“In other words, I went through great lengths to obtain this information and paid a price to have Shen Nanqi bring you along, allowing you to participate in the operation with Ye Qingyu. And you didn’t say a single word to her from beginning to end?”

Fang Zehou leaned back in his chair, his face expressionless.

Fang Heling stood there stiffly: “Ye Qingyu comes from a noble family and looks down on everyone else. She completely isolated herself from others. I thought, rather than deliberately going up and irritating her, it would be better to remain silent. This way, although I won’t leave an impression on her, at least I’ll preserve the sentiment of having fought alongside her.”

“Do you know that with just one word from Ye Qingyu, our business in Yun Country could expand a hundredfold?” Fang Zehou asked.

“So, with just one word from her, she could also completely cut off the trade route that you, Father, worked so hard to establish in Yun Country.”

Fang Zehou remained noncommittal: “Elder Li is already prepared. Go with him to cultivate.”

Fang Heling turned and left.

Only after his son’s visibly thinner figure had disappeared into the distance did a smile appear on Fang Zehou’s face.

“My son… has grown up!”

…

Three Fragrances Brothel.

Zhu Weiwo had booked the entire floor and was drinking alone here.

He was in a brothel, but there wasn’t a single girl in his arms.

Girls in sheer veils danced and sang on the high platform, and the Fame Country-renowned Spear of Burning Out was leaning against the table.

His eyes were slightly drunk, and he didn’t know what he was thinking.

He poured and drank for himself, enjoying himself immensely.

It was at this time that Jiang Wang walked upstairs, visibly stunned.

He had thought that a person as flamboyant as Zhu Weiwo would have girls on both sides of him, indulging in debauchery. He didn’t expect him to simply be drinking and enjoying the dances.

Seeing the uninvited Jiang Wang, Zhu Weiwo raised his sword-like eyebrows, not speaking, but his aura was already overbearing.

“Senior Brother Zhu,” Jiang Wang said straightforwardly, “I apologize for coming unannounced, but I have a matter to ask for your help.”

Zhu Weiwo drank a cup of wine, his expression playful: “What makes you think I’ll help you?”

He didn’t ask what the matter was, nor did he ask why Jiang Wang was looking for him. Because he really didn’t care.

In this Qinghe County, there were only a few things worth his attention.

Jiang Wang said: “Because you are the senior brother of the Maple Forest City Taoist Academy, and I am Jiang Wang of the Maple Forest City Taoist Academy.”

Jiang Wang didn’t mention their friendship in the battle where they killed Xiong Wen, because they both knew very well that he, Jiang Wang, was the one who benefited that time. Zhu Weiwo didn’t owe him anything.

Zhu Weiwo laughed: “You want to say that you are worth betting on? Do you think I need to invest in a new inner disciple like you?”

Jiang Wang didn’t feel any humiliation from being looked down upon, because the current Zhu Weiwo definitely had the qualifications to do so.

He simply said: “The second reason is that Lin Zhengren’s actions are very annoying. Senior Brother Zhu, you are busy with important matters and don’t want to bother with it anymore. But letting Junior Brother go and disgust him a little isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Zhu Weiwo remained noncommittal and reached out to pat the long spear: “Do you recognize this spear?”

“Junior Brother will never forget the light of the Spear of Burning Out.”

“For the first thirty years, it was just an unknown piece of rotten wood, lying in the mountains and forests. A woodcutter picked it up and used it as firewood, but it still hadn’t burned out after thirty years. Later, a famous craftsman heard about this and bought it for ten thousand gold, adding iron from beyond the sky to make it into a long spear. This is the origin of the Spear of Burning Out.” Zhu Weiwo asked: “Hearing this story, what are your thoughts?”

“I’m thinking about the woodcutter who got ten thousand gold, his ending must be unfortunate.” Jiang Wang sighed: “He suddenly had ten thousand gold worth of wealth, but he didn’t have the strength to protect it.”

Zhu Weiwo smiled: “Come, drink.”

…

December 3rd.

A light boat went down the Green Willow River, entered the Qingjiang River, and entered Wangjiang City through the water gate.

