Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The morning of March 27, 1228 of the Ziyun Era.
At the main entrance of the Magnolia Guild was a carriage drawn by three ferghana horses, and on each side of the carriage was a middle-aged man mounted on a ferghana horse. He was guarding it as closely as a shadow.
In front of the carriage stood another ferghana horse below the stairway of the Magnolia Guild’s main entrance. Mounted on this ferghana horse was a handsome, middle-aged man of average build, gazing towards the Magnolia Guild with an extremely icy and bloodthirsty look of vengeance.
The six ferghana horses together gave a sense of majesty and arrogance.
Because of this, the arrival of the six ferghana horses had attracted a crowd of onlookers.
“That carriage… I think it belongs to the son-in-law of the Li family, the first young master of the Wu family that governs Guangling prefecture…”
“That middle-aged man leading it is the patriarch of the Li family, Li Jingyu.”
“It seems that the Li family is prepared to exact vengeance on Zhou Donghuang from the Magnolia Guild… After all, that second young master of the Li family, Li Pingyun, was killed by him.”
“In the past, the Li family did not have the ability to take revenge and could only hold themselves back… Now, with the return of the head lady of the Li family and the young governor of Guangling prefecture, the Li family will definitely make use of this opportunity.”
“Two days ago, when I heard the young governor of Guangling prefecture was coming, I knew the Li family would definitely make trouble for Zhou Donghuang sooner or later.”
…
As time passed, the crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger and clogged the main road at the entrance of the Magnolia Guild.
The various preeminent families of the capital of Yunfeng prefecture, including the governing Zhao family, were monitoring the situation at the Magnolia Guild. They were all curious if Zhou Donghuang could extricate himself from this situation.
“Zhou Donghuang is coming out!”
The gathered crowd soon spotted a handsome youth dressed in white with an extraordinary aura around him. He walked out slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.
Two people followed him—the guild master of the Magnolia Guild, Lin Lan, and her aide, Granny Lian.
“Young Master Donghuang.”
As soon as Zhou Donghuang came out, the second master of the Lu family, Lu Bao, and the several elders of the Lu family standing behind him bowed in unison. They had arrived much earlier to stand guard at the gate.
“Hmm.”
Zhou Donghuang nodded casually to them and strode to stand at the front of the staircase, looking at the middle-aged man riding the ferghana horse with a calm expression.
“Li Jingyu?”
“Zhou Donghuang!”
Seeing his nemesis Zhou Donghuang, who had killed his son, the Patriarch Li Jingyu could not control his emotions. The murderous look in his eyes rose a notch, and his handsome face was twisted into a savage look.
“For killing my son Li Pingyun, the Li family wants you to pay with your life!”
Li Jingyu’s voice carried a bone-piercing chill that struck terror into many of the onlookers.
“You mean just with your Li family?”
Zhou Donghuang shook his head and gave a dismissive smile as his gaze fell on the carriage not far away. “Or do you mean… with the help that the Li family has found?”
“Correct! With the son-in-law of the Li family, the young governor of Guangling prefecture, Wu Nanxun!” Li Jingyu replied proudly.
Although he saw that Zhou Donghuang did not panic or lose his composure, which made him slightly puzzled, he wrote it off as Zhou Donghuang putting up a front…
So what if Zhou Donghuang was a level-five adept of Qi-gathering? Could he possibly stand up to the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture?
The Wu family was a grand family that had many level-six adepts of Qi-gathering!
Moreover, in his view, just the two level-five adepts with his son-in-law would be sufficient to take down Zhou Donghuang easily.
“It seems that this son-in-law of yours has given you a great deal of courage… that you dare to call me out.”
Zhou Donghuang smiled casually.
“Zhou Donghuang!”
Just as Zhou Donghuang finished speaking, a shrill and angry voice called out from within the cabin of the carriage.
A beautiful and splendidly dressed woman drew back the curtains of the cabin and came out. It was the head lady of the Li family, Li Caiyun, and she was in a terrible rage.
When the driver of the carriage saw this, he hurriedly jumped off his horse and sprawled himself on the ground, using his back as a step for Li Caiyun.
Li Caiyun stepped on the driver’s back and got out of the carriage, staring at Zhou Donghuang with a look full of cold and murderous intent.
“Today, with my brother Xun here, you’re doomed!”
Zhou Donghuang ignored her and looked instead at the person who had one leg out of the carriage and said calmly to him, “Is that the young governor of Guangling prefecture?”
“Today, as long as you don’t step out of the cabin, everything will be fine between us… but if you dare to step out and stick your nose into this business, don’t think of leaving in one piece.”
Zhou Donghuang directly threatened the person who was about to step out of the cabin, the first young master of the governor’s household of Guangling prefecture, Wu Nanxun.
Once Zhou Donghuang had spoken, the entire scene dissolved into an uproar.
