Chapter 19: Chapter Nineteen - A Change Occurs

Hong Qisheng loved his daughter to his very core and was unwilling to grant her hand easily. First, he required a man with no parents and no attachments; second, he required a man of decent appearance and balanced physique; third, he required a man possessing spiritual roots to inherit Daoist arts. Consequently, the number of eligible men was reduced to fewer than a handful.

Furthermore, because two of the candidates were biological brothers, Hong Qisheng feared his daughter would face gossip in the future. Thus, he presented them with generous gifts, intending for the brothers to withdraw gracefully.

In the end, only two men remained standing before the crowd.

The one in dark green clothing was named Sun Xiao. His family owned two medicinal herb shops, and with his wide forehead and thick nose, he appeared very honest and dependable. The other, dressed in royal blue robes, was more handsome, but his demeanor was frivolous; the moment he entered the room, he cast sidelong glances at Hong Qian as she came to inspect her potential husband.

It seemed the choice would likely fall to Sun Xiao.

Just as Zhao Chun suspected, Hong Qisheng sized the two men up, gaining a general idea of their respective temperaments. Just as he was about to ask Sun Xiao to stay, a servant came running into the room.

"Master! An outsider claiming to be an Immortal Master has arrived and wishes to see you!"

"An Immortal Master?" Hong Qisheng asked in confusion, then waved his hand. "Invite him in!"

"Fellow Daoist Hong!"

The man called out with a laugh. Dressed in plain Daoist robes with a long face and thin eyebrows, he entered the room with a swift, wind-like gait. He scanned the surroundings, his gaze pausing briefly on Meng Han before moving on. He addressed Hong Qisheng, "I heard you were looking for a son-in-law. I, Liu, have come to offer my own services. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

Zhao Chun could not discern his cultivation level, but Hong Qisheng’s face had already darkened, appearing quite wary. He said, "Senior, I do not know your name or your status."

"Liu Fengyan, merely a rogue cultivator!"

Hong Qisheng sneered inwardly. He also could not see through this man's cultivation, which meant the man had likely reached the late stage of Qi Refinement. For such a prominent figure among rogue cultivators to arrive uninvited—did he think Hong did not understand the implications?

If it weren't for Senior Meng Han being present, he might truly have fallen victim to this villain!

At this thought, two or three drops of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. He said coldly, "Senior has reached the late stage of Qi Refinement, while my daughter is but a mere mortal. We are truly not a match. Please, take your leave!"

Liu Fengyan knew the man would not yield easily. He had intended to strike directly today, seizing the wife and daughter to kidnap all three before interrogating them thoroughly.

He hadn't expected the Hong family to have invited a disciple of the Lingzhen Sect to stay here. Before entering, he had intended to kill them all and flee with the Daoist arts; no matter how powerful the Lingzhen Sect was, they could only protect their own small territory. Once he escaped into the lands of another great sect, he would be free to roam.

To his surprise, the presence of Meng Han, who was also at the late stage of Qi Refinement, made him wary and hesitant to act recklessly.

Though their cultivation levels were the same, a sect disciple possessed numerous spells and varied methods. If a fight truly broke out, a rogue cultivator like Liu Fengyan, who possessed great cultivation but only three or four spells, would not hold much advantage.

He practiced a heterodox branch of Qi Refinement, exchanging his own lifespan for rapid increases in cultivation. Having already exhausted more than half of his lifespan, he dared not squeeze himself further, causing his cultivation to stagnate. Consequently, he had become increasingly desperate to find orthodox Daoist arts that could lead to Foundation Establishment, and the Hong family had caught his eye.

The path ahead was death; a gamble forward might grant him life and the chance to reach Foundation Establishment. Liu Fengyan had no choice but to strike directly at Hong Qian's head!

"Impudent!"

Meng Han bellowed, stepping forward in three strides to deflect the blow!

He had sensed something was wrong the moment Liu Fengyan entered and had never relaxed. Seeing the man actually strike, he immediately moved to protect them, thinking to himself, *He certainly has nerves of steel, choosing today to make his move!*

Liu Fengyan had not expected him to be so fast; his wrist felt numb even after being struck away.

"All of you, get back!" Meng Han shouted to the crowd. He kicked off the ground with his left foot, flipping over to kick Liu Fengyan out of the room. "Hong Qisheng, watch over your wife and daughter! If they get hurt, I won't take responsibility!"

The Hong women had screamed the moment the two began fighting. Hong Qisheng had pulled them both aside, sending them to the inner courtyard for safety, and had also ordered the two prospective sons-in-law to follow them to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Though Zhao Chun and the others did not dare approach, they watched from the side. A battle between late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators was enough for her to learn a great deal.

