Asking for Trouble

As night fell, in a secret chamber within the Wang Family, three Qi Gathering Realm cultivators sat gathered together.

"Did you investigate it clearly? Is their patriarch really at the mines?"

Wang Xiong, the Wang Family patriarch clad in tiger skin, asked.

"Yes. The caravan we sent over, pretending to have lost their way, saw Yang Guanfeng guarding the mines with their own eyes."

Wang Lie, the Wang Family's second strongest expert seated to his left, said.

He was thirty-eight years old, roughly the same age as Yang Guanfeng. The difference was that Yang Guanfeng had already reached the mid-stage of Fifth Level of Qi Gathering at this age, while this man was still only at Second Level of Qi Gathering.

"So that means the Yang Family stronghold only has one little brat who just entered the Qi Gathering Realm?"

The young cultivator on the right spoke.

He was Wang Xiong's son, Wang Weiyang, the Wang Family's third Qi Gathering Realm cultivator. He was sixteen this year and had broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm half a year ago.

"That's right," Wang Lie said.

The two looked toward Patriarch Wang Xiong, waiting for his decision.

The three of them had discussed it before. They could not let the Yang Family live so comfortably; they had to teach them a lesson and give them a warning.

But because the other side was stronger than them, carrying it out had been rather difficult.

Now, however, they knew that neither Yang Guanfeng nor Elder Yu was in the Yang Family, and their minds began to stir.

"Hmph! It's time to beat the mountain and shake the tiger. Wang Lie, better to strike while the iron is hot—tonight. Sneak into the Yang Family and give that little one left at home a scare. It would be best if you can make the Yang Family call that old man in town back. Then those shops of his won't amount to anything."

After considering it for a moment, Wang Xiong made the decision.

"No problem, Patriarch!"

Wang Lie was overjoyed to hear that.

He had not fought anyone with spells for a long time, and his previous string of humiliating setbacks had continued to gnaw at him.

This time, against a little brat who had only just entered the Qi Gathering Realm, he finally had the chance to be the strong one who ruthlessly humiliated the weak.

"Uncle, will you be in danger going alone? How about I go with you?" Wang Weiyang asked.

Wang Lie waved his hand. "Weiyang, I alone am more than enough to deal with a First Level of Qi Gathering brat who only recently broke through. Besides, two people would make too large a target and make it easy to leave traces behind."

Wang Xiong nodded as well, agreeing with Wang Lie's words.

"Patriarch, leave it to me. I guarantee that after tonight, the Yang Family will be so frightened that they'll see soldiers in every blade of grass and hear enemies in every rustle of wind!"

Wang Lie patted his chest and promised.

Poor fellow—he still had no idea what awaited him.

That very night, Wang Lie changed into dark clothes and left White Stone Town under the cover of the pitch-black night.

Pouring spiritual energy into his body and running at full speed, he reached the Yang Family stronghold in only two hours.

As a cultivator, he easily bypassed the Yang Family guards.

After vaulting over the courtyard wall, he headed straight for the deepest part.

When he arrived at the rear courtyard, he found no signs of cultivators training. Just as he was wondering about it, he lifted his eyes and saw the cliff.

"Hehehe, interesting."

With that, he leaped up, climbed the cliff by kicking off the rock wall, and looked up to see the distinctive outer wall of the Yang Family Forbidden Ground.

"Hidden away here all sneaky-like, but unfortunately, Grandpa still found you!"

Wang Lie secretly delighted in his own sharp perception.

He then walked along the high wall once, thinking, Sure enough, there's an array here. Good thing I came prepared.

Next, he took a pitch-black lodestone from his waist.

Wang Xiong had given him this item before he left. Once infused with spiritual energy, it could interfere with the operation of arrays at the Qi Gathering Early-stage, causing them to fail briefly.

Wang Lie poured in spiritual energy, and the Yang Family Forbidden Ground's array indeed lost its effect.

He leaped over it, believing he had completed his infiltration without anyone knowing or noticing.

Yang Lingqing, who was keeping watch that night, truly had not noticed his presence. Since the array had failed, the token linked to it gave no response.

