16: Chapter 16 A Fairy Descends to the Mortal World

The actions of the Wang and Li families were even faster and more ruthless than imagined.

On the very first day news spread that Fourth Ancestor Jiang Yuan had failed his Foundation Establishment, both families launched their offensive simultaneously.

The three abandoned Spiritual Veins belonging to the Jiang Family outside Jiangyuan City were occupied by people sent by the two families overnight.

Even the Low Grade abandoned Spiritual Vein that the Jiang Family had originally given to the Lin Family as a betrothal gift did not escape unscathed; it was forcibly taken over by Cultivators from the Wang Family.

When the news returned, the entire Jiang Family was filled with righteous indignation, and countless young disciples clamored to risk their lives fighting the Wang and Li families.

However, facing the joint forces of the two families and two genuine Foundation Establishment Cultivators, this righteous indignation appeared pale and powerless.

The Jiang Family council hall.

Clan Head Jiang Nan sat at the head of the table, his face ashen, the flames of rage in his eyes nearly erupting.

Beside him was Fourth Ancestor Jiang Yuan, whose aura had stabilized, yet his expression remained grave.

Young Master Jiang Chen stood below the hall, his fists clenched tight with a rattling sound, his face full of unwillingness.

"Going too far! Those two scoundrels, Ancestor Wang Gang and Clan Head Li Ziwen, really think my Jiang Family is a soft persimmon!"

Clan Head Jiang Nan slammed a palm onto the table, and the hard spiritual wood surface was instantly covered in cracks.

He suddenly looked toward the leisurely figure in the corner, took a deep breath, forced down his anger, and asked in a deep voice, "Second Brother, what is your take on this matter?"

Inside the hall, only Jiang Feng remained calm and composed.

He seemed not to feel the heavy atmosphere, slowly peeling a spiritual fruit with a small knife, his movements unhurried.

Upon hearing the question, he finally raised his head, handed the peeled spiritual fruit to the Young Master Jiang Chen beside him, and smiled faintly.

"Big Brother, calm down."

Jiang Feng's voice was not loud, but it possessed a strange power to calm hearts, allowing the furious Clan Head Jiang Nan and the agitated Young Master Jiang Chen to settle down slightly.

"First, recall all the disciples who are out," Jiang Feng said, delivering his first instruction.

"Recall them?" Clan Head Jiang Nan was stunned. "But they are still searching for you…"

"No need," Jiang Feng waved his hand. "The net has been cast long enough; it is time to haul it in. The situation outside is tense, so letting them return allows us to consolidate our strength and guard our base well."

"As for those abandoned Spiritual Veins…" A playful arc curled at the corner of Jiang Feng's mouth. "Since they want them, let them have them."

"What?!" Young Master Jiang Chen couldn't help but exclaim. "Second Master, those are our Jiang Family's assets! Are we just going to hand them over like that?"

Fourth Ancestor Jiang Yuan also frowned, looking at Jiang Feng in confusion.

Although he had now achieved a False Foundation and his combat power had greatly increased, he still had no chance of winning against two Foundation Establishment Cultivators simultaneously.

Abandoning assets to preserve strength seemed like a helpless move, but Jiang Feng's tone did not sound like he was compromising.

Jiang Feng ignored Young Master Jiang Chen's agitation, his gaze sweeping over everyone as he continued, "However, we must take back the one belonging to the Lin Family. And we must hit them hard enough to make them feel the pain and fear us."

He looked at Clan Head Jiang Nan, his eyes deep. "Big Brother, do you think the Wang Family and the Li Family are of one mind?"

Clan Head Jiang Nan fell into deep thought upon hearing this. A moment later, he shook his head. "That old fox, Clan Head Li Ziwen, is deeply scheming and will never be content to split Jiangyuan City equally with Ancestor Wang Gang. Their alliance is merely a temporary binding of interests."

"That's right," Jiang Feng snapped his fingers. "The two of them, plus our Jiang Family, form a three-legged tripod. City Lord Fang Ming is happy to see this balance. But once our Jiang Family falls, and the Wang and Li families become dominant, or even if one swallows it all, do you think City Lord Fang Ming will just sit idly by?"

A flash of brilliance crossed Fourth Ancestor Jiang Yuan's cloudy eyes; he instantly understood Jiang Feng's intention.

"Feng'er, you want to… use their strength to fight them?"

"Use?" Jiang Feng chuckled. "It can't be called using. City Lord Fang Ming just needs a pretext, a reason that allows him to legitimately beat down the Wang and Li families. The Wang and Li families have acted tyrannically over these years, and the taxes they pay to the City Lord's mansion are decreasing. City Lord Fang Ming's dissatisfaction has likely been bottled up for a long time."

"What we need to do now is not to risk our lives fighting them, but to stall for time. Our Jiang Family needs time to develop."

Jiang Feng stood up and walked to the center of the hall.

"Therefore, those few abandoned Spiritual Veins are just bones thrown to dogs; let them fight and bite over them. But the betrothal gift given to the Lin Family is the Jiang Family's face. We must earn this face back ourselves!"

"If we take the initiative to attack and retake the Lin Family's Spiritual Vein, it is not only declaring to the entire city that our Jiang Family has not fallen, but it is also handing City Lord Fang Ming an excellent opportunity to intervene!"

