Family Rise: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 602 The Unfilial Son, Special Talent, Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

[9: Three thousand feet underground at Zhenyuan Pass, the remains of an ancient demonic cultivator are sealed. The ring he wore is actually a fragmented spiritual treasure called the "Soul Devouring Ring," which is currently in the Yunlang Mountains under the jurisdiction of the Huanxi Sect.]

[10: The "Life-Substitute Gu" inherited by the Northern Frontier Witch Doctor Tribe can transfer fatal damage when a cultivator is on the verge of death, but its creation requires sacrificing a hundred years of the caster's lifespan. It can be improved using the system's [Cultivation Technique Deduction] function.]

[11: Once the virtuous and righteous woman Cuizhi forms her core, she will awaken the "Nine Yin Meridians" hidden within her body. She must simultaneously consume the extremely yang spiritual object "Red Yang Fruit" to balance it, otherwise she will die and her cultivation will be extinguished.]

[12: A mutated ancient rare beast is kept in the forbidden area behind the Joyful Sect. Its blood can be used to draw formation-breaking talismans, but after the blood is taken, it needs to be nourished with wood spirit stones to survive.]

[13: If your Skeleton Vine can devour the "Spirit Vine", it can evolve into a spatial teleportation talent. The vine grows in the Misty Islands of the South China Sea.]

[14: Your grandson Zhou Kang'er has the hidden Xuanwu bloodline, which requires a Xuanwu stone to awaken.]

[15: The Great Zhou Dynasty's treasure vault contains a "Dragon Qi Lock" left over from the previous dynasty, which can temporarily seal the aura of a true dragon and prevent it from being tracked by powerful beings. However, it is hidden by external objects, and even a Nascent Soul True Monarch cannot detect it.]

[16: A hundred feet underground in the Cao family cemetery, there is an ancient "war puppet" sealed. Only a direct descendant with the right bloodline and the third level of the "Great Evolution Technique" can make it recognize a master.]

[17: Fu Molan's natal puppet "Wuguang" has developed a faint intelligence and can devour fourth-tier metal to advance its level]

[18: The High Priest of the Sirius Tribe secretly cultivates the forbidden technique "Blood Wolf Curse," which requires him to consume the essence blood of his own tribe every month.]

[19: The "Witch God Altar" is buried beneath the ancient battlefield at the junction of the three major witch villages in the northern frontier. It can be opened by collecting the sacred objects of the three tribes.]

[20: The Thunderwing King, tamed by the Thunderwing Tribe, is about to lay eggs, which can be refined into "Thunder Escape Talisman Treasures"]

[21: The "Netherworld Weak Water" flowing deep within the Ouyang clan's earth veins surges forth once every hundred years, capable of refining ghost-path magical artifacts]

[22: One of the family's treasure trees will be bestowed upon your son, Fu Yongkui, who will possess a unique talent in the myriad arts of cultivation.]

【23:……】

……

A total of thirty pieces of intelligence were exchanged.

After Fu Changsheng finished organizing the information, his gaze fell on the twenty-second intelligence report. After pondering for a moment, he sent a communication talisman to Fu Yongkui.

Now the family only needs four more craft masters to be promoted to a fifth-rank family. It would be best if Yongkui could fill one of the spots.

...

...

Yunshan County - December in the Cold Winter

With the year-end approaching and heavy snow blocking the mountains, Fu Yongkui had a rare few days of leisure.

That day, after he finished processing a batch of "waste materials" that had accumulated in his workshop, he remembered that some time ago when he went hunting in the mountains, he had inadvertently saved an old farmer who had fallen into a trap. To express his gratitude, the old farmer insisted on giving him an old hoe he had inherited from his ancestors, saying that it was the only valuable item in his house.

At the time, he took it as a normal thank-you gift and did not look at it closely.

While tidying up the warehouse today, I picked up a hoe to put it into the "common iron" basket. My spiritual energy flowed spontaneously through my fingertips, and I sensed a faint yet exceptionally pure warm energy within the wooden handle of the hoe.

"This is... Soul-Nourishing Wood?"

Fu Yongkui's heart skipped a beat as he carefully stroked the seemingly rough wooden handle. The wood was dark, with deep grain, and holding it in his hand brought an indescribable sense of comfort and tranquility. He tried to probe the handle with a wisp of his divine sense, and the handle absorbed it like a sponge, gently nurturing and strengthening it slightly. Although the effect was weak, it was undoubtedly a soul-nourishing wood beneficial to the soul!
"What a waste! What a waste!"

