LAVW – Chapter 8 Interrogation at the Ancestral Hall

Rotten Ninth District—a place where the poor and destitute reside.

The people living here had little in common except for their poverty and lack of reliance on others.

Because of this, when someone from Rotten Ninth District disappeared, some might notice, but no one cared.

As the informant, Long Ming watched as the Long family interrogated the captured individual.

Listening to the man’s wails of agony, he suddenly recalled the days when he relentlessly struck wooden stakes, enduring grueling training to temper his body.

It was Long Ye’s father who devised this method. Back then, Long Ming and Long Ye were practically inseparable, so naturally, he learned the technique as well.

But the process was excruciating—almost self-torture. It demanded unwavering persistence, with no room for laziness.

For a time, Long Ming couldn’t endure it and slacked off, only to be caught by Long Ye. The two had a fierce argument over it.

Long Ming corrected himself after that, but when winter came a few months later, he fell back into his old habits. This time, Long Ye never mentioned it again.

It wasn’t until Long Ming grew older that he understood—Long Ye was naturally perceptive, meticulous to the extreme. How could he possibly have failed to notice?

Long Ye must have known from the very start that he was slacking off in secret. But after that one confrontation, he chose to say nothing, simply watching as Long Ming fell behind—once superior, now buried in worldly distractions.

Yet, despite everything, Long Ye continued to act as if they were the best of brothers.

Now, Long Ming played along too—but that wasn’t enough for him anymore. He didn’t want to see Long Ye advancing smoothly in his cultivation while he himself remained stagnant.

The interrogation yielded results, but they weren’t much different from what Long Ming had already provided—vague and unclear.

The captive didn’t know much. He was simply a half-blood hybrid of a demon rat and a human, with exceptionally keen ears and nose. By chance, he had encountered Long Ye both at Bamboo Forest Mountain and at the spiritual plant shop.

At nearly sixty years old, Long Xing still looked like a man in his prime—more vigorous than even his injured youngest son.

He tapped his fingers against the table and asked, “So, what exactly is that good thing?”

“I say it must be something that brat Long Ye got from the Mountain Glow. Otherwise, why would he run?”

“He got something valuable, but all he thinks about is that little Li family girl. Not only did he refuse to contribute it to the clan, but even you and Chengyang know nothing about it, Long Xing. Looks like you didn’t raise your grandson properly—he’s favoring outsiders!”

“But his ring was taken by the Golden Core Patriarch. What else could he possibly have?”

The Long family members murmured among themselves.

“Hmph! No matter what it is, there’s no reason to give it to an outsider,” Long Xing said coldly. Then, turning to his youngest son, he ordered, “Chengyang, go keep an eye on him. If he tries to take anything to the Li family, tie him up and bring him back.”

“Understood.” Long Chengyang immediately rose to his feet and strode out.

The remaining Long family members cursed inwardly:

“That old fox Long Xing—when there’s treasure to be had, he only sends his own son.”

“Shameless! Does he not realize how disgraceful it is for an uncle to steal from his own nephew?”

But none of them dared voice their complaints aloud. After all, they were also waiting for an opportunity—one that might let them get a piece of the pie themselves.

Furthermore, although Long Xing was obsessed with becoming a Golden Core Patriarch, often acting recklessly, his strength was undeniable. At present, he was the only one in the entire family whose cultivation matched that of the clan leader.

“Xiao Qian, why hasn’t Qingqian come to find me? She hasn’t even sent a message.”

After indulging in his cultivation, Long Ye finally emerged to find that the outside world had settled down. Learning that he was now permitted to leave, he couldn’t help but think about the Li family.

Shi Qian lay lazily under the sun, flicking its tail absentmindedly.

“Squeak Squeak…”

The grass is so green… No, wait, the grass is really green…

Shi Qian knew that Long Ye just wanted someone to talk to—his mind was already made up. This was a young man who always acted with a well-thought-out plan.

Sure enough, Long Ye picked out some clothes, pocketed his remaining spirit-nurturing pills, and then asked, “Xiao Qian, I’m going to find Qingqian. Are you coming?”

Shi Qian shook its head.

Long Ye gave a few instructions, telling it to hide inside the house if it heard any unusual commotion, then stepped out the door.

No sign of her, no news either. Long Ye began to worry—had something happened to Li Qingqian and her family in the recent chaos?

But in reality, Li Qingqian had just returned home after several days away.

She had traveled to experience the prosperity of the provincial city, where even the most formidable Foundation Establishment cultivators from her small town were nothing special. The streets were lined with rare treasures, exotic spirit plants, and even spiritual beasts.

