Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 786 An Opportunity to Gain Favors
After dividing the items into smaller portions, Mo Changbin said, "There's still one thing we haven't done!"

"Sir, what is it?" Zhou Yuntao asked.

He was a nobleman of the Dayun Dynasty and was considered Mo Changbin's most trusted subordinate.

"Destroy the Crimson Flame Army and kill Lu Jianghua!" Mo Changbin sneered.

Their purpose in coming here was not only to plunder wealth, but also to weaken the Lu family's strength.

Looting the market is also a drain on the Lu family, as is annihilating the Crimson Flame Army and killing members of the Lu family.

For a family to continue in the long term, it must meet three conditions: first, it must have a strong person who can protect the family; second, it must have a large number of outstanding descendants; and third, it must have an industry that can generate continuous profits.

The strongest member of the Lu family is naturally Lu Fusheng, and they dare not challenge him.

The Lu family doesn't have many outstanding descendants, but there are a few worth mentioning, and Lu Jianghua is undoubtedly one of them.

The Lu family's main business is the market. As a newly established family, the Lu family does not have many industries that are worth mentioning. In alchemy and weapon crafting, the Lu family is far inferior to other families. In terms of planting spiritual herbs, taming exotic beasts, and cultivating other spiritual creatures, the Lu family does not have any competitiveness in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

Therefore, as long as the Lu family's market can be disrupted, the Lu family will be plunged into a situation where they cannot make ends meet.

On one hand, they are attacking and killing the younger generation of the Lu family, and on the other hand, they are destroying the Lu family's path to wealth. Even if Lu Fusheng were still alive, the Lu family would fall into decline after several decades or even a hundred years.

Of course, the Mo family certainly can't wait a hundred years, but they will still try their best to deplete the Lu family's potential.

Therefore, Lu Jianghua is one of their most important targets.

"Sir, Lu Jianghua has fled to Nanqingshan. We can simply go there and deal with them!" Zhou Yuntao said.

At this time, they did not know that Lu Jianghua was already at Lingxi Mountain, and only thought that Lu Jianghua and the Chiyan Army had fled to Nanqing Mountain.

Even if they knew Lu Jianghua was in Lingxi Mountain, they wouldn't care.

The Yang family of Lingxi is just an insignificant little family; it's not time for them to be wary.

"It's not wise for us to start a big fight now. How about this, Yuntao, Brother Wu, you take a group of men and go there to bring me Lu Jianghua's head!"

"No problem, Brother Wu?"

Mo Changbin looked at Wu Dashan.

They have just attacked the market town of Nanxia County. Although it is not yet certain whether the Lu family has reacted, it is still not advisable for them to send out their entire force just in case.

"No problem, they're just a bunch of rabble. I, Old Wu, can take them down by myself!" Wu Dashan patted his chest and said confidently.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Wu!" Mo Changbin was very satisfied with Wu Dashan's attitude.

……

Snowy Mengshan Mountain, Three Valleys.

Yang Chengxian was leading the Secret Guard in working in the archives.

Nanxia County, Tianbao County, and Suihua County were attacked simultaneously, and they had not received any prior warning, which made them feel somewhat incompetent.

Moreover, they lost a significant number of men this time.

The three spies and more than twenty shadows in the three counties' markets were all caught in the crossfire, their fates unknown.

But now they don't even know who the other party is, which infuriates Yang Chengxian.

"Damn it, where did these guys come from? Why didn't we hear anything about them?" Yang Chengxian said angrily.

Although the Secret Martial Guard has developed well in recent years, and the spies it has trained have grown to the point where they can stand on their own, the Secret Martial Guard has focused its main efforts on the three sects and twelve families of the Lingxiu Sea, as well as the war between the three sects of Lingxiu and the Youyu Gate, and has not paid much attention to the forces in the West.

Furthermore, given the extremely secretive nature of the actions of the Da Yun Dynasty, the Nan Zhao Dynasty, and the Da Zhen Dynasty, it is understandable that the Secret Martial Guard did not receive prior notice.

"My lord, look here!" A close attendant came to Yang Chengxian and handed him a file.

Yang Chengxian glanced at the contents of the dossier and his attendant explained, "This is intelligence provided by the capital of Dayun. Starting two years ago, Wu Dashan, Lu Zhong, and Chen Zhaohui have all been to the capital of Dayun, and Chen Zhaohui has even been there twice!"

"What do you mean?" Yang Chengxian narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Wu Dashan, Lu Zhong, and Chen Zhaohui are all independent cultivators, and all of them are Heavenly Gang stage martial artists. They didn’t have much of a relationship with the Dayun Dynasty before, but in the last two years they have made several trips to the capital of Dayun, which is enough to show that they have more contact with the Mo family of the Dayun royal family!”