These words made Clan Head Jiang Nan and Fourth Ancestor Jiang Yuan suddenly enlightened, and the gloom in their eyes was swept away.

Indeed, they had been blinded by rage and only thought of fighting to the death, forgetting that in this Jiangyuan City, there was still the City Lord's mansion!

"I understand!" Clan Head Jiang Nan nodded heavily, his eyes regaining their luster. "We will do as Second Brother says!"

"Young Master Jiang Chen!" Clan Head Jiang Nan looked at Young Master Jiang Chen.

"Here!" Young Master Jiang Chen stepped forward, his expression invigorated.

"Immediately assemble the men, head to the Lin Family, and retake the Spiritual Vein for them! Remember, the bigger the commotion, the better! Let everyone in the city know that our Jiang Family is not a soft persimmon that anyone can squeeze!"

"Yes!" Young Master Jiang Chen turned and strode away, his retreating figure carrying an unstoppable Killing Intent.

Watching Young Master Jiang Chen's retreating figure, a smile played on the corner of Jiang Feng's mouth.

Ancestor Wang Gang, Clan Head Li Ziwen, do you really think my Jiang Family only has one card to play? This play has only just begun.

...

Clan Head Jiang Nan's orders were quickly conveyed, and the Jiang Family disciples scattered across the Yan Kingdom began to return one after another.

Most of them returned empty-handed; after all, it was not easy to find the former Prodigies of a family whose fortunes had declined.

However, on the second day after Young Master Jiang Chen's departure, an unexpected surprise was delivered to Jiang Feng's backyard.

The one who brought the surprise was Clan Head Jiang Nan's third daughter, Jiang Qing.

After taking the mortal shedding pill and Awakening her Gold-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots, this originally timid and cowardly girl had become much more confident and cheerful.

During this trip to gain experience, she had actually brought someone back.

A… woman.

When Jiang Qing brought this woman into the courtyard, Jiang Feng, who was sipping tea, and Su Wan, Yu Niang, and Lin Yueyao, who were standing to the side, were all stunned.

The woman was wearing a tattered, stain-covered linen garment, her figure as bloated as a bucket, and her face was even more appalling, covered in dense freckles, with a pair of glaring buck teeth. Her hair was withered, yellow, and tangled together, emitting an unpleasant odor.

She hid behind Jiang Qing, timidly surveying the courtyard, her cloudy eyes filled with vigilance and unease.

"Qing'er, who is this…" Su Wan, who had a gentle temperament, spoke first, but looking at the woman's appearance, her words were a bit hesitant.

Yu Niang covered her nose and muttered, "Qing'er, where did you find such a… beggar?"

"She is not a beggar!" Jiang Qing hurriedly defended. "I found her in a bandit den outside the city! Don't judge her by how she looks now; she… she is actually as beautiful as a Fairy!"

As beautiful as a Fairy?

Everyone looked at each other, staring at the ugly woman, and truly could not connect her with those four words.

Jiang Feng examined the woman with great interest.

He could tell that Jiang Qing was not lying; the woman's bloated figure and ugly face both exuded an unnatural sense of dissonance, more like some kind of clever disguise.

Furthermore, when his gaze swept over, although the woman appeared very frightened, deep in her eyes was a hint of scrutiny and curiosity, completely unlike the reaction a normal Mortal should have.

Interesting.

"Oh? As beautiful as a Fairy?" Jiang Feng drew out his tone, his gaze falling on Lin Yueyao.

Lin Yueyao understood immediately, and her cool, clear eyes looked at the ugly woman, a flash of icy blue light passing through them.

The next moment, she lightly raised her slender hand and waved it toward the woman from a distance.

A gentle Spiritual power swept over like a breeze.

A magical scene occurred.

The tattered linen clothes on the woman's body instantly turned into ashes, replaced by a radiant, colorful Fairy dress. Her bucket-like, bloated figure also shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming curvaceous with an exquisite, delicate silhouette.

Even more shocking was her face.

As the Spiritual power brushed past, the thick layer of disguise on her face peeled off like a painted skin, revealing her true appearance.

What an earth-shattering face it was?

Skin whiter than snow, eyebrows like distant mountains, a jade nose and cherry lips, it seemed like the most perfect masterpiece of the heavens. Especially those eyes, ethereal and clear, as if containing brilliant stars; one look at them felt as if they could pierce through the human heart, causing the sun and moon to lose their luster.

An aura that was transcendent and did not belong to the Mortal world permeated from her.

Not to mention Su Wan and Yu Niang, even Jiang Feng, who was accustomed to beauties, could not help but have his breath hitch.

Even Lin Yueyao, who had recovered the elegance of a Prodigy, seemed to be slightly inferior to this woman in front of her.

How could this be a Mortal? She was clearly an exiled Immortal who had walked down from the Nine Heavens!

"Jiang Qing, you betrayed me!"

The woman's crisp voice, laced with a hint of feigned anger, rang out. She looked down at her attire, then touched her smooth, flawless face, and stamped her foot in annoyance.

Jiang Qing was not afraid at all; instead, she giggled and ran over to hold her hand.

"Yuan Chu, I am doing this for your own good. You will definitely thank me in the future."