Killing Monks

Lu Yuan's gaze then swept over Lu Fei and Tang Shuangshuang, who were embracing not far away:

"It is precisely because you are an old acquaintance of the future head of my Lu family that I invited you to recite scriptures."

Lu Chengming recognized Guangyuan the moment he first saw him at the tavern.

Lu Fei has been away from home for many years and his whereabouts are hard to find. However, as long as Lu Fei himself is found, it is not difficult to find out who his companions were along the way by tracing back the path he took.

So that "chance encounter," that "invitation," that "invitation"!

It was never a coincidence.

Guangyuan stared at him and slowly uttered the second half of her sentence: "I came here not to chant scriptures. You want to see... what I will do today."

Let's see if this friend of Lu Fei's is truly worthy of the trust of the new head of the Lu family.

These "old hands" who have been navigating the underworld for decades always manage to act very naturally.

Lu Chengming did not deny it, but simply nodded slightly.

There's nothing to deny about that.

Lu Fei had already helped Tang Shuangshuang to her feet.

Tang Shuangshuang was still somewhat weak and pale, but she was able to stand up with difficulty.

The two walked over hand in hand and happened to overhear this conversation.

Lu Fei turned to look at Lu Chengming, then at Lu Daobei, who stood silently to the side, his voice filled with confusion:

"Third Uncle, Uncle Daobei... what exactly happened?"

Lu Chengming looked at him with a complicated expression.

"How long have you been away from the Lu family?"

"Seven years," Lu Fei replied.

"Do you still remember why you left home in the first place?"

Lu Fei remained silent for a moment.

"Because the Lu family... makes me uncomfortable."

"Why are you feeling unwell?"

"Why?" Lu Fei frowned. "Third Uncle, why pretend you already know the answer?"

He took a deep breath, as if pouring out all the words that had been weighing on his heart for years:

"Because Lu Chengyu killed Xiaoyun!"

"He forced me to practice swordsmanship all day long, and if I didn't practice well, he would punish me by making me kneel, starve me, or whip me."

"Every night when I go to sleep, I feel like he looks at me like he's looking at a pig or sheep waiting to be slaughtered."

"He was domineering, unreasonable, and tyrannical. He treated his clansmen, his servants, and especially me."

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white: "I hate him. I hate this family. That's why I'm leaving."

After listening, Lu Chengming remained silent for a long time.

"Have you ever thought about it," he finally spoke, his voice very soft, "why he turned out this way?"

Lu Fei was taken aback.

"He..." He opened his mouth, but couldn't answer.

Why?

He never thought of it.

Or rather, he never cared.

In his mind, that was the kind of person his father was. He was born cruel, with indifference and malice etched into his very bones.

What reason do people like this need?

Lu Chengming sighed.

"That's the problem, patriarch," he said. "You've never truly understood your father."

"Him?" Lu Fei's voice was filled with doubt. "Isn't he that kind of person?"

"He is not," a frail and calm voice interjected.

The speaker was a disheveled old Taoist priest.

He had approached without him noticing, and looked down at Lu Chengyu's peaceful face. There was no sadness in his eyes, only a faint sense of loneliness after his old friend's passing.

"Lu Chengyu is a man who, when he was young, was ambitious, would draw his sword when he saw injustice, and would lend a helping hand when he encountered someone in distress."

"He is one of my few... friends."

Lu Fei was stunned.

"But he, he's just like you," the old Taoist turned his head, his murky gaze falling on his face, "He killed his father, just as you killed him today."

"He felt guilty for many years after that stab."

Lu Fei's pupils shrank suddenly, and he froze on the spot.

Guilt?

That cold-blooded, ruthless, domineering man...can he feel guilty?

Guangyuan, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up:

What is the secret of the Lu family?

He looked at the black knife lying quietly on the ground. The bloodstains on the blade had disappeared, and it had returned to its original pitch-black and dull appearance, but it still exuded a cold aura.

"The root of everything is this knife."

"Black Knife".

"What exactly is its origin?"

Everything in the Lu family, all their arrangements, including Lu Chengyu's death, all stemmed from this knife.

This black knife.

Lu Fei stared at Lu Chengming and said solemnly, "Third Uncle, you must know."

Lu Chengming did not deny it.

He looked at Lu Fei, whose face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Lu Chengyu, and a complex expression appeared on it.

"Since it is the head of the family who wants to ask," he said slowly, "then let's go to the Lu family ancestral hall."

"I can only say this to the head of the family."

Lu Fei frowned and stepped aside to protect Guangyuan and Chu Kuangjun behind him.

"They are my friends," he said. "They risked their lives to save my brother."

Lu Chengming remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Even Madam cannot know at this moment."

Tang Shuangshuang, who had been standing quietly beside Lu Fei, suddenly looked up upon hearing this.

She looked at Lu Chengming, her voice calm, yet carrying a chilling coldness:

"Was it you?"

This question came out of nowhere and left others puzzled.

But Tang Shuangshuang knew what she was asking.

That night, as she wept in despair, a voice drifted from the void.

That phrase, "They've only been there a short while, and they're already crying and wailing."

That line, "Cry today, cry tomorrow, can you cry Lu Chengyu to death?"

Lu Chengming met her gaze without looking away.

He cupped his hands and bowed slightly.

"It is I. When the time is right, Chengming will apologize to Madam."

Tang Shuangshuang's face grew increasingly pale, but a cold fire burned in her eyes:

"So, all of this! My parents' coma, my imprisonment, this bloody celebration today! It was all a scheme by your Lu family?"

Lu Chengming lowered his eyes:

"It was the head of the family's arrangement."

"We just did as instructed."

"Do as instructed." Tang Shuangshuang repeated these two words, "To push everything onto the dead, what a clever scheme."

At that moment, Lu Fei grasped her hand.

"Shuangshuang," he whispered, "don't be angry."

He paused, looking into her eyes: "Let me go and find out about Black Knife first. When I get back... I'll tell you everything."

Tang Shuangshuang stared at him for a long time before finally nodding slowly and loosening her clenched fingers.

Lu Chengming said no more and turned to walk towards the backyard.

Lu Fei followed closely behind.

The Lu Family Ancestral Hall is located at the deepest part of the mansion.

Passing through three moon gates and around a dry landscape garden, at the end of the bluestone path stands an inconspicuous gray-tiled building.

There are no flying eaves or brackets, no carved beams or painted rafters.

There was only a wooden door with faded paint, and above the door hung a dark plaque with two characters engraved in ancient seal script:

"Huai De".

From the Book of Songs: "King Wen, cautious and respectful, served God with utmost sincerity, and was blessed with abundant fortune. His virtue was unwavering, and he received the kingdoms of the surrounding regions."

Reverence for Heaven, Reverence for Earth, Reverence for Ancestors.

Stop at propriety, stop at virtue, stop at the line you dare not cross.

Lu Chengming pushed open the wooden door and said, "Patriarch, it's been many years since you've been here."

Lu Fei simply nodded and said, "I only came here when I was very young."

"This is the Lu family's secret," Lu Chengming said, pointing to the archway of the ancestral hall.