72: Jia Yuanwai

[Fifteen minutes later, the five Great Grandmasters—Xiao Tianci, Cold Dustless, Cheng Wenbo, Fang Yanbo, and Yue Tianxiong—stand in the courtyard looking at you.]

[From their eyes, you can see a hint of defiance.]

[You speak indifferently: "I will give you one chance. Attack me all at once."]

[Yue Tianxiong smiles: "Are you serious?"]

["This is the only chance you will ever have to attack me; after this, it would mean death," you say in a calm tone.]

[The five exchange glances and immediately disperse, then strike simultaneously—]

[Yue Tianxiong throws a punch, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as it tears through the air: "Heaven Shaking Art, Ninth Form—Nine Peaks Collapse!"]

[Xiao Tianci activates the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, his entire body radiating golden light as he bellows: "Formless Divine Art, Ninth Form—Ten Thousand Phenomena Returning to Emptiness!"]

[Cold Dustless thrusts out a finger like a beam of aurora that could pierce the sun and moon: "Nine Yang Finger Technique, Ninth Form—Radiant Sun Burning the Heavens!"]

[Cheng Wenbo condenses a longsword of True Essence surrounded by lightning, appearing as if it could slay anything: "Thunderclap Sword—Heavenly Thunder of Ten Thousand Silences!"]

[A monstrous tide of poison surges from Fang Yanbo's sleeves, manifesting into a skeletal ghost hand as it strikes: "Ultimate Form of the Thousand Poison Palm—Yellow Springs Guide!"]

[Five Great Grandmasters attacking at once would likely cause even a typical expert of the Heavenly Human Realm to be wary.]

[If it were an ordinary Great Grandmaster, they would either die upon contact, be blasted into a bloody mist, or be torn to shreds.]

[However, you merely give a contemptuous smile and shout in a low voice: "Body Manifests Myriad Forms."]

[In an instant, the courtyard is filled with hundreds of your Clones, all simultaneously executing the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist. The sounds of tiger roars and dragon cries echo throughout the courtyard—]

["Bang! Bang! Bang!... "]

[Amidst the booming sounds, the five Great Grandmasters are instantly sent flying, rolling repeatedly across the ground.]

[This scene happened far too quickly, so fast that it was a blur to the eyes.]

[Fragrant Lord Qiao, who was watching the show from a distance with wide eyes, had only blinked once before the exchange was over.]

[Her mouth hangs open as she looks at you in disbelief—you are standing there, completely motionless.]

[She rubs her eyes, replaying the scene in her mind—she hadn't expected the Pavilion Master to be so strong. It's a pity he's a bit old; otherwise, this old lady would definitely have to have him.]

[The five immediately express their heartfelt submission to your strength, not daring to harbor any ulterior motives.]

[You say indifferently: "Do not overthink things. This old man has no interest in the tiny bit of power you hold."]

["This old man only established the Fengyun Pavilion upon coming to the Imperial Capital. I've come to inform you simply to prevent you from causing me trouble."]

["If this old man finds someone causing me trouble, I wouldn't mind exterminating their entire clan."]

[The five immediately nod, indicating their understanding.]

[Fang Yanbo suddenly says with a grin: "May I ask, Senior, if I can join this Fengyun Pavilion?"]

[You look at Fang Yanbo and begin to hesitate.]

[You intend to use the Fengyun Pavilion to deal with the Liu Clan Immortal Family in the future, and Fang Yanbo's strength is clearly not up to par.]

[However, to oppose the Liu Clan Immortal Family, these people from the Heavenly Wilderness Continent might have other uses.]

[After all, during the fifth simulation—they sacrificed their lives to resist the Yao Beast Calamity together.]

[If not for that fact, you would have exterminated their clans long ago.]

[Yue Tianxiong also takes a step forward, cupping his hands with a smile: "Senior, I also wish to join Fengyun Pavilion and become a lowly pawn under your command."]

[The other three look at Fang Yanbo and Yue Tianxiong, secretly muttering: "Sycophants!"]

[But they also follow suit, expressing their desire to join Fengyun Pavilion.]

