Prominent Family

In an instant, Youzong appeared above the carriage. Suddenly, the two massive beasts harnessed to the carriage roared in unison, stomping heavily on the ground. With a thunderous boom, the earth and the air above it quaked together, waves of force rippling outward in layers.

Under this tremor, all the flames were snuffed out. Two surges of immense strength crashed into Youzong’s spear at once. The spear twisted as if it were made of soft wax, and Youzong let out a muffled grunt, blood trickling from his lips as he was flung through the air, landing heavily on the ground.

The full-force strike of a Mind-Illuminated Martial Lord was easily shattered by two mere beasts!

Jiang Feng and Chong Fan stood atop the carriage, at the very center of the shockwave. Both of them remained unharmed; not a single hair on their heads had been stirred.

A black-armored warrior strode forward, pressing his spear tip against Youzong’s throat, about to drive it home. Chong Fan raised a hand and said, “Wait.”

He glanced at Jiang Feng and said, “Don’t kill him. We’re just doing our duty—hand him over to Liang Liuchao.”

The black-armored warrior silently stepped back, flicked his spear, and sent Youzong flying in a long arc, landing far away inside the county yamen.

Chong Fan shook his head helplessly. “Haichao, you’re as hot-tempered as ever...”

Jiang Feng stood on the carriage, surveying the surroundings.

Order had been restored to Hezhong County. Liang Liuchao, with a portion of the county’s troops, was rebuilding the examination hall and handing out numbers to the freelance candidates. The wounded and dead were carried aside—some for treatment, others awaiting burial.

Youzong’s crushing defeat left his disciples from the Understream Sect in utter shock. Like stray dogs, they were herded to one side to await judgment.

Much remained unresolved, but Jiang Feng knew that an invisible hand was manipulating events, ensuring things would continue to unfold. Some outcomes might follow his hopes, but many more now had nothing to do with him.

He murmured, “If not for you...”

Yes—without Chong Fan, matters would never have been settled so swiftly. More lives would have been lost; perhaps everyone present, himself included, would have perished here.

Chong Fan caught the unspoken part of his words and interjected, “If not for you, I wouldn’t have come. Everyone here would have fallen into the trap, and the dead would have been far more than just a few.”

Jiang Feng exhaled, jumped down from the carriage, and walked toward the Changchuan River.

Chong Fan watched his departing figure, then also alighted, calling over his shoulder without looking back, “Haichao and the Mountain Unit will stay. The rest, withdraw.”

In a blink, only six people remained behind Chong Fan. They stood at a distance, imposing yet not advancing.

Jiang Feng paid them no mind. He walked to the riverside and stopped.

Chong Fan came to stand beside him. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke first: “I have to leave.”

Jiang Feng glanced at him. “There’s still over a month until the agreed time.”

Chong Fan opened his palm, revealing a tiny green paper crane resting there. “My mother has summoned me. I must return.”

Jiang Feng looked at the paper crane and smiled. “Your mother certainly has a childlike spirit.”

Chong Fan smiled as well, his voice low. “There is no better mother in the world than her.”

Jiang Feng replied, “That’s true for every child…”

His voice trailed off, then he suddenly asked, “Are you planning to reclaim your true identity?”

Chong Fan understood and asked, “Is there something you want me to do?”

Jiang Feng said, “I just want some news. You should know. At the last Half-Moon Gathering, I heard that Zhuyang City had fallen and Lord Understream was gravely injured. Is that true?”

Chong Fan nodded. “It is.”

Jiang Feng hesitated, then asked, “And those around him? Did anything else happen? For example, did anyone else die...?”

Chong Fan didn’t ask why Jiang Feng cared, but simply shook his head. “No such news. The sword strike came from the north, cutting through Zhuyang City with Lord Understream as its target. He fought with all his might and clung to life, but his Heart-Illuminating Seed and Prime Root were severely damaged. His strength has greatly diminished—he’s still bedridden. When the city fell, some were injured by falling bricks, but no lives were lost.”

Jiang Feng was startled. “A sword from the north? Who did it?”

Chong Fan shook his head. “No one knows.”

Jiang Feng thought for a moment, then let out a relieved breath. “No lives lost… that’s good…”

Chong Fan looked at his back and suddenly asked, “The county examination is in less than two months. You shouldn’t stay in Hezhong County—you’ll have to take the exam elsewhere.”

An incident of this magnitude would leave the county in turmoil for a while. Whether the exam could be held as scheduled was uncertain, and far too many people had seen Jiang Feng involved. With less than two months left, this event would not be forgotten in time. If Jiang Feng attempted to take the exam here, trouble was inevitable.

