Infiltration

Early morning.

Fang Yuan wore coarse hemp clothes and leisurely fertilized, weeded, and watered the garden.

Who could have imagined that beneath this garden, the corpses of two martial artists had already been turned into flower fertilizer?

"The Guo family?"

As he hoed the ground, Fang Yuan quietly pondered.

The two men had been no match for him. He had captured them with ease, then subjected them to brutal torture and forced them to talk with drugs. Naturally, they had confessed everything obediently.

"Unlike the Zhang family, which has kept its strength hidden until the moment to strike, the Guo family was obscure before this—just a country bumpkin landlord. They managed to seize so many of the Zhou family's shares this time through sheer ruthlessness and force..."

Even the Lin family would not lightly provoke a family as vicious as a rabid dog.

But now they had set their sights on him, and Fang Yuan felt a faint irritation.

"Perhaps... my Hidden Valley needs a target to make an example of, too!"

Fang Yuan thought to himself.

He had attracted too much attention before. Now all the prominent families in Qingye City knew that there was a young Divine Doctor Fang in Hidden Valley, and that his martial arts were formidable as well.

If people came knocking every few days to cozy up to him, or even spied on him like the Guo family, would he ever get to tend his fields?

As for their strength, he did not take a mere small family seriously, even if their Old Ancestor seemed quite formidable.

If a family like theirs truly had such terrifying foundations, then leaving Song Zhong aside, why had they never come out to strut about when Zhou Tong was in power?

Of course, his confidence came above all from his own improvements.

Fang Yuan glanced at the corner of his eye, and the attribute panel immediately appeared:

"Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 3.5

Qi: 3.4

Divine Essence: 2.2

Age: 18

Cultivation: Martial Arts, Sixth Gate

Skills: Black Sand Palm [Level Five], Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt [Level Six]

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level Two], Planting Skill [Level Three]"

"Ever since I broke into the Inner Force Realm, my Essence Yuan and Qi Yuan have improved again under the stimulation of my inner force... And perhaps the extent of the increase is because my foundation is so solid?"

Fang Yuan suspected that an ordinary martial artist at the Sixth Gate would see nowhere near such a terrifying increase in attributes.

As for the growth of his Divine Essence, that was entirely due to the effects of Heart-Questioning Tea.

He now shared this tea with the Flower Fox Ferret once every day. Although it was not as effective as during his first moment of enlightenment, his Divine Essence continued to grow under its stimulation, much to Fang Yuan's satisfaction.

The Seventh Gate of the Golden Lock Heavy Tower, Jingmen, tested a martial artist's Divine Essence.

With his current accumulation, once his Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt proficiency was high enough, he would have nearly a sixty-to-seventy percent chance of advancing directly!

Such odds would surely leave a crowd dumbstruck. Even the Martial Ancestor, Shi Yutong, would be left staring in disbelief.

"Flower Fox Ferret, go sprinkle the Fire-Returning Liquid!"

After a moment's thought, Fang Yuan took out several bamboo tubes.

The Flower Fox Ferret took them in its little paws and vanished in a flash, a world apart from its timid appearance before.

"This Flower Fox Ferret's strength is slowly growing, too. Now it hardly even fears Realgar Powder..."

Fang Yuan was quite surprised to see this.

Realgar Powder was the main ingredient in Fire-Returning Liquid and had always been the Flower Fox Ferret's nemesis. But after he mixed a fresh batch this time, the Flower Fox Ferret had been wary at first, yet it was no longer afraid. Its reaction was closer to disgust.

After noticing this, Fang Yuan tested it repeatedly and finally reached a conclusion: the Flower Fox Ferret's greatest weakness had gradually disappeared without him even realizing it.

"That makes sense... Spiritual Beasts have to grow, and in the end, some might even break through into the Martial Ancestor realm. How could they possibly retain such a glaring weakness?"

Fang Yuan rubbed his chin, guessing that it might be thanks to his Spirit Rice and spirit tea—or perhaps the Flower Fox Ferret had simply grown and changed.

Unfortunately, there was little information to go on. Even he could only make a hazy guess and did not dare draw a firm conclusion.

"Grr!"

Before long, the Flower Fox Ferret came running back, its little face full of ingratiating smiles.

"You're getting better and better at farm work... I know, I know. You'll get your spirit tea today..."

Looking at the Flower Fox Ferret in this state, Fang Yuan especially pictured a day in the future when it would be out in the fields with a hoe on its shoulder. His face could not help but grow awkward.

"One more thing!"

He stroked the Flower Fox Ferret's smooth, glossy back, a cold glint in his eyes. "I'm going out tonight. I'll have to trouble you to guard the house again. Anyone who breaks in—kill them without mercy!"

Qingye City.

Late at night, a dark cloud drifted in from who knew where, swallowing the half-moon whole. Its light dimmed, leaving only a hazy silver-gray glow cast over the land as the wind howled.

"A moonless night with a rising wind—the perfect night for killing... How fitting!"

Fang Yuan poured inner force into his legs. He raced like a galloping horse, reaching the foot of Qingye City in an instant.

The city gates had long been shut. Looking up at the wall, which rose thirty-three feet high and was slick with moss, Fang Yuan smiled disdainfully, took out a length of rope and several iron spikes, and went to a corner.

"Eagle Claw Hand!"