Fu Yongkui held the hoe, his heart aching with pain.

Even a small piece of this Soul-Nourishing Wood, if refined into a Tranquil Jade Pendant or used in alchemy, would be worth far more than a thousand low-grade spirit stones! Yet it has been used as an ordinary hoe handle, worn down over countless years.

Fu Yongkui may be stingy and likes to take advantage of small things, but he would never do something as huge as taking advantage of an ordinary old farmer.

He decided to disguise himself as an ordinary person, personally visit the old farmer, see his situation, and then find a way to help him enjoy his old age in peace, thus settling this karmic debt.

……

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year gradually intensifies.

Fu Yongkui used his concealment technique to transform into an ordinary man in plain clothes, carrying New Year's goods, and followed his memory to Kaoshan Village where the old farmer lived. Children were playing at the village entrance, firecrackers were popping sporadically, and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys, seemingly a scene of peace and tranquility.

He stopped a villager and asked with a smile:

"Brother, could you tell me how to get to Uncle Zhang's house at the end of the village? He helped me out a few days ago, so I'm here to wish him a Happy New Year in advance."

Upon hearing this, the villager's smile vanished, and he sighed:
"Are you looking for Old Stubborn Zhang? Sigh, he doesn't live in the village anymore. He lives in that dilapidated thatched house at the foot of Fairy Peak with the girl he picked up."

Fu Yongkui was taken aback: "Why is that? I remember Old Zhang had a house full of children and grandchildren..."

"What good are a house full of children and grandchildren!" An old woman nearby chimed in, speaking quickly and bluntly. "Old Zhang had seven sons, so he was surrounded by children and grandchildren. But eight years ago, he found a baby girl in the mountains and insisted on raising her. His sons and daughters-in-law all said that the girl was a jinx, bringing bad luck to her family, and they wanted to throw the child back into the mountains. Old Zhang refused to give in, and those unfilial sons actually... actually kicked him out of the house! They took his land and house, leaving him only a tattered quilt. Alas, what a tragedy!"

“That’s right,” the villager shook his head as well. “He’s been struggling for eight years, just clearing some wasteland at the foot of the mountain and picking up some wild produce. We’ve helped him out occasionally, but his sons don’t care. They act like he doesn’t have a father. I don’t know how the two of them will get through the New Year.”

As Fu Yongkui listened, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

He recalled the old farmer's calloused hands and simple smile, and a surge of anger welled up inside him, which he forcibly suppressed. He took a deep breath, thanked the villagers, picked up his New Year's goods, and turned to walk towards Fairy Peak outside the village.

The snow was even deeper on the path at the end of the village, and the cold wind was biting.

In the distance, at the foot of the mountain, a low thatched house stood alone, its roof piled high with snow, as if it might collapse at any moment. Faint, almost invisible wisps of smoke rose from the chimney.

Fu Yongkui walked closer and, through the sparse fence, saw the scene in the yard.

The dilapidated thatched house was drafty, and the snow in the yard hadn't been completely cleared. A little girl, about seven or eight years old, wearing a patched and obviously ill-fitting old cotton-padded coat, her face red from the cold, was struggling to clear the snow in front of the door with a broom taller than herself. The old farmer, hunched over, was lighting a fire under the makeshift stove, where a thin porridge was cooking, almost reflecting his image.

"Grandpa, we have a guest!" The little girl spotted Fu Yongkui and called out timidly.

The old farmer looked up, squinted to make out who it was, and then recognized Fu Yongkui. He quickly wiped his hands on his tattered clothes and awkwardly approached, saying, "Is...is this my benefactor? How did you find this place? Come in, come in and sit down, it's cold outside." He then turned to the little girl and said, "Girl, go and get that straw mat from inside for my benefactor to sit on."

The thatched hut was even more rudimentary, containing almost nothing but a kang (heated brick bed), a broken table, and a few tree stumps used as stools. The bedding on the kang was old and thin, offering little protection against the bitter cold.

Looking at the scene before him, Fu Yongkui felt a lump in his throat. He put down the New Year's goods and forced a smile, saying, "Uncle, the New Year is almost here, so I stopped by to see you. This is some New Year's gifts for you and your daughter."

The old farmer waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no! You saved me last time, and I haven't thanked you yet. How can I take your things again!"

"Take it!" Fu Yongkui's tone left no room for refusal as he stuffed the things into the old farmer's hands, then patted the little girl's head, "Little girl, are you cold?"

The little girl blinked her big eyes, shook her head, then nodded, and whispered, "It's a little cold, but I'm not afraid when I'm with Grandpa."

