56: Chapter 56 The He family's face is displayed on the city wall.

The next morning.

West of Huoyang Commandery, at the Black Stone Plaza.

Just as the sky began to brighten, a scream tore through the tranquility of the area.

"Dead... dead body!"

The crowd became restless, and everyone looked toward the flagpole in the center of the plaza.

At the top of the flagpole, a corpse hung by a rope, swaying in the wind. In the morning light, the face, twisted in terror, was exceptionally clear.

"It's... it's Old Third He of the He Family!" A veteran Loose Cultivator who had spent years loitering in the west of the city rubbed his eyes, his voice trembling.

Old Third He.

Patriarch He Wanshan's third younger brother, a Cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, a character who had always walked sideways in the west of the city.

Just like that, he had been treated like cured meat and hung in the most conspicuous place in the west of the city.

The Black Stone Plaza was silent for a moment, then buzzing discussions erupted.

"It must be that only Qixia Alchemy Pavilion has the strength and the guts for this."

"Good heavens, Qixia Alchemy Pavilion is really going to fight the He Family to the bitter end!"

"It's more than just a fight; they've peeled off the He Family's face and hung it on the city walls for everyone to see!"

Captain Zhao Du, the one-armed swordsman, stood on the periphery of the crowd, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white.

He didn't laugh, nor did he speak; he just stared fixedly at the corpse on the flagpole, his Adam's apple bobbing.

How many years had it been?

The Loose Cultivators of the west city had been exploited and harvested by the four great Families, living lives worse than livestock. Who dared to resist? The price of resistance was having one's corpse thrown into the Black Mountain Range to feed the Yao Beasts the next day.

Now, finally, someone had stood up and, in the most direct way possible, delivered a resounding slap to the He Family's face.

Captain Zhao Du released the hilt and turned to walk in the direction of Qixia Alchemy Pavilion.

Behind him, someone shouted out.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go buy Medicinal Pills at Qixia Alchemy Pavilion! Even if I go broke today, I'm going to support this new boss!"

This actually drew cheers from countless people.

They swarmed toward Qixia Alchemy Pavilion, not just for the cheap High Grade Medicinal Pills, but because they were holding their breath, eager to finally hold their heads high.

The He Family mansion.

"Bastards!"

Patriarch He Wanshan kicked over the rosewood table in front of him, spilling fine spiritual tea all over the floor.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently.

The two men he had sent out last night hadn't returned, and he knew something was wrong. But he hadn't expected that after killing them, the other party would dare to hang the corpses in the Black Stone Plaza for all to see.

This was a declaration to the entire Huoyang Commandery: The He Family was nothing special.

"Patriarch, what should we do now? Rumors are spreading like wildfire outside, saying that our He Family has kicked an iron plate..." A steward knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to lift his head.

"An iron plate?"

Patriarch He Wanshan laughed out of extreme rage, his laughter sounding chilling.

"To be able to silently eliminate the second and third brothers overnight, there must be a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage sitting in Qixia Alchemy Pavilion."

Although he was furious, his mind was still racing.

On the surface, the He Family only had him at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. The Old Ancestor was indeed an expert at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, but he had been in seclusion for years, attempting to break through to the Golden Core stage, and ignored all the clan's mundane affairs. He didn't have the guts to disturb the Old Ancestor for a matter like this.

After a moment of silence, Patriarch He Wanshan gritted his teeth and made the decision he least wanted to make.

"Send someone to the Qin Family. Tell them that I, Patriarch He Wanshan, am willing to offer thirty percent of the Medicinal Pill profits to ask for their assistance."

Thirty percent of the Medicinal Pill profits.

The steward below gasped; that was an astronomical sum.

However, half an hour later, the person sent returned, looking disheartened.

"Patriarch... the Qin Family said..."

"What did they say?"

The steward swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

"The Qin Family only said one sentence: 'Tell Patriarch He to weigh for himself whether the person standing behind Qixia Alchemy Pavilion is worth thirty percent of the Medicinal Pill profits.'"

