Anger

Half a month passed.

The moon shone bright, the stars sparse.

Li Qingfeng sat cross-legged, refining essence into qi.

He had a feeling that perhaps in another month or so, he would break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer.

This speed was undoubtedly beyond what his natural aptitude should have allowed.

It was all thanks to the egg-sized black pearl his ghost brother had provided.

Thinking back to the first time he ate one, he simply could not bring himself to bite down. He had even wondered whether this thing was edible at all, and whether it might choke him.

It would have been troublesome if it got stuck.

To his surprise, it melted the instant it entered his mouth, turning into pure spiritual qi. Most of it sank into his dantian and settled there.

Half a month of cultivation had saved him roughly more than half a year of hard work.

It even left Li Qingfeng feeling that it was all somewhat unreal.

Following the route those five bandits had taken, he found Flying Tiger Stronghold and uprooted the entire place.

After Li Qingfeng executed the chief culprit, he did not personally make another move.

The remaining lackeys were killed by the yin souls and ghostly creatures he released. Their living souls were dragged out and taken into the Soul Banner.

After wiping out Flying Tiger Stronghold, he casually destroyed Wild Wolf Stronghold as well.

The two great bandit gangs entrenched in Black Solitary Mountain vanished just like that, without rhyme or reason. Not even a corpse remained.

Immortal masters were simply too powerful compared with ordinary people.

Even so-called experts were no more than ants in the eyes of qi refiners.

Having gained blood baleful qi and living souls, Tu Shan Jun's strength reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Of course, he could not manifest for long and remain locked in battle.

That still depended on the depth of the banner master's mana.

If there was not enough mana to sustain the manifestation of his body, he could only release other lesser ghosts.

After being tempered by blood and fire, Li Qingfeng carried a little more killing intent between his brows.

Opening his eyes, spiritual light flickered within them. A worried look flashed across Li Qingfeng's face. "I wonder how Father and Mother are doing."

Li Qingfeng knew that the main soul evil ghost had grown stronger.

Because it now took more mana to summon the main soul evil ghost.

His cultivation had advanced greatly by now.

Even if he could not defeat that immortal master, he could still leave calmly.

He still had to go back and take a look.

If he did not see for himself, he would never be at ease.

He had been away from home for so long. The elders at home must have already been worried sick.

Tu Shan Jun within the banner did not stop Li Qingfeng.

With his current Qi Refining Fifth Layer strength, if he faced that young immortal master again, it was truly uncertain who would win and who would lose.

At worst, there were only thieves who stole for a thousand days; there was no one who guarded against thieves for a thousand days.

As long as they killed Zhang Wanlong, everything would settle into the dust.

Great Liang was beset by grave troubles within and without. The newly appointed Prefect would not investigate Li Qingfeng.

Either he would find some excuse involving a sudden illness, or he would pull a scapegoat from death row and have him beheaded at the execution grounds to wrap things up.

Li Qingfeng tucked away the Soul Banner, fastened the Sword Hairpin, and left the Mountain God Temple under cover of night.

After taking two steps, he suddenly turned back.

Looking at the temple where he had lived for half a month, which had sheltered him so well, Li Qingfeng smiled. "It is about time to repair this place."

As his words fell, he had already turned and left.

Dark clouds veiled the moon, and the night stretched vast and black.

With two quick steps, Li Qingfeng leaped like a rabbit and dropped like a falcon, vaulting over the towering walls of the Prefecture City that ordinary people could not cross.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Li Qingfeng did not use the main gate.

He knocked on the door knocker hanging from the side gate.

There was utter silence.

A terrifying silence.

Li Qingfeng furrowed his brows slightly. The steward should not have been asleep at this hour.

Even if the steward had gone to sleep, his courtyard was very close to the side gate.

Wubao would surely have come to check after hearing the door knocker.

"Wubao sure sleeps deeply."

Li Qingfeng said with a smile.

Then he sprang up and directly vaulted over the side gate.

The instant he landed, the smile vanished from Li Qingfeng's face.

With a boom.

Li Qingfeng felt as though his mind had exploded.

His eyes widened, yet he remained immersed in shock.

His body trembled like a sieve.

Before him, the remaining bloodstains had yet to be washed away, and a thick stench of blood crazily bored into Li Qingfeng's nose and mouth.

Li Qingfeng scrambled and crawled toward his parents' bedroom.

With one motion, he tore off the seal on the door and slammed into the room.

It was empty.

Tirelessly, he opened every side room, letting the moonlight from the sky shine in.

There was nothing.

No people, and all valuables had been swept clean.

Tu Shan Jun's expression darkened within the banner.

Something had happened to the Li family.

But there were no corpses.

Without corpses, they could not conclude that everyone in Li Manor was dead.

