Caught by the sudden attack, Qin Li had no time to dodge. He could only summon golden light before his body, trying to condense it into armor plates.
Before the golden armor could take shape, Meng Qingze's palm struck him. With a sound like rotten wood colliding, he stumbled back several steps and slammed into a vermilion wooden pillar supporting Riverwave Hall.
The golden light before his chest dissipated in an instant. His clothes fluttered away like decaying butterflies, exposing a sinister green palm print.
Qin Li had initially been merely startled and bewildered. Now fury surged through him, his eyes reddening. He swore to repay that palm strike, swore to leave Meng Qingze seriously injured as well.
While they fought fiercely, Ren Youyang's other two Guards turned vicious gazes on Su Chongxiao.
Your Celestial Maiden Sect isn't a sect of our Great Zhao. What right do you have to compete for the Huai Fruit?
What right do you, Su Chongxiao, have to be so handsome, so striking, that every Maid and female family member we encountered in the Zhen Estate couldn't take her eyes off you?
Kill! Kill! Kill!
One rushed toward Su Chongxiao like a fierce gust of wind, while the other seemed to merge with the shadows cast by sunlight through the window lattice, quietly circling toward his flank.
You think you're worthy of attacking me? Su Chongxiao found it both laughable and infuriating, a trace of viciousness churning in his chest.
He instantly sprang into the air and swept his sleeve.
Amid the wind's low howl, Ren Youyang's Guard attacking Su Chongxiao head-on suddenly seemed to find himself in autumn:
The sun was no longer hot. It scattered warmth, summoning a gentle, refreshing breeze, while the fragrance of wheat and fruit drifted through the air, intoxicating the heart and mind.
On a day like this, one ought to lie on a rattan couch, pleasantly drowsy and utterly at ease.
Drowsiness immediately rose within this Guard of Ren Youyang's. His whole body grew weak, and he wanted only to lie down right there and enjoy autumn's leisure.
The Autumn Lethargy Path of the Twelve Paths of Grand Void!
As his movements slowed, the sound of a whip striking rang out across his body, a string of cracks overlapping into one.
The Guard was whipped backward through the air, his front covered in bloody lash marks. Some broke his ribs, some sent supple force into his body, and some struck directly beside his ears, whipping him unconscious.
The Celestial Maiden Formless Whip-its sound could be heard, but its traces could not be seen!
Su Chongxiao could still restrain the viciousness in his heart to some degree, and he had clearly held back with this attack. Otherwise, with his abilities, six lashes landing together would have killed his opponent without question.
"The Heart-Bewitching Chaos-Divine Art? The Overturned Boat Faction?" Su Chongxiao turned his gaze toward the doorway.
Faced with this bizarre turn of events, Zhen Qianfan, seated at the head of the hall, also shot to his feet.
By then, Zhen Quanwang at his side had already developed bloodshot eyes, though no one knew when.
You old bastard, why aren't you dead yet?
I'm already several years past thirty, and I still only get to decide trivial matters in this household!
Once you're dead, I'll be the head of the family!
Zhen Quanwang thrust out a palm, as though bearing a torrent weighing countless tons.
Tiny gleams suddenly lit up around Zhen Qianfan, resembling shimmering light on water.
Almost simultaneously, the sunlight dimmed within thirty feet. Layer upon layer of illusory waves seemed to gather into a deep sea, while the black shadow beneath Zhen Qianfan's feet abruptly expanded outward, like an enormous creature diving to the seabed.
The farther Zhen Quanwang's palm advanced, the slower it became, until it finally stopped deep within the heavy "waves."
"Hmph!" Zhen Qianfan swept his sleeve, sending this good-for-nothing flying. He hit the ground hard enough to lose teeth, blood streaming from the corners of his mouth.
Immediately afterward, Zhen Qianfan turned a vicious gaze on Su Chongxiao, strode forward, and threw a punch.
Illusory waves swayed, pouring onto Zhen Qianfan's fist one after another. Dampness rapidly spread across Riverwave Hall's floor, and within thirty to forty feet, everyone felt as though they were drowning, unable to breathe freely.