He poured inner force into both hands, instantly filling them with immense strength. Gripping protruding rocks along the wall, he climbed, driving several iron spikes into the gaps between the bricks as footholds.

Halfway up, Fang Yuan swung his arm. The rope lashed out like a soft whip, caught a crenellation, and wrapped around it tightly.

Whoosh!

He tugged lightly, and his whole body rose effortlessly onto the wall. Then he quickly vanished into the darkness without drawing the slightest notice.

"Sigh... It's only because I'm still at my current level that I need tools. Once I learn a Lightness Skill, what will a mere city wall amount to?"

Fang Yuan thought to himself as he quickly climbed down the wall.

He had changed into a tight-fitting black outfit that nearly blended into the night. How could the few dozing gate guards have noticed him?

"The Guo family... the Guo family..."

He had visited the city to buy things once before and had made a rough tour of it, so he knew where the Guo family lived. He immediately crept over.

The Guo Family Mansion.

The Guo family was nouveau riche, and still held on to many of its country ways. The mansion looked almost like a fortified earthen stockade, with strict security. The servants were all muscular and sturdy. Even at night, dedicated guards patrolled, while burly servants led huge, vicious hunting dogs back and forth along the paths, never daring to slack off for even a moment.

In terms of elite strength and martial power, they might truly have been the strongest in Qingye City at the moment.

When Fang Yuan saw this, he could not help but grumble inwardly. He did not know whether to say the Guo family had failed to shake off its nouveau-riche habits, or that they had made so many enemies they had no choice but to be this vigilant.

Still, however strict their defenses, the mansion walls were much lower than the county walls. Fang Yuan found a gap and vaulted over from outside.

Crack!

Beyond the wall was a garden. Fang Yuan landed on the grass, making only the faintest of sounds.

His eyes shifted, and he darted into a cluster of artificial rockeries.

"Woof! Woof!"

Not far away, two sturdy servants were patrolling with a large black dog.

The black dog's coat was glossy, its eyes bloodred, its teeth white and sharp, and drool hung from its mouth. It suddenly stopped, looked toward the spot where Fang Yuan had landed, then turned its gaze to the rockery, suspicious.

"Big Black, what's wrong?"

One of the servants asked, puzzled, then loosened the leash and let the black dog go ahead.

The black dog ran to the corner of the wall and sniffed around, then charged straight toward the rockery without hesitation.

Seeing this, the two servants behind it exchanged a glance, both growing wary. One reached for his waist; the other gripped a gong.

Good beast!

Hidden in the darkness, Fang Yuan saw the hunting dog approach and praised it inwardly. He sent inner force into his eyes and glared fiercely at the black dog.

In martial arts, there was a technique called "eye-strike." Some seniors, it was said, could cow their enemies with a mere glance without ever needing to fight.

Fang Yuan's attempt was surely nowhere near the legendary masters, but his Divine Essence was exceptional, and his opponent was a simple-minded beast. He naturally had a great advantage.

"Whimper..."

The big black dog's fur immediately stood on end. It felt as if two sharp swords had pierced its eyes. It was as if it were walking alone through the wilderness, stalked by some wild beast, and overwhelming terror came crashing down upon it.

It tucked its tail between its legs and whimpered as it fled beyond the rockery.

"Huh? What's gotten into Big Black?"

The two servants exchanged baffled looks.

"Maybe it didn't get enough chicken bones tonight, or it's in heat?"

The other servant relaxed and joked.

"In heat? You think everyone's like you, looking for that woman at the tofu shop on the corner the second your monthly pay comes in? My Big Black is—"

The other servant grumbled, but he was much less suspicious now. He patted the black dog's head, still unable to figure it out. "Come on, let's go. It's almost time to change shifts. Back in our room, we can have some wine and pig's head meat. There's nothing an immortal could offer that would make me trade that away..."

"Exactly! Exactly!"

His companion nodded like a pecking chicken, and the two walked farther and farther away.

Once their footsteps had completely faded, Fang Yuan turned into a streak of black shadow, darted swiftly away, and slipped into the inner residence.

In an instant, he found himself in a maze of deep courtyards, with countless walls and buildings layered one after another. Fang Yuan silently cursed his bad luck; he had not properly scouted the mansion beforehand, and it had been a mistake.

"But generally speaking, mansions are laid out much the same. The master's bedroom is behind the main hall. It can't be far..."

Fang Yuan climbed onto a high wall. When he spotted a few lights, his face brightened.

Lamp oil was expensive these days. Anyone who still had their lamps lit late at night while discussing affairs had to be part of the main line, or at least close to it.

As Fang Yuan crept closer, he saw that the security around the area had suddenly grown tighter. He felt even more certain that he had found the right place.

Orange lamplight shone around the room. Through the fine mulberry-bark paper window, it revealed two black silhouettes.

"Father Lord, this child is useless. Little Seven and Little Eighteen still haven't returned!"

In the study, Guo Jing, the current head of the Guo family, knelt and bowed with utmost respect.

If an outsider had seen this scene, their eyes would surely have popped out of their heads.

Since when had the Guo family's hot-tempered, unreasonable patriarch become more docile than a little rabbit?

"Hmm?!"

The old man seated cross-legged on the mat had a white beard and white hair, and his eyes gleamed brightly. When he turned his head, it was as if lightning had flashed through the room. His immense authority made Guo Jing instinctively shrink his neck.