12: Chapter 12

They wouldn't make a move openly, but they kept up their petty schemes in the dark.

They used every tactic, including intimidation.

If it weren't for the fact that Uncle Xiang, the housekeeper, was tough and ruthless enough to chop off the hand of anyone who dared to reach out, the situation would have been in chaos long ago.

Furthermore, the recipes for the anti-poison pill and the hemostatic powder were top secret in their entirety.

Only Uncle Xiang knew the details of the most critical steps.

If not for that, how could Lin Bufan and Huo Xianer be as relaxed as they were now?

However, the Third Branch had a weak foundation, and no matter how much Uncle Xiang could shoulder, he was starting to struggle, vaguely feeling the pressure mounting.

Feng Yuxiu's arrival was just the thing to break the deadlock.

Given enough time, his skills would be enough to keep those with ulterior motives in check.

Once the Third Branch caught its breath and slowly recovered its vitality, even if someone wanted to harbor ill intentions, they would have to weigh their own worth first.

On the very first day, Feng Yuxiu showed his ruthless side, effortlessly disposing of several spies who were tailing them.

Three days later, no one dared to glance around the hall anymore.

In a single night, Feng Yuxiu single-handedly uprooted that gang of thugs—or, to put it plainly, the small fries being used as pawns by others—completely.

With that, Feng Yuxiu's name seemed to sprout wings, spreading to every hall of the Nine Gates overnight.

Those who had originally intended to stir up trouble immediately restrained themselves because of Feng Yuxiu's emergence.

Once Feng Yuxiu had established his reputation, he didn't idle about; he immediately put out the word to recruit people.

All sorts of people came.

Some were undercover agents sent by other factions, while others were desperate people who couldn't even put food on the table.

Yet, after much selection, Feng Yuxiu ended up keeping fewer than a hundred people.

Those who remained either had clean backgrounds or possessed potential and courage.

As long as Feng Yuxiu could train this group, they would become the trump card in Lin Bufan's hand, capable of even forming the elite force of the entire Third Branch.

It was only at this point that the major factions of the Nine Gates truly took notice of Feng Yuxiu.

Once they investigated, the information emerged: Feng Yuxiu was a martial arts fanatic, a genuine martial arts grandmaster.

Furthermore, he was a man belonging to Lin Bufan, the son-in-law of the Huo Family Third Branch.

The commotion Feng Yuxiu had caused during this time reached the ears of Lin Bufan and Huo Xianer without a single detail missing.

A satisfied smile flashed in Lin Bufan's eyes.

Huo Xianer, however, was a bit curious and couldn't help but ask, "Husband, aren't you afraid he might have other intentions?"

Lin Bufan saw the concern in her eyes clearly.

He spoke directly, "Rest assured, Xianer, Feng Yuxiu is a man who can be trusted."

"If you employ someone, do not doubt them; if you doubt them, do not employ them."

"Besides, our Lin Family has declined severely, and I am the only one left in this generation."

"However, our family has been passed down for over a thousand years, and the trump cards and methods left behind are not just for show."

"Even if Feng Yuxiu had the audacity of a bear and a leopard, he wouldn't dare harbor any crooked thoughts."

Lin Bufan's words sounded like he had said everything, yet after hearing them, Huo Xianer felt as if he hadn't said anything at all.

But seeing his confident demeanor, she inexplicably felt at ease.

"Since Husband has already made arrangements, then I have nothing to worry about."

Huo Xianer knew the situation of the Huo Family Third Branch better than anyone.

That they could recover so quickly was entirely due to Lin Bufan.

Since he was so confident, what would it hurt to trust him?

Even if something did go wrong, how much worse could it really get?

Before Huo Xianer could say anything more, Lin Bufan reached out and pulled her into his arms, his voice very soft: "Alright, alright, I have remembered it all."

Seeing Lin Bufan speaking so seriously, Huo Xianer quickly nodded in agreement.

The two chatted about family matters for a while longer, then Huo Xianer's expression suddenly turned serious, and she stared straight at Lin Bufan, asking, "Husband, what do you think of Lady Huo?"

Lin Bufan didn't overthink this question.

He paused for a moment and then said directly, "Judging from the few times we've interacted, that Lady Huo is indeed not simple; her capabilities are no less than a man's."

"To be honest, Xianer, you really need to learn a thing or two from her."

"Hmph—" As soon as Lin Bufan said this, Huo Xianer immediately scowled, let out a huff, and reached out to pinch his waist hard.

Then she said indignantly, "I asked you if she was pretty, who told you to talk about all that!"

Hearing her own man praise another woman as being better than her, Huo Xianer was naturally displeased.

Lin Bufan felt the pain in his waist and quickly changed his tune: "What does it matter to me if she's pretty or not? As long as my Xianer is beautiful, that's all that matters."

"Hmph, you're sensible enough."

Huo Xianer huffed again, and without waiting for Lin Bufan to speak, she stood up and walked out.

"I'm going to find Sister Qingxian to chat about something."

Leaving this sentence behind, Huo Xianer walked out without looking back.

The Sister Qingxian she spoke of was none other than Lady Huo, who was known as the Immortal Lady.

Lin Bufan watched Huo Xianer's retreating figure, stunned for a moment.

Once her figure was completely out of sight, he came back to his senses and muttered to himself, "Since when did Lady Huo have so much free time..."

Although a flicker of curiosity crossed his mind, Lin Bufan shook his head and didn't think about it anymore.

He then took out a jade bottle, swallowed a qi-blood pill, and began to practice.

