Chapter 315

The sedan chair landed ahead.

Master Zhao, the head of the first branch, raised his hand, and his people stopped.

The夫人 of the second branch emerged from her sedan first, holding two golden maces crossed behind her head, as if bracing or resting. Given her current appearance, this pose created a striking contrast, like a female Cheng Yaojin.

Next came Master Zhao of the second branch. He placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, not to pull her back so he could stand in front, but to push her forward two more steps, allowing her to better shield him. When their tall son, Zhao Yong, emerged from the sedan with a shovel, Master Zhao of the second branch even deliberately stepped aside to let his son take the lead.

Tan Wenbin had considered using "verbal sparring" to buy time. But the risk was too great. The first branch clearly disliked putting on a show; otherwise, they wouldn't have feigned illness and been so uncooperative after their replacements took over. He couldn't afford for the four from the first branch to charge forward and end things while he was enthusiastically performing, spittle flying.

However, with his "wife and son" in front, Tan Wenbin felt confident enough to lighten the mood, shouting over to them: "Elder Brother, it's been a long time since we've had a proper gathering. Look, the scenery here is quite nice. Why don't our two families have a picnic first and wait for Third and Fourth Brother?"

Hearing this, Master Zhao of the first branch drew a small, formidable axe. Its two sides were inlaid with tiny skull heads, their mouths opening and closing with a "cackle" of laughter.

Seeing this, Tan Wenbin chuckled, "Elder Brother truly has the heart of a child! What an interesting toy!"

Master Zhao of the first branch said, "Are you from the second branch human, or ghost?"

Tan Wenbin replied, "That's a long story..."

Master Zhao of the first branch pointed his axe at Tan Wenbin, "Then don't speak."

Tan Wenbin smacked his lips. Indeed, conversation was futile; relying on talk to buy time was unwise.

Li Chuiyuan emerged.

From Li Chuiyuan's perspective, it would have been most beneficial for everyone to maintain a superficial understanding, enter the Zhao ancestral home together, let the others attack the Zhao family's Elder Grandmaster first, and then reveal their true intentions. After all, the stated goal of this wave of people was to kill the Elder Grandmaster. As for any unexpected events during the assassination of the Elder Grandmaster, or new complications arising after his death, Li Chuiyuan could actually leverage those. This was because Li Chuiyuan's true objective for this wave was Zhao Wuyang. The more chaotic the Zhao ancestral home became, the less pressure the young man would face.

Yet, Zhao Yi did not do this. Zhao Yi had already made his move before entering the ancestral home. The change in preconditions forced Li Chuiyuan to make a new choice. Option one: help these "River-walkers" overcome Zhao Yi's obstruction and gather at the Zhao ancestral home. Option two: turn a blind eye. His second branch was the least conspicuous anyway, and they could continue playing dumb, letting others do their thing while they waited at the ancestral home's entrance in their sedan chairs. Option three: stand with Zhao Yi and help him block people.

These three choices corresponded to the best, middle, and worst strategies. Currently, Li Chuiyuan had chosen the worst strategy.

A new cooperative relationship would require re-calibration. Li Chuiyuan didn't believe he was acting on emotion. He felt this was based on his understanding of Zhao Yi, temporarily overlooking immediate gains to maximize safety and benefit in the mid-to-late stages of this wave. But ultimately, the word "understanding" itself implies a bias. Especially when you only understand Zhao Yi but not the opponents before you. Therefore, stepping out of the sedan this time could also be seen as leveraging his past connection with Zhao Yi. The young man believed that Zhao Yi would be able to sense the location and movement of these two sedan chairs and understand the choice he had made. This time, Li Chuiyuan had made the first move to help, placing his chips on the table. It was as if the young man had first sent out an "alliance request." If Zhao Yi didn't accept or respond, he would be an enemy, and the hostility would be far greater than usual, deeper and more intense.

Li Chuiyuan didn't stand at the back of the group but took a few steps forward. "Master Zhao of the second branch" consciously continued to retreat, placing his wife and child all in front of himself.

