(Thanks, Tinpass Alliance Leader)

The Rice Gang was actually planning to strike at his Master and senior brother?! Zhang Rongfang simply could not understand the logic behind it.

He widened his eyes, forcefully suppressing the ragged breath stirred by the shock.

Something's wrong! A thought suddenly struck him.

If someone knew he had killed Chen Wuyou, then their targeting him, his Master, and his senior brother made perfect sense.

Without alerting the enemy, Zhang Rongfang quietly backed away. Pressing his back against the wall, he reached behind him and grabbed on, driving his five fingers into the cracks between the bricks. Using the leverage, he sprang upward.

He touched down lightly atop the wall, then landed soundlessly outside and sped away.

The streets lay silent and deserted at night. Only the footsteps of patrolling watchmen and officers drifted over from afar.

All kinds of thoughts crowded Zhang Rongfang's mind as he repeatedly considered what he had just heard.

When he returned to the Daoist temple, he recalled encountering Chen He of the Rice Gang near his sister-in-law's home. Now that he thought about it, that had not been a coincidence at all. The Rice Gang had been watching his sister-in-law all along.

This is trouble.

He sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, took off his filthy outer garment stained with wall dust and dirt, rolled it up, and hid it beneath the bed.

The situation now is that I must notify Master and senior brother immediately, so they can take precautions. Also, the Rice Gang has extensive influence in the County Town. If they truly decide to act, the best course is still to borrow the Government Office's power.

Without hesitation, Zhang Rongfang lay down on his bed and rested.

Early the next morning, he headed up the mountain again.

Within Qinghe Temple.

Old Daoist Zhang Xuan held a cup of hot tea, sipping it slowly as he stared blankly at the sparrows hopping about on the wall.

"Master."

Zhang Rongfang's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"I discovered something that I need to tell you about."

"Why are you here again?" Zhang Xuan said helplessly. Having his daze interrupted felt quite unpleasant.

"It concerns senior brother." Zhang Rongfang stepped before Zhang Xuan, bowed, and spoke earnestly.

"Oh? Have you decided what gift to give your senior brother?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

"It's not that. This disciple happened to discover that the Rice Gang of Huaxin County may be planning to harm senior brother." Zhang Rongfang spoke quickly.

"Why?" Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled.

"Because..." Zhang Rongfang fell silent for a moment. "Because they may suspect that Chen Wuyou was killed by Master, senior brother, and this disciple."

"Chen Wuyou?" Only then did Zhang Xuan look surprised. "I was wondering why the Rice Gang would be bored enough to come provoke me. So their Young Master got taken out."

He rose to his feet and paced back and forth a few steps.

"This is indeed somewhat troublesome. The Rice Gang holds great influence in the county; their people could be everywhere."

His brows furrowed. Zhang Xintai was about to become engaged, while his future daughter-in-law, Yang Hongyan, was a local of Huaxin County.

If they clashed with a local tyrant like the Rice Gang, it truly would be troublesome.

"This disciple did not expect it either. Earlier, I encountered the severely injured Chen Wuyou and Jiao Teng on the road. They were already on the brink of death, and this disciple simply did not wish to invite trouble, so I did not save them.

"But I never expected the Rice Gang to hold a grudge against me over it. This truly is... sigh, a calamity falling from the blue sky." Zhang Rongfang wore a helpless expression.

"Jiao Teng was there too? Then this isn't your fault. In truth, no one would think you killed them. At the time, you were only at the Tendon Forging level, without any weapons or the like. Killing two Second Grades would have been impossible."

Zhang Xuan waved a hand.

"Besides, after the Chen Father and Son incident, Qinghe Temple and the Rice Gang were no longer as close as before. Their plotting against my father and son may also be one part of their plan. I've met Shao Quanhu before. Her mind is sinister."

He paced a few more steps. "Like this—I'll go see the Supervisor and the Palace Master immediately. The situation may be more troublesome than you think.

"Shao Quanhu may have gone mad from losing her son, but the other higher-ups all have families. Not many would be willing to risk their lives alongside her.

"So the fact that you discovered the Rice Gang's plan so easily this time likely means they intended to send us a message and demand some compensation."

Zhang Xuan did not believe the Rice Gang would truly offend Qinghe Temple completely over a single Chen Wuyou.

After all, Qinghe Temple stood behind the Great Dao Sect, an officially recognized religious organization of the Assembled Sages Institute.

Hearing this, Zhang Rongfang felt somewhat more at ease.

"Looking at it that way, it is indeed very possible. Rashly attacking Qinghe Temple would be openly opposing the Government Office. The Rice Gang itself would be wiped out as well. They would not be so foolish."

"Exactly. All right, I'll first investigate whether this information is true. You should return to the county and watch your own safety. Don't go out alone and get isolated." Zhang Xuan cautioned him.

As long as he remained in the city, with officers around, the Rice Gang would not dare act openly. His safety could still be guaranteed.

"Yes." Zhang Rongfang nodded.

The Rice Gang was ultimately a major business gang. Openly attacking someone in broad daylight would amount to rebellion, so the County Town was still relatively safe.

Now that he had delivered the news, he did not linger any longer.

Before he left, Zhang Xuan reassured him again. "Don't worry. The Rice Gang spreading this rumor is most likely a way to use your mouth to inform us, then seek greater compensation."

"This disciple understands." Zhang Rongfang nodded.

He too could not understand it. The Rice Gang would gain nothing and lose everything by doing such a thing. Qinghe Temple was a local power with considerable influence among the authorities.

Still, his Master's explanation made sense. If they were deliberately leaking the news to exchange for benefits, that was also possible.

