Infiltration

"Everyone, hold back a little. Fight as you retreat, and head into Green Ridge Stronghold."

Fang Yuan knew the Fang Family clansmen had misunderstood him, but he had no intention of explaining. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

The Steward hidden in the shadows had already informed him of the situation here.

The Eleventh Elder had reached the entrance to Green Ridge Stronghold long ago. He unleashed a gale of true qi, directly destroying the gate.

Naturally, this drew the attention of Green Ridge Stronghold's First Chief.

He went out to face the Eleventh Elder, deliberately drawing him away so the shockwaves from their battle wouldn't hit the stronghold.

After all, a Foundation Building Realm cultivator had enough power to destroy a small city. They were immensely formidable.

"It's the Fifth Chief! The Fifth Chief is back!"

Green Ridge Stronghold was already under immense pressure. Seeing that the Fifth Chief was still alive naturally sent morale soaring, filling everyone with excitement.

"Fifth Brother is still alive?"

Not far away, the First Chief of Green Ridge Stronghold was facing two Fang Family Stewards alone, yet he remained at ease and showed no sign of falling behind.

"Back to the stronghold!"

With the First Chief away, the people of Green Ridge Stronghold naturally obeyed the Second Chief without question.

The Fang Family held the advantage in strength. They had no chance in a straight-up fight, so Xiong Yuan's decision to retreat was a decisive one.

He had only gone out to help the First Chief, never expecting the Fang Family to send so many experts.

"Damn it! Those bastards have crawled back into their turtle shell again."

Several powerful Fang Family Stewards reached the ruined gate of Green Ridge Stronghold, but could only stop helplessly, cursing furiously.

A formation enveloped the area. If they went any farther, they would face dangers they couldn't predict.

Falling boulders from the sky, spears thrust at them from behind, even a dense rain of arrows—some real, some fake. It was impossible to guard against them all.

And, of course, the most important factor was this:

Green Ridge Stronghold's terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack. At the gate, they also had a Divine Archer at the Ninth Layer Houtian Realm, firing cold arrows from the shadows.

He was the one who truly threatened the Fang Family Stewards. The slightest carelessness could leave them badly wounded or even cost them their lives.

"Green Ridge Stronghold has the advantage of its terrain. We'd need at least twice as many men and experts to have any chance of breaking through."

The Steward who had retreated looked grim.

They represented the Fang Family's honor on this expedition. Though they were stronger than Green Ridge Stronghold, they had been unable to break through after a prolonged assault.

Bad rumors would surely spread through the city, tarnishing the family's reputation. They would also be punished and disgraced.

"Are we really left with nothing but hoping the Eleventh Elder kills the bandit chief?"

A heavy gloom settled over everyone.

"Right, have any of you seen the Young Master?"

"The Young Master is taking so long to arrive. Could something have happened to him?"

"He should be fine. I saw Fang Hai not long ago. He was here asking for some information."

Fang Hai was one of the three Stewards who had accompanied Fang Yuan.

"Look, isn't that Fang Hai over there? We can ask him." A Steward pointed at Fang Hai, who was still chasing down fleeing bandits.

"I hope everything goes smoothly for the Young Master."

Fang Hai watched Fang Yuan and the others, disguised, depart. To anyone watching, he looked like a man regretting that he hadn't killed more bandits.

"What did you say? The Young Master disguised himself as a bandit and went into Green Ridge Stronghold!"

The more than twenty Fang Family Stewards gathered together. As they listened to Fang Hai recount the plan, their eyes widened.

"The Young Master is so important. If anything happens to him in there, who among us could take responsibility?"

The Stewards were astonished by Fang Yuan's plan, but the thought of him putting himself in danger made their hearts clench.

"Green Ridge Stronghold still has eight or nine Xiantian Realm experts, all bandits at the seventh layer or above. Have you thought through the consequences?"

Fang Hai felt helpless in the face of their accusations.

He had tried to talk the Young Master out of it too, but it had been no use. The Young Master's status spoke for itself.

How could he possibly defy his superior?

Besides, he really couldn't beat him.

