Shuhe Visits Her Family

With a swift movement, Kang Dabao wielded his razor-sharp blade, severing a man with thick eyebrows and a short, stocky body. Blood gushed out, splattering across the ground.

The fat owner of the black short blade finally let out a sigh of relief, "That feels better."

Two other dead men lay beside the deceased, his friends who had sat around the round table that day. They died even faster, easily killed by Sect Leader Kang Da with a single slash and a lock.

Before coming, he spoke with several pimps at the Wondrous Cloud Pavilion to find out the backgrounds of these three people. He learned that they were all unsophisticated rogue cultivators who mingled with the mountain Bandit Cultivator.

So they waited Xuanwei City for ten days, and then followed them for two more days before finally finding a secluded place.

Originally, they only intended to kill the thick-browed cultivator, but then, fearing that the news would leak, they simply killed the two companions who were traveling with them as well.

These kinds of rogue cultivators who have been haphazardly cultivating their Qi Refinement Law Power for decades have extremely poor fighting skills. Even when Kang Dabao first encountered the Four Ghosts of the Liu Household, he could have easily defeated several of them with one hand, so they are not worth mentioning.

Even Qi Duoluo only managed to avoid Kang Dabao's murderous intent thanks to his Foundation Establishment stepmother.

It's strange, really. He's been around here for over forty years and has seen countless instances of the strong bullying the weak, far more brutal than what happened at the Wondrous Cloud Pavilion that day. He should have been used to it by now, so why is he so enraged this time?

The Sect Leader Kang Da thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it. He figured that occasionally indulging in righteous indignation was nothing serious.

The three dead men were all hedonistic drifters with no real wealth; all they owned together was a Storage Bag.

Its owner was a pale-faced man with a small mouth. Kang Dabao remembered that the pimp had mentioned that his surname was Wu.

The Storage Bag contained nothing of value, only a pile of low-grade spirit medicine herbs and ores, two Talisman Artifacts, three or five low-grade Spirit Stone, and a small pile of fragmented spirit particles. Even the now incredibly wealthy Sect Leader Kang Da was too lazy to count them.

Just because Sect Leader Kang Da doesn't think much of his Storage Bag doesn't mean that Sect Leader Kang Da's Storage Bag doesn't think much of him.

The long-dormant Black Bone suddenly shot out from Kang Dabao's Storage Bag, its target being the corpse of the cultivator surnamed Wu!

"This is the third time!"

It was the same familiar scene. Kang Dabao ignored the dust and debris on the ground and reached out to grab the Black Bone that was standing upright in the air.

Seeing that the Immortal Seal Script on the Black Bone was no longer the one that appeared and disappeared at first, but was now glowing with a white light, looking quite holy.

"This Black Bone is definitely someone important!" A hint of excitement flashed in the eyes of Sect Leader Kang Da. "Third time's the charm, surely we'll see some progress this time?!"

Thinking this, Kang Dabao then took the Black Bone in his hand, found a secluded cliff, and smashed the Spirit-Striking Chain hard, carving out a deep hole in a few strokes. After casually setting up a magic array, the Sect Leader Kang Da carefully picked up the Black Bone and examined it inch by inch.

A pair of bright golden pupils appeared in Kang Dabao's small eyes. After using the Clear Eyes Treasured Liquid, Kang Dabao found that the "illusion-breaking" effect of the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes finally had a more concrete manifestation.

Not only are ordinary illusions and mazes hard to hide from his eyes, but even now, when examining objects, using his golden eyes makes things much clearer.

According to the scriptures left by Patriarch Zhang, this is a manifestation that can only be achieved after cultivating the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes to the highest level. It is evident that the Clear Eyes Treasured Liquid is indeed a rare treasure, and it has a significant enhancing effect on pupil techniques.

With a solemn expression, Sect Leader Kang Da used his golden eyes to carefully scan the Black Bone from top to bottom, not even missing the dirt and grass clippings mixed in between the bones.

Even so, they still couldn't find anything, and after a short while, Sect Leader Kang Da's eyes began to feel tired.

It turned out that the Immortal Seal Script on the Black Bone only looked gentle and holy. After Kang Dabao used his Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, as time went by, in less than a quarter of an hour, his eyes began to feel burned.

