The Fang family territory is located in the west of the city.
Or rather, the entirety of Fenglin City's noble families and wealthy clans are gathered in the West District.
Among them, the Zhang family territory lies to the east, close to the City Lord's Mansion. The Wang family territory is to the north, near the location of the Martial Armory. The Fang family territory is the furthest south, making it the closest of the three great surnames to the "money pits" like the Three-Part Fragrance Pavilion and the Datong Gambling Den.
Other smaller families are scattered between the three great surnames, serving as a buffer.
From Jiang Wang's current position, the shortest route to the Fang family territory would naturally be to pass directly in front of the City Lord's Mansion. However, the bald man would clearly not agree to such a route, and Jiang Wang wouldn't even suggest it.
He suggested they take the South Gate, pass through the commoner residential areas, walk to the Datong Gambling Den, and then cut through the vicinity of the Three-Part Fragrance Pavilion to reach the Fang clan territory directly.
This route was a massive detour, but for the bald man, it was undoubtedly much safer.
The journey went smoothly. When they encountered patrolling City Guards along the way, Jiang Wang even took the initiative to help the bald man conceal his presence.
Now, they had finally arrived before the Fang clan territory.
The sky was gradually darkening.
...
The Jiang Family in Feima Alley.
Ling He stood up abruptly: "We can't wait any longer!"
They all knew very well that for an occasion as important as Jiang An'an's birthday, it was impossible for Jiang Wang not to show up.
At first, they thought perhaps Jiang Wang had gone to prepare some other surprise, but night was already falling. No matter how much preparation a surprise required, one could not miss the appointed time. Something must have happened to Jiang Wang.
Zhao Rucheng pressed a hand down on Ling He: "Boss, you stay here with An'an. I have many people at home; I'll go look for him."
The Zhao family was wealthy and naturally had many hands; if they truly went out to search, they would be far more useful than Ling He. An'an, however, absolutely needed someone to accompany her; otherwise, even if Jiang Wang were found, if anything happened to An'an, Jiang Wang would never forgive them.
Ling He understood this logic and could only acquiesce.
The aroma of delicious food had been wafting for a long time. An'an was very hungry, but she had no appetite.
"Where did Brother go?" she asked.
Zhao Rucheng gave Ling He a meaningful look before saying, "He probably went to Fengxi Town to buy sugar figurines for you. Didn't you always say you wanted to eat those sugar figurines from that certain person's family in Fengxi Town?"
"Grandpa Zhang's family!" Jiang An'an added crisply.
"Right!" Zhao Rucheng said. "But it's getting dark, and I'm afraid your brother won't be able to see the road clearly. I'll take a lantern to meet him."
...
The so-called "Fang Clan Territory" did not have clear boundaries, nor were there walls or fences to separate the inside from the outside. It was simply a large area that had become customary over generations; the Fang clansmen had lived here for ages, and it had gradually become their clan territory.
"It's best if we sneak in without alerting anyone else," Jiang Wang suggested. "Otherwise, if they ask about you, it will be hard for me to explain."
There was no logic in bringing an outsider to a friend's home. Jiang Wang's suggestion was reasonable.
"Which direction is the small courtyard you mentioned?"
Jiang Wang pointed in a direction with great familiarity.
In his heart, however, he was ruminating repeatedly.
His greatest disadvantage was that he had not yet established his Foundation, whereas this bald man was a sixth-grade Dragon Soaring Realm expert. The gap in cultivation was like a chasm.
But his greatest advantage also lay in the fact that he had not established his Foundation. Because he lacked a Foundation, he relied on the Extraordinary Sword Canon and the Military Body-Refining Technique, possessing strength that surpassed ordinary Pulse Vein Realm cultivators. This was something the bald man could not have predicted, and it would certainly be beyond his expectations.
Jiang Wang had one surprise—one unexpected opportunity granted to him.
And only one.
Throughout the journey, the bald man had maintained his posture of holding Jiang Wang's shoulder; now, he merely gave a light tug. The two of them transformed into a shadow, merging into the shadow of a pedestrian ahead.
After following this person for a distance, the bald man pulled Jiang Wang out. "And then? Which way do we go?"
Jiang Wang made no attempt to hide his astonishment at this secret technique. After glancing at the road, he pointed in another direction.
The bald man chuckled softly. "This Shadow Hiding Technique isn't hard to learn. As long as you follow my instructions, I can teach you."
He then pulled Jiang Wang back into the shadows.
After several consecutive attempts, the night had completely shrouded the sky, and the two drifted into the small courtyard that Fang Pengju had once brought Jiang Wang to visit.
This almost silent method of movement caused the vigilance in Jiang Wang's heart to rise even further.
Fortunately, this place was indeed not assigned to anyone else; it sat abandoned.
This small courtyard had been left to Fang Pengju by his deceased father. Because of its unique location, almost no one ever came here.
