Song Family

Li Jingzhong was a good teacher, but naturally, he could not teach a realm he himself had never reached.

Still, for Han Zheng, this was already enough.

After asking Li Jingzhong some more questions about his future cultivation, even including common knowledge about the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm and beyond, Han Zheng saw that it was nearly time for the Martial Arts Academy to dismiss and took his leave.

The moment he left the inner hall, Han Zheng caught sight of Li Sancheng finishing his morning training and preparing to leave.

"Been a few days. Come on, I'll treat you to a meal."

Li Sancheng clicked his tongue and sighed. "I said before that you breaking through to the Innate Realm was only a matter of time, but I never expected your speed to be this terrifying.

"A few days apart, and you've already become an Innate expert. From now on, you can be considered somebody in Black Stone County.

"To think that I, Li Sancheng, have an Innate expert as a friend. Hahaha!"

Li Sancheng was still smiling, but Han Zheng could clearly sense that he had become slightly restrained.

Before this, they had all been Houtian Realm martial artists. No matter how strong or outstanding Han Zheng had appeared, he had still been a martial artist on the same level as them.

It was like they had all been classmates. Han Zheng had merely been the top student; though they envied and resented him, they were still classmates.

Yet in just a few days, their classmate had transformed into a teacher, becoming an existence on an entirely different level from them.

They were Postnatal Martial Artists. Even after graduating, they could only become guards for others, work as escorts, or risk their lives struggling in gangs. At best, they might rise to become mid-level leaders.

But a Xiantian martial artist like Han Zheng could become a guest retainer or Attendant for great aristocratic families, receiving courteous treatment.

If Han Zheng wanted to make his way in the gangs, he could directly gather a group of subordinates and dominate a region.

The gap in rank between martial artists was simply too vast—so vast that even a childhood friend like Li Sancheng subconsciously became restrained around Han Zheng.

There was nothing Han Zheng could really say about this.

He could only pretend not to notice and, as naturally as before, pull Li Sancheng to the Small Eatery Li Sancheng had once taken him to, where they feasted heartily.

Having made a windfall off Gao Kaiyuan, Han Zheng had become far more generous with his spending and ordered a whole table of meat dishes.

"I've been in seclusion to break through these past days and haven't come to the Martial Arts Academy for quite a while. Has anything happened there recently?"

Stuffing meat into his mouth, Li Sancheng answered indistinctly, "The county town's a complete mess, but nothing much has happened at the Martial Arts Academy.

"It's just that Chen Zhao performed pretty well, so the headmaster made him an instructor and had him help teach some of the disciples who were falling behind.

"Chen Zhao's a decent guy. After Song Tianqing and the others left, aside from you, he's the strongest among the academy's disciples.

"But he doesn't put on airs around anyone. Instead, he's been doing his utmost to help those disciples with poorer talent."

At this point, Li Sancheng suddenly said, "I also heard some gossip recently. It's about Song Tianqing."

"Oh? What gossip?"

Ever since learning that the Song Family stood behind Gao Kaiyuan, Han Zheng's attention toward the Song Family had risen sharply.

"Yesterday, the Song Family's younger generation held an assessment tournament to select someone for key cultivation in the next generation.

"Though they didn't explicitly say they were choosing a young patriarch, they were definitely grooming someone for the position of Song Family young patriarch.

"Song Tianqing may have lost to you in the Martial Arts Academy tournament, but in the family tournament, he defeated every young disciple of the Song Family's generation.

"In the final battle, he even sliced through the hand tendons of the Song Family's eldest young master, crippling them.

"That was the legitimate son of Song Kangyuan, the Song Family head, and his principal wife. Song Kangyuan had always been raising him as his heir.

"Now that Song Tianqing had crippled him, Song Kangyuan flew into a rage on the spot, saying Song Tianqing was ruthless and sinister and the like. He wanted to punish him, but the Song Family Ancestor, Song Xingfeng, stopped him.

"Song Xingfeng said that since one heir had already been crippled, they should naturally choose the most outstanding family disciple to inherit the position. They were both his sons anyway.

"Everyone in your generation is useless. At least the next generation has finally produced someone worthwhile—ruthless enough, decisive enough.

"With the Song Family Ancestor having spoken, even if Song Kangyuan was dissatisfied, he could only hold his nose and accept it.

"So Song Tianqing has truly turned things around this time, leaping from an overlooked illegitimate son to the heir of the Song Family's third generation."

Li Sancheng curled his lip. "Now I know who Song Tianqing inherited that personality from. He's exactly like that Song Family Ancestor.

"He can be so vicious and still become the Song Family's heir. Where's the justice in that?"

The disciples of Zhenwei Martial Arts School generally disliked Song Tianqing.

Among the academy's disciples with backing, Lin Qing was arrogant, but he was flawless in how he conducted himself. Even if he looked down on martial artists from commoner backgrounds, he would never show it; at most, he was somewhat aloof.

Guo Mingyuan was simply a good-for-nothing. He was usually arrogant enough, but after the Guo Family became the richest family by relying on the county town's soaring grain prices, he became even more swollen with pride.

He looked down on this one and that one every day. He did not even think much of Lin Qing.

Song Tianqing, meanwhile, was both arrogant and vicious by nature, making the other academy disciples hate him even more.

