Chapter 304 - 118: First Grade 3

Chapter 304: Chapter 118: First Grade 3

A vague, unsettling suspicion had already taken root in his heart, so he went to find Chu Xingyun, with whom he was at least somewhat acquainted.

"This..." Chu Xingyun gave a bitter smile.

If he had a choice, he really wouldn’t want to get mixed up in this mess. But that was clearly not an option.

Before Fang Rui left, he had made a special trip to smooth things over, asking Chu Xingyun to help look after Liu Pan’Er and the others, a request Chu Xingyun had truly taken to heart.

But when Zhen Daoji gave the order—well, you can’t fight the powers that be. There was nothing he could do!

This left him with a guilty conscience, a debt he now owed.

Coupled with the secret voice transmission Fang Rui had used earlier and the Body Technique he had just displayed, Chu Xingyun knew he was utterly outmatched.

Facing a creditor who could collect the debt by force, he chose to follow his instinct for self-preservation.

"Brother Fang, it’s... it’s like this. This morning, Lord Si Zheng sealed off Nanshan Garden, gathered ten thousand young boys and girls... He used Soul Searching... on Liu Pan’Er and Xiaoya..."

"No wonder. Heh. Zhen Daoji, what a ruthless move! It seems I misjudged you after all."

Fang Rui’s expression turned icy cold.

As he recalled the details of their past interactions, he had a sudden realization: no matter how magnanimous or open-minded Zhen Daoji appeared on the surface, at his core, he was a man who looked down from on high, aloof and merciless.

"Where is Zhen Daoji?"

"He’s..."

Chu Xingyun hesitated. Having given in once, it was easy to do it a second time. "The Direc—no, Zhen Daoji is at the Divine Capture Bureau’s Si Ya. He’s been in there for most of the day. The Zhen Family’s core members have been coming and going; it looks like they’re planning a major move."

"Thank you for your honesty, Brother Chu. Tonight, just pretend I was never here."

Fang Rui turned, and with a single stride, he was thirty feet away. An instant later, he had vanished without a trace.

It was as if everything that had just happened was a mere illusion.

’Good thing I came clean.’

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Chu Xingyun muttered, "A clash of titans... and a nobody like me almost got caught in the crossfire."

"Tsk, tsk. An Immortal of that caliber... and I actually thought about making him my subordinate. Looking back, I must have had some serious nerve!"

He had to admire the audacity of his past self.

"Steward?"

"Here!"

"Pass the word. If anyone comes looking for me tonight, I’m not here."

Chu Xingyun hitched up his pants, grumbling as he returned to his room. "No one is going to keep me from Gao Le..."

...

The Zhen Mansion.

"Second Uncle,"

Zhen Daoji sighed. "Thinking about it calmly now, Fang Rui likely got the Dragon Pearl long before we met him. When I banqueted him and asked about the Dragon Pearl, his only choice was to be selective with the truth."

"His voluntary departure a few days ago was perhaps his own way of making a concession." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"Indeed."

Zhen Yi nodded. "But we’ve already used Soul Searching on that mistress of young friend Fang Rui, as well as the maid. It’s too late now."

"Dao Ji, do you have any regrets?"

"It was admittedly a rather petty move. But I never regret my actions."

Zhen Daoji said coolly, "As for those two Chief Constables, release them once their questioning is done."

"As for Fang Rui, a confrontation between us is inevitable."

"I understand. It’s just,"

Zhen Yi paused. "I’m concerned the family will object to mobilizing so many resources against Fang Rui. Also, should this matter be reported in detail?"

"Fang Rui and I did have a bit of a rapport, after all. Let it be."

But Zhen Daoji had another, more important reason he didn’t voice.

The Yin Yang Dragon Pearls. If it were just a single one, those above the First Grade would value it, but not so much that they would cast aside all decorum. But this was a matched pair of Yin Yang Dragon Pearls, drawn to one another by nature.

When brought together in Yin Yang Unity, they were a treasure of immense value—enough to allow an expert above the First Grade to advance to the next level!

’If I use them first and create a fait accompli, then even if the Old Ancestor himself shows up, he won’t be able to say anything. But if...’

Zhen Daoji mused, shaking his head slightly.

Furthermore, he had his own ideas about the secrets Fang Rui held, which made him subconsciously resistant to reporting the matter.

"Dao Ji, you..."

Just as Zhen Yi was about to say something, he suddenly sensed the security measures placed outside had been triggered. His brow furrowed.

And in the very next moment—

SCREEE!

Two mournful, piercing cries rang out.

The expressions on Zhen Yi and Zhen Daoji’s faces changed. They strode out together, only to be met with a shocking sight. "Fang Rui?!"

’First, kill their mounts and cut off their escape!’

Watching the Red-Feathered Golden Eagles explode into a shower of blood, Fang Rui faced the two men who had just emerged and, without a word, unleashed a slash of his blade.

The wave of Sword Qi was blindingly brilliant and incomparably sharp. It flashed toward them, more dazzling than the very starlight in the clear night sky.

Yet it carried with it a boundless killing intent!

"This is... First Grade?!"

Expressions of utter horror appeared on the faces of both Zhen Yi and Zhen Daoji simultaneously.

...