The Aftermath

The Zhou Family's old residence.

Ever since Zhou Tong's death, the place had been razed to ruins and had become a gathering place for beggars and street thugs.

But after Zhou Wenwu returned, he immediately took control of it again and made it his base.

Even in the dead of night, the residence remained brightly lit.

Wearing mourning clothes, Zhou Wenwu respectfully offered incense before a row of memorial tablets. "Father... rest assured. I'll restore the Zhou Family's prestige..."

After the rites were done, he pushed open the door and gazed at the somewhat dilapidated residence. A wave of melancholy washed over him.

Compared to before, the vast courtyard now seemed much more desolate and run-down.

'The Lin Family's master is an old fox. Though I've borrowed Gui Ling Sect's tiger skin, there's no way he'll fall for it. His backer is far stronger than mine. Do I still have to take on the Zhang Family and the Guo Family? But that won't be easy either...'

Zhou Wenwu looked up at the moon, a trace of worry welling in his heart.

The Zhang Family had bided its time and built up its strength. Its influence was deeply entrenched, like a tortoise—hard to get at.

The Guo Family, meanwhile, was overbearing and formidable in martial force. To bring them to heel, he would need powerful backing.

"Divine Doctor Fang is unwilling to lend a hand, and the promised support from several distant relatives still hasn't arrived... sigh, and then there's my little sister! Her life or death is unknown. It's truly worrying..."

Zhou Wenwu sighed mournfully. Suddenly, his expression changed.

A commotion came from the direction of the Guo Family Mansion, extraordinarily jarring in the stillness of the night.

"Something happened to the Guo Family...?"

He climbed onto the courtyard wall and saw lights blazing into the sky in that direction, with a clamor of voices mixed with crying. He couldn't help feeling even more puzzled.

Though he wanted to go and investigate, he knew the Guo Family were grieving and their nerves were stretched to the breaking point. Better not to poke that hornet's nest.

"Perhaps... this is my chance..."

Zhou Wenwu thought it over carefully, a glint flashing in his eyes. "I just don't know what happened to the Guo Family Old Ancestor..."

"Of course he's dead!"

A voice answered from right in front of him, nearly making Zhou Wenwu stumble.

"You're... Divine Doctor Fang?"

The voice was unusually young, yet familiar. Zhou Wenwu froze for a moment before finally recognizing it, then called out in delight.

But when he saw Fang Yuan dressed in black night clothes, his expression grew serious again.

The other party had slipped into the city at this hour. And given what had happened to the Guo Family, could it be...

"No need to guess. The Guo Family Old Ancestor and the family head, Guo Jing, are both dead..."

Fang Yuan said in a low voice.

"Ah!"

Though he had already suspected as much, Zhou Wenwu still cried out in shock. Then he dropped to his knees and kowtowed. "Thank you for your help, Divine Doctor. I'll serve you like an ox or a horse from this day onward..."

Fang Yuan waved a hand. "Save your thanks for later. I came out of seclusion to help you this time, so naturally there'll be something I need you for in the future!"

In truth, he had infiltrated the Guo Family with the aim of establishing his authority and gathering information.

But plans never kept pace with change. After hearing their secrets and then flying into a rage, he had killed the Guo Family father and son. Fang Yuan had immediately come over to maximize his gains.

So what if he said he had come at Zhou Wenwu's invitation to lend a hand? Who could expose him? It cost him nothing, and he could reap a wave of gratitude in return.

More importantly, he now had a Peripheral Force in the city, which would save him a great deal of trouble.

"The Guo Family Old Ancestor was a Martial Dao Six Stages Inner Family Master, while Guo Jing was a Five Stages Warrior... Those two were the Guo Family's greatest fighting strength. I've removed them for you. You know what to do next, don't you?"

Fang Yuan glanced at Zhou Wenwu, his tone carrying a veiled warning.

"The Guo Family Old Ancestor was a Martial Dao Six Stages expert?!"

Sure enough, Zhou Wenwu first drew a sharp breath at that, grateful he hadn't acted rashly. Then he looked at Fang Yuan with deep awe.

Even an Inner Family Master had died at his hands. Just how unfathomable had this Divine Doctor's martial arts become?

"Mm. The remaining members of the Guo Family are no cause for concern. If you can't even take care of this little loose end..."

Fang Yuan said in a low voice.

"Then I'll cripple my own martial arts at once and never speak of restoring the Zhou Family again!"

Zhou Wenwu thumped his chest, clearly brimming with confidence. Then, with a hint of greed, he asked, "What about the Zhang Family?"

"Hm?"

Fang Yuan turned around and fixed his gaze on Zhou Wenwu, a half-smile playing across his face.

"I was rash..."

Under that stare, cold sweat immediately trickled down Zhou Wenwu's forehead. He hurriedly apologized.

"With the Zhou Family's current foundation, one Guo Family is already enough. Add the Zhang Family too, and you'll choke on more than you can swallow!"

Fang Yuan said coolly.

The Zhang Family had to be admitted, knew how to read the situation, and hadn't given him much reason to dislike them.

Besides, given the Zhou Family's current size, it was no longer realistic for them to dominate Qingye City as they had in the past.

The best outcome would be to quietly absorb the Guo Family's share and form a new three-way balance with the Zhang and Lin Families.

Zhou Wenwu should have thought of these principles himself, but earlier, his mind had been filled with the desire for revenge and expansion. Now, with Fang Yuan's brief reminder, he was immediately filled with admiration.

