Heavens will Universal Law System: Dual Cultivation

Evelen lifted Adrien, while Selena carefully picked up Han Fi, and together they carried them back into the palace.

They laid both of them down in the same room, and Evelen began channeling her qi in an attempt to bring them back to consciousness.

Adrien did not stir, but Han Fi slowly began to wake.

When she realized she was in an unfamiliar place, she looked startled. She tried to sit up, but Evelen gently stopped her.

Chen also advised his sister to rest. Han Fi looked around, taking in her surroundings—and then her gaze fell upon the beautiful young man lying unconscious on the bed beside her.

At that moment, she felt her heartbeat quicken uncontrollably. She asked her brother, "Brother…how did we get here?" She still remembered that the last thing she recalled was being in her own home.

Selena reached out, softly brushing Han Fi's hair from her forehead. "Child, you were very ill. Adrien brought you here himself. He was the one who treated you."

Han Fi pressed her hands together and bowed her head. "Thank you, Your Excellency, for saving me."

Selena didn't reply—she simply smiled kindly at her innocence.

Victor had been standing beside Adrien, using his spiritual senses to examine him in detail. Once he was fully certain that Adrien was merely unconscious—and that neither his soul nor his body had suffered any hidden injury—he finally said, "Good. Come, everyone. Let's leave the room and allow Adrien to rest. He should regain consciousness by tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement and quietly left the chamber.

Han Fi, too, tried to get up to follow them, but Victor gently insisted she remain and rest a little longer. He arranged for her to have a separate room and instructed Chen and Mian to look after her.

In the main hall, only Victor and his two wives remained.

Victor wore a grave expression as he looked at them. "Now tell me exactly what happened."

Seeing his serious face, Selena explained everything—how she and Evelen had gone out with Adrien, how they had traveled to Chen's home, and how they had brought Han Fi back here for treatment.

Victor listened in silence, then sighed heavily. "Adrien put himself in tremendous danger this time. He must understand that we should help others—but not in a way that puts us all at risk. When he wakes up, I want the two of you to speak to him about this."

Selena and Evelen both nodded solemnly.

Victor said, "Good. Now, I must go and finish preparing my plans." He turned to leave. "Please look after Adrien carefully."

With that, he departed the palace.

After Victor left, Selena and Evelen sat together, quietly discussing a few matters. Then Selena stood and said, "I'll go instruct the chef to prepare some food."

In another room, Han Fi lay resting on a soft bed, with Mian and Chen seated beside her.

Han Fi looked up at her brother again. "Brother…how exactly did we get here? And how was I healed?"

Chen decided it was better to tell her everything truthfully. He explained everything—from meeting Adrien, to the entire process of her treatment.

When Han Fi heard how Adrien had risked so much for her sake, her heart began to race again. She still couldn't stop thinking about his handsome face. She didn't know what was happening to her, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Adrien's features before her.

In a soft, unsteady voice, she asked, "Brother…will the Young Master be all right?"

Chen said gently, "Han Fi, didn't you hear what the Clan Master said? The Young Master is only unconscious—he'll wake by tomorrow. So don't worry yourself over him."

Han Fi and Mian continued talking quietly.

Meanwhile, Victor arrived at Elder Zhu's residence.

He informed Elder Zhu of the location where the caravan would meet and advised him to bring only his most trusted men along. After giving these instructions, Victor took his leave.

Once Victor had gone, Elder Zhu called in a messenger. He handed him a letter and sent him on his way, then returned to his own preparations.

But Elder Zhu didn't notice that, some distance away, a hidden figure was watching every move he made—observing in absolute silence.

That figure was none other than Ming Hao.

Ming Hao carefully followed the messenger for a while.

He saw the man reach the outskirts of the city, where he handed the letter off to a second figure.

Ming Hao preserved this entire scene within a recording crystal.

The second man read the letter, then said to the messenger, "Go back and tell the Elder that before the supplies even arrive, we will steal everything."

The messenger said nothing—he simply turned and headed back to Elder Zhu's estate.

Elder Zhu had also completed his arrangements by then. He gathered some of his men and set out toward the rendezvous point for the supplies.

Ming Hao, who had seen and recorded everything, murmured under his breath, "So…the Master's suspicions were right. Elder Zhu really is conspiring with these bandits."

He took out a spiritual communication talisman and began inscribing a message to send to Victor

Victor, who at that moment was disguised as a traveling merchant with a few of his most trusted men deep in the forest, received Ming Hao's spiritual message.

After reading it, he muttered coldly,

"So Adrien was right. Elder Zhu is the dog betraying us."

Standing beside Victor was a masked man.

"Master," he said calmly, "if you give the word, I will go arrest Elder Zhu immediately."

Victor shook his head.

"No, Ming Wei, not yet. My son wants all these traitors taken alive. We must capture them breathing."

Ming Wei asked no further questions. He simply lowered his head in acknowledgement.

A short while later, Victor ordered everyone to move out. He and Ming Wei climbed into a covered carriage.

Several guards rode alongside them. Victor had arranged this caravan so meticulously that to any observer, it looked nothing more than an ordinary merchant convoy.

The entire group advanced through the desolate forest paths toward the Thorn Clan capital. Every guard remained hyper-vigilant along the way.

