Chapter 50: Family

Chapter 50: Family

Su Hang's hand, which had been toying with Hidden Frost, paused mid-motion. He gazed blankly at the figure in white walking through the heavy snow outside the window. A soft chuckle drifted to his ears, and then he watched the Immortal Venerable walk farther and farther away until he vanished from sight.

Su Hang gently set the sword by the bedside and sat down on the edge of the bed. The sun outside was perfect, and Su Hang leaned his head toward the window. Soft light pierced through the layers of mist and enveloped him, making even the fine down on his skin visible—his whole body seemed to glow.

With the Immortal Venerable gone, the room felt empty, and Su Hang's heart followed suit—hollow and listless.

He gazed out the window at the spot where the Immortal Venerable had been standing. His pupils, illuminated by the light, turned golden, yet his brows knitted slightly.

The room fell abruptly silent, yet the unease in his heart continued to surge.

Su Hang instinctively reached for his Longevity Lock, only to grasp empty air around his neck.

The Longevity Lock had been lost somewhere during the chaos at the Su estate.

He likely had no home anymore.

At that thought, the dull ache of being separated from his family slowly washed over him. His nose tingled, and even his breathing grew shaky.

Earlier, while the Immortal Venerable was still present, his attention had been on the Immortal Venerable. Combined with the joy of being accepted by him, he had managed to bury the sharp pain of leaving his family deep in his heart.

But the moment the Immortal Venerable left, the pain of a dull knife cutting through flesh nearly suffocated Su Hang.

He thought he could never forget Patriarch Su's ugly face, nor the words the Patriarch had spoken in his heart about pushing him away. All of his explanations had fallen on deaf ears.

As if everything he had done for the Su family over the years had all been a lie.

Su Hang quirked his lips into a faint, bitter smile and shook his head. His hand, which had been reaching for the Longevity Lock, slowly drifted to where the bell hung. He touched it, and his mood seemed to lighten slightly.

If the Immortal Venerable had not arrived in time back then, he would have already met his end—dead without even a whole corpse.

Immortal Venerable...

At the thought of Immortal Venerable Lingqing, the furrow between Su Hang's brows finally relaxed a little.

The Immortal Venerable was, of course, incredibly good to him. But for some reason, he had suddenly been able to hear the Immortal Venerable's thoughts... and what's more, the Immortal Venerable didn't want him to leave Falling Snow Peak.

If it had been before, although he adored and revered the Immortal Venerable, he would still have resented being kept on Falling Snow Peak. But now...

Su Hang looked out the window once more. Outside was a sea of white. Though it was a sunny day, the mist beyond the heavens refused to lift. His gaze could not reach far—the farthest it could go was the doorstep.

Hidden Frost, seemingly noticing that Su Hang was ignoring it, or perhaps sensing the violent fluctuations in his emotions, used its supple blade body to slip over to Su Hang's side while he wasn't looking. Seeing Su Hang smiling bitterly at the window, it gave him a nudge with its hilt.

Su Hang felt the nudge and stiffened. He turned his head, looking down at Hidden Frost with a soft smile. He raised his hand, warm and delicate like jade, and gently stroked the sword, his expression complicated.

"Even you... were given to me by the Immortal Venerable."

Even though Hidden Frost was intelligent, it was still a sword spirit barely a few days old and didn't understand Su Hang's sudden words.

Su Hang didn't expect it to understand either.

The world was vast, and aside from Immortal Venerable Lingqing, it seemed no one else would have him.

He truly only had Immortal Venerable Lingqing left.

But at least he still had Immortal Venerable Lingqing.

Su Hang took a deep breath and collapsed onto the bed, his eyes flickering as he absently stroked Hidden Frost.

*

On the other side of the heavens, a figure in white slowly walked through the snow. At the end of this path stood the grand hall of the sect, towering upon the nine-tiered clouds.

The heavens beyond were perpetually covered in ice and snow, veiled in mist. Only the grand hall hung high in the air, visible from every corner of the realm—towering and imposing.

Immortal Venerable Lingqing leaped and landed steadily on the nine-tiered clouds with a single leap. He walked to the front of the hall and pushed the doors open.

Inside, the Sect Master was tending to something, a faint smile in his eyes. Hearing the sound at the door, he didn't even look up, simply smirking and saying, "You're here? Those two are over there—handle them as you see fit."

The Sect Master's gaze shifted to Bai Rencheng and Patriarch Su, who were tied up in the corner. His voice carried a note of ease, no longer bearing the strange tension from before: "Tell me, why would you go and provoke anyone else but my junior brother? His reputation for holding grudges isn't something from just a day or two."

Immortal Venerable Lingqing followed the Sect Master's gaze to Bai Rencheng and Patriarch Su, his gaze cold and sharp. His fingertips drummed impatiently against the Moon-Slayer sword at his waist. With each tap, his steps carried him closer to the two men, his shadow gradually engulfing them.

Patriarch Su and Bai Rencheng saw the Immortal Venerable radiating murderous aura, his brows filled with brutality—not a trace of the noble immortal's demeanor.

They were shaken by the Immortal Venerable's killing intent, their eyes wide with terror they couldn't hide, red veins spreading across their sclera. They struggled desperately, but the more they moved, the tighter the Immortal Binding Rope constricted, until their faces turned purple and blue, and only then did they stop.