Half an hour later, the Golden Light in Kang Dabao's eyes was shaken away and returned to its original color.

Not only that, but blood also began to flow from Kang Dabao's eyes, as if it were being stabbed with a knife.

Even so, Kang Dabao did not give up and continued to examine his eyes. Only after dark spots appeared in his eyes and his eyes swelled up in so much pain that he felt like he was going to gouge them out did Kang Dabao finally curse.

"Damn it, I still can't understand it!"

After examining it for almost half an hour, they still found nothing. Disappointed, Sect Leader Kang Da suddenly realized that he could no longer bear to look at it.

By this time, his eyes were so badly injured that he could barely see, and he suddenly realized that he had committed the cardinal sin of being too hasty.

Normally, such taboos in spiritual practice would rarely occur to Kang Dabao, given his generally calm and unhurried nature since he entered the Daoist path. Today, he was probably still affected by his previous experience at the Wondrous Cloud Pavilion, and his State of Mind had not yet calmed down, which led to this predicament.

After reflecting on his actions, Kang Dabao released Little Qi to protect him as he took pills to heal his injuries. After another half month, he finally felt better and returned to the Chongming Sect with a black blindfold over his eyes.

--- Green Lotus Courtyard

A robust Golden-Feathered Owl swooped down from the sky and landed steadily on the wrist of an old man wrapped in an animal skin coat. After the old man muttered a few words, the Golden-Feathered Owl chirped and cooed for a while.

Old Xiu's face showed understanding, and then he respectfully replied to Nanny Sun standing beside him, "Jia Number Six said he saw the young master with blood seeping from his eyes and returning wounded."

"How did the young master get injured again?!" Nanny Sun frowned repeatedly upon hearing this, then sighed, thinking to herself that people from small places are just more humble.

Even though he's already the eldest son-in-law of the Fei Household, he still has to fight for his life every day like those soldiers who came from the ranks. This is hardly the kind of thing a respectable person should do.

"Yu'er, tell the Alchemist across the street. Don't say anything else, just use any spirit medicine he wants, and simply say it's the young lady's wish."

As soon as Nanny Sun finished speaking, the pretty maid beside her responded softly and turned to go to the pharmacy.

"How much longer until Instructor Wang arrives?" Nanny Sun asked the old cultivator carrying the Golden-Feathered Owl. The latter gently raised his wrist, allowing the Golden-Feathered Owl to flap its wings and take flight, before respectfully replying:

"Instructor Wang just sent a letter yesterday, saying that Fifth Master still has matters to attend to and will not be able to depart until later. It's not just Instructor Wang who is having trouble making the trip; even the group of servants that Sima promised to Miss is still nowhere to be found."

Nanny Sun frowned even more deeply. Her earlier injuries had not fully healed, so she immediately came out, leaning on a spirit wood cane and coughing a few times.

During the previous hunt for the Second Tier Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, not only was Nanny Sun responsible, but almost all the guards in Green Lotus Courtyard were killed or wounded.

There's not much to say about the dead, but as for those who survived, Nanny Sun disliked them and found them unusable, so she asked Fei Shuhe to request that the master send a different team.

Fei Shuhe readily complied. Not long after sending the letter, a reply arrived from the Fei Household, this time from Fei Nanying's legal wife, Lady Han.

The letter was still warm and friendly, and it explained that the matter had been entrusted to Fei Nanying's fifth brother Fei Nanbing make arrangements. It simply said that he could rest assured that the manpower would arrive soon.

However, after a considerable amount of time had passed and there was still no news of the group setting off, Nanny Sun, the head steward who served Fei Shuhe, could no longer help but become anxious.

During dinner that evening, Nanny Sun thought about it and decided to tell Fei Shuhe about it.

"The servants are useless; they only make the young lady worry about these trivial matters."

"What makes you say that, Granny?" Fei Shuhe shook her head slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Since Uncle Wu is short-handed, let's go back home and help him out. It's been a long time since I've been back to my parents' home; I might as well complain about being poor so the adults don't forget about me."

Nanny Sun heard Fei Shuhe say this, her eyelids drooped slightly, and a hint of heartache flashed in her eyes.

"Is the 'Love-Befitting Incense' that Sister Yuyao made ready? Let's go take a look. Auntie loves this incense the most. I wonder if she's missing it after being away from Ying Prefecture for so long."

