Chapter 944: Kept Secret, But Not Entirely Secret

The setting sun sank in the west, painting the entire sky with a brilliant sunset glow.

Outside Windfire City, upon the summit of Emerald Cloud Peak, sat a stone table flanked by stone stools, where a young youth and a maiden snuggled close against one another.

The youth possessed a rather lean frame, his complexion slightly pale, yet his features were delicate and handsome.

The maiden wore a snow-white dress, her skin like pristine jade, her countenance peerlessly beautiful.

The maiden’s head rested upon the youth’s shoulder, looking for all the world like a pair of divine lovers under the illumination of the setting sun.

“Yao’er, I truly wish it could be like this for a lifetime!” the youth said softly, his face brimming with a blissful smile.

“Brother Ming, of course it can, after all, we promised to be together for all our lives.”

A look of pure happiness bloomed upon the maiden's face.

The youth was named Lu Ming, and the maiden was named Lu Yao.

Beholding the smile on Lu Yao’s face, Lu Ming's gaze grew even more tender as he took her soft, delicate hand and said, “Yao’er, although my meridians are blocked and I cannot condense true qi, as long as I can awaken my bloodline, the Council of Elders will purchase spiritual medicine to clear my meridians for me, and then I will be able to cultivate.”

“I will surely become a powerful warrior of the martial path and protect you for the rest of my days.”

“Thank you, Brother Ming.”

A look of deep emotion appeared in Lu Yao's eyes, and she asked, “Brother Ming, did a bloodline surveyor truly test you before and confirm that you inherited your father’s bloodline?”

“Yes, Yao’er, so in the future, your man will definitely be a powerful cultivator,” Lu Ming said, a confident smile rising on his face.

Lu Yao smiled faintly and picked up the wine cup from the stone table; within it was the famous Blood Orchid Wine, diffusing a subtle, delicate fragrance.

Like a flash of lightning, Lu Yao planted a kiss on Lu Ming’s cheek, her face flushing crimson as she held up the cup and said, “Brother Ming, here, Yao’er rewards you.”

Lu Ming accepted the wine cup and said, “Yao’er, you treat me to a cup of Blood Orchid Wine every single day, I am truly grateful to have you by my side.”

With those words, he raised the cup to his lips and drained it in a single gulp.

As the aroma of the wine lingered on the tip of his tongue, Lu Ming's heart felt as sweet as the fragrance, but in the next instant, he felt the world begin to spin.

“Yao’er, why do I feel a bit dizzy? This wine of yours...”

Supporting himself against the stone table, Lu Ming looked toward Lu Yao, only to find that her expression had grown utterly cold.

“Hahaha! Lu Ming, Yao’er has accompanied you for three whole years for no other reason than to nurture your bloodline, and now the time has come, so surrender your bloodline!”

At that moment, a middle-aged man emerged from the side; it was Lu Yao’s father.

Rumble!

Like a bolt from the blue, it exploded violently within Lu Ming's mind.

“Yao’er!”

Lu Ming stared at Lu Yao in sheer disbelief, but her eyes held nothing but profound indifference.

“Why? I loved you so much!”

Lu Yao’s cold gaze felt like sharp daggers piercing into Lu Ming’s heart; he let out a great roar and lunged toward her.

Yet Lu Yao merely took a slight step back, and he crashed heavily onto the ground.

“Duanmu Lin of the Mystical Void Sword Sect began cultivating at age six, cleared two divine meridians within half a year to step into the Warrior Realm, entered the Master Realm at age nine, and now at sixteen, he is one of the four great geniuses of the Mystical Void Sword Sect. And what about you? Frail, sickly, with blocked meridians—to put it bluntly, you are nothing but a piece of trash. Even if you awaken a bloodline, you will still be trash; can you even be compared to Duanmu Lin?”

“Only such a genius is a worthy match for me, Lu Yao, and to form a marriage alliance with him, I must awaken a powerful bloodline. Since you love me so much, why not fulfill my wish and use your bloodline to help me awaken an even mightier one?”

The chilling words drifted callously from Lu Yao’s mouth.

Thud!

Right then, the middle-aged man stomped his foot heavily onto Lu Ming’s back, a sharp dagger appearing in his hand as he barked, “Lu Ming, yield your bloodline!”

Ah!

At his spine, an agonizing pain instantaneously engulfed Lu Ming, causing him to howl in a voice saturated with absolute loneliness, helplessness, and despair.

