Outside the wall.
Zhang Rongfang was just passing by, listening to the series of screams inside, he shook his head slightly.
"The Daoist priest will start a massacre today!!" A loud shout from a monk came from inside the wall.
Zhang Rongfang found himself speechless.
He wasnât worried about his brother-in-law getting into trouble; he had instructed some key people beforehand.
So there was no worry about accidental injuries.
But what he thought of wasnât these trivial matters; rather, it was the fact that the envoy of King Mu Li had actually come here to collect provisions.
The situation at the front line seemed a bit off.
He quickened his pace and went to the entrance of the Mu Chi Residence.
Instead of going in, he leaped over the wall from a side gate and landed lightly, strolling around.
Before long, he had circled the entire residence, and Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly, not finding any trace of his sister, Zhang Rongyu.
His brother-in-law, however, was still in the study, writing furiously, not knowing what he was writing.
He thought for a moment, walked to the study door, and gently knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
"Brother-in-law, itâs me, Rongfang."
"Rongfang? When did you come back?" Suda Heqi quickly got up, opened the door, and showed a surprised and happy smile.
"Your sister has been worried about you, afraid that youâll suffer out there. Those Red Scarf bandits arenât easy to deal with now. Even though youâre talented and skilled in martial arts, two fists are hard to fight four hands."
"Itâs okay, thanks for your concern, brother-in-law. Whereâs my sister? Why havenât I seen her?" Zhang Rongfang asked casually as he entered the study.
"Xiaoyu went to make some white fungus pear soup for me. My throatâs been a bit uncomfortable lately, and sheâs been kindly taking care of it...." Suda Heqi sighed.
"Is Sister in the residence?" Zhang Rongfang was slightly taken aback.
"Yes. Sheâs always been here, and we donât go out much nowadays. Why?" the brother-in-law asked curiously.
"Nothing. Itâs just that..." Zhang Rongfang wanted to say more when his eyes suddenly shifted, turning to look behind him.
Outside the door, his sister Zhang Rongyu was walking in with a bowl of steaming white fungus pear soup.
Seeing Zhang Rongfang in the study, her face immediately showed a surprised look.
"Rongfang!? When did you come?"
She handed the bowl over to Suda Heqi and walked to Zhang Rongfang, looking him up and down carefully.
"Look at you, not eating well outside, you seem to have lost weight...." Zhang Rongyuâs joy was genuine.
Zhang Rongfang looked at his two and a half meters height, his muscles having grown even more robust.
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
"Since youâre back, donât run around this time. Stay home; nowhere outside is safe." Zhang Rongyu said seriously.
"In these troubled times, where is truly safe?" Zhang Rongfang countered.
"Itâs different...." Zhang Rongyu sighed, "Husband." She turned her gaze to Suda Heqi.
"I just received news. By the Yanshui River, King Mu Li has set up an arena, and Cosimo, the Alliance Leader of the Great Brightness Religious Alliance, has come forward to challenge the Sect Leader of the Great Dao Teaching, Yue Dewen. And he won!"
"He won! Who won!?" Suda Heqi was stunned, his expression quickly turning serious.
"Cosimo won! He directly suppressed Yue Dewen, winning three moves in a row and forcing him to vomit blood and retreat." Zhang Rongyu quickly said.
"How reliable is this information?"
"More updates are coming soon; right now, communications between major cities are slow due to the blockades by bandits."
"This is troubling...." Suda Heqiâs expression was gloomy as he paced back and forth in the study.
Zhang Rongfang beside him was also shocked.
Master actually lost??
In his impression, Master Yue Dewen was almost an unfathomable, invincible figure.
No matter who he was compared to, Master Yue could confidently stand above them. But now, someone had managed to defeat Master Yue head-on!?
Zhang Rongfang was not only shocked but also more startled that his sister, Zhang Rongyu, had even more accurate information than he did.
Given the current isolation mentioned earlier, cutting off communication between major cities, how did she get her intelligence?
Moreover, just moments ago, he did not perceive his sisterâs presence in the residence, yet merely after saying a few words with his brother-in-law, she seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, suddenly outside the study.
One doubt rose after another in Zhang Rongfangâs mind.
"Isnât the Sect Leader of the Great Dao Teaching known as the worldâs number one master? What happens if he loses? Will it affect us?" he asked, pretending to know nothing.
"Werenât you part of the Great Dao Teaching too? The impact on us isnât significant, but King Mu Li, with his momentum from defeating the worldâs number one, might soon enter the Great Capital and possibly ascend the throne...." Zhang Rongyu explained softly.
"The man has great ambition and is very dissatisfied with several of the big noble families in the Great Capital, and your brother-in-lawâs family is among them. So...."
She didnât continue, but Zhang Rongfang understood her implication.
"Alright, these matters are too complex for you to understand. Since youâre back, rest and practice at home. Political affairs are overly complicated and taxing, not suitable for you." Zhang Rongyu, like sending off a child, patted Zhang Rongfangâs arm.
"Okay. Iâll go wash up first." Zhang Rongfang blinked, his attribute panel suddenly opening, looking at his sister.
âZhang RongyuâLife 8-10.â
Apart from this, there was nothing else.
The life value was healthy, but the more normal it seemed, the more mysterious Zhang Rongfang felt.
He could sense that his sister was hiding something.
Leaving the study, he could faintly hear the two of them conversing softly inside.
