Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 730 Lu Jianghua's Scheme
The flames on Qingyu Mountain burned all night, as if they had turned half the sky red, and could be seen from a great distance.

Before dawn, news of the Qingyu Lin family's annihilation spread like a chilling wind throughout the surrounding martial arts families.

South of the green hills, towards home.

Xiang Feiying hurried to the gate of a small courtyard and gently knocked on it.

The courtyard gate opened automatically, and a candlelight shone inside the house.

"What's the matter?"

An aged voice drifted out from inside the house.

"Father, I just received news that the Yu family of Longxi is besieging Qingyu Mountain!" Xiang Feiying said with a solemn expression.

Nanqingshan is more than a hundred miles away from Qingyushan, so the flames rising from Qingyushan cannot be seen from here, but the Xiang family still received the news immediately.

However, the information they received was somewhat delayed; by then, the Qingyu Lin family had already been wiped out.

With a creak, the old door swayed slowly, and an old man in a blue Taoist robe stepped out of the house.

The old man's hair was already white, appearing as if covered with a thin layer of frost in the moonlight. When the bright moonlight shone on his face, his prominent brow bones were fully revealed.
His cheeks were thin, his skin drooped loosely, and his wrinkles resembled the cracks in a dried-up riverbed. The corners of his mouth drooped slightly, as if pulled by an invisible force, giving him a cold and fierce look.

This old man is Xiang Tengjiao, the patriarch of the Xiang family of Nanqing.

"It was expected, but I didn't expect the Yu family to be the ones to make the move!" Xiang Tengjiao said calmly.

Xiang Feiying lowered his eyes slightly, "Father, didn't you say that the Yu family and the Sun family are at odds? Why would the Yu family still obey the Sun family's orders?"

Just before the Lu family of Tianque issued a proclamation, and now, a little over a month later, the Yu family has already attacked Qingyu Mountain.

Although the Takigawa family is not a martial arts family in Shanggu County, the Aoyu Lin family is.

By acting in this way, the Longxi Yu family not only broke the rules but also offended the Tianque Lu family. No one would believe that this was done without the support of the Sun family.

The Xiang family had anticipated this, and the reason they had remained quiet and refrained from targeting the Yang family of Lingxi during this period was because they were taking precautions against this incident.

"It is precisely because the two families are at odds that the Yu family has stepped forward to act as a tool for the Sun family, hoping to ease tensions with them," Xiang Tengjiao said coldly.

The difference between a martial arts family and a martial arts clan is self-evident. Perhaps the Yu family has something to rely on and is not afraid of the Sun family destroying them, but they would never dare to offend them too much, since the Longxi Yu family still needs to survive within the Sun family's sphere of influence.

Although Xiang Feiying was the head of the Xiang family, he didn't know much about the methods of aristocratic families. But Xiang Tengjiao had lived for over a hundred years and knew all about these methods.

These aristocratic families don't even need to ask for anything; someone will naturally step forward and deliver it to them.

"So, should we do something?" Xiang Feiying asked in a deep voice.

“What can we do? Let’s wait and see how the Lu family reacts!” Xiang Tengjiao said.

Neither the Lu family nor the Sun family can compare to the Xiang family.

Although the Lu family is no longer a prominent family, and Lu Fusheng has not yet broken through to the Martial God Realm, the Lu family's foundation, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, is definitely not comparable to that of ordinary martial arts families.

As for the Xiang family, they are no match for the Lu family, let alone the Yu family.

……

The sky is bright.

On Lingxi Mountain, Yang Zhengshan had just returned from the land of spiritual energy when Lü Hua delivered a letter to him.

"Last night, the Takigawa family wiped out the Qingyu Lin family! The Takigawa family is not a martial arts family from Shanggu County, but a martial arts family under the rule of the Sun family!"

"Although the two families are neighbors, there was no major conflict between them before. The Yu family of Longxi suddenly attacked the Lin family, catching them off guard. Overnight, all three of the Lin family's sacred mountains fell into the hands of the Yu family!"

Lu Hua received the intelligence later, but it was much more detailed.

Yang Zhengshan opened the letter, glanced at it quickly, and said indifferently, "The fighting here is really interesting. They kill when they want to kill, and exterminate clans when they want to exterminate them, without any scruples!"

Yang Zhengshan was naturally no stranger to the idea of ​​exterminating entire clans.

He used to always insist on having a legitimate reason for his actions, but clearly that doesn't apply here.

“They do have their concerns, but they’re not concerned about morality; they’re concerned about their sects and aristocratic families!” Lu Hua said.

Yang Zhengshan nodded, "I'm really not used to the idea that strength is everything!"

Lü Hua remained silent.

He has now figured out the rules of the game in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, the simplest of which is that strength reigns supreme.

