Chapter 117: Blood Shadow Revelation, Heart Demon's Weight
The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the now-silent Su family estate. The tension that had gripped the air like a vice had finally begun to unravel, retreating with the same quiet finality as the Ye family's carriage vanishing into the distance.
As the procession disappeared from sight, the elders turned their attention from the retreating Ye family to Su Tianhao.
"You really know how to cause trouble, boy," Su Liang snapped, his voice carrying righteous fury. "Gone for two weeks, and the first thing you do when you return is cripple a fellow cultivator. How ruthless!"
Su Tianhao looked at him in silence. No words. No speech. He owed no one an explanation—especially not this Second Elder.
As the saying goes: the lion does not answer to the barking of a dog.
Seeing the silence, Su Liang's face flushed red. "You have no manners either, do you? Look at the trouble you've brought to this family—and not a single apology."
"An apology is only required from those who have done something wrong," Su Tianhao said, his voice calm and without heat.
Su Liang's body trembled. "You really—"
"Enough."
Su Huiqing's voice cut through the argument—loud and commanding, leaving no room for continuation.
Su Liang swallowed whatever he had been about to say. He forced a thin smile and took a step back.
"Su Tianhao is right," Su Huiqing said, his voice low but carrying clearly to every ear present. "He hasn't done anything wrong."
He paused, letting that settle.
"The Ye family made their intentions clear when Ye Shiming tried to kill him just weeks ago. If I hadn't been there in time..." His voice trailed off deliberately. There was no need to finish the sentence.
Su Minghe and Su Yuan exchanged quiet looks, helpless smiles crossing their faces. They had both been present that day—but Ye Shiming's attack had been too fast, too sudden. A hair's width from success.
Beside Su Tianhao, Su Lei's fist clenched at his side, head slightly lowered. He had been there too. He had not been able to lift a finger—paralyzed by the pressure, watching helplessly as death nearly claimed his friend.
A solemn silence fell over the entire assembly.
"After that failed attempt, I suspected Ye Shiming wouldn't simply let things go—not after we confiscated his spatial ring," Su Huiqing continued. "I'm afraid it wasn't only Ye Wenjie involved in this assassination attempt. Ye Shiming likely had a hand in it as well."
"Indeed," Su Qingfeng said, fingers brushing thoughtfully against his long beard. "The bad egg does not fall far from the rotten nest."
"Su Tianhao owes no apology to anyone here," Su Yuntian added, her eyes flicking briefly and pointedly toward Su Liang. "If anything, he's fortunate to have escaped with his life."
Su Liang clicked his tongue, veins faintly visible at his temple. His heart burned—every elder had spoken in Su Tianhao's defense, even the usually indifferent Fourth Elder. There was nothing left to say.
Su Huiqing turned to Su Tianhao. "Come with me."
Su Tianhao nodded. Before following, he glanced at Su Lei. "See you later. I hope you'll be a lot stronger by then."
The words were casual—but they carried weight only Su Lei could fully understand.
Su Lei's eyes lit with iron determination. "I definitely won't be left behind in your shadow... Su Tianhao."
As Su Tianhao followed Su Huiqing deeper into the estate, the other elders quietly dispersed, each returning to their quarters. The matter today had been serious—but it was no longer the most pressing concern on any of their minds.
The He family.
If the Su family is the dragon that roars, and the Ye family the tiger that bites, then the He family is the phoenix that watches in silence—aloof, but never to be underestimated.
Now that the phoenix had begun moving against Su family's interests directly, they all had preparations to make.
---
A few minutes later, Su Tianhao and Su Huiqing arrived at the main residence. Su Huiqing didn't slow—he continued deeper into the building without a word, and Su Tianhao followed in quiet, stepping into this building for the first time since his fall from grace.
They climbed to the third floor, its hallways lined with increasingly elaborate decorations, until Su Huiqing stopped before a majestic door bearing intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes intertwined in eternal dance.
Su Tianhao stood still for a moment, golden eyes flickering with something old, nostalgic. This was the door to the chamber where he had first been properly introduced to his new family. Where he had first met Su Jian.
Creak.
The door opened. They walked in.
The interior was exactly as he remembered—a grand apartment with a sitting area, a dining room, and an archway leading into the deeper chambers. Everything glistened with quiet luxury.
Su Tianhao scanned the room, his expression tranquil. But inwardly, it was another matter. Walking these hallways again stirred things he had long buried during his year of isolation—hours in the family library, Xie Ling's presence, the echoes of what had once felt like belonging.