Of course, even if this courtyard had been allocated to someone else in the Fang family, Jiang Wang would have had an excuse. His friend almost never returned to live here, so it would be normal to let a clansman occupy it, and since he hadn't been here for a long time, his lack of knowledge would be perfectly reasonable.
Scenting the dust of a place long devoid of human presence, the bald man nodded with satisfaction.
Following his habit, he naturally intended to kill and extract the heart immediately.
But Jiang Wang had already begun to introduce the place to him quite naturally: "Three rooms ahead of this courtyard is a large dining hall. You can go there to steal something to eat."
With his back to the bald man, Jiang Wang pointed toward the dining hall.
"My friend finds the clan's restrictions too many, so he almost never comes back to live here."
Then, he turned in another direction and said, "The Fang clan guards' patrol schedule is..."
A flash of sword light erupted!
Without a moment's hesitation or delay, Jiang Wang suddenly drew his sword!
The first style of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Killing Method—the fastest of the five killing styles.
But this strike was not intended to attack the bald man; rather, it was meant to carry Jiang Wang across the high wall and flip into the adjacent courtyard!
The bald man was by no means a procrastinator, but Jiang Wang was in the middle of explaining the patrol schedule, which was vital for his concealment. He simply hadn't expected the boy to erupt halfway through his sentence.
What the bald man had even less expected was that this boy, who had not yet established his Foundation, possessed such a swift and lethal strike. It far exceeded his judgment of this level of strength, causing him to miss his grasp!
"Who dares trespass into the Fang Clan Ancestral Hall?"
Just as Jiang Wang leaped into the adjacent courtyard, he heard a furious roar, and an old man with white hair and beard leapt out of a room.
Indeed, this small courtyard where Fang Pengju once lived was right next to the Fang Clan Ancestral Hall. This was the leverage Jiang Wang had relied on for his delay!
After Fang Pengju's father lost all hope of cultivation, he was arranged to live here as the guardian of the Fang family's ancestral hall. Of course, he was not the true guardian; he was merely responsible for cleaning the courtyard and washing the memorial tablets—it was, in essence, a form of humiliation. He endured it silently, placing all his hopes in his son.
Fang Pengju grew up in this courtyard, and even after his talent began to manifest, he was unwilling to move to any other courtyard.
Jiang Wang had planned this long ago. Upon coming face-to-face with the white-haired old man, he turned to flee while simultaneously activating his Dao Essence to shout loudly: "The Heart-Swallowing Demon! Today, you shall answer for your crimes here!"
Immediately following him into the Fang Clan Ancestral Hall, Xiong Wen was startled at the same time as the white-haired old man.
The former was shocked that his identity had been detected; the latter was shocked by the fearsome reputation of the Heart-Swallowing Demon.
But the thought was only fleeting; since the two were now facing each other, there was no reason not to test one another.
Especially since the white-haired old man was stationed at the Fang Clan Ancestral Hall; how could he abandon his post just because of a loud-mouthed title?
He had begun preparing his Daoist arts the moment he leapt from the room, originally intending to target the sword-wielding thief, but now, with a rub of his hands, arrows with trailing feathers shot into the air.
The Fang clan's ancestral Daoist art: Thousand Feather Arrows.
To be honest, this technique was not as sophisticated as the arts taught in the Dao Academies; it was even somewhat crude. The hand seals were cumbersome, and the trailing feathers were more for show than function. The rapid evolution of Daoist arts in the academies was one of the reasons why family-style cultivation was gradually declining.
However, the old man had practiced this art for many years, and through mastery comes transformation. Combined with his eighth-grade Heavenly Cycle Realm cultivation, its power could not be underestimated.
But with a single roar, Xiong Wen used his powerful Dao Essence to drive a sonic wave, shattering many of the feathered arrows.
He casually smashed a few arrows aimed at his vitals and slammed his entire body into the white-haired old man, reaching out with one hand to gouge out a heart!
Because of Jiang Wang's shout, his whereabouts were now exposed. He had to escape as quickly as possible, making this a battle of speed and decisiveness. Thus, he employed thunderous methods, preferring to take a minor injury if it meant an instant kill.
Xiong Wen looked at the shriveled heart in his hand and tossed it to the ground: "Disgusting."
The white-haired old man had not expected to last even a single move, but he was determined to give his opponent an unexpected turn as well.
Looking at his own departing, aged heart, he used his last ounce of strength to drive all the Dao Essence within his Heavenly Palace into the command seal in his hand.
A brilliant light erupted.
The entire Fang Clan Ancestral Hall was enveloped in a layer of clear light. At the apex of the clear light, the phantom of a celestial crane lingered.
It stood tall and majestic, its gaze cold.
With his final breath, the white-haired old man had triggered the Ancestral Hall's protection formation.
He faintly heard the cry of the crane.