Nanny Sun naturally knew what Fei Shuhe meant by "Love-Befitting Incense".

This is a very popular luxury item among noblewomen in the capital region. It requires several rare Second Tier spiritual materials to make, and even a piece the size of a fingernail can cost at least a thousand Spirit Stone.

Some of these rare items are only found in the Capital Circuit; even with Spirit Stone, they would be hard to find in this remote place of Cloud Horn Prefecture.

The reason why Fei Shuhe and Nanny Sun went to great lengths to hunt down the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was because the heart's blood of the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was a substitute for a hard-to-find Second Tier auxiliary ingredient in the creation of "Love-Befitting Incense".

This news was told to Fei Shuhe by her only close friend in the area, Gun Yuyao; such secrets are generally unknown to ordinary people.

After much effort from everyone at Green Lotus Courtyard, and with Fei Shuhe contributing some of her dowry, the materials for making "Love-Befitting Incense" were finally prepared and handed over to Gun Yuyao.

Gun Yuyao's background is roughly the same as Fei Shuhe's; both are orphans who were raised by their clan elders after losing their fathers.

Despite the Gun Household's humble origins, Gun Yuyao is quite famous in the capital region, far more so than unremarkable Foundation Establishment True Cultivator Acting Sima Gun.

This was because she was skilled at making incense, which attracted a group of noble ladies. It is said that although she was young, her delicate incense-making skills and high level of expertise were so great that even the current empress had heard of her. As a result, she transferred Gun Yuyao to the palace and appointed her as the head lady-in- Bureau of Palace Bedchambers.

She had taken leave recently and came with a branch of the Gun Household who had migrated to Cloud Horn Prefecture to visit their cousin, Acting Sima Gun. Fei Shuhe, upon hearing the news, asked her to help make incense.

All she did was try to please her elders. Having lived under someone else's roof for so many years, Fei Shuhe was far more sensible than her Fei Household had imagined.

Traveling light and with minimal entourage, Fei Shuhe, having made up her mind, only took Nanny Sun and her personal maid with her to Xuanwei City.

After obtaining the Love-Befitting Incense from Gun Yuyao, they returned to the Fei Household residence.

When Fei Nanying in a green official robe, he saw Fei Shuhe chatting with his wife and asked with a smile, "Why are you back today?"

"Greetings, Uncle." Fei Shuhe's face immediately showed a sincere smile. Her mother had died early, and her father had disappeared while traveling in his early years. She was raised by her uncle Fei Nanying, and their relationship was like that of father and daughter.

"It's not good to return to one's parents' home without the new son-in-law," Fei Nanying said, glancing around.

"He'er rarely comes back, let's not talk about these things." Fei's wife glared at her husband with a displeased expression.

"Our Fei Household has already shown the Lord more respect than he deserves. What more could he ask for? How many other wealthy families in the world are as subservient as this? Is the Kuang Household still not satisfied?"

"A woman's virtue." Fei Nanying shook his head, remembering that his wife came from a prominent family, and said no more.

"Thank you, Auntie." Fei Shuhe smiled, her beauty so stunning that even Fei's wife was momentarily stunned. "What a wonderful girl, she deserves to marry into our Han Household."

"Have you eaten yet?" Fei Nanying asked with concern, ignoring his wife's question. "I just had lotus seed and bluefish soup with some of my sisters," Fei Shuhe replied obediently, adopting a cheerful tone.

"Yes, that's your favorite dish from Old Woman Liu at home. Take it with you when you go back."

"Thank you, Uncle. But then my aunt and her sisters won't be able to eat." Fei Shuhe covered her mouth and laughed.

"That old man, when has he ever cared about me?" Fei's wife feigned annoyance, then laughed along.

"You live a much harder life at your husband's house, don't worry about them. You eat well at home every day, you've all gotten fat." Fei Nanying waved his hand, completely ignoring the angry glare his wife gave him, and continued:

"Has Kang Dabao been busy lately?"

"According to Nanny Sun, he's been very busy these days. He has business to attend to in the county, business to attend to in the market, and he has to devote all his spare time to the sect." Fei Shuhe's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

"You only know this much information, and you had to have your mother tell you?" Fei Nanying shook his head.