After some pleasantries.

Fu Yongkui took out a seemingly ordinary money pouch that he had prepared beforehand. Inside were not spirit stones, but enough gold and silver coins to feed an ordinary family for several years. He then took out two ordinary wooden talismans, which were secretly refined from scraps of soul-nourishing wood, concealed their spiritual light, and had only the effect of calming the mind and keeping warm, and handed them to the old farmer.

"Uncle, please accept this money. Buy some new clothes for the girl and repair this house so you can have a good New Year. These two wooden talismans will calm your mind and keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. You and the girl should each wear one close to your body and never take them off."

The old farmer couldn't refuse, and finally accepted it with tears in his eyes.

Fu Yongkui chatted with the grandfather and grandson for a while longer, secretly casting spells to imbue the thatched house with several simple sturdy talismans and a heat-gathering array, ensuring it would be impervious to wind and snow and difficult for the harsh winter to penetrate. Before leaving, he glanced in the direction of Kaoshan Village, his eyes slightly cold.

Instead of returning directly to Yunshan County, he went to Kaoshan Town, the township to which Kaoshan Village belongs.

There was a contact point for the Fu family's businesses in the town. Ostensibly, it was a shop that bought mountain products and sold general merchandise. The shopkeeper, surnamed Li, was a shrewd middle-aged man who recognized "Master Kui," a man of considerable status in the Fu family, who would occasionally come to inspect the business.

"Master Kui, what are your orders?" Manager Li asked, bowing.

Fu Yongkui sat down, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, his tone calm: "In Kaoshan Village, there is an old farmer named Zhang who has an eight-year-old granddaughter he picked up. He was driven out of his home by his seven biological sons and now lives in a dilapidated thatched hut at the end of the village. Are you aware of this?"

After a moment's thought, Manager Li nodded: "I've heard a bit about it. The seven sons of the Zhang family do have a bad reputation in the village and town. I heard that in order to seize the family property, they drove their father and younger sister to the brink of despair. It's really despicable."

"Unbearable?" Fu Yongkui sneered. "I owe that old man Zhang a favor. Those seven unfilial sons are living too comfortably."

Manager Li was a shrewd man, and he immediately understood Fu Yongkui's meaning: he wanted to make things difficult for those seven families, but he couldn't openly use force. He pondered for a moment and said, "Master Kui means... to make their livelihoods suffer?"

"Yes." Fu Yongkui nodded. "I remember, those seven families mainly made a living by farming and doing odd jobs and small businesses in town, right?"

"Yes. The eldest and second eldest farm the land, the second eldest works as a clerk in the grain store in town, the fourth eldest is a carpenter, the fifth eldest does some small-scale transportation, the sixth eldest works as a cook in a tavern, and the seventh eldest is idle, but his wife's family has some connections and they run a general store."

"Very good." A cold glint flashed in Fu Yongkui's eyes. "Pass down my message: all businesses and estates under the name of the Fu family, or those that are on good terms with the Fu family, are strictly prohibited from employing the seven sons of the Zhang family or their immediate family members, and are strictly prohibited from having any business dealings with them. The grains they grow, the carpentries they make, the goods they transport... all industries related to the Fu family will not be accepted."

Manager Li felt a chill run down his spine; this was a drastic measure!
The Fu family is a behemoth in Yunshan County, with a complex and intricate network of connections. With this ban in place, the seven sons of the Zhang family will have virtually no chance of finding decent work or sales channels in Kaoshan Town and the surrounding areas.

"Furthermore," Fu Yongkui continued, "find a few reliable, eloquent people and spread the word 'properly' throughout Kaoshan Town and the surrounding villages about the Zhang family's seven sons' unfilial behavior and their forcing their father to abandon his sister. Make sure that wherever they go, people point fingers and they can't hold their heads up high."

"Yes, Master Kui, I understand." Manager Li quickly replied.
-
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the annual market in Kaoshan Town...

The eldest and third sons of the Zhang family carried several carefully selected bags of grain and squeezed through the bustling New Year's market, searching for the familiar manager of "Fengyu Grain Shop" from previous years.

"Manager Wang, look at this! The quality of this year's millet is excellent!" The eldest brother rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with smiles.

Manager Wang glanced at the grain bag, but looked away as if he had been burned, and said vaguely, "This... we've collected enough for this year, you two should find another shop."

The third brother grew anxious: "Manager Wang, we've been cooperating for so many years! The price is negotiable..."