At the sight, Su Qingli moved with the swiftness of a rabbit springing and a falcon swooping, quickly leaving her position to take cover in a corner of the building. Her Maid followed close behind.
When she said she knew a little hand-to-hand combat, she truly meant only a little. Using transformations and illusion realms to toy with Strange Beings was one thing, but in a battle involving Martial Grandmasters, she could only regard her skills as flowery fists and fancy kicks, utterly useless. She was better off hiding farther away so she would not distract Second Uncle.
As soon as she crouched in a corner far from the battle, Su Qingli discovered someone else hiding beside her:
Ren Youyang, his feathered robe and tall crown both askew.
"What a coincidence." Su Qingli's lips twitched as she greeted him, not at all surprised by the conduct of this direct disciple of the True Spirit Sect, whose name appeared on the Orchid Honor Roll.
Ren Youyang replied rather awkwardly:
"Miss Su, the fact that we're less affected shows we're both even-tempered people who cherish flowers and grass and can't bear to hurt others. Quite a coincidence indeed."
"Generally speaking, the stronger someone's martial arts, the more lives they've taken, so some viciousness inevitably accumulates. Only someone with paltry martial arts like me has no thoughts of hurting anyone." Su Qingli bickered with Ren Youyang with a touch of hostility while turning her gaze toward her Second Uncle.
Facing Zhen Qianfan's strike, Su Chongxiao pushed off the ground and retreated swiftly, his sleeves billowing. The crack of a whip repeatedly split the air between them, only to be swallowed by the swaying watery force and blocked by Zhen Qianfan's fist.
Seeing himself drawing ever closer, Zhen Qianfan suddenly felt delight, as though he had already slain his formidable enemy, obtained the thing he had dreamed of, and finally completed his foundation.
He broke through again and again, without end, becoming a Celestial Person, ascending to the Spirit Platform, and discovering a way to break the severance of heaven and earth and enter the Heavenly Realm.
His smile grew pronounced. His entire body became weightless, flying higher and higher, higher and higher, until the Heavenly Realm was already in sight.
He relaxed completely, body and mind, and a fair, slender hand abruptly appeared before his eyes.
That hand descended from the "Heavenly Realm," pressing toward the crown of his head.
The Ascension Path of the Twelve Paths of Grand Void!
As the palm reached his crown, an intense sense of danger suddenly erupted in Zhen Qianfan's heart.
Without time to think, he made the pitch-black shadow beside his feet, which had taken the form of an enormous creature, rush inward and upward, merging with him.
Amid a splashing roar, Zhen Qianfan abruptly thrust a palm upward.
The strike was like a giant fish leaping from the deep sea, fierce enough to overturn rivers and seas. It churned the surrounding illusory watery force into a violent vortex.
Centered on Zhen Qianfan's palm, the dark, shadowy vortex drew in Su Chongxiao's ascension palm, and the two collided.
Boom!
Water exploded outward, falling in a chaotic rain throughout the hall and shooting upward as a fountain that smashed through the roof.
Jolted back to his senses by his father's blow, Zhen Quanwang saw this and decided that remaining in Riverwave Hall was also extremely dangerous. He hastily scrambled and crawled toward the rear of the hall, fleeing outside the building.
Meanwhile, Dai Shen of the Overturned Boat Faction, wearing a bamboo hat, and Ma Hanjiang of the Small Boat Gang passed the Attendants, household Guards, and servants who had already begun slaughtering one another, arriving at the main entrance.
Dai Shen's vivid red lips, with their birdlike texture, split into a grin. Su Chongxiao had been struck by Zhen Qianfan's palm and was flipping upward to dissipate the force, while Zhen Qianfan's feet had sunk into the damp ground, briefly preventing him from moving. Seizing the opportunity, Dai Shen's right hand formed a tiger claw and took on a bloody hue, each sharp finger lunging straight for Zhen Qianfan's forehead.
Unflustered by the danger, Zhen Qianfan abruptly drew a breath.
Like a great whale sucking in water, he instantly drew all the surrounding illusory watery force into his body.
A moment later, with no time to thrust his palm upward again, Zhen Qianfan clenched his fist and punched into the air.
