That parting all those years ago had been a final separation between life and death.
Wang Yu's relationship with his father had not been particularly harmonious. Formality outweighed closeness, a rift originating from the death of his birth mother, which had become a knot in his father's heart. He could understand this, so their relationship had always been somewhat plain and unremarkable, not deeply affectionate. Furthermore, he was a reincarnated soul with memories of a past life. Being inherently independent, he had not felt lonely; instead, he felt that maintaining a certain distance was a comfortable way of interacting for both parties.
However, men are not made of wood or grass; how could they be devoid of emotion? After many years of living together, the bonds of family, though seemingly fragile, had established a very solid foundation. Upon learning of his father's death, he still felt profound sorrow. Now, standing before the tombstone, a thousand thoughts and words transformed into silent longing, but when he tried to speak them aloud, only silence emerged.
Wang Yu knelt, kowtowed three times, then turned and left the place.
It was time for revenge.
Following the address given by Old Man Ning, Wang Yu set out alone. In less than half a day, he arrived at the retirement place of Stone Lake City's former City Lord.
It was located on a small mountain about seven hundred meters high outside the city. This place seemed to have a spiritual vein that had not fully formed; the environment held trace amounts of spiritual energy, barely enough to sustain early Qi Refining cultivation.
This was another person who had failed to break through to Foundation Establishment, similar to Duan Ping. But he lacked Fatty Duan's resources. After his failure, his cultivation not only fell to the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he also reached the end of his life. He had staked all his family's wealth on that desperate attempt, and he had failed. Like the majority in the cultivation world.
He was not even one hundred and twenty years old, yet his entire body was filled with the aura of decay. He was dying, with at most two years of life left.
*Creak—*
"Who?"
Wang Yu deliberately stepped on the bamboo floor of the hut, creating creaking sounds. The old City Lord, who had been sitting on a stool winding fishing line, sharply turned his head.
He saw Wang Yu. At such a close distance, he still couldn't sense any aura. His face grew solemn for a moment, then relaxed again.
"Does Fellow Daoist seek this old man for some matter?"
"Yes."
Wang Yu pulled over a stool and sat opposite the old City Lord, staring at this old man who could be described as kind-faced. It was this man who had sold him to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect.
"Fellow Daoist, speak freely. This old man is the former City Lord of Stone Lake City. For any matter within this scope, I will surely tell all I know and hold nothing back."
Wang Yu nodded noncommittally, remarking teasingly, "You are about to die. But you seem afraid of me. Why?"
The old City Lord laughed wryly. "Fellow Daoist's cultivation is profound and unfathomable. To be able to reach this old man's side without a sound, I am certainly no match for you. I am indeed about to die... but I still have a few years left to live."
"Is that so? Well, that's good news then."
A living dog is better than a dead lion. That made sense. He then asked, "I want to know about the spirit slave trade. Was it you who contacted the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, or was it the old man named Ning who contacted you?"
The old City Lord was startled, then smiled dismissively. "So it's about this matter. This isn't a secret among the higher-ups. The three Nascent Soul powers临近 (adjacent to) the Severing Boundary Mountain Range are all involved. They channel many seedlings deemed unworthy of cultivation into the Demon Domain."
"They can also earn a sum of spirit stones. Initially, it was only Core Formation cultivators involved. When the scale grew, it alarmed the Nascent Soul ancestors, even triggering the righteous-demonic war three hundred years ago."
"After that war, this business was preserved. Stone Lake City is small-scale and joined late, only getting involved over a decade ago. Since Fellow Daoist knows Old Man Ning, you should also know his methods."
"A mere Qi Refining cultivator like me, what qualifications would I have to contact him? He came to me. During the first transaction, the list was even prepared by them."
"After all, I didn't know about this matter back then and wasn't prepared."
Wang Yu frowned deeply. "The batch sixteen years ago was the first one?"
"Sixteen years ago... Yes, that's correct."
The old City Lord seemed somewhat surprised. Before he could ponder further, Wang Yu's second question arrived.
"What does the Lingsong Sect need so many young maidens for? And they are all mortals, rarely any with cultivation potential."
This question made the old City Lord fall silent. His face showed difficulty as he opened his mouth, his hand moving towards his own heart.
"This matter... Fellow Daoist, it's best you don't investigate. This old man has been placed under a restriction. If I speak of it, I will die without a doubt. I still want to live a couple more years, to fish for a couple more years."
"Hah—"
Wang Yu's expression turned cold.
"Speak, and you live. Don't speak, and you die now."
The sudden shift in attitude caught the old City Lord off guard. He truly hadn't expected Wang Yu to still want to kill him after his cooperation. It seemed there was old enmity, and Wang Yu had specifically come for him, not to investigate information based on his former status as City Lord.
This was bad!
A sense of foreboding flashed through his mind. The old City Lord forced a smile, took a few steps back, and said, "Fellow Daoist, it's not that I am unwilling, but the waters here are too deep. Foundation Establishment cultivators are merely pawns. This old man doesn't know much myself. Over the years, I've just been sending some mortal girls to the Lingsong Sect."
"If you insist on investigating, not only will I die, but you won't escape either. This is a calamity..."
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, a talisman exploded behind Wang Yu. A deep crimson magma fireball ignited the entire bamboo hut. The old City Lord fled through the flames.
He swiftly took out a flight artifact, preparing to mount it, when an eerie voice sounded by his ear.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Wang Yu, his body covered in black armor, stood unharmed beside the old City Lord. His hand was already gripping the back of the old man's neck. That icy, irresistible force nearly froze the blood in his entire body.
The old City Lord's face crumpled in despair, his tone almost begging. "Fellow Daoist, it's not that I won't, it's that I truly cannot say!"
"Then I'll borrow your soul instead."
As the soul-devouring effect activated, the old City Lord's face changed dramatically.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"It's for Des—"
*Squish.*
Having just uttered one word, the old City Lord's head suddenly exploded right in front of Wang Yu, leaving only a remnant soul that was absorbed by the Black Evil Armor.
"Des...? Desire for what...?"
Wang Yu felt a pang of regret. It seemed the restriction was real, managed so strictly. It was a pity he wasn't a Core Formation cultivator and didn't know any soul-searching secret arts.
Looking at the new ghostly face added to the Black Evil Armor, his thoughts wandered.
"I wonder if this remnant soul can be extracted for soul-searching later."
Unfortunately, it was too late for anything now.
Regardless of how he handled it, the old City Lord had to die. The things involved behind this were much larger than he had imagined. It seemed he truly shouldn't get too entangled in it.
Wang Wu definitely knew about this matter. After all, he was the one who proposed the tribute of young maidens, even contributing his own sister. Over five years, Stone Lake City had suffered greatly from this persecution.
He just wasn't sure if Old Man Ning's task was related to this matter.
"Des... Perhaps it's part of someone's title or name."
His mind made up, Wang Yu confiscated all of the old City Lord's assets—which, truth be told, weren't many spirit stones. His savings had all been spent on that Reverse Blood Pill. They were far inferior to the wealth of a top-tier Qi Refining cultivator like Wang Yu.
***