"Immortal Venerable! Immortal Venerable! You know I was forced into this!" Patriarch Su blurted out recklessly, looking up at the Immortal Venerable with eyes full of fear. Even as the rope squeezed the breath from him, he struggled forward desperately, trying to get closer to the Immortal Venerable, attempting to distance himself from Bai Rencheng behind him, and trying to evoke past sentiments: "If Patriarch Bai hadn't coerced me, how could I have been willing to put my own child in that position?"

The Immortal Venerable paused mid-step, stopping a few feet away. He looked down with interest at Patriarch Su, who was begging and trying to shift the blame onto Bai Rencheng.

"Coerced? Tell me, what exactly was your coercion?"

Patriarch Su had gasped when he saw the Immortal Venerable approaching, knowing full well the Venerable's thunderous methods. Unsure if he would survive this, he had resorted to reckless speech. But hearing the Immortal Venerable's calm, unruffled voice, he looked up sharply and saw a meaningful smile curling on the Venerable's lips.

Patriarch Su instinctively thought the Immortal Venerable still cherished their past connection—after all, he was Su Hang's biological father. If he could just stabilize the enraged Immortal Venerable first, then contact that brat Su Hang, he would probably survive this.

His eyes shifted, and his voice turned mournful, each word dripping with blood: "Immortal Venerable! You must do justice for our Su family! Patriarch Bai, relying on his family's standing, barged into my home demanding people. If I refused, he threatened to kill the clan elders and the younger generation. I am Su Hang's father, but I am also the Patriarch of the Su family! How could I disregard the safety of the entire clan?

Even if Su Hang were here, he would understand his father..."

Patriarch Su's voice was like weeping, his eyes filled with world-weariness, his lower lip trembling, his tone choked with sobs. He truly seemed like a pitiful father being roasted over the fire by his family and kin.

But what did that have to do with Immortal Venerable Lingqing?

It wasn't he who had forced Patriarch Su. Even if he had, what was this man doing here spouting all this? What business was it of his? If he wanted this man dead, the man should have died immediately instead of polluting his eyes—that in itself was a crime.

Moreover, Su Hang had severed ties with the Su family, and Patriarch Su himself had said so.

He didn't want these people clinging to the little one any longer.

But before the Immortal Venerable could speak, Bai Rencheng couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes blazing with fury, ignoring the restraints of the Immortal Binding Rope and the pain wracking his body, he lunged at Patriarch Su, seizing his neck in a death grip, as if he intended to strangle the man.

"What are you saying?! You're pinning all the blame on me—what's your game?!"

Patriarch Su dodged Bai Rencheng repeatedly, struggling beneath him, casting pleading glances at the Immortal Venerable.

At that moment, a light chuckle sounded behind the Immortal Venerable. It was the Sect Master, who had walked over. He looked down at the two men brawling on the ground, then turned to the Immortal Venerable, who was enjoying the spectacle, and asked, "Immortal Venerable, how do you plan to deal with them?"

The Immortal Venerable's lips curled slightly into a cold smile, his eyes dark and unreadable. His clear, cool voice rang out: "Well then... let's first see if any clan elder from the Su family is willing to come retrieve their Patriarch. And let's also see if the Bai... Elder is willing to plead for his junior."

His voice was calm and unruffled, yet it slithered like a venomous snake, sending shivers down the spines of the two men on the ground. They knew well how ruthless and heartless their own kin could be, but with the Immortal Venerable's decree, all they could do was await their judgment.

Patriarch Su's eyes widened in panic. He scrambled on his knees to the Immortal Venerable's feet, his voice stammering: "N-no, Immortal Venerable, Your Excellency! I—I want to see Su Hang!"

The Immortal Venerable frowned, tugging his white robes away from Patriarch Su's grimy hands. The Patriarch's grasp met empty air, and he stumbled, collapsing pathetically to the ground, drawing a light laugh from the Sect Master.

"Didn't you already sever ties with the little one?" The Sect Master's face was full of amusement as he bent down to look at the bloodstained Patriarch Su, his mood growing increasingly cheerful.

It wasn't that he was particularly championing Su Hang's cause—Su Hang's matters were for Immortal Venerable Lingqing to handle. It wasn't his business, and he naturally wouldn't overstep. But that didn't stop him from enjoying the show.

This kind of drama—where disciples of immortal sects turn against their own kin, distrust each other, and push their relatives forward in times of crisis—is his favorite spectacle.

The sect master's half-lidded eyes could not conceal the excitement and delight beneath them, that twisted joy of reveling in others' suffering thrilling him so much he trembled.

Immortal sect disciples are no better than this.

Who's really any nobler than anyone else?

Immortal Venerable Lingqing shot a sidelong glance at the sect master, seeing he was already lost in his own feelings. He frowned slightly and rolled his eyes internally, then turned to leave, but still made sure to remind his senior brother: "Brother, wait here and see whether their relatives will come to plead for mercy."

If they plead, kill them all.

The sect master gave a slight nod, his smile deepening. Suddenly his eyes brightened, and he beckoned to a disciple standing guard outside, saying, "By the way, you are a Su family disciple, aren't you? Come here. Keep an eye on your patriarch and mind the time."

The disciple outside trembled at the words, turned stiffly, and could no longer even maintain the most basic smile on his face. He walked to a spot far from Patriarch Su, his eyes darting everywhere except at the patriarch.

"Why stand so far away? Come closer."

==========Author's Note:==========

Thank you to all the dear readers who have followed along this far—I truly appreciate it!