Genshin Impact: Supreme Justice of Teyvat

Chapter 31: The Battle of Wits with the Air!

“Tricked?”

Everyone in the Xu family felt as though they were caught in a vast web of conspiracy. Could everything today have been orchestrated?

Xu Jiuzhou nodded, looked around cautiously, and only when he saw no one nearby did he speak slowly.

“Because that shadow guard is something only the Shadow Tribe would possess!”

“Shadow Tribe?”

Everyone exchanged confused glances; none of them had ever heard of this organization.

“The Shadow Tribe uses shadow energy to reanimate the corpses of people with special constitutions. Through a special ritual, these corpses are turned into shadow guards who serve them. These shadow guards have the ability to briefly merge with the shadows, and because they are dead, they don’t emit any aura. They are born assassins. You may not understand the strength of the Shadow Tribe, but let me put it another way. Have you heard of the Crimson Hand?”

“The Crimson Hand! Isn’t that the huge assassin organization spanning multiple nations and federations? They have countless powerful killers. As long as you have enough wealth, they can assassinate even those above the Morning Star level?”

One of the family members exclaimed in shock. The Crimson Hand was a massive force, far beyond the reach of their small city’s family.

Xu Jiuzhou nodded, his expression grave. “The Shadow Tribe holds a crucial position within the Crimson Hand because they can integrate with the power of shadows. In fact, there are even members of the Shadow Tribe among the Thirteen Red Moons, the upper echelons of the Crimson Hand.”

Xu Jiuzhou sighed deeply. If it weren’t for the fact that he had learned about this during his travels, he might have fallen into the trap today.

“After my brother was injured, the news reached here almost immediately. Someone is trying to use the Shadow Tribe to wipe out our Xu family!”

When Xu Jiuzhou first saw the shadow guard, he nearly fainted. Shadow guards were elite assassins, and even the Shadow Tribe needed extensive rituals to create one.

Each shadow guard required significant manpower and resources to create, making them a precious asset of the tribe. Even elite members of the tribe were only allowed one shadow guard to train.

And yet, this person had three shadow guards serving him, which showed just how high his status within the Shadow Tribe must be.

Could he be from the higher echelons of the Shadow Tribe?

Xu Jiuzhou wiped the cold sweat from his brow and cursed the person who had stirred up this mess.

He had no idea that the shadow guards surrounding Lu Yu were not from the Shadow Tribe at all. They were simply the result of the [Shadow Servant] skill that Lu Yu possessed, a unique ability inherited from the Void Shadow Spider. This ability didn’t require rituals, secrets, or special ceremonies—just the harvesting of shadows to continuously create shadow servants.

While the number of shadow servants was limited to ten, this was still far more efficient than the Shadow Tribe’s methods.

As for Xu Jiuzhou, he didn’t feel any sorrow for his dead brother. It was his own fault for trying to spy on someone so powerful.

Had Xu Jiuzhou not acted quickly, their family might have been annihilated.

“The family head truly has foresight!”

“We’re fortunate to have you, Family Head,”

Originally, they had all assumed that Xu Jiuzhou had killed his own brother out of fear of causing trouble. Each of them had been harboring anger, unable to express it.

They had all contributed greatly to the family, and yet, a life could be sacrificed so casually—who could remain loyal under such circumstances?

But after hearing the explanation, everyone understood. It wasn’t that Xu Jiuzhou was afraid of trouble, but rather that he had seen through the enemy’s scheme and had taken action to eliminate the threat before it could destroy their family.

Not only had he thwarted the plot, but he had also avoided becoming enemies with a terrifying organization. His deep planning and control over the situation were evident.

After the explanation, Xu Jiuzhou suddenly sighed deeply, tears welling up in his eyes. He said with self-reproach,

“That’s right, I’m ashamed of my brother’s death. After we return, I will voluntarily step down as family head and let someone more talented and virtuous take my place.”

His trusted subordinates immediately protested.

“Absolutely not! If it weren’t for your brilliant strategy, our family would have been ruined!”

Others chimed in,

“Yes, yes! Xu Le had it coming. If he were still alive, I’d beat him myself!”

“This idiot almost brought about a disaster. At least his death helped us avoid it!”

“The family head sacrificed his own brother to prevent the Xu family from facing the wrath of the Crimson Hand. It’s tragic, but please, don’t blame yourself. We need you to continue leading our family!”

“…”

“Well… alright then!”

Faced with so many pleas, Xu Jiuzhou reluctantly agreed and nodded, shedding a few tears.

But in truth, someone like him, a ruthless figure, wouldn’t feel sad about killing a useless brother, especially when it was to prevent a larger threat.

This was all just a performance to keep the family members reassured. After all, no matter the reason, killing one’s own flesh and blood was always a heavy act.

So Xu Jiuzhou acted the part, ensuring that the family would remain calm.

Unlike other ruthless figures, Xu Jiuzhou was clever enough to avoid any dangerous people. If possible, he would prefer never to encounter them again.

He understood one thing—survival was the key to everything.

With that thought in mind, Xu Jiuzhou’s expression hardened, and he said sternly,

“Since that’s the case, when we return, we must find out who dared to set up our Xu family. Whoever is behind this will pay the price!”

“Understood!”

His subordinates responded in unison, quickly leaving the night market where the dangerous figure still lingered.