……

The battle at the Falcon Gorge.

Although it was a covert confrontation, apart from the few families involved, outsiders had no way of knowing.

However, the undercurrents were surging, and the change in the situation seemed to have just begun.

These days.

News of Ancestor Huaye’s severe injuries and impending death suddenly spread throughout Changning Guard under the dissemination of those with ulterior motives, causing a stir everywhere, with various speculations.

Some said that Ancestor Huaye was exploring foreign regions for opportunities when he unfortunately encountered a fifth-order beast. After a fierce battle, both were severely injured, and Ancestor Huaye returned in a critical condition.

Others claimed that Ancestor Huaye had a falling out with the Flood Dragon Gang, and had a fierce battle with the deputy leader of the gang, the famous expert Sikou Luoxia, also resulting in mutual injuries.

There were also people saying……

There were no less than five or six versions of the “rumors” about Ancestor Huaye’s battles with various experts.

In any case, each version was detailed and vivid, as if they had witnessed it firsthand. The only common point in these versions was that Ancestor Huaye was critically injured and his life was hanging by a thread. If he couldn’t control his injuries, he might die any day.

As one of the two major celestial families in Changning Guard, Huangfu’s Clan was naturally furious at these numerous unfavorable “rumors”.

They tried to “debunk” the rumors while dispatching family members and even hiring many loose cultivators to “put out the fire”, even beating up several groups of people who were discussing the matter as a warning.

They tried to extinguish and suppress the rumors in this simple and crude way.

Unfortunately, if they were still in their prime, once they were truly enraged, even the celestial Lei Clan would not dare to provoke them.

But the real puppet master behind this was Wang Shouzhe.

Back when he was on Earth in his previous life, although he wasn’t a seasoned spectator, he was well-versed in various cunning tactics due to long-term passive exposure.

Soon, “fires” broke out all over Changning Guard, and various detailed “exposures” were continuously bombarded.

For example, Huangfu’s Clan was domineering and bullied the market.

Another example was the clan leader Huangfu Jinhuang oppressing the declining families, using his power to forcibly take two direct clan members as concubines.

One by one, these “scandals” seemed to uncover the “dirty and unbearable” and “stinky” scenes under the bright appearance of Huangfu’s Clan in Changning, causing people to “exclaim” endlessly.

So the noble celestial family was actually of such character?

The Daqian court established the clans in the hope that they would open up and sit in one place, to stabilize the country and the people for the court, not to let them bully the good people locally.

Therefore, the court has certain requirements for the conduct and actions of the clans. If they really cause public resentment, they will be reprimanded at the lightest, demoted at the worst, and the most serious will be stripped of their clan rank seal.

Just as Huangfu’s Clan was in a state of anxiety, the celestial Lei Clan dealt them another heavy blow.

After the Lei Clan’s Ancestor “heard” about Ancestor Huaye’s injury, he personally hired the best doctor in Changning Guard, Doctor Gu Hanyu, to diagnose Ancestor Huaye.

Gu Hanyu was born a wandering cultivator, unlike other wandering cultivators, she had a unique medical heritage.

Originally, she did not practice in Changning Guard, but because of this year’s severe flood disaster, the Purple Mansion Academy specially invited her to control the plague. She was kind-hearted and often sent her disciples to treat refugees for free, so she had a very good reputation.

In addition, she was also a good alchemist, and was known as the dual genius of alchemy and medicine.

Although she was only a mid-stage cultivator in the Spirit Platform realm, she had a great reputation in Changning Guard and had many followers. She was a prominent figure. In terms of prestige alone, she was only below the two celestial ancestors and the city lord Xiahoucheng.

She was almost on par with Wang Shouzhe and Ancestor Beichen.

Her diagnosis of Ancestor Huaye put him in a difficult position. Seeing that he couldn’t hide it, he simply let her diagnose and treat him. At least, no one in Changning Guard could match Gu Hanyu’s medical skills.

The result of her diagnosis was a mixed blessing for Huangfu’s Clan. Gu Hanyu’s treatment did indeed alleviate Ancestor Huaye’s injuries a bit.

But she stated that Ancestor Huaye’s injuries were caused by the invasion of a different kind of sword energy from the Purple Mansion realm into his body, coupled with the use of secret techniques to forcibly escape, resulting in great harm.

With her ability, she could only slightly alleviate and suppress it, and it would take decades to completely drive out the different kind of sword energy.

The best way was to go to the Purple Mansion Academy for treatment, and it would probably take the personal treatment of Changchun, the elder of Changchun Valley, to fully recover in a few short years.

And during this period, it would be best not to take action, otherwise the injuries would deepen and it might even affect his lifespan.

This gave Huangfu’s Clan a glimmer of hope. The problem was, Changchun was a famous old Purple Mansion, how could any Purple Mansion easily get in touch with him?