But Wang Lie could never have imagined that there was another presence within the Yang Family Forbidden Ground, one extraordinarily sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Hm? The array cut off. Is that old man any good at all? Don't tell me he bought a fake array."

Chen Yang had been grumbling while gazing up at the stars when his heart suddenly stirred.

Someone had entered.

And they were at Second Level of Qi Gathering.

Chen Yang immediately grew cautious and created a burst of spiritual energy fluctuations, waking Yang Lingqing.

Yang Lingqing instantly emerged from her half-meditative state and looked toward Chen Yang.

"The Spirit Gathering Stone fluctuated on its own?"

She stood and moved forward to inspect it, casually picking up the sensing token beside her.

In that brief instant, Yang Lingqing's heart tightened as she realized something was wrong.

The sensing token no longer had spiritual energy flowing through it!

"The array has failed. Someone has broken into the Forbidden Ground!"

She reacted swiftly, grabbed the Spirit Gathering Stone, woke Ling Rui and Linghu from their rest in the room, and told them what had happened.

Upon learning that someone had entered the Forbidden Ground, all three wore grave expressions.

This was the first time someone had intruded while the elders were away from home.

"Xiaoqing, what do we do?"

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui looked to Yang Lingqing. Of the three, she had the sharpest mind, so naturally she would make the decision.

Yang Lingqing's thoughts raced. The outside world did not yet know about her and Linghu, so they could not reveal themselves too early.

"We don't know how many people came or what their cultivation is, so Ling Rui, you'll need to take some risk and pretend to meditate in the courtyard."

"Yes, Sister Qing."

"Oh, right. Remember to suppress your cultivation to First Level!"

"Understood."

Yang Lingrui went into the courtyard, sat on a meditation cushion, and pretended to meditate.

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing concealed their auras and hid in the room.

Before long, a sneaky black figure arrived in the courtyard.

Yang Lingrui had not concealed his aura, so Wang Lie found him easily.

"So it's this brat!"

Wang Lie looked toward Yang Lingrui and thought, Hah, he looks only a little over ten years old. He's even younger than Weiyang.

His original purpose in coming here was to frighten this brat a little and cause some trouble for the Yang Family.

But when he saw Yang Lingrui in person, another thought arose.

Such a young Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.

If he were allowed to grow gradually in the future, the Yang Family would inevitably become stronger and stronger.

How could that be allowed?

Would my Wang Family still have any chance to contend with them then?

In an instant, Wang Lie thought of many things.

His gaze gradually turned cold, and he changed his mind.

"Killing him would be a bit excessive, but... crippling him halfway should be fine!"

Having made his decision, he did not hesitate in the slightest. Finding the right angle, he suddenly sprang forward and charged at Yang Lingrui.

In Wang Lie's eyes, his realm surpassed the other's, and he was launching a mysterious sneak attack from the shadows. There was no way it could be blocked or avoided.

Unfortunately, every part of that judgment was wrong.

First, Yang Lingrui was also at Second Level of Qi Gathering.

Second, he was not mysterious at all. From the moment he entered the courtyard, all three children had known he was there.

Wang Lie raised a hand and smashed his palm toward Yang Lingrui.

The latter abruptly opened his eyes and raised a hand to block it, his aura instantly climbing to Second Level of Qi Gathering.

"Second Level of Qi Gathering! How is that possible?!"

Wang Lie was greatly shocked, stunned by the other's true cultivation.

But since he had already attacked, there was no turning back. He circulated his spiritual energy, ready to continue fighting Yang Lingrui.

Just then, the ground beneath his feet suddenly turned muddy, and his entire body felt as though something had seized hold of it.

"What the hell is this?!"

Before he could react, a figure burst from the room and drove a fist into his chest.

"Puh—!"

Wang Lie immediately spat out blood and fell backward onto the ground.

Speaking of it, this man was truly unlucky. Yang Linghu had only successfully cultivated this technique to First Level of Qi Gathering yesterday, and in the blink of an eye, he was using Wang Lie as a guinea pig.

As Wang Lie lay on the ground, his mind spun. He wanted to move, only to discover that the soil had already glued his body down tightly.