[After hesitating for a moment, you feel that—since this is a simulation anyway—exposing the purpose of Fengyun Pavilion isn't a big deal, though you shouldn't say too much.]

[Thus, you speak: "To be honest with you all, the purpose of Fengyun Pavilion is to deal with enemies beyond your imagination—Cultivators."]

[The word 'Cultivator' causes everyone present to tremble.]

[Figures of their stature have naturally heard whispers of such things.]

[Seeing their hesitant looks, you smile: "There is no need to rush. The future is long; it won't be too late to decide once you have thought it through."]

[The five immediately nod.]

[You then point at Fragrant Lord Qiao: "If anything comes up in the future, I will have her find you."]

[The five immediately nod and smile at Fragrant Lord Qiao.]

[Fragrant Lord Qiao trembles all over; five Great Grandmasters being so respectful to her was something she never dared to dream of before.]

[Afterward, you depart with Fragrant Lord Qiao.]

[The sixth day,]

[After staying in a tavern for a night, you decide to buy your own residence.]

[You have Fragrant Lord Qiao make inquiries, and she finally finds a courtyard that is being sold urgently.]

[The location of this residence is quite good; it's not in a noisy, bustling district, nor is it in a remote slum. It's not far from the main road, making it both quiet and convenient.]

[After arriving at the courtyard, a young noblewoman leads you inside, followed by a sturdy, well-built man.]

[After some conversation, you learn that this residence was originally the property of Steward Jia. The young noblewoman is his wife, He Na, and the sturdy man is the housekeeper, Zhang Qiang.]

[Steward Jia died in an accident two days ago, so He Na plans to sell the house and leave the Imperial Capital.]

[This is a standard three-entry courtyard with a clear layout—]

[The first entry is the front yard, featuring a meeting hall, martial arts field, banquet hall, carriage house, stables, and latrines.]

[The second entry contains the main house, east and west wing rooms, study, kitchen, woodshed, warehouse, and boudoir.]

[The third entry includes the rear main house, concubine rooms, servant quarters, storage rooms, latrines, and tool sheds.]

[The entire residence is rectangular, a hundred meters deep and thirty meters wide, surrounded by three-meter-high walls with a front and back gate.]

[You are satisfied after looking around and ultimately buy it for one hundred thousand taels of silver.]

[As soon as the transaction is completed, He Na hurriedly leaves with the housekeeper Zhang Qiang, her expression somewhat flustered.]

[Seeing their haste to leave, you turn and instruct Fragrant Lord Qiao: "Go find Cold Dustless. Investigate the cause of Steward Jia's death, as well as the backgrounds of He Na and Zhang Qiang."]

[Fragrant Lord Qiao immediately takes the order and rushes to the Imperial City Guard.]

[Just fifteen minutes later, Cold Dustless arrives in person to report.]

["Reporting to Senior, as soon as this Junior heard you wanted to investigate Steward Jia's affairs, I personally went to retrieve the records," Cold Dustless begins to recount vividly.]

["This Steward Jia was a famous philanthropist in the Imperial Capital. Unfortunately, his martial arts Aptitude was mediocre, and he remained stuck in the Xiantian Realm."]

["His first wife died tragically while giving birth to their son. Steward Jia was quite devoted and never remarried for a long time afterward."]

["He Na only entered the Jia Residence last year. Initially, she was just a maid, but she used some schemes to drug Steward Jia, climbed into his bed, and eventually became his wife."]

["After marrying her, Steward Jia trusted her implicitly and handed over all the household affairs for her to manage. Subsequently, He Na drove away the original housekeeper and replaced him with this Zhang Qiang."]

["In truth, Zhang Qiang and He Na had known each other since childhood. The two conspired to murder Steward Jia in an attempt to swallow his family estate."]

["Currently, only Steward Jia's son, Jia Hui, is still alive—he wasn't in the Imperial Capital at the time and narrowly escaped."]

["My subordinates also discovered that He Na and Zhang Qiang are habitual offenders. They have already committed crimes using similar methods five times, only because they were in different places each time..."]

["Wait," you raise your hand to interrupt him: "You just said Steward Jia has a son named Jia Hui?"]