Jiang Feng had considered this as well and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll prepare as soon as possible.”

“If you’d like, I can make arrangements for you too.”

Jiang Feng smiled freely. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you!”

Chong Fan asked, “Do you want to know who’s really behind all this?”

Jiang Feng started and looked back. “You know?”

Chong Fan replied, “The ruler of the Zhu Kingdom is called King Zhuyang. In theory, he is the most noble and powerful person in the land.”

Jiang Feng was sharp. “But in fact, he isn’t?”

Chong Fan continued, “The Zhu Kingdom has twenty-four great clans, which have existed here even longer than the kingdom itself. Their bloodlines are noble and unbroken, and they control almost all power in the land.”

“The foremost among the twenty-four are the Zhou, Wang, Sun, and Qian families; the other twenty all follow their lead.”

In a flash, Jiang Feng recalled the mysterious manor he had seen near the Dawn Peak. The manor’s gate bore the character “Zhou.” The people there had also mentioned the Zhou family!

Could that be the Zhou family’s estate? Yes—only the greatest house in the Zhu Kingdom would dare act so domineeringly, to kill the young scions of the Jiang family without qualm. Only they could do so and leave the Jiang family too cowed even to protest, let alone set foot in the Taiwu Mountains again.

But then, why had he been able to come and go freely at the Zhou family’s manor, as if unnoticed, while Jiang Huaixiao and the others were barred—or slaughtered outright?

Jiang Feng lifted his gaze and asked, “Are you connected to the Zhou family?”

Chong Fan was surprised by his acuity. “Yes. My family has some dealings with the Zhou family. Before meeting you, I was recuperating at their hot spring villa.”

“Are your relations close?”

“Only business ties.”

Jiang Feng’s mind raced, stringing together clue after clue: the Zhou family’s opulence and arrogance, Lord Understream, Imperial Tutor, Master of the World…

He murmured, “King Zhuyang is deeply resentful of the clans’ power, so he specially supported Lord Understream, granting him disciples and building a following to counterbalance them. Lord Understream succeeded, attracting the clans’ attention, so they seized on this incident to strike…”

Chong Fan nodded. “You guessed right before. Lord Understream’s influence grew so swiftly largely thanks to his own prowess. Now that he’s gravely wounded and his power unstable, the clans are taking advantage.”

Jiang Feng turned to look at the aftermath. “This is how they seize opportunities?”

Chong Fan replied coolly, “The clans have existed too long—there’s plenty of filth in their history.”

The river wind blew, tossing Jiang Feng’s hair wildly and shadowing his expression.

Chong Fan said, “Whatever you plan to do, be careful. You haven’t yet crossed the threshold.”

Jiang Feng brushed his hair aside, his face unusually calm. “Thank you. I understand—I’ll act within my limits.”

Chong Fan held something out to him.

Jiang Feng looked down in surprise. In Chong Fan’s hand was the jade pendant he used to wear at his waist, carved with the character “Chong.” Not long ago, he had used this pendant to summon the Thousandfold Army. Now, it had lost some of its luster and looked a bit dull.

Chong Fan said, “Take this. It can no longer summon the Thousandfold Army, but if you ever need help, bring it to any Chong family shop—they’ll assist you.”

A smile finally broke across Jiang Feng’s face. He reached out and ruffled Chong Fan’s hair. “Thank you!”

Chong Fan froze at the gesture, raised his hand as if to protest, then lowered it again and shook his head helplessly. He was about to say more when a voice called from nearby, “Jiang Feng! Jiang Feng!”

Jiang Feng turned. Ping Luan Shan ran toward him, grabbing his arm and looking him over. “Are you alright?”

Jiang Feng replied, “I’m fine. What about you? You got out of the yamen? How are things over there?”

Ping Luan Shan said, “Everything’s fine. Everyone is safe. The county guards came in and detained all the Understream disciples. Now they’re organizing everyone for a retest. I was worried about you, so I rushed out to check.”

Before Jiang Feng could answer, he added excitedly, “Listen, it was all thanks to the dried meat you gave me! It didn’t just boost strength—some increased speed, some improved defense, all sorts, each with different effects! I handed them out to the trainees inside—their abilities all improved, and at least we managed to survive those villains’ attacks!”

Hearing that everyone inside was safe, Jiang Feng finally relaxed. He lifted an eyebrow and turned with a smile. “So, the experiment worked after all…”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Behind him, the riverbank was empty. At some point, Chong Fan had slipped away. The ever-present, deathly shadow of the Thousandfold Army had vanished as well, leaving only the endless river flowing as it always had.

He lowered his head and sighed softly, “Truly, a fellow who’s no good at saying goodbye…”