"It's not about the price!" Manager Wang lowered his voice, almost pleading, "Please, gentlemen, don't make things difficult for me. Everyone in town knows... the Fu family has spoken..." He glanced at "Fu's Grocery Store" across the street, his meaning clear without saying a word.

The two brothers turned deathly pale instantly.

Meanwhile, at the east end of town, the fourth brother, carrying his carpentry box, was turned away at the door of the foreman he knew; at the tavern in the west of town, the sixth brother was politely "invited" out by the shopkeeper after being given half a month's wages; even at the grocery store of the seventh brother's wife, the errand boy who used to deliver goods so diligently no longer came to visit...

-

On New Year's Eve, Kaoshan Village

In previous years, the Zhang family's seven sons' homes were filled with the aroma of cooking fires and the fragrance of meat. This year, however, the stoves are cold and empty, with only the eldest son's family emitting the sound of a fierce argument.

"It's all your fault! You insisted on driving Dad away!"

"Bullshit! Who among you didn't agree back then?"

"Now look what's happened! With just one word from the Fu family, the whole town treats us like a plague!"

The cries of children, the sobs of women, and the roars of men sounded particularly jarring on New Year's Eve.

At the foot of the mountain at the village's end, a completely different scene unfolded in the newly renovated thatched house. Under the warm yellow light of an oil lamp, a little girl, dressed in a brand-new red cotton-padded jacket, was diligently writing the character "福" (fortune/blessing) on ​​the kang table. The old farmer added a piece of firewood to the stove, and the aroma of stewing meat wafted from the pot. Outside, the wind and snow howled, but inside, the house was warm and cozy.

-

New Year's Day.

According to custom, the Zhang brothers should have taken their children and grandchildren to visit each household in the village to offer New Year's greetings. But this year, as soon as they stepped out of their courtyard, they saw their neighbors quickly shut their doors as if avoiding a plague. The children ran to the village school to find playmates, only to be unceremoniously dragged away by other parents.
"Stay away from them! Didn't you hear what the master said? A family that is unfilial brings bad luck!"

An elder, unable to bear it any longer, came over, leaning on his cane: "You seven scoundrels! Now you know what's what? Go and kowtow to your father to admit your mistakes, and bring the old man back!"

The brothers exchanged bewildered glances, their faces flushed and pale. The second brother stamped his foot and exclaimed, "I'll go beg Dad!"

But as they approached the hillside at the edge of the village, two men in thick cotton-padded coats suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking their path like two iron towers. One of them gave a forced, insincere bow:

"Gentlemen, it's the Lunar New Year, shouldn't we refrain from disturbing the elderly's peace and quiet?"

The coldness in his eyes made the second son of the Zhang family swallow back the words he was about to say.

...

...

Inside the Yunshan County scrap yard, Fu Yongkui was conducting a second round of appraisal on a pile of newly collected "scrap." The Spirit-Devouring Insect, Little Blue, which Fu Changsheng had previously gifted him, had broken through to near-fourth rank and was perched on his shoulder, crunching away at a piece with the least spiritual energy. Fu Yongkui gasped in distress, "Slow down, slow down! At least half a coin of spirit powder can be extracted from this..."

Just then, an inconspicuous gray jade pendant at his waist felt slightly warm, and a steady and familiar voice rang in his mind: "Yongkui, come to my quiet room."

It's my father, Fu Changsheng!

Fu Yongkui immediately put down his work, gave his elder brother Fu Yongren a few instructions about the workshop, and then hurriedly went to the core residence of the Fu family in Yunshan County.

Inside the quiet room, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood. Fu Changsheng, dressed in a blue robe, stood with his hands behind his back, his aura even more profound and restrained than before. Upon seeing Fu Yongkui, a warm smile appeared on his face: "You've arrived."

"Father." Fu Yongkui bowed respectfully, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over the layout of the meditation room. He habitually estimated the value of the furnishings in his mind. Hmm, that incense burner is an antique, worth at least fifty mid-grade spirit stones, but the incense burns too quickly, a bit wasteful... Fu Changsheng already knew his son's temperament well, so he didn't point it out and went straight to the point: "Your cultivation hasn't fallen behind. I heard that you caused quite a commotion a while ago over a hoe?"

Fu Yongkui's heart skipped a beat. He knew he couldn't hide anything from his father, so he honestly replied, "Yes, I feel uneasy about taking such a huge advantage from ordinary people. Those seven unfilial sons should also be taught a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Fu Changsheng not only did not blame him, but a hint of approval flashed in his eyes: "You did the right thing. The foundation of my Fu family, besides cultivation, is human ethics and morality. Although you are fond of arguing, you are never confused on important matters and you have a good sense of proportion. You have not abused the methods of cultivators. I am very pleased with this."