Meanwhile, having taken a kick from Meng Han, Liu Fengyan immediately spat out a mouthful of blood!

He dared not sit idly by. Enduring the pain, he scrambled to his feet, tilting his head to dodge a heavy punch. The wind from the punch was so violent it made his ears ring!

Being a man who had struggled through life for decades, Liu Fengyan retreated to create distance. He raised a hand, pointed forward, and shouted, "Black Water Entangling Feet!"

Instantly, the bluestone slabs beneath Meng Han's feet turned pitch black. Two or three water-like phantom hands lunged upward, seizing his ankles!

Seizing this split second, Liu Fengyan swept his hands across his chest and brought them together, mimicking a sword strike. "Slay!"

A streak of black-purple light condensed in the air, curving into a crescent moon shape, racing toward Meng Han!

"Tricks!" Meng Han ignored the phantom hands beneath him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and a layer of lustrous white armor coated his entire body. The black light struck him, only causing him to lean back slightly; it failed to even pierce the white armor!

Liu Fengyan’s expression grew solemn. Two of his four heterodox spells had been used, and neither could harm this man. He cursed inwardly, *What kind of monster!* He immediately mobilized his spiritual energy, intending to use his most powerful technique, the "Evil Seed Spirit-Devouring Art," against Meng Han.

This technique was incredibly insidious. It used spiritual energy to condense insect-sized evil seeds that swarmed around the user. During combat, these seeds would be driven to parasitize the opponent's skin and devour their spiritual power, capable of sucking an opponent dry in the blink of an eye.

He had used this wicked method to kill many sect disciples, knowing they were inexperienced and lacked vigilance, which had allowed him to succeed repeatedly.

"You big oaf, let's see if you can defend against this!"

Liu Fengyan hid the evil seeds around his body and lunged at Meng Han!

The seeds were so minute that Meng Han did not notice them. Assuming the man had abandoned long-range attacks for close-quarters combat, he laughed angrily, "Come! I fear nothing of the sort!"

He stomped his feet, dispersing the black water with brute force, grabbed Liu Fengyan's arm with one hand, and delivered a heavy punch straight to his face!

The blow sent him flying two or three meters away, his cheekbone collapsing inward!

"You fell for it!"

He propped himself up, waiting to see Meng Han's spiritual energy run dry so he could move in for the kill, before dealing with the third-layer Qi Refinement lackeys one by one.

One breath!

Meng Han did not move.

Two breaths!

Meng Han pulled back his fist and looked at him coldly.

Three breaths!

Meng Han raised his arm and casually brushed the evil seeds away.

"How can this be?" Liu Fengyan's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He saw that the man's skin was like cast bronze and iron; the evil seeds had no way to attach themselves!

What kind of technique was that? Not only did Liu Fengyan want to ask, but Zhao Chun, watching from the side, felt her eyes light up.

If she could get her hands on that, her close-range defense would be complete!

However, if it was a treasure of the Lingzhen Sect, it would be difficult; if it was a private item of her Senior Brother, it would be even harder.

Unaware that Zhao Chun was already eyeing him, Meng Han stepped forward and lifted Liu Fengyan with one hand. "There is much you do not know. To dare strike in front of me, you truly are bold."

"Spare me! Spare me!" Liu Fengyan wept and snotted, blood and tears mixing into a disgusting mess on his face.

He screamed, "I'll give you my Essence Stone... I'll give you my techniques! All of it! Just let me live! I won't dare do it again!"

Meng Han was no novice; he understood the principle of pulling up weeds by the roots. He twisted his finger, and a crisp snap was heard.

He tossed Liu Fengyan's corpse to the ground and instructed the stunned Hong Qisheng, "Handle this yourself."

"Yes! Yes!" After escorting his wife and daughter back, Hong Qisheng had witnessed the dark-faced man cripple a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator with a single punch. He was both joyful and terrified—joyful that the matter was resolved, but terrified of how to act if he accidentally offended someone as ferocious as Meng Han.

"I must thank Senior Meng for intervening and allowing my family to remain whole! I shall surely repay you handsomely!" He cupped his hands in a deeply humble gesture.

Meng Han poured himself a drink of water and turned to decline the offer, only to see a thin line of blood appear around the man's neck.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, puzzled.

Hong Qisheng's head suddenly shot into the sky!

Blood sprayed out in a torrent!

Everyone froze on the spot, feeling a murderous aura descend upon the Hong family estate!

It felt as if a giant hand had gripped Zhao Chun's heart, and her breathing suddenly became rapid!