358: Don't mess with the Ninth Mountain General (4K monthly ticket required)

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

Qingshan County, Qingshan Inn. Outside the inn, snow fluttered like willow catkins, decorating the upturned eaves and adding a touch of ancient charm.

From a room on the fifth floor, several muffled thuds echoed.

Then, a groan.

On the bed in the room, a woman let out a muffled groan, then spat out a mouthful of clotted blood. She panted heavily, the crimson at the corners of her mouth, combined with her disheveled hair, showing her disarray.

After a few breaths, the woman seemed to recover. She tightly gripped a large hand that had been withdrawn beside her, lifted her head, her narrow eyes showing an extra half-inch of white, filled with terror and resentment. She trembled all over, her voice urgent and sharp:

“Father, you must avenge your daughter!”

Following her gaze, her father, Fang Tangjing, who had been treating Fang Mingyue’s injuries at the edge of the bed, shook his arm, stood up, and looked down with a gloomy gaze, reprimanding her in a low voice:

“Silence! Do you really think he wouldn’t dare to kill you?”

“How did I teach you in the past? Hatred without ability is just the mad rage of the incompetent. Keep it in your heart, act on it. I’ve taught you for so many years, and you haven’t made any progress.”

“Look at you, blinded by anger, what have you become?”

Fang Tangjing’s tone carried a chilling indifference.

Fang Mingyue was thrown aside. Seeing her father’s anger, which even made him seem somewhat unfamiliar, she, who had been on the verge of a mental breakdown after being trampled underfoot by Chen Yuan in front of everyone, was now stabbed by her own father, and immediately became hysterical.

“Am I supposed to be like Father, just because of fear, watching your daughter be trampled by that damned Zhonglang General?”

She blurted out her true feelings, completely losing control.

The next second, “Smack!” A crisp and forceful sound rang out.

Fang Mingyue covered her cheek in disbelief, looking at her father, who stared at her with shock and anger. Her anger-clouded mind gradually returned to reason, and her eyes became somewhat panicked.

She knew that her father had always wanted a son to inherit the family business, but he was fated not to have one, so he reluctantly raised her. Yet, she could never truly gain her father’s approval.

But if she lost her father’s protection, everything would be gone, so she became panicked.

“Father, your daughter knows her mistake. Everything your daughter said just now was nonsense.”

She quickly admitted her mistake, lowering her head.

Fang Tangjing looked at her coldly, the anger in his eyes gradually receding. He flicked his sleeve, snorted, and put his hands behind his back.

“Everything will be discussed after the Old Ancestor arrives. Even if that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General is incredibly powerful, the Old Ancestor will make this Chen fellow give the Fang Family an explanation!”

As Fang Tangjing spoke the latter part, his tone was filled with gnashing teeth.

Was he not angry? The humiliation just now made him lose all Face in front of his own family, even the younger generation. He wished he could kill Chen Yuan, but after several attempts, he knew he was no match. He knew continuing would only bring further humiliation.

“Everything according to Father’s wishes!”

Fang Mingyue replied in a low, muffled voice.

The air in the room fell silent for a moment.

But not long after, faint footsteps echoed from the adjacent stairwell. They were not from martial artists, just a few ordinary people.

Fang Tangjing, with ears that heard in all directions, flicked his sleeve. The door of the room opened without wind, and then he vanished from the room in a flash, reappearing at the stairwell.

At this moment, at the stairwell, four inn servants in green clothes were carrying trays filled with preserved fruits, pastries, and hot tea, heading to the sixth floor. Seeing a figure suddenly appear, they were startled, and their trays almost wobbled and fell.

Then, the servants, somewhat terrified, dared not offend in the slightest, and quickly bowed their heads in greeting,

“Sir.”

“What are you doing?” Fang Tangjing frowned and asked. The sixth floor was the Old Ancestor’s domain; without orders, even they could not go up casually.

“Replying to Sir, the gentleman on the sixth floor and the innkeeper instructed us to prepare some pastries, tea, and wine, saying they were entertaining guests.” The servant who was being stared at quickly replied, fearing he would answer too late.

As inn servants, they knew these were powerful figures not to be trifled with. They heard that on the first day they arrived, one of them was killed by the other party for making a mistake. They personally saw the innkeeper carry their companion’s body down, which scared them so much they wanted to quit. However, they were reprimanded by the innkeeper, saying that if they left and leaked the news, they would incur the wrath of these powerful figures. So, everyone could only brace themselves and carefully stay here to serve.

Upon hearing this, Fang Tangjing raised an eyebrow. The Old Ancestor was back? And there were guests?

Then he frowned. The Old Ancestor’s return should have been after receiving news, so why didn’t he summon them for questioning?

“You may go!” He waved his hand.

