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Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Upheaval in the Zhu Family

As soon as the words were spoken, the tension between both sides reached its peak.

Immediately, a terrifying sound was heard; it was an arrow, streaking across the sky like a meteor. In an instant, it carved a graceful arc against the sky, the explosive speed forming a fiery tail, shooting straight towards Wei Shuangnian's face.

Wei Shuangnian let out a low shout, his figure resembling a white crane, as his Daoist robe traced an arc in the air, drawing a soft sword from his waist.

"Tricks of a petty game!"

The soft sword danced in the air, transforming into a series of sharp sword shadows, enveloping the arrow about to hit him, unloading its force.

The moment the arrow lost its momentum and fell to the ground.

"Kill!"

The members of the Green Forest, led by Village Chief Liu and two bald giant men, charged at Wei Shuangnian with knives in hand.

The long knives roared like tigers and leopards, creating waves of air as they cut through the sky.

Wei Shuangnian neither dodged nor evaded, and even placed the hand holding the sword behind his back.

Ting!

A crisp sound rang out.

Village Chief Liu's knife could advance no further, caught between slender fingers enveloped by a faint white airflow.

His eyes widened in an instant.

"Eighth Grade!?"

At that moment, Village Chief Liu instinctively retreated swiftly, realizing he was no match for his opponent. As a member of the Green Forest, survival was always the utmost priority.

A faint smile appeared on Wei Shuangnian's face, with a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Wrong, it's Eighth Grade Great Practice!"

Boom!!!

Without knowing how, Village Chief Liu's long knife suddenly started spinning fiercely, causing him to feel a stabbing pain in his tiger's mouth.

He made a decisive decision to abandon the long knife.

"Cult followers, everyone should destroy them! Charge!"

Song Di shouted sternly and rushed forward at once.

Even though Wei Shuangnian's strength had reached the Eighth Grade Great Practice level, with muscles and bones like a dragon, the gap between grades among martial artists was significant, but the number of opponents was simply too many.

Moreover, the men Village Chief Liu brought were all elites from the Green Forest near Qingshuo County, all at least Entry Grade experts.

Though confident, Wei Shuangnian did not believe he could escape unscathed from a siege of an Eighth Grade Minor Practice and dozens of Ninth Grade martial artists.

The soft sword whistled through the air, striking against Song Di's long sword, sparking fire, then Wei Shuangnian quickly retreated, showcasing the top-notch lightweight skill from the White Crane Sect at that moment.

His figure was like a white crane, with wings sprouting suddenly!

Song Di pursued with his sword, while a circle of experts surrounded them.

There was a cold hint at the corner of Wei Shuangnian's mouth as the soft sword slashed across his palm.

A cluster of blood droplets scattered through the air.

"I know why you're here; let me show you what true power is!"

As Wei Shuangnian spoke, the sixteen bulges before him trembled violently, distorting and writhing as if something was about to crawl out from within.

Upon seeing this, Song Di's expression changed drastically.

"Celestial Register…"

For eight hundred years, the Great Zhou had maintained peace relying on the Celestial Register method.

Now, it had fallen into the hands of the Celestial Destiny Sect.

Waves of sinister winds surged, and the mounds seemed to boil, oozing blood.

Suddenly, a pale hand reached out from a mound, followed by a second one…

In a moment, sixteen dwarf-like figures with monstrous shapes emerged on the original mounds.

Upon closer inspection, these sixteen figures appeared somewhat ethereal, like ghostly entities on the verge of collapse.

Following the disappearance of the Great Zhou Royal Family, these sinister entities emerged once again in the world, leading people to believe it was due to the disappearance of the Imperial Family.

But Song Di didn't believe it, until today he witnessed Wei Shuangnian sacrifice sixteen souls with blood, he finally believed it.

"Are they ghosts? Are they really ghosts?"

Even as a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist, he couldn't help but feel intimidated facing these ghostly creatures.

Song Di shouted angrily, "These spirits have just been born; everyone charge, kill Wei Shuangnian!"

"The bounty for killing Wei Shuangnian is three thousand!"

...

An essential passageway halfway up the mountain.

Xu Guang leaned against General Wei's back, practicing standing桩, his expression calm and devoid of joy or sorrow, as if it were just a picnic.