This Divine Doctor Fang had not only miraculous medical skills and unfathomable martial arts, but was also so adept at human affairs. Could there really be people born with all knowledge?

At this thought, his manner grew even more respectful. "Thank you for the guidance, Divine Doctor. I understand."

"Good. I have a few more small matters for you to take care of..."

Fang Yuan's eyes shifted, and he smiled lightly.

Naturally, the events at the Guo Family could not escape the notice of those who were paying attention.

The next day, the Guo Family withdrew from the county town in force, retreating to their original village. They even abandoned the various shops and estates they had just seized by force, pulling their people back from all directions. It was as if they had accepted defeat and were making a full retreat.

Seeing how sensible the Guo Family was, Zhou Wenwu gladly took most of the spoils they left behind. At last, he could support himself and had regained a firm foothold in Qingye City.

But he remained clearheaded. In secret, he marshaled his forces, preparing to beat the Guo Family into the ground and make sure they never rose again.

Like the Guo Family, the Zhou Family needed a worthy target to make its comeback. Looking throughout Qingye City, there was no more suitable one than the Guo Family.

The Guo Family soon discovered that, now that they had lost their greatest source of martial strength, their shallow foundations were laid bare.

At a time like this, even the Lin and Zhang Families drew close to the Zhou Family, with not the slightest intention of lending the Guo Family a hand.

At the same time, a shadow loomed over all the great families, so that none of them dared entertain the slightest thought of the Hidden Valley again...

Of course, Fang Yuan had little interest in any of this.

How Zhou Wenwu cleaned up the mess was his own business.

By now, Fang Yuan had returned to the Hidden Valley. After a short rest, he set off for Qingfeng Spiritual Land with the Flower Fox Ferret.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

A flock of Red-eyed White Birds flew overhead, led by the Red-eyed White Bird King, as enormous as a roc.

Hidden beneath the shade of a tree, Fang Yuan watched the scene with a trace of helplessness on his face.

"This flock has grown more and more vigilant. They're hard to deal with!"

The Red-eyed White Birds were the greatest obstacle to his taking control of the spiritual land. They even made his daily activities extremely difficult.

For instance, whether he went to fetch Spirit Spring Water or steal Spiritual Fertilizer, he had to be wary of the enraged Red-eyed White Birds swarming out of their nest. He never managed to gather much, and the Flower Fox Ferret had been surrounded and pursued several times.

"If I don't get rid of them, I can't even harvest Spiritual Fertilizer to my heart's content..."

Fang Yuan glanced at the white sandy ground beside the pool. "Anyway, the longer Spiritual Fertilizer accumulates, the better it becomes. And this beach holds a huge supply. Even if I have to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, I can't afford to care..."

The kind of Spiritual Fertilizer that could truly promote the growth of spiritual plants, by Fang Yuan's estimate, needed at least several decades to accumulate before it became effective.

With that much time, he could grow any kind of spiritual seed using the spiritual land. What need would there be to wait?

"But... the other Spirit Birds are one thing. It's just that Red-eyed White Bird King is truly hard to deal with..."

Of course, he hadn't come away empty-handed from his hunts over the past few days.

At the very least, the Red-eyed White Bird flock had dwindled considerably. It could no longer patrol the entire spiritual land, giving Fang Yuan more chances to sneak in and scavenge Spirit Spring Water and other rare spiritual plants.

Whoosh!

He circled around to the other side of the cliff. His whole body turned into a shadow, and in an instant, he plunged into the bushes.

"An ordinary Red-eyed White Bird dies the moment it runs into me. I can even fight a Spirit Bird..."

Fang Yuan came to a mountain spring and first filled a bamboo tube with Spirit Spring Water. He looked quite at ease. "This time... maybe I can go a little farther in!"

In his heart, he had long since considered all of Qingfeng Spiritual Land his own.

"Glug! Glug!"

The spring water was cool to the bone and brimming with spiritual energy. After Fang Yuan drank his fill, his spirits lifted. He called the Flower Fox Ferret and slowly explored deeper into the Hidden Valley.

"Mm, the spiritual land really is extraordinary..."

Though he hadn't found any spiritual plants, the lush vegetation all around him, along with all the flowers blooming out of season and the branches heavy with fruit, filled him with a stirring sense of wonder—and made his heart ache.

"Such a waste! What a waste!"

He looked at a slope thick with weeds, his face aching with regret. "If I planted Spiritual Grain here, there'd be enough for the Flower Fox Ferret and me to eat for a whole year. Damn Red-eyed White Birds..."

Even now, his voice was extremely soft.

After all, if he startled the main flock of Spirit Birds and they swarmed in to surround him, he'd be in serious trouble.

"By rights, a spiritual land deep in the mountains like this should have one or two spiritual plants... so why haven't I seen a single one?"

After venturing farther in, Fang Yuan furrowed his brows. Then he came to a large pit and slowly crouched down, his brows knitting together. "The spiritual energy here is denser than the surroundings. It's a spiritual node, so to speak. Judging by the terrain, there should have been a plant here, but it's been dug up..."

He sighed. At last, he understood where all those spiritual plants had gone.

If he was right, most of them were probably in the Red-eyed White Bird King's nest!

As Spiritual Beasts, their penchant for collecting spiritual plants was no less than that of humans.

"Hm?"

Just then, Fang Yuan's expression changed, and he ducked into the grass beside him.

"Chiiiii!!!"

Accompanied by a piercing cry that split the sky, a black speck appeared in the distant sky and drew closer and closer.