22: The two Xuanming elders suddenly appeared as the killer from the Blood Cloud Hall

The crimson sun blazed, and the sky was clear!

In front of the City Lord's Mansion, carriages and horses were like dragons, and guests came and went in an endless stream.

Big red lanterns hung high, and colorful ribbons fluttered, showing a festive atmosphere.

In the outer alley, soldiers maintained order. After Xu Qing placed the Marquis Grade Spirit Gathering Array in the barracks and supplemented it with Medicinal Pills, these soldiers all improved. Although the improvement wasn't significant, it was still a force that couldn't be ignored!

In front of the mansion gate, the members of the Xu Family were all in high spirits, greeting every guest with smiling faces.

Inside the inner courtyard of the mansion, drums and music filled the air, and singing and dancing were in full swing. Visiting guests either chatted and laughed or bowed to each other, creating an exceptionally lively scene. The tables were laden with delicacies, and the fragrance of fine wine permeated the air.

The three protagonists of today glowed with radiance, receiving blessings from the guests.

"City Lord, I heard long ago that you were intelligent in your youth. Seeing you today, you truly are a man of outstanding talent and extraordinary bearing! Du Hu is impressed. If my Profound Tiger Mercenary Group is ever needed in the future, just say the word!"

Du Hu approached Xu Qing with a wine cup!

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Chief Du, you flatter me; Xu Qing is ashamed! I've heard my father speak of your deeds since childhood and have always admired them! If I didn't have Family matters, I would indeed want to be like Chief Du, hunting Yao Beasts and living a carefree life!"

"The City Lord is a pillar of the Dynasty and cannot be like rough men such as us, constantly living on the edge of a knife!" Du Hu hastily replied!

The two sides complimented each other.

After Du Hu, the Yang Family, Huang Family, Giant Sword Sect, and other Bronze-tier forces also chatted with Xu Qing for a few moments.

Afterward, other smaller forces came forward one after another to toast, expressing their respect for the Xu Family. For these forces, Xu Qing did not put on airs but conversed with everyone for a few moments.

Although he was young, Xu Qing's demeanor and ease quickly gained the unanimous approval of the leaders of the various forces!

Laughter, blessings, and music intertwined, forming a joyful and harmonious picture.

"This Young Lord of the Xu Family truly possesses an extraordinary temperament. If nothing unexpected happens, such a person will definitely allow the Xu Family to surpass its past!" In a secluded seat, an old man in white stroked his beard and said!

"No matter how extraordinary, his Aptitude is limited. In this remote place, it might be fine, but once he reaches the Royal City or even the Central Region, he will ultimately find it difficult to achieve great things!"

An old man in black, who resembled him, shook his head.

The old man in white heard this and said nothing; the truth was as such. It was ultimately unlikely for Xu Qing to achieve too much.

"Big Brother, you and I have been in this Southern Region for three years, but we have yet to find an Opportunity. Is that Xuanji old man deceiving us two brothers?" The old man in black frowned and asked!

"Silence!" The old man in white's expression changed, and he quickly rebuked him!

"What kind of person is the Xuanji Elder, and what kind of place does his Heavens Secret Pavilion come from? Be careful of speaking carelessly! Moreover, the Xuanji Elder's divination is considered the best in the Ming Domain. Since he said there is an Opportunity for us in the Southern Region, he won't be wrong!"

"After hundreds of years without a Breakthrough, what's another three years? Just keep searching!"

The old man in black dared not say more. Although he had lived for over eight hundred years, he still lacked confidence when facing his elder brother!

Unbeknownst to them, their every move was noticed by Xu Qing!

The moment the two arrived, Xu Qing received a task from the System!

"Ding! Detecting the arrival of Profound Darkness Two Elders from the Ming Domain. Due to their extraordinary fate, a Family task has been triggered: Recruit the two to be Family venerables. Reward: Top-tier Saint Monarch Cultivation Technique, Mystic Dark Grand Art; Reward: One bottle of King Conferring Pill; Reward: All Family members' Aptitude will be elevated by one major grade; Reward: One mysterious gift package!"

Upon seeing this reward, Xu Qing was exceptionally excited!

Never mind the King Conferring Pill, but improving the Aptitude of Family members was incredible!

This meant that a Family member with Profound Grade Low-tier Aptitude would soon possess Spirit Grade Low-tier Aptitude. For a Family, this would be an extremely far-reaching reward!

Currently, with numerous external Legacies such as Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills, the Xu Family no longer belonged to a King-tier force, but there was still a gap in the Legacy of its Family members!

However, with this reward, the Xu Family's last missing Legacy was made complete!

Furthermore, there was the Mystic Dark Grand Art, a Saint Monarch-level Cultivation Technique, which was a Legacy Cultivation Technique only possessed by powerful Holy Lands. The term 'Xuanming' refers to the water god, and since the two possessed the Profound Water Physique, this Cultivation Technique was specifically provided for them!

If any future generations within the Family awakened a water-attributed Physique, they could certainly Cultivate this Mystic Dark Grand Art!

