Whoosh!
A young man riding the Qingxuan Sword returned to the villa, cursing under his breath.
When the guard at the entrance saw him, he called out with a grin, "Yo, Li Pei, just getting back?"
"Li Pei" cursed in a low, exasperated voice. "Don't even get me started! Those three bastards vanished into thin air. I've been searching all day without finding a single trace."
Seeing his frustration, the older man at the entrance burst into laughter. "Every brother who went out today said the exact same thing when they got back. Let me see your jade slip, then hurry inside and clean yourself up."
Li Guanqi's heart gave a sudden thump. Forcing an embarrassed grin, he scratched his head. "Brother, I had the runs when I got up this morning and forgot to bring my jade slip along. How about I run in, grab it, and come right back out?"
The guard's brow instantly furrowed. Straightening from the wall he had been leaning against, he rested his left hand on his scabbard.
Fixing Li Guanqi with a chilling gaze, he said sternly, "Li Pei, we're on good terms as brothers, but you know there are rules I can't break."
Seeing his suspicion, "Li Pei" panicked. Grabbing at his cheeks with both hands, he pulled frantically at his skin, staring straight into the guard's eyes. "Do I look like one of those damned bastards to you? Tug on my face yourself and see! It's always 'big brother' this and 'big brother' that, and now you turn on me over a forgotten jade slip? And here I was thinking that once this mess blew over tomorrow, I'd treat the boys to a trip to Fengming Tower!"
The guard didn't hesitate. Reaching forward, he grabbed Li Pei's jaw and dug around his chin and cheeks for a while, finding nothing out of place.
Hearing that Li Pei meant to treat them to Fengming Tower when he had the time, the guard's expression turned slightly awkward. "Aiya, brother, aren't we all just working for the master? It's just a slip. Show it to me before your shift change later, and we'll let it slide."
Li Pei turned to walk inside, grumbling irritably, "That's more like it. Wait here, I'll go grab it!"
As Li Pei entered the grounds, quite a few people nodded to him. Passing a maidservant, he heard her call out playfully, her eyes lingering on him, "Captain Li, only just getting back? Why haven't you... visited me at night these past few days?"
As she spoke, she crossed her arms, squeezing her chest together.
Yet when Li Guanqi looked up, he took in her massive, barrel-shaped frame—a build so stout that if she were swapped with a breeding sow come the New Year, no one would be able to tell the difference.
Fighting down his nausea, Li Pei plastered a smirk onto his face. "Hasn't your brother just been worn out these past couple of days? Once I finish handling this mess, see if I don't give you a proper thrashing!"
With that, he turned and hurried away.
Swallowing his revulsion, Li Guanqi cursed inwardly, *No way... He could actually bring himself to touch that?! No wonder the fellow at the gate looked so thrilled the moment he heard Fengming Tower.*
He had merely spotted Fengming Tower on a map and casually committed it to memory. Back when he was wavering between staying in Lingchang City or the neighboring town, he had ended up memorizing all the establishments suited for tempering the heart in the mortal realm across both cities.
Who would have thought it would come in handy here?
From interrogating Li Pei, the original owner of this appearance, he had learned that they all lived together in the rear courtyard. As for the jade slip, Li Guanqi truly hadn't taken it from him...
Weaving through countless pavilions, towers, winding bridges, and running streams, he found Changfeng Villa to be remarkably sprawling. Even with the man's directions, it took him considerable effort to find the right quarters.
When he pushed the door open, he found a crowd of grown men lounging inside. Upon seeing him, they greeted him one after another.
"Brother Li, where did you run off to today? Why weren't you with us?"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi assumed a stern expression. "Piss off! Since when does where I go concern a bunch of bachelors like you?"
With that, a knowing smirk touched the corner of his mouth.
To his surprise, the men all flashed rather strange smiles of their own.
Caught off guard for a moment, Li Guanqi caught on and teased, "No way... You guys too...? Ohhh!"