Even the Gongsun family’s young master, rumored to have only average talent, had broken through to Foundation Establishment within the past few days. That solidified Li Qingqian’s decision.

She wanted to marry a strong man—someone who could protect her.

That meant her engagement to the Long family had to be resolved quickly.

Meanwhile, just as Long Ye stepped out of his house, he sensed someone trailing him from a distance.

He quickly noticed but pretended not to. Looking for an opportunity, he managed to catch a glimpse of his pursuer’s face, only to become even more puzzled.

His uncle, Long Chengyang?

Why was he following him with a group of people?

Long Ye had never been close to this uncle.

For one, his father and Long Chengyang were only half-brothers, so their relationship had always been distant. By the time it reached Long Ye’s generation, they were practically strangers.

Secondly, Grandfather Long Xing was blatantly unfair in his dealings.

Long Ye hadn’t been bragging to Shi Qian—he truly had a knack for finding medicinal herbs.

Especially in the beginning, when he had miraculously discovered two spirit herbs in a row. But both had been taken away by his uncle under the pretense of filial piety to their grandfather. When Long Ye had gone to Long Xing to protest, the old man had merely asked whether a grandfather was not entitled to his grandson’s respect, never once acknowledging that he owed Long Ye any care in return.

Having just lost his father at the time, Long Ye quickly understood: even one’s closest family could not be trusted.

Now, realizing he was being followed, the first thought that popped into his head was—Is he trying to rob me again?

His mind immediately shifted to analyzing the situation—Where did my uncle get his information? How much does he know?

It didn’t take long for Long Ye to figure out the key detail—someone must have overheard the conversation in front of the Li family’s house that day.

He patted the medicine bottle in his pocket and took advantage of the bustling East Market, slipping into a shop with multiple exits.

His plan was to use the various doorways to shake off his pursuers.

But ultimately, his strength was insufficient, and his destination was far too obvious. It wasn’t long before he was cornered again.

Long Chengyang stood ahead of him, while another late-stage Qi Refining clan uncle blocked the rear.

Seeing the situation, Long Ye lowered his head, pretending to be startled.

“Oh, Uncle, it’s you? I thought it was someone else—you scared me to death.”

Long Chengyang sneered, “If I don’t handle a traitor like you, then who should?” He shot Long Ye a cold glance. “Come back with me.”

“Uncle, I was just going to deliver medicine to Uncle Li,” Long Ye explained, his gaze sweeping over Long Chengyang’s poorly concealed injuries.

At the mention of medicine, Long Chengyang’s face darkened, and in a fit of rage, he swung a slap at Long Ye.

“You have medicine but refuse to give it to your own family? Looks like we weren’t wrong about you!”

Long Ye tried to dodge, stepping back a few paces, but the residual force of the spirit-powered slap still brushed his face, leaving it numb with pain.

He covered his cheek, “Fine, I’ll go home. But what did I do wrong for you to raise a hand against your own kin?”

Long Chengyang had no interest in arguing with the sharp-tongued youth. He swiftly seized Long Ye, gagged him, and snatched the bottle of spirit-nurturing pills from his pocket before dragging him back to the Long family estate by force.

They took the side gate, but news of Long Ye being bound and taken to the ancestral hall spread like wildfire.

Inside the Ancestral Hall

Kneeling before countless ancestral tablets, smoke from the incense curling around him, Long Ye was forced to bow.

A stack of prayer cushions sat nearby, yet Long Chengyang had deliberately denied him one, pressing him directly onto the cold, hard stone floor.

On both sides of the hall, several dozen elders of the Long family sat in broad wooden chairs, their gazes heavy.

Then, from the head of the hall, the clan leader’s voice rang out.

“Long Ye, on the day you appeared at Jiutian Peak’s secret realm, what did you obtain?”

Grandfather Long Xing immediately cut in, his tone sharp.

“The Long family raised and nurtured you—not so you could send our treasures to the Li family!”

Surrounded by dozens of piercing stares, Long Ye should have felt a sense of kinship. These people all shared his bloodline, and the tablets before him represented his ancestors. Yet at this moment, he felt no warmth—no family bond at all.

His mind flashed to the small spirit beast in his room.

He collected his thoughts, paused for two breaths, and then calmly replied:

“Clan Leader, I am weak and insignificant. That day, I was merely in the Bamboo Grove Mountains—far from Jiutian Peak. How could I have obtained any treasures?”

“Uncle suddenly dragged me back for no reason and even hit me—I’m completely in the dark about all this.”

“Drop the act!” Long Chengyang snapped. “This brat was heading straight for the Li family. I searched him and found this!”