"This is just the information we have. There must be more information we haven't received. The number of times they went to the capital, Beijing, is definitely far more than we have recorded!"

The attendant said.

The Secret Martial Guards cannot keep track of every Heavenly Gang stage martial artist, nor can they keep track of their whereabouts. However, they can still gather some information about which powerful figures are active in a certain place.

Intelligence work is not just about collecting intelligence, but also includes intelligence analysis and intelligence application.

The Secret Guard is not only skilled in intelligence gathering, but also in intelligence analysis.

The archives here contain a large amount of messy, seemingly useless information; however, sometimes this seemingly useless information may allow the Secret Guard to see the truth behind things.

Of the three dynasties, the Secret Guard was most concerned about the Dayun Dynasty, firstly because the Dayun Dynasty was the strongest, and secondly because the Dayun Dynasty was the closest to Shanggu County.

"So the people who attacked Nanxia County were from the Dayun Dynasty?" Yang Chengxian asked thoughtfully.

“Although it cannot be confirmed, it is highly likely,” the attendant replied.

Just as the two were talking, Lü Hua walked in unhurriedly.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" Everyone bowed respectfully upon seeing him arrive.

"Young Master!" Lü Hua bowed to Yang Chengxian.

"So, have you gotten any other news?" Yang Chengxian asked.

Wearing a mask, Lu Hua's eyes gleamed with a faint glint of intelligence as he said, "Found them! They're currently hiding in a place called Dahuaishu Village in the northwest of Nanxia County!"

"And we also discovered that they had been there for more than half a year!"

It is absolutely impossible for more than three hundred people to disappear without a trace. They cannot fly or disappear into the ground, and Shanggu County is not a sparsely populated place.

Although the Secret Guards did not receive prior notice, they quickly tracked down the perpetrators after the incident and traced them all the way to their hideout.

"Alright, I'll arrange for someone to send the message to Lingxi Mountain right away!" Yang Chengxian said excitedly.

“Young Master, I’d better go myself. I’ll also take this opportunity to see if the Patriarch has any other instructions!” said Lü Hua.

Yang Chengxian thought for a moment and said, "Alright, be careful on the road!"

They didn't know what Yang Zhengshan's plans were, but it was best to get this kind of information to him as soon as possible.

When Lü Hua arrived at Lingxi Mountain, it was already the afternoon of the second day, four days after the attack on Nanxia County.

In the study, Yang Zhengshan looked at Lü Hua, who was wearing a mask, and asked, "Is there any news?"

"Returning home, my lord, the Secret Guard has indeed uncovered some information!"

Lu Hua reported the information that the Secret Martial Guard had found to Yang Zhengshan, including the whereabouts of those people and their suspicion that those people came from the Dayun Dynasty.

After listening, Yang Zhengshan seemed thoughtful. "How many people do we have in Nanxia County? Can we keep an eye on those people?"

Eight Heavenly Gang stage martial artists and three hundred Innate stage martial artists—this force is considerable. Even if the Lu family wanted to destroy them, it wouldn't be easy unless Lu Fusheng personally took action.

“There aren’t many left, only two small teams and a few shadows, but they’re all hidden among several martial arts families! Keeping an eye on those people isn’t difficult, it’s just that we can’t anticipate their movements!” Lu Hua said.

The Secret Martial Guards' squads consist of three people each, and their strength is not particularly great, with only the fifth or sixth level of the Acquired Realm cultivation. However, they excel at tracking.

If you count the time, the Snow Meng Mountain Secret Martial Guard has only been established for ten years. The original thirty-odd soldiers of the Divine Wood Navy now have almost all the cultivation of half-step Xiantian.

The remaining spies were teenagers and children adopted by the Secret Martial Guard over the years. They had only cultivated for less than ten years, and it was already extremely difficult for them to reach the fifth or sixth level of the Acquired Realm.

"Then let's keep an eye on them for now," Yang Zhengshan instructed.

He can protect Lu Jianghua, but he won't help the Lu family wipe out these robbers, nor will he provide the Lu family with any information.

After all, the Yang family of Lingxi was just a small family, and their apparent strength was insufficient to wipe out this group of bandits, nor did they have the channels to gather intelligence.

"Here!"

After Lu Hua finished his report, he planned to leave Lingxi Mountain.

His current identity also needs to be kept secret, and he should avoid showing himself in public if possible.

But just as he came down from Lingxi Mountain, a spy brought him a message. After hearing the message, he returned and found Yang Zhengshan.