What they lack most right now is strength, which makes them feel constrained in everything they do.

"Any movement from the Xiang family?" Yang Zhengshan then asked.

“No!” Lu Hua said.

Yang Zhengshan naturally couldn't let the Xiang family go unchecked, and Chen Zhongshu had been keeping a close eye on their every move.

Although they couldn't find out the details of the Xiang family's affairs, they could still keep an eye on them secretly.

"The Xiang family probably guessed the conflict between the Lu and Sun families, which is why they haven't made a move against us for so long!"

Yang Zhengshan slowly walked out of the room, and Lü Hua immediately stepped forward and scooped a basin of water from the water tank and placed it in front of him.

After quickly washing his face, Yang Zhengshan groomed his beard as he continued, "Keep sending people to keep an eye on the Yu family and see if there's any chance to drive the wolves away!"

He had already learned about the Xiang family's style of doing things. To put it simply, the Xiang family was a pack of wolves; once they set their sights on you, don't even think about getting away with it.

They will either swallow them whole, skin and all, or they will swallow them whole.

In any case, there is no possibility of reconciliation between the Yang family of Lingxi and the Xiang family of Nanqing; one of them is destined to die.

The reason why the Xiang family of Nanqing has not taken action against the Yang family of Lingxi is entirely because they do not take the Yang family of Lingxi seriously.

This is precisely where Yang Zhengshan's advantage lies.

Being weak can also be an advantage.

“I understand. How about I go and keep an eye on it myself?” Lu Hua said.

Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, "You're not up to the task. Let your men keep an eye on things. Don't take any risks. Just make sure you know their attack route!"

“Yes!” Lü Hua replied.

After giving his instructions, Yang Zhengshan pondered the matter for a while, then had an idea. He went to the top of the mountain north of Lingxi Mountain and summoned Zhou Tianci and the other two.

During this period, Zhou Tianci, An Yuxing, and Liang Shengze have all practiced the Qi Induction Technique. Zhou Tianci practiced the Golden Spirit Qi Induction Technique, An Yuxing naturally practiced the Water Spirit Technique, and Liang Shengze practiced the Earth Spirit Technique.

All three are now considered to be innate realm Earthly Fiend stage martial artists, but they are still in the stage of drawing Qi into the body and do not have corresponding martial arts techniques, so their strength is only slightly stronger than before.

However, these three were all ancient cultivators with over a hundred years of experience, possessing extremely abundant true energy. Although they hadn't yet condensed their true essence, their strength should be a notch above the Qi Sea Realm martial artists in this area. Yang Zhengshan had summoned them this time, naturally to sell spirit fruits and buy cultivation techniques.

It's been more than two months since the last time we sold spirit fruits. Now we should be able to go out and sell them again. And now everyone's attention should be focused on the Longxi Yu family, so we can take this opportunity to sell more spirit fruits.

Yang Zhengshan handed the three the spirit fruits he had prepared beforehand, gave them a few simple instructions, and then told them to go and sell the spirit fruits.

Practice makes perfect, and this time they didn't need anyone to guide them; the three of them could go on their own.

After seeing the three off, Yang Zhengshan returned to the Spirit Source Land to cultivate.

As Yang Zhengshan had predicted, the situation in northern Shanggu County was as follows: after taking down the Qingyu Lin family, the Takishi Yu family did not stop, but instead continued their advance along the Yunxiao Mountains.

They wiped out four martial arts families at a rate of almost one family every two days, causing panic throughout the northern part of Shanggu County.

In the past few days, many families have gone to Nanxia County to seek help from the county magistrate.

Lu Jianghua, the magistrate of Nanxia County, is a direct descendant of the Lu family of Tianque, and Lu Fusheng is his grandfather.

Lu Jianghua is now in his forties and his cultivation has reached the Qi Sea stage of the Innate Realm.

At this moment, Lu Jianghua was sitting in the study of the county government office. He had a handsome face with well-defined features and eyes that were like a deep pool, both deep and bright. He looked to be in his early twenties, but he already exuded elegance and had an outstanding temperament.

However, his expression was rather grim at this moment. The Yu family's unbridled attack on the martial arts families of Shanggu County had fueled a fire in his heart.

Indeed, the Lu family may not be considered a prominent family now, but whether in the former Great Zhao or the current Lingxiu Sea, the Lu family was a top martial arts family.

In terms of foundation, the Lu family is not much worse than aristocratic families; all they lack is a Martial God Realm expert.

Compared to the Lu family, what is the Yu family?
It's nothing more than a dog that relies on its master's power.

"Young Master!" A servant entered the study and called out softly.

"Hmm!" Lu Jianghua responded calmly, still looking at the letters of appeal sent by various parties.