Besides, no matter what, the warning had been delivered. His Master and senior brother would not be caught entirely unprepared. That was enough.

After leaving Zhang Xuan, Zhang Rongfang settled down and took another stroll around the Dao Palace.

Pang Pangzi was no longer there. He did not know whether Pang had gone down the mountain or somewhere else.

Li Suanmei had gone to work in the Letter Room.

Si Tunan was nowhere to be seen.

Then, in the Spirit Official Hall, he saw Xiao Qingying, her long hair loose around her shoulders as she devoted herself to chanting scriptures.

She wore plain white and was still observing mourning for her father.

Zhang Rongfang stood outside the hall and looked at her, but did not step forward to greet her.

Ever since he had been expelled from the sect, he no longer had any ties with the Xiao family.

Not long afterward, Zhang Rongfang left the Spirit Official Hall and went to the Martial Arts Daoist Temple to find Zhao Dacong.

Inside the Spirit Official Hall, Xiao Qingying's pretty face was pale. Her eyes had grown far more mature than before, and far darker as well.

Gazing at the towering Three-Eyed Spirit Official Statue in the hall, she deeply bowed and kowtowed.

Within her lowered eyes, determination and hatred faintly flowed.

Rice Gang.

Shao Quanhu and Chen Zhihan stood side by side in their backyard, looking at the simple wooden weapons hanging from the weapon rack.

At night, those weapons swayed faintly in the wind, accompanied by subtle rustling sounds.

"Very few in the gang are truly willing to act with me," Shao Quanhu said quietly.

"I know that well enough. There's no profit in this, so no one wants to get involved. Many of them may even be waiting for us to step down so they can take the stage themselves." Chen Zhihan understood this clearly as well.

Their sons had died, so they wanted to find the killer and put him to death. But the others merely spoke grandly on the surface. When the day truly came, only a handful would dare act.

"Tomorrow, I'll spread word that Qinghe Temple must offer compensation, and then we'll let this matter rest," Shao Quanhu said. "Then you can prepare to make your move."

"What time exactly?"

"We won't act on the First Day of the Month. They'll think I accepted Qinghe Temple's compensation, and that this matter has been settled.

"You should strike while Zhang Xuan is returning to the mountain. Outside the city, even if someone knows we acted, they will have no evidence." Shao Quanhu spoke calmly.

"And what about you?" Chen Zhihan asked.

"I don't have long to live anyway. I'll stay in the city. That will also put their minds at ease."

Chen Zhihan had now been branded by Qinghe Temple as colluding with rebels, while Shao Quanhu's illness had worsened, leaving her little time to live. Their last remaining son had also died. What did this husband and wife have left to care about?

Only they themselves knew of Shao Quanhu's illness, so no one would ever imagine that she genuinely intended to kill Zhang Xuan.

Rather than merely making empty threats during the Rice Gang Internal Meeting, leaking the news, and demanding compensation.

The Rice Gang Internal Meeting might be filled with righteous indignation, but when it came time to truly put in effort, who would carry out the plan and who would leak word of it was anyone's guess.

The Rice Gang was, in the end, a gang made up of businessmen.

Days passed one after another.

Within Qinghe Temple, Zhang Rongfang set his mind at ease and continued to devote himself to Martial Arts. Every day, he ate well, slept well, and accumulated Attribute Points.

Gradually, the injuries on his Hands also healed. Only a tiny bit remained of the last medicinal ingredients.

Torrential rain poured down with a great rush, drawing a curtain of water beneath the Daoist temple's eaves.

Zhang Rongfang stood quietly at his doorway, watching droplets fall to the ground.

Countless raindrops struck the ground, sending ripples spreading in rings across the puddles.

He seemed to be staring blankly at the rain, but in truth, he was looking at his opened Attribute Panel.

At that moment, the Attribute Panel at the bottom of his Field of Vision had changed once again.

Another ten days had passed in the blink of an eye, and a new Attribute Point had appeared.

Together with the point left over from last time, he now had two Attribute Points—just enough to raise the Dragon Snake Movement Technique to Breaking Limits.

Once Martial Arts broke its limit, the body would undergo a slight change, and one might also obtain a Breaking Limit Skill. Strength would leap directly to an entirely new level.

Like Yue Type Talisman—if he had not possessed Heavy Mountain back then, encountering Chen Wuyou and the other man would have meant certain death.

Thus, a Breaking Limit Skill could become a powerful trump card, one capable of overturning the situation in a single stroke.

If I break through in the Dragon Snake Movement Technique, that will be my third time Breaking Limits. Though it won't mean I've trained Martial Arts to Third Grade, having my body break past its Limit three times should count as Third Grade, shouldn't it?

Second Grade Martial Arts from the Talisman Canon, when used alone, only possessed Second Grade power. But if combined with hidden Martial Arts... Filled with anticipation, Zhang Rongfang no longer hesitated and focused his attention on the Plus Sign behind the Dragon Snake Movement Technique.

He imagined tapping the Plus Sign.

Hiss.

Two Attribute Points vanished abruptly.

The text within the brackets after the Dragon Snake Movement Technique also suddenly blurred.

Soon, new words slowly emerged.

Dragon Snake Movement Technique (Breaking Limits) (Breaking Limit Skill: Ground Shrinking.)

A massive flood of new memories concerning the cultivation of the Dragon Snake Movement Footwork surged wildly into Zhang Rongfang's mind.

The muscles and bones throughout his body crackled, hidden beneath the sound of rain, unnoticed by anyone.

The muscle density in his Legs increased, and his body weight rose again.

His bones, muscles, and body lines all gradually shifted into forms better suited for explosive speed.