Xu Junhe said nothing, but sighed inwardly. After suffering such a calamity, if his foolish son had luckily escaped and fled to the Wu Kingdom, he was probably thinking even more fervently about seeking out a Reclusive Master.
Only by finding a Reclusive Master and learning the legendary, powerful martial arts could he take revenge.
He knew his son far too well.
"Old Pan, leave tonight. Chen the Escort Head and the others may do their best when facing the Tianmu Cult, but when it involves the authorities, they won't follow Xu Family down a road of no return."
Xu Junhe spoke after a moment of thought.
"I understand!"
Apothecary Pan nodded and turned to leave.
"Husband, are the Tianmu Cult's people coming tonight?"
Madam Xu asked after a moment of silence.
"Probably."
Xu Junhe nodded.
His gaze turned toward the window, and his heart grew heavy.
Outside Xu Family's residence, in a tavern across the street, more than a dozen people sat together. All of them wore coarse hemp clothing. Their leader held a goose-feather fan in his hand and stood by the window, gazing at Xu Family's residence.
"Military Advisor Kou, aren't we making our move?"
A burly man asked in a low voice.
"Don't worry. Xu Family will perish tonight. The Prefect of Donghe Commandery thinks that by laying a net, he can seize Xu Family's property while wiping us out at the same time. It's truly laughable.
"Kou has made all the arrangements already. The moment he makes his move, Donghe Commandery should change hands as well. Taking control of Donghe Commandery begins tonight!"
Kou Ruozhi wore an expression of absolute confidence.
"Qi Emperor is foolish and immoral. The Qi Kingdom's court is filled with parasites who occupy their posts without doing their jobs, all of them mediocre and incompetent. Our Tianmu Cult follows Heaven's will. We'll begin here in Donghe Commandery and let that old Qi Emperor see where the true talents capable of governing a nation are!"
Kou Ruozhi's gaze was icy, and his voice brimmed with fury toward Qi Emperor and the Qi Kingdom's court.
The burly man nodded repeatedly, indignant on Kou Ruozhi's behalf. "Military Advisor Kou entered the first-rate martial realm all those years ago, and his literary talent and wisdom are unparalleled beneath Heaven. Yet he failed the imperial examinations three times. The Qi Kingdom's court is truly foolish and immoral, blind to talent."
The others nodded as well. Military Advisor Kou was the Tianmu Cult's strategist, a man of extraordinary talent and unrivaled schemes, yet he had failed the examinations three times. Qi Emperor was foolish, and everyone in the court was blind to talent.
That was fine, too. Ever since Military Advisor Kou joined the Tianmu Cult, he had advanced step by step with meticulous planning. Now, they were only one final step away from seizing Donghe Commandery, raising the banner of rebellion.
With Military Advisor Kou devising their strategies, their Tianmu Cult would surely succeed in this rebellion!
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
On the silent street, the sound of horse hooves rang out. A steady stream of footsteps approached from afar, closing in around Xu Family's residence.
"They're here!"
Kou Ruozhi's spirits lifted. "Act according to the situation. Follow the original plan. Rescue them while Xu Junhe and his wife are being escorted to prison.
"As long as Xu Junhe joins our cult, we'll have businesses in both the Qi Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom. Becoming richer than an entire nation won't be a dream."
"But will Xu Junhe agree?"
The burly man looked doubtful.
"He will."
Kou Ruozhi looked utterly confident. "Even if he doesn't think of himself, he'll have to think of his foolish son."
Boom!
The main gate of Xu Family's residence was smashed open.
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery led the soldiers inside, and Xu Family instantly descended into chaos. Chen the Escort Head, Wang the Martial Hall Master, and the others all froze. They weren't evil cultists from the Tianmu Cult, but government soldiers?
Their expressions shifted in an instant. They silently retreated to the side, ready to flee the moment the situation turned unfavorable.
"Xu Junhe colluded with the Tianmu Cult, committing an unforgivable crime. By this prefect's order, Xu Family's property is to be searched and seized, and Xu Junhe and his wife are to be arrested!"
