My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

...

「Vice City Lord’s Mansion.」

"CRACK!"

A fine celadon teacup was smashed viciously on the floor.

Situ Lang’s expression was grim as he looked at Wu Zhenshan, who stood below with his head bowed.

"Worthless!"

He rarely lost his composure like this, but today’s events had truly infuriated him.

"I told you long ago to clean up that connection to the Xu Family. Is this how you clean?! You left behind a cargo manifest, you left behind a witness, and you let someone pull it all out in public?! What the hell does your Martial Preparation Hall even do?!"

Beads of cold sweat formed on Wu Zhenshan’s forehead. "This subordinate has been derelict in his duty. That second-hand dealer was hidden too well. Our men could never track him down..."

"Couldn’t track him down? Then how did Liang Cheng track him down?!"

Situ Lang sneered. "He’s only been back in the city for a few days, and he’s already managed to expose everything about the Xu Family? Is this the Martial Arts Academy’s style?!"

He stood up and paced around the study.

The Martial Arts Academy has always operated by securing evidence and then striking like lightning to secure a direct conviction. They rarely play this sort of game, hiding evidence only to reveal it at a critical moment.

"There’s probably more than just the Martial Arts Academy behind Liang Cheng."

Situ Lang stopped pacing, a cold glint in his eyes. "I’m afraid someone used this opportunity to push the Xu Family out into the open. It both curries favor with the Martial Arts Academy and Liang Cheng, and cleanly severs one of our ties to the Fire Worship Sect. Killing two birds with one stone. What a brilliant move."

Wu Zhenshan asked cautiously, "Who does My Lord suspect?"

A cold light glinted in Situ Lang’s eyes.

"Qian Wanjing of the Treasure Pavilion is an expert at playing both sides, and trading in favors is his specialty."

"That brat from the Lu Family, Lu Qingzhou, is close to Liang Cheng. And it’s not like the Lu Family hasn’t wanted to use the Martial Arts Academy’s influence for some time now."

"It’s even possible that the one in the City Lord’s Mansion has been wanting to clean up the Martial Preparation Hall for a while and is using Liang Cheng as a blade to cut off one of my arms."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But no matter who it is, their methods are too clean. This isn’t the work of an amateur. I’m afraid there’s a big fish lurking in the waters of Lin Wu City that we haven’t found yet."

"The Xu Family is a lost cause now, don’t worry about them anymore. Make sure our own side is completely clean of any loose ends. After that, I want you to thoroughly investigate exactly how Liang Cheng obtained that evidence."

"If it comes to it, have those people make a move. Since they dared to raid the mine, they should be prepared to sacrifice some of their men. In any case, it can’t be traced back to us."

"Yes!"

...

「Qiao Mansion, Mourning Hall.」

Qiao Zhi had returned.

She was dressed in plain white mourning clothes, her face ashen. Her eyes were red and swollen, and a maidservant supported her as she walked. Her belly showed a slight swell.

She knelt before the coffin, not wailing, but staring blankly at her mother’s memorial tablet. Her eyes were vacant, as if her very soul had been torn away.

Yang Wei sat on a small stool beside her, also silent, just quietly burning paper money.

Though less than five feet apart, an invisible chasm seemed to separate the father and daughter.

One was wracked with guilt, not knowing what to say.

The other was dead inside, a tangle of resentment and bewilderment.

Liang Cheng stood outside the mourning hall. He watched this scene for a moment, then ultimately decided not to enter.

Some wounds of the heart need time to heal. An outsider’s interference would only make things worse.

He instructed Zhao Yuan to leave some men behind to help out and also had people stand guard outside the Qiao Mansion, just in case.

...

「Late at night. Mingxin Pavilion, Martial Arts Academy.」

"Disciple thanks Master for intervening and protecting me today."

Liang Cheng bowed solemnly to Lü Bingchen.

Lü Bingchen waved a hand, gesturing for him to sit. His expression had returned to its usual gentle demeanor.

"No need to thank me. You are a True Inheritor of the Martial Arts Academy; it’s only right and proper that the Academy protects you. Do not resent the Academy for not intervening in the matter of the Flipping River Flood Dragon."

"Until you reached the True Qi Realm, you weren’t truly a True Inheritor. We are all aware of the bullying you endured after joining the Academy. As long as it didn’t escalate to outright murder, the Academy would not interfere."

"The Academy’s old ancestor once said that if you are a true prodigy, you must fight your own way to the top. If you can’t rise above the rest, it just means you’re not a prodigy!"

At this, he poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Liang Cheng. "However, after today, you need to be even more careful. You were, after all, a bit reckless."

Liang Cheng accepted the tea and nodded. "This Disciple understands. But the situation today was special. My master has never asked me for anything, so how could I not protect him with all I have?"

"Your sincerity and devotion are good things, but what’s next is to make this case ironclad." Lü Bingchen looked at him, his expression growing more serious.

"Rest assured, Master. It’s just that this Disciple feels something is off about this whole affair, as if a hidden hand is orchestrating things from behind the scenes."

"It’s good that you are so vigilant. That being the case, I have a suggestion, though I’m not sure if you’ll be receptive to it."

"Please speak, Master."

"For the time being, do not return to the Dongshan Mine."

Lü Bingchen said directly, "The waters surrounding the Dongshan Mine heist run too deep now, with all the various factions entangled. You are at the center of the whirlpool. Returning to the Dongshan Mine would be exponentially more dangerous."

"But the mine’s affairs..."

"The Martial Arts Academy and the City Lord’s Mansion will send people to take over the mine’s affairs. You won’t miss out on your share of the profits. To be honest, we never expected you to handle it so beautifully. It’s fine if you don’t go back now."

"The Dean feels the same way. You’ve shown too much of your edge and need to lay low for a while, to settle down and process things. Besides, you should focus all your energy on dealing with the Xu Family, in case there are any new developments."

He paused at this, then said with grave sincerity, "Liang Cheng, your talent is outstanding and your temperament is decisive. These are good qualities, but the path of the Martial Dao is not won with a momentary burst of courage."

"Your foundation in the True Qi Realm is already exceptionally solid. You should quiet your mind and step outside the situation. You might just see things more clearly."

"Disciple understands."

"Go on, then. Investigate the Xu Family matter until the truth comes to light. That way, we’ll have a proper account to give the public."

"Yes."

...

「Martial Arts Academy Prison.」

Xu Tianxing awoke to find his acupoints had been sealed and his Cultivation completely restrained. His entire body ached, and he couldn’t help but let out a groan.

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