"Your cultivation has made some progress, but don't forget to keep up with your State of Mind. Don't think that just because we've prepared the Foundation Establishment Pill Foundation Establishment. You must achieve Foundation Establishment no matter what, right? If you really delay, don't make your aunt and me cry our eyes out!"

These words were quite harsh, and as soon as they were spoken, Fei Shuhe's eyes reddened.

Fei's wife quickly interjected, "Alright, it's just Foundation Establishment, my He'er can do it with her eyes closed! Go away, go away, you come home and immediately give people attitude, come on, go on, I don't need Lord Sima to show off his power here, go and attend to your important military and national affairs."

Fei Nanying her harsh words and took the opportunity to leave. She called over Nanny Sun, who was standing outside the door, and went to a quiet, secluded room.

Let's talk about Kang Dabao.

"Yes." Nanny Sun seemed to have been prepared for this, and recounted the recent events one by one, from the Spirit Stone mine in Tanggu County, the blue silver mine, the Huo Household's arena, subduing the mountain cultivators, establishing prestige in the market, to the hunt for the Vermilion Toad.

Nanny Sun was quick-witted and knew that Fei Nanying had no time to listen to nonsense, so she spoke concisely and clearly for the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.

After Nanny Sun finished explaining the matter, Fei Nanying in acknowledgment. He mainly handled major affairs of the state court every day. Because the officials were paying attention to the Daoist Black Shoes, he knew a little about Kang Dabao's affairs, but it was impossible for him to know as much as Nanny Sun did.

After listening to the brief summary, Fei Nanying sighed softly, "It sounds good, but alas, what a grand display it seems, it's all just a passing cloud. Ha, without that scoundrel Black Shoes, he's still just a good-for-nothing."

Fei Nanny Sun Fei Nanying just bowed respectfully and listened. Since the former didn't speak, how could she have the right to interrupt?

"Well done. I will write to him. Your son has a bright future in the main sect of Ying Prefecture. Once he successfully completes his Foundation Establishment, I will give him a position in the Ying Mountain Army."

"Thank you, Master." Nanny Sun's cloudy eyes instantly brightened.

"When Shuhe wrote last time, she said that several guards were swallowed alive by Second Tier Vermilion Toad, and that she was so frightened that the lady couldn't sleep for several days. After you told me all this, I finally understood the whole story."

You should just guard Shuhe well; why bother going to those dangerous places? You can also pause your study of various Daoist arts, but you must focus on cultivating your State of Mind. I observe that you are still far from reaching the Foundation Establishment.

I gave Fifth Brother a good scolding yesterday. The men are all ready; you can take them all back with you this time. This girl is married now, and she's become more calculating. If she's wronged, she should just tell me honestly, like before. Why make things so difficult for her?"

Sima Fei stopped speaking halfway through his sentence.

"Yes, ma'am," Nanny Sun replied respectfully.

"Yes, do a good job. Have Shuhe and Kang Dabao pass on a message: the state court will be making a big move soon, so don't embarrass the Lord!" Fei Nanying added before waving for Nanny Sun to leave.

After Nanny Sun left and closed the door, Fei Nanying squinted his eyes and picked up an abacus to tap on it for a while.

The clattering sound suddenly stopped. Fei Nanying paused, his fingers fiddling with the abacus, and sighed softly, "Golden Leaf, what a great fortune." His tone revealed a hint of undisguised envy.

Just as Fei's wife had chased her husband away, she turned to wipe away her daughter's tears before gently comforting her:

"Don't blame your uncle, he really cares about you. He originally favored the eldest son of the Imperial Guard General, General Shu was also interested."

However, since his eldest son had served as a child collector under Zuo Zongzheng for six years, Zuo Zongzheng had been a mentor to him. Therefore, General Shu dared not make a decision on his own and said that this matter still required Zuo Zongzheng's permission.

Your uncle was almost ready to ask Ancestor Ye Shui to plead with Zuo Zongzheng, but who would have thought that you, girl, would have such bad luck, running into that scoundrel Kuang Liuting. A few days ago, word came from home that they had found that girl Wenyan, and the Ancestor had given the order to send her to be married off to one of the servants.

It's all her fault that you've suffered so much. Last time, your uncle begged the ancestor to issue an order to demote her branch of the family from a minor lineage by one rank.