"What? You're saying you're no match for the Young Master?"

Fang Hai was at the eighth layer of the Xiantian Realm and had cultivated Mountain Overturning Palm to perfection. He wasn't afraid to face someone at the ninth layer.

"The Young Master repaired his Dantian only recently. How has his cultivation advanced so quickly?"

Many Stewards looked at Fang Hai doubtfully, thinking he was making excuses.

Fang Hai could only suffer in silence. If he hadn't fought Fang Yuan himself, he wouldn't have believed it either!

Before the Azure Cloud Sect trial, Fang Yuan had only been at the fourth layer of the Xiantian Realm. It hadn't even been half a year.

Breaking through four or five layers in that time was simply unbelievable!

Thinking of themselves, they considered it quick to advance a single layer in three to five years.

Seeing Fang Hai's resolute expression, some Stewards began to wonder: could the Young Master have cultivated a forbidden technique?

But they'd never heard of any forbidden technique with such incredible results!

"The Young Master has the bearing of a celestial. He's beyond the likes of us to fathom."

Fang Siping was powerful and carried considerable weight among the Stewards. His stance settled the matter.

"We should resolutely carry out the Young Master's plan!"

Back when Fang Yuan was at the Mine, he had already learned the general layout of Green Ridge Stronghold, its forces, and where its weak points might be.

Breaking in from outside would require a Foundation Building Realm cultivator to act personally. Otherwise, the cost would be immense.

Events had unfolded just as he expected: they had failed to break through despite a prolonged assault.

But there was one thing he hadn't known: Green Ridge Stronghold also had a formation, which made breaking through even more difficult!

Sturdy cities were often breached from within.

Fang Yuan planned to act at night after entering Green Ridge Stronghold, minimizing losses by coordinating an attack from within and without.

"I agree with attacking from both sides, but waiting until night won't work."

Fang Siping analyzed the situation. "They can get into Green Ridge Stronghold by disguising themselves, but they absolutely can't keep up the deception for long."

"Even if they know the place well and have disguised themselves perfectly, there'll still be flaws."

The Stewards all nodded in agreement.

"So I think I should immediately gather our men and attack Green Ridge Stronghold again!"

"We'll put pressure on them from the outside and ease the pressure on those inside."

No one objected to this decision. The Fang Family forces quickly regrouped and launched another charge.

Meanwhile.

After entering Green Ridge Stronghold, Fang Yuan scanned his surroundings. He saw many bandits in sturdy armor, carrying sharp blades and longbows, moving about in orderly formations.

"Looks like they've all received special training. There must be more than two hundred of them."

Sharp blades and longbows could be bought in nearby cities as long as you had the money.

But in the Great Zhou Dynasty, this kind of armor was controlled. Without connections, there was no way to buy so much of it.

Fang Yuan's eyes flickered. It seemed Green Ridge Stronghold's growth wasn't a coincidence. Someone was helping them from behind the scenes.

"Greetings, Fifth Chief!"

White Face Hand of Clear Sea City was famous for his disguise skills. His imitation masks were so lifelike that no one had ever suspected a thing.

Fang Yuan had also studied bone-shrinking and other techniques in the family, allowing him to make his build as similar as possible.

"Fifth Chief, the Second Chief has asked you to come to the Assembly Hall." A servant approached him.

Fang Yuan nodded. To avoid any mishaps, he had brought only two disguised Fang Family disciples inside with him.

The rest had "died in battle" outside.

"Fifth Brother, you're finally back! I've missed you, brother!"

In the Assembly Hall, the Second Chief walked over warmly and pulled him into a big bear hug.

"What have you been doing all this time, brother? You've been gone for so long."

The Second Chief's gaze suddenly sharpened.

The Fifth Chief had been gone for so long that Green Ridge Stronghold had already listed him as dead.

His sudden "return from the dead" was certainly a surprise.

Fang Yuan had prepared his explanation long ago. "I was planning to enjoy myself at the brothels in Prefecture City, but I ran into the authorities."

"Unfortunately, I lost quite a few men. I was lucky to escape with my life."