As soon as the position swap was successful, a dark shadow appeared behind them, revealing a chilling glint, and an assassination attempt descended. Tan Wenbin sensed it. Before this, his "Little Yuan Brother" had already warned him mentally. After fully suppressing and controlling the four spirit beasts, Tan Wenbin's five senses had reached an extremely heightened state. However, such a high configuration also made it harder for him to operate smoothly. But connected by the red thread, his mental awareness was in sync with Li Chuiyuan's, so his perceptions naturally aligned with Li Chuiyuan's. The sudden situation was like a hastily set exam question: before he could even finish reading the problem, Little Yuan Brother had already solved it and tossed him the answer to copy. Tan Wenbin copied it verbatim. He didn't turn around. Instead, he formed a hand seal, bringing his two index fingers together and simultaneously pointing them at his brow. "Confound!"

To ensure the success of the ambush, the dark shadow had stripped away all unnecessary elements, but this also meant he was completely undefended. The blade in his hand was about to slash towards "Master Zhao of the second branch's" neck when suddenly, a pair of snake eyes appeared at the back of Master Zhao's head. The dark shadow's spatial perception immediately became disoriented. When the ambush failed, he immediately chose to retreat, and the dark shadow quickly dissipated. However, the Second Mistress, who had been standing in front, now appeared behind them. A golden mace slammed down, and the still-dissipating dark shadow instantly exploded with a "bang," turning into a cloud of dust. Just as Lin Shuyou habitually thought of using his child's magic to ensnare the dust for further torture, Little Yuan Brother's voice echoed in his mind, and he immediately stopped, not maximizing the gains from this successful counter-attack. Li Chuiyuan stopped him because if they pursued it further, a full-blown confrontation between the two sides would naturally begin. His goal was to block the opponents, and the lower the cost, the better.

"Pfft." The youngest son behind the first branch spat out a mouthful of blood.

The First Mistress of the Zhao family said, "No formations, no barriers, no pre-expanded miasma."

Master Zhao of the first branch said, "Then they heard it, or smelled it; they relied on their primal five senses."

"They hide themselves truly deep. Zhao Yi deliberately kept them hidden."

"They sided with Zhao Yi."

"How dare they?"

"They must have some backing."

"Are we still pretending?"

"No."

"Good, I'm tired of pretending too."

Master Zhao of the first branch opened his mouth and let out a low roar from his throat. His face rapidly blurred and converged into a bead on his tongue. When he closed his mouth, the image of a stern-eyed middle-aged man appeared. This kind of hardened demeanor, tempered by combat, was clearly not something Master Zhao, who was used to internal family scheming and managing clan affairs, could cultivate. The First Mistress of the Zhao family also opened her mouth, and after a fleeting moment of illusion, transformed into a middle-aged woman with a mole at the corner of her mouth. While not stunningly beautiful, she possessed a certain charm. The two "sons" behind her followed suit, shedding their disguises to reveal their true forms. One was heavily scarred and powerfully built, while the other appeared visibly frail, his loose clothes flapping against his body with every breeze.

Li Chuiyuan glanced at the frail young man. The dark shadow that had just attacked was released by this youth, but it wasn't a puppet. Furthermore, the blood the youth had spat out earlier didn't seem to be his own. Li Chuiyuan's mind raced, trying to identify what kind of technique the opponent was using. The conclusion he reached after sifting through possibilities surprised the young man. How could this technique be so similar to the traditions of the Underworld Bureau? It was somewhat like his own "Spirit Summoning and Commanding" but much cruder and lower-grade, not following the same fundamental path, yet its effects and attributes were similar.

"Brother Binbin, tell them to state their names."

"Understood."

Tan Wenbin flicked his sleeve and said disdainfully: "Using such tactics is rather undignified. What minor household are you from, truly, don't you understand any rules?"

Originally, Master Zhao of the first branch paid no mind, as the four of them had already locked onto their targets, a clear sign of an imminent full-scale attack. But after Tan Wenbin received Li Chuiyuan's reminder, his next words caused their aura to falter.

