Spirit Beast

Pan Wenbai suddenly stopped in his tracks and immediately raised his voice:

"Let him in quickly!"

The door was pushed open, and Zhao Kui stepped in with his head down. His outfit was covered in dust and blood, and there was a bloody gash on his left shoulder, the blood soaking through his clothes. He looked extremely disheveled.

Pan Wenbai's heart skipped a beat, and he stepped forward to ask urgently:

"Why are you alone? Where's the Third Young Master? Where's Zhang Liang?"

Zhao Kui knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling. "Master, Old Master... something terrible has happened! The Third Young Master... the Third Young Master is gone! Instructor Zhang has also died in battle!"

"What did you say?!"

Pan Wenbai was struck dumb, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the armchair next to him, his face instantly turning as white as paper.

The sandalwood beads in Pan Hongxuan's hand scattered across the floor with a "clatter," rolling everywhere. He froze in his chair, his withered fingers gripping the armrests tightly until his knuckles turned white. His chest heaved violently a few times before he finally managed to utter a hoarse sentence:

"... Explain clearly, what happened?" Zhao Kui lowered his head even further, not daring to look up at the old man's face, and forced himself to continue:

"Reporting to the old master, this afternoon a scout came to report that Shen Jingchuan led the Lin Household brothers from Zhenyuan Escort Agency out of Yuxi Prefecture and headed towards Chang'an."

I originally planned to gather twenty servants to ambush them, just to be on the safe side. But the Third Young Master said that bringing too many people from the city would be too conspicuous, and bringing people from the manor outside the city might not be enough to catch them. He said that just me and Instructor Zhang would be enough.

He swallowed hard and continued:

"I figured I could handle the two brothers from the Lin Household by myself, and the Third Young Master's cultivation was far beyond what ordinary people like us could achieve. Dealing with Shen Jingchuan would be a piece of cake for him. Besides, there was also Instructor Zhang. It would be a sure thing to win three against three, so I didn't stop him."

In the midst of the fighting, suddenly a hundred or so refugees rushed out, wielding hoes and sticks, and charged at them like madmen.

Shen Jingchuan's black horse was incredibly monstrous, much larger than a typical Whirlwind Horse. Its hind hoof struck the Third Young Master squarely in the chest... The Third Young Master died instantly. Instructor Zhang also died under that horse's hooves. I fought my way out to return and report the news."

Pan Hongxuan sat stiffly in the chair, the room deathly silent. His withered fingers gripped the mahogany armrest tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white. After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes, his cloudy pupils filled with surging anger and sorrow, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper had been scraped:

"I ask you, why did Zimo go to ambush and kill Shen Jingchuan for no reason? When did my Pan Household become such a mortal enemy with this person? How come I didn't know?"

Pan Wenbai trembled, his head drooped even lower, his face filled with regret and embarrassment. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and after a long while, he managed to stammer, "Dad, this matter... sigh."

He swallowed hard, his voice hoarse.

"It all started around the Mid-Autumn Festival. The heir of the Prince Jing's manor sent a message to our estate in Chang'an, specifically ordering the elimination of one person, namely Shen Jingchuan."

The steward of the manor dared not be negligent. Since His Highness had spoken, it was a matter of utmost importance. He immediately selected a dozen armored knights and led a large number of manor servants to ambush and intercept them that very night.

"And the result?" Pan Hongxuan's voice was as cold as ice.

Pan Wenbai's lips twitched, his eyes filled with lingering fear:

"None of the dozen or so armored soldiers who went there returned, and most of the farmhands were also dead. Those who escaped said that the man surnamed Shen had men who were incredibly tough, and he also had an unusual black horse that was impossible to gnaw on."

Later, the Crown Prince sent people again, and in front of me, they gave our Pan Household a good scolding, saying that we had done a poor job and made a death threat, and that we had to get rid of Shen Jingchuan no matter what.

