Chapter 946: Three Suspects

The setting sun sank into the west, bathing the heavens in a magnificent, multi-hued glow.

Beyond the walls of Windfire City, upon the summit of Emerald Cloud Peak, stood a stone table flanked by matching stools, where a young youth and a maiden sat closely intertwined.

The youth possessed a slender, delicate build, his countenance fair but marred by a lingering, faint pallor.

The maiden was arrayed in a gown of snow-white silk, her skin as flawless as mutton-fat jade, her beauty breathtakingly exquisite.

Her head rested gently against his shoulder, and as the dying light bathed them both, they appeared for all the world like a pair of divine lovers descended from the heavens.

"Yao'er, how I wish we could remain just like this for the rest of our lives," the youth murmured softly, his face alight with a joyous, blissful smile.

"Brother Ming, of course we can; after all, we promised each other that we would be together for all eternity."

A radiant, happy smile blossomed across the maiden's face as well.

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

Beholding her radiant smile, the tenderness in Lu Ming's gaze deepened; he took her soft, seemingly boneless hand in his own and said, "Yao'er, though my meridians are currently blocked and I cannot yet condense true qi, the moment I awaken my bloodline, the Council of Elders will purchase spiritual herbs to clear my pathways, and then I shall finally be able to cultivate."

"I will assuredly become a supreme master of martial arts, and I will protect you for the rest of my days."

"Thank you, Brother Ming."

A look of profound emotion surfaced in Lu Yao's eyes, and she asked, "Brother Ming, did the Bloodline Seer truly determine back then that you inherited your father's bloodline?"

"Indeed, Yao'er, so in the future, your man will undoubtedly be a peerless powerhouse," Lu Ming replied, a confident smile gracing his features.

Lu Yao smiled faintly and picked up a goblet from the stone table; within it sloshed the renowned Blood Orchid Wine, exuding a subtle, ethereal fragrance.

With lightning speed, she planted a swift kiss upon Lu Ming's cheek, her face flushing crimson as she raised the vessel and said, "Come, Brother Ming, this is Yao'er's reward to you."

Lu Ming accepted the goblet, saying, "Yao'er, you offer me 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 goblet to his lips and drained it in a single gulp.

As the vintage's rich fragrance lingered on the tip of his tongue, Lu Ming's heart felt as sweet as the wine itself, but in the very next instant, a wave of profound dizziness washed over him.

"Yao'er, why do I feel so lightheaded? This wine..."

Lu Ming propped himself against the stone table, turning his gaze toward Lu Yao, only to find that her expression had grown utterly cold.

"Hahaha! Lu Ming, Yao'er has stayed by your side for three years for no other reason than to nurture your bloodline; now that the time is ripe, hand it over!"

At that moment, a middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows—it was Lu Yao's father.

Rumble!

Like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, the words detonated within Lu Ming's mind.

"Yao'er!"

Lu Ming stared at her in absolute disbelief, but her eyes held nothing save for frigid indifference.

"Why? I loved you so dearly!"

Lu Yao's cold gaze stabbed into his heart like a volley of sharp daggers; with a furious roar, he lunged toward her.

Yet Lu Yao merely took a slight step backward, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground.

"Duanmu Lin of the Mystical Element Sword Sect began his cultivation at the age of six, opened two divine meridians within half a year to enter the Warrior Realm, and attained the Master Realm by nine; today, at sixteen, he is one of the four great geniuses of the sect. And what of you? Feeble, sickly, with blocked meridians—to put it bluntly, you are nothing but a worthless piece of trash. Even if you awaken your bloodline, you remain a piece of trash; how could you hope to compare to Duanmu Lin?"

"Only a genius of his caliber is a worthy match for me, Lu Yao. To form a marriage alliance with him, I must awaken a formidable bloodline; since you claim to love me so much, why not fulfill my desires? Use your bloodline to help me awaken an even greater power."

The detached, merciless words spilled from Lu Yao's lips.

Thud!

