It had been nine days since the fourth chief of Chenjian Dock, Jia Pingxiu, was torn to pieces.
Tianxiang Pavilion.
A private room.
Silk landscape paintings hung on the four walls, and a celadon vase rested on a side table. On the mahogany table, cups and plates were neatly arranged, with several delicate side dishes surrounding a pot of peach wine.
At the table.
Laughter and chatter filled the air as cups clinked merrily.
A man with soft, feminine features and narrow, fox-like eyes raised his cup with a beaming smile and said,
“Congratulations, Third Brother. Your elder brother toasts you!”
Seated opposite him.
A pale young man with a wicked smile tugging at the corner of his lips laughed heartily, raised his cup, and drained it in one gulp.
“Thud!”
He slammed the cup back onto the table, his eyes brimming with high spirits.
“Second Brother, nearly a month of grueling secluded cultivation has finally paid off!
“Now, I have forced open the Taichong major acupoint. From now on, all Three Heroes of the Bai Clan have stepped into the Anjin Rank!
“Those so-called Six Prodigies of Changyun are nothing but a bunch of worthless hacks in our eyes!”
This young man was none other than Bai Fufeng, who had only just emerged from seclusion today.
The effeminate man sitting across from him was the second young master of the Bai family and the head constable of the Fast Squad, Bai Xiuan!
Hearing this, Bai Xiuan shook his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
“Third Brother, your vision is too narrow. Once Grandfather returns from Guangwu and our Bai family establishes the Yinsha Sect branch... a few mere rising stars won't even be worthy of our notice.”
“Second Brother is absolutely right!”
Bai Fufeng agreed wholeheartedly, but his tone suddenly shifted, and the excitement in his eyes turned completely icy.
“That being said, there is one among those six whom I absolutely must kill!”
“Oh? Who?”
“The one surnamed Shen!”
Bai Fufeng's expression turned sinister as he whispered coldly, “Second Brother, you might not know this, but there is a blood debt between us. It's just that the boy is still kept in the dark...”
He leaned in slightly.
He revealed the entire story of how he had beaten Shen Sanhuai to death years ago.
When he finished.
A chilling glint flashed in Bai Fufeng's eyes as he gritted his teeth and said,
“This brat comes from a lowly background, yet his talent is unnervingly bizarre. He has reached such a height in just a short time. If we let him grow for a few more years, he might actually become a real threat...”
Bai Xiuan fell into deep thought for a moment before slowly nodding.
“Very well.
“It is always safest to nip potential disasters in the bud.
“After you adjust your breathing for two days, go to the Martial Enforcement Hall to handpick a group of experts. Then, summon the two guest retainers, Chen Qiyuan and Dong Wu, to lay a dragnet. We must ensure a fatal blow.”
“No need for two days!”
Bai Fufeng gave a savage laugh, clawing the air with his hand.
“Tomorrow night, as soon as darkness falls, I will go take his head!
“Second Brother, instruct your trusted men in the Fast Squad to lock down the surrounding streets and alleys. Don't let anyone from the Mei Courtyard catch wind of this and ruin our plans.
“This boy's blood qi is rich and pure, making him an excellent medicinal catalyst. I want to personally throw him into the cauldron and refine him into a human pill to consume!”
“As you wish,” Bai Xiuan agreed casually.
A mere early-stage Anjin Rank martial artist was nothing more than meat on a chopping block to him, not even worth mentioning.
Bai Xiuan leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, saying,
“This Shen kid is just a minor annoyance. The urgent matter at hand is to pull out this thorn in our side—the Wang family!”
Hearing this, Bai Fufeng's expression stiffened slightly as he hesitated.
“Second Brother, are we really going to strike the Wang family? That Zhendong General...”
“We must!”
Bai Xiuan snorted coldly, a savage look appearing on his face.
“That old dog Wang Zhidao has held a secret of Grandfather's over our heads for years. When has he ever shown our Bai family any respect?
“This time, Grandfather is coming south with experts from the Yinsha Sect. That will be the perfect opportunity to eliminate him. If we miss this chance, who knows how long we will have to wait for another!”
“But...”
Bai Fufeng's brow furrowed deeply.
“I heard Wang Zhifan's cultivation has reached the Inner Gang Rank. What if we provoke his retaliation...”
“Tsk...”
Bai Xiuan sneered.
