Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

Wind and Thunder Valley, Wind and Thunder Fortress.

In the newly decorated mourning hall.

Two golden coffins were placed side by side. Inside the coffins, the already stiff corpses were covered with a requiem cloth, and the crane-feathered robes they wore were also neatly arranged.

Before the golden coffin.

Two copper basins were filled with burning paper money for the dead, and wisps of smoke rose from the incense sticks stuck in the censer.

The huge candles burned, their light illuminating the entire mourning hall and the sorrowful expressions on the faces of many people.

On either side, women added ghost money to the copper basin, suppressing their heart-wrenching sobs, mechanically adding stacks of ghost money.

The suppressed sobs, barely audible, were exceptionally clear in the silent mourning hall.

The sobs were faint and not loud, but each sob struck the heart like a stone thrown into a pool, leaving Bian Dongxu, who was ashamed to face his elders, breathless.

Bian Dongxu, blaming everything on himself, ignored his injuries and knelt in the mourning hall, his hands tightly gripping his thighs, remaining silent.

The mournful sobs sounded like accusations, asking why he brought a living person and brought back a corpse, asking why he didn't protect his cousin.

When he left, his relatives saw him off.

When he returned, all his relatives grieved.

Bian Dongxu also regretted it, regretting that he had not calculated that the other party was so ruthless. If he had known the other party's nature earlier, he would have used all the strength of the clan and his younger brother would not have died.

Regardless, he acknowledged that his cousin's death was his responsibility, and therefore he felt ashamed to face his two aunts who were grieving the loss of their son.

Even now, Bian Dongxu still doesn't think he made the wrong decision. He was planning for the development of his family business, a plan to enrich his family, and a strategy for the Zhuang people. What's wrong with that?

Bian, whose health had been severely damaged in her early years,

After the passing of the ancestor, only four of the seven uncles and paternal uncles remain. Even Bian Dongxu's biological father has passed away. Now, among the older generation, only the eldest uncle Bian Zening, the second uncle Bian Zemin, the fourth uncle Bian Zeyan, and the seventh uncle Bian Zeqi remain.

Among the Dong generation, those with spiritual roots are ranked according to their seniority, and there are only eight or nine people with spiritual roots. Bian Dongxu is the eldest.

Now, two of them are gone.

The entire Bian clan of Fenglei Valley is reduced to just a few members, big and small. If he doesn't plan to strengthen his clan, he might be devoured by other clans until there's nothing left but bones.

As a family grows, sacrifices are inevitable. Byun Dong-wook had always been prepared for this, but when the moment came, he still couldn't stop the grief.

"Dongxu!"

Hearing the shouts, Bian Dongxu looked up at his second uncle.

Their eyes met, and Bian Zemin saw that his nephew, who was usually so confident and composed, now displayed a deathly silence, like a stagnant pool.

This incident undoubtedly dealt him a heavy blow.

Reaching out, Bian Zemin patted Bian Dongxu's shoulder a few times and pulled him up from the ground: "The path to immortality is unpredictable, fate is predetermined, the dead cannot be brought back, you should also cheer up."

The fault doesn't lie entirely with Bian Dongxu; their elders also bear responsibility for setting the strategy.

He came to offer words of comfort and consolation, also out of concern that such a tragic loss of a sibling, like a goose with its wings broken, would ruin the family's precious son.

"Second Uncle, I want to keep them company," Bian Dongxu said.

Bian Zemin sighed.

For several days in a row, Bian Dongxu personally handled all the funeral arrangements. After his two cousins ​​were laid to rest, he stood in front of the graves he had built with his own hands, offered incense, and burned paper money.

He then burned the love letter he had once confiscated, a book filled with the sweet memories of the two of them, in front of the grave.

"Donglin, Dongsheng, I will avenge you, I swear." Bian Dongxu's voice was soft but firm. He took one last look at the burned books before getting up and leaving.

That confident and spirited figure from just a few days ago now carries a hint of gloom.

When Bian Dongxu arrived at the main hall, his brothers of the Ze generation were already seated. Perhaps because the funeral had just taken place, the atmosphere was somewhat quiet, and no one spoke.

After serving tea to his uncles, Bian Dongxu finally sat down.

As the clan leader, and also someone who had recently experienced the pain of losing his son, Bian Zening broke the silence: "This time, our Bian clan suffered heavy losses, not only failing to achieve complete success but also alerting the enemy. Now that things have come to this, what should we do next?"