His own background was poor, yet he looked down on the commoner disciples in the academy whose backgrounds were even poorer.

He had suffered exclusion in the Song Family as a child, so it was understandable that he had developed such a ruthless and venomous personality.

But if you had anger in your heart, vent it on the Song Family members. The academy disciples had neither provoked nor offended you, so why strike with such viciousness?

Li Sancheng had nearly been injured by Song Tianqing back then, so naturally he did not have the slightest favorable impression of him.

"How do you know this so clearly? It's like you saw it with your own eyes."

As Li Sancheng shoved meat into his mouth, he replied indistinctly, "The Song Family people spread it themselves.

"They're also unhappy about Song Tianqing becoming the Song Family heir, so they've been spreading this stuff outside, hoping to ruin Song Tianqing's reputation and make the Song Family Ancestor change his mind."

Han Zheng shook his head.

This generation of the Song Family truly was hopeless. They actually wanted to use such a childish method to make the Song Family Ancestor change his mind.

Just from Li Sancheng's account, Han Zheng could imagine what kind of person the Song Family Ancestor was.

He was absolutely someone who placed profit above all else, an utterly cold-blooded person.

Since a person with such a temperament had chosen Song Tianqing as the Song Family heir, how could he possibly change his mind over a little reputation?

However, a trace of vigilance also rose in Han Zheng's heart.

Someone with the Song Family Ancestor's temperament was the hardest to deal with.

When the time came to deal with the Song Family, the person he needed to be most wary of was this Song Family Ancestor, Song Xingfeng!

After eating and drinking their fill, Han Zheng and Li Sancheng each returned home.

Meanwhile, in the discussion hall of the East City Song Family estate, seven Song Family members sat on either side, while an old man in magnificent golden robes sat upright in the central chair.

The old man had a head full of white hair and a lean, weathered face, yet his eyes were as sharp and cold as an eagle's.

He was the East City Song Family Ancestor, Song Xingfeng, a Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm Perfected expert who had already cultivated the Water-Fire Immortal Robe.

Of the seven Song Family members below, six were Innate Realm martial artists, all of them high-ranking members of the Song Family.

Only Song Tianqing was still in the Houtian Realm.

Because he had defeated every disciple of the Song Family's younger generation, he had earned the right to sit here and participate in Song Family deliberations.

At this moment, a refined-looking middle-aged man with a square face said, "Ancestor, I saw Gao Kaiyuan's corpse today. He should have been defeated, then beheaded with a single slash. After being thrown into the river and soaked, he was no longer even recognizable.

"So for now, we don't know who killed Gao Kaiyuan. But passersby saw him being chased all the way out of the city by someone wearing a Monkey Face Mask.

"That person may have been a helper hired by Jiang Tai, or he may have been sent by the Black Tiger Gang or the Sky Eagle Gang.

"Ancestor, now that Gao Kaiyuan is dead, no one is left to conduct transactions with Tearwind Great King for us.

"Should we seek cooperation with Jiang Tai now, or continue trading with Tearwind Great King ourselves?"

This middle-aged man was the Song Family's current head, Song Kangyuan—Song Tianqing's father.

Though Song Kangyuan was the family head, he had only barely reached the late Innate Realm. His talent was mediocre, and his cultivation had been piled up entirely through resources and medicinal baths.

His only virtue was obedience. During his years as Song Family head, he had achieved nothing remarkable, but neither had he caused any trouble.

Song Xingfeng narrowed his eyes, his voice aged and hoarse. "Gao Kaiyuan was willing to work for us because he had ambition and desire. He wanted to monopolize the Three Harmonies Gang.

"Jiang Tai is now the Three Harmonies Gang's leader. He has already obtained everything he wanted, so why would he risk so much to help us trade with Demons?

"As for having Song Family members personally handle the transaction, don't even think about it.

"If the Demon Extermination Division learns of this matter, it will mean that the Song Family main branch will learn of it as well.

"I have kept an extremely low profile all these years. Those people from the main branch may even think I'm dead.

"Once they learn of this, I will die. Your veins carry my blood, so every one of you will die as well!"

Feeling Song Xingfeng's eagle-like gaze sweep over him, Song Kangyuan hurriedly said, "Ancestor, please calm your anger. Rest assured, Song Family members will absolutely not be implicated in this matter. If necessary, I'll seek out people from the other two gangs. Someone will surely be willing to work for us."

Song Xingfeng said solemnly, "There's no need for such trouble. Gao Kaiyuan's death is fine. His death saves me the trouble of dealing with him myself.

"In any case, we have collected nearly enough Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit to refine Heavenly Demon Blood Pills.

"Once the pills are complete and the family disciples have accumulated some more strength, we can lure out Tearwind Great King and steal the Heavenly Demon Treasure Tree, using the Heavenly Demon Blood Pills to separate that supreme treasure!

"Remember this for the time being: no one is allowed to cause trouble for me.

"Our Song Family has endured in silence for so many years. Was it not all for this day?

"If this succeeds, I will reclaim everything that belongs to me, and you will no longer have to waste your entire lives in this tiny county town!"

"Yes, Ancestor!"

Song Kangyuan and the others all rose to acknowledge the order, faintly excited.