Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1032 - Unchanged

Chapter 1032 – Unchanged

Liu Wuxie returned to the Liu Clan, bringing Xu Lingxue and Murong Yi with him.

Liu Dayue led the way, while Xu Yilin assigned Miao Jianying to assist Tian Xing. The Law-Enforcement Hall urgently needed capable hands, as the prodigies sent from the Southern Province were too weak to shoulder such responsibilities.

News of Liu Wuxie’s return had already reached the Liu Clan, and they prepared a banquet in anticipation.

Before nightfall, the group of four arrived at the gates of the Liu Clan, where hundreds of people had gathered to welcome them.

At the front of the crowd stood Liu Dashan and Yan Yu.

“Father! Mother!” Liu Wuxie called out, stepping forward to pay his respects.

But to his surprise, his mother didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she reached out and affectionately took Xu Lingxue’s hand.

Meanwhile, Murong Yi stood awkwardly to the side. It was her first time meeting Liu Wuxie’s parents, and she couldn’t help feeling out of place.

“It’s been so many years… I can’t believe Xue’er has grown into such a beautiful young woman,” Yan Yu said with a broad smile, her eyes full of admiration as she looked at Xu Lingxue’s radiant face.

Liu Dashan gave a loud cough, snapping Yan Yu out of her daze. Only then did she notice the other woman standing quietly beside her son.

“You must be Lady Murong. Wuxie has mentioned you before. Come in, come in,” Yan Yu smiled and invited Murong Yi warmly.

“Nice to meet you, Auntie,” Murong Yi said softly, her voice almost a whisper. She felt like a shy bride meeting her in-laws for the first time.

Beaming with pride, Yan Yu took Xu Lingxue’s hand and Murong Yi’s, leading them into the Liu Clan.

The clan had never been so lively. When Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er saw Xu Lingxue and Murong Yi, they couldn’t help but pout. Each of the four women possessed a unique charm, making it impossible to say who was more beautiful.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie sat with his father and grandfather.

“Grandfather, is there any news from the Eternal Spirit Mountain?” Liu Wuxie asked.

Across the room, Yan Yu sat with the four women, chatting and smiling warmly.

“Nothing yet. Everyone I’ve sent has disappeared without a trace,” Liu Xiucheng replied, his brow furrowed at the mention of the Eternal Spirit Mountain.

They had dispatched several scouting teams, but none had returned.

“The Eternal Spirit Mountain isn’t simple,” Liu Wuxie said after a brief moment of thought. “I plan to investigate it myself once things settle down.”

“You mustn’t!” Liu Dashan objected at once. “The Eternal Spirit Mountain is too mysterious. Going there recklessly could be dangerous!”

Liu Wuxie was now the Liu Clan’s greatest hope. If anything were to happen to him, the consequences could be catastrophic.

“I also hope you won’t put your life at risk recklessly,” Liu Dashan remarked, taking a sip of wine. He agreed with his brother’s concerns.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be cautious. Besides, news from the Eternal Spirit Mountain should arrive soon. I have my reasons for going there,” Liu Wuxie assured with a devilish smile.

He needed more information on the Golden Cauldron Pavilion, especially since half a year had passed in Han Feizi’s remaining lifespan. Time was running out.

Liu Wuxie had three years to find the Dragon Origin Herb.

Han Feizi had sacrificed himself for him. If Liu Wuxie couldn’t save him, then what was the point of surviving?

That night, everyone eventually retired to their residences to rest.

But Liu Wuxie remained in the main hall, quietly seated, waiting for someone.

“Your subordinate, Ruan Ying, greets Master!” a shadow said, appearing in a flash at the center of the hall.

It had been several months since they had last met, and to Liu Wuxie’s surprise, Ruan Ying had already reached the Earth Profound Realm.

As a prodigy from the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy and an assassin trained by the Black Plume Pavilion, her growth was nothing short of astonishing.

“Any news from Elder Black?” Liu Wuxie asked, remaining seated.

Wang Chen, known as Elder Black, had been embedded within the Wang Clan to gather intelligence.

“This contains Elder Black’s findings over the past few months, including the Wang Clan’s operations and a detailed map of their strength distribution,” Ruan Ying reported, stepping forward and presenting a booklet.

Liu Wuxie opened it and found everything meticulously recorded.

The Wang Clan had dispatched people to the Eternal Spirit Mountain three times within the last month. The booklet also detailed their business operations and the locations of their mines.

This intelligence was crucial if Liu Wuxie intended to dismantle the Wang Clan from within.

He had instructed Wang Chen to forge alliances with sympathetic members of the clan to stage a coup d’état. Now, the first signs of success were beginning to emerge.

After spending fifteen minutes reviewing the contents, Liu Wuxie tucked the booklet into his clothes. No one could be allowed to leak this information, not yet.

“How are Lu Liang and the others? Any news from them?” Liu Wuxie inquired.

The four assassins had been dispatched to investigate the three clans, with Ruan Ying serving as their point of contact.

“Yes,” Ruan Ying replied and retrieved three more booklets from his interspatial ring, handing them over to Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie first opened the booklet submitted by Lu Liang, which contained shocking revelations about the Liao Clan.

“This is interesting,” Liu Wuxie muttered, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “With this evidence, I’ll be able to erase the Wang Clan from the True Martial Continent.”

The Black Plume Pavilion’s assassins were masters of stealth and infiltration, making them ideal for intelligence gathering. Not even the Law-Enforcement Hall could match their effectiveness.

