In the study, an urgent telephone rang. This was the Yu family's private line; generally only those with intimate ties to the family knew the number, and those who could call it were, apart from members of the Yu family itself, the heads of the great families.

"Hello, this is Yu Shuixing!" Yu Shuixing's train of thought was broken by the ringing; he picked up the phone.

"Shuixing, it's your eldest brother!" Yu Dansen was delighted. News of his imminent breakthrough was naturally to be shared first with his second and third brothers. "Is Bide with you?"

"Eldest Brother!" The moment Yu Shuixing heard Yu Dansen's voice on the line, all the grievance and fury in his heart surged up at once, and when his brother asked after Yu Bide, his heart clenched with pain. "Bide... he... isn't here..."

"Oh, go and fetch him, then. I have good news to tell you two brothers. This is a thrilling moment for our Yu family!" Yu Dansen had not noticed anything off in Yu Shuixing's mood; after all, they were on the phone, and he could not see his brother's face.

"I... I... I can't call him over..." Yu Shuixing sighed, his voice already carrying the hint of a sob. "Eldest Brother, Bide... Bide is dead!"

"Dead? What do you mean?" Yu Dansen was stunned, not quite comprehending. "What's dead? Who's dead?"

"Yu Bide. Our third brother. He's dead!" Yu Shuixing said mournfully. "Eldest Brother, Bide is dead, and he died horribly!"

"What? What did you say! Yu Bide is dead? How did he die?" Yu Dansen's head went blank with a buzz. He had never imagined Yu Bide could die. How bizarre was this? How long had he been away from the Yu family?

And besides, Yu Bide was a cultivator too. Cultivators rarely fell ill, so how could he possibly be dead?

"He was wounded by someone, and then beaten to death by a dog!" Yu Shuixing said, his voice harsh and stern. "Third Brother died horribly! Eldest Brother, you must seek justice for Bide!"

"What did you say? Beaten to death by a dog? Shuixing, do you have a fever? It isn't April Fools' Day either!" Yu Dansen was dumbstruck. "Your third brother is a fine hand of the early Profound rank. Even wounded, how could a dog beat him to death? And with the influence our Yu family holds in the secular world, who would dare lay a hand on one of ours?"

"Eldest Brother, why would I make such things up? Not only was Third Brother beaten to death, Yu Kun was crippled as well!" Yu Shuixing said, weeping. "Eldest Brother, a formidable hand named Wei Zhao has appeared in the secular world. He is very mysterious, and he does not play by any rules at all. He acts without the slightest scruple..."

"Wei Zhao? Never heard of him! What exactly happened? Tell me in detail!" Only now did Yu Dansen truly believe Yu Shuixing's words. Even Yu Kun had been crippled, so this matter was indeed no small thing. The joy Yu Dansen had felt at his impending breakthrough vanished all at once, replaced by utter helplessness.

"Eldest Brother... it's like this..." Yu Shuixing did not dare conceal anything either. He began with the Yu family's putting the fragmentary map up for auction, and recounted the whole course of events to his brother Yu Dansen in detail. After all, the plan to use the fragmentary map to lure out those in the know had been decided together with his eldest brother; this was not Yu Shuixing's fault.

On the other end of the line, Yu Dansen fell silent after hearing Yu Shuixing's account. He had never imagined that such a formidable hand could be hidden at the side of an ordinary merchant! And the strange thing was, he had never heard of this person! Moreover, judging by what Yu Shuixing said, this man was terrifyingly powerful.

"To suffer such grave injuries and yet recover so swiftly, and even to turn a dying dog into a cultivating dog..." Yu Dansen could not help but sigh. "It is not that I belittle myself, but strength of this kind does not exist even in the Hidden Yu family where I now am. If someone of the Yu family is injured, it is impossible for them to become a formidable hand in such a short time, let alone turn a dog into a cultivating dog! From what you say, if that dog could beat Third Brother to death, it must at least be of Yellow-rank strength!"

"Yes, Eldest Brother. That is also why I dare not speak my anger aloud. As a formidable hand of late Profound rank, killing that brat Wei Zhao would be easy for me, but I dare not make a move. Who knows what terrifying force stands behind Wei Zhao? I fear that one careless step will bring great disaster upon the Yu family!" Yu Shuixing said.

"It is well that you did not act on impulse; otherwise the consequences are beyond imagining!" Yu Dansen sighed.

"Eldest Brother, then what should I do now? Are we to let it go just like that? Could you ask the Hidden Yu family to take up our cause?" Hearing even his eldest brother speak this way, Yu Shuixing could not help but feel despair.

"You know as well as I do that I have only just come to the Yu family, and my standing here is still very low. I cannot even get a word with the core figures of the Hidden Yu family. Here there are many formidable hands of the early Earth rank, and I am merely one of them..." Yu Dansen sighed. "For now, the only thing you can do is find a way to uncover Wei Zhao's true background. Even if the Yu family is to step forward, we must know Wei Zhao's background; otherwise the Hidden Yu family will not act rashly either..."

"Then that is all we can do..." Yu Shuixing was somewhat disappointed. He had hoped his eldest brother would get the Hidden Yu family to avenge them, but it seemed his brother was not faring well either, and was just as powerless.

"Shuixing, do not act on impulse either. Remember: a gentleman bides his time for ten years to take his revenge!" Yu Dansen said. "I am not idling away my time here. Though Earth-rank hands may not come into the world at will, when there is an important reason, one may apply to the Arbitration Council of the Hidden Great Families! Once you have uncovered Wei Zhao's background, if he is someone we can afford to provoke, I will apply to come into the world!"

"Good! I will send Xiaofeng to Songshan City at once to probe that Wei Zhao's background. This matter absolutely cannot be left to rest!" Hearing his brother's words, Yu Shuixing was filled with fighting spirit again. So long as his eldest brother stepped forward, Wei Zhao would surely die. But the key question was: what force stood behind Wei Zhao?

"Ah, never mind. Birth, aging, sickness, death. Accept your grief and move on!" Yu Dansen was more philosophical than Yu Shuixing. "Those who practice martial arts, if they do not pursue the Way of Heaven, will in the end have their day of departure. Here, I too have come to see many things clearly!"

"I understand!" Yu Shuixing nodded. "By the way, Eldest Brother, what did you call about this time?"