Chapter 362 179: The Heretic's Devious Trail

Qifeng Manor was indeed interested in the Jiaowei.

They had previously heard the Jiaowei had fallen into the hands of an obscure nobody, which sparked their interest.

And once news of the Tea and Zither Appreciation Party got out, the couple grew even more ambitious.

But who could have imagined that this obscure nobody would suddenly turn out to be the master of the Blood Saber Hall's Hall Master?

In that case... never mind whether they could obtain the Jiaowei at the Tea and Zither Appreciation Party on their own merits.

Even if they could get it... would they dare to take it?

Did they really think they could just take something belonging to Xuanyuan One Slash's master and get away with it?

The thought gave Mistress Feng a headache.

Seeing this, Ning Jiuyuan said softly,

"Mistress, from what I've seen, Jiang Ran is a reasonable man. He's no ordinary person.

"I invited them to Qifeng Manor in the hopes of befriending them.

"It's always better to be friends with someone like him than enemies.

"As for the Jiaowei... it is precious, but it has stirred up trouble throughout the martial world. No one can say for sure what might happen at the Tea and Zither Appreciation Party.

"For now, it's best not to dwell on it."

Mistress Feng nodded thoughtfully and said softly,

"Jiuyuan, you've always been so perceptive.

"It's not usually easy to befriend someone like him. This is a rare opportunity, being so close.

"Sigh. If only I'd known, I wouldn't have acted that way before.

"Who could have guessed that the people from the Blood Saber Hall would show up at our door so aggressively, only to be paying a social call instead of seeking revenge?"

Hearing this, Ning Jiuyuan glanced at the surrounding Blood Saber Hall disciples, momentarily speechless.

The whole lot of them looked down their noses at everyone, as if the world owed them silver.

Wherever they went, even without speaking a word, their presence alone made people want to back away.

Averting her gaze, Ning Jiuyuan glanced toward Feng Wu, exhaled softly, and whispered in Mistress Feng's ear.

Mistress Feng paid it no mind at first, but halfway through, her expression changed dramatically.

By the time Ning Jiuyuan finished, her face was as white as a sheet.

"How... how could this be?"

Her eyes subconsciously searched for Feng Xianzhi.

She saw Feng Xianzhi at Jiang Ran's side, quietly telling him about Qifeng Manor.

A wave of anxiety washed over her, and she wished for nothing more than to march over and drag Feng Xianzhi away.

Just then, she saw Jiang Ran turn and glance at her.

Their eyes met. Jiang Ran gave a slight nod, then said something to Feng Xianzhi.

Feng Xianzhi turned back, looking lost. He met his wife's gaze, then excused himself to Jiang Ran and went to her.

Jiang Ran watched the couple for a moment before looking away with a sigh.

'Such a wicked deed.

'Mr. Yin Xian wants his own son to live, but he disregards the lives of others' sons.

'His desperation is pitiable, but his heart deserves to be struck down!'

Tang Huayi curled her lip.

"What's the big deal? If it were me, I wouldn't care about the lives of strangers either.

"Even if a hundred thousand or a million strangers died, how could that compare to a single hair on the head of someone I care about?"

'And that's why you're a little demoness.'

Jiang Ran shook his head, not bothering to argue the point with the little demoness from the Demon Sect.

'If she could understand that, she wouldn't be a demoness from the Demon Sect.'

In reality, Tang Huayi was much better than Jiang Ran gave her credit for.

He didn't know if he only felt that way because Tang Huayi treated him differently.

But at the very least, he hadn't seen many of her Demon Sect habits while she was with him.

She might be a bit mischievous, but there was a cute and genuine side to her too.

But the moment that thought crossed his mind, Jiang Ran felt like he must be going insane.

Thinking a demoness from the Demon Sect was 'cute and genuine'… He felt he owed those words a sincere apology.

After the couple, Feng Xianzhi and Mistress Feng, finished speaking with each other, they both seemed distracted and distraught.

They led Jiang Ran's group inside and arranged their quarters, but left in a hurry without even offering the usual pleasantries.

Jiang Ran knew what was wrong, so he didn't press the issue.

Besides, it wasn't just Feng Xianzhi's family that had matters to attend to. Jiang Ran's group was busy as well.

Gu Xizhi's life was still hanging by a thread.

Jiang Ran had used a Life-extending Pill to keep him alive, but more treatment was needed to pull him back from the Ghost Gate.

Inside the room, Gu Xizhi lay on the bed with his eyes shut tight, his face ashen and sallow.

Jiang Ran's eyes narrowed, and a faint, ethereal form began to rise from his body.

In one hand, the pearlescent light of the Falling Star Pearl swirled.

With his other hand, he extended two fingers and began tapping points on Gu Xizhi's body, his movements as swift as falling raindrops.

This was the Great Brahman World-Saving Finger!

It was an ultimate healing technique from the Great Brahman Vajra Skill.

The Falling Star Pearl, which he'd found in the cellar of Qiuci Posthouse, could amplify this healing power to its absolute limit.

With each tap of his fingers, a jolt of energy seemed to surge into Gu Xizhi's body.

After completing the full sequence of the Great Brahman World-Saving Finger, Jiang Ran reached out and pulled Gu Xizhi upright on the bed.

Gu Xizhi's body complied, and he suddenly opened his mouth to spray out a mouthful of black blood.

This was the stagnant blood from his internal injuries, which Jiang Ran had now forced out, giving his body a chance to heal.

But Jiang Ran wasn't finished. With a single leap, he was behind Gu Xizhi.

He flicked his wrist, pressing the Falling Star Pearl against the Shendao acupoint on Gu Xizhi's back. Then, he placed two fingers from his other hand onto the pearl itself.

As his Inner Strength flowed into the Falling Star Pearl, the gem erupted in a brilliant light, as if wreathed in stars.

The Inner Strength, now filtered through the Falling Star Pearl, flowed into Gu Xizhi's body, forcing him to sit up ramrod straight.