Chapter 159: The Blood Shadow Investigation II
Ye Shiming respectfully guided Blood Wood to his private courtyard, having arranged for someone to take Ye Wenjie to the family's medical pavilion. Though he didn't show it, he was deeply worried that keeping his son nearby might invite another accident—and Blood Wood wasn't the type to hold back twice.
Fortunately, Blood Wood paid Ye Wenjie's absence no mind. His sharp eyes swept across the estate with focused intensity, catching the subtle shifts that most would overlook. The uncertainty in the guards. The dull spirit in the disciples. The heavy atmosphere that blanketed the place like a funeral shroud.
Something was wrong here. He just didn't know what yet.
Soon, they arrived at Ye Shiming's private courtyard. The ancient peach tree stood firm at the centre, dominating the space like a silent guardian. Beneath it sat an elegant wooden chair blanketed in fallen peach leaves.
Blood Wood stepped forward. With a casual sweep of his hand, a rush of spiritual energy stirred the air—and the leaves scattered instantly, leaving the seat clean.
He settled into the chair with practiced ease, legs crossed, head raised, assuming the posture of a man entirely accustomed to sitting above others.
Ye Shiming remained standing, watching in silence. His back lowered slightly in deference. Though he was the First Elder of the Ye family and a 4th level Martial Master, he didn't dare breathe too loudly before Blood Wood's presence.
Blood Wood's smile widened, taking in the vulnerability plainly written across the man's posture.
"So... tell me," he said, voice calm and unhurried. "What happened to the Ye family lately? For a Great Clan, this place feels gloomy—almost like you just lost your Patriarch."
Ye Shiming smiled bitterly. "Our clan made an unfavourable deal with the He family for the sake of destroying our rival, the Su family."
"Let me guess—your plan failed." Blood Wood chuckled, his smile turning sarcastic.
Ye Shiming nodded.
The reason for the Ye family's current state was because of the alliance they had forged to crush the Su family. They had poured resources into the He family to help suppress the Su family's finances—with nothing to gain except their rival's downfall. But the Su family's shocking counterattack dismantled everything. The alliance lost its meaning, the crisis they had created crumbled, and while the He family emerged unscathed and better off, the Ye family suffered losses that reverberated through every level of their hierarchy. From the highest elder to the lowest disciple, no one had been spared.
Ye Shiming's expression turned bitter as the thoughts settled over him, his fists clenching quietly.
But there was no pill for regret in this world.
He looked at Blood Wood carefully, weighing his words. "I'm sure you didn't come all this way to ask about the Ye family's well-being. Tell me—what do you want?"
"Straight to the point." Blood Wood's eyes gleamed. "I like that."
His expression turned serious. "I came today to investigate your target—Su Tianhao."
He said the name slowly, watching.
The moment it landed, Ye Shiming's composure shattered. Raw killing intent bled through before he could stop it.
"Su. Tian. Hao." The name came out through clenched teeth, each syllable weighted with fury and something deeper—a hatred that had been sitting long enough to ferment.
"You really do hate him," Blood Wood smirked. "Good for me."
"What do you want?" Ye Shiming asked, struggling to steady himself.
"One thing." Blood Wood raised a single finger. "Information about Su Tianhao's master."
"His master?" The killing intent drained from Ye Shiming's face, replaced by something colder—fear, and the particular discomfort of a man who had been hoping not to think about that subject.
Blood Wood nodded. "Tell me everything you know."
Ye Shiming exhaled slowly, his expression darkening as though he had aged several years in a breath. "In truth, not much is known about this supposed master. There is no solid proof of his existence."
"Oh?" Blood Wood's eyes flickered. "Then how are you so certain he exists?"
"It's complicated," Ye Shiming said, shaking his head. "But the facts cannot be ignored."
"Go on."
Ye Shiming cleared his throat, his voice low in the quiet courtyard. "Merely three months ago, Su Tianhao was still considered trash. The fallen genius of the Su family. Then—after his wager with Su Jian—his strength rose exponentially, shocking everyone. It was later discovered that he practiced an Ancient Mortal Rank technique that resonated with his heavenly constitution. A technique passed down to him by his master."
Blood Wood raised an eyebrow. "And you just believed that?"
"Of course not," Ye Shiming said, frowning. "But the might of that technique was undeniable. At just the 1st level Martial Disciple Realm, he defeated my son—who was a 4th level Martial Disciple at the time."
Blood Wood's eyes sharpened slightly, though he wasn't fully convinced. "What if he simply stumbled upon that technique through luck alone? An ancient ruin, an inheritance site?"