He took out the bottle of spirit-nurturing pills, poured it out, and revealed a single pill brimming with spiritual energy.

One of the elders picked up the pill and examined it. “It’s a high-grade Yellow-tier spirit-nurturing pill. However, the spiritual energy inside is extremely abundant, meaning it was recently refined—not some ancient relic.”

The secret realm had existed for an unknown number of years, but based on the information the Long family had gathered, it was at least a thousand years old.

If the pill had come from the secret realm, its spiritual energy would not be so rich.

Furthermore, while a Yellow-tier pill was precious to a junior like Long Ye, to the elders, it was nothing remarkable—just a slightly purer spiritual supplement for health and vitality.

Long Ye stared at the lone remaining pill, his eyes widening slightly.

There were originally ten pills in the bottle.

He had used three, Xiao Qian had taken one, so there should have been six left—yet only one remained.

Long Ye spoke up. “There were six more pills in that bottle. They were a gift from a Golden Core ancestor.”

“And why would an ancestor give you something?”

“That day, I was in Bamboo Grove Mountain. When I saw a great disturbance at Jiutian Peak, I intended to descend the mountain and return home. But then, I saw a beam of golden light flying toward Bamboo Grove Mountain.”

“Following that golden light was the Golden Core ancestor. He collected the light and assumed that I had obtained something. He searched me but found nothing and, realizing my innocence, gave me this bottle of pills instead.”

“That is the full story.”

“Qing Qian and I have been betrothed for years. Her family’s struggles are well known to all the elders here. I often deliver medicine to them, so I thought I’d share a few of these pills with Uncle Li.”

“I truly do not understand why Uncle followed me, captured me, and made such a spectacle out of it!”

Long Ye’s gaze swept across the ancestral tablets and the elders seated before him. Though kneeling, his back remained straight, exuding not even a hint of submission.

“Just the spirit-nurturing pills?” Long Xing suddenly roared. “We’ve long suspected something —you won’t fool us so easily!”

His shout, infused with spiritual energy, sent a wave of pressure crashing down, leaving Long Ye’s head reeling.

His blood surged violently, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Yet, his will remained unshaken. His thoughts immediately turned to the only other thing worth coveting—Xiao Qian, the little spirit beast in his courtyard.

But if the clan simply wanted to take Xiao Qian, wouldn’t they just seize him outright?

So—no, that’s not it. They’re trying to trick me!

And it wasn’t even about Xiao Qian. They were after something he himself didn’t even know he had.

Ridiculous.

Long Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his thin face stained with red, taking on a faintly deranged, almost feverish look.

“If I truly had anything, Grandfather, wouldn’t you just send Uncle to take it? Why go through all this trouble?”

“I have nothing.”

His sharp gaze swept over the two injured elders, before he let out a small cough, swallowing the blood pooling in his mouth.

“So many people from the clan fought over that secret realm and came back empty-handed. What makes you think a mere junior like me could have obtained something valuable?”

“I ask the Clan Leader and all elders to see the truth clearly, investigate this matter thoroughly, and restore my innocence.”

Long Ye roared in fury, “I want to know who is scheming against me from the shadows!”

Meanwhile, in Long Ye’s small courtyard—

With his sharp hearing, Shi Qian overheard some passing Long family juniors talking about Long Ye being taken to the ancestral hall.

Shi Qian sprang to his feet, clenched his little paws, and was about to charge over to rescue his new brother.

But alas—he was utterly useless in a fight, so he had to use his brain instead.

Recalling the plot—

In the original story, Aotian had also been summoned to the ancestral hall because he had obtained a secret realm ring, which made the clan suspicious.

But in this timeline, because of him, Long Ye had run off mid-journey to dig for ginseng.

When he saw the golden light, he bolted immediately—so there shouldn’t be anything worth the Long family’s attention, right?

First things first—gather information.

The Rat Clan had a special technique: a Rat King could summon and command ordinary mice to do its bidding.

Shi Qian decided to recruit a few rats as his ears.

Using bloodline sensing, he searched for rats nearby.

…Great. Long Ye was so poor that not even rats wanted to live in his house.

So, for now, he’d borrow some from next door.

Shi Qian lured over two rats, plucked out two of his own fur strands, and fed them to the rats as payment. In exchange, he ordered them to lurk near the ancestral hall and eavesdrop.

Rat #1: “Squeak squeak!”

Boss! We know the ancestral hall well! Wait here—I’ll go steal you some cakes!

Shi Qian smacked the rat on the head, furious—”Squeak Squeak!”

No stealing! Sneak in quietly! Don’t get caught! Got it?!