Jiang Feng's anger surged. Missing his target only infuriated him further, and he roared, "Go! Get inside and smash everything in the house that can be smashed!"
Jiang Caiyun hesitated before reminding him, "But... the First Manor Lord expressly forbade anyone from setting foot in this courtyard..."
Hearing this, Jiang Feng calmed down slightly.
Jiang Ren, who had been standing meekly to the side, suddenly spoke up. "There's no need to be afraid, right? They're all gone. How would they know we did it?"
Jiang Feng had originally still been wary of the Manor Lord's orders, but upon hearing this, he laughed wildly and was the first to step inside, heading toward the house directly ahead.
The three of them wielded various weapons, smashing the tables, chairs, and decorations inside until the place was turned upside down. They cursed as they smashed, and even after wrecking everything, they still seemed unsatisfied.
Jiang Ren egged them on. "Should we set it on fire?"
Jiang Feng angrily kicked him. "Are you stupid? This courtyard will be mine soon. If you burn it down, what will I have left to take?"
Jiang Ren was left speechless and hastily forced a flattering smile. "Right, right, right. Look at this brain of mine. Then should we smash those flowers and plants in the courtyard?"
Jiang Feng nodded. "That will do. But leave that Ancient Banyan Tree alone. That old fellow Jiang Batian seems rather fond of it. No need to offend him over it."
As they spoke, the three arrived in the courtyard. The moment a staff came down and smashed a pot of greenery, Jiang Feng sensed that something was wrong. He immediately grabbed Jiang Ren, who was still smashing things, pointed ahead, and said, "Look."
The flower beds all around them seemed to come alive, moving on their own and trapping the three of them layer upon layer.
"This is... an array?"
"How can there be an array here?!" Jiang Feng's face drained of color, and panic filled his expression.
"Could Jiang Batian have set up this array for his granddaughter?" Jiang Ren guessed suspiciously.
Jiang Caiyun retorted with a trace of jealousy, "Impossible. Even my courtyard doesn't have an array. Great Grandfather could never be so biased. That contract slave must have done this."
Jiang Feng froze, his face turning even uglier. "You mean that brat is also an array master?"
If that was true, then as a dignified Six Soul Realm soulmaster, being injured by an array master at the One Soul Realm would be a tremendous disgrace.
Jiang Caiyun was not certain, but it was difficult to take back words once spoken. She instead declared, "It must have been him. Only after he appeared did Jiang Ruoyun become so troublesome. She never dared act like this before."
Jiang Feng thought calmly for a moment, his face dark and terrifying. He said in a low voice, "Let's leave this place first. Don't alert anyone else in the manor. It will be hard to explain if we're discovered."
Jiang Ren and Jiang Caiyun obediently nodded. They had already smashed Jiang Ruoyun's residence to pieces. If the Manor Lord found out now, they would certainly face severe punishment.
Seeing the flower pots around them forming a complete ring, Jiang Ren stepped forward.
"Watch me smash it to pieces!" As he spoke, he swung the long staff in his hand and struck a flower pot directly ahead with all his strength.
"Careful!" Jiang Feng reacted quickly and yanked Jiang Ren to his side, but he was still a step too late. The flower pot Jiang Ren had smashed suddenly vanished, replaced by a cloud of white powder that rushed straight at them.
It had happened too suddenly for any of the three to evade. Their hair and clothes were coated in a layer of white dust.
"An illusion array? Why did it become an illusion array again?"
Jiang Feng's eyes were filled with shock. He could not understand it at all. He had clearly sensed the aura of an Entrapment Array, so how had it suddenly turned into an illusion array?
"This is... Butterfly Attracting Powder?"
Jiang Caiyun recognized the powder on her body, and unease quietly rose in her heart. In her memory, this powder was only used to call and attract butterflies. What was the point of using it to attack them directly?
Before the three could clean off the powder, the broken stones ahead suddenly floated into the air and rapidly shot toward them.
"Just how many arrays are there?!"
Jiang Caiyun shrieked as she dodged the stones. If she had known there were so many arrays in this courtyard, she never would have barged in blindly.
The Entrapment Array in the flower beds held the three in place, the illusion array at the flower pots scattered Butterfly Attracting Powder to block their vision, and the Stone Throwing Array among the rubble launched wave after wave of attacks...
Jiang Feng could barely cope on his own and occasionally managed to spare a hand to help block some attacks, but Jiang Ren and Jiang Caiyun looked far more miserable. Countless stones struck their bodies. Though they were not enough to cause serious injuries, they left the two in continual pain and covered in bruises.
"Careful..." After Jiang Feng twisted aside to evade a stone, he drew a longsword and severed the vines that suddenly swept toward him from behind.
"Damn it, even this Ancient Banyan Tree has been turned into an array." Jiang Caiyun's fear carried a hint of astonishment.
"Gather around me. Break the arrays one by one. First, destroy the Entrapment Array in the flower beds." Jiang Feng directed the two to attack the flower beds together. By now, he had calmed down. He could tell that these arrays were not profound; they could not even truly be called arrays. They merely used array patterns to draw out the power inherent in those patterns. Only the combination of several different patterns had produced such an effect. As long as they dismantled them layer by layer, escaping would not be difficult.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..." A countless number of noisy sounds suddenly came from above.
Jiang Feng frowned as an ominous feeling rose in his heart. Looking up, he found a group of dark yellow "things" rapidly flying toward the three of them.
