HPDBC Chapter 556 - 523 Devotion V
Chapter 556 - 523 Devotion V
The night was dim.
In the vegetable market near Mu Chi Manor.
Shadows silently passed through the darkness, like fish swimming in water, leaping lightly from the ground to the walls around them.
The market was muddy at night, but completely deserted, lacking the bustle of the daytime.
Among the shadows, a tall man with a white headscarf gazed towards Mu Chi Manor.
"Is that where the newly appointed noble fledgling dragon resides?" The man’s eyes gleamed, a metal folding fan in his hand.
"Indeed, the eldest son’s intention is that since they are all from the same sect, there’s no need to go overboard. Just cripple that child’s meridians so that he cannot practice martial arts." A short man in black whispered to the side.
"Among the many yards of the Yi Vein, it was originally thought that this position would fall to Xu Chengxuan and the other two. But who could have guessed, non-contention is the superior path." The man with the iron fan sighed.
"Just a minor member of a branch family, with strength barely reaching Super Grade, yet he managed to join the academy and become a third-generation disciple, his scheming is indeed remarkable."
"Senior brother, let’s act quickly, lest we dream too long overnight." The short man urged.
"Very well."
The two men spoke no further. With a wave of a hand, shadows leapt into the air, swift as birds, darting towards Mu Chi Manor from various angles.
A total of fifteen figures. Just as they approached the manor walls, before entering, several lanterns hanging by the walls suddenly extinguished.
"Who goes there!?" At the same time, a figure in a white robe leaped into the air, arms spread, dashing towards the wall.
"Just a passerby standing up for what’s right!" The iron fan man nonchalantly replied, his figure flickering as he suddenly crossed over ten meters, pressing the fan onto the opponent’s chest.
Bang!!
The white-robed man wanted to resist, but didn’t anticipate the opponent’s speed, unable to react in time.
No... it wasn’t speed!
He simply couldn’t perceive how the opponent made a move!?
The sound came from the left, yet the attack came from the right.
Being a worshipper and a Martial Cultivator of the sixth grade, he couldn’t withstand even a single move from the opponent!
The white robe fell to the ground, quickly vomiting blood and falling unconscious.
"Find them." The iron fan man said coldly with an expressionless face.
Shadows flitted past him, charging into the patrolling guards near the manor.
Within seconds, a squad of soldiers was felled. Strangely, though the enemies were in front of them, this group fruitlessly swung their weapons and shouted at the side.
Fifteen men in black, without losing a single one, soon reached the courtyard where Zhang Rongyu and her son Zhang Huanqing were.
The iron fan man and his companion gently landed, looking at the darkened inner room.
Behind the plum blossom-carved window lattice, behind the gray window paper, all was silent as if no one was there.
"Our unannounced arrival is lacking in courtesy, please forgive us." The iron fan man clasped his fists, "A small gift, not worthy of respect."
He extended his hand, taking a silver object from the black-clad man beside him, and threw it with a wave.
Swish swish swish swish!!
In an instant, a flurry of steel needles as fine as cow hair shot out, densely shooting into the room.
Just then, a figure suddenly shot out from inside. Holding a black cloth, he flicked it abruptly, instantly scattering the steel needles to the ground.
"The Meng family’s Silver Frost Needle?"
The figure steadied on the ground, looking up at the iron fan man and the others.
"A Guardian already?" The iron fan man sneered, "Take him down!" He waved his hand, rushing first.
In an instant, the two exchanged blows, entangled in combat.
Inside the depths of the inner room, in the corner, Zhang Rongyu carefully cradled her son, sitting in a hemispherical protective seat with metal layers all around.
Opposite her stood a tall woman, with gray hair, broad waist, and strong legs.
"They’ve come again... Do you know which side they’re from this time?" Zhang Rongyu took a deep breath and asked softly.
"Of the three families in the Yi Vein eligible to compete for the noble position, just count them responsible whether these people show their identities or not." The sturdy woman replied.
She glanced at the child Zhang Huanqing in Zhang Rongyu’s arms, who was sleeping soundly, unaware of what was happening around him.
"Your aptitude isn’t good, you’ve only practiced a bit of Illusory Divine Enchanting Sounds, and relying on the Mingfa Danshu to protect you can only conceal for a short while. If it drags on, you’re at risk of being discovered. So remember, never expose yourself easily."
"I understand." Zhang Rongyu nodded.
When orchestrating her son’s competition for the noble position, she realized this point.
As a branch disciple without support, her only reliance was herself.
She had unexpectedly saved someone before and received assistance from a Confucian expert.
Later, she reconnected with an old family friend of her parents, forming her entire network.
Leverage these two points, combined with her and her husband’s efforts, and they stood out, becoming the Confucian Yi Vein’s candidate for support.
Then, with the help of the Confucian hidden forces, they strengthened her husband’s family’s faction, thus mutually supporting each other. Now, they have finally succeeded in securing the noble inheritance right for their son.
"Senior, how often will such things occur?" Zhang Rongyu asked softly.
"The noble position of the Yi Vein isn’t just about talent; it’s also about the strength of the protecting Guardian.
From the moment you decided to compete, you must rely on yourself to face these challenges." The strong woman answered. "Understand, Heaven is vigorous, the gentleman constantly strives for self-improvement."
"If those outside break through the master’s obstruction, can you handle them, Senior?" Zhang Rongyu asked again.
