Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 59 - 58: Liu Family

All dead?

Liu Shuyue frowned, and immediately rushed towards the direction the beggar had indicated.

Before she had run two miles, she heard the clashing sounds of weapons and chaotic shouts coming from the distance. Such sounds within the city were clearly abnormal; she directly pulled out a Wind Riding Talisman and rode the wind into the sky.

Jiufeng City below was instantly visible in its entirety.

She indeed saw a large mansion to the northwest, with at least a dozen buildings inside the courtyard walls, complete with gardens, ponds, and stables, fitting the status of the Liu family’s wealthy household. However, the courtyard’s gate was crowded with Governmental Constables, blocking half of the street completely.

But the front yard adjacent to the gate was in a pitiful state.

The ground was cluttered with about a dozen corpses, judging from their attire they were likely Liu family servants, and the spilled blood stained a large area of the white stone ground red.

Two individuals, a man and a woman, were still desperately holding out in the courtyard.

Their attackers were two other Cultivators. One wielded a Festival Whip, sweeping left and slashing right to restrain them, each lash crackling with purple lightning, sparks flying wherever it struck the ground, splitting the bricks and stones. If it hit an ordinary person, their bones would shatter instantly!

The other was sitting atop the roof’s eaves, shaking a whisk in hand. Under his control, paperman-like figures continually jumped down from the rooftop, floating lightly as they charged at the young man and woman. Although the papermen were easily destroyed and shattered upon being struck by a sword, they were endless while human strength was limited; a moment of carelessness could see one stabbed by the paper sword, leaving deep wounds down to the bone. Such injuries were already numerous on the two.

Without a doubt, these two Loose Cultivators were sent by the government to suppress the Liu family. Once the Liu family’s resistance was broken, the constables outside would rush in.

Liu Shuyue couldn’t help but sigh.

Things had progressed to this point; the Liu family was beyond saving.

They fabricated ties to the Immortal Master to indulge in worldly benefits, but now they faced backlash, which could be seen as karma.

But at that moment, the young man fiercely resisting shouted, disregarding the incoming Festival Whip, and charged towards the Cultivator holding them down. His sword emitted a pure white light, as if enveloped entirely by Spiritual Qi!

Liu Shuyue’s eyes narrowed.

Was that not the Spirit Sword Technique?

The whip struck the man’s waist brutally, unleashing a spray of blood mist. The Loose Cultivator did not choose to fight to the death, quickly abandoning the whip to leap back; the extended blade of the Spiritual Energy Sword only barely reached his clothes.

"Brother You!"

Seeing the young man fall, the girl cried out in despair, frantically throwing two Talismans to protect her companion—belonging to the Lotus Cloud Sect’s Talisman Technique too—yet the user was inexperienced; she forgot to shield herself while protecting others. The surrounding papermen seized the opportunity to close in, on the verge of spilling her blood.

A white light suddenly pierced down from the sky—

Liu Shuyue moved.

She rode the wind down, crashing above the Liu family’s gate with lightning speed, her feet landing precisely on the Loose Cultivator controlling the papermen’s shoulders.

The opponent’s flesh was obliterated instantly under the powerful impact, turning into a bloody mess, and the gate crumbled with a loud crash!

Everyone present was astonished, finding that the previously aggressive papermen suddenly slumped, reverting to fluttering yellow paper in the wind.

The remaining Loose Cultivator’s face changed dramatically, not caring about the deserted Festival Whip, he leapt over the courtyard wall.

"Hold!"

Liu Shuyue emerged from the gate’s ruins, lifting a finger, and the opponent fell in response.

However, the Loose Cultivator was also a Cultivator; the immobilization spell couldn’t completely bind him. Less than two seconds after landing, his limbs began to twitch, seemingly about to break free from the spell.

Unfortunately, in a battle between experts, a two-second gap can decide life or death.

Liu Shuyue already held her sword, reaching him, and struck heavily on the back of his neck with the sword hilt; the Loose Cultivator didn’t make a sound before passing out completely.

Only then did she dust herself off, turning to the pair of youths.

The two were also staring at her in shock.

"Why are you..." Liu Shuyue’s question was interrupted by the girl swiftly reacting—

"Elder Sister... is it you!?" She stumbled forward, stretching out her arms to hug Liu Shuyue.