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery swept his cold gaze over the guards and experts such as Chen the Escort Head before saying sternly, "Those uninvolved may hand over their weapons. After being searched and having their identities verified, you may leave on your own."
The guards all lowered their weapons.
Chen the Escort Head and the others did the same.
This was the government, not Tianmu Cult's evil followers. To attack them would be tantamount to rebellion—a crime warranting the execution of one's entire household.
Xu Junhe supported Madam Xu as they walked out. He calmly looked at the prefect. Not long ago, they had still been drinking and laughing together, yet now the man had turned against him without mercy.
Such was the cruelty of the Princes' Succession Struggle.
"Colluding with the Tianmu Cult? Why would you do this?"
Xu Junhe looked at the prefect and sighed.
The charge of colluding with the Tianmu Cult was an unforgivable crime. They intended to exterminate not only Xu Family, but also his father-in-law's entire family.
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery remained cold and indifferent. "This prefect is responsible for searching and seizing Xu Family's property. As for the matter of colluding with the Tianmu Cult, the Ministry of Justice will naturally deliver its judgment."
Xu Junhe fell silent.
They had not definitively convicted him of colluding with the Tianmu Cult, most likely to make him consider carefully whether he truly intended to ally himself with them. Once he did, there would be no room for turning back.
It was a crime warranting the execution of the entire household.
If he were convicted under some other charge, he might merely be exiled instead of having his entire family executed.
None of this was something a mere merchant could control. The only hope was whether his father-in-law in the Capital City could leave room for maneuver.
"Take them away!"
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery waved his hand. Two soldiers approached with cangues, preparing to place them on Xu Junhe and Madam Xu, while the rest of the soldiers surged forward to search and seize Xu Family's property.
The richest family in Donghe Commandery possessed enormous wealth. Who wouldn't covet it?
Now that this behemoth was about to collapse, countless starving wolves would surely swarm in and tear it apart.
Suddenly, a furious roar rang out like thunder.
"Let's see who dares search and seize my family's property!"
Madam Xu's expression changed drastically. She cried out, "Yan'er!"
Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Why had he returned at a time like this?
Boom!
At that very moment, two scarlet dragons wrapped in terrifying, blazing power swooped down from the sky. Like the might of Heaven and Earth, they swept through the soldiers surging forward to search and seize Xu Family's property.
In an instant, every soldier was sent flying. They crashed to the ground and lay there for a long time, unable to rise.
The soldiers carrying cangues and preparing to arrest Xu Junhe and Madam Xu were coiled up and lifted into the air by a giant dragon, then exploded with a thunderous boom. The searing aura was like terrifying flames.
The two soldiers became charred chunks of flesh that fell onto the heads of the surrounding soldiers.
A young man descended from the sky with blazing qi aura swirling around him, his divine might awe-inspiring. He landed in front of Xu Junhe and Madam Xu.
Silence!
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery was already trembling all over, shock filling his eyes.
Every soldier lay on the ground, quivering in terror.
Xu Family's guards stood with their mouths agape, their eyes wide as they stared at the young man descending from the sky. They were utterly dumbfounded.
Chen the Escort Head swallowed repeatedly, beads of sweat continuously falling from his forehead. His eyes were stretched wide, and his mind was completely blank.
Xu Yan?
Xu Junhe's foolish son?
How was this possible?
No one was more shocked than Xu Junhe and Madam Xu. Seeing Xu Yan descend from the sky—especially those two terrifying dragons sweeping through the soldiers—was clearly beyond the power of any human.
Their son had been searching everywhere for a Reclusive Master, hoping to cultivate the powerful martial arts from the stories and legends.
Could it be that he had truly succeeded in cultivating them?
Xu Yan's face was filled with fury. He had held back just now. Otherwise, those soldiers would have been annihilated with a single strike, their corpses blown into pieces.
This was Xu Family, and his mother was right there. It would not do to dirty Xu Family or frighten her, so he had shown mercy.
Only the two soldiers carrying cangues had been wrapped in his Dragon Subduing Palm's force and lifted into the air before being blasted to death. The blazing Vital Energy had directly burned their corpses into something resembling charred charcoal.
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