The First Venerable of All Paths

"Oh? Guilty?"

Fang Xuan's lips curled into a half-smile as he said, "Tell me, what is your crime?"

"Old servant, old servant..."

With a determined look, Zhongye took out ten Yuan Stones from his sleeve and placed them on the ground.

"This old servant embezzled ten spirit stones!"

Master Zhong let out a wail and said, "Young master, this old servant was blinded by greed and had such wicked thoughts, but this old servant promises that I will never dare to do it again."

Fang Xuan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the scattered Yuan Stones on the ground.

"That's all you took?"

Just as Master Zhong was about to speak, Fang Xuan said, "Think carefully before you answer, otherwise..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Xuan emitted a surge of Yuan energy.

The innate sword box on his back exuded an extremely sharp and piercing aura.

"This old servant confesses, this old servant confesses!"

Zhongye trembled with fright and hurriedly reached into his chest, pockets, and even boots, frantically searching.

He carefully removed the elemental stones one by one, totaling no more than twenty.

Scattered on the ground, they looked rather pitiful.

"Young master, this time it's really gone."

Grandpa Zhong looked heartbroken and filled with remorse.

"This old servant didn't dare spend a single penny; it's all here."

Master Zhong wiped his eyes and sobbed, "Young Master, you have no idea what kind of life I've lived these past three years. I'm terrified of poverty. Young Master, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time."

Seeing Grandpa Zhong crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

Fang Xuan finally sighed softly at the sight of that aggrieved, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

he knows.

He once devoted himself entirely to Su Qingyao, and gave most of the Fang family's resources to the Su family.

Especially during the three years he was mentally impaired, his younger sister and the others suffered a lot of bullying.

Although Grandpa Zhong may seem unreliable, he is actually very good to him and his sister.

It's really unreasonable to blame Master Zhong for such a small amount of spirit stones.

"Alright, get up."

Fang Xuan waved his hand and said, "But this is a one-time exception. Go down."

"Thank you very much, young master. I will never forget your great kindness."

Master Zhong was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He said, "From now on, if the young master tells me to go east, I will never go west; if the young master tells me to beat a dog, I will never chase a chicken..."

"Alright, alright, go down now."

Fang Xuan felt a headache coming on and looked utterly helpless.

"Young Master, what about these spirit stones...?"

Grandpa Zhong pointed to the Yuan Stone on the ground.

"Keep it yourself."

Fang Xuan waved his hand weakly and said, "If you need to use spirit stones in the future, just tell me."

"Alright."

Zhongye happily put away the spirit stones and thanked Fang Xuan profusely once again.

After Master Zhong left, Fang Xuan frowned.

He always felt like he had forgotten something.

But I couldn't remember it for a moment.

.......

"Young master, you are so...so easy to fool this old servant."

As soon as he left Fang Xuan's room, the sorrow on Zhong Ye's face vanished, replaced by a smug expression.

"My Master Zhong only needed to use a little trick to completely win over the young master. Master Zhong, you truly live up to your reputation."

Zhongye patted the spirit stones on his body, his face resolute.

"Young Master has shown me immense kindness, which I can never repay. Therefore, I have decided to serve you faithfully..."

Zhongye's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "I'll find you a grandma, young master, and she'll pamper you even more."

With a flick of his sleeve and hands behind his back, Zhongye leisurely left the Fang family with an air of indifference towards his relatives.

......

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past three days, Fang Xuan set up a third-grade magic array that combined offense and defense.

Once the formation is activated, even a Qi Gathering Realm martial artist can be easily killed.

The dragon bone elixir that Fang Xuan prepared was also distributed to the clansmen for cultivation.

In addition, Fang Xuan also passed down three martial arts techniques and their accompanying martial arts.

Although they were all three Xuan-level cultivation techniques, they were more than enough for the other family members.

It wasn't that Fang Xuan was unwilling to use a higher-level technique, but rather that the Fang family's current resources were limited.

Having a skill level that is too high is not necessarily a good thing, as it can easily attract the covetousness of various parties.

What the Fang family needs now is to develop quietly and accumulate strength in secret.

Since the Blood Fiend Gang's defeat last time, they have seemed to have completely disappeared.

But everyone knows it.

The Blood Fiend Gang will not let this go.

When they come again, they will use their absolute power to raze the entire Fang family to the ground.

But if the Fang family can hold on, their prestige will rise to a new level, perhaps even surpassing what it once was.

However, the possibility of this happening is extremely low.

Since Fang Xiaotian disappeared, the Fang family has become like a toothless tiger.

It is no longer a threat.

On this day, Fang Xuan, having finished his cultivation, had just stepped out of his room when Zhan Yi came to greet him.

"Young Master!"

The Yuan energy fluctuations around Zhan Zhou's body were calm and refined.

After several days of cultivation, he had already broken through to the third level of the Qi Gathering Realm, and his aura was several times stronger than before.

"How are those people from Ye Family Village doing?"

Zhan Yi replied respectfully, "Things have settled down for now. But... Master Zhong is giving them a lecture."

"A lecture?"

Fang Xuan frowned: "Let's go take a look. I have something to tell you."