Liu Shuyue showed a look of disdain, initially wanting to push her away, but upon seeing her riddled with wounds, she didn’t move after all.

"It’s the Immortal Master!"

Someone shouted joyfully.

"Lord Liu has returned!"

"Immortal Master has finally come to save us!"

More and more people cheered, rushing out of the inner courtyard to encircle Liu Shuyue, their gazes filled with reverence and gratitude. In stark contrast were the constables outside the courtyard; upon hearing the name of Immortal Liu, they were struck with fear, abandoning their weapons and fleeing in panic.

Liu Shuyue sighed inwardly; this was somewhat divergent from her plan. Once the troops outside the city learned she had appeared in Jiufeng City, the news would likely reach the Royal City faster than Zhangwei’s messenger. Her choice to go to Yunzhou Liu Family rather than the Royal City was a direct rejection of the King of Qi’s warning through her actions.

But there was no turning back now, only time to act swiftly.

As she looked at the Liu family members surrounding her in cheers, Liu Shuyue found it somewhat baffling. They had fallen to such a state, yet they still insistently tried to deceive her?

"These are external injury medications; take them and give them to that young man with the bleeding waist." She took out two Blood Oranges, gesturing towards the young man whose waist still bled, and then said to the girl clutching her tightly, "Stop fooling around, call out your family head, I’m not your elder sister."

Everyone was taken aback.

"Don’t you remember me? I’m Liu Qing!" The girl said aggrievedly.

Liu Shuyue’s brow furrowed; she was certain she had no so-called sister, and the Lotus Cloud Sect never recruited disciples from outside the mountain, nor would it teach its Sect’s techniques to the world. She only intended to investigate where these people had learned these spells.

"Shuyue... is that you?" The crowd suddenly parted as a middle-aged man stepped forward. He looked extremely weak, his arm wrapped in thick bandages.

"Father!"

The girl finally let go.

Was this Liu Qing’s biological father? Liu Shuyue felt slightly annoyed; if she were the elder sister, didn’t that make him her father as well? This farce was simply endless.

"You’re exactly like the portrait..." The middle-aged man said joyfully, "I knew the King of Qi couldn’t do anything to you. He wants to make the Liu family your weakness, but we would rather die than let him succeed!"

"Yes, saying Immortal Master betrayed the Wang Family, complete nonsense! Without Immortal Liu, could the Kingdom have had prosperous weather for so long?"

"Qi Kingdom’s Demon Fiends dare not show themselves, isn’t it because we Liu family children are guarding the four directions!"

Everyone excitedly echoed.

"Now that the Immortal Master has returned, we don’t need to fear anymore!"

"Exactly, rebel against him!"

Seeing the boisterous crowd, Liu Shuyue realized she might have misunderstood something... These Liu family people insist on linking her with the Lotus Cloud Sect and the Immortal Master, probably not solely for benefits. Otherwise, when their lives were threatened, they should have long scattered.

Yet, the more it was like this, the harder it was for her to understand. For one person to immerse themselves so deeply in a role that they can’t distinguish truth from fiction is one thing, but for hundreds or thousands to believe it, it’s not something achievable by simple propaganda.

Where did the Liu family cultivate such belief?

And those spells clearly from the Lotus Cloud Sect...

"Why didn’t you come back sooner?" In the midst of indignant accusation, a discordant question suddenly emerged.

Liu Shuyue looked towards the source to find the speaker was the young man who had fought the Loose Cultivators; his waist wound had scabbed over, but the large stains of blood were still shockingly visible.

"You’Er, be quiet!" the middle-aged man scolded.

The girl quickly clung to him, "Brother You, elder sister saved your life!"

"If she had come back earlier, my mother, Aunt Shen, and Hu wouldn’t have died!" He gritted his teeth, his eyes brimming with pain and uncertainty, "Since she saved me, why couldn’t she save more? She is the Immortal Master after all!"

Liu Shuyue fell silent.

She realized this matter was far beyond something that could be solved by mere persuasion; perhaps she knew much less about the Yunzhou Liu Family than she had presumed.

"Let’s talk." Liu Shuyue said to Liu Qing’s father.