The attendant said, "Young master, a letter has arrived from home. Reinforcements will arrive in three days, led by General Lan Peng with two thousand Crimson Flame Army soldiers!"

Lu Jianghua looked up. "General Lan Peng came in person?"

The Lu family of Tianque was originally a military family of the Great Zhao Dynasty. Although the Great Zhao Dynasty has now been destroyed, the Lu family of Tianque still has 50,000 elite troops.

Lu Fusheng had many outstanding generals under his command, and Lan Peng was considered one of Lu Fusheng's right-hand men.

"Yes, that's what the messenger said!" the confidant replied affirmatively.

Lu Jianghua stood up thoughtfully and paced back and forth in the study.

"Grandfather is already in seclusion, so why would Father send General Lan Peng? The Yu family shouldn't need General Lan Peng to personally come forward!"

Lan Peng is a Heavenly Gang stage martial artist, and the Yu family also has Heavenly Gang stage martial artists, but how can the Heavenly Gang stage martial artists of these small families compare to the generals under Lu Fusheng's command?

Lu Jianghua knew that his family would send reinforcements, but he thought it would be one of the other generals. He never expected it to be Lan Peng.

"Is Father planning to use this opportunity to establish his authority?"

"No, it's not just about establishing authority; Father also wants to fight back!"

Lu Jianghua is not a spoiled young nobleman. He not only has outstanding martial arts talent, but is also extremely intelligent. Otherwise, the Lu family would not have made him the county magistrate.

Nanxia County is no ordinary county. Shanggu Prefecture has thirteen counties, but only four are close to the Lingxiu Sea. Adding the two counties of Donghua Prefecture, it can be said that among the territories controlled by the Lu family, only these six counties are related to the Lingxiu Sea. Although other places also have spiritual fields and martial arts families, they cannot compare with these six counties at all.

Lu Jianghua was able to get this job not only because he was born into the direct line of the Lu family, but also because his abilities were recognized by his elders.

Although his father did not say it explicitly, he had already guessed what his father meant.

We will break out of Shanggu County, enter the Sun family's territory, and destroy the Yu family!

After figuring this out, Lu Jianghua smiled faintly, "Looks like I'm going to be blamed for my family's misdeeds!"

This was his guess, not something his family had instructed him to do, although he felt it was his father's idea, since his father hadn't said it explicitly.

If this matter is brought up later, it will be his idea alone.

Therefore, regardless of the outcome, there is room for maneuver in this matter.

Lu Jianghua naturally wouldn't object to taking the blame for his family. He was just a junior, and even if he went too far, would the Sun family hold a grudge against a junior like him?

Similarly, if the Yu family enters Shanggu County and wreaks havoc, the Lu family will not be able to cause trouble for the Sun family. The Sun family can simply say that this is the Yu family's own business and shirk all responsibility.

Ultimately, the two sides are still maintaining a semblance of civility and haven't completely broken off relations.

"Go and greet General Lan Peng. Tell him that he doesn't need to rush the march and can arrive in Nanxia County three to five days later!" Lu Jianghua instructed.

"Yes, sir!" the attendant replied and left the study.

Lu Jianghua returned to his desk, a faint smile on his handsome face, his previous anger completely gone.

"Since your Yu family is willing to be used as a tool, then kill as many as you can. It will also help me clean up the mess!"

He slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and his voice, filled with laughter, echoed gently in the elegant and tranquil study like a babbling brook.

……

This time, Zhou Tianci and his two companions were gone for a longer period, a full half month before they returned.

However, they brought back much more cultivation techniques and spirit stones this time than last time.

There are more than twenty books on various knife techniques, sword techniques, spear techniques, body techniques, footwork, etc., more than three hundred spirit stones, and seven spirit fruits that are not found in the Spirit Source Land.

On the back of Lingxi Mountain, Yang Zhengshan looked at the contents of his storage bag and nodded in satisfaction.

"You didn't run into any trouble, did you?"

An Yuxing laughed and said, "Don't worry, we are very careful. Although the three of us are traveling the same way, we never act together."

"Okay, that's good. You all go back first. I'll send these cultivation techniques to the Scripture Repository when I get back tonight, and then you can take a look at them," Yang Zhengshan said.

"Not in a hurry!"

An Yuxing said nonchalantly.

They are currently in the stage of drawing qi into their bodies, and the true qi and spirituality within their bodies are still very mixed, making them completely unsuitable for practicing martial arts techniques.

Only after they have completed the process of drawing qi into their bodies and transforming all the true qi within them can they practice these techniques.

Yang Zhengshan didn't say much and sent them back to the Spirit Source Land first.

Cultivation requires a gradual process and cannot be accomplished overnight. All three are experienced innate martial artists and naturally know the principle that haste makes waste, so they can remain calm for now.

(End of this chapter)