Li Prefecture in the Palm of His Hand

Creak.

The shop door opened.

A cool, pretty little face appeared from behind it.

It was Zhang Zhi.

When she saw Lu Fan in the Cracked Mask, with Qin Yaxin standing beside him, surprise flickered across her delicate face.

Shen Yuniang, who emerged a step later, saw the two of them and, without another word, had Zhang Zhi pull Qin Yaxin inside. After Lu Fan entered, she first glanced around in every direction. Once she confirmed no one was there, she immediately shut the shop door.

"Senior Chen, did something happen to the Qin Household?"

After closing the door, Shen Yuniang looked at Lu Fan with a tense expression and asked.

"The Qin Household was destroyed."

Lu Fan said it flatly.

His words directly dropped the temperature in the room by several degrees.

The color drained from Shen Yuniang's face in an instant.

She knew the Qin Household's destruction had only been a matter of time, but she had not expected that day to come so quickly.

Zhang Zhi immediately looked at Qin Yaxin with concern, stepped forward, and gently embraced her.

"Wuu... wuu... Sister Zhi, I... my father..."

Qin Yaxin could no longer contain the grief in her heart. Clinging tightly to Zhang Zhi, she burst into loud sobs.

For a time, an atmosphere of sorrow hung over the room.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yuniang looked nervously at Lu Fan.

"Senior Chen, then what should we... do?"

Shen Yuniang knew very well that the Qin Household was now gone.

That meant the Feng Household and Thunder Martial Hall's next target would naturally be Blackstone Martial Hall.

Which meant that they were in grave danger.

Lu Fan swept his gaze over her and uttered a single word.

"Wait."

With that, he left directly.

After he departed, worry filled Shen Yuniang's alluring face as she stood where she was.

There was nothing they could do now. All they could do was wait.

Blackstone Martial Hall.

Deep within the silent inner courtyard, inside that room.

Pfft.

Zhang Yao, seated cross-legged on the floor, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. All color vanished from his face.

"As expected... it still failed."

Zhang Yao let out a faint sigh, his expression tinged with loneliness and helplessness.

Of over a hundred Dark Force martial artists, fewer than one could successfully step into the Transformation Force.

Over all these years, he had already failed many times in his attempts to break through to the Transformation Force.

How could he possibly succeed in such a short time?

"Zhi'er seems to have been taken away by her mother. After this, I'll have to find a way to send them out."

Zhang Yao rose to his feet, his expression incomparably grave.

Since he could not break through to the Transformation Force, he had to prepare for the worst.

"And..."

A deep sorrow surfaced on Zhang Yao's face.

"I'm sorry, my old friend. I'm afraid... I can no longer fulfill the promise we made back then."

"Old Lu."

He had once said that he would give Lu Fan a lifetime of peace and stability, but that promise clearly could no longer be fulfilled.

The last thing he could do was send Lu Fan and his daughters out of Chi City together, as best he could.

Only then could he ensure their safety.

Thunder Martial Hall.

"Hah, things have stabilized. That damned old bastard actually shook even my foundation."

"Is this the backlash of forcibly breaking through to the Transformation Force with external help?"

Li Xiao lowered his head and glanced at his chest.

The place where Chen Liu had injured him earlier had already healed.

Yet that sense of humiliation still remained lodged in his heart.

"Old bastard, the next time we meet, I'll personally slaughter you!"

Li Xiao ground his teeth, his voice filled with fury and hatred.

Feng Household estate.

Feng Jiaqi, who had wiped out the Qin Household not long ago, came to see his father.

"Father, Qin Yuan, the Qin Household's head, is dead. The Qin Household exists in name only now."

The moment he entered the room, Feng Jiaqi announced the good news.

"Ah, I already know."

Feng Wanqian, seated there, did not even raise his head as he replied blandly.

His calm attitude made Feng Jiaqi's heart skip a beat.

He had the feeling that his father was somewhat dissatisfied with how he had handled things.

"Then, Father... did I do something wrong?"

Feng Jiaqi asked cautiously.

"No, you did well, but..."

Feng Wanqian fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Have you considered what comes next?"

"What comes next?"

Feng Jiaqi froze for a moment, then suddenly understood.

"Father, do you mean Li Xiao might betray us?"

"No, that is absolutely impossible. The pill Li Xiao swallowed contained that special poison. As long as he still wants to live, he must obey us."

Feng Jiaqi spoke with utter certainty.

"You're too naive, Jiaqi."

Feng Wanqian shot him an irritated glance.

"The strength of a Transformation Grandmaster far exceeds your imagination."

"Even that poison cannot control a Transformation Grandmaster with absolute certainty."

"And remember, you cannot completely trust that person's words either."

"The force behind that fellow is not something our Feng Household can compare to at all. In their eyes, the Feng Household is insignificant. With the slightest misstep, everything the Feng Household has today will vanish."

"Once this matter is over, do not contact that person again."

Feng Wanqian's voice was incomparably grave, and his expression had never been more serious.

To those people, the Feng Household was nothing more than a chess piece.

If his son failed to understand his place and continued to believe those people's words, he might meet an utterly miserable end.

"I... understand."

Feng Jiaqi opened his mouth, then nodded in agreement.

"It's good that you understand. We still have one pill of that kind. I'll leave it to you to decide who receives it."

"Whether it's Liu Attendant or Ma Sheng, you need to guard against both of them. It would be best to make them form a mutual check with Li Xiao."

"Remember, the real beginning only comes after the Qin Household is destroyed."

"If you want to completely take control of Chi City, you must learn the art of balance!"

"I understand, Father."

"Fine, withdraw."

"Yes."

After leaving the room, Feng Jiaqi's handsome face twisted somewhat, and glimmers of unwillingness flashed in his eyes.

He clearly did not agree with his father's words.

"Father, you've grown old, and your courage has shrunk as well."

"How could I not know that those people are using us? But so what? I'm using them too."

"If pills capable of allowing Dark Force martial artists to break through to the Transformation Force so easily can be mass-produced, then forget Chi City—even the entirety of Li Prefecture will fall under the Feng Household's control."

"Father, just stay behind the scenes and watch. Before long, I'll bring all of Li Prefecture into the palm of my hand."

Feng Jiaqi's confident words lingered in the air for a long time.