What's more, there was also a mysterious gift package. The previous novice gift package had given Xu Qing a surprise, and now he wondered what kind of surprise this mysterious gift package would hold!

And for the System to give such a reward, it was all because of the extraordinary fate of the two!

"Name: Duan Xuan"

"Age: Eight hundred twenty-seven"

"Identity: Loose Cultivator, Advanced Talisman Great Grandmaster!"

"Cultivation: Marquis Realm Peak"

"Aptitude: Marquis Grade High-tier"

"Physique: Profound Water Physique"

"Concept: One-tenth Profound Water Concept"

"Fortune-enhancing Fate: If he becomes a Family venerable, he can increase the Family's Luck and enhance the good fortune of Family members! (Fate is Sealed, can be unsealed by the heaven and earth fortune cauldron)"

"Luck: Red (Originally Blue)"

"A famous Talisman Great Grandmaster in the Ming Domain's Central Region. Three years ago, to seek an Opportunity for Breakthrough, he visited the Xuanji Elder of the Ming Domain and learned that there was an Opportunity in the Southern Region. Thus, he came to the Southern Region for three years and, by a twist of fate, arrived in Xu City. Seeing the host hold a banquet, he felt something and therefore disguised himself as a guest to enter the mansion!"

"After becoming a venerable, he can be invested in, triggering at least a thousand-fold return!"

... "Name: Duan Ming"

"Age: Eight hundred twenty-seven"

"Identity: Loose Cultivator!"

"Cultivation: Marquis Realm Peak"

"Aptitude: Marquis Grade High-tier"

"Physique: Profound Water Physique"

"Concept: One-tenth Profound Water Concept"

"Fate: Fortune-damaging Fate. If he is an enemy, the enemy's good fortune will be weakened. If he becomes a Family venerable, he can increase the Family's Luck and reduce the misfortune of Family members! (Fate is Sealed, can be unsealed by the heaven and earth fortune cauldron)"

"Luck: Red (Originally Blue)"

"A famous Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster in the Ming Domain's Central Region. Three years ago, to seek an Opportunity for Breakthrough, he visited the Xuanji Elder of the Ming Domain and learned that there was an Opportunity in the Southern Region. Thus, he came to the Southern Region for three years and, by a twist of fate, snuck into the mansion with his brother!"

"After becoming a venerable, he can be invested in, triggering at least a thousand-fold return!"

Seeing the fate of the two, Xu Qing was reminded of the fortune-enhancing and fortune-damaging gods from his previous life. No wonder these two had red Luck.

It could be said that red Luck was the highest color of Luck he had seen so far, besides his own. For example, Wang Yan was hailed as a child of Luck in the Ming Domain, but her Luck was only blue!

However, the System would not be wrong, which meant that Wang Yan's Luck would still improve!

Just as Xu Qing was secretly observing the two, in a certain corner, a Qing Si Workshop errand boy was also observing Xu Qing!

"This is the Young Lord of the Xu Family. He seems to have more Aura than those Young Lords of Sects, but he's a short-lived ghost!" A sneer appeared at the corner of the errand boy's mouth!

"Hey, Wang Laosan, serve the dishes! What are you smirking about? If you anger these adults, ten lives wouldn't be enough to compensate!"

Just then, a Qing Si Workshop manager reprimanded him!

A murderous intent flashed in the errand boy's eyes, but he quickly put on a smiling face!

On the other side, as Xu Qing was observing Profound Darkness Two Elders, the System's voice came again!

"Ding! Detecting Blood Cloud Hall assassins arriving, intending to exterminate the Xu Family. A Family defense mission has been triggered! Eliminate all Blood Cloud Hall assassins and uncover the source of the crisis. Reward: One top-tier Venerable Grade Family Protecting Grand Array, and the Family's Spirit of Luck will increase by one chi!"

Seeing this mission, Xu Qing's eyes turned cold. He immediately thought of the Chen and Su Families!

Blood Cloud Hall was a Gold-tier force in the Southern Region, a notorious assassin organization, and its Legacy even surpassed King-tier forces. All they lacked was a King Realm expert!

And this organization had always adhered to the principle of taking money to eliminate trouble for others!

If no one had sought out Blood Cloud Hall, they would not have actively come knocking!

The System's scan quickly enveloped the entire City Lord's Mansion. Soon, Xu Qing saw more than a dozen assassins belonging to Blood Cloud Hall: one Yuan Ling Realm, five Yuanhai Realm, two of whom were at the Yuanhai Realm Peak, and the remaining assassins were all at the Zhenyuan Realm Peak!

If the Xu Family truly only had its superficial strength, this force from Blood Cloud Hall would be enough to annihilate the entire Xu Family and all the forces present!

These assassins either disguised themselves as attendants of invited families or as Qing Si Workshop errand boys, each integrating well into their respective roles!

If Xu Qing hadn't been cheating, under a sudden attack, many people in the City Lord's Mansion today would have been killed!

"Truly damnable! This time, I will definitely wipe out both of your Families! And Blood Cloud Hall, since you dared to come after the Xu Family, there's no need for you to exist anymore!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes!

These people are truly courting death; let them taste the power of a King Array!