merely sat together with Lu Yang outside his courtyard, drinking wine in complete silence until sunset.
Sometimes, that alone was enough.
Lu Yang never blamed him.
After all, some wounds possessed no words capable of healing them.
...
Time continued passing by like an arrow shot from a bowstring.
Lu Yang immersed himself completely in cultivation.
His foundation became increasingly stable, and his Blood Qi grew denser day after day.
His goal became clearer than ever before.
Spirit Awakening Realm.
Only by reaching that realm could he truly begin protecting the people around him.
That realm he never managed to step into in his past life.
Only with absolute strength could he prevent history from repeating itself.
...
Occasionally, he would encounter Lu Tianhe somewhere within the clan when going out.
The injuries from their battle had long since healed, yet, neither of them mentioned that day again.
When their paths crossed, they simply nodded quietly toward one another.
Nods of acknowledgement, nothing more.
Their former closeness had disappeared, but they did not become enemies.
Both understood that the true culprit had already paid the price; the conflict between them had ended beneath the rain that day.
Looking back now, it all felt strangely ironic.
Ever since childhood, the Twin Stars and the Rising Sun had always wished to compete fairly, to discover who truly stood at the summit of the same realm, possessing greater talent.
However, their first genuine battle took place while standing on opposite sides of life and death.
Fate had a cruel sense of humor.
...
Late one winter night, snow began replacing the rain.
Lu Yang stood alone outside his courtyard, the cold wind brushing against his face.
His gaze drifted unconsciously towards the distant mountains.
His parents’ voices slowly resurfaced within his memories.
It was a promise, one he had once spoken with complete certainty; that he would never reach a point of no return.
At the time, he had believed those words without the slightest doubt.
Yet now, Madam Shu’s final question echoed once more within his heart.
"One day, you will face such a choice too. When that day comes... what choice... will you make?"
Lu Yang slowly closed his eyes.
The cold wind continued blowing past his ears.
For the first time since the beginning of this life, he found himself unable to answer with complete confidence.
Would he truly be able to uphold that promise, no matter what awaited him in the future?