He paused for a moment.

A thought.

The family's treasure tree in the Five Elements Space shimmered with light, and on one of its branches, a fruit shaped like an infant and translucent like jade was radiating an alluring spiritual light. This was the second ripe fruit.

Fu Changsheng raised his hand, and the fruit automatically fell to the ground, floating lightly into his palm.
"This fruit is for you."

Fu Yongkui stared at the spiritual fruit, his breath catching in his throat. This thing was so precious that even if he poured all the resources of his workshop into it, he couldn't buy even a fraction of it.

"Father, this is too precious, how can you..." He tried to refuse, but his body betrayed him, and he immediately accepted the spiritual fruit.

The moment the spiritual fruit touched him.

hum!
Before he could react, it pierced directly into his brow.

"Concentrate and calm your mind, and I will help you refine it!" Fu Changsheng said.

Fu Yongkui felt a sudden "boom" in his sea of ​​consciousness, as if countless rays of light had exploded, and a flood of profound information about materials, spiritual patterns, energy flow, and structural combinations poured in. His divine sense operated, analyzed, and absorbed this information at an unprecedented speed. While his head was throbbing with pain, an insight into the inner "essence" of all things in the world was rapidly increasing.

Fu Changsheng placed one hand on Fu Yongkui's back, continuously channeling pure and powerful spiritual energy to protect his heart meridian and regulate the raging medicinal effects. The entire process lasted for three full hours.

When Fu Yongkui opened his eyes again, the meditation room was still the same, but in his eyes, the whole world seemed different. The subtle flow of spiritual energy in the air, the energy patterns of the array on the walls, even the spiritual light contained within his father's robes... everything became clear and distinct, filled with "information".

He subconsciously looked at the ordinary wooden box in the corner of the quiet room, which was used to store miscellaneous items. His gaze penetrated the wooden surface and "saw" the unique and obscure energy swirling patterns on a few inconspicuous metal fragments mixed in with the scrap inside.

“That’s… a scrap of ‘Thousand Refined Silver Essence’? Although it has lost a lot of spiritual energy, if it can be carefully nourished with Gui Water spiritual energy and supplemented with… perhaps it can be remelted into a first-grade Thousand Refined Silver the size of a fingernail!” A thought naturally formed in his mind.

This is the talent brought by the Dongxuan Linghui Fruit—not just in appraising treasures, but also in the inspiration and ability to "turn waste into treasure"!
Fu Changsheng withdrew his hand, looking at the still-present, penetrating light in his son's eyes, and nodded in satisfaction: "How does it feel?"

Fu Yongkui took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his excitement, and respectfully said, "Thank you, Father! I feel... I can see things much more clearly now. If I'm not mistaken, with the help of this spiritual fruit, I have successfully broken through to the fourth-level appraiser."

This way.

To advance their family to the fifth rank, they only need to produce three more fourth-rank craftsmen.

He paused, but couldn't resist pointing to the wooden box, "Father, there are some scraps in that box; perhaps they can still be used..."

Fu Changsheng was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, his laughter filled with satisfaction and a hint of helplessness: "Good! Good! You are indeed my son! You just got an opportunity and you're already eyeing your father's 'waste'! Go on, all of that is yours."

Fu Yongkui was a little embarrassed by his father's laughter, but when he heard "It's all yours," his eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Yes! Father, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Leaving the meditation room, Fu Yongkui felt his steps become much lighter. He stroked his chin, his mind racing: Could the pile of "corroding iron slag" in the workshop, which had always been considered garbage, be slowly cleansed of its corrosive energy using a special yin-yang harmonizing array, allowing him to extract the core "iron essence"? And those discarded array plates, though their spirit patterns were incomplete, could perhaps be disassembled and reassembled into small spirit-gathering talismans or warning talismans?

"I'm rich, I'm rich..." he muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light. "From now on, this Yunshan County... no, the entire cultivation world's 'trash' will probably be treasures in my eyes!"

...

...

Joyful Sect, Headquarters of the Intelligence Hall.

The hall master, Yin Wujiu, a pale-faced man with eyes as cold as a venomous snake, stood respectfully to the left of Master Huanxi.

"Sect Leader, based on the residual aura and traces of magic found at the sites of the attacks on various branch sects, as well as the fragmented memories of the disciples who escaped, and combined with reports from our informants in Wuzhou, we have basically confirmed that the three core members of the Fu family who participated in the attack on Black Wind Medicine Valley are: Fu Molan, Fu Changli, and... Ouyang Fei."

