From waterfowl, it began to transform into the Great Sun Golden Crow.

Tangjiabao is now beset by internal and external troubles.

The Li and Tang families each control half of Wushan. Ever since the Tang family patriarch accidentally obtained a secret technique while fishing on the lake and embarked on the path of immortality...

The Tang family, with its shallow foundation, rose to prominence with lightning speed.

As a rising star, the Tang family should accumulate strength. The barren land of Wushan was originally only fit for the Li family to dominate.

The Tang family patriarch had only one son, who was the head of the Tang family, Tang Zhenghong.

Tang Zhenghong has a wife who is a wandering cultivator, and their son, Tang Chenghu, possesses a fire elemental root. Tang Chenghu is upright and awe-inspiring, and is also known as the Righteous Yang Fierce Tiger.

All the enemies he encountered in his life were those who were out in the open.

Tang Chenghu had met many people in his life, including evil cultivators, but he had never seen such a vicious and despicable method.

Although it is unknown where this white centipede came from.

But based on his past experience, he judged that it must have been the work of evil cultivators. He found such low-class things extremely annoying.

Tang Chenghu's fingers twitched slightly.

His veins bulged all over his body, and a fierce fire slowly ignited within him; his solid physique was like a burning Vajra. With just a wave of his hand, his powerful physical strength as a body cultivator tore open the iron door of the dungeon.

Upon seeing this, the blood-stained white centipede cultivator cried out frantically.

Just as the blood-corpse cultivator rushed towards him...

His fingers mutated into tiger claws, gripping the rogue cultivator's neck. A snap was heard, and the neck broke. Tang Chenghu reached out, pulled out the white centipede, and gently squeezed it.

The putrid smell of fresh blood splattered everywhere.

"Second brother, he is a member of our Deacon Hall, and he recently joined Tang Family Fort. I had quite an impression of him a while ago. He is indeed exceptionally talented."

"Since he is dead, it is inappropriate to desecrate his body."

"Killing him is a relief for me. My second brother doesn't have much time left; three people have already ended up like this in just one afternoon. Tangjiabao really can't withstand any more major changes."

With a swift and clean motion, the knife fell swiftly.

Tang Jingxuan sighed softly. Half a year ago, Tang Chenghu had given some pointers to this deceased member of Tangjiabao.

He did place some high hopes on them. Tang Chenghu naturally disliked underhanded tactics.

But what needs to be done right now is to sort out the situation.

The white centipede died the moment it left the corpse, so it must have been the work of an evil sect. Thinking of this, Tang Jingxuan asked, "I don't know this person well; I only know he's from an outer sect. Brother, when did this happen?"

Tang Chenghu glanced sideways, his face cold: "Five days ago, the Li family discovered a spirit mine. The phosphate ore was square in shape and entirely red. I sent him to purchase it. In just two days, it has turned into this."

In the end, he couldn't escape the Li family.

Wushan is resource-poor, and the existence of a spiritual mine will surely attract the covetous eyes of others.

The problem lies here, there must be a way to solve it. Tang Jingxuan pinched the tip of his nose, his brain a little overloaded. He turned and bowed to Xiang Wanqing.

"You've come all this way from the late Qing Dynasty, and this is what you see. I truly haven't been a good host."

"You may rest now. Tomorrow, I will present you with laurel and parasol tree flowers with both hands."

Having said that, Xiang Wanqing nodded.

It was midnight.

Tang Jingxuan beckoned to the maids, who led everyone to the side room. Night had fallen, and Xiang Wanqing ran her fingers down the wings of the little water bird.

Gu Heting had gotten used to this and was too lazy to resist like when they first met.

"In the late Qing Dynasty, what exactly was the background of these two sons of the Tang family?"

Gu Heting was simply curious. He had met quite a few rogue cultivators these past few days, but Tang Jingxuan fit Gu Heting's ideal of an immortal.

He possesses a quality that is hard to define.

He seemed like a hermit, ethereal and otherworldly master.

Xiang Wanqing was taken aback, her expression somewhat strange. After a while, she nodded: "Well, Tang Erge is a genius. I heard from my father that he achieved immortality at the age of 11."

It turns out that there's a saying in the cultivation world about opening meridians to become an immortal.

Gu Heting, on the other hand, lacked experience.

Xiang Wanqing continued, "Actually, what I envy most in this life is genius. I don't have much talent. In a hundred years, I'm only at the early stage of Qi Refining."

"When my father first came here, this place was sparsely populated."

"The villages down the mountain are all fishermen, but among these fishermen emerged a cultivator, who seems to be Tang Erge's grandfather."

"Brother Tang Er was in the late stage of Qi Refining at 26, and formed the Core at 34. Now he has already reached the Great Perfection of Core Formation. He is just one step away from the Nascent Soul stage."

"Gu Heting, I don't actually know anything. I know everyone is protecting me."

"I'm so scared, really scared. I'm afraid of becoming a burden to others."

The little girl's eyes filled with tears as she spoke. Today's events had a huge impact on her; if she were in danger, her senior brothers and sisters would protect her.

But without her senior brothers and sisters, she would become a burden.

The sobs were soft and low.

Gu Heting stretched out his little wings and wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"Anyone who saw this scene would be scared, including me. So what if I'm not naturally gifted? I'll just take it slow. You've already reached the Qi Refining stage, while I'm only at the Qi Refining stage."

"Oh, you're only at the Qi Refining stage?" The little girl was somewhat incredulous.

Gu Heting's alchemy skills are extraordinary.

How come you're only at the Qi Refining stage?

Upon closer reflection, Gu Heting was indeed too small. He was small enough to be held in one's arms, and his steps became unsteady every time he practiced alchemy, clearly indicating that his internal spiritual energy was insufficient.

He had also seen Qi-cultivating demons, whose bodies were all much larger.

The Qi Refining Demon has not yet developed any intelligence and is no different from a wild beast.

Gu Heting stretched his head out and snuggled against Xiang Wanqing's chest. His tone softened considerably as he comforted her.

"Everything in excess is as bad as moderation."

"You don't need to think too much. I'll teach you alchemy if you want to learn it in the future."

Hearing Gu Heting say this, Xiang Wanqing smiled and hugged him. She murmured a few words, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

She muttered a few words to herself, "Thank you, Gu Heting."

Xiang Wanqing held Gu Heting and fell into a deep sleep.

Gu Heting moved somewhat cautiously. He slipped out of Xiang Wanqing's grasp and, by the moonlight, stepped out of the room.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have done this. Martial law is in effect in Tangjiabao today.

The city was in turmoil.

His furtive glances outside aroused suspicion. But today, Gu Heting was preoccupied with worries, and the events that had occurred kept him awake.

But today, someone else had the same idea as him.

By the moonlight, Tang Jingxuan held an ancient book in his hand. He kept flipping through it, trying to find any similarities to the centipede, but after a while he shook his head and sighed.

"I searched through ancient books for three days, but found nothing."

"The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind; such imagery is truly worrying."

Gu Heting walked unnoticed to Tang Jingxuan's feet and picked up where Tang Jingxuan left off.

"That white-haired centipede wouldn't be mentioned in ancient texts."

"It must be an evil practice created by someone else in this life, and there is no record of it. That's only natural, so there's no need for you to waste your time."

Tang Jingxuan turned around and saw the little water bird standing at his feet.