Ye Shiming sighed. "I had the same suspicion. But Su Tianhao's strength continued advancing at an absurd pace, and his techniques were all equally impossible. His sword technique was flawless—nothing the Su family should possess. His concealment technique couldn't even be seen through by either the Ye or Su family's upper echelons."
"What?!" Blood Wood's expression shifted. "Not even the upper echelons of both families could see through it?"
"That's not all," Ye Shiming pressed on, his voice quickening. "The boy—a Martial Disciple—withstood the pressure from my own aura without even breaking a sweat. None of this would have been possible without someone guiding him from the shadows."
Blood Wood fell quiet, his expression heavy.
"Go on... Tell me more," he said. "Su Tianhao. This phantom master. Everything you know."
Ye Shiming nodded and began recounting it all—every detail, every incident, every strange and inexplicable thing the boy had done.
The more Blood Wood listened, the heavier his expression became.
'Could it be... he truly does have a Martial Lord's backing after all?'
---
After leaving the Ye family estate, Blood Wood felt the weight of an invisible pressure settle across his shoulders.
Everything Ye Shiming had described pointed toward the existence of a powerful figure operating silently behind Su Tianhao.
'Damn it. This wasn't what I was expecting.'
There was no concrete confirmation—but the evidence was too consistent to dismiss.
A discarded genius, written off by his own family, suddenly ascending with techniques and growth speed that defied all reasonable explanation. Without the guidance of a powerful expert, such advancement was essentially impossible.
His mind churned.
'No. There has to be another explanation.'
He pushed harder.
'What if he found an ancient inheritance? A forgotten ruin?'
The thought sparked something, although highly unlikely—he held onto it.
History had recorded such cases—ordinary individuals with extraordinary fortune, stumbling upon ancient inheritance sites and claiming the legacy within, rising like dragons breaking free from shallow waters.
'It's unlikely. But it's still better than concluding he has a Martial Lord Realm master,' Blood Wood told himself.
He took a slow breath, forcing his thoughts to settle.
'I must not lose focus. The truth still needs to be found.'
He strode forward into the crowded streets.
His destination—the Su family estate.
---
He was halted the moment he reached the gates.
"Halt! State your purpose!"
The guards posted at the entrance were none other than the same men who had shared a bond with Su Tianhao during his time in the family. He had left them enough spirit stones to start new lives elsewhere—but their sense of loyalty hadn't yet allowed them to go.
Blood Wood met them with a friendly smile. He had shifted his approach entirely—concealing his aura with an assassin technique that stripped away every trace of his intimidating presence, leaving him appearing ordinary and approachable.
"I'm here to see my friend—Su Tianhao, the Second Young Master."
The guards exchanged glances. "You're here to see the Young Master?"
Blood Wood nodded, his expression carrying a trace of hope. "Is he around?"
The guards shook their heads. "The Young Master left Oakwood City a few days ago. He's no longer a member of the Su family."
Though Blood Wood already knew this, he let surprise cross his face. "Heavens! What happened? Did he say where he was going?"
"No," the guards said quietly, a hint of remorse in their eyes.
"Is there anyone close to him I can speak with?" Blood Wood pressed. "I need to find him. It's important."
The guards exchanged another glance.
"Wait here," one of them said, and turned quickly into the estate.
Blood Wood watched him go, a subtle gleam of satisfaction in his eyes—nearly impossible to catch.
The guard returned shortly, breathing hard, face flushed—but smiling. "Come. The Patriarch wants to meet you."
Blood Wood blinked, allowing a look of surprise to surface. He hadn't expected it to go this smoothly. But he wasn't worried about being seen through—his concealment method couldn't be bypassed by anyone less than a full major realm above him. Only a 7th level Martial Grandmaster or higher could pierce it.
"Please, lead the way," he said warmly.
As they moved through the estate, Blood Wood found himself noticing the difference immediately. Unlike the Ye family—heavy with gloom and wounded pride—the Su family estate was alive. Guards and disciples moved with fierce, steady spirits. The atmosphere carried an unmistakable current of growth and momentum.
'Interesting,' he thought. 'Complete opposites.'
They arrived at the main residence to find Su Huiqing seated before the entrance, flanked by several black-armoured guards. Crimson robes. A presence that radiated quiet, settled authority.
Blood Wood's eyes narrowed slightly.
'This Patriarch is not simple.'
"Greetings, Lord Su!" Blood Wood bowed the moment he entered the compound.
