C1 Trash Young Master

"Alas..." A sigh echoed through the study of the Lau family patriarch in Esherough City.

The Laus were one of the four great families in Esherough, wielding immense power that left them unchallenged within the city. Yet, there were still issues that left them at a loss.

"Yiheng is missing, you say?" The speaker was none other than the Lau family patriarch, Lau Changxiong, with his fourth brother, Lau Changyun, standing across from him.

"Yes, he's gone. It's been a whole day. Big brother, shouldn't we start searching?" Lau Changyun proposed, a note of helplessness in his voice.

"We must. He's the only legacy our third brother left behind. It's just such a shame..." Lau Changxiong's voice trailed off, his eyes betraying a mix of resignation, affection, and predominantly, sorrow.

Lau Changyun nodded in agreement. "Big brother, don't take it too hard. We've exhausted every avenue over the years, but as for Yiheng... Well, let's not dwell on it. I'll take charge and lead a search party myself. After all, it seems you and I are the only ones left in the Lau family who still care about the boy's fate."

"Indeed, go ahead," Lau Changxiong replied.

A day earlier, on a hillside at the edge of the Gloomy Tops, a voice spoke with chilling indifference, "Lau Yiheng, you're nothing but a broken, soulless wretch, a waste of our family's pills and resources. The shame and ridicule you've brought upon us... You're the Lau family's greatest burden. If I were you, I'd have taken my own life long ago."

"Yeah, it baffles me how someone like you, a complete waste, can keep living with such confidence. If I were you, I'd have jumped off a cliff or drowned myself in a river," another added scornfully.

On that hill stood five individuals, four clustered together, among them the two who had just spoken: Lau Yihao and Lau Yihan, prominent young members of the Lau family.

Standing opposite them was a boy who appeared to be in his mid-teens, with delicate, youthful features that promised he would grow into a strikingly handsome man. His large eyes sparkled with a mix of stubbornness and resolve. His frame was slender and frail, his complexion a touch too pale, suggesting malnutrition.

This young man was none other than Lau Yiheng, the one disparaged as worthless trash by those around him.

Upon hearing the taunts of the two individuals, the boy pressed his lips together before asking, "So, this is why you summoned me here today?"

"What, you think this isn't enough?" came the mocking reply.

With a blank expression, Lau Yiheng responded, "If you're done talking, then goodbye."

"Kid, who said you could leave? Your cultivation hasn't improved, but your temper sure has! Have you forgotten the feeling of pain from not being disciplined in a while?" Lau Yihao's gaze turned icy as he addressed Lau Yiheng.

"Do you actually take pride in bullying someone who can't fight back?" Lau Yiheng, about to walk away, spun around, his eyes cold and unafraid, exuding a steadfast defiance.

Lau Yihao, taken aback by the retort and met with Lau Yiheng's chilling stare, felt a surge of rage. He lashed out with a kick that sent Lau Yiheng tumbling to the ground, bellowing, "What are you staring at? Life is pointless for trash like you!"

Lau Yiheng, a mere ordinary person, had no defense against a cultivator like Lau Yihao. Yet, he managed to rise from the ground, maintaining that icy stare.

Lau Yihao was ready to strike again, but Lau Yihan intervened, addressing Lau Yiheng with a frosty tone, "Do you have any idea how much the Patriarch and Fourth Uncle have wasted on you in pills and resources? Had I been given those, I'd have become an Innate Spiritual One by now. You're a burden to our family. Don't you feel the slightest bit of guilt?"

Lau Yiheng met their cold stares without a word.

Lau Yihao looked at his frail, fair-faced cousin and said, "Being born into a martial family, a person with your deficiencies shouldn't be entitled to pills and resources. You should have volunteered to give them up, yet you continue to shamelessly consume what the family offers. You're a blight, unconcerned with the family's welfare, and I find you utterly contemptible. It's time to rid the family of this scourge."

