Two Roads Before Them

Jiang Wang held the bronze mirror, but no matter how he slapped it or called out, Wangliang gave no further response.

Depressed?

He felt a little guilty, as though he had carelessly played the monster to death.

"Young Marquis, has it already been resolved?"

Constable Zhou had witnessed Jiang Wang tormenting the monster again and again, yet he assumed the monster had been difficult to deal with. Look how exhausted the Young Marquis was, his face pale and white. For Hun City's safety, the Young Marquis had stepped forward without hesitation—truly a model for men of our generation.

Jiang Wang hesitated slightly.

Wangliang was definitely still there.

But it seemed no different from being dead.

What he had just done had not been entirely meaningless.

He could indeed feel that his control over that power had grown somewhat more adept.

He could even tell that although the Wangliang in the bronze mirror carried heavy Killing Intent, it should not have harmed anyone.

Wangliang had to lodge itself inside old artifacts. Unless someone moved them, Wangliang had no way to control the artifact itself. If it remained somewhere uninhabited, it naturally would have no chance to harm lives.

Moreover, Master Tao had captured it and kept it hidden at home. Though Jiang Wang did not know exactly what he had done, the Wangliang in the bronze mirror was truly very weak, utterly incomparable to the one in the ruined alley on Qixia Street.

The combination of these two circumstances had left the Wangliang in the bronze mirror exceedingly weak, able only to frighten people.

And now that Jiang Wang had given it a thorough beating, it likely could not even frighten anyone anymore.

He looked at Constable Zhou and said, "It has naturally been dealt with. Return this bronze mirror to Master Tao."

The Wangliang was already weak to this extent, and with Master Tao's talismans suppressing it, it would be difficult for anything to go wrong. Had Miss Shu not stumbled upon it by accident, Master Tao had kept the Wangliang for so long without any issue, had he not?

Constable Zhou thanked Jiang Wang, offered Master Tao a few words of reassurance, then took his leave.

Master Tao, meanwhile, sat collapsed on the ground. Staring at the bronze mirror in his hand, his expression shifted several times before he raised his eyes to Jiang Wang and said, "Thank you, Young Marquis."

Jiang Wang smiled. "It is good that you understand. If another accident occurs, you should also understand what I will do."

Master Tao nodded. The facts had already proved that the Young Marquis was no ordinary person, and he felt somewhat terrified.

It was true that he could make a few talismans, but he was nowhere near as miraculous as the rumors in Hun City made him out to be.

In truth, he could not even be considered a genuine celestial master.

His so-called talismans that expelled monsters were merely the first glimpse of the path. He had worked out a very simple kind of talisman that could suppress weaker Wangliang, but he had no ability whatsoever to kill monsters.

Still, they truly could ward off misfortune and invite good fortune, and could even treat certain illnesses through talismans. The time he had saved the garrison commander had merely been a lucky coincidence.

He had thought that if he could use Wangliang to develop truly powerful talismans, he could make his reputation real.

Now it seemed he would have to keep a low profile in the future.

There were originally hardly any cultivators in Hun City, so whatever he did, no one would notice anything amiss. But after this incident, he felt somewhat afraid.

He did not mention fortune-telling for Jiang Wang again. His steps unsteady, he left Xunyang Marquis Manor.

The sound of someone swallowing rang out.

Ning Shisi tightly clutched Miss Shu's sleeve and said in a trembling voice, "Junior Sister, it truly was a misunderstanding. How is this man any sort of monster? He is clearly a cultivator."

Only a very small number of Wangliang could threaten Nether Insight cultivators. Otherwise, it was merely a question of how quickly they could be dealt with. But beating Wangliang around for fun as Jiang Wang had done was not something an ordinary Nether Insight cultivator could achieve.

And he knew very well that his junior sister was also a cultivator who had truly entered the path, yet she was clearly no match for Jiang Wang.

The only reasonable conclusion was that Jiang Wang might be a great cultivator at the peak of Nether Insight.

Though he and Miss Shu had studied under the same teacher.

Ning Shisi was merely a martial artist.

He was confident that he could defeat his junior sister with a single punch.

He was equally certain that even if he threw a hundred punches, he would be unable to do anything to a cultivator at the peak of Nether Insight.

The two were simply not on the same level.

Miss Shu stubbornly argued, "Perhaps it is merely a disguise. Who says monsters cannot kill monsters?"

Even though she sensed that something was wrong, it somehow sounded very reasonable.

Ning Shisi hesitated. "How about we withdraw first? Whether he is a monster or not, it seems he is not someone we can handle."

Miss Shu was deeply conflicted.

Meanwhile, their companions hiding outside the marquis manor had crouched until their legs went numb.

Had they not either been Third Realm Martial Artists or halfway cultivators in the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment stage who knew how to conceal their auras, Constable Zhou would have caught every last one of them long ago.

While Miss Shu was still hesitating, Jiang Wang took advantage of the fact that the power of the Mirage had not dissipated. He immediately threw several punches into empty space, and amid explosive booms, the entire marquis manor trembled.

The people hiding outside scattered in fright.

Ning Shisi was stunned.

Jiang Wang appeared to be punching at random, but the direction of each gust of his fist was precisely where his companions had been hiding.

Since his companions were all outside the marquis manor, Jiang Wang's actions were clearly only a warning.

Without another word, he grabbed Miss Shu and bowed to Jiang Wang. "We rashly came calling and disturbed you, sir. It is truly a grave offense. We shall leave at once. Please do not be angered, sir."

In his panic, he dragged Miss Shu with him and climbed over the wall again.

