The Ninth Heaven’s Zhong Family

“In the incident at Hezhong County, your friend here also attracted too much attention. For safety’s sake, we’ve transferred him as well. He’ll be taking the grand examination with you in Linxi County.” Jiang Feng exchanged a glance with Ping Luanshan. Ping Luanshan laughed and punched Jiang Feng on the chest, saying, “I suppose I owe you for this, too!”

Jiang Feng smiled as well and solemnly bowed to Qiu Jueye. “Thank you, and please thank Chong Fan for me as well.”

Ping Luanshan was right; this arrangement was made solely for Jiang Feng’s sake—or, more accurately, for Chong Fan’s sake.

The matter in Hezhong County had caused a commotion, and naturally, there would be consequences. As the first to step forward and expose the truth, Ping Luanshan might have gotten himself into trouble. Bringing him to Linxi County for the examination to avoid such complications was the best possible solution.

Qiu Jueye returned the bow with equal gravity. “It is our duty.”

He then turned to Ping Luanshan and asked, “Young Master Ping, you’ve already met Teacher Hua, haven’t you?”

Having an old man bow so respectfully to him made Ping Luanshan uncomfortable. He hurriedly returned the gesture, scratching his head. “Yes, I did. But Teacher Hua only said one sentence to me and then left.”

Qiu Jueye nodded. “Very well. Let me take you to your quarters.”

He led them toward the rear courtyard, with Ping Luanshan casting Jiang Feng a strange look and winking exaggeratedly. Jiang Feng pretended not to notice.

Behind the martial hall stood several rows of single-story houses, separated by walls—their designated lodgings.

Clearly, no one usually lived here. The rooms were a mess, cluttered with odds and ends, and dust covered everything.

Qiu Jueye frowned. “Please wait a moment, young masters. I’ll tidy things up.”

Ping Luanshan grew even more nervous, quickly protesting, “Grandfather, let us do it ourselves!”

Before he’d finished speaking, Qiu Jueye clapped his hands softly.

Suddenly, countless green vines shot up from the ground as though alive. Chairs toppled on the floor were righted and set in order; beds were made; cabinets were lifted and emptied, their contents swept away.

The room became a whirlwind of activity. The movement of the vines dazzled the eye.

In no time, everything was spotless and neatly arranged, each object in its proper place.

At last, a fierce wind swept through, carrying away the rubbish and dust, which piled up in the courtyard’s center.

The room was now bright, immaculate, and utterly transformed.

Ping Luanshan was dumbfounded, his jaw nearly dropping. Jiang Feng, too, was amazed.

Were the vines alive and acting of their own accord?

Of course not.

It was all Qiu Jueye’s doing! His command of force had reached such a level!

This elderly man, who seemed no more than a house steward, wielded such formidable power—and was using it to clean their quarters…

Qiu Jueye turned and bowed. “Thank you for your patience, young masters. Everything is ready; you may settle in now.”

Embarrassed, Ping Luanshan stammered, “Th-thank you, Grandfather…”

Qiu Jueye smiled gently. He was about to speak when a voice called from behind, “Old Qiu?”

Jiang Feng turned to see an exceptionally tall man entering through the moon gate. Though Jiang Feng was already tall for his age, this man towered over him by nearly a head.

His hair was wild and unkempt, his face covered in a tangled beard, giving him a disheveled, almost vagrant look—were it not for his relatively clean clothes, he could have been mistaken for a beggar.

Qiu Jueshan greeted him warmly, “Instructor Hua, it’s been years. I hope you’ve been well.”

Jiang Feng glanced at Ping Luanshan, who nodded in confirmation.

Jiang Feng was surprised. So this was Teacher Hua Su of Yuanshan Martial Hall—the one who would be instructing them? He looked nothing like Jiang Feng had imagined.

Qiu Jueye said, “I trust you’ve received the message, Instructor Hua.” He stepped aside. “These two boys will be studying here for a while. Please instruct them with all your care.”

Hua Su glanced at them. “Yes, I heard. A couple more students, nothing too troublesome. I just didn’t expect you’d deliver them in person.”

Qiu Jueye lifted his chin slightly, emphasizing, “…Please teach them well.”

Hua Su paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked Jiang Feng and Ping Luanshan over. Qiu Jueye bowed again. “This is by the young master’s command.”

Hua Su’s eyes widened, then gradually relaxed. He snorted, “If that’s the case, then you’ll follow my rules here.”

Qiu Jueye smiled. “Of course.”