“We tracked down the residual spiritual energy fluctuations and unique aura of myriad poisons left by Ouyang Fei, and finally located his position—a market town for rogue cultivators near the Blackwater Ravine, called ‘Hidden Mist Town’.”

He tapped the jade slip with his fingertip, and a light screen appeared, displaying a three-dimensional image of Hidden Mist Workshop and its surrounding landscape.

"This market is not large, and it is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with many fugitive cultivators and black market transactions, making it easy to hide. Ouyang Fei is currently using the alias 'Poisonous Old Man' and is renting a secluded cave in the southwest corner of the market."

Master Huanxi gazed at the light screen, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his chair, producing a dull sound.

"Dispatch the 'Soul Locking' and 'Spirit Severing' secret guards, under your personal command, and send two guest elders at the late Golden Core stage to assist you. Surround Hidden Mist Workshop for me and set up the 'Nine Nether Forbidden Formation,' allowing entry but not exit! Remember, do it silently, completing the encirclement before he notices."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Master Huanxi's lips:

"Not only Ouyang Fei, but we must also take this opportunity to lure out Fu Changli and Fu Molan, and wipe them out in one fell swoop... Only in this way can we make up for the losses of our sect to the greatest extent and deal a heavy blow to the Fu family!"

...

...

Hidden Mist Workshop, inside the cave in the southwest corner.

Ouyang Fei, who was meditating and regulating his breathing, suddenly felt a jolt in his heart, and a strong sense of crisis descended upon him! His intuition, cultivated from years of walking on the edge of life and death, made his hair stand on end instantly!

"Something's wrong!"

He abruptly opened his eyes, his divine sense cautiously spreading out of the cave like a spiderweb. The market seemed still bustling, but compared to usual, it lacked some of its usual casualness and possessed an indescribable sense of stagnation. Some cultivators who appeared to be strolling around had overly wary eyes, and their positions subtly aligned with some kind of sealing formation. More importantly, he sensed that the space surrounding the market seemed to be imprisoned by an extremely subtle yet incredibly powerful force!

"An array! It's a large-scale confinement array!" Ouyang Fei's expression changed, and he immediately realized that he had been exposed!

Without hesitation, he blurred into an almost transparent phantom, hurtling towards a relatively weak exit of the market he remembered. He had to break through before the enemy's encirclement was fully secured or their main force was in position!

However, when he reached the edge of the market, his heart sank completely.

An invisible barrier, shimmering with a faint dark light, like an inverted giant bowl, completely enveloped the Hidden Mist Workshop! Runes flowed across the barrier, emanating a chilling power of confinement. Not to mention escape lights, even the light of communication talismans was instantly annihilated upon impact!

“Nine Netherworld Forbidden Formation…” Ouyang Fei recognized the origin of this formation. It was one of the signature formations of the Joyful Sect for dealing with important targets. Once set up, it was almost impossible for anyone below the Nascent Soul stage to break through it by force.

He tried several other directions, with the same result. The entire market town had become a magnificent prison!

It can't fly even with wings!
-
Outside the market town, inside a makeshift concealment array.

Master Huanxi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the Hidden Mist Workshop shrouded in the array, his eyes calm and unwavering, as if looking at an inanimate object.

Yin Wujiu appeared silently behind him and whispered, "Master, the formation has been fully activated. Ouyang Fei's attempt to break through failed, and he has now retreated to his hiding place. As planned, the news has been 'accidentally' leaked to several informants with complex backgrounds in the market through three different channels."

"Hmm." Venerable Huanxi responded calmly, "How is the reaction within the establishment?"

"We haven't found any trace of Fu Molan and Fu Changli yet. However, many cultivators have already heard rumors, and there's widespread panic. Our people are monitoring them closely, and any attempt to probe the formation or send messages outwards will not escape our notice." Yin Wujiu's eyes flashed with a venomous light. "As soon as they appear, or if their spies make any unusual movements, we will be able to trace them back to where they are!"

Master Huanxi nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. Tell the people below to be patient. When fishing, the worst thing is to be impatient. This little bait, Ouyang Fei, must be used to its fullest potential. What I want is to break these three future pillars of the Fu family right here!"

...

...

Hundreds of miles away from Hidden Mist Village, in a mountain valley covered by dense ancient trees, Fu Changli had just received the chilling message via a family-made communication jade talisman. The talisman contained only a few brief words, yet they struck her like a thunderbolt:
"Uncle Fei is trapped; Hidden Mist Manor is in danger."