Meanwhile, on the sixth floor of the inn, in a spacious room, the door opened, and several servants brought in the pastries on trays.

“You may leave.”

The brawny man in black, clad in tight-fitting clothes, who was guarding behind a screen, had the servants place the pastries on a table, then dismissed them. He then personally picked up a tray and walked behind the screen.

Behind the screen, four figures sat on the floor around a low table.

It was none other than the Fang Family Old Ancestor, and the Yan Land Three Heroes who had followed him!

Jade Unicorn Jin Yushan, Hushan Hu Huyan Qing, and Mad Saber Yuwen Guang.

Hushan Hu was the bearded man, and Mad Saber Yuwen Guang was the swordsman who had stopped Chen Yuan outside Tianxiong Pass.

“The three of you don’t need to be restrained. Since you were willing to follow and give this old man Face, this old man will naturally not make things difficult for you.”

“Hehe, if your Taisui Lord knew that this old man was bullying the young, he would surely tear apart this old skeleton of mine.”

At this moment, the Fang Family Old Ancestor, sitting at the head, raised his hand, gesturing for the three to drink tea, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening.

The Yan Land Three Heroes from Tai Sui Mountain saw that the Fang Family Old Ancestor seemed to be relenting, but they showed no sign of joy. Old foxes are shrewd; the other party had the same goal as them, so there must be more to say.

Indeed, the Fang Family Old Ancestor narrowed his small eyes, and his throat, like a broken bellows, let out a cough: “Since everyone’s goals are consistent, let’s search for that ship together. I suppose you also know what that ship represents. Things left by a Dragon Tiger expert are bound to be fraught with danger. Even a Martial Treasury might not be safe. Do you understand this old man’s meaning?”

As he spoke, his small eyes twinkled with a shrewd glint as he scrutinized the three.

Upon hearing this, the three inwardly cursed. This old fellow spoke with such high-sounding words, yet he still didn’t want to hand over the person.

However, the old fellow was right about one thing: that ship was suspected to be a place of Opportunity after a Dragon Tiger’s demise. Opportunity came with danger, which they couldn’t predict. They hadn’t thought about it before because it was just a rumor, and they came to try their luck and verify it. It turned out that their subordinates had indeed found clues. Now, the Fang Family Old Ancestor’s involvement further corroborated the authenticity of the news.

The three exchanged glances, secretly communicating through sound transmission.

“This old fellow wants to freeload. How outrageous!” The bearded man, known as Hushan Hu, snorted angrily.

“But the person is currently in his hands, and this old monster is from the same generation as the Old Village Master. His strength is unfathomable, likely a Half-step Dragon Tiger Realm.” Mad Saber Yuwen Guang said cautiously, meaning that the three of them couldn’t defeat him, and the person searching for the ship had also been abducted by the other party.

“Hmph, who knows if it’s true or false?” The bearded man was still angry inside.

“This matter is too sudden. My bringing the two of you here was also a spur-of-the-moment decision; I didn’t expect this to be true. This matter still needs to be discussed. Let’s deal with this Fang Family Old Ancestor for now.” Jade Unicorn Jin Yushan’s voice was steady as he made the decision.

This Jade Qilin was a meticulous and observant person. During the sound transmission, he noticed that the attendant standing beside the Fang Family Old Ancestor seemed to be hesitating to speak. He used this to change the subject.

“This matter is of no small consequence; we need to deliberate at length. I see that the person beside Senior seems to have something to say to Senior. Senior rushed back just now, so I assume there’s something important. Should we perhaps excuse ourselves first?”

Jade Unicorn Jin Yushan’s voice was calm, then his eyebrows raised, and his gaze swept towards the brawny man in black, clad in tight-fitting clothes.

The Fang Family Old Ancestor heard this and glanced at the brawny man standing beside him with his cloudy eyes. The attendant’s Face immediately changed. He knew the Old Ancestor’s temperament. The Old Ancestor seemed to be discussing important matters concerning that item, and his expression management was not up to par, disturbing the Old Ancestor’s discussion. For a moment, he felt somewhat panicked.

“It’s fine!”

“It’s just an uninvited guest who came to see this old man and caused a scene here. Let that person wait for a bit!” The Fang Family Old Ancestor was expressionless, but his voice was somewhat cold.

“Oh?” This piqued Jin Yu Mountain’s curiosity a little, but before he could reply, he heard a muffled voice from outside the room.

“Tangjing requests to see Old Ancestor!”

The voice entered the room and reached the ears of the Fang Family Old Ancestor, causing the seemingly frail old man to frown slightly.

“Come in!”

As soon as he spoke, the door opened without wind, and Fang Tangjing, the head of the Fang Family’s main branch, walked in. Behind him, there was another figure.

