Chapter 30: The Ever-Changing Human Heart
Upon hearing Song Zhengwu's words, Old Liu's eyes widened in shock.
Li Changsheng!
Though the name had rarely been heard in the past two years, two years ago, it had been known throughout the martial world of the Qi Kingdom! How did Song Zhengwu have the courage to provoke Li Changsheng, the leader of the Tianxia Society?
Old Liu instinctively took two steps back, distancing himself from Song Zhengwu.
Li Changsheng ignored Old Liu and simply looked at Song Zhengwu, speaking in a calm tone, "Where's Song Rulong? Bring him out."
"Li Changsheng, your era is over! My son, Rulong, has been bestowed an immortal's pill and is now a grandmaster. He's leading a campaign to eradicate the remnants of your Tianxia Society. Once I have the immortal expert in my residence capture you, I'll make sure you suffer!"
Song Zhengwu glared at Li Changsheng, his voice cold.
In his eyes, no matter how strong Li Changsheng was, he was still just a martial artist. Meanwhile, his residence now had an immortal expert. Just a single pill from this expert had allowed his son, Song Rulong, to break through to the grandmaster realm—something Li Changsheng could never compare to.
"Oh?"
Li Changsheng smiled faintly. "Since Song Rulong has betrayed me, there's no need for the Song family to exist anymore."
After saying this, Li Changsheng took a step forward.
Song Zhengwu stumbled backward in fright. The reputation of Li Changsheng was not to be underestimated. Even though Song Zhengwu had reached the mid-level of the innate stage, he knew he was no match for Li Changsheng.
"Immortal Expert, save me!"
Song Zhengwu turned and shouted toward the courtyard on the left side of the Song residence.
Boom!
At that moment, a loud noise came from the left courtyard.
'What's happening?'
'Who is the immortal expert fighting?'
Song Zhengwu's heart tightened as he stared intently at the courtyard.
Three breaths later, he saw a thin, sharp-faced old man carrying a disheveled middle-aged man land beside Li Changsheng. The old man threw the man to the ground.
"Young Master, there's only one cultivator in this residence. How should we deal with him?"
The sharp-faced old man was Zhao San. With his peak Qi Refining cultivation, dealing with a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator from the Setting Sun Valley was a trivial matter.
"Kill him."
Li Changsheng replied indifferently.
Boom!
Zhao San's blade flashed, and the Setting Sun Valley cultivator's head rolled to the ground.
"Immortal Expert…"
"How is this possible?"
"Li Changsheng, aren't you just a martial artist?"
Song Zhengwu's face turned pale. His previous confidence vanished, replaced by terror as he looked at Li Changsheng.
"I am indeed a martial artist."
"But no one said martial artists can't cultivate."
Li Changsheng walked slowly into the pavilion and sat down. He addressed one of the Song family's maidservants:
"Come, pour me a cup of tea. It's been two years since I've tasted mortal tea, and I've missed it."
The maidservant trembled as she poured the tea, her legs shaking uncontrollably.
The immortal expert in the residence had been someone even the family head treated with utmost respect. Yet, he had been killed with a single command from this young man.
"Song Zhengwu, now you can tell me what's happened these past two years."
After finishing the tea in one gulp, Li Changsheng smiled faintly.
Song Zhengwu forced a smile uglier than a cry. He did not believe this young man was merciful. When the Tianxia Society was first established, many sects that opposed it had been annihilated by this very person.
Especially now, with his son, Song Rulong, leading a campaign against the Tianxia Society, many of its former leaders had been hunted down, causing significant losses. What would this young man do to the Song family?
At this thought, sweat drenched Song Zhengwu's back.
"Help… Help Leader… My son had no choice… If he didn't comply, the Emperor of Qi would have annihilated our entire family!" Song Zhengwu stammered.
"I had already instructed him to take your family underground," Li Changsheng shook his head slightly, his voice cold. "If he feared the Emperor of Qi wiping out your family, did he ever think that betraying me would lead to the same outcome?"
"Where is Song Rulong? Do you have any information on the Tianxia Society now?"
"Tell me, and I'll grant you a clean death."
Li Changsheng's patience was wearing thin. He had considered the possibility of others betraying him, but he never expected it to be Song Rulong.
He had spared no effort in teaching Song Rulong martial arts, even sharing the secrets of the grandmaster realm without reservation. Moreover, Song Rulong had been the deputy leader of the Tianxia Society, second only to Li Changsheng himself.
Such treatment had been repaid with betrayal.
Making mistakes comes with a price!
"Leader… Rulong was forced too…"
Before Song Zhengwu could finish, Li Changsheng struck out with a palm.
Boom!
Song Zhengwu's body exploded into a mist of blood, painting the pavilion surroundings red.
The maidservants, who had never witnessed such a scene, collapsed to the ground.
Old Liu swallowed hard, unable to speak for a long time.
What level of cultivation had the Tianxia Society leader reached?
"Go and see if there's any information about the Tianxia Society in the Song residence," Li Changsheng instructed Zhao San calmly.
"Yes!"
Zhao San turned and left.
The pavilion fell into silence.
No one dared to make a sound as Li Changsheng remained silent. All eyes were fixed on the young man who continued to sip his tea calmly.
After a long while, Old Liu mustered his courage and bowed respectfully to Li Changsheng, saying:
"Leader Li, I know of a place where you might find information about the Tianxia Society."
"Where?"
"The White Tower."
Li Changsheng frowned slightly. He had heard of the White Tower's reputation years ago. It was said to have a presence in the martial worlds of various kingdoms, functioning as a place where information was sold. For the right price, any information could be obtained from the White Tower.
"Once we're done here, take me to the White Tower!"
Soon, Zhao San returned with the information he had extracted from the Song family's higher-ups and respectfully handed several pages to Li Changsheng.
After reading the contents, Li Changsheng's face darkened like water.
He was too late.
According to the information Zhao San had obtained, at least half of the Tianxia Society's loyal leaders had been killed. The rest, led by Qin Yi and Bai Qing'er, were in hiding. However, Song Rulong had already discovered their whereabouts and was closing in on them.
"Take all the Song family's silver. We're going to the White Tower."
...
Half a day later, under Old Liu's guidance, the three arrived at the White Tower branch in Zhongshan City, the nearest city to Wushan.
Wushan City was a small town without a White Tower branch, but Zhongshan City was a major commercial hub in the Qi Kingdom, far surpassing Wushan. The White Tower had a branch here.
As soon as Li Changsheng and the others entered, a White Tower attendant approached them.
"Welcome, please come in!"
Li Changsheng and his companions followed the attendant into the White Tower.
As soon as Zhao San stepped inside, he felt several gazes scrutinizing him. He whispered to Li Changsheng:
"Young Master, the White Tower is no ordinary place. Even their branch in the mortal world has cultivators present!"