"Raise your head," Su Huiqing said. He turned briefly to the guard. "You may leave."
The guard departed without a word.
Blood Wood straightened, his expression arranged into careful half-awe. "Lord Su, thank you for receiving this humble one."
"No need for flattery," Su Huiqing said, expression unreadable. "Any friend of Su Tianhao is a friend of this family. Call me Senior."
"Thank you, Senior." Blood Wood smiled warmly.
Su Huiqing gave a slight smile in return. "You say you were Tianhao's friend. How did you two meet?"
Blood Wood let a glimmer of nostalgia enter his eyes. "Two months ago, my elderly parents were about to be swindled out of our home by some hooligans. Brother Tianhao stepped in and saved us. We've been close ever since."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted slightly—as though he were watching the memory replay in the distance. The black-armoured guards shifted almost imperceptibly, moved by the warmth of it.
Su Huiqing was not moved.
Something in the way the man spoke fell just slightly short of genuine—the words were right, but the weight behind them wasn't. The gratitude of someone who had truly lived through that kind of moment was a distinct thing, and this man didn't carry it.
"Why are you looking for him now?" Su Huiqing asked, expression still as a lake beneath moonlight.
"Something urgent. Something only Brother Tianhao can hear," Blood Wood replied.
Then—carefully, almost casually—he asked the question he had come for.
"Do you know where he went after leaving the Su family?"
Su Huiqing's brows drew together slightly. Everything about the man before him appeared ordinary—harmless, mortal, unremarkable. And yet his instincts said otherwise.
"No," he said flatly. "Tianhao didn't tell anyone where he was going. No one in this clan knows his current location."
"I see..." Blood Wood murmured, brows dipping with disappointment.
'A complete waste of time,' he seethed inwardly—though not a trace of it reached his face.
"Thank you for your time, Senior. I'll take my leave."
Su Huiqing waved a hand. "Go."
Blood Wood bowed once and turned away.
The moment his figure disappeared from view, Su Huiqing turned to the black-armoured guards behind him.
"Follow him. Something about that man isn't right."
"Yes Patriach."
Then they vanished without a sound.
---
Blood Wood walked back toward the entrance at a steady pace, fists tight, frustration burning quietly beneath the surface.
'That Patriarch.'
He wasn't just irritated that things hadn't gone as planned—he was irritated that he had lowered himself to such lengths and still come away with nothing.
Then he felt them. Several presences sliding in behind him through the shadows—the black-armoured guards.
He sneered.
'Ants beneath a tiger's shadow. Do they truly think they can trace a phantom through mist?'
His aura surged.
"Blood Shadow Escape!"
The instant the words left his lips, his figure dissolved into a streak of crimson-shadowed light and vanished.
A heartbeat later, the light reappeared in an open field beyond the Su family territory, solidifying back into Blood Wood.
Blood Shadow Escape—a movement technique created by Blood Whisper himself, leader of the Blood Shadow Assassin Group. One of their signature arts, capable of explosive short-burst speed that left pursuers grasping at air.
Just as Blood Wood thought he had broken free, a streak of blue light flashed across his path and materialised into a middle-aged man in luxurious robes.
Blood Wood's stance sharpened instantly. "Patriarch Su?"
He looked again. Slightly younger. A resemblance, but not the man.
"Who are you?" he said coldly.
The man smiled. "Su Liang—Second Elder of the Su family, and the Patriarch's younger brother."
"What do you want?" Blood Wood's aura shifted, restrained killing intent threading into the air.
"Relax," Su Liang said, his tone unhurried. "You're clearly no friend of Su Tianhao's. That makes you my ally."
Blood Wood's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Let's just say Su Tianhao is a pest I need removed as well." Su Liang's eyes gleamed with quiet malice. "And I'm going to tell you where he is."
As the saying goes—the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
"Tell me," Blood Wood said, his eyes sharpening. "Where is he?"
Su Liang's expression shifted slightly. "A few days ago, I attempted to kill Su Tianhao myself. He escaped."
He paused, letting that settle. "But I've made my own inquiries since then. Su Tianhao intends to join the Qingyun Sect. Now—where do you think a boy who just fled his home but carries that kind of ambition would go first?"
"Stop dancing around it," Blood Wood said, patience thinning. "Get to the point."
Su Liang chuckled softly—a low, cold sound—and said a single word.
"Cloudrise."
His eyes held Blood Wood's with quiet certainty.
"Su Tianhao is in Cloudrise City."