If the opportunity arose, Liu Wuxie planned to arrange a meeting between the four assassins and Tian Xing.

Next, he reviewed the reports from Jiang Nan and He Hai’an. The intelligence they gathered was equally valuable.

In addition to detailed information on the Wang and Yuan Clans, they had also uncovered secrets involving the Profound Cloud Sect and the Scarlet Dragon Cult.

The evidence wasn’t enough to bring those factions down, at least not yet. But it was a start.

“Master, any instructions?” Ruan Ying asked, standing by.

For servants like them, serving Liu Wuxie was an honor.

“Has the Black Plume Pavilion contacted any of you recently?” Liu Wuxie asked after reviewing the intel.

He had expected the pavilion to send assassins after him. Yet, the return journey had been unusually quiet as if the Black Plume Pavilion had utterly forgotten about him.

Someone had reactivated the Soaring Bloom Order. Therefore, an assassin should have already come for his life.

“No,” Ruan Ying replied. “There appears to be an internal conflict within the pavilion. There hasn’t been any news from them.”

“An internal conflict?” Liu Wuxie raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin. He wondered if the Black Plume Pavilion wasn’t united.

“It seems that Master is the reason for it,” Ruan Ying added.

“Because of me?” Liu Wuxie was baffled.

The Black Plume Pavilion was monstrously powerful, and it made no sense that internal strife would break out over him.

However, Ruan Ying had no further information, and Liu Wuxie knew pressing the matter would be pointless.

“You may go now. Report back to me if anything comes up,” Liu Wuxie said, waving a hand to dismiss her.

Ruan Ying swiftly vanished into the shadows as silently as she had arrived. Such was the hallmark of an assassin from the Black Plume Pavilion.

Now that she had reached the Earth Profound Realm, her movements had become ghostlike. She could slip into the Liu Clan unnoticed.

If she had come to assassinate someone, no one would’ve detected her presence.

Liu Wuxie rubbed his temples, a thousand concerns weighing heavily on his shoulders. He didn’t know where to begin.

The Heavenly Dao Society was in crisis and under pressure from the three clans, shadowed by the threat of the Black Plume Pavilion’s assassination order, and burdened by the ticking clock on Han Feizi’s life.

As the night deepened, Liu Wuxie left the main hall and returned to his courtyard.

When he passed by Xu Lingxue’s residence, he paused. The lights were still on, and after a brief hesitation, he gently knocked on the door.

It opened moments later, revealing Xu Lingxue in a flowing white gown, her figure ethereal, like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens.

Even Liu Wuxie found himself momentarily lost in her beauty. She was simply breathtaking.

When she noticed his gaze lingering, Xu Lingxue rolled her eyes.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked, her tone sly and teasing.

“And you?” Liu Wuxie smirked. “You’re not asleep either. Were you waiting for me?”

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace.

As he held her close, his hands began to wander gently across her body.

There had always been a subtle distance between them, but after everything they had endured together, that distance had vanished entirely.

Xu Lingxue giggled as Liu Wuxie’s wandering hands tickled her.

“Stop that!” she protested, her cheeks flushing red. Her eyes turned misty, and she felt powerless under his touch.

“We’re already married. It’s perfectly legal for me to do this,” Liu Wuxie said with a grin as he leaned in for a kiss.

However, at the last moment, Xu Lingxue dodged, and his kiss landed on her forehead instead.

The sight of her so close, her beauty illuminated by the soft glow of the lantern, stirred a heat within Liu Wuxie.

“Not now!” Xu Lingxue scolded, stomping on his foot and slipping out of his embrace.

She quickly straightened her clothes, only to realize that Liu Wuxie had loosened her undergarments. The discovery made her face flush even deeper with a shade of red.

“You’re my wife. So what’s wrong with it?” Liu Wuxie asked, the heat still burning in his chest.

“If you stay with me tonight, what about Murong Yi? What about Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er? Have you considered how they would feel?” Xu Lingxue asked coldly.

Liu Wuxie froze.

That hadn’t crossed his mind. He had legally married Xu Lingxue, but what about the others? What did they mean to him?

Liu Wuxie said nothing. He sat down and poured himself a cup of cold tea, trying to clear his thoughts.

“They gave up everything for you. Will you let them remain nameless forever, without a status? What will others think of them?” Xu Lingxue continued.

Truth be told, her heart had been uneasy ever since she had seen Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan. Accepting Murong Yi alone had already taken everything she had.

When Liu Wuxie stood up again, the heat in his eyes had faded. His gaze was calm and clear.

“If you want to scold me, go ahead,” he said sincerely.

“I’m happy there are others who’ve fallen in love with my husband. That only proves how outstanding you are. Why would I scold you?” Xu Lingxue asked with a faint smile.

She had been angry once, but she had thought it through. Love didn’t always need a reason.

“You’re not mad?” Liu Wuxie asked, feeling a little awkward.

If Xu Lingxue had exploded in fury, it might have been easier for him to deal with.

“What’s done is done. What matters now is giving them a proper status,” Xu Lingxue said softly, her fingers caressing his cheek, her heart aching for him.

“You haven’t changed one bit,” Liu Wuxie murmured, then pulled her into his arms again.

But this time, he held back, keeping his hands in check.

“I’m a woman, and I understand women best,” Xu Lingxue murmured. “Though they laugh and joke during the day, I can see how much they suffer deep down.”

Over the past six months, she and Murong Yi had opened their hearts to one another. Now, they were as close as sisters.