Tan Wenbin: "Heh, a bunch of ridiculous lone spirits and wild ghosts."

Master Zhao of the first branch straightened his posture again, his expression serious.

The First Mistress of the Zhao family whispered, "Were we seen through?"

Master Zhao of the first branch said, "Let's test them first."

After speaking, Master Zhao of the first branch held his axe horizontally in front of him, spinning it to create a chilling, whistling sound, like the wailing of a malevolent ghost.

"Sacrificial Official of Living Valley — Bu Chen."

The First Mistress of the Zhao family placed a disciplinary ruler horizontally against her lips, and a flute sound rose, as if the plants on both sides were responding.

"Judge of Living Valley — Qiu Chuyin."

The scarred youth clenched his fists, holding them by his sides, as wind gathered around him, creating continuous sonic booms.

"Executioner of Living Valley — Luo An."

The frail youth gave a sinister smile, and various echoing laughs immediately came from within his body. He said chillingly: "Executioner of Living Valley — Zheng Ming."

Etiquette in the pugilistic world wasn't just a formality. If you were of common origins, it didn't matter. But when operating in the pugilistic world, the fear was encountering those with complex backgrounds. Accidentally killing or harming someone could lead to a chain of subsequent troubles.

Tan Wenbin thought to himself, "Phew, these four, why do they look so much like they're from the underworld?"

Lin Shuyou thought to himself, "They have such strong ghostly aura on them."

When they had previously fought Qiu Huaiyu's team, there was someone nicknamed "White Impermanence," but that was merely a resemblance due to his mechanical arts; he had no actual connection to the underworld. But the four people before them had entirely consistent auras and attributes, and of course, when they introduced themselves, they also stated a location.

Li Chuiyuan thought to himself, "Living Valley, within Yuxi, Yunnan. That place now has another name: Ailao Mountain. It's normal for them to have ghostly aura. Not only Fengdu is called the Underworld in this world; it's just that the Great Emperor is too powerful and expanded his dao field to be the only one in mythology. In reality, there are many 'minor underworlds' in various places, and Living Valley is a sect that is based on one of them."

Li Chuiyuan knew about this sect from a damaged health preservation scroll in his great-grandfather's basement. The author of that book was a wandering master who had once sought the secret method of flesh regeneration from bare bones. The book recorded his journey to Living Valley. He had believed he would finally witness a true secret, but the final result left him deeply disappointed; it was not the immortality he sought. From the book's description, it was evident that Living Valley was a minor netherworld. If a Bodhisattva wanted to build a new hell, they would first have to seal off the existing great underworld. Similarly, the reason those minor underworlds have "minor" as a prefix is because Fengdu is pressing down on them.

What is now known is that Zhao Heming and Chen Cui'er's replacements from the third branch are from Buddhism, possibly guided by a trace left by the Bodhisattva years ago. Then it's highly likely that these "River-walkers" from the Living Valley's minor underworld are guided by the Great Emperor's decree for the Zhao family to be "sealed as a whole." Although they are not from the same faction and even have a competitive relationship, if it were you, you would also be curious about the special actions of the power that holds sway over you. The "River" (Jiangshui) likely exploited this point, connecting "River-walkers" of various backgrounds through different forms of "waves."

Li Chuiyuan looked up at the sky, which almost explicitly stated: The Heavenly Dao conducts political reviews.

The other side had finished introducing themselves, so it was their turn. But Tan Wenbin, as the one who was supposed to shout from the bow, didn't know how to begin. Their identities were numerous, and each represented a different choice.

"Brother Binbin..."

"Understood."

Tan Wenbin smiled, tearing off the mask from his face to reveal his true appearance. Lin Shuyou and Rungsheng also discarded the ceramic masks and put their puppets back into their pockets. Rungsheng was indifferent, but Lin Shuyou finally breathed a sigh of relief. A proud, spirited young man, having to act as a young mistress for the past few days, really suffocated Ah You. Of course, worse than the discomfort was his genuine fear of getting used to the role if he played it for too long.

