Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

The deaths of three high-ranking officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau made the situation extremely grave.

Guo Wei knew this couldn’t be covered up.

He had no time to acclimate to his new power. He had to leave Baiyang County, and fast.

He could no longer remain Within the Great Yuan Territory.

He worried that the deaths of Lin Jiangkun and the other two would bring down the fury of Yuanchu Mountain. With his current strength, few in the Court could stand against him.

But Yuanchu Mountain was filled with experts. He had just stepped into the Qi Refining realm and lacked a proper Cultivation Technique. Any experienced Qi Refining expert could easily defeat him.

He wasn’t afraid of dying, only of implicating his disciples, as well as Guo Fang and the others.

He knew that if he tried to flee with Guo Fang and her family, he would not only endanger them but would also be captured by the experts from Yuanchu Mountain.

After weighing his options, he decided on a risky gambit. He took the bodies of Lin Jiangkun and the other two, left the Martial Arts Hall, and vanished along with them.

"Father!"

Guo Fang heard the commotion.

She rushed back from Wine Street to find the Martial Arts Hall pockmarked with craters. The ground was covered in bloodstains, the courtyard walls were shattered, and there wasn’t a single person in sight.

"Father!"

Guo Xiaotian was searching as well.

’Let this not involve my family. I can only hope Yuanchu Mountain doesn’t go too far.’

Hiding in the shadows, Guo Wei watched the pregnant Guo Fang and Guo Xiaotian, whose legs had only recently healed. His heart was heavy, but he didn’t regret what he had done.

’He just never expected that the ones to die would be Lin Jiangkun and his men. He’d even had a blessing in disguise, awakening the latent power within him and successfully breaking through to the Qi Refining realm.’

He could finally feel that ethereal power and had witnessed just how formidable it was.

He hoped his disappearance would turn the incident into an unsolved mystery.

That way, it would neither implicate his disciples nor affect Guo Fang and her family.

Guo Wei decided to take a gamble.

Unable to find any trace of Guo Wei, Guo Fang and her brother notified Lord Xu and asked the County Yamen constables to help with the search.

The sudden disappearance of a Martial Arts Grandmaster could be a major or minor affair, but since he vanished along with three leaders from the Demon Suppression Bureau, the news quickly alarmed the Court.

Zhang Tao, the Governor of Qiling Prefecture, was the first to arrive and inspect the scene.

Unfortunately, his cultivation level was too low to discern any real clues. All he knew was that a great battle had taken place within the Martial Arts Hall; he had no way of telling who had won or lost.

So, he reported the matter further up to the Court.

The news soon reached Zhang Xuan.

"Disappeared?"

"Guo Wei is a mere martial artist. He couldn’t possibly have taken out experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau. Someone must have helped him. Go take a look yourself."

"On second thought, I’ll go with you."

Zhang Xuan had originally intended to send Yun Hong to investigate. However, after thinking it over, he felt something was seriously wrong. So, he brought Yun Hong with him, crossing prefectures and quickly entering Qiling Prefecture, where they arrived at the Guo Wei Martial Arts Hall in Baiyang County.

By this time, the Martial Arts Hall had already been sealed off by the Court.

It was guarded by the Court’s soldiers.

Zhang Xuan stood in the center of the Martial Arts Hall.

HMMMM!

He released a peculiar ripple of energy from his body, sensing the residual auras within the Martial Arts Hall.

"Sword Qi!"

"And it’s fused with a demonic aura."

"A Qi Refining realm cultivation base."

"Guo Wei is in league with demons!"

A fierce glint appeared in Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

In a flash, he appeared before Guo Fang and Guo Xiaotian.

"My lord!"

The siblings were stunned by Zhang Xuan’s powerful aura.

"You are Guo Wei’s children. Who did your father typically associate with here in Baiyang County?"

Zhang Xuan demanded.

His Spiritual Power enveloped the two of them.

"Besides teaching at the Martial Arts Hall, my father rarely went anywhere else,"

Guo Fang said.

"My lord, what exactly happened to our father?"

Guo Xiaotian asked, his face a mask of confusion.

Zhang Xuan frowned. As an expert at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he would have known instantly if Guo Fang and Guo Xiaotian were lying. He could sense no unusual fluctuations in their auras.

"Has Guo Wei been to see Chu Lingguang recently?"

Zhang Xuan pressed.

"No. My father and my junior martial brother only correspond through letters!"

Guo Fang replied.

"Where are the letters?"

"In my father’s room."

Zhang Xuan vanished in a flash and reappeared in Guo Wei’s room. He quickly found the correspondence between Guo Wei and his disciples. He hadn’t just been writing to Chu Lingguang, but also frequently exchanged letters with Yang Shaorong and the others.

The letters mostly discussed matters of state and family, urging his disciples to remain loyal to the Court and diligent in their duties.

’This is absurd! There’s definitely something wrong with Guo Wei.’

Frustrated at not finding the answers he sought, Zhang Xuan used his Spiritual Power to obliterate the letters, turning them to dust.

He strode toward Guo Fang and her brother.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

Sensing something was wrong, Yun Hong grabbed Zhang Xuan’s arm.

"Guo Wei is in league with demonic forces. He must be hiding nearby,"

Zhang Xuan said.

"Senior Brother, Guo Wei only disappeared along with the men from the Demon Suppression Bureau. Whether he colluded with demons or was abducted by them is still unknown. We are disciples of Yuanchu Mountain. Harming the family of a mere mortal is beneath us."

Yun Hong said patiently.

"Ever since the Wolf Demon appeared, you’ve been defending Chu Lingguang at every turn. Don’t forget that you are a member of Yuanchu Mountain now,"

Zhang Xuan retorted indignantly.

"Senior Brother, I would never forget. I won’t show mercy to anyone who provokes Yuanchu Mountain. It’s just that the matter of the Wolf Demon is shrouded in mystery, and Chu Lingguang has already paid a heavy price. Now Guo Wei is also missing. If Chu Lingguang—who is far away in West Warehouse—finds out his master has disappeared, he might do something drastic. We shouldn’t provoke him."

"Besides, no matter what, Chu Lingguang has rendered distinguished service to the Great Yuan. The way the Court has treated him has already caused widespread discontent. The Great Yuan imperial family has been trying to speak with me about it recently. If Guo Wei and his family also die, I’m worried it will push things to a breaking point from which we can’t recover."