He sighed, his tone full of helplessness:

"How would I know what grudge they had? But how could we disobey the Prince Jing's Heir's orders? I just wanted to be on the safe side, so I arranged for people to keep an eye on him in the city, and wait until he left before looking for an opportunity. There are too many people and too many eyes in the city, and it would be easy to leave evidence if we made a move. Who would have thought..."

Pan Wenbai gritted his teeth, filled with deep regret.

"Today, I was out of town collecting rent and not at home. This brat, hearing that I had left the city, was eager to make a name for himself in front of my son. Without waiting for me to return, he took Instructor Zhou and Zhao Kui and went after him on his own. Just the three of them dared to go and mess with someone tough... If I were at home, I would never have let him be so reckless!"

The deathly silence in the room weighed heavily on people's hearts. Pan Hongxuan leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and after a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice. His voice was devoid of anger, only filled with a deep-seated sorrow.

"My Pan Household has been established in Yuxi Prefecture for over three hundred years, but we have never produced a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, nor have we produced an official who could bring honor to our family. We can only stay within this small territory of Yuxi Prefecture, and we have never been able to break out of it."

He opened his eyes, his cloudy pupils reddening.

Four years ago, I pulled some strings and spent ten thousand taels of gold to exchange for Spirit Stones in order to invite a celestial master to come to our door and test the Spirit Roots of each member of the clan.

That year, Zimo was only twelve years old, the only child in the entire clan to be found to have Spirit Roots. Although his aptitude wasn't Higher Vehicle, and he was a bit too old to start cultivating, he was the only hope for generations of our Pan Household!

"Zimo's aptitude was poor, and he could not enter the immortal sect. In order to ask the immortal master to leave behind a Cultivation Practice Method, I took out half of my life savings."

Over the years, most of the clan's income has gone to him. Spirit Stones, spirit medicine, and body-tempering medicinal materials have never been lacking in him. The entire clan is counting on him to succeed in cultivation and uphold the reputation of the Pan Household.

As long as he can reach the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, the entire Yuxi Prefecture will belong to my Pan Household.

Just a few days ago, he excitedly told me that he had already reached the threshold of the Second Layer of Qi Refinement, and that a breakthrough was just around the corner...

At this point, the old man's throat tightened, and he could no longer speak. The room was silent, with only his heavy breathing audible.

The only cultivation prospect in the clan for three hundred years, nurtured with the full effort and resources of the entire clan, was lost outside. All those years of hard work and planning ultimately came to nothing.

Pan Wenbai slammed his fist on the coffee table beside him, the white porcelain cups clattering loudly. His face was a mixture of heartache from losing his son and disbelief.

"Zimo is a cultivator! I know that even the three instructors in the manor working together can't get close to him. How could he possibly be defeated by Shen Jingchuan? Could it be that you've been deliberately going easy on him during your sparring sessions? Or is that Shen fellow also a cultivator?"

"My lord, you are wise! Your subordinate would never dare to yield in the slightest!"

Zhao Kui hurriedly kowtowed heavily, his forehead pressed against the blue brick, his voice urgent:

"I have some understanding of cultivation. At the First Layer of Qi Refinement, one cannot release Spiritual Qi outwards. Although one is slightly stronger than a top-tier martial artist in the mortal realm, one can still be injured by ordinary weapons."

Once one reaches the Second Layer of Qi Refinement, one can release Spiritual Qi to protect oneself, making it difficult for ordinary martial artists to get close and even ordinary weapons to cause the slightest harm.

The Third Young Master said that once one reaches the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, Divine Sense can be projected outwards, allowing for brief periods of sword flight, making one completely impervious to harm from mortals.

"The Third Young Master's cultivation is genuine. The three of us attacking together wouldn't gain the slightest advantage. Shen Jingchuan's subordinate exchanged a move with him. Judging from his style, he was just an ordinary martial artist. His moves weren't particularly sophisticated, but he had an unusually strong natural ability, and the long spear in his hand was ridiculously heavy."

At the beginning of their fight, the Third Young Movement Method and swordsmanship were overwhelming, and he clearly had the upper hand the whole time...