Patriarch He Wanshan's body stiffened.

This wasn't a refusal; it was worse than a refusal.

The Qin Family had already investigated the background of Qixia Alchemy Pavilion, and the results of that investigation had led the Qin Family to choose to stand by and watch.

The hall was deathly silent.

Patriarch He Wanshan slowly sat back in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Three days later.

A carriage from Jiangyuan City slowly drove into Huoyang Commandery.

Jiang Feng stood at the gate of the courtyard, waiting personally.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a delicate young girl poked her head out. Seeing Jiang Feng, her eyes lit up, and she called out timidly, "Second Uncle!"

It was Jiang Qing.

Behind her followed over a dozen Jiang Family youths, their expressions a mix of nervousness and curiosity.

Jiang Feng nodded, his gaze falling on Jiang Qing, looking quite satisfied.

Yao Shifei walked out from the courtyard, still wearing her veil, her cold gaze sweeping over the dozen or so youths one by one.

In the end, she only kept three people.

Jiang Qing, and two other youths of thirteen or fourteen years of age.

"Gold-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots. Not bad, a good seedling for Alchemy."

Yao Shifei's gaze lingered on Jiang Qing; it was rare for her to give such an evaluation.

Jiang Feng was not surprised by this result; Alchemy required talent and Opportunity, and being able to pick three was already quite good.

Just as he was preparing to arrange accommodation for everyone, he raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing a familiar and profound aura.

Jiang Feng went out to greet them personally.

At the courtyard gate, an old man wearing a grey robe with a rustic, ancient face was observing the west of Huoyang Commandery.

Ancestor Jiang Xuan of the Jiang Family.

"Ancestor, why have you come?" Jiang Feng was somewhat surprised.

Ancestor Jiang Xuan didn't answer immediately; his gaze swept over the large courtyard located in this place of mixed social classes, and he frowned.

"Jiang Nan is worried about you. He nags in my ear every day, saying that you are alone in an unfamiliar place and easily taken advantage of."

Ancestor Jiang Xuan's tone was somewhat helpless; he paused, then added another sentence.

"Besides, some people who shouldn't be in Jiangyuan City have arrived recently."

Jiang Feng's eyes flickered.

"What kind of people?"

"Secret agents. Their methods are sophisticated; they aren't at the level of those families in Jiangyuan City." Ancestor Jiang Xuan's voice was calm. "Before I came, I had already cleared out two, and there are a few more who haven't shown themselves yet."

Jiang Feng was silent for a moment, his mind racing.

Secret agents... not local forces from Jiangyuan City... Huoyang Commandery. The Qin Family.

He quickly suppressed his deductions, put a smile back on his face, stepped forward, and supported Ancestor Jiang Xuan.

"Ancestor, how could that small pond of Jiangyuan City contain a true Dragon like you?"

Ancestor Jiang Xuan glanced at him, snorted through his nose, shook off his hand, and walked into the courtyard on his own.

At the same moment.

The periphery of the Black Mountain Range.

Pfft!

Young Master Jiang Chen thrust his sword through the left flank of a Wind-Chasing Leopard, and the Yao Beast collapsed to the ground, wailing.

"Brother Ding, you guy, your eyes are sharper than a hawk's." Young Master Jiang Chen retracted his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Beside him, the scholar in green, Ding Baiyi, smiled faintly, squatted down, and skillfully began to strip the Materials from the Yao Beast.

"Brother Jiang's sword is fast; I just happened to look a bit more carefully."

Over the past few days, the two had been ordered to hunt Yao Beasts together, their coordination becoming increasingly tacit—one advancing with courage, the other planning with composure.

Young Master Jiang Chen looked at Ding Baiyi's calm, unruffled face, recalling what Second Master had said.

"Hone him, and he will be a fine blade."

Looking at him now, Second Master's eye for talent was truly vicious.