“How could this be…” Fu Changli’s fingers, gripping the jade talisman tightly, turned slightly white. Her usually composed and elegant face, usually exuding a mature and sophisticated aura, was now filled with anxiety and worry. She could almost picture Ouyang Fei trapped in a siege, completely isolated and helpless. Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately sent an urgent message to Fu Molan through another, more discreet, heart-to-heart jade talisman.

Yu Fu quickly responded, arranging to meet her in an abandoned mine a hundred miles away.

Fu Changli suppressed her panic, summoned the Thunder Fang Leopard, and transformed into a swift bolt of lightning, heading towards the agreed location.

Deep inside the abandoned mine, the light was dim.

Fu Molan was already waiting there, still with her usual calm demeanor. Her aura blended almost perfectly with the shadows of the mine, as if she were born to live in this environment. She looked at Fu Changli, who had rushed over, his brow furrowed with worry, her eyes calm and unwavering.

"Mo Lan!" Fu Changli rushed forward, her voice urgent. "Have you received the news? Uncle Fei, he..."

"Received it." Fu Molan interrupted her, her voice clear and cold, like a secluded mountain stream, instantly extinguishing some of Fu Changli's anxiety. "This is a trap."

Fu Changli was taken aback: "A trap?"

“Hmm.” Fu Molan nodded and analyzed, “Since the Joyful Sect was able to pinpoint Uncle Fei’s location so accurately and lay down a trap, why didn’t they immediately take action to capture and kill him? Instead, they spread the news of ‘execution in three days’ in such a grand manner?”

She looked at Fu Changli, her gaze sharp: "They're waiting. Waiting for us to walk right into their trap."

Fu Changli was no fool. Upon hearing this, he immediately understood the key point, and his expression became even more unpleasant: "They want to use Uncle Fei as bait to lure us out!"

“That’s right.” Fu Molan said with certainty, “Yinwufang must be a den of thieves and spies everywhere right now. If we show ourselves, not only will we fail to rescue Uncle Fei, but we will also expose ourselves and hasten his death. Master Huanxi is ruthless and seeks stability. He will never allow us any chance to rescue him.”

She paused, then continued calmly, "Therefore, we must not panic now, and we must not give anything away. They are spreading rumors to test us and search for our whereabouts. The more composed we are and the more normal we appear, the safer Uncle Fei will be. As long as we do not show ourselves, the Joyful Sect will not easily kill Uncle Fei in order to catch the big fish."

Fu Changli took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She knew Fu Molan's analysis was correct. As a beast tamer, she knew that in a hunt, impatient prey was most likely to fall into a trap. Looking into Fu Molan's resolute and calm eyes, the panic in her heart gradually subsided.

“I understand.” Fu Changli’s voice returned to its usual calm. “So what should we do next? We can’t just keep waiting.”

A glint of wisdom flashed in Fu Molan's eyes: "Wait, but not passively. We need more information. The Joyful Sect couldn't have set up an array and mobilized manpower outside the market without leaving a trace. We need to know their specific deployment, the weak points of the array, and... whether there are any other variables we don't know about."

She looked at Fu Changli: "Changli, get your little guys moving, especially those inconspicuous small spirit beasts, birds, and even insects. Observe Hidden Mist Workshop from a distance, pay attention to any suspicious spiritual energy fluctuations and personnel movements, but remember not to get too close, so as not to alert them."

“Okay!” Fu Changli immediately agreed, which was exactly what she was good at.

Fu Molan added, "At the same time, we must also prepare for the worst."

...

...

Time has passed, and Hidden Mist Workshop has been sealed off for over a few months.

Inside the temporary palace, Yin Wujiu bowed and reported to the meditating Huanxi Shangren: "Sect Leader, the resentment within the market is growing increasingly intense. Among the trapped cultivators, we have identified several true disciples of the Qingdan Sect and inner disciples of the Xuanji Pavilion, as well as many from other forces of varying sizes. A prolonged blockade may incite discontent among other sects, which would be detrimental to our sect's reputation. Furthermore, maintaining the 'Nine Nether Forbidden Formation' consumes a tremendous amount of resources..."

Master Huanxi slowly opened his eyes, a flash of cold light passing through them. He sneered, "Reputation? Strength is reputation! According to intelligence, those juniors of the Fu family are all loyal and righteous people. I don't believe they can just watch their companions die without doing anything!" He was stubborn and would never easily change his mind once he made up his mind, especially when it involved the interests of the sect and revenge.

He paused, tapping his knuckles on the armrest of his chair, making a soft, rhythmic sound. Clearly, months of waiting had worn off his patience. Since a safe approach of fishing hadn't worked, he'd try something more exciting—force them out!
"Issue the order!" Master Huanxi's voice suddenly turned stern, carrying his usual decisive and efficient manner, "Stop waiting, capture Ouyang Fei immediately!"

"Yes!" A bloodthirsty excitement flashed in Yin Wujiu's eyes, and he immediately accepted the order. He was loyal to every decision his superior made, right or wrong, and he was filled with anticipation for personally killing his prey.
-
Hidden Mist Village, a cave dwelling in the southwest corner.

For the past few months, Ouyang Fei had been on high alert. Although he hadn't received any rescue, he had managed to maintain a strange stalemate with the observers using his poison skills and stealth. But at this moment, he keenly sensed a sudden change in the atmosphere around him!
The ten Golden Core cultivators, who had been stationed around the cave for months like rocks, moved almost simultaneously!

"Om-!"

Ten beams of light of different colors shot into the sky, instantly weaving into a huge net of light that covered the heavens and the earth. Countless runes flowed on the net of light, emitting a powerful aura of confinement and destruction—it was the famous "Ten Directions Immortal Locking Array" of the Joyful Sect! The net of light rapidly contracted, crushing towards his cave, and the space itself froze.

"Finally couldn't hold back anymore!" A fierce glint flashed in Ouyang Fei's eyes, knowing that the moment of life and death had arrived. He suddenly slapped the dark-colored, vermilion gourd with countless tiny holes on its surface at his waist—his natal magic weapon, the [Myriad Mysterious Poison Gourd]!
"Devouring Poisonous Miasma, open for me!"

boom!
The gourd spewed forth not a single-colored poisonous mist, but a turbid flow of air like the beginning of chaos, containing hundreds of highly toxic properties such as corrosion, paralysis, illusion, and soul-corrosion, and also stirring up the foul and evil energy between heaven and earth! This poisonous miasma seemed to have a life of its own, actively meeting the shrinking light net, emitting a violent "hissing" corrosive sound.

At the same time, Ouyang Fei bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the gourd. His body almost merged with the poisonous miasma, transforming into a twisted gray shadow, and he recklessly crashed into the weakest node of the array's light net!
"break!"

Despite sacrificing the spirituality of his natal magic weapon and severely damaging his own vital energy, the "Ten Directions Locking Immortal Array," which was said to be able to trap and kill late-stage Golden Core cultivators, was actually forcibly torn open by his desperate attack, leaving a tiny crack!

A gray shadow flashed, and Ouyang Fei appeared outside the formation, his face pale and his breathing disordered, but a glimmer of hope burned in his eyes. If he could escape the market area, with his familiarity with the terrain and his ability to conceal his poison skills, there might still be a chance of survival!
However, he had only managed to escape less than a hundred feet away.

A heavy pressure, as heavy as a ten-thousand-foot mountain, descended from the sky without warning!

The sky seemed to darken, and a huge hand, shimmering with an eerie pinkish-black light, appeared out of thin air. The lines on the palm were clear, like a vortex of reincarnation, radiating the power of a pseudo-infant realm that made one's soul tremble—it was the angry attack of Master Huanxi!
This giant hand, though seemingly slow, instantly blocked all of Ouyang Fei's space to dodge, and gently pressed down.

"puff!"

The protective poisonous miasma surrounding Ouyang Fei shattered like bubbles. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his bones were about to crack and his golden core was trembling. The magical power he had just mustered was instantly dispersed. Faced with such an absolute difference in strength, his desperate struggle seemed utterly futile.

The giant hand transformed into a streak of pinkish-black light, coiling upwards like a serpent, instantly sealing off all his meridians and dantian, binding him firmly in mid-air.

A figure silently appeared before him; it was none other than the cold-faced Master Huanxi. He didn't even glance at the captured Ouyang Fei, but simply gave a curt order to Yin Wujiu, who had followed closely behind:
"Take him away and keep him under close guard. Spread the word throughout the entire far west that 'Ouyang Fei has been captured alive and will have his cultivation crippled and his soul extracted and refined in the city center square in three days!'"

His gaze was deep and unfathomable as he looked out of the market, as if he could see through all the barriers and see Fu Molan and Fu Changli hidden somewhere.

"I'd like to see if you can hold your temper this time!"

(End of this chapter)