"It's Autumn Poison Bees!"
"Damn it, Autumn Poison Bees clearly live in the back mountain. Why are they flying here?"
"Which heartless bastard brought their hive over here?"
Jiang Caiyun's face went pale with terror. She could no longer summon the courage to resist. Only now did she recall the other use of Butterfly Attracting Powder, but it was already too late.
Faced with such a huge swarm of Autumn Poison Bees, even Jiang Feng felt a trace of helplessness. He began to regret his rash decision to barge in.
At this point, the three no longer hoped to escape without being discovered. They only prayed that they could survive...
Autumn Poison Bees were a type of bee with extremely tenacious vitality. They could survive from summer until late autumn, and the closer winter drew, the stronger their venom became. Their sharp stingers could pierce the defenses of anyone below the Spirit Gathering Realm, while the venom carried on those stingers would leave even a Spirit Gathering Realm expert in pain for most of a day.
"Phee..." Jiang Feng pulled out a whistle and blew it rapidly, seeking rescue.
This was Jiang Manor's unique cry for help signal. Its sound carried for miles, and no one had blown it in a long time. Who could have imagined that someone would cry for help inside their own manor today?
The call for help sounded, and Jiang Manor reacted as though facing a great enemy. People quickly rushed to the Side Courtyard.
By then, Jiang Feng and the other two had already collapsed on the ground. Their bodies were covered in countless pus-filled welts from stings and bites, and the pain had caused them to lose consciousness.
"Autumn Poison Bees fear fire." The Third Manor Lord, Jiang Juetian, was knowledgeable and experienced. Sitting in his wheelchair, he gave orders to his subordinates.
Before long, the servants used fire to drive away every last Autumn Poison Bee. The Second Manor Lord, Jiang Aotian, rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing the three sprawled on the ground, he assumed they had been harmed by an intruder and roared furiously, "Who dares cause trouble in Jiang Manor?! Get out here!"
Jiang Batian arrived in the courtyard right after him. Looking at the courtyard that had been thoroughly wrecked, he angrily demanded, "Why has this place become like this?! Where is Ruoyun?"
Jiang Aotian's attention had been entirely on his own granddaughter and his most outstanding child, causing him to overlook the scene in the courtyard. Only after hearing Jiang Batian did he notice that the place had been turned upside down. How could he fail to understand what had happened? He immediately shot the three on the ground a resentful glare, furious that they had failed to live up to expectations.
Seeing that his two elder brothers were about to start arguing again, the Third Manor Lord Jiang Juetian immediately spoke to interrupt them. "Get the children treated first. It will be troublesome if any lasting harm is left behind." Then he instructed the manor's physicians, "When treating them, remember to thoroughly clear out the bee venom."
Jiang Manor had utterly lost face this time. A cry for help had arisen within the manor, and the whistle had carried for miles. Naturally, it could not be concealed from those with ulterior motives. By tomorrow, Jiang Feng and the others' actions would likely spread through every street and alley.
"We'll settle this matter after they wake up!" Jiang Batian shouted majestically.
Azure Mushroom Mountain.
Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun naturally knew nothing of what had happened in the manor. The two continued searching Azure Mushroom Mountain for traces of spirit beasts and had gradually ventured deeper inside.
When he suddenly sensed rustling sounds not far away, Lu Feng stepped forward and stopped Jiang Ruoyun, who was cutting through the thorns and brambles. He softly warned, "Careful, there's movement ahead."
A trace of vigilance flashed through Jiang Ruoyun's expression. She stopped and quietly watched the path ahead.
They had assumed that such a great disturbance was caused by a fairly powerful spirit beast. Yet after pushing aside the grass, they found no sign of a spirit beast. The source of the commotion was a group of weak ordinary beasts: Hungry Tooth Rabbits.
Hungry Tooth Rabbits were herd-dwelling beasts with hard, powerful teeth that could gnaw through any kind of food. Even the bones of some spirit beasts could not withstand the force of their bites.
"Let's go." Lu Feng pointed to the side, signaling Jiang Ruoyun to leave the area.
Jiang Ruoyun asked in confusion, "Why go around? Isn't there a path straight ahead? And those Hungry Tooth Rabbits are worth quite a few soul coins too."
Lu Feng smiled. "Hungry Tooth Rabbits are weak by nature. Any slightly stronger beast can slaughter them. If we kill them as well, then before long, we may never see another Hungry Tooth Rabbit. Besides, killing one only earns a few Copper Soul Coins. And the bloody scent caused by slaughter will attract powerful spirit beasts. We should be more careful. Hunting those violent and harmful first-rank spirit beasts is the safest choice."
Jiang Ruoyun gave Lu Feng a surprised look, secretly feeling some admiration. Such reasoning revealed not only his character and disposition, but also his exceptionally rich experience from past trials.
The vegetation in the outer perimeter of Azure Mushroom Mountain was not especially dense. Jiang Ruoyun could clear a path with just a few strikes. If they reached the depths of Azure Mushroom Mountain, however, the vegetation there was so thick that even sunlight could not filter through.
The two traveled for another half an hour, yet still did not see a single spirit beast. Left with no choice, they found a clean patch of ground nearby and rested.
"Get up, something is approaching!" They had barely rested for a moment when Lu Feng suddenly sprang to his feet, gripping his bow more tightly.
Jiang Ruoyun also climbed up from the ground at once, but she did not detect the "thing" Lu Feng said was approaching.
Before you continue