He had lost count of how many times he had rammed into the barrier, but the sky had long since brightened. Ye Xuan’s face was as pale as a ghost.
Agony!
The pain of repeatedly crashing against the barrier of the Hidden Vein was simply beyond words. But no matter how much it hurt, he persevered.
At this moment, his clothes were completely soaked in cold sweat, dripping wet.
Finally, a muffled THUD echoed from within his body.
The membrane had shattered.
Golden Spiritual Qi surged madly into the breached opening, and a sparkling Hidden Vein gradually took shape.
This Hidden Vein resembled a wide riverbed, and the golden Spiritual Qi was the river. The river surged, crisscrossing through his body before finally flowing into his Dantian.
This was the Small River Vein.
The Small River Vein acted like an accelerator, causing the Spiritual Qi that entered it to be whipped into a greater frenzy.
Not only that, the Small River Vein could also make the Spiritual Qi within it much purer. What originally took up ten centimeters of Spiritual Qi would be compressed down to five centimeters in size. Both the quality and density of the Spiritual Qi had been elevated.
This was the function of a Hidden Vein. This was the profound mystery of the human body.
With his cultivation level improved, Ye Xuan opened his eyes. Everything was ready. Now, all he had to do was wait for Fang Lian and Young Master Ning to come and court death.
Ye Xuan stood up and rolled his wrists. Then, he looked over at the Little Flame Eagles nearby. A whole night had passed, and he wondered if the two cubs had eaten anything yet.
Upon looking, Ye Xuan smiled. Only the skeleton of the wild pheasant remained.
The two Little Flame Eagles had bulging bellies. Having eaten their fill, they lay on top of the feathers, snoring soundly. Their posture was rather adorable.
When Flame Eagles were young, they actually looked quite similar to chicks, just a bit sturdier and more ferocious. This was especially true for their eyes—cold and ruthless, they looked at everyone as if they were prey.
"It seems that the feathers are necessary when they eat. That’s the only way they’ll obediently consume the meat," Ye Xuan murmured, shaking his head and paying the Little Flame Eagles no further mind.
He figured the two cubs wouldn’t run off; after all, they couldn’t bear to be separated from their mother’s scent just yet.
Having nothing else to do, Ye Xuan didn’t consolidate his cultivation. Instead, he drew a sword and continued to practice the Sixteen Sword Poem Techniques.
During his last practice session, he had always been just a tiny bit short of success. He wondered if he could master the first strike this time.
Time flowed on.
The sun rose and set.
Meanwhile, at the Niu family estate.
Ning Zheseng had been back for two days now. For the past two days, he had stayed holed up in his room, from which inappropriate, intimate sounds constantly emanated. Ning Zheseng was venting all of his pent-up anger onto Fang Lian.
At this moment, Fang Lian lay on Ning Zheseng’s chest. Her voice was weak, and she spoke pitifully, "Sheng, I can’t take it anymore. It’s already swollen. Are you satisfied?"
Ning Zheseng exhaled and stroked Fang Lian’s face. "It’s been hard on you."
"It wasn’t hard at all," she replied softly. "Letting my man vent his frustrations is what a woman should do."
"Fang Lian, you are always so understanding. I haven’t doted on you in vain. No wonder I’m willing to marry you."
"Sheng, since you’re in a better mood now, when will you accompany me back to Hongtu Town?"
"Let’s make it today. The weather is nice, and my mood has improved a lot. It’s time to go back and meet my future parents-in-law."
"That’s wonderful! I’ll put on my clothes."
"Don’t move. Let me dress you."
"Ah, stop it... Your hands—ah, is that your tongue? It tickles..."
At the same time, in the Niu family’s meeting hall.
Niu Tong had drafted a list containing the names of those qualified to enter the Niu Family’s Secret Realm this time. On the list were not only members of the Niu Family, but also people from their subordinate family factions. Generally speaking, every subordinate family could send one person, unless they had a poor relationship with the Niu Family.
