Fang Lian asked in surprise, "Sheng, how did you know?"
"It’s him! It really is him! That bastard!" Ning Zheseng gritted his teeth, letting out a loud CRACK.
He had already guessed that the person who tried to kill Fang Lian and the one who blended into the crowd to snatch the Fire Spirit Ginseng were the same person. This meant that Fang Lian was nearly killed because of her association with him.
The person who stole the Fire Spirit Ginseng held a grudge against him! Otherwise, why would he do such a thing? However, Ning Zheseng was a little confused. How did the other party know that Fang Lian was his woman? Was it someone familiar with him? Someone familiar with him who also held a grudge against him—Ning Fengche!?
Ning Fengche was a genius of the Ning Family, whose talent was no weaker than his own. The two of them had fought both openly and secretly, developing quite a rift between them. Ning Fengche was a narrow-minded person. He didn’t want anyone else to have what he couldn’t obtain. Ning Zheseng knew that Ning Fengche also liked Fang Lian! Because he couldn’t have her, he wanted to destroy her.
But that wasn’t right. Ning Fengche didn’t have that body type; he was a bit fatter. Then who exactly was it?
No matter how hard Ning Zheseng racked his brains, he would never guess that the person opposing him was just a nameless nobody.
"SOB... Sheng, do you know how scared I was? I was terrified that the Protective Talisman’s power would disappear and he would blow my body to pieces."
"Lian’Er, it’s alright now, it’s alright. Remember this for the future: when I go out on business, don’t come looking for me."
"I... wasn’t I just missing you too much? You haven’t come back for days, and I was worried about you."
"I know, but next time, even if you miss me, don’t act on your own."
"Sheng, I understand. Where are we going now? Back to the Niu Family, or directly to Hongtu Town?"
"Let’s return to Niu Family Town first. Coming to the Asura Forest this time, all my efforts only paved the way for someone else. I gained absolutely nothing! Can you understand the anger in my heart? If I go back to the Fang Family with you right now, I’m afraid my dark expression would frighten your family. Besides, I need to report what happened here to the family. After all, Old Ma is dead."
"Sheng, you must be feeling terrible too, right? Then let’s head back to Niu Family Town first and have a good rest. Once we return, Lian’Er will serve you well and make you happy."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Zheseng suddenly pressed a hand against her head and said domineeringly, "Why wait until we go back to be happy? I want to be happy right now!"
"Oh... MMPH... MMPH..."
Fang Lian let out muffled sounds, and it was unclear what she was doing. After a while, she said coquettishly, "Sheng, we’re still in the carriage. It’s very bumpy..."
"Perfect! It’ll save you some energy."
"AAH... SLURP..."
By the main road, Ye Xuan and Tang Long didn’t have to wait long before a Unicorn Carriage approached from a distance.
Running swiftly ahead of the Unicorn Carriage were the members of the Niu Family. Ning Zheseng rode in the Beast Vehicle, so they could only run. Ye Xuan waited for the Beast Vehicle to pass, then followed them from afar. He only felt relieved when they passed a fork in the road.
This fork had one path leading to the Niu Family and another to Hongtu Town. The path the Niu Family took was the one heading back to the Niu Family. This meant that Ning Zheseng didn’t plan to accompany Fang Lian back to her maiden home immediately. That was good. It gave him enough time to improve his cultivation.
"Tang Long, remember this Beast Vehicle. This is Young Master Ning’s carriage. If this carriage leaves Niu Family Town and takes the main road to Hongtu Town, crush this Twin Jade to notify me." Ye Xuan took out a piece of Twin Jade from his Qiankun Bag and handed it to Tang Long.
Tang Long asked in confusion, "Aren’t you coming with me to Niu Family Town?"
Ye Xuan explained, "That was my original plan. But if Young Master Ning travels at full speed the moment he leaves town, we won’t be able to keep up at all. The creature pulling his carriage is a level-three Beast, a unicorn. Therefore, I need to scout ahead and find a good place to bury them along their inevitable route. I’ll wait for them there."
"I see. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on this Beast Vehicle."
"Tang Long, this matter is crucial to me. You must watch carefully. Otherwise, my entire Ye Family will face complete annihilation."
"I understand!"
Earlier, while they were waiting, Ye Xuan had already told Tang Long about his grudge with the Fang Family.
"But Ye Xuan, what if there’s a sudden change of plans? For example, if they leave Niu Family Town but don’t head directly to Hongtu Town, but go somewhere else instead. How would I notify you then?"
Hearing this, Ye Xuan fell silent. Although this possibility was slim, what if they had to run an errand elsewhere before heading to Hongtu Town? Wouldn’t he just be waiting here for nothing?
Tang Long suggested, "How about this? Do you have any more Twin Jades? Give me two more. If their Beast Vehicle heads somewhere else, I’ll crush two Twin Jades at once. Then, you head back to the Ye Family first, and I’ll secretly tail them. Once they finish their business and prepare to come to Hongtu Town, I’ll crush another Twin Jade. The moment it shatters, you can head out in advance and wait for them on their inevitable route."
"That works." Ye Xuan thought about it for a moment and found the plan feasible.
He took out two more Twin Jades and handed them to Tang Long. Tang Long tucked them away and headed toward Niu Family Town. Meanwhile, Ye Xuan returned to the fork in the road and took the main path heading toward Hongtu Town.
Time passed, and the moon rose.
Moonlight spilled over the road, illuminating a two-horse wide path. This road had the least amount of human traffic, as it only led to Hongtu Town. Thick trees lined both sides of the road, providing perfect cover to hide a person. This was the ideal location for a murder.
In the dense forest, Ye Xuan did not immediately begin improving his cultivation. Instead, he killed two wild pheasants and tossed them to the Little Flame Eagles, but they still refused to eat.
"If you don’t eat, you’ll die," Ye Xuan said, his brows furrowing slightly.
It would be a great pity if these two little things died. After all, they were Flame Eagles! Once they grew up, they would become level-four Beasts. They would be more than capable of protecting the Ye Family.
"This won’t do." A ruthless glint flashed through Ye Xuan’s eyes. He forcefully placed the two eagle chicks on top of the pheasant carcasses, hoping to stimulate their bestial nature. But the moment he let go, the two chicks scampered right back, diving straight into his embrace.
Tucked inside his clothes was the mother eagle’s feather.
He wondered, "Could it be that they refuse to eat because they lack their mother’s scent?"
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment, then took out the feather and laid it directly on the pheasant carcasses. The two eagle chicks chirped a few times and nestled right onto the feather, seemingly treating the palm-sized plumage as a soft mat. Once they settled down, they stopped moving entirely.
"Still not eating?" Ye Xuan sighed and shook his head. If they didn’t want to eat, then so be it. He had already tried his best.
Closing his eyes, he sat cross-legged on the ground. It was time to attempt a breakthrough into the Frenzy Spirit Realm. Even without a Frenzy Soul Crystal to guide the Spiritual Qi in his body, he was completely confident.
"First Small River Vein, break for me!"
Within his body, golden Spiritual Qi transformed into a miniature Golden Dragon and surged straight toward the location of the first Small River Vein. Its trajectory was exceptionally precise.
After all, this was Ye Xuan’s second time cultivating. There wasn’t much technical skill required to break through a Hidden Vein. As long as one knew its exact location, all they needed to do was ram into it violently until the invisible membrane was pierced.
Of course, the shockwaves produced by the violent collisions would cause immense pain. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to endure such agony and would fail to advance on their first try. Only those with tremendous willpower had a chance of succeeding in a single attempt.
Ye Xuan was definitely the latter.