As soon as this figure entered the room, she slid down with a thud, kneeling on the ground, and with a crying voice,

“Please, Old Ancestor, seek justice for me!”

Saying this, she kowtowed to the ground, sobbing.

It was none other than Fang Mingyue, with bruises on her Face.

The Yan Land Three Heroes behind the screen, seeing this “posture,” were somewhat puzzled. They looked at the Fang Family Old Ancestor with questioning gazes, wondering if they should excuse themselves.

The Fang Family Old Ancestor coughed, shook his head, and a gloomy glint flickered in his cloudy small eyes,

“Cough, cough.”

“It’s fine!”

“A family scandal. Someone came to our door and all she can do is cry and complain to this old man. It’s making the three of you laugh.”

Jin Yu Mountain and the other two thought of the uninvited guest the Fang Family Old Ancestor had just mentioned being at the inn, and their expressions became a little strange for a moment.

“In this remote small county, who would dare to attack Senior here?” Jin Yu Mountain raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

“It’s fine to say it. If the three of you come to Shu Land, you’ll definitely have dealings with this person in the future. If you want to find that ship, this person might be a problem!” The Fang Family Old Ancestor spoke faintly, and as he did, he seemed to find Fang Mingyue’s crying a bit noisy. A hint of impatience flashed across his aged Face,

“Stop wailing!”

“This old man already knows what happened. A group of people were made to look like fools, and you still have the nerve to wail here. You two go down first and let that person come up. This old man will meet this famous Zhonglang General!”

But Fang Mingyue raised her bruised Face, tears glistening in her eyes, and put on a tearful act, “Old Ancestor, that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General is too much of a bully...”

She accused him with tears streaming down her Face.

It was at this moment, behind the screen, the Yan Land Three Heroes from Tai Sui Mountain, who had been sitting there leisurely “eating melons,” suddenly changed their expressions as if a keyword had been triggered.

What?

Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General?

How did he appear here?

And their expressions, whether a frown or a look of surprise, naturally did not escape the eyes of the Fang Family Old Ancestor beside them.

Seeing this, the Old Ancestor leisurely said:

“It seems the three of you also know this Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General. Yes, this person is very famous in Shu Land, and recently, he has encountered some matters that have caused a stir. Do you know that the imperial court dispatched a Town Demon Envoy? Hehe, everyone in Shu Land thought this person would become the local Town Demon Envoy.”

This old fellow seemed to want to pull the three from Tai Sui Mountain into a unified front for finding the ship. He started talking about Chen Yuan’s background, saying a bit too much, and his tone seemed to disapprove of the Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General.

Jin Yu Mountain and the other two listened. This was news they already knew, and their expressions became a little strange, as if by prior agreement.

Clearly, the news of the great battle at Tianxiong Pass had not yet reached this remote small county town, and this Fang Family Old Ancestor was still unaware.

In the great battle at Tianxiong Pass, this Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General had charged through the 150,000 imperial army, defeated three Martial Treasuries, fought a Town Demon Envoy, and even led people to directly resist a Dragon Tiger projection.

Moreover, there was another crucial point: he was personally taken care of by the local Zhenmo General.

For a moment, the three exchanged glances. For some inexplicable reason, they wanted this old, arrogant fellow to suffer a bit, so they decided not to tell the Fang Family Old Ancestor this news.

But Jade Unicorn Jin Yushan’s mind raced, thinking comprehensively. This Fang Family Old Ancestor’s Divine Ability was unfathomable, a Half-step Dragon Tiger Realm. The Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General was even more of a formidable character; the battle at Tianxiong Pass was still vivid in their minds. If the two truly fought, no matter the outcome, the three of them would be resented by both sides and would not fare well.

Their presence here now was equivalent to being dragged into this “unwarranted disaster.”

“Senior!”

“Wait!”

Jin Yu Mountain suddenly stood up and spoke to stop him, his expression solemn.

Fang Shiqing saw this, and the wrinkles on his Face piled up, his cloudy eyes flashing with a sharp glint.

“Nephew Jin, do you have something to say?” The Fang Family Old Ancestor looked thoughtful.

Jin Yu Mountain’s expression was serious, “Senior might not know that a major event happened at Tianxiong Pass the other day.”

“One hundred and fifty thousand imperial troops arrived at Tianxiong Pass the other day. Do you know that this Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General personally went to Tianxiong Pass, led the two Pass armies into the imperial army, single-handedly defeated three Martial Treasuries, fought against the imperial Town Demon Envoy who had stepped into the threshold of creation, and finally, when a Dragon Tiger projection descended, he even led people to resist it!”

“I have one piece of advice!”

“Always prioritize peace. Do not provoke this Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the Fang Family Old Ancestor’s expression changed. (End of Chapter)