Immortal of the Nine Realms

The Hechuan Fang Clan had four major branches. Each branch possessed an elder overseeing it. Although the authority of these branch elders could not compare to that of the clan leader, within their own branch, they were still absolute figures whose word was law. The old man currently confronting Fang Longshan in the courtyard was the elder of the Huofeng Branch, whose branch symbol was the maple leaf.

In the history of the Huofeng Branch, one of their ancestors had once produced a world-shaking expert named Fang Huofeng. Within the history of the Hechuan Fang Clan, his fame was second only to Fang Lie, the creator of the Blazing Fist. Thus, the Huofeng Branch's foundation within the Hechuan Fang Clan was not to be underestimated.

Faced with Elder Huofeng's accusations, especially when the matter of Fang Sheng and Fang Yue was brought up, Fang Longshan's expression gradually darkened. He waved his hand. "Right and wrong will become clear afterward. If you wish for your descendants to continue training under Fang Yue, then I shall accommodate you. We'll simply replace the candidates."

Seeing that his objective had been achieved, Elder Huofeng immediately smiled and cupped his fist. "Good. That settles it."

Fang Longshan snorted coldly before turning his gaze toward the others. "And what about all of you?"

Among the crowd was someone from the same branch as Fang Longshan himself. At this moment, he did not dare meet Fang Longshan's eyes. Yet seeing everyone else insist that their descendants continue training under Fang Yue, he awkwardly said, "Clan Leader, I feel the same as they do... let the younger generation continue learning under Instructor Fang.

"Instructor Fang is a Martial Marquis. I don't dare hope my descendants can become Martial Marquis in the future, but if they can at least reach the Marrow Refinement Stage, then they'll have a respectable future in Great Zhou."

Fang Longshan let out a cold laugh. "Fine. Do as you wish. Tomorrow, I'll choose six others instead. This time, I'll select from poor families."

His gaze toward the crowd now carried a trace of mockery.

They had spent so much time fighting for power and profit that they constantly judged others with the hearts of petty men. Now that their descendants had missed such a rare opportunity, they had only themselves to blame. He no longer wished to explain further. Fate worked in mysterious ways. No one else could be blamed.

Seeing that Fang Longshan had compromised, Elder Huofeng let out a smile of victory and left with the members of his branch.

The next day, Fang Longshan dispatched his subordinates to search throughout the Hechuan Fang Clan for children from poor families.

On the second floor of a teahouse, Fang Sheng stood by the window. Seeing Fang Longshan's men going door to door searching, he could not help but laugh softly before turning back toward Elder Huofeng. "Father, can you guess Clan Leader Fang's true intentions this time?"

"You still don't understand Fang Longshan's intentions? Back then, he suppressed you in favor of Fang Yue, a child from a poor family, which delayed your promotion to Martial Marquis by five years. And just so happened, during the martial competition of Hechuan Prefecture, Fang Yue gained the Prefect Lord's favor and was rewarded with twelve Blood Essence Pills. Fang Yue refined one pill each year. Twelve years later, his strength among Martial Marquis now stands among the very top."

The wrinkles on Elder Huofeng's face were filled with the traces of time, yet his bright eyes constantly shone with wisdom