The fierce roar of water suddenly erupted. Streams of illusory water surged from where Zhen Qianfan's fist struck the empty air, like a river bursting its banks.
It drew the waterfall on the ornamental rockery outside the hall slantwise into the room, and its surging force pushed Dai Shen ten feet back, thwarting his attack.
Ren Youyang's Guards and Su Chongxiao's followers were all hurled away by it.
Ma Hanjiang of the Small Boat Gang did not join the attack on Zhen Qianfan. All that remained in his mind was the desire to make rivers of blood flow through the Zhen Estate.
Seeing Zhen Quanwang's fleeing back, killing intent rushed to his head. A tortoise shell appeared, and he sprinted after him.
In the corner near the main entrance, Su Qingli, quietly crouching in hiding, said to Ren Youyang:
"It's rather dangerous here. We could easily get caught in the crossfire. I'm going to hide somewhere else."
Without waiting for Ren Youyang's response, she braced herself with her hand, smashed through the wooden window, and landed lightly on the covered walkway outside Riverwave Hall. With nimble movements, now high, now low, now running along eaves and walls, now swaying deftly aside, she put distance between herself and this scene of mutual slaughter.
Her Maid followed using the same movement technique.
After fleeing for a while, Su Qingli saw Ren Youyang charging like a wild dog through one battleground after another. Ahead of him, a group of household Guards were fighting among themselves, making it difficult to get around them.
With a sigh, the young woman turned back, seized Ren Youyang by the shoulder, and brought him with her as she kicked off a wooden pillar and leaped onto the roof. They crossed the black tiles and jumped down on the other side.
Lotus Pond Courtyard.
Having sent Cuihe off to attend to other matters, Qin Nuangsheng had followed Liu Yuzao's instructions, changing into plain Maid's clothing and rearranging her hair into twin looped buns.
"Smear some ash on your face later and pretend you fell while escaping the Zhen Estate." Qi Xiaoxiang, using the alias Liu Yuzao, offered a few pointers.
Before Qin Nuangsheng could speak again, she nodded slightly and said:
"Once the chaos starts, flee the Zhen Estate and go to the Li Family Steamed Bun Shop on Guangsheng Street. Say you want three white steamed buns: one with donkey meat, one with venison, and one with fruit filling. Someone will meet you and arrange for you to leave Dingjiang Prefecture.
"You've done very well over these past two years and more. The sect master is very pleased. Once this is accomplished, would you rather take a sum of silver and live free and happy from then on, or choose a supreme technique and practice martial arts?"
Qin Nuangsheng was quite surprised:
"I'm already twenty-two. Can I still practice martial arts?"
"I only began aperture refinement at twenty-four. Haven't you also been practicing body tempering and qi training in the Zhen Family?" Qi Xiaoxiang said in a cool, clear voice.
Delight immediately lit up Qin Nuangsheng's face, and she bowed deeply.
"Please thank the sect master for me!"
Qi Xiaoxiang returned to her taciturn silence and waited patiently.
After an unknown length of time, a boom sounded somewhere in the Zhen Estate, and faint cries of battle and the clash of blades drifted over.
Qi Xiaoxiang nodded to Qin Nuangsheng, walked out of Lotus Pond Courtyard by herself, and took a mechanical device resembling a firework from inside her robe.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three fireworks, red, yellow, and green respectively, flew into the air and burst into dazzling flowers.
Inside the County Yamen, Qiu Chen, using the alias Ding Shengyi, handled documents as usual, seemingly unaware that some of his colleagues were watching him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He raised his head to look out the window and saw fireworks blooming in midair.
A Constable who had pretended to come over for a casual chat suddenly felt a swelling pain in his head. Long, whisker-like things seemed to extend from his nose, mouth, and ears.
His vision went black. He drew his saber and viciously slashed at another Constable nearby.
Inside the clerks' room, several others also abruptly attacked.
At the Dock.
Seeing the red, yellow, and green fireworks bloom in midair, Ding Daniu instantly broke into a broad smile.
He abruptly turned around and drove a fist straight into the Foreman's face.
Bang!
The Foreman's entire face caved in, and his body flew more than ten feet away.