If they still haven't produced Golden Core cultivator after two more cycles of sixty years, they'll be relegated to a collateral branch. At that point, they won't even be given Foundation Establishment Pill anymore, and they'll be left to fight alongside the lowly creatures in the manor for their future."

"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt, for standing up for me." Fei Shuhe felt wronged after hearing this and started to cry softly.

The Imperial Guard General, a member of the Imperial Guard, came from the Zuojiang Shu Household, which ranked very high among the prominent families of the Immortal Dynasty, far surpassing the Fei Household in terms of social standing.

In his early years, General Shu studied Daoism under the Prince of the North. After completing his studies, he was recommended by the Capital Prefecture to serve in the government. Now, he is favored by the Emperor and is in charge of six hundred Red Leaf Gentlemen to guard the palace.

The mother of his eldest son is the daughter of the current patriarch of the prestigious Yukun Han Clan, and she herself has a connection with the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

If it weren't for the fact that the eldest son's aptitude was somewhat lacking, even for a family as prestigious as the Fei Household, they might not be able to reach that level.

"Good child, this is nothing, it's just that you've suffered." Fei's wife's eyes also stung, and the two of them cried for a while. Fei Shuhe then drank two more sips of honey before leaving the inner room.

Nanny Sun was already waiting outside with her maids. When Yu'er saw Fei Shuhe come out, she quickly went to greet her and lead the way.

Green Lotus Courtyard has moved out, and now Fei Shuhe has nowhere to stay in this mansion. Since she has returned to visit her family, she can only stay temporarily in the guest rooms with her servants.

"Miss, Fifth Master said the manpower is ready, and we're just waiting to go back." Nanny Sun said, but then she saw the look of disappointment in her young mistress's eyes.

Fei's wife's passionate words still lingered in Fei Shuhe's ears, but they left no trace in her heart.

"If I were my uncle's son..." Fei Shuhe recalled the scene of Kuang Liuting stepping into the courtyard, the elders of the family cowering in silence. "If my uncle had been there then, then..." Fei Shuhe shook her head slightly, knowing that even if Fei Nanying intervened, he probably wouldn't be able to stand up to Kuang Liuting.

"But what if Uncle had brought Yaqing instead?" A hint of resentment arose in the girl's heart. "Why didn't Uncle bring Yaqing?"

"Miss," Fei Shuhe was brought back to her senses by Nanny Sun's soft call.

"It's nothing." Fei Shuhe concealed her emotions and said with a light smile, "Granny and the children should pack up. After having dinner with Uncle, we'll head back."

"Didn't Miss say this morning that she wanted to play with the other ladies for a few more days?"

"I'm done playing around. I'm going to be married eventually." Fei Shuhe sighed almost imperceptibly, and suddenly a large, fat figure with a broad face, heavy chin, and big ears came to mind.

Fei Shuhe felt a ripple in her heart and said softly, "I miss my own courtyard."

(The plot in these two chapters is a bit slow because we've just reached this point and it's hard to break off the pace. The next chapter will start to speed things up. I've calculated the number of words in parentheses; they're not included in the cost, so please don't worry.)

Thank you to Brother Miaoming Qingzhenyao for the 300 coins!

Thank you to Brother Linhai Jiutian for the six Extended Net Moon.

Thanks to Brother Nankanle for the Extended Net Moon.

Thank you to Jianv and DK Xuanzi for the Extended Net Moon.

Thanks to book friend 20200226175245564, book friend 20210307112252350, book friend 20200326173013000, book friend 170316161744022, book friend 20220620000315857, the monster pretending to be a fairy, book friend 20220424144056473, passerby Huang He, Hashimoto Evil, Big Teng Ya, book friend 20200529150317865, forbidden fifty Year, Yingzhou Xiandao Akira, book friend 20231213223933566, book friend 20170514104015635, Fengyu Villa, counterpart to study, God's filial son France 002, silence does not say much, tiger breaks the world, Han Baobao is not full, KevinHK, Heiyunke, Chi Su Cun Xin Ji Yun Ya, Book Friends 150203113109375, Eleven Inlay Moon, Book Friends 20181026134329403, This is a good name Zz brother's monthly ticket

Thank you all for reading, subscribing, voting, and commenting!