The middle-aged man planted his foot heavily onto Lu Ming's back, a razor-sharp dagger appearing in his hand as he barked, "Lu Ming, surrender your bloodline!"

Ah!

An agonizing, soul-tearing pain erupted from his spine and instantly engulfed him; Lu Ming shrieked, his voice filled with utter loneliness, helplessness, and despair.

Gradually, he sank into a boundless, suffocating darkness.

"Lu Yao! Lu Yunxiong! Why did you steal my bloodline?!"

Lu Ming roared in fury, bolting upright from his bed so violently that the nanmu wooden frame let out a sharp creak.

Drenched in cold sweat and deathly pale, he initially thought it had all been a horrific nightmare, but reality swiftly dawned upon him—this was no dream, but an unalterable, brutal truth.

The events of a few days ago flashed vividly across his mind once more.

Lu Ming was the heir to the main lineage of the Lu family in Windfire City, and his father was the family patriarch. Lu Yao was the daughter of the Grand Elder of the family's first branch.

Though they belonged to different branches, they shared the same clan and had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, virtually inseparable; they had even exchanged secret vows of eternal devotion.

Never could Lu Ming have imagined that Lu Yao and the Grand Elder would turn against him and violently tear away his bloodline.

"Strength... it all stems from my lack of strength. If I possessed extraordinary talent and absolute power, how would they ever dare treat me this way?"

Lu Ming clenched his fists so tightly his body trembled, his eyes entirely bloodshot.

Trash!

That was the epithet Lu Yao had hurled at him, her words from three days ago still ringing mockingly in his ears.

Creak!

The chamber door was pushed open, and a frail, middle-aged woman stepped inside; looking at Lu Ming upon the bed, she asked with deep concern, "Ming'er, did you have that nightmare again?"

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

Three days ago, it was Li Ping who, frantic with worry over his prolonged absence, had gone out searching for him and saved his life; otherwise, Lu Ming would already be a corpse.

Ever since word arrived six years ago that Lu Ming's father had been slain while traveling abroad, the mother and son had relied entirely on one another to survive.

Looking at Li Ping, the hardness in Lu Ming's eyes softened, and he said, "Mother, it is nothing; just a passing dream."

Noticing his ghastly complexion, Li Ping sat at the edge of his bed and pressed her hand against his forehead, her heart aching as she spoke, "It has been three days now, and each time you cry out that Lu Yao has harmed you. Ming'er, what truly happened? Could your injuries have been caused by her...?"

Lu Ming replied, "Mother, it is really nothing; you must have misheard."

He chose not to reveal that Lu Yao and the Grand Elder were the culprits; his mother possessed no martial cultivation, and telling her would only invite deadly peril upon her head.

Li Ping hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Ming'er, from now on, you must not speak Lu Yao's name so casually in front of others. Two days ago, she awakened a fifth-grade bloodline and opened a divine meridian; she has already received the formal recognition of the Council of Elders. At the grand clan assembly two months from now, she will take command of the Lu family and become the new matriarch. Uttering the patriarch's name directly might be construed as grave disrespect."

"What?! Lu Yao wants to rule the Lu family? In her dreams!"

Lu Ming unleashed a low, guttural growl, his eyes bloodshot as his teeth ground together so violently they threatened to shatter, causing fresh blood to seep from his gums.

Ever since the rumors of his father's demise six years ago, the Lu family had been governed solely by the Council of Elders, without any new patriarch being appointed.

Seeing her son in such a frantic state, Li Ping lost all her composure; she could only wrap her arms around his head, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "Ming'er, do not frighten your mother so. I have already lost your father; I cannot bear to lose you too."

"Father... where on earth are you? I refuse to believe you are dead. Yet now, your son is completely powerless; I cannot even protect your position as patriarch."

Lu Ming gripped a pendant hanging around his neck with ferocious intensity, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh from the sheer force, drawing crimson droplets.

The pendant was forged of bronze and was merely the size of a broad bean; it was an artifact his father had sent back through an intermediary just before his disappearance, and Lu Ming had kept it close to his chest for the past six years.