“Zhou Donghuang is threatening the young governor of Guangling prefecture?”
“My god! The governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture is a grand family with many level-six adepts of Qi-gathering… this Zhou Donghuang, does he think that the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture is similar in strength to the governing Zhao family of our Yunfeng prefecture?”
“This is truly the case of a newborn calf not being afraid of the tiger!”
The gathered crowd whispered among themselves, shaking their heads. Even though they knew Zhou Donghuang was a level-five adept—and even the governing Zhao family of Yunfeng prefecture dreaded him—they still felt he was in deep trouble.
However, this time it was the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture, and moreover, this was the first young master of the Wu family, Wu Nanxun himself!
The governing Zhao family of Yunfeng prefecture was only a preeminent family.
But the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture was a grand family with many level-six adepts, and with more than twenty level-five adepts in the family.
A single level-five adept was nothing compared to the grand Wu family.
“How dare you!”
The two middle-aged men mounted on the ferghana horses beside the carriage stared furiously at Zhou Donghuang, shooting daggers from their eyes.
“You could say that.”
At that moment, a voice that turned anger to laughter came from the cabin, and the person who had paused instinctively at Zhou Donghuang’s words strode out of the cabin and dismounted from the carriage.
This was a handsome young man wearing an elaborately brocaded mandarin costume. He had such an air of arrogance that he seemed to have been born with it. As soon as he showed himself, he immediately became the focus of the entire scene.
“He is the first young master of the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture, Wu Nanxun?”
“Someone worthy to be the first young master of a grand family simply cannot be compared to the young masters of the preeminent families in strength.”
After Wu Nanxun dismounted from his carriage, the two middle-aged men on the ferghana horses flanking the carriage dismounted as well, and they followed behind Wu Nanxun.
“Brother Xun, this Zhou Donghuang seems to have no respect for you or the Wu family… In my opinion, we shouldn’t give him a quick death today but torment him for a long while before we kill him.”
Li Caiyun took Wu Nanxun’s hand as she spoke to him daintily and gazed towards Zhou Donghuang with a cold, murderous look.
However, Wu Nanxun strode forward several paces without replying, looking calmly at Zhou Donghuang and said, “Zhou Donghuang, just seventeen years old and already a level-five adept of Qi-gathering… It has to be said that your martial talent is extraordinary. But however talented you are, this is your last day of life.”
As he finished, besides the murderous look in the depths of Wu Nanxun’s eyes, there was also a trace of envy.
The fact that a nobody from a small village could have such great martial talent only served to emphasize how weak the first young master of his grand family was.
“I’ve given you a chance.”
Zhou Donghuang swept an indifferent gaze over Wu Nanxun. “However, since you didn’t take it… just don’t blame me.”
As he finished, Zhou Donghuang moved without warning, stepping in a peculiar sequence of steps and shooting forward like a cannonball straight towards the closest person to him—Patriarch Li Jingyu.
Swoosh!!
Zhou Donghuang’s speed was extremely fast. He flew forward onto Li Jingyu’s horse and brought his palm down onto his head. Only then did Li Jingyu react, his eyes widening in surprise and his expression changing completely.
As it was, that turned out to be Li Jingyu’s last expression.
Pong!!
With just one strike of his palm, Zhou Donghuang killed Li Jingyu as he sat on his horse. His corpse fell lifeless from the horse.
Li Jingyu was the patriarch of the preeminent Li family of Yunfeng prefecture, a level-four adept of Qi-gathering, and he did not even have a chance to make a move from beginning to end.
The crowd was stunned speechless.
“This Zhou Donghuang is really powerful!”
“Incredible! Killing a level-four adept as though he were killing a dog!”
“His ability would probably be considered strong even among other level-five adepts, right? I don’t know if the people that the first young master of the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture brought with him will be a match for him.”
“These two people shadowing this first young master of the Wu family also seem to be level-five adepts… two on one, could the two of them not beat Zhou Donghuang?”
Many people found themselves gazing subconsciously at the two middle-aged men behind Wu Nanxun.
What they noticed was that after witnessing Zhou Donghuang kill Patriarch Li Jingyu of the Li family with one strike of his palm, their indifferent expressions had become much more serious.
“Father!”
Li Caiyun wailed in sorrow as she came to her senses, and she looked back at Zhou Donghuang with an even colder look, as though she could not wait to slice his corpse into a thousand pieces.
“Brother Xun, avenge my father! Avenge my father!” Li Caiyun shouted urgently to Wu Nanxun beside her. At that moment, she did not wish to see Zhou Donghuang alive.
Seeing Zhou Donghuang kill his father-in-law in front of him, the only thing that Wu Nanxun felt was that his majesty had been trampled upon, and his expression became so thunderous that it seemed about to drip water.
“Uncle Feng, Uncle Lang… kill him!”