He glanced at the sky, then turned to Jiang Feng. “Young Master Jiang, rest easy here. Instructor Hua will see to everything.”

He led them aside and spoke in a low voice, “Instructor Hua is powerful and experienced, but his temperament is…unusual. If there’s any lack of courtesy, I hope you’ll forgive him.”

Jiang Feng exchanged a look with Ping Luanshan and nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandfather Qiu. If Teacher Hua is to instruct us, he’s our master and will receive our respect.”

Ping Luanshan said nothing. Qiu Jueye smiled, then walked outside. The blue carriage descended from the sky once more; he stepped onto the shaft, saluted the three below, and entered the carriage.

Hua Su turned, casting a glance at them—especially at Ping Luanshan. Beneath his wild hair, his gaze was slightly sinister.

Jiang Feng was about to greet him, but Hua Su turned on his heel and walked away without so much as a word, leaving them there.

Ping Luanshan curled his lip and muttered, “I told you, he was like this when I arrived. As if someone owed him a fortune. Looks like we’ll be on our own from now on!”

Jiang Feng tugged at him and shook his head. “Don’t judge a man before you know him.”

He glanced back. “Grandfather Qiu left a bit of a mess behind. Shall we tidy up?”

Ping Luanshan grumbled as he followed, “We came to train, not to do chores…”

Suddenly he leaned in close, eyes gleaming with excitement, and whispered, “I heard later that the Thousandfold Army showed up? Wow, the Thousandfold Army! Shame I came too late and missed them!”

He was full of regret and gave Jiang Feng a strange look. “When I first met you, I thought you were just a country bumpkin. Who’d imagine you had ties to the House of Chong? Truly, appearances can be deceiving!”

Jiang Feng shook his head. “It’s not about appearances. It’s not my own skill—I’m just borrowing their influence.”

Ping Luanshan sighed. “That’s some influence I wouldn’t mind borrowing!”

Jiang Feng only smiled.

He knew well enough what the House of Chong was, and what the Thousandfold Army represented.

He recalled the articles in the mountain gazette from the young lady’s study, which described the whole Jiutian Continent, with an especially prominent section on the House of Chong.

The House of Chong rose to power fifteen hundred years ago, during the great upheaval known as the Calamity of the Nine Heavens.

The demon race had developed a new technology, opening countless portals above the Jiutian Continent. Demons rampaged across the land, slaughtering at will, battling human martial cultivators.

The war was sudden and brutal. The demons nearly conquered the continent with their surprise attack. Had they succeeded, Jiutian would have become their stronghold against Xuangi, and humanity would have faced extinction.

The darker the night, the brighter the flame.

Amidst the chaos, a martial genius named Chong Qianfan rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming a Divine Martial Sage in just a century. With unmatched power and the help of Xuangi’s masters, he forced open a portal into the demon realm itself, struck deep behind enemy lines, and shut down their central gateway.

Chong Qianfan fell on the demon wastelands and perished, but he severed the enemy’s lifelines. The demons could no longer cross freely between the wastelands and Jiutian, and those left here were forever stranded.

Chong Qianfan’s wife, Ji Qingyun, remained on Jiutian. Not a martial artist herself, she possessed formidable leadership. After bearing Chong Qianfan’s posthumous son, she rallied his old followers, formed the Thousandfold Army, and purged the demon remnants from the continent.

For a time, the names Chong Qianfan and Ji Qingyun resounded across Jiutian. The House of Chong has been passed down ever since.

For such deeds, the House of Chong’s descendants held an extraordinary position in Jiutian. No mediocrity ever appeared among them. They never involved themselves in politics; over a thousand years, they built a vast commercial empire, controlling the economies of all eight nations on the continent.

The House of Chong’s enmity with the demon race was absolute.

Each year, they devoted enormous resources to the Demon Subjugation Army and supported its retired, wounded soldiers through their enterprises.

The demon race was humanity’s greatest foe, and the House of Chong’s stance and deeds had earned them universal trust and respect.

Unseen, the House of Chong had become Jiutian’s leading family—even the four great clans of Xuangi, dominant for centuries, had to bow before them.

The family’s history and fame were written in many books, but none mentioned the current heir’s name: Chong Fan. Jiang Feng had never imagined that the child he’d rescued by chance from the mountains was in fact the House of Chong’s sole successor—if he survived to adulthood.

Now, the strange impurities in the boy’s blood had been purged by his golden blood energy. The illness cured, he would almost certainly live past sixteen.

With an heir restored, the House of Chong was poised to have a new master. The whole world’s balance was about to change.