After many hours of travel, they were finally nearing the forest's edge when—

Shu...

Shu...

—the sharp hiss of arrows filled the air, followed by a rain of deadly shafts crashing down upon the caravan.

The guards had been ready. They swiftly raised their protective barriers to shield everyone, but by the time the volley ceased, nearly half of their number had already been slain.

In that instant, dozens of bandits emerged from hiding and surrounded the convoy on all sides.

Their leader stepped forward, shouting,

"Drop your weapons and leave all your belongings behind. Surrender peacefully, and we will let you live."

Every guard clenched their weapons tighter. Not a single man moved to surrender.

The leader's voice turned colder.

"Very well. If you refuse to yield today, you will all die here."

He raised his arm and commanded,

"Brothers—kill them all and loot every last coin they carry!"

Inside the carriage, Victor sat calmly, watching the scene unfold. He swept his spiritual perception across the dark woods, then spoke quietly to Ming Wei:

"Elder Zhu is still lurking nearby—and Ming Hao isn't far behind him."

Ming Wei said,

"Master, allow me to go deal with these rats."

Victor nodded.

"Very well. But remember—only sever their limbs. Kill as few as possible. Make it look as if you're growing exhausted. If we're fortunate, Elder Zhu will step in to help them himself."

Ming Wei inclined his head in agreement and stepped out of the carriage.

When the bandit leader saw Ming Wei emerge, his eyes widened. He could instantly sense Ming Wei's cultivation—Soul Transcendent Stage.

"So that's why they refused to surrender," he growled. "This convoy has a Soul Transcendent fighter hidden among them."

Beside the leader were three others also in the Soul Transcendent Stage. He ordered them curtly,

"Go. Kill that man and seize any treasures he carries."

The three men leapt forward.

Ming Wei charged to meet them alone.

Blades clashed—Ming Wei's sword struck one opponent with such force that the man was hurled several steps backward. Before he could recover, Ming Wei closed the gap and swung again.

Desperately, the bandit tried to guard his throat, but mid-arc, Ming Wei's blade shifted direction and severed his arm clean from the shoulder.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest.

The second and third bandits struck together, forcing Ming Wei onto the defensive as he parried blow after blow.

Inside the carriage, Victor watched intently.

Ming Wei has honed his swordsmanship well, he thought.

But then he saw the bandit leader creeping closer to the convoy. Victor quickly sent a spiritual message to Ming Hao:

Move in—secure the caravan.

Ming Hao, who had been stealthily shadowing Elder Zhu, slipped through the trees and approached the caravan undetected.

When the bandit leader saw Ming Hao emerging from among the wagons, his expression turned uneasy.

"Impressive," he spat. "Looks like that old bastard Victor has lost his mind—sending two Soul Transcendent cultivators to guard a simple caravan."

Then he shouted at the top of his lungs,

"Elder Zhu! Come out now! If we don't kill these two today, we are all dead men!"

Without a flicker of emotion, Ming Hao swung his sword through the air—slicing clean through the legs of a bandit who charged at him.

Elder Zhu, who had been hiding nearby with his men, finally emerged.

He glared coldly and barked,

"Shoma, you couldn't handle just two men?"

Shoma spat back in a scornful tone,

"Elder Zhu, could you deal with even one of them yourself?"

Elder Zhu's face twitched.

"Perhaps their cultivation is higher, but we outnumber them. They won't escape alive."

But before anyone could answer, a voice—quiet and cold—drifted across the clearing:

"So you believe that sheer numbers will let you slaughter us here and leave unscathed?"

Though soft, that voice struck Elder Zhu like lightning. His whole body began to tremble where he stood.

A moment later, the carriage door opened—and Victor stepped down.

At the sight of him, Elder Zhu and his men panicked, instantly turning to flee.

But a blade flashed through the air, and all of them collapsed, their legs severed in an instant.

Victor appeared among them like a ghost. He moved again, this time slicing away their hands as well so none of them could reach for any healing pills.

Shoma's breath came ragged and shallow as he stared. He knew, without question, he would not escape alive.

In desperation, he pulled several runes from his storage ring and hurled them in every direction—hoping to trigger an explosive escape.

But before they could ignite, Victor's spiritual power wove through the air, sealing every rune in place and flinging them harmlessly far away.

Victor's eyes swept across the clearing, cold and calm.

"Bind them all," he ordered.

"Anyone who tries to flee, kill them—but try to capture as many alive as you can."

Within moments, the forest fell utterly silent.

More than thirty bandits had been taken prisoner, though most of them now lay bleeding, their hands and legs severed to ensure no resistance.

Ming Hao methodically searched all the bodies. Among them, he found three storage rings on the bandits themselves.

Then he searched Elder Zhu's men—discovering another storage ring in Elder Zhu's robes.

All the captured valuables and rings were collected and brought before Victor.

Victor examined the trove and gave a thin, cold smile.

"So many storage rings… Excellent. Seems they've plundered far more wealth than I expected."

When he was satisfied, he turned to address everyone:

"Now, we move."

At his command, the entire group set out once more—heading toward Thorn Clan territory, leaving behind a forest now quiet as a grave.