They failed to catch the culprit, and two of their own men died instead.

One of the consensuses in the cultivation world is to nip the problem in the bud. Now, we've stirred up trouble and failed to eliminate the root of the problem. In the future, the cycle of cause and effect will likely lead to more trouble.

By then, the family might be able to withstand the attack, but how can they guarantee that they won't suffer heavy losses?

"The responsibility for this lies with me. If I hadn't been entangled by that monster, we wouldn't have ended up with this situation where all our previous efforts were wasted and we suffered heavy losses," Bian Zeyan said with a tone of self-reproach.

If we were to discuss who bears more responsibility now, him or Bian Dongxu, he would say it's his responsibility as the elder, for failing to slay the dog demon and for failing to protect his nephews and nieces.

He has been feeling guilty and remorseful for days.

Now that little thief has vanished without a trace, and there's no one to seek revenge on. All we can do is set up spies and wait for him to return, ready to storm into Fallen Mountain the moment he returns.

"It's not entirely Uncle Si's fault, I also bear some responsibility," Bian Dongxu said.

Fourth Uncle did his best. The demonic beast was incredibly fast and elusive. The fact that he was able to entangle the beast was all because Fourth Uncle's cultivation was much higher. Otherwise, he would have ended up like his brothers, his body taken back to Wind and Thunder Valley.

Bian Zemin glanced between the uncle and nephew and said, "Easing the situation is useless, and taking on the responsibility is also useless. We must find a way to resolve this problem of alerting the enemy."

The Bian family's most powerful patriarch is only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, while that demonic beast is already of the middle grade. Judging from its young age, it has great potential.

Furthermore, that little thief is already close to the third level of Qi Refining after reaching the second level, and is on the verge of reaching the middle stage of Qi Refining. He is still young, so who knows how far he can go?

The seeds of disaster have been sown.

"We all have our own affairs to attend to, and we can't just sit around waiting for someone to come to us, can we? In my opinion, we should just inform the Lü family. They are a powerful clan with deep roots and extensive connections, and they will surely be able to find the culprit," said Bian Zeqi, who had been relatively inconspicuous until now.

With his eyes still red and swollen, he too had experienced the pain of losing a son.

Everyone looked at Bian Dongxu.

As the head of the second generation of the Bian family, Bian Dongxu is exceptionally talented, intelligent, and composed. He is already the designated leader of the next generation of the Bian family and is involved in many important family matters.

His status was even higher than that of Bian Zeqi, who was solely focused on managing the spiritual fields and rice and paid no attention to anything else.

"My nephew will go to Taixi Lake tomorrow," Bian Dongxu decided.

He knew very well that, given the current situation, there was no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days without doing so; bringing in strong reinforcements to strangle the enemy was the right thing to do.

The dream of getting rich is now just a pipe dream; thieves have become a major problem. I didn't even get to eat a bite of mutton, and I was covered in the smell of mutton.

Throughout his cultivation journey, Bian Dongxu had never suffered such a great loss.

After the discussion, everyone dispersed.

The next morning, Bian Dongxu set up his Judge's Pen and flew out of Fenglei Valley toward Taixi Lake. The journey was seven or eight hundred miles long, and his mid-stage Qi Refining power was not enough to fly the entire distance.

After many ups and downs, and occasional breaks to recover his magical power, it took Bian Dongxu a day and a half to finally reach the Taixi Lake area.

Outside the gate of the Lü family.

Bian Dongxu looked up at the lintel.

The lintel stands tall, the brick walls are like jade, the green tiles shine, the red walls are thick and heavy, and the formation is faintly visible. Above are the two characters "Lü Shi" (吕氏), which exude an ancient feel, and below are a pair of lifelike Qilin (麒麟) guarding the house.

The monks guarded the gate, their magical artifacts cold and menacing.

This scene, this atmosphere, is exactly what he dreamed of for the future of the Bian family.

"Who goes there?" The cultivator guarding the gate asked, seeing that Bian Dongxu had lingered there for a long time without leaving.

The shout shattered the images in Bian Dongxu's mind.

He snapped out of his daze and bowed.

He replied, "The Bian family of Fenglei Valley has come regarding the bounty your family has offered. Please inform them of our arrival."