âI wonder how things are with Master Yue... Itâs a pity my current strength isnât enough, otherwise....â
Master Yueâs loss did shock Zhang Rongfang, but losing didnât mean dying. So after the initial shock, he calmed down quickly.
He believed that with Master Yueâs strength, even losing once wouldnât be severely damaging.
âI mustnât rush. I canât help even if I go there now. Everything at Wish Girl Gorge is ready; I just need to steadily accumulate attributes, focus on alchemy and cultivation....â
âWhatâs most important now is waiting for the third characteristic talent to open....â
Leaving the study, he took a deep breath, calming his thoughts, and looked at the attributes panel before him.
âZhang RongfangââLife 291-291.â
Itâs close, just a few more days left.
He could feel the second Blood Lotus on his back was about to bloom.
The bud of the Blood Lotus was formed, and inside it, the outline of a Wish Girlâs statue seemed to emerge.
The reason he returned this time was to stay with his sister for a while to ensure safety before returning to Wish Girl Gorge.
Unexpectedly, he heard such critical news as soon as he came back.
Returning to his small courtyard, he quickly took a bath and changed clothes.
Before he could even rest, a black bird swiftly flew over his head, dropping a paper ball.
Catching the paper ball, Zhang Rongfang frowned and opened it.
There was an address written on it.
The handwriting was very familiar.
âCyan Ai Pavilion, Nine at night.â
"I just got back and already an invitation... Are they watching this place all the time?"
Zhang Rongfang understood clearly.
He established the Human Immortal Temple, making such a grand move, which might escape othersâ notice, even Yue Shi who is overwhelmed, but could never escape the Reverse Time Association who knows him well.
He did return this time with the intention of having a proper talk with the Reverse Time Association.
Otherwise, staying in Wish Girl Gorge, where the Wish Girl subtly guards, wouldnât guarantee entry for the Reverse Time Association.
He crumpled the paper ball and threw it into the brazier inside the house.
"Someone come here." Zhang Rongfang called out loudly.
"Young Master Rongfang, what are your orders?" A maid with a bun quickly approached and asked respectfully.
"Get me a few bowls of braised meat."
"Yes... understood..."
Zhang Rongfang glanced at the maid and noticed there was another new face. A young girl, probably thirteen or fourteen, standing beside him like a green bean sprout.
So tender and thin.
"Did you just join the household?"
"Yes..." The maid wanted to leave, but after being questioned, she didnât dare move, standing there trembling, not daring to lift her head.
"What about your family?" Zhang Rongfang asked casually.
"They were all killed by bandits... Iâm the only one left..." the maid replied softly.
After a pause, Zhang Rongfang sighed.
"Go ahead. Be quick."
"Yes."
*
*
*
Night, nine oâclock.
The top floor of Cyan Ai Pavilion, the entire floorâs private rooms were reserved.
The hall was empty, with only one person kneeling in the center, slowly pouring tea.
Crash.
The doors constructed separately at the entrance of the top floor were pushed open, and a flat-chested woman in blue walked in slowly, sat opposite the kneeling person, and exhaled.
"Your handling of the matter was quite impressive."
The woman in blue took a sip of tea and drank it all, it was Ran Xinyue, who had been out of sight for a long time.
"Thank you." The kneeling person, dressed in a black dress, with black hair down to her waist, slender waist just enough for a handful, and an ample bosom almost resting on the table, was clearly also a woman.
"Your strength has improved so quickly...." Ran Xinyue looked at the woman opposite her, sighing again, "If this conversion succeeds, you should be able to break through the last step, right?"
The woman in a black dress nodded, her fair skin contrasting sharply with the black silk of her dress, accentuating her creamy complexion.
"So, do you know what weâre here for this time?" Ran Xinyue asked again.
"I donât know." The woman in black replied.
"Canât you say a few more words?" Ran Xinyue got annoyed, "Are you a Celestial Demon or an Extreme Law? Even a self-indulgent, selfish Celestial Demon isnât as concise as you?"
"Extreme Law."
"Really an Extreme Law? Arenât you a Celestial Demon?"
"Am I? Then Iâm a Celestial Demon."
"..... seems like you are a Celestial Demon." Ran Xinyue felt more and more exhausted.
The big shots above wanted the two of them to talk with Zhang Rongfang. Now it seems... difficult.
"I didnât expect, with all the arrangements we laid in advance, this guy quietly accomplished such a shocking feat. In just over ten days, he single-handedly created such a mighty Super Grade organization. Sometimes I doubt whether he is human."
Ran Xinyue sighed.
"At first, those above didnât notice, but by the time they did, he had already gained momentum. Those Bloodline individuals are highly unusual; if you donât behead them, as long as thereâs enough blood, they canât be killed..."
"Human Immortal Temple, Human Immortal Temple, does he truly believe that by absorbing blood one can achieve immortality? Where in the world does such a path to immortality exist?"
"Why couldnât it? Have you ever seen what an immortal looks like?"
Suddenly, a gentle male voice sounded from behind Ran Xinyue.
The sudden voice startled her, almost making her jump up from the cushion.
As a Grandmaster of the Deity Worship Sect, she was unaware when someone approached her from behind.
This was simply....
Turning around, Ran Xinyue immediately recognized the person; it was none other than the central figure often mentioned in the alliance latelyâZhang Rongfang.