The Fang Family of Hongtu Town was prominently featured on the list.
At this moment, Niu Tong addressed the Niu Family Elders. "Right now, only the Fang Family’s specific headcount and quota haven’t been finalized. How many people do you all think the Fang Family should send? And who should go?"
An Elder replied with a solemn expression, "Patriarch, to be honest, it is inconvenient for us to decide who from the Fang Family goes and how many. No matter how we choose, we might get it wrong. But we can’t afford to offend the Fang Family either.
"How about this? Aren’t Miss Fang and Young Master Ning heading back? We can just let them choose for themselves. When the time comes, whoever the Fang Family wants to send can just notify us."
"Yes, that’s a good proposal. Let the Fang Family decide for themselves."
The other Elders nodded in agreement.
"Alright, then we will handle it that way," Niu Tong said. "Once Miss Fang returns home, I’ll let her know. Fine, that’s all. Meeting adjourned."
He was just about to conclude the meeting when a sudden KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded at the door.
"My lord, I have an urgent matter to report!"
"What urgent matter? Come in and speak."
The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man walked in. He wore a respectful expression and was clearly not a member of the Niu Family.
"My lord, didn’t you ask me to go to Hongtu Town and return the Fang Family’s tribute to them?"
Niu Tong nodded. Once he found out that Fang Lian of the Fang Family had gotten together with Young Master Ning, he had immediately found someone to handle this matter.
The tributes they had collected in the past were already a done deal, but they absolutely had to return the tribute collected a few days ago, and they had to return it double. It had been Niu Family members who collected the tribute, but naturally, it was left to subordinates to return it. After all, returning tribute wasn’t exactly a glorious task.
"Have you taken care of it, then?" Niu Tong asked.
The middle-aged man replied, "Patriarch, I transported the items right back."
"What?! Why did you bring them back? Could it be that the Fang Family refused to accept them?" Niu Tong instantly frowned.
The middle-aged man explained, "Patriarch, it’s not that the Fang Family refused them. It’s just that... there is no more Fang Family."
"Nonsense! How could there be no more Fang Family? Did you not go to Hongtu Town? The Fang Family are the overlords of Hongtu Town."
"It was Hongtu Town. I definitely didn’t go to the wrong place. But when I got there, I found that the plaque on their estate read ’Ye Family’."
"Ye Family? How did the Fang Family become the Ye Family?"
"Exactly. I was also very confused at the time, so I found some people to ask around. Only after inquiring did I find out that the entire Fang Family was exterminated by the Ye Family."
BUZZ!
Niu Tong felt a loud buzzing in his head at that very moment. It took him quite a while before he finally asked, "Are you certain about this?"
"Absolutely positive. I asked several people, and they all said the same thing. I knew this was a massive matter, so I rushed back at the first opportunity."
"This matter is indeed huge. No, I must report this to Young Master Ning immediately."
With that, Niu Tong abruptly left the meeting hall.
He quickly arrived at Ning Zheseng’s residence.
Ning Zheseng was holding Fang Lian’s hand, just about to head out the door.
"Young Master Ning, are you two heading out?"
Before Ning Zheseng could speak, Fang Lian smiled and said, "Patriarch Niu, we are heading to Hongtu Town."
Niu Tong’s expression changed, and then he gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Miss Fang, there is something I must tell you."
Fang Lian paused in slight surprise. "Tell me? What is it?"
"According to a reliable source, your clansmen... are all dead."
Fang Lian’s face instantly shifted. Much like Niu Tong moments ago, she only felt a loud buzzing in her head.
Beside her, Ning Zheseng’s expression also turned icy cold. He reached out to support Fang Lian’s swaying body, then asked, "Niu Tong, is the source reliable?"
Niu Tong said respectfully, "Young Master Ning, I would never dare joke about such a matter."
"Do you know who did it? I want him dead!"
"Yes. It was the Fang Family’s former subordinate faction, the Ye Family."