Chapter 104: The Blood Feud of the Yu Family

The Yu family residence in the imperial capital was half the size of their estate in Dongling, yet it still spanned three streets. Now, all its layered carved beams and painted rafters had been reduced to ruins and rubble. The alleyways, once teeming with people, were completely deserted; passersby covered their noses and avoided the area altogether. Walking in through the alley, one could see blackened bloodstains and decomposing limbs scattered everywhere, with swarms of flies rising up and vultures, snakes, and rats darting about, feasting on the decaying flesh.

The head of the Yu family had been kept under house arrest in the palace, only allowed out today to attend the ceremony. Though an old friend had sent word to warn him of what had happened, seeing the devastation with his own eyes was still too much—his vision went dark, and he could barely stand, supported by his grandchildren, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“Grandfather, I swear I will avenge this sea of blood,” Yu Shiyu growled softly, murderous intent surging from him like a god of death risen from hell.

Ning Mofei was terrified, clinging to Yu Youwei. She paid him little mind and said in a low voice, “Mofei, if you’re frightened, go back to the Ning family with Yixuan and the others.”

“I want to stay with you,” Ning Mofei insisted stubbornly.

The friends of Yu Shiyu who hadn’t participated in the Ten Families’ Illusory Demon Realm battle began to recount, all talking at once, what they’d heard happened that bloody night. Most of them had been warned and watched over by their elders, so few had witnessed the massacre firsthand. Their stories were pieced together from hearsay, but even so, they were not far from the truth.

Night had just fallen, and the bustling imperial capital suddenly echoed with the roar of a mythical beast. The patriarch of the Wu family, that notorious killer, rode his golden-maned beast out from the Wu residence, leading his clan to surround the Yu estate. Some mysterious experts joined in as well. The Wu patriarch’s sinister laughter, accompanied by earth-shaking explosions, resounded above the city.

Flames soared from the Yu estate, the battle raging from the ground to the skies. One by one, the Yu family’s masters self-destructed, bursting in the air like fireworks. No one was spared—an infant only three days old was shredded and devoured alive by the golden-maned beast; the child’s father flung himself onto the beast and detonated himself, but even then, the creature’s hide was left unscathed.

“It was a one-sided slaughter,” concluded Wen Shaokun’s third younger brother.

Simple as it was, that single sentence crashed over the three generations of the Yu family like a tidal wave. Yet their faces were expressionless, betraying neither grief nor weakness.

“There’s more. I just heard that all the Yu family disciples in the Sword Sect have been imprisoned—no one knows if they’re alive or dead,” Wen Shaokun said with a furrowed brow. “And strangest of all, rumor has it your fourth aunt wants to marry her daughter to Ling Yanfeng.”

Yu Shiyu shuddered, blood streaming from his eyes, but his laughter was eerie and wild. “Is that true?”

The Yu family patriarch clamped his eyes shut, gritting his teeth so hard not a sound escaped him.

“She can dream on,” Yu Youwei said coldly, her deep eyes flashing with murderous intent. Raising her delicate, jade-like hand, she gestured to Yu Shiyu. “I’ll handle that matter. For now, you need to see to everything in the capital as quickly as possible. Remember well those who lent us a helping hand in our hour of need. And those who kicked us when we were down, you keep a ledger for them too. It won’t be long before every debt is settled.”

“Dongling…” Yu Shiyu faltered, unable to finish his thought.

“Some must have survived. Before I go to the Sword Sect, I’ll make a trip to Dongling first,” Yu Youwei replied icily.

“Ninth sister, I’ll go with you. I have no say in the Sword Sect, but I can at least lead the way,” Wen Shaokun said, clapping Yu Shiyu firmly on the shoulder. “Those stubborn old men of the Wen family won’t give me any men, but I can still get my hands on some money and medicinal herbs.”

Ning Mofei, a simpleton, asked uncertainly, “Are we going to fight? I can ask my third brother to help.”

Yu Youwei’s cold gaze softened a little, and she responded calmly, “No need. The debts that must be collected, the Yu family can settle themselves. Mofei, stay here in the capital and help me look after Grandfather and Second Brother. I’ll be back soon.”

“I want to go with you,” Ning Mofei pleaded, his eyes shining with unshed tears, which he tried hard to hold back.

“Mofei, be good,” Yu Youwei snapped impatiently, making Ning Mofei shrink and hang his head in silence. Rubbing her forehead, she took his hand and spoke as gently as she could, “Mofei, can you do me a favor?”

He looked up at her, sniffling, and said in a small voice, “I just want to be with you.”

Yu Shiyu murmured, “Maybe you should let brother-in-law go with you for safety.”

“It’s not convenient to bring Mofei along.” Exchanging a meaningful glance with her brother, Yu Youwei turned to Ning Mofei again. “I promise, I’ll come back to find you as soon as I’m done. And I’ll take you to Yunhuang Marsh for an outing, all right?”

“To Yunhuang Marsh?” Still a child at heart, Ning Mofei was instantly enticed. With Yu Youwei’s promise to bring him a gift from the Sword Sect, he finally agreed obediently.

The Yu family patriarch, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly seemed unable to catch his breath.

Back on Tianqian Square, his concern for his beloved grandson Yu Shiyu had kept him going. But now, confronted with the blood and carnage amid the ruins, all his strength seemed to drain from his bones; he was just a frail old man, so weak he could be blown over by the wind.

The Dongling estate was the ancestral home of the Yu family, their foundation and fortune guarded by the eldest son, Yu Tianze, with nearly half the family’s descendants still there. In other words, half his children and grandchildren were in the capital, along with the brothers who had fought by his side for most of his life, their own children and grandchildren, all living together in the imperial Yu residence. Counting their families, the number reached three thousand, and including servants and guards, nearly ten thousand lives had been wiped out—utterly, without a trace.

“I am a useless family head…” he murmured brokenly, his breathing growing more ragged, a strange crimson tinge clouding his vision as he suddenly spewed a fountain of blood.

“Grandfather!” Yu Shiyu cried, but his grandfather struck out, sending him flying. The old man, at the peak of the Golden Core stage—though not a top master in the capital—had unleashed his full strength with that blow, and spat another mouthful of blood as he fell back.

Yu Youwei darted forward, catching her brother even as she arrived later, spinning gracefully as her skirt and hair fluttered, landing with an elegant poise.

“I’ll kill you all!” the Yu patriarch roared like a beast, slashing his hands through the air. Each strike sent powerful blasts crashing through the ruins, forcing everyone to retreat.

“Grandfather!” Yu Shiyu called out in anguish, but there was no answer. Even the grandfather who prided himself as a cunning old wolf of the forest could not bear such a heavy blow. He had lost his mind, lashing out madly, each strike shaking Yu Shiyu to his very core.

“This is bad, he’s about to go mad from inner turmoil!” Wen Shaokun exclaimed.

“Have brother-in-law ask the ancestor of Xianchen Sect to save Grandfather—Ninth Sister, we can’t let him be consumed by madness!” Yu Shiyu suddenly clutched his sister’s hand in panic.

“Calm down! The Water Ancestor was invited away by the Xiang family ancestor,” Yu Youwei snapped coldly.