Tan Wenbin began to announce their identity: "Heirs of the Fengdu Underworld Bureau, bearing the Great Emperor's will, here to deliver a decree!"

No sooner had Tan Wenbin's words fallen than an imprint appeared on Lin Shuyou's brow, and the aura of a Ghost Commander manifested. Ah You's position as Ghost Commander had received continuous affirmation from both the Great Emperor and the Great Emperor's heir, making it as legitimate as could be. Li Chuiyuan's palm faced downwards, and two faint illusory Soul-Locking Pillars appeared behind them. The illusory Soul-Locking Pillars combined with the Ghost Commander's aura were enough to prove their identity. Li Chuiyuan deliberately didn't manifest the illusory Gate of Ghosts. This left the four people from Living Valley somewhat bewildered.

Bu Chen: "People from Fengdu?"

Tan Wenbin: "That's right."

Bu Chen: "But I've never heard of Fengdu having heirs?"

Tan Wenbin: "Heh, there are many things you haven't heard of."

Bu Chen: "Since you are from Fengdu, why help that Zhao Yi of Jiujiang?"

Tan Wenbin: "Does our Fengdu Underworld Bureau need to explain its actions to you?"

Bu Chen: "That Zhao Yi of Jiujiang was once a Bodhisattva's hound, blocking Fengdu's Ghost Gate. Shouldn't he be your Fengdu's enemy?"

Tan Wenbin thought to himself, "Why does that sound so strange?" The Bodhisattva clearly lost and was suppressed by the Great Emperor, so why does it sound like the Bodhisattva won?

Lin Shuyou's thought was more direct: "Why is the credit going to the 'three-eyed' guy again?"

Li Chuiyuan: "The Bodhisattva, under the pretense of taking control of Fengdu, is now inside. The Great Emperor is busy suppressing the Bodhisattva, and the Ghost Gate is also closed. From an external perspective, it's indeed hard to tell who won. As for Zhao Yi... Living Valley probably sent people to Fengdu to investigate. Zhao Yi was responsible for the Yinmeng Coffin Shop contract and accompanied Xiu Xiu and her brother to handle the procedures at the street office. Furthermore, the Great Emperor's 'sealed as a whole' decree for Jiujiang Zhao wasn't an explicit public announcement; initially, few people would have known. After killing the people from the first branch, and discovering their souls were enveloped by netherworld flowers and taken to the Fengdu Underworld Bureau, the other side would naturally assume this was the Great Emperor's revenge on Zhao Yi, the Bodhisattva's hound, after the fact."

Lin Shuyou's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Wow, that's so logical!"

Tan Wenbin thought to himself, "Little Yuan Brother, should I go along with this fabrication?"

Li Chuiyuan replied, "Yes, just to buy time. You can improvise."

Tan Wenbin nodded and proclaimed: "The face lost by our Fengdu must naturally be regained by Fengdu itself. My Great Emperor's personal disciple has already entered the first sedan chair. In three incense sticks' time at most, he will kill that Zhao Yi of Jiujiang, bind his soul, and bring him back!"

Bu Chen: "The Zhao family patriarch has also been replaced."

Tan Wenbin: "That's right, that patriarch is none other than our Young Master!"

Bu Chen: "We wish to enter the Zhao ancestral home to execute the Zhao family's leader. Please do not obstruct us."

Tan Wenbin: "Our Young Master has strictly ordered that Zhao Yi must be apprehended by him personally to present a complete success to the Great Emperor. Outsiders are not to interfere. If you proceed, then don't blame us for being impolite!"

Bu Chen and Qiu Chuyin exchanged glances, their eyes meeting.

Qiu Chuyin: "They're targeting Zhao Yi, which means they're helping us deal with the Zhao family."

Bu Chen: "I just feel something is off."

Qiu Chuyin: "What's off?"

Bu Chen: "I can't quite say."

Qiu Chuyin: "It's impossible for people from the Underworld Bureau to truly be in league with Zhao Yi, right?"

Bu Chen: "My mind is so confused."

