Chapter 242

Chapter 242: Strange Father and Son

No matter what, Helian Kuang and Lou Yun were not unreasonable or bloodthirsty killers. Seeing someone suddenly rush in, they almost simultaneously wanted to withdraw their attacks to avoid harming the innocent!

Yet this suddenly appearing figure raised both hands with a "swish, swish" sound. Lou Yun only saw two faint white flashes before his eyes. Immediately, a powerful force rushed toward him. Though this force was powerful, it contained no attacking intent. So when Lou Yun was struck by it, his body suffered no injury. He was only pushed back more than ten steps by the force, barely managing to steady himself.

This left Lou Yun utterly startled. He quickly looked up and saw that not only he but also Helian Kuang far away had been pushed back a distance. What shocked him most was that both his Xiang Tian Sword poised to strike and Helian Kuang’s Twin Dragon and Phoenix Slash attack had been completely dissipated with just two casual moves by this suddenly appearing figure!

However, when Lou Yun saw what the figure looked like, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. Though he found it strange why the person had come here, he smiled genuinely from the heart. "Big brother, how did you get here!"

The person who appeared suddenly and effortlessly dissolved Helian Kuang and Lou Yun’s attacks with two moves was none other than Leng Cangqiong, the White-haired God of Death!

Before Leng Cangqiong could reply, another voice spoke up first. "I told you to stop! I owe Lou Yun a life, so why did you still attack?"

This voice clearly came from the same person who had shouted earlier. Lou Yun hurriedly looked toward the source and saw a young man standing beside Helian Kuang, giving him a cold look.

Helian Xingye!

Lou Yun recognized him at a glance—that stubborn and aloof young man!

Last time, Lou Yun had been caught off guard by Han Tianxiao while saving Helian Xingye, which led to him being framed. But Lou Yun still held Helian Xingye in high regard, appreciating both his character and temper.

Several years had passed since their last parting. Lou Yun truly hadn’t expected to see Helian Xingye again on this Biko Island. At this moment, he looked unchanged from before, still carrying that cold demeanor.

What astonished Lou Yun even more was Helian Kuang’s appearance just then.

Earlier, Helian Kuang had acted very imposing and authoritative toward Helian Tiebi. He had even slapped Helian Tiebi right in front of Lou Yun. Plus, since Helian Kuang was able to combine a magical weapon and a common weapon, his strength definitely ranked as top-tier. His status in the Helian family must be quite high.

Yet now, facing Helian Xingye, Helian Kuang looked like a child who had made a mistake. His head hung low, the twin swords in his hands had vanished, reverting to a single sword with two black marks—clearly the ordinary common weapon, Ice Skin Sword. Time-wise, the Spirit Transformation state must have ended too.

This left Lou Yun extremely puzzled. Helian Xingye was so young, likely no older than twenty-five. He wasn’t older than Helian Tiebi or Helian Kuang, and though his strength was decent, it still lagged behind Helian Kuang. How could he dare to speak to Helian Kuang like that? More importantly, why didn’t Helian Kuang fight back?

Could Helian Xingye hold an exalted position in the Helian family, perhaps as the clan head’s son?

While Lou Yun was guessing at Helian Xingye’s identity, Helian Xingye’s next words nearly made him fall over.

Seeing Helian Kuang silent, Helian Xingye gave a cold snort. "Father, do you know that this time, secretly leaving the family with Helian Tiebi has already been reported to the clan head? I’ve come under his orders to bring you both back!"

Father!

Helian Kuang was actually Helian Xingye’s father!

Lou Yun froze for a moment before finally snapping back. Understanding their relationship now, he found this scene of the son scolding the obedient father incredibly amusing. But in this setting, he didn’t dare actually laugh out loud and could only hold it in.

At long last, Helian Kuang responded. Raising his head to look at Helian Xingye, he said, "You can’t blame me. It was Helian Tiebi who wanted to kill a man with the surname Lou. That’s why I followed him. Even if it was secretly leaving the family, I was just carrying out the ancestral rule."

"Hmph! Tell that to the clan head yourself when we get back!"

After throwing out this remark, Helian Xingye ignored his father and turned toward Helian Tiebi in the distance. "Helian Tiebi, how dare you! Without the clan head’s permission, you privately wrote the Black Invitation of the Nine Families with the other three families. The clan head knows now and is furious. Will you come back with me willingly to accept punishment, or do I have to capture you?"