Led by Zhan Yi, Fang Xuan arrived at the back mountain.

Fangjia Back Mountain covers a vast area and is divided into several areas.

The people of Yejiacun were placed in one of the areas, which was guarded by Zhan Yi and his men, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

"Greetings, Young Master!"

Upon seeing Fang Xuan, the two guards bowed respectfully.

The guards led by Zhan Yi, after practicing the Illusionary Formless Technique, made rapid progress in their cultivation.

In just a few days, two people have broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm.

The others were also at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm.

I believe it won't be long before they all break through to the Qi Gathering Realm.

To make management easier, Fang Xuan renamed the guards the Dark Guards.

He was specifically responsible for guarding, investigating, and assassinating members of the Fang family, and was directly under their command.

These two bodyguards were the ones who broke through to the Qi Gathering Realm.

"Thank you for your hard work during this time."

In order to conceal the presence of the Ye family villagers, Fang Xuan ordered his secret guards to patrol around the clock.

"It is my honor to serve the young master."

Upon hearing this, the two guards immediately straightened up, their faces showing excitement.

Fang Xuan nodded and walked inside.

In this small area, more than a dozen houses have been built, making it look like a small village.

In front of the village, there was an extremely wide open space.

"I'm telling you, if you don't work hard today, you'll be crying tomorrow."

Grandpa Zhong was seen leisurely leaning back in a recliner.

An umbrella was held overhead, and tea and snacks were readily available on the stone table beside them.

While drinking his tea, Master Zhong said, "My young master is kind-hearted. He took you in, gave you food and drink, and provided you with shelter. So you should treat him as the person you are closest to and most respect."

Thirty villagers from the Ye family stood in three rows, from shortest to tallest, on the open ground.

"Have you memorized everything?"

"Got it!"

"Abba aba".

A unified sound rang out in the open space.

"Speak louder, Uncle Zhong didn't hear you."

The voices of the thirty villagers rose eight octaves.

"Abba aba".

Zhongye rolled his eyes, pointed at the mute woman whose face was flushed, and said irritably, "How many times have I told you? If you can't speak, then shut your mouth and stop acting so out of place."

"Ah..."

"Stop!"

Just as the other party was about to speak, Grandpa Zhong pressed his fingers to his palm and looked solemnly at the villagers.

"I watched the young master grow up; he's no different from my own grandson."

Master Zhong said in a deep voice, "If you all behave yourselves, you'll have plenty of good days ahead of you. But anyone who dares to deceive the young master or disrespect him, don't blame me for not warning you!"

Fang Xuan, who had just stepped out of the courtyard, turned pale upon hearing this.

Zhan Yi grimaced, his head covered in cold sweat.

This Mr. Zhong is really unreliable.

"Cough cough."

He coughed lightly, trying to remind Master Zhong.

Who's coughing?

Master Zhong's face darkened, and he said in a displeased tone, "How many times have I told you? When I'm giving you a lecture, don't interrupt. This is the last time. If you do it again, you won't be allowed to eat for three days."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the thirty villagers from the Ye family all changed.

It seems that not eating for three days is the most severe punishment for them.

That's all for today.

After finishing his speech, Master Zhong waved his hand with satisfaction and said, "Everyone, go back to training."

Then, Fang Xuan witnessed another shocking scene.

The little girl was seen tossing two heavy stone blocks, each weighing a hundred pounds, up and down.

The one-armed, lame boy was tossing a giant log around.

The blind man sat steadily on it, while also dodging several stones thrown by villagers.

The woman, who was coughing incessantly, was frantically chopping meat with two kitchen knives.

The other villagers also displayed their unique talents.

What shocked Fang Xuan the most was that the white-haired village chief Ye Fan was shirtless, being frantically beaten on by the twins, a mute woman and a deaf young man, who were holding wooden sticks.

Anyone who saw this scene would be stunned into silence.

Zhan Yi said, "Young Master, these people are exceptionally talented. Although they lack cultivation, they possess innate superhuman strength. If they are trained and given cultivation techniques, they will surely become a force to be reckoned with!"

"Yes, I know."

Fang Xuan nodded and said in a deep voice, "These villagers of the Ye family are all rare body-refining prodigies, but they have never been exposed to cultivation methods, which is why they appear mediocre."

As he spoke, Fang Xuan walked towards the group of villagers.

"Young Master, you've arrived!"

Zhongye, with his sharp eyes, spotted Fang Xuan first and quickly jogged over.

"Young Master, are you tired? Are you thirsty?"

Fang Xuan didn't even glance at them, but instead looked at the villagers.

As Fang Xuan's most loyal lackey, Master Zhong's ability to read people and situations is unparalleled.

He coughed lightly and said, "Young Master has arrived. Everyone, come and pay your respects."

The villagers of Ye's family immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed over in a swarm.

"Old man Ye Fan, along with the villagers of the Ye family, pays respects to the young master."

Ye Fan knelt directly in front of Fang Xuan, his voice filled with gratitude.

"Greetings, young master!"

"Aba aba!"

"Get up, everyone."

Fang Xuan smiled and said, "Seeing everyone so full of energy, you must be very satisfied with life here."