The fresh blood welling from his palm began to smear across the ancient bronze pendant.

Hum!

Suddenly, the bronze pendant vibrated imperceptibly, turning searing hot.

Before Lu Ming could even comprehend what was happening, the pendant shattered with a soft shudder, dissolving into a shower of fine dust that burrowed directly into his palm, vanishing entirely into his flesh.

Then, Lu Ming felt a scalding energy flow from his palm, up his arm, and after a brief moment, settle within 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 head buzzing and ringing.

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

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

......

The successive roars echoed ceaselessly in Lu Ming's mind, after which a scorching aura burst from between his brows, rushing toward his spine.

The next moment, the roaring vanished, but a wave of itching and tingling spread from his spine, and his entire body grew burning hot.

"What is going on?"

Lu Ming was completely bewildered.

By now, the tingling on his spine grew even more intense, as if something were slowly growing.

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

Sensing the anomaly in Lu Ming, Li Ping grew even more terrified, utterly at a loss.

"Bloodline rebirth? Could I really be experiencing a bloodline rebirth?" Lu Ming wondered in his heart.

Ancient texts recorded that only a very few people could experience a rebirth of their bloodline, growing a new one after their original bloodline had been stripped away or damaged by other means.

However, most reborn bloodlines were of a very low grade and of little use.

Yet, there were an extremely scarce few who could break through ruin to establish anew, emerging like a butterfly from a cocoon, rising from destruction to transcend their past and awaken a supreme bloodline.

But this probability was so small it could be ignored; ancient records showed there were barely any cases since antiquity.

Transcending the past to awaken a supreme bloodline was not something Lu Ming dared to imagine—the chances were simply too slim after all—he would be overjoyed just to awaken any bloodline at all.

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

At this time, the strange sensation in his body slowly faded, and a smile appeared on Lu Ming's face as he said, "Mother, I am fine!"

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

Just then, a young maiden walked over and spoke.

The maiden was about the same age as Lu Ming and was exceedingly beautiful.

Lu Ming naturally recognized her; her name was Qiuyue, Li Ping's personal maid, who had grown up with him since childhood.

"Qiuyue, I am fine, don't worry!"

Lu Ming said with a gentle smile.

Then, Lu Ming's gaze swept across the surroundings, and his expression changed abruptly as he said, "Mother, where is this? This is not the main Lu family mansion!"

Lu Ming's father had once been the master of the Lu family, and they had always lived in the main mansion, but this place was not it.

"Ming'er, heal your wounds well and do not overthink things!" Li Ping said, but the fleeting sorrow and glimmer of tears in her eyes were still caught by Lu Ming.

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

"Young Master, let me tell you. We were driven out. Lu Yao said she is about to become the family master and should rightfully move into the main mansion, while we have no right to continue living there, so they made us move out."

To the side, Qiuyue gritted her silver teeth and recounted the matter, her beautiful young face flushed with anger.

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

"You worthless trash, what are you shouting for? Giving you a place to stay is already a blessing to you, and yet you show no gratitude?"

Right at that moment, a voice rang out from outside the door, and then the door was pushed open as a young man walked in.

"Lu Chuan, it's you!"

Lu Ming barked angrily; this person was named Lu Chuan, Lu Yao's biological elder brother, and he was slightly older than Lu Ming.

"Lu Chuan, we have already left the main mansion, what are you still doing here?"

Li Ping said, her body subconsciously blocking the space in front of Lu Ming, as if afraid that Lu Chuan would harm him.

"I came to take the sword!"

After speaking, Lu Chuan's eyes scanned the room, and when he saw a precious sword beside the bed, his eyes lit up and he immediately walked over, reaching out to grasp the sword in his hand.

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

Li Ping hurriedly reached out to snatch it back.

"Get lost!"

Lu Chuan exerted his strength, jolting the scabbard, and a surge of power burst forth. Li Ping was not a cultivator and could not possibly withstand it; her body staggered backward, nearly falling to the ground.

"Mother!" Lu Ming bellowed.