"Hypocrites!" Lau Yiheng retorted with just one single word, short yet forceful, in response to the other party's self-righteous diatribe.

Over the past few years, the majority of resources meant for him had been forcibly taken by these so-called cousins. They didn't stop at that; they frequently resorted to physical violence, showing no familial affection whatsoever.

Indeed, his reputation in Esherough was far from stellar. In fact, he was infamously known throughout the city, but for all the wrong reasons!

The good-for-nothing eldest son of the Lau family!

Confronted with this label, Lau Yiheng couldn't deny it. Currently unable to cultivate, he nonetheless clung to hope, convinced that one day he would prove himself capable.

"Hehe, we're only speaking the truth! It baffles me how Third Uncle, a legendary hero with extraordinary talent, could have a son like you. But then again, his arrogance is to blame. Had he not stubbornly left the Lau family to its own devices, things wouldn't have come to this, and there wouldn't be an ill-mannered brat like you!" the other sneered.

"Shut up! You have no right to speak about my father!" Lau Yiheng, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly erupted in anger.

He may not have experienced much paternal affection, and his encounters with his father were few, but he was well aware of his father's exploits and held him in high regard.

He couldn't stand by as these scoundrels maligned his father!

"Enough, don't bother arguing with him," Lau Yihao said, clapping Lau Yihan on the shoulder and giving Lau Yiheng a menacing look.

"Heh! You're after the pills and resources I just got today, aren't you? Fine, take them. Consider it a feast for dogs!" Lau Yiheng scoffed, tossing several jade bottles their way before turning to leave.

Such incidents had become all too familiar to him. Though it pained him to let go, he recognized his current inability to safeguard his possessions and decided it was best to cut his losses.

"Haha! Kid, you're too naive. If it were just about this, why would we bother bringing you here?" Lau Yihan said, catching the jade bottles and shaking his head.

"What more do you want?" Lau Yiheng's brow furrowed, sensing that something was amiss today.

"We don't want much—just to let you know that you're no longer welcome in the Lau family," Lau Yihao said, his gaze icy, a flicker of malice in his eyes.

Hearing this, Lau Yiheng stepped back, his face etched with gravity.

He had a sinking feeling that they intended to kill him today. Despite being considered worthless, he had no desire to die.

But if they were set on murder, he was powerless to stop them. Even if the family later discovered the deed, the consequences would be minor.

Such was the harsh reality of a world where the strong devoured the weak. Even if the family head and his Fourth Uncle cherished him, they wouldn't sacrifice the family's prodigy for someone who was already as good as dead.

"Alright, you two, check him for anything valuable. Then cripple his limbs and tendons, and we'll see if he can still drag himself back," Lau Yihao commanded with a dismissive wave of his hand.

The other two young men approached with cruel grins. Though they were from a lesser branch of the Lau family, they held no fear for a direct descendant like Lau Yiheng.

They pounced, one seizing Lau Yiheng's hands while the other began to frisk him. Quickly, they pulled a pendant from his chest.

The pendant was entirely black, yet it exuded an air of ancient nobility, shaped like a small boat with a slightly pointed bow adorned with two spherical objects.

Lau Yiheng's heart clenched. He couldn't afford to lose this item.

But he was acutely aware that today, he might not be so fortunate. If they severed the tendons in his arms and legs, he'd be more than useless—he'd be completely disabled, with no hope for the future, a fate worse than death.

With this grim thought, Lau Yiheng mustered all his strength and struggled fiercely.

With a sharp rip, his sleeves were torn clean off, allowing him a momentary escape. He spun on his heel and dashed away!

But his flight was short-lived; a sheer cliff loomed ahead.

Lau Yiheng steeled his resolve. If he couldn't evade capture today, he'd rather meet death than fall into their hands. And above all, they must not seize the pendant!

"Hmph! You lot aren't fit to kill me!" With a scornful laugh, Lau Yiheng leapt fearlessly into the abyss.