Even if the Changchun monk was willing to help, it would take several years. How could there be no compensation?

However, Ancestor Huaye was the backbone of the entire Huangfu Clan. The Huangfu Clan had grown to its current size, suppressing and offending many families in secret. If something happened to the Ancestor, it would be a catastrophe for the entire Huangfu Clan.

News about the true condition of Ancestor Huaye’s injury quickly “accidentally” spread throughout Changning Guard. As the Huangfu Clan feared, some families and powers that had been suppressed and bullied began to stir.

Especially in areas where there were disputes over interests, those families and powers that had been enduring in silence began to take a more aggressive stance.

This was a bad sign.

For the Huangfu Clan, this was a dilemma. If they chose to suppress these forces aggressively, they might incite public anger and unite everyone against them. Without the Ancestor to maintain order, how could they suppress them? Moreover, there might be families like the Tianren Lei Clan and the Ping’an Wang Clan stirring up trouble in secret.

But if they chose to back down, they might fall into a situation where they would continue to retreat, eventually losing all their bottom lines.

Therefore, the only option for the Huangfu Clan was to send the Ancestor to the Zifu Academy for treatment as soon as possible. As long as the Ancestor was cured, all difficulties could be solved.

……

During this tumultuous time.

Xiahou Hongde, the commander of Changning Guard, returned from his duty report. He was in a good mood because he had been praised for his timely and excellent performance in disaster relief. He might have a chance for promotion in the next assignment.

But as soon as he returned to Changning Guard, he was completely dumbfounded. Who was he? Where was he? What on earth had happened? How could Changning Guard fall into a vortex just one month after he left?

Faced with all kinds of rumors, Xiahou Hongde was quite upset. The families in the guard city were all obedient on the surface. But in private, they were all reckless and rampant.

Such open and secret struggles stirred up the situation. Did they still respect him as the commander?

Especially that Wang Shouzhe!

Did he think Xiahou Hongde was a fool? There must be that kid’s hand in this.

Immediately, the somewhat annoyed Xiahou Hongde prepared to summon Wang Shouzhe. He needed to question the boy face to face. Could he let him finish his last two or three years in peace?

But as soon as this thought arose, he quickly suppressed it.

Wang Shouzhe had already established his influence. Even if he was scolded, he would only make a few perfunctory promises. He would not stop his actions in private.

Moreover, the boy was very thorough in his actions, almost impossible to leave any official handle. It was not easy to make things difficult for him. With Wang Shouzhe’s ability, he might not be able to suppress him.

Forget it!

There were only two or three years left before his term ended, why should he have a falling out with the Wang Clan?

If they wanted to fight, let them. As long as they didn’t commit murder in broad daylight, he could only turn a blind eye.

……

Time flew by.

A month later.

The famous Zifu Academy in Longzuo Commandery was still as grand and solemn as ever.

Even when it was not the admission season, the gate of the Zifu Academy was still crowded with people from all walks of life.

The majority were wandering cultivators from all over the country. They all had a dream, hoping to be noticed by the Zifu Academy, join the academy, and change their fate. Among them, there were indeed some wandering cultivators with good qualifications.

However, the Zifu Academy had its own rules for admitting students. The conditions for wandering cultivators to join the Zifu Academy were extremely strict. They had to prove their origin, have documents from the guard and commandery level government, and have a corresponding family as a guarantor.

Under such conditions, very few people qualified, and they still had to go through further examinations and selections. Therefore, it was extremely difficult for wandering cultivators to join the Zifu Academy.

The academy would rather choose students from reputable families. After all, these families had roots and a long history, with their lineage traceable for at least a few hundred years, if not thousands.

This was also to prevent infiltration by enemy forces.

Of course, not all families were completely clean, and there might be cases of treason. But once confirmed, the entire family would be destroyed, and even the collateral relatives would be implicated.

Therefore, families were much more reliable than wandering cultivators and were less likely to be infiltrated.

In addition to wandering cultivators, other major powers, families, etc., would also come to the Zifu Academy. Some came to handle affairs, some to visit relatives, and some, like the Qian Clan, had business partners.

These people could only register and stay in the outer courtyard to wait for arrangements.

One day.

In an outer courtyard residence, the Huangfu Clan who had come for medical treatment were staying here. In addition to the family guards who accompanied them, several important clan members also accompanied the Ancestor Huaye who had come for treatment.

The most important among them was a direct-line elder named Huangfu Chengpeng.

He was the father of the current clan leader, Huangfu Jin Huan, and was now over eighty years old. He had also held the position of clan leader for a while and had gained some experience.

His current status in the clan was second only to Ancestor Huaye. The reason was simple, Huangfu Chengpeng was the current Tianren seed of the Huangfu Clan. At a young age, he had already reached the peak of the Lingtai realm’s mid-stage, and was only half a step away from the late stage.