After Feng Yuxiu's explanation last time, Lin Bufan finally had a rough understanding of martial arts cultivation.

He was currently in the stage of strengthening his qi-blood and tempering his muscles, bones, and flesh.

For an ordinary person, wanting to improve one's own qi-blood and complete the tempering of muscles, bones, and flesh was not a matter of a day or two.

Huo Xianer walked with short, quick steps into the innermost courtyard of the Huo Family.

The bluestone slabs in the courtyard were swept clean.

Huo Qingxian was sitting at a stone table with several account books piled by her side, her brows slightly furrowed as she carefully flipped through them page by page.

"What is Sister Qingxian busy with?" Huo Xianer called out from a distance, her voice filled with a smile.

Huo Qingxian looked up, and seeing who it was, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Little Sister Xianer, how do you have time to run over here? Aren't you keeping your husband company?"

Her words carried a teasing tone, but the pen in her hand didn't stop, as she casually made a mark on the account book.

Huo Xianer walked a few steps closer, not in a rush to answer, just looking at her with a beaming smile.

On the other side, Lin Bufan was sitting cross-legged in the practice room.

He had just completely refined the medicinal power of a qi-blood pill; his qi-blood was surging violently throughout his body, and his skin was bright red, as if he had been roasted by fire.

The True Dragon Bloodline tattoo emerged from beneath his skin, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, vaguely exuding a sense of oppression.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and the redness on his skin gradually faded, with the dragon tattoo also fading away along with it.

Lin Bufan opened his eyes and looked down at his palms.

He could feel that the True Dragon Bloodline within his body was still awakening, but the speed was so slow that it made him somewhat irritable.

When it first awakened, it increased by ten percent in less than three months.

But now? In a whole day, it didn't even increase by one percent.

At this rate, it would be good if it increased by five percent in a year.

And this was with the qi-blood pills he had to support him.

If he didn't have the qi-blood pills and relied solely on grinding away with the Five Animal Frolics, he was afraid he wouldn't even reach that number.

He gritted his teeth.

For others to break through to Feng Yuxiu's realm, they couldn't even dream of it without decades of hard work.

But he was different.

He had the True Dragon Bloodline flowing in his body; as long as the degree of bloodline awakening was high enough, his qi-blood could skyrocket accordingly.

Now that the awakening had only reached twenty percent, his qi-blood could already contend with a grandmaster like Feng Yuxiu.

As long as he continued to awaken, his muscles, bones, membranes, and internal organs would all naturally reach perfection.

By then, the grandmaster realm would be nothing more than a matter of course.

The problem was—this awakening speed was too slow.

Lin Bufan took a deep breath, suppressed the impatience in his heart, closed his eyes again, and drove his qi-blood to continue impacting the next level.

When Huo Xianer entered, Huo Qingxian didn't feel particularly surprised.

She pondered for a moment, thinking that the current head of the Third Branch was pregnant and living a very leisurely life.

Over at the Third Branch, a Feng Yuxiu had popped up in the last few days, and after only a few moves, he had shocked the entire Nine Gates into submission.

Not only those messy little factions, but even the few major families within the Nine Gates had shrunk back, none daring to make any more reckless moves.

"I'm just bored with nothing to do, so I came to see you, Sister..."

Huo Xianer sat down next to Huo Qingxian, and only then did she notice that the table was piled with account books.

Upon hearing this, Lady Huo curled her lip and said indignantly, "I'm not as comfortable as you."

"In your family, you have your husband holding things up, and in business, you have those two cash cows, the anti-poison pill and the hemostatic powder."

"Even the halls under your command now have a Feng Yuxiu, beating everyone into silence."

Speaking of this, a hint of curiosity appeared on Huo Qingxian's face, and she turned her head to ask, "That Feng Yuxiu, where on earth did you dig up such a character?"

Huo Xianer didn't hide anything and replied directly, "I don't know his exact background either."

"He came for my husband; he was originally the adopted son my father-in-law raised before he passed away."

"He returned after completing his training a few days ago, and upon hearing that my husband had married into the Huo Family, he came straight to our door."

After listening, Lady Huo's mouth moved, wanting to say something.

But with the words on the tip of her tongue, she didn't know how to follow up.

She had originally wanted to inquire about Feng Yuxiu's background.

Lady Huo never expected that Feng Yuxiu would have come knocking on their door on his own initiative.

"It's Lin Bufan again..."

Although she had long suspected that this suddenly appearing Feng Yuxiu was likely inseparable from Lin Bufan, when she actually heard the name from Huo Xianer's mouth, she still couldn't help but feel a shock in her heart.

During this time, she had been observing in secret.

Lin Bufan, this son-in-law who married into the Third Branch, appeared on the surface to be just an ordinary live-in son-in-law.

But ever since he entered the doors of the Third Branch, that air of mystery about him had become increasingly impossible to hide.

Taking a deep breath, Lady Huo steadied her mind and let her gaze fall on Huo Xianer's face.

Not knowing what she was thinking, she stared at her for a good while before sighing and saying, "Little Sister Xianer's life right now really makes people envious..."

As soon as the words fell, Huo Xianer immediately chimed in with a grin, "If you are envious, Sister, you should find a man to share the burden too."

"If you don't mind, Sister, I'll share my husband with you."

This was said lightly, as if she were joking.

But in reality, Huo Xianer was testing her.

Although this wasn't the first time she had heard Huo Xianer say such things, for that split second, Lady Huo was still stunned.