Ever since Zhu Weiwo pressured the city with his spear, the city guards had been particularly vigilant about ships coming from the direction of Maple Forest City.

There were three people on this light boat. Jiang Wang, Ling He, and Zhao Rucheng.

He was really going out to fight this time, so his two brothers naturally had to follow. If Du Yehou hadn’t been far away in Jiujiang City and couldn’t be contacted, he wouldn’t have missed this opportunity.

He had entrusted An An to Huang Azhan’s care, so he had no worries.

Among the three, Jiang Wang had already laid his foundation and was building his second Taoist vortex at an extremely terrifying speed with the help of the Star River Taoist vortex. Of course, this speed was only terrifying relative to the construction time of the first Taoist vortex.

Now, without affecting his body, Jiang Wang could complete up to four meridian rushes a day, and the Star River Taoist vortex automatically generated nine Taoist essences every day. At this speed, it wouldn’t take him more than a month to build the second Taoist vortex.

In addition, except for Zhao Rucheng, who was still in the meridian opening stage, Ling He had also successfully laid his foundation.

He opened his meridians on September 19th and laid his foundation on December 2nd, exactly the day before departure. For cultivators with ordinary-level Taoist meridian spirits, using the Returning Origin Formation Diagram to lay their foundation, the fastest speed was forty-one days.

And Ling He was such an extreme foundation-laying speed under ordinary talent.

This meant that his cultivation hadn’t been slack for a single day, and he hadn’t failed a single Taoist essence transfer!

This kind of solid foundation, reflected in combat power, meant that although he had just laid his foundation, he was already no less powerful than ordinary foundation-laying cultivators.

The three brothers entered the city and went straight to the small courtyard where Lin Zhengren and Song Ruyi lived.

This place’s information wasn’t difficult to find, and as Jiang Wang expected, the courtyard was empty, without a single person.

Song Ruyi’s death was classified as suicide in the Wangjiang City government’s records. But there was no record of the ownership of her dowry or the reason for her suicide.

Jiang Wang, as a Taoist Academy disciple, could access this information.

Ling He and Jiang Wang separately inquired with the neighbors about Song Ruyi and Lin Zhengren’s daily relationship, but these people were tight-lipped – which instead explained the problem.

Although things were suspicious, the Lin family was the number one family in Wangjiang City. If no one pursued the matter, it would be left at that.

But there were no airtight walls in the world.

Zhao Rucheng went out for a walk and came back with all the news.

How Lin Zhengren became the manager of the Lin family’s medicinal materials business, and how he became penniless and moved to this two-courtyard small courtyard. On the day Song Ruyi committed suicide, the two had a fierce argument…

Things were already very clear. Lin Zhengren was definitely responsible for Song Ruyi’s death.

Lin Zhengren wasn’t at home, so he would naturally be at the Lin family’s ancestral land.

…

East of Wangjiang City, a large area had been allocated to the Lin family.

A tall gatehouse guarded the entrance, which was virtually a city within a city.

At this time, Jiang Wang and his two companions were standing in front of this city within a city.

“Stop!” Two Lin family guards stood in front of the gatehouse, glaring angrily.

“I’m looking for Lin Zhengren,” Jiang Wang said.

“He’s not here!”

“Really? Then I’ll go in and look around.”

The guard was furious: “Is the Lin family’s ancestral land a place you can just enter?”

Zhao Rucheng sneered: “My legs are my own, is it up to you to stop me?”

The two sides were at loggerheads, on the verge of breaking out into a fight.

“Jiang Wang, have you thought this through!” A familiar figure walked out from the ancestral land, a smug smile on his face: “Trespassing on the Lin family’s ancestral land is tantamount to declaring war on the Lin family, a fight to the death! Even the Taoist Academy won’t protect you!”

Who else could it be but Lin Zhengli?

“So, the Lin family’s ancestral land is not allowed to be trespassed? In that case…” Jiang Wang laughed inexplicably twice.

“Then you…”

He raised his eyebrows and drew his sword!

The brilliant sword light that burst out swept across in front of him, creating a very thin, very deep crack in the ground.

“Then no one is allowed to leave!”

The number one family in Wangjiang City, the Lin family.

Had its gate cut down with a single sword.