Gradually, Lu Ming plunged into a boundless abyss of darkness.

“Lu Yao, Lu Yunxiong, why did you steal my bloodline!”

Lu Ming roared fiercely, bolting upright from the bed, causing the structure crafted from nanmu wood to give a sharp creak.

Drenched in cold sweat and deathly pale, Lu Ming initially thought it was all a terrible nightmare, but he quickly realized this was no dream; it was an reality that had already transpired.

The scenes from a few days ago resurfaced vividly in his mind.

Lu Ming was the descendant of the main lineage of the Lu Family in Windfire City, and his father was the Family Head. Meanwhile, Lu Yao was the daughter of the Grand Elder of the Lu Family's primary branch lineage.

Born of the same clan but different branches, the two had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, practically inseparable, and had even exchanged solemn vows of eternal devotion in private.

Never in his wildest dreams did Lu Ming imagine that Lu Yao and the Grand Elder would strike against him to steal his bloodline.

“Strength... it is all because my strength is insufficient. If my talent were extraordinary and my power immense, how would they ever dare treat me like this?”

Lu Ming clenched his fists tightly, his entire body trembling as his eyes turned completely bloodshot.

Trash!

That was the title Lu Yao had given him; her words from three days ago seemed to still echo right beside his ears.

Creek!

Just then, the room door was pushed open, and a frail, middle-aged woman walked in. Looking at Lu Ming upon the bed, she asked with deep concern, “Ming’er, did you have another nightmare?”

This beautiful woman was Lu Ming's mother, Li Ping.

Three days ago, it was Li Ping who, worried for Lu Ming's safety, went out searching and saved him; otherwise, Lu Ming would already be dead.

Ever since word arrived six years ago that Lu Ming's father had been killed while traveling abroad, he and Li Ping had relied solely on each other to survive.

Looking at Li Ping, the gaze in Lu Ming's eyes softened as he said, “Mother, it is nothing, it was just a dream.”

Noticing Lu Ming's pale face, Li Ping sat by the edge of his bed, brushing his forehead as she said with a heavy heart, “It has been three days already, and each time you cry out that Lu Yao harmed you. Ming’er, what exactly happened? Could your injuries be because of Lu Yao...”

Lu Ming replied, “Mother, it is really nothing, you misheard.”

Lu Ming did not tell Li Ping that it was the work of Lu Yao and the Grand Elder, because Li Ping did not practice the martial path; telling her would only bring her harm.

Li Ping hesitated for a brief moment before saying, “Ming’er, from now on, you cannot call Lu Yao directly by her name in front of others. Two days ago, Lu Yao awakened a fifth-grade bloodline and even cleared a divine meridian. She has already gained the recognition of the Council of Elders, and at the clan assembly two months from now, she will take charge of the Lu Family to become the Family Head. Directly uttering the Family Head’s name will likely be decried as disrespect.”

“What? Lu Yao wants to take charge of the Lu Family? In her dreams!”

Lu Ming let out a low, furious growl, his eyes filling with blood as his jaw clenched so hard it creaked, his teeth nearly grinding to pieces as fresh blood began to flow.

After rumors spread six years ago that Lu Ming's father had been killed, the Lu Family had been managed by the Council of Elders all this time without appointing a new Family Head.

Seeing Lu Ming in this state, Li Ping was frightened out of her wits; she could only cradle Lu Ming’s head as tears streamed down continuously, sobbing, “Ming’er, do not scare your mother, I have already lost your father, I cannot lose you too.”

“Father... where on earth are you? Ming’er believes you are not dead. Right now, Ming’er is utterly powerless, and even the position of Family Head is about to be lost.”

Lu Ming tightly gripped a pendant hanging around his neck; because he squeezed so hard, his fingernails dug straight into his flesh, and fresh blood seeped out continuously.

This pendant, cast from bronze and the size of a broad bean, had been sent back by someone from afar just before Lu Ming’s father met with disaster; for these past six years, Lu Ming had kept it constantly by his side.

The blood from his palm seeped out, flowing directly onto the bronze pendant.

Hum!

Suddenly, the bronze pendant trembled faintly and grew intensely hot.

Before Lu Ming could even react, the bronze pendant gave a sharp shudder, unexpectedly dissolving into fine powder that bored right into the center of his palm, vanishing completely from sight.