“Third Brother, oh, Third Brother, do you still not see through it?
“That old dog has been stationed at the border for years. He hasn't set foot in Changyun for over a decade, and he doesn't even dare to return to the capital, Linzi. Do you really think he just doesn't miss home or doesn't want to go back?”
Bai Fufeng was taken aback and asked suspiciously, “Second Brother, you mean...”
“It's not that he doesn't want to go back, but that he can't!”
A mocking look appeared in Bai Xiuan's eyes.
“When Great Qi was founded, the military elite were divided into five armies: the Autumn-Slaying, Lüben, Tianfu, Tabai, and Longxiang!
“Among the Five Armies, except for the Tianfu Army, which is directly led by the Great General to guard the capital, which of the commanders of the other four armies is not a powerful Heavenly Gang Rank expert capable of summoning winds and rains?
“Only this Longxiang Army is an exception!”
Bai Xiuan sneered.
“Wang Zhifan is a smooth talker. Back then, he fawned over the Ninth Prince, Prince Changle, and shamelessly begged for the position of Commander of the Longxiang Army.
“He managed to climb to that position, but he also offended many powerful nobles!
“The position of Commander of the Longxiang Army had been vacant for two and a half years, and the aristocratic clans in the capital had long eyed it like a piece of fat meat. A minor figure who crawled up from a small border town actually dared to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.
“Tell me, how could those powerful nobles swallow such an insult?”
Seeing the light gradually returning to Bai Fufeng's eyes, Bai Xiuan said with absolute certainty:
“For the past dozen years, he has seemed to be in infinite glory, but in reality, he has been walking on thin ice, not daring to make a single mistake. He cowers in his border camp all day long, not even daring to return to his general's mansion.
“Every few years, he quietly sends people back to Changyun to recruit relatives and fellow villagers to stuff into the army, trying to build up his trusted aides and stabilize his position...
“So, he is far from being as glorious as the Wang family boasts!”
Hearing this analysis, Bai Fufeng felt as if a bucket of cold water had cleared his head. His eyes shone as he muttered:
“So that's how it is... From this perspective, it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Bai Xiuan chuckled softly:
“While you were in seclusion, Father, our eldest brother, and I ran through the deductions several times and devised a foolproof plan. We are just waiting for Grandfather's return to immediately cast the net!”
“Good!”
Hearing this, Bai Fufeng said with a chilling grin:
“Then we shall first sacrifice that Shen kid to the blade, and then exterminate the entire Wang family! As for the remaining families, we can take our time dealing with them later!”
With those words, the two brothers exchanged a look.
The next instant, wild, arrogant laughter echoed from the private room.
By the time the feast ended, the night was already deep.
The howling wind outside had stopped at some point.
Layer upon layer of dark clouds accumulated in the sky, resembling an overturned iron pot sealing the entire Changyun County airtight.
The air was muggy, and a faint, damp, earthy scent rose from the gaps between the clay bricks. It looked like a heavy downpour was inevitable.
Bai Xiuan boarded a green-canopied carriage, the wheels rumbling across the long street as he returned home to rest.
Having cultivated bitterly for many days, Bai Fufeng could no longer suppress the lustful fire burning within him. He decided to head to the Yichun Brothel to find a couple of courtesans to vent his desires.
The brothel was only two streets away from the Tianxiang Pavilion.
Bai Fufeng simply dismissed his attendants. Fueled by seventy percent alcohol and thirty percent arrogance, he stepped into the deep alley alone.
The alleyway was narrow and cramped, rarely frequented by anyone after dark. At this moment, it was so dark that he could not even see his own hand in front of his face.
Silence reigned all around, broken only by the sound of his boots treading on the bluestone slabs.
Although Bai Fufeng had drunk a fair amount, his heart was filled with a burning excitement.
“After struggling bitterly for over half a month, I have finally entered the Anjin Rank!”
As he walked, his fingers opened and closed in the air, a dark and murky vortex of qi swirling at his fingertips.
“Along with it, my 『Yin Sunflower Palm』 and 『Phantom Demon Finger』 have naturally reached the Great Accomplishment stage as well.
“As expected of the grand divine abilities passed down by the ancient Demon Lord!
“Extracting marrow and squeezing bones, snatching the fortune of heaven and earth—this is more than ten times faster than those righteous cultivation methods that emphasize step-by-step progress!
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