"Those people have made a move. This morning, more than ten of them left Dahuaishu Village and seem to be heading towards Lingxi Mountain!" Lü Hua reported again.

Yang Zhengshan raised an eyebrow. "They've come to kill Lu Jianghua?"

Aside from Lu Jianghua, he couldn't think of any other motives those people might have.

Those people are currently located in the northwest of Nanxia County, while the east and northeast of Nanxia County are the territories of martial arts families. They certainly won't go looking for trouble with those martial arts families at this time, because it's pointless.

Therefore, they are most likely targeting Lu Jianghua and the Chiyan Army.

“That’s possible,” Lu Hua agreed.

Yang Zhengshan stroked his beard and paced back and forth in the study. "It seems that I have no choice but to take action!"

With the enemy coming to his door, he naturally couldn't back down.

Not only could he not back down, but he also had to help Lu Jianghua eliminate the attacking enemy.

This is a good opportunity to gain favor with the Lu family.

"Go and do your work first!"

After letting Lü Hua leave, Yang Zhengshan pondered for a moment in his study before calling Wang Lei over and giving him a few simple instructions.

He did not tell Lu Jianghua this news, nor did he allow the Chiyan Army to prepare in advance.

Firstly, he couldn't explain the source of the information to Lu Jianghua; secondly, since he wanted to earn favor from the Lu family, he naturally had to put on a good show.

If the enemy is killed too easily, then the favor will be diminished.

As for whether he could stop the approaching enemy, Yang Zhengshan had no worries about that at all.

He is now a celestial cultivator, and one who possesses two top-grade magic artifacts. He dares not claim to be the number one person below the Martial God, but a few Heavenly Gang stage martial artists are truly no threat to him.

As dusk settles and night falls, a crescent moon peeks quietly from the dark blue sky, like a delicate silver hook. Its clear, watery light pours down, draping the earth in a misty veil. In the distance, the rolling mountains are only vague outlines in the moonlight, resembling lurking beasts.

It was the height of summer, and even at night, the air was still thick with heat.

However, the heat was nothing to Yang Zhengshan. Since innate martial artists are immune to heat and cold, Yang Zhengshan was not afraid of either.

Tonight, he did not return to the Spirit Source Land. Instead, he moved a rocking chair to the courtyard and sat down, his eyes slightly narrowed as if he were dozing. In reality, he was cultivating the "Void Refining Nerve".

Essence, Qi, and Spirit are the foundation of immortal cultivation. To go further on the path of immortality, one must advance in all three aspects simultaneously.

Of these three, essence is the foundation of life. Immortal cultivators need a strong physique to resist the impact of spiritual energy entering the body and to build a solid foundation for absorbing and storing spiritual energy.

Qi, as a symbol of energy, or magical power, permeates the entire path of immortality. It is not only the driving force behind spells and techniques, but also a bridge connecting the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The spirit is the divine soul. A powerful divine soul can help cultivators accurately perceive the flow of spiritual energy and understand the laws of heaven and earth. It is indispensable when cultivating high-difficulty techniques and crafting magical treasures.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit complement each other. When essence is abundant, Qi is sufficient; when Qi is sufficient, Spirit is vigorous; and when Spirit is vigorous, it nourishes essence and Qi, promoting their sublimation.

The Qi Refining Stage is called the Qi Refining Stage because it emphasizes the accumulation of essence and the absorption of qi.

However, this does not mean that gods are unimportant. On the contrary, the strength of one's soul is related to the cultivation speed of a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

The soul is the most difficult to enhance, and any cultivation method that can enhance the power of the soul is extremely precious.

Among the cultivation techniques that Yang Zhengshan possessed, the "Dongxu Refining Nerve Technique" was the most important.

It best suited Yang Zhengshan and had the greatest influence on his cultivation of immortality.

Even without the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture," Yang Zhengshan could still cultivate other techniques.

Without the "Qinghua Thunder Technique," it wouldn't affect Yang Zhengshan's cultivation of immortality at all; at most, he would just be missing a powerful magical technique.

Without the "Dongxu Refining Scripture," Yang Zhengshan would have no way of finding a substitute technique.

Perhaps he could find other techniques to enhance his soul, but none would be as compatible with him as "Refining the Void and Spiritual Path".

As his cultivation level improved, Yang Zhengshan felt the importance of the "Penetrating Void Refining Nerve" more and more, so now he practices the "Penetrating Void Refining Nerve" for four hours every day, treating it as a form of sleep.

Although Yang Zhengshan was sitting in the courtyard, his spiritual sense had already enveloped the entire Lingxi Mountain.

Now his spiritual sense is enough to cover an area of ​​three hundred feet around him, including the village at the foot of the mountain.

(End of this chapter)