Huangfu Chengpeng’s most important task was not to handle clan affairs, but to focus on cultivation, striving to break through the Tianren realm as soon as possible with the least cost.

With such cultivation at such an age, even if he were in the academy, he would be a core disciple. This time, he was brought out of his seclusion to accompany the Ancestor, mainly to maintain appearances.

The people at Zifu Academy, they usually treat talented and outstanding individuals with extra respect.

Today.

A hearty male voice came from outside the temporary residence of the Huangfu Clan: “Is Brother Chengpeng there?”

Huangfu Chengpeng, who was serving the Ancestor, was overjoyed. He hurriedly ran to the door and bowed deeply to the visitor, saying, “Chengpeng greets Brother Jinshan. Please come in, I have prepared some top-grade spiritual tea.”

His attitude towards Brother Jinshan was very respectful and friendly. Firstly, because he needed help this time. Secondly, this “Brother Jinshan” was a strong mid-stage Lingtai realm cultivator before he was sixty, a core disciple of the Changchun Valley lineage, and a core disciple who handled many miscellaneous affairs.

Such a big figure, how could Huangfu Chengpeng dare to underestimate him? Therefore, he spent a lot of effort and money to get in touch with Brother Jinshan, hoping to meet the Changchun Master through him.

“Well…” Brother Jinshan, who still looked the same, had a somewhat serious expression this time, “I won’t drink the spiritual tea. I came here this time to inform Brother Chengpeng about something.”

Huangfu Chengpeng, who had also held the position of clan leader, felt his heart “thump” at these words. After trying to get close to Brother Jinshan by catering to his preferences, the two had become quite close.

Now he didn’t even want to come in for tea, which probably meant that things had taken a bad turn.

Sure enough.

Brother Jinshan coughed twice and said, “I previously said that I would introduce you to my master, but I was a bit overzealous. Unexpectedly, my master suddenly went into seclusion. I will return all the things Brother Chengpeng sent.”

As he spoke, he took out a storage ring and handed it back to Huangfu Chengpeng.

Huangfu Chengpeng was taken aback and quickly said, “Brother Jinshan, how long does the Master need to be in seclusion? We can wait!”

“How would I know how long my master will be in seclusion?” Brother Jinshan replied somewhat impatiently, “It could be as short as five or six years, or as long as several decades. I don’t dare to ask about my master’s affairs casually. I must take my leave.”

With that, he left, ignoring Huangfu Chengpeng’s attempts to keep him. After making his excuses, Brother Jinshan left as if he was escaping.

Huangfu Chengpeng’s heart sank.

This… Before, Brother Jinshan was very enthusiastic, promising to help. But unexpectedly, things changed in the blink of an eye.

What on earth had happened, and what should he do?

In a place where Huangfu Chengpeng couldn’t see, Brother Jinshan left the house and turned several corners. He ran into a girl wearing a purple dress, who looked quiet and pretty, as pure and clean as the girl next door.

But when Brother Jinshan saw her, a hint of fear and apprehension flashed in his eyes. It wasn’t that he couldn’t beat this girl, but her reputation within the Zifu Academy had become somewhat terrifying, even more so than another individual.

Most importantly, she was Wang Shouzhe’s sister! He couldn’t afford to offend Brother Shouzhe.

“Thank you, Brother Jinshan.” The girl bowed respectfully and handed over several bottles of spiritual honey, “These bottles of Hundred Flower Spiritual Honey are a small token of my appreciation, Brother Jinshan, please don’t refuse.”

This girl, of course, was Wang Luoqing, the fifth young miss of the Wang Clan.

Brother Jinshan quickly accepted the Hundred Flower Spiritual Honey, looking flattered, “Sister Luoqing, don’t be so polite. I and Shouzhe are fellow disciples. If I didn’t know, it would be fine, but knowing the inside story, how could I do something that helps the tyrant? But this matter must be kept secret, after all, I am suspected of participating in the family dispute.”

These few small bottles of Hundred Flower Spiritual Honey, compared to the benefits given by the Huangfu Clan, were not even one percent. But Brother Jinshan was still quite happy. This little demon girl seemed quiet, but she was always cold and indifferent to her fellow disciples.

“Brother Jinshan, you really are a good person.” Wang Luoqing gave a slight smile, expressing her gratitude, “Several senior sisters from our Valley of a Thousand Butterflies have mentioned you, Brother Jinshan. They all say you’re a kind-hearted good person.”

Senior sisters from the Valley of a Thousand Butterflies?

Jinshan instantly perked up, eagerly asking, “Which senior sister has such discerning eyes? That’s right, I, Jinshan, am indeed a good person. Sister Luoqing, tell me her name, and I’ll bring a gift to visit her later.”

“…” Wang Luoqing was momentarily speechless.

…