After a brief standoff with the old woman of the Zheng family, the refined elder eventually chose to temporarily retreat.
Firstly, they were in the city. If the two Precelestial Realm experts were to fight here, it would inevitably affect the nearby citizens. Violating the Sacred Mountain’s prohibition would lead to both of them being held accountable, possibly even captured and imprisoned.
Although he had ample reasons, the old woman had not yet truly performed a human sacrifice. If things escalated, they would both be at fault.
Secondly, the elder saw madness and resolve in the old woman’s eyes. He could sense that if he truly tried to stop her, she would fight him to the death without hesitation. The old woman had little time left and didn’t care about anything anymore. But the elder did not want to throw his life away with her.
So, he decided to step back.
However, before leaving, the refined elder advised, “Old Madam Zheng, human sacrifice is too cruel. It goes against Heavenly Dao and damages your virtue. You are dragging the Zheng family into a bottomless abyss. Please reconsider.”
“Hmph! Old fool, if you don’t dare to fight, get lost and stop being an eyesore! And which eye of yours saw me performing human sacrifices? I’m merely dealing with some disobedient servants. Even if someone from the Sacred Mountain came, they couldn’t interfere with my Zheng family’s affairs!” the old woman replied coldly.
Seeing this, the refined elder realized that the old woman had completely lost her mind and couldn’t be persuaded. Shaking his head, he turned and left.
Watching his departing figure, the old woman’s eyes filled with disdain. Years ago, when her eldest son was killed by an outsider at the Precelestial Realm, she had begged these old fellows for help to avenge him. They all refused, unwilling to assist. If they had helped back then, she wouldn’t have been severely injured, shortening her lifespan. Now, she was merely dealing with some servants, and they all jumped out to stop her. Hypocrites!
With a slight movement, the refined elder leaped to the tower top.
“With your Precelestial auras almost covering half the city, how could we not come?” The old man with crane-white hair said helplessly, “Brother Lin, why provoke that old woman? You know her temperament. She is no longer the person we knew in our youth.”
“But she is performing human sacrifices. This method is too cruel and against the Heavenly Dao. It will bring trouble from the Sacred Mountain, and the whole Zheng family will suffer.”
“Then let her perform it!” The middle-aged man with a jade-like face said indifferently. “If she wants to drag the Zheng family to death, can you stop her?”
The refined elder smiled bitterly and shook his head.
The old man with crane-white hair understood his thoughts. When they were young, the refined elder, the old woman, and the now-deceased patriarch of the Zheng family were close friends. But due to differences in ideals and life experiences, they gradually drifted apart. However, the refined elder still held onto that old friendship.
“Brother Lin, I know you still remember our youthful promises. But you should understand that the old woman has long changed. She is no longer the white-robed heroine we knew. Now, she is ruthless, paranoid, crazy, and cold-hearted, a completely different person.”
The refined elder remained silent for a while before sighing, “Of course I know, but seeing those people’s miserable conditions, including infants less than a year old, how can I bear it?”
“I think you’re overthinking it. Don’t forget, we still have the City Lord’s mansion. Our City Lord is not a weakling. If the old woman truly performs human sacrifices, the City Lord’s mansion will not sit idly by. How else can they maintain order in Cangzhou?”
The refined elder paused, his eyes brightening as he fell into deep thought.
Although the conflict between the old woman and the refined elder didn’t erupt, their conversation spread, and rumors about the Zheng family performing human sacrifices for the deceased grandson began circulating in the city.
“Yuanhao, how is the investigation of the person who killed Yu’er going?” The old woman asked coldly.
“Mother,” the head of the Zheng family said with difficulty, “I’ve used all our resources to investigate, but we can’t find any trace. We only know that the black-clad martial artist who killed Yu’er is a Martial Grandmaster skilled in hidden weapons and fist techniques. We can’t find any information about his identity. It’s as if he appeared out of thin air.”
“Can’t find anything? So, Yu’er died in vain?” the old woman asked, staring at her second son.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that he appeared too mysteriously, and our resources are insufficient to discover anything.”
“If our resources aren’t enough, can’t you use others? The Seven Kill Tower had a stronghold destroyed. Don’t they have any information? Can’t you inquire there?”
The head of the Zheng family was taken aback, not having thought of this.
Seeing her son’s clueless expression, the old woman felt even more disappointed. If her eldest son were still alive, he would not have overlooked this.
“You’re right, mother. I’ll send someone to the Seven Kill Tower immediately.” The head of the Zheng family responded quickly.
“Hmm.” The old woman snorted.
Silence fell over the room again.
After a while, the head of the Zheng family recalled another report and hesitated before speaking.
“Mother, there are rumors in the city that we’re performing human sacrifices. If these rumors spread, it will be very detrimental to our family.”
“Is that so? Then it’s exactly what I want!” To his surprise, the old woman wasn’t fazed but instead sneered.
“I want this rumor to spread far and wide, throughout Cangzhou. The person who killed Yu’er claimed to be righteous. If so many people are about to die tragically because of him, let’s see if he dares to come out and stop it!”
The head of the Zheng family was shocked, never expecting such a plan.
“Don’t worry, though I am filled with hatred, I haven’t lost my mind. I wouldn’t actually perform human sacrifices. Just follow my instructions and prepare.”
“Yes, mother. I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
Relieved that his mother wasn’t truly mad, the head of the Zheng family bowed and left happily.
He didn’t notice the suddenly cold and venomous look in his mother’s eyes behind him.