Jiang Wang stared blankly at the top of the wall.

Should he build the wall a little higher?

Du Family residence.

The Old Butler stepped out through the unrepaired main gate.

Du Heng saw him off with trembling apprehension.

Only after the Old Butler's figure disappeared from sight did he wipe away a cold sweat.

Other than Jiang Wang himself, every important figure in the marquis manor had taken a stroll through the Du Family. Once bitten by a snake, one feared rope for ten years. Du Heng urged the servants to hire a great number of craftsmen and have the gate repaired as quickly as possible.

When he turned and saw Du Yanruo, Du Heng sighed. "The marquis manor has been coming to our door every other day. We cannot even get a peaceful night's sleep. I am considering moving the entire household out of Hun City."

Du Yanruo glanced at the craftsmen repairing the gate, then pulled Du Heng to a place where no one was around. "Cai Tanggu has returned to Fish Abyss Academy, intending to add fuel to the flames. If some major figure from the academy takes action, Jiang Wang will have no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy. But I worry that another accident may arise. If the Du Family becomes entangled, there will be no path of retreat."

"There are only two roads before us. Either we obtain Xunyang Marquis Manor's forgiveness and pull the Du Family out of this, or we can only risk everything in a desperate gamble and put Jiang Wang to death."

Du Heng had not expected his daughter to be so ruthless.

"If Cai Tanggu fails again, what ability do we have to put Jiang Wang to death?"

He said gravely, "Though Cheng'er's leg was broken by Shan Qiyu, Jiang Wang ultimately spared his life. And Tong Ji was only reasonably suspicious of us because Jiang Wang was assassinated again. Have we not already explained that clearly? I truly do not think there is any need to take the second road."

Du Yanruo said, "Taking the first road will inevitably bring some humiliation. I am absolutely unwilling to lower my head before Jiang Wang. No matter what, we must prepare a trump card."

Du Heng said solemnly, "Ruo'er, do you already have an idea?"

Du Yanruo nodded. "When Senior Brother Su and I first left Fish Abyss Academy, we heard the Chancellor mention that the court places great importance on this search for immortals. We are only pathfinders. I have heard that the Qingxuan Bureau will also send people here, and that whoever comes will be a cultivator stronger than Cai Tanggu."

Du Heng asked, "Why would this Qingxuan Bureau help us?"

Du Yanruo smiled. "The Qingxuan Bureau stands high in the imperial court, overseeing the cultivators of the Sui Kingdom and bearing the heavy responsibility of vanquishing monsters and demons. Only students who graduate from Fish Abyss Academy with exceptional results have the chance to enter the Qingxuan Bureau and take office. The two have always been closely connected."

Her expression turned icy. "As long as we tie Jiang Wang to monsters, whether for public or private reasons, the Qingxuan Bureau will have no cause to turn a blind eye."

Du Heng said in shock, "Is this not far too risky?"

At this moment, it was as if he were meeting his daughter for the first time.

If she was simply unwilling to lose face by lowering her head to Jiang Wang, yet would directly drive him into a desperate situation, that was not something his daughter should be capable of doing.

Even Du Heng felt that this plan was excessively vicious.

If anything went wrong, it would cast the Du Family into eternal damnation.

After Du Zicheng returned safely, Du Yanruo had constantly been pondering one question.

What exactly was Jiang Wang's purpose in telling Du Zicheng that she liked him?

No matter how she thought about it, it had to be for humiliation.

If she went to his door now and begged Jiang Wang to spare the Du Family, she did not dare imagine what sort of scene she would face.

Since Jiang Wang was heartless, then he could not blame her for being faithless.

What could not be obtained would be destroyed.

The Du Family was already in dire straits. This was their only chance to turn the tables.

Otherwise, she would live every day beneath Jiang Wang's humiliation.

The night sky was washed clean, its stars glittering brilliantly.

Xunyang Marquis Manor.

Jiang Wang lay in a rattan chair inside his room, his brows tightly furrowed. "If it was not Du Zicheng, then where did that old man come from?"

The Old Butler sat beside him and said, "It will not be easy to investigate his identity. Though they did not truly exchange blows, judging solely by the strength with which he threw that short blade, he was at the very least a Fourth Realm Martial Artist. And he acted decisively—once he saw that he had missed his chance, he withdrew without the slightest hesitation. All of that fits the style of the Jianli."

He looked at Jiang Wang and guessed, "If nothing unexpected happened, he was very likely connected to the Jianli who assassinated you in West City Alley. Or perhaps two Jianli had come to Hun City from the start, and Du Zicheng only found one of them. Now, the other has come seeking revenge."

Jiang Wang rubbed his brow. "Though that makes sense, a guess is still only a guess. Since he failed once, he will surely seek a chance to strike a second time. These next few days, Uncle Tong should find some excuse to temporarily leave the marquis manor. Have Shan Qiyu return to the Black Flame Army camp as well. Rather than painstakingly investigate him, it is better to give him an opportunity."

The Old Butler was now very reassured about Jiang Wang and did not feel this would be dangerous. He nodded and said, "Then rest early, Young Marquis. Tomorrow morning, I will use investigating that man as an excuse and leave together with Shan Qiyu."

Jiang Wang said, "It must still be done properly. For a short time, he will surely only observe from the shadows. We must give him the best possible chance to strike without revealing any flaw, or all our efforts may go to waste."

If they wished to leave, they naturally needed the most suitable reason. If the reason was improper, there would be problems with the timing.

For example, if something that could be resolved quickly took a very long time before they returned, anyone with even a little vigilance would be able to see the scheme within.