"Why did you bring me here?" he asked, brows furrowing slightly.
"To talk," Su Huiqing replied, settling into the sofa.
"About?"
"Two things." He raised two fingers.
Su Tianhao dropped into the opposite sofa. "Go on."
Su Huiqing leaned forward slightly. "First—the assassination attempt. I want to know everything."
Su Tianhao held his gaze for a moment, reading him. The intention behind the question was immediate and unmistakable. Not malicious. Not calculating.
Genuine concern.
He had nothing to hide.
"Two weeks ago, I entered Dragonspire Forest for training. Just a few minutes into the depths, I was confronted by a man," Su Tianhao began.
"What did he look like? Did he give a name?" Su Huiqing asked, expression serious.
"Tall. One eye blind, the other gleaming with something twisted. A hideous scar across his face, and a smile that never left it—like it had been carved there permanently." Su Tianhao's eyes flickered cold as the image surfaced. "His name is Blood Grin. And he is a 5th level Martial Adept."
Su Huiqing's frown deepened as he processed the description. "Blood Grin... twisted appearance, one blind eye..."
Then the second part landed.
"Did you say 5th level Martial Adept?!"
"Yes," Su Tianhao confirmed.
"Then how did you escape at all?" Su Huiqing's expression darkened. The child he had been responsible for. The boy he had picked up from Willow Creek Town and brought into this family. He had almost died in the hands of some lunatic—and hadn't said a word about it until now.
Any responsible man would feel that weight.
"In truth, the only reason I escaped was because he was reckless and overconfident," Su Tianhao said quietly, his golden eyes carrying a flash of killing intent. "Had he been more careful, I would not be sitting here."
'Just what trials have you endured these two weeks...' Su Huiqing thought inwardly, taken aback by his killing intent.
"This Blood Grin... did he mention anything about his background or affiliation?" Su Huiqing asked, eyes narrowing.
Su Tianhao paused, finger resting briefly on his chin. Then his eyes lit up. "That's right—he mentioned the Blood Shadow Assassin Group."
"Blood Shadow Assassin Group?!"
Su Huiqing's composure cracked visibly—genuine horror crossing his face.
Su Tianhao's eyes sharpened with interest. "You know them?"
"Of course I know of them," Su Huiqing said, something raw in his tone. "They are the most feared assassination organization in all of Longzhou Country. Even nobles like us have reason to fear them—their leader is a Martial Lord."
"A Martial Lord?" Su Tianhao's eyes widened slightly despite himself.
Su Huiqing nodded gravely. "Listen, Tianhao. I understand you want to settle the score with this Blood Grin—but it would be best to abandon those thoughts."
"Why?" Su Tianhao frowned. Would he give up his revenge simply because someone told him to? Never!
Su Huiqing read the defiance immediately and pressed on patiently.
"The Blood Shadow Assassin Group is not only the strongest assassin organization in Longzhou Country—they are the most unified. Every member is bound by a Blood Oath that ensures absolute loyalty." He paused, letting the weight of it settle. "Killing one of their men is no different from declaring war on the entire organization."
Su Tianhao's frown deepened. His mind worked steadily through the implications. His potential was limitless—but right now, he was too weak to take on something of that scale directly. Not yet.
"Is there truly no way to get my revenge?" he asked, voice quieter now, the weight of the revelation pressing down like a heavy mountain.
Su Huiqing's brows furrowed thoughtfully. "There could be a way."
"How?"
"Blood Grin is only a Martial Adept—clearly a low-ranked member within the organization. As long as your master intervenes, the Blood Shadow Assassin Group won't escalate the matter. It simply wouldn't be worth offending a Martial Lord over one ordinary Martial Adept."
Su Tianhao smiled wryly at the logic.
To Su Huiqing, he had a Martial Lord Realm master. Ask that master to deal with Blood Grin—simple as crushing an ant, with no retaliation to fear. The calculation was clean.
But Su Tianhao had no such master. The Phantom Master was a fabrication—a story he had built to survive a moment of crisis. An illusion with no foundation.
Even so, he wasn't giving up.
'So what if I have no master to shield me?' he thought, cold and certain. 'As long as I do it cleanly, the Blood Shadow Assassin Group will have no trail to follow... It's worth the risk.'
If Blood Grin lived, the heart demon remained. If the heart demon remained, his cultivation would continue to stall—his potential slowly ground down, wasted. And if the heart demon became a permanent scar on the soul, not even the heavens could reverse the damage.
That cultivator's journey would simply be over.