Tu Shan Jun was an outsider, and he saw things more clearly.

If the Prefectural Governor's Mansion had truly acted, they would not have killed Li Qingfeng's father and mother before locating Li Qingfeng.

They were two highly useful points of leverage.

Killing Li Qingfeng's parents would only make him lose his mind. If they failed to catch Li Qingfeng afterward, it would leave endless future troubles.

"Where was the flaw?" Tu Shan Jun pondered.

When he entered the dream, he had killed Sun Adviser to eliminate future troubles.

Sun Adviser, who knew so much information, had become the person best able to keep a secret.

And when they faced Zhang Wanlong and his son directly, they had not revealed any flaw, nor had anyone seen their faces.

In that situation, they could only conduct a citywide search.

So long as Li Qingfeng's father and mother were not fools, they would never mention their son's disappearance at such a critical juncture.

To become major landowners and control so many shops, Li Qingfeng's parents were shrewd. They could not have made such a mistake. They would not bring fire upon themselves.

The disturbance in the Soul Banner brought Li Qingfeng slightly back to his senses.

Only the Prefectural Governor's Mansion could take the entire Li family away within the Prefecture City.

The gangs of the Prefecture City could not do it, nor could the other powerful gentry and local magnates.

He had to infiltrate the Prefectural Governor's Mansion again.

The black jade of the Soul Banner sent a chilling coolness into his heart as Li Qingfeng changed into night clothes.

Restrain impatience and endure.

The more it was a time like this, the less he could panic.

Once he panicked, he would make mistakes.

And one mistake meant death.

He could not die.

At least not before confirming whether the Li family was alive or dead.

The vast black night continued beneath a bright moon.

The brightly lit Prefectural Governor's Mansion was guarded with utmost severity.

Black Armor Soldiers patrolled in squads of five, taking turns on watch.

Zhang Wanlong both ate and slept in the central hall of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion. He wore armor at all times and was guarded by a hundred men.

Even so, he still did not feel safe.

In a side hall of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

Advisor Song ate dried fruit as he flipped through records.

Over the past half month, this was already the fifth household whose records he had reviewed.

But this household was somewhat special, because it was not one they had uncovered as having connections to those four people. It had come through other channels.

In the end, they were merely more ghosts beneath the blade. Now they were only sorting through their identities and household registrations.

Yet when he saw the registration of a scholar named Li Qingfeng, advisor Song frowned. This was a genuine examination-qualified xiucai scholar.

Zhang Wanlong had clearly gone mad now, and advisor Song could not help reassessing his current position.

If Zhang Wanlong failed, or if all the gentry of the Prefecture City resisted Zhang Wanlong and he was ultimately forced out, would Advisor Song meet a good end?

And where was his way out?

Now they even dared raise their blades against a xiucai's family. There was no telling how many more people would die.

As they slaughtered the common people in large numbers, resentment would rise throughout the Prefecture City.

Once public fury boiled over into the heavens, they would likely all die without a burial place.

Zhang Wanlong had gone mad because his son was dead.

But Advisor Song did not want to go mad. He still had a bright future ahead of him.

"Among all those whose identities were verified, there was no Li Qingfeng?"

"Had he gone out to study and visit friends, or had he gone to the capital?"

"If he went to the capital, that will be troublesome." Advisor Song fell into thought.

He had originally intended to use this chance to fight for promotion. He had indeed taken Sun Adviser's former position and now held great power, but it was also a path to disaster.

"Don't move."

The speaker's voice was very soft.

But the blade pressed against his neck was exceptionally cold.

It made advisor Song shudder involuntarily.

He wanted to turn around and take a look, but forcibly stopped himself. His body stiffened in his seat. "Spare my life, hero."

"I ask. You answer."

How could advisor Song dare object? He hurriedly replied, and was even glad that he was useful. "Please ask, hero. I will tell you everything I know, withholding nothing."

"What exactly happened to the Li family in the south of the city?" The voice was suppressed, yet even someone unfamiliar with it could hear the coldness within.

Advisor Song's eyes widened, and his voice trembled. "You..."

"I said it already. I ask, you answer."

The blade pressed down.

The skin on advisor Song's neck had already been cut open, and blood streamed from the wound.

The warm blood only made advisor Song more terrified.

"Zhang Wanlong's own son died. He has already gone mad. So long as someone provides information, he would rather kill the wrong person than let anyone go."

"The Li family—aside from that xiucai scholar who went out—has no living people left."

Only four words remained in Li Qingfeng's mind.

No living people left!

"Ah!"

Li Qingfeng threw back his head and let out a long howl, his eyes splitting with fury.

He violently swung his longsword.

Advisor Song's head fell in response.

At the same time, Li Qingfeng had already rushed out of the side hall and charged straight toward the central hall of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion.