The Prodigal Disciple of Mount Hua: Seizing All Opportunities

In the early morning, the Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua is shrouded in mist.

Chen Qianyang carried a simple bag on his back and wore the "Azure Water Sword" bestowed upon him by Yue Buqun at his waist.

At the mountain gate, Yue Lingshan's eyes were slightly red, filled with reluctance: "Once you've finished your business in Nanyang, you must come to Hengyang to join us as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, but be careful on your trip to Fuzhou," Chen Qianyang said.

He turned and bowed to Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze behind him: "Master, Mistress, please return. I will remember your teachings and arrive in Hengyang before the fifteenth of May."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and laughed, "Go. Only by letting go of your obsessions can you go further on the path of martial arts. There seems to be military trouble in the north recently, so be careful on your journey."

Ning Zhongze, with a gentle expression, gave him some travel money and carefully instructed him on things to be careful about on the road.

Chen Qianyang bowed in thanks again, mounted his horse, shook the reins, and the horse galloped away through the morning mist.

Only when the Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua disappeared from sight did his face regain its solemnity and composure.

It's clear that Yue Buqun doesn't want me involved in the Fuzhou affair.

However, the journey is long, so we must hurry.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rode at full speed, braving wind and rain, straight out of Tongguan, through Shanzhou, Luoyang, Ruzhou, and finally to Nanyang.

Even traveling at top speed, it still took nearly ten days.

Fortunately, Yue Buqun provided a generous amount of travel expenses, which was enough to support changing horses along the way.

He finally returned to the Chen family mansion of yesteryear.

The once magnificent Chen family mansion, with its carved beams and painted rafters and numerous servants, has long since been reduced to a charred ruin.

It was dusk, and the setting sun cast its light on the broken walls and ruins, creating a scene of utter desolation.

Chen Qianyang led his horse slowly past. Everything in the original owner's memory had been completely burned away by a fire, leaving not a trace.

In the pine forest behind the mountain, he saw more than a dozen new graves.

Those belonged to his parents and family servants.

Clearly, after he fled to Mount Hua, someone came forward to collect and bury the remains of the entire Chen family.

There were signs of worship at my father's grave, indicating that someone had visited not long ago.

Chen Qianyang knelt down and kowtowed three times heavily in front of his parents' graves.

Although as a transmigrator, I have no feelings for these adoptive parents.

However, the memories he inherited from the original owner still influence him.

Could it be Feng Buping?

Although Feng Buping did not personally carry out the massacre of the entire family that day, he was still an accomplice who brought the wolf into the house.

What is the purpose of returning now to collect the remains?

Is it guilt that comes from a change of conscience?

Or is there another ulterior motive?

No matter who you are, I, Chen Qianyang, will remember this kindness of your restraint.

However, the hatred of wiping out an entire family is irreconcilable!

Zuo Lengchan... I, Chen Qianyang, will one day make you pay for your blood debt and make the entire Songshan Sect pay for my Chen family's death!

He did not stay in Nanyang for long.

According to the original owner's memories, the Chen family still had many businesses near Nanyang.

However, it is time-consuming and laborious to collect them.

Time is his greatest enemy.

He mounted his horse and headed south.

It is April, a time when spring plowing and sowing should take place.

But along the way, most of the fields were barren, and many refugees gathered in the wilderness.

After making some inquiries, it was learned that the northern Mongols had invaded, causing widespread warfare, and that several cities north of the Yellow River had already fallen.

I've heard that those Mongols are brutal and often slaughter entire cities.

They didn't know when they would cross the Yellow River. The government troops couldn't resist, and the people had no choice but to abandon their land and flee south to escape famine.

Chen Qianyang was caught up in the refugee crisis, which inevitably slowed him down.

He immediately made a decision to turn east, abandon his horse and sail south along the Grand Canal, heading straight for Lin'an.

Fortunately, they had enough money, and the boat was obviously much faster than the horse.

They arrived in Lin'an Prefecture in no time.

The continuous travel has taken a toll on my health.

The strange poison within my body began to stir.

Inside an inn in Lin'an City, Chen Qianyang sat cross-legged, circulating his internal energy and regulating his breathing.

As soon as the Huashan Heart Sutra was activated, the extremely cold and strange poison suddenly erupted.

Chen Qianyang snorted coldly, his mind racing, and the Yin-Yang Mystic Pendant on his chest quietly activated.

A warm sensation spread throughout his body, protecting his heart.

Two opposing forces, one cold and one hot, were locked in a fierce battle within his body.

It took up the entire night.

The next day, Chen Qianyang's face grew even paler.

However, the toxicity was temporarily suppressed.

Uncle Feng, I've staked everything on this trip to Mingzhou.

Don't lie to me.

Several days later, on the coast of the East China Sea, in Mingzhou Prefecture.

As one of the major seaports of the Xia Dynasty in the southeastern coastal region, this place was a bustling hub of merchants, with giant sails like a forest.

The air was filled with the smell of the sea and the unique fragrance of cosmetics from the Jiangnan region, creating a scene of extravagant and decadent prosperity.

The desolation and ruin along the way were far worse than what one could see.

Chen Qianyang changed into the blue robe of an ordinary martial arts practitioner.

He wrapped the Azure Water Sword with strips of cloth and carried it on his back.

He asked the innkeeper and found out that there was indeed a Fang family in Mingzhou Prefecture.

They were the most prominent family in the city, and for many years they had passed down the tradition of scholarship and poetry, and had produced many high-ranking officials.

But for some reason, he began to shift towards commerce in the last ten years or so, and has now become a well-known merchant in the southeast region.

They not only monopolized the merchant trade in Mingzhou, but also controlled overseas trade routes.

It was a time of great prominence.

Based on the waiter's information, Chen Qianyang inquired along the way and finally found his destination in the south of the city.

This Fang family mansion occupies a vast area, with two majestic stone lions in front of the gate, and vermilion gates and high walls, fully demonstrating the heritage and grandeur of a prominent family in Jiangnan.

Chen Qianyang stepped forward and presented his visiting card in accordance with etiquette.

"I, Chen Qianyang of the Huashan Sect, have come to pay a visit to Madam Fang Hongxiu at the request of an elder friend of my family."

After presenting the visiting card, Chen Qianyang waited at the door for more than two hours.

Just then, a man who seemed to be the steward of the Fang family came out. He looked Chen Qianyang up and down and said with a smile, "Young hero, you seem to have come to the wrong place."

"You should know that my Fang family has always been known for its poetry and books, and has maintained a clean reputation for generations. We have never had any dealings with people from the martial arts world. Besides, there is no such person as Fang Hongxiu in our manor. Young hero, you should leave."

Although his words were relatively humble, his demeanor was extremely arrogant.

Chen Qianyang's eyes turned slightly cold as he slowly withdrew the visiting card.

He glanced at the steward, then at the two "household servants" on either side of the Fang family's main gate, their auras calm and their temples bulging.

A family tradition of poetry and scholarship? Never associating with people from the martial arts world?

He sneered inwardly, "In that case, I'm sorry to bother you."

Chen Qianyang didn't go far. Instead, he retreated to a teahouse across the street, ordered a pot of coarse tea, but kept his eyes fixed on the Fang family's gate.

We must confirm whether Feng Qingyang's clues are accurate.

Less than half an hour later, a clamor of hoofbeats came.

A procession of finely dressed people on horseback escorted a luxurious carriage, which stopped in front of the Fang residence.

The steward of the Fang family, who had just ignored him, now greeted him with a beaming smile, his humble demeanor completely different from before.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a handsome and distinguished young man in fine clothes stepped out.

He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, dressed in a brocade robe and jade belt, and exuded an air of arrogance in his gaze.

He was followed by four composed attendants, all of whom were clearly skilled.

"Isn't that the young master of the Murong family from Gusu?"

"That's right, I heard this is the third time they've come this month."

The murmurs in the teahouse reached Chen Qianyang's ears.

"Murong Fu?"

Chen Qianyang was still wondering when he heard two merchants at the next table lower their voices:

"What brings Young Master Murong here?"

"Shh! My cousin works for the Fang family's fleet. I heard he's here to discuss a big deal, which apparently involves ironware."

"Ironware?!" The merchant was shocked. "Those are contraband items of the imperial court! Smuggling ironware is a serious crime of treason!"

"Who can argue with that? But the Fang family has connections everywhere; who in Mingzhou City dares to mess with them? Enough talk, have some tea."

Chen Qianyang put down his teacup, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He finally understood.

"What a fine example of 'passing down the family tradition of poetry and books,' and what a fine example of 'not associating with people from the martial arts world.'"

He sneered inwardly.

This Fang family is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface.

A family that runs an ironware business, a family with a clean reputation that employs martial arts masters as gatekeepers.

Who is Murong Fu? He has always harbored the ambition of restoring his kingdom.

Need I say more about the kind of business we're discussing?

He got up to pay the bill, no longer looking at the Fang family's gate, and walked straight towards the busiest dock.

Since the main gate is blocked, let's go and see how the Fang family's "business," on which they rely for a living, is doing.