Hearing this, Lou Yun finally had a revelation. This Black Invitation of the Nine Families he had accepted wasn’t truly authorized by the heads of the four families. Rather, it was Xiao Tong and Helian Tiebi, among others, colluding privately. They had even kidnapped Xia Zhilan in advance to lure him here!

Now that the Helian family clan head knew about it, he had sent Helian Xingye to retrieve Helian Kuang and Helian Tiebi.

At this moment, Helian Tiebi’s face turned deathly pale. Clearly, this matter had violated some family rule, and his punishment upon returning would be severe.

Helian Xingye didn’t even glance at Helian Tiebi before shifting his gaze to members of the other families. "And you lot—your families’ clan heads also know about this. Better go back on your own to face your punishments. Don’t wait for them to send people to drag you back!"

Hearing this, Xiao Tong and Jiang Wuyue turned pale. They exchanged glances, eyes sharp with obvious calculations about their next moves.

Xiao Tong quickly sent a whisper to Jiang Wuyue and Han Tianfang. "Jiang Wuyue, Han Tianfang, how about we join forces to kill them?"

Jiang Wuyue paused in shock. "Are you crazy? Kill who? Helian family members? Don’t you forget, members of the Nine Families can’t turn on each other!"

Though Han Tianfang said nothing, his look toward Xiao Tong suggested he saw him as a madman!

"Hmph!" Xiao Tong snorted coldly. "First we kill the Helian people, then finish off Lou Yun and the others. Who’d know we did it? We could easily say they fought each other to death."

"But what gain is there? Our deeds are already exposed. We’ll just face punishment back home!" Jiang Wuyue shook her head after some thought.

Xiao Tong pressed on. "Hmph. Do you two honestly plan to return?"

That stunned Jiang Wuyue and Han Tianfang. "You’ve truly lost it. If we don’t go back, our families will definitely send people after us. Punishment will be even worse!"

"Capture us?" Xiao Tong gave a cold laugh. "Don’t forget—we stole our families’ sacred artifacts. With them in hand, who could kill us?"

After trading a look, Han Tianfang sent a whisper. "Xiao Tong has gone mad. His nephew Xiao Qingyu died, and he secretly tricked Xiao Qingyu out. Going back means sure death, so he’s pulling us into this madness. I absolutely won’t join. What about you?"

Jiang Wuyue glanced at her unharmed sister Jiang Yingyue and nodded. "Yeah, I won’t do it either. Going back, we’ll just sit in contemplation at worst. But killing Helian people and fleeing with the sacred artifacts means we’d never have peace again."

Once these two reached an agreement, they firmly rejected Xiao Tong’s suggestion. Xiao Tong’s expression suddenly clouded with uncertainty. Though he held his family’s sacred artifact, he knew he couldn’t take down so many alone. So he clamped his mouth shut, no longer speaking, his face holding an odd smile while rage glinted unmistakably in his eyes.

"Fine, fine! You treacherous little men! We struck a pact earlier. Now that my Qingyu’s dead, you tear our alliance to shreds! Very good—one day, you’ll pay!"

After addressing everyone, Helian Xingye hesitated briefly before walking up to Lou Yun. Expressionless, he asked, "Do you remember me?"

Lou Yun gave a faint smile. "Of course, Helian Xingye!"

"Good!" Helian Xingye nodded, still stoic. "You saved my life once. I told you I’d repay it. I thought this time would be it, but it doesn’t count. That person saved you!"

He naturally referred to Leng Cangqiong, who remained silent.

"I thought my father would retract his attack when he heard my voice. Who knew he’d pretend to ignore it? Now I still owe you that life!"

Now Lou Yun understood why Helian Xingye had scolded Helian Kuang so harshly earlier—it was over this.

"But don’t worry—I’m clear about debts and grudges. Though the Helian ancestral rules call for your death, I won’t face you in battle until I’ve repaid you."

Lou Yun never dwelled on repayments. He smiled thinly. "Actually, this incident cancels it out. If not for—"

"No! If I say I owe you, then I do. Enough! By now, you’ve uncovered the truth: a few of them issued the Black Invitation of the Nine Families without real consent from the families. It was their private plot against you. Why they wanted to—I don’t know. Ask them yourself. My task here is done. I’m leaving!"

With that, Helian Xingye turned and walked back to Helian Kuang. He glared at him coldly. "It’s time to go."

Like a guilty child, Helian Kuang nodded. "Let’s go."

Abruptly, he shot a fierce look at Helian Tiebi in the distance. "Why aren’t you moving? Must I force you?"

"Yes, yes!" Helian Tiebi scampered over like a rabbit, hanging his head low as he followed this father-son pair away.