Just then, a young man casually tossed a jade slip to him. "Brother Li, can you keep your jade slip on you next time? It was poking my ribs all morning."
Catching the jade slip, Li Guanqi laughed it off and turned to leave. He still needed to show it to the guard at the entrance; otherwise, exposing his identity here would do nothing good for his upcoming plans.
Sure enough, the guard was still waiting for him. Seeing him return with the jade slip, the man merely gave it a cursory glance before handing it back.
Afterward, Li Guanqi swaggered back to the quarters and lay down among the crowd of enemy cultivators.
***
In the dead of night.
Seventeen or eighteen men lay sprawled across the communal sleeping platform, every one of them a Foundation Establishment cultivator. These were the men Fang Yishan had cultivated. However, because no one in the region had dared to cross Changfeng Villa for years, this newly trained batch had grown thoroughly indolent.
This time, Young Villa Master Fang Hao had been killed, and on their own dockyard at that.
Fang Yishan was in a towering fury, venting his rage inside the main hall at this very moment!
Fang Yishan's younger brother, Fang Zhongnan, sat off to the side with an equally grim expression. Aside from them, only the clan elders were present in the hall.
Smash!
A wine flagon shattered against the floor.
Fang Yishan barked with a frigid expression, "Useless, every last one of you! A whole day has passed, and you haven't found a single clue! Incompetent fools! Tomorrow, I'll execute the lot of them!"
At this, an elder with white hair and a white beard spoke in a deep voice, "Yishan, losing your temper right now achieves nothing. You would do better to think about who those people could be."
Yet Fang Yishan snapped his head toward the elder and snarled, "Shut your mouth!"
Fang Zhongnan's brow furrowed. Taking a light sip of spirit tea, he said, "Big Brother, isn't your temper running a bit too hot? That is my father, your second uncle by blood. You should show some respect when you speak."
Fang Zhongnan had refined features and straight, handsome lines; his smile was mild and entirely unthreatening. In contrast, Fang Yishan wore a fierce countenance, with prominent cheekbones, an aquiline nose, and a lean frame.
Dressed in dark blue-green robes, Fang Yishan kept his head lowered, his venomous gaze fixing upon Fang Zhongnan. "Second Brother, you had better pray this matter has nothing to do with you."
Turning toward the silent elder, he whispered, "Otherwise... I will peel the skin right off you!"
Fang Zhongnan smiled and held up his hands, slowly rising to walk out of the hall. His unhurried voice drifted back:
"You know full well what business you've been engaged in lately. Perhaps someone simply came knocking for retribution?"
Fang Yishan narrowed his eyes and sneered. "With just two novices newly entered into the Core Formation realm? If that's truly the case, they look down far too much on me, Fang Yishan."
Fang Zhongnan shook his head with a quiet chuckle, then pushed open the doors and departed.
***
Snort, wheeze! Hooo—snort—
Lying on the communal bed, Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes to the rising and falling chorus of snores. Tiptoeing out of bed, he had just eased the door halfway open when a whisper behind him gave him a start.
"Brother Li... where are you going?"
Li Guanqi glanced back and saw that it was the young man who had tossed him the jade slip earlier.
Grunting irritably, Li Guanqi replied, "To take a piss!"
"Wait up, let's go together. I need to go too."
The young man threw on an outer robe, scrambled out of bed briskly, and came up beside him. Seeing no way out of it, Li Guanqi simply went along to relieve himself, letting the fellow lead the way.
Along the path, Li Guanqi observed numerous patrol squads crisscrossing the grounds. Just from what he had seen, he calculated that there were easily fifty or sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators!
This force was not to be underestimated.
Soon, the two arrived at the latrines. Through a window, Li Guanqi caught sight of a brightly lit courtyard compound.
As the sound of trickling water filled the air, the young man muttered, "How come Second Master isn't asleep yet? He usually turns in quite early."
Li Guanqi's heart gave a sudden leap.
*Second Master? Fang Yishan's younger brother?*
Chapter 212