Next, Lu Ming felt a searing energy course from his palm, up his arm, and after a brief moment, settle directly into the Yintang point between his brows.

"The Nine Dragons never die; the bloodline is reborn!"

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted within Lu Ming's mind, leaving his consciousness buzzing violently.

"The Nine Dragons never die; the bloodline is reborn!"

"The Nine Dragons never die; the bloodline is reborn!"

......

The successive roars echoed relentlessly in Lu Ming's head, and then, a scorching aura burst forth from between his brows, rushing straight toward his spine.

The next moment, the roars vanished, but an intense, numbing itch spread along his spine as his entire body grew boiling hot.

"What is going on?"

Lu Ming was completely bewildered.

By now, the itching along his spine grew even more violent, as if something were slowly sprouting and growing.

"Ming'er, what is wrong with you? Don't scare your mother."

Sensing the abnormalities in Lu Ming's body, Li Ping grew even more terrified, utterly at a loss.

"Bloodline rebirth? Could I really be undergoing a bloodline rebirth?" Lu Ming wondered in astonishment.

Ancient texts recorded that only a minuscule number of people, after having their bloodlines stripped or destroyed by other means, could undergo a rebirth and sprout a new bloodline.

However, most reborn bloodlines were of an incredibly low rank and of little use.

Yet, there were an extremely rare few who could break through the destruction to rise anew, emerging from the ashes to surpass their past selves and awaken a supreme bloodline.

But that probability was so microscopic it could be ignored; ancient records showed only a handful of such instances throughout history.

To surpass the past and awaken a supreme bloodline was something Lu Ming did not dare imagine—the odds were simply too small—he would be overjoyed just to awaken any bloodline at all.

With a bloodline, he could cultivate the martial path and alter his own destiny.

Gradually, the strange sensations faded, and a smile broke across Lu Ming's face as he said, "Mother, I am fine!"

"Young Master, it is wonderful that you are alright! You have frightened us half to death these past few days!"

Just then, a young maiden walked over and spoke.

The girl was around the same age as Lu Ming and possessed striking beauty.

Lu Ming naturally recognized her; her name was Qiu Yue, Li Ping's personal maidservant who had grown up alongside him since childhood.

"Qiu Yue, I am fine, do not worry!"

Lu Ming said with a gentle smile.

Then, as Lu Ming swept his gaze across his surroundings, his expression shifted drastically as he asked, "Mother, where is this? This is not the Main Lu Mansion!"

Lu Ming's father had once been the Master of the Lu Family, and they had always resided in the Main Lu Mansion, but this place was clearly different.

"Ming'er, just focus on recovering from your injuries and do not overthink things," Li Ping said, though the fleeting sorrow and unshed tears in her eyes did not escape Lu Ming's notice.

"Mother, what exactly happened?" Lu Ming pressed.

"Young Master, let me tell you. We were driven out. Lu Yao claimed she is about to become the Family Master and should rightfully occupy the Main Mansion, and since we no longer have the right to live there, they forced us to move."

To the side, Qiu Yue gritted her silver teeth and spat out the truth, her lovely young face flushed with furious anger.

"What? Lu Yao, you go too far!" Lu Ming roared in fury.

"You worthless trash, what are you shouting for? Giving you a place to stay is already an act of grace, yet you show no gratitude?"

Right at that moment, a voice rang out from beyond the door, which was then pushed open to reveal a young man walking in.

"Lu Chuan, it's you!"

Lu Ming barked in anger. This person was named Lu Chuan, Lu Yao's biological elder brother, who was slightly older than Lu Ming.

"Lu Chuan, we have already left the Main Mansion. What are you still doing here?"

Li Ping demanded, instinctively stepping in front of Lu Ming as if terrified that Lu Chuan might do him harm.

"I am here to claim the sword!"

Having spoken, Lu Chuan's eyes scanned the room, brightening the moment he spotted a precious sword resting beside the bed. He immediately strode over and snatched the weapon into his grasp.

"Lu Chuan, that sword is the only keepsake left behind by Ming'er's father, meant for Ming'er to use in the future. You cannot take it away."

Li Ping desperately reached out to wrest it back.

"Get lost!"

With a surge of strength, Lu Chuan jerked the scabbard, unleashing a burst of force. Li Ping was not a practitioner of martial arts and could not possibly resist it; her body stumbled backward, nearly crashing to the floor.

"Mother!" Lu Ming bellowed.