Zhu Zhenzhen and Zhu Cheng stood alert, their eyes occasionally glancing towards the direction of the mountain slope, which had unknowingly been shrouded in a layer of black mist.

Zhu Zhenzhen's beautiful eyes swept over Xu Guang, noting that he was still practicing at this moment, her heart filled with some admiration.

A person with such perseverance, it's unfortunate he started martial arts too late; otherwise, he might have truly achieved something.

Upon sensing Zhu Zhenzhen's gaze, Xu Guang paused his practice, nodding in acknowledgment towards her, to which Zhu Zhenzhen responded with a smile but said nothing more.

Soon after, Xu Guang looked towards the mountain slope.

He knew that the confrontation had already begun.

Moonlight had unknowingly climbed to the mountain peak.

Zhu Cheng felt anxious, but neither he nor Zhu Zhenzhen were anything beyond Ninth Grade Great Cultivation level. In a place like Qingshuo County, they might be considered experts.

But in the Green Forest, they were nothing of note.

"Xiaoguang… shall we go up and take a look?"

Zhu Cheng asked softly.

He wanted Xu Guang to bring General Wei along, as the cultivation techniques of the White Crane Sect were quite enticing to him.

Before Xu Guang could speak, Zhu Zhenzhen shook her head to stop him.

She said no more after that.

Until the moon began to set.

The sounds of battle from the mountain slope had long since vanished.

Zhu Cheng seemed slightly disappointed.

"It seems that villain didn't choose our path down the mountain; I wonder what kind of arrangements Young Master Song made on the other side of the mountain?"

Xu Guang felt a slight sense of relief; it was a good thing for him.

Despite his belief in General Wei, he always adhered to the principle of avoiding fights whenever possible.

Though today was a fruitless trip, coming away unscathed made it perfect.

When dawn broke, the three of them finally confirmed that the battle had nothing to do with them.

Xu Guang let out a long sigh of relief, but something suddenly occurred to him.

Wei Shuangnian was a mole for the Celestial Destiny Sect hidden within the White Crane Sect, inheriting its many martial arts techniques. Attacked by Song Di, he must have left hurriedly.

He wondered if there were any remnants left in the mountain.

He glanced at Zhu Cheng and Zhu Zhenzhen.

His mind pondered on how to get rid of them when he suddenly heard the sound of hooves approaching from afar.

Someone was coming to find them.

Xu Guang quickly recognized the newcomer as the butler of Zhu Mansion's main family.

"Second Young Master, Miss!"

The butler dismounted swiftly and approached the two, a look of alarm on his face, urgency in his voice.

"Second Master attacked Zhu Mansion at night; Master is in mortal danger!"

With just one sentence, the Zhu siblings' expressions changed dramatically, and they immediately questioned the situation.

From the butler, they learned that Zhu Huai somehow discovered Zhu Fu's connections with the Song Clan and charged into the Zhu Family overnight with people, including experts from one of the three great forces, the Wei Family, and with Zhu Huai, two Eighth Grade Great Cultivation experts along with dozens of Ninth Grade experts stormed the Zhu Family.

Zhu Fu had sent the butler to inform the two of them.

The butler searched for six hours before finally finding where they were.

Xu Guang's expression showed no change, yet he secretly whispered to himself.

This was truly strange.

Why would Zhu Huai suddenly attack the family tonight?

The information was too scant for him to analyze much.

Moreover, it wasn't deeply related to him, but he did feel some concern for Zhu Fu. Although the time spent together was short, he had a favorable impression of Zhu Fu, who was a kind-hearted squire, a rather good master in these troubled times.

"Xiaoguang, Zhenzhen and I will head back; you and General Wei should hurry back too."

General Wei's only weakness was speed; its massive body required more energy than ordinary creatures for each movement. Zhu Cheng and Zhu Zhenzhen worried for Zhu Fu's safety and thus planned to return to the city first using the horses brought by the butler, leaving Xu Guang to catch up.

Xu Guang naturally agreed.

Once the two had left, a trace of concern flashed in Xu Guang's eyes. After fleeing for more than three months, he cherished his hard-earned peaceful life more than anyone; he sincerely did not want anything to happen to the Zhu Family.

Looking towards the mountain slope, it seemed closer to go through Jingming Temple, and he could check if there truly were any remnants left inside.

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