The Next Target

Li Shaoxiang’s eyes radiated with determination.

“Sis, what kind of home does our brother-in-law desire?” Li Buhu curiously questioned.

Even Old Master Tong seemed interested, keenly listening. action

“A place where everyone can live peacefully, wear warm clothes, have a safe shelter, no longer suffer from hunger, and are not subjected to others’ oppression.” Li Shaoxiang’s eyes softened as she spoke.

This vision was what she had learned from her deep conversations with Qin Huai. For now, they dared not covet too much land. Their only desire was to establish stability and prosperity in their region.

Towards this goal, Qin Huai traveled to Qingzhou to seek more power, while she was entrusted with establishing a home in Lingjiang. The couple utilized their own strengths, tirelessly working towards their shared objectives.

…

Blue Sea Pavilion stood by the Blue Sea Lake, its name inspired by the location. Disciples in the pavilion excelled in water combat, each one a specialist in their own right.

In the heart of the Blue Sea Lake, a water pavilion stood isolated. Xu Tong, shackled at his hands and feet, sat quietly in the center of the pavilion, his hair disheveled. It was a pitiable sight for the one who was destined to be the future king of the Blue Sea Pavilion, its eldest senior brother.

Ripples danced across the surface of the lake.

“Tong’er…” A beautiful figure embraced Xu Tong. “Mother, you’re back.” Xu Tong looked up at the woman in front of him with calm eyes. “How was your trip to Qingzhou?”

Xu Tong still managed to maintain a sense of humor. But his mother saw his condition as a provocation.

“Those old fools are nothing but bullies!” Anger seethed in the woman’s eyes. Despite her youthful face and slender figure, she spoke with a mature aura. This was Xu Yuexin, the great elder of the Blue Sea Pavilion, whom Qin Huai had previously met.

“Who dared to confine my son?” Xu Yuexin’s voice turned frosty.

“Mother, let it be. This matter involves the demon, so I can’t blame them for locking me up for two months. It actually gave me a chance to quietly cultivate and process my recent gains… But, their attitude was indeed strange…” Xu Tong’s voice was slightly raspy.

Since his return from the bronze realm, he had been confined in this water pavilion without uttering a word.

“I suggest that you secretly watch over the four elders, He, Sun, Li, and Tang. Their reactions are oddly suspicious,” Xu Tong lowered his voice.

“Forget about Elder He,” Xu Yuexin calmly replied.

“Why? Are you aware of his background?” Xu Tong looked surprised.

“No, I have already killed him,” Xu Yuexin spoke in a steady voice. “He dared to torment my son. He should’ve anticipated the consequences.”

Xu Tong was taken aback. “If you continue spoiling me like this, I’ll lose my mind. This time, I met several prodigies in the bronze realm. Their ruthlessness and decisiveness surpass mine… I feel weaker than them now because you pamper me too much!” Xu Tong jested.

“If I don’t spoil my own son, then who should I spoil?” Xu Yuexin shrugged it off nonchalantly. The two of them spent some time talking about ordinary life topics — food, clothing, housing, and potential romantic interests. Aside from a slight impatience that led to her inadvertently killing an ailing visceral prefecture realm expert, she didn’t seem much different from any typical mother.

…

In front of the prefecture overseer’s manor, Qin Huai surveyed the small courtyard, which was roughly a thousand square meters in size. It wasn’t as large as the county governor of Lingjiang’s residence — it was just a house befitting a local tycoon.

He had spent a day and night squatting near the entrance, finally managing to observe a servant emerging from it.

“His strides are forceful, reminiscent of a tiger or a leopard. Is it possible that even a servant of the prefecture overseer’s manor has reached the bone pattern realm?” Qin Huai pondered, slightly surprised. He wondered if bone pattern realm experts were so commonplace.

Seeing the servant walking away, Qin Huai used the wind breathing technique to quickly approach and capture him with a single move. Even a full five-pattern expert could not resist Qin Huai, let alone a mere servant.

“Do you realize who I am?” The servant’s face turned red as he confronted the formidable Qin Huai. He displayed no fear. Instead, he audaciously issued a threat, “If you kill me, your entire lineage up to the ninth generation will not be spared!”

His voice was harsh as he spat out these venomous words. Unfazed, Qin Huai produced some medicinal powder from his palm and stuffed it into the servant’s mouth.

Using a powerful memory recovery technique, Qin Huai quickly discerned the lay of the land and the basic structure of the prefecture overseer’s manor.

“A mere chef dares to be so insolent…” Qin Huai, somewhat amused, reduced the chef to ashes with the last bit of his powder.

“The prefecture overseer isn’t in his residence. He has gone to recruit young and able-bodied men from the areas around Qingzhou City. There are also two visceral prefecture realm guest elders and a personal guard commander. Three miles away from the prefecture overseer’s manor lives the prefecture overseer’s younger brother, the notorious Second Master Tang, Tang Ying.

“The Tang family resides a hundred miles east of the prefecture overseer’s manor. It’s too far from the bronze sinkhole. Moreover, if we assault the Tang family’s ancestral home and retreat to the sinkhole, we’re likely to be intercepted by the experts from the prefecture overseer’s manor.”

Muttering to himself, Qin Huai quickly chose his target: Tang Ying.

Known as the Flying Peng General, Tang Ying was revered as the most courageous warrior in the Tang family, second only to the State Patriarch and the Tang family’s patriarch. His strength was renowned and deeply respected.

Twenty years ago, he was already a top-tier expert at the third-level visceral prefecture realm.