"They won’t break through. But... this is just the beginning. Now we can block them, but future opponents will keep coming, stronger and stronger. At that time, relying solely on us, it’s impossible to protect you completely. You must find additional ways." The strong woman replied.
"I understand, Rongyu...." A shadow flashed in Zhang Rongyu’s eyes.
Soon, the commotion in the courtyard outside gradually quieted down.
The iron fan man’s fan broke into several pieces in his hand. His expression was grim as he stared intently at the elder opposite who had made the move.
Yes, the one who attacked him was fundamentally an elder who was on the verge of death.
And he was also a Martial Cultivator from the Confucian religion.
"Go!" The iron fan man ordered, and the people around him retreated one after another, leaping away, leaving the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
However, neither side noticed that not far away in a small alley, a dark red figure stood silently against the wall, waiting in place.
From the position of the dark red figure, breaking through the wall, he could rush straight into the inner room where Zhang Rongyu was at the fastest speed.
Only two walls separated him and Zhang Rongyu.
After confirming that the iron fan man and the others had retreated, the dark red figure slowly shrank into the shadows, disappearing as if he had never appeared.
*
*
*
In a dilapidated temple in the mountains.
A campfire burned brightly, releasing light and heat.
Next to the fire lay a Daoist on his side, wearing a dark red robe of the Human Immortal Temple, sleeping soundly.
On the ground of the dilapidated temple beside him, more than a dozen ragged mountain bandits holding broken weapons lay sprawled in disorder.
Judging by their breathing, these people were already cold, dead beyond the point of revival.
Judging by their appearance, the skins and flesh of the corpses were shriveled and sunken, as if all their blood had dried up after dehydration.
Zhang Rongfang descended lightly outside the dilapidated temple, raising his eyes to look inside.
One of the red lines he was tracking was connected here, precisely at the forehead of the sleeping Daoist.
’Indeed, this talent allows me to find all my subordinate bloodlines anytime.’
Zhang Rongfang slowly approached the Daoist.
As if sensing his presence, the Daoist suddenly shuddered and opened his eyes, getting up from the ground.
As soon as he got up, he saw Zhang Rongfang approaching.
"Observ... Observer!!?" His face was astonished. He had at least fled three thousand miles away! How could he see the Observer’s figure here?
Could it be a dream!?
"You... violated my ban..." Zhang Rongfang stood in the shadows, clad in a blood-red robe, watching the other party.
"No, I didn’t!!" The Daoist hurriedly replied, "These people brought death upon themselves! They tried to attack me! Observer, I swear! I have never attacked anyone actively during my travels!"
What he said was true and sincere. He indeed had not actively attacked people.
However, he would often take out the gold and silver treasures, gold notes, and silver notes from his bundle and count them one by one.
Zhang Rongfang carefully sensed his heartbeat and his breath.
The likelihood was this person wasn’t lying.
After taking a final look at the mountain bandits on the temple floor, Zhang Rongfang tapped his toes and suddenly vanished into the shadows of the trees behind him.
Throughout the night, he continuously tracked all those at the end of the red line.
After finding more than a dozen people, Zhang Rongfang finally confirmed the effectiveness of the talent acquired this time.
By the time he returned to the Human Immortal Platform, the day was bright again.
Zhang Rongfang reviewed his findings from this time.
’Not only can I track the bloodline’s location... this ability can be used like this as well...’
Standing on the high platform, he closed his eyes, sensing the location of the Little Red Bird in the air, then reached out to take it down, bringing it to his lips to gently bite.
As Zhang Rongfang moved, the Little Red Bird seemed to sense something, its body stiffened, terrified, not daring to move.
Until he took a tiny bite and a bit of blood seeped out, with another new drip of blood seeping into its body, Zhang Rongfang finally released it.
The Little Red Bird chirped, flapping its wings in agitation, soaring and flying around the surroundings.
In a brief moment, its entire plumage became darker, as pure as blood, losing all its mottled feathers.
Even its eyes turned completely blood red.
And for Zhang Rongfang, a new red line condensed and surfaced in the darkness of his closed eyes, linking precisely to the Little Red Bird.
"From today, you will be different from before." Zhang Rongfang opened his eyes, pleased as he looked at the current state of the Little Red Bird.
"Observer."
At that moment, a Daoist approached from behind the Human Immortal Platform.
"Last night, Mu Chi Mansion was attacked by mysterious individuals who assaulted the courtyard where Zhang Rongyu was. They were also repelled by another group of mysterious people."
"Who is overseeing the temple?" Zhang Rongfang frowned.
"It’s the Shadow Daoist."
"Shadow Daoist..." Zhang Rongfang paused, recalling who this person was.
Currently, only three Three Emptiness bloodlines were willing to stay at the Human Immortal Temple. The Shadow Daoist was one of them.
The others either found a place to breakthrough to Grandmaster or sought to fulfill regrets from their youth, fleeing to distant places.
Zhang Rongfang did not mind. Regardless of how these people acted, they were destined to be opponents of the divine forces just like him in the future.
They were a probe of his attitude towards the gods.
Now, the three Daoists left were secretly stationed near Mu Chi Mansion, protecting the safety of his sister and niece.
"How many times has this happened recently?" Zhang Rongfang asked.
"The fourth time." The Daoist replied.
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