Qiu Chuyin: "Quiet down, be careful your inner great ghost doesn't seize the opportunity to cause trouble."

Bu Chen: "Then... wait?"

Qiu Chuyin looked back: "Let's wait, and also wait for the two branches behind us."

Bu Chen: "Three incense sticks' time?"

Tan Wenbin: "For our Young Master, that's plenty!"

Qiu Chuyin opened her palm, and three incense sticks appeared in her hand. In an instant, the three sticks joined together, pierced into the ground, and began to burn. Subsequently, all four from Living Valley sat down cross-legged. Qiu Chuyin stared at the incense, Luo An counted his fingers, and Zheng Ming rocked his body back and forth incessantly. Bu Chen closed his eyes, ghostly shadows appearing and disappearing on his face, as if he was performing some kind of suppression.

Tan Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "They actually fell for it. As expected of the branch that hates using their brains for acting the most."

Lin Shuyou thought to himself, "Those four across from us, their brains don't seem to work very well."

Tan Wenbin thought, "If even you think their brains don't work well, then they really must not."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, are you making fun of me?"

Tan Wenbin: "I'm praising your keen insight."

Li Chuiyuan: "It's because the information they have is erroneous. When they firmly believe the information they possess is correct, they will overlook and suppress other contradictory points."

Major events in the pugilistic world often leave most people confused. Only the top powers, who truly exchange information, can see clearly from the outset. When the Great Emperor unleashed his power to destroy sects, he hadn't even returned home from his journey on the River, yet Grandma Liu already had the intelligence report.

The first incense stick burned out. Qiu Chuyin looked up, gazing forward.

Tan Wenbin loudly proclaimed, "It seems this Zhao Yi of Jiujiang truly has some skill, but that's all it amounts to."

The second incense stick burned out. Except for Bu Chen, who was still meditating, the other three all looked at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin: "It's a bit tricky, but he's destined not to escape our Young Master's grasp!"

The third incense stick burned out. Bu Chen opened his eyes and stood up, "We're not waiting anymore."

Tan Wenbin: "Our Young Master must be fighting that Zhao Yi until the very last moment. It's almost over!"

Bu Chen: "We can go help him."

Tan Wenbin: "Does our Fengdu need your interference in its affairs? Do you truly think yourselves so important?!"

Bu Chen: "If it were merely Fengdu's affair, it would be simple; our Living Valley should give that face. But today's matter adheres to the will of Heaven; you cannot obstruct it!"

Tan Wenbin: "Aren't you afraid of my Great Emperor's wrath, bringing down a divine decree!"

Bu Chen: "Is the Great Emperor still that Great Emperor? If the Great Emperor were truly as mighty as in the past, why would punishing a single Jiujiang Zhao be such a drawn-out affair?"

Tan Wenbin: "Presumptuous!"

Bu Chen: "The Fengdu catastrophe, the Underworld Bureau's upheaval, from now on, the Underworld will no longer be ruled solely by your Fengdu!"

Tan Wenbin thought to himself, "These people are really strange; they hesitate when they should, and are decisive when they should be."

Li Chuiyuan: "They all carry something that suppresses and interferes with their thoughts."

Tan Wenbin: "No wonder, a bunch of neurotics."

Qiu Chuyin tossed a turtle shell onto the ground, continuously striking it with her disciplinary ruler. Runes appeared one after another, spreading outwards. She was setting up a formation.

Li Chuiyuan: "You can fight now."

The young man opened his right palm, and a blood-porcelain colored formation flag condensed. He grasped it and continually shook it. The duel between the two formation masters began before the teams themselves.

Upon first contact, Qiu Chuyin found her turtle shell trembling and immediately exclaimed: "Quick, attack! They have a master of formations. I'm far inferior to him. Don't give him a chance to set up his formation!"

Bu Chen, axe in hand, bent low and charged forward to the right. Luo An's arm scars rippled as he charged from the left. Zheng Ming's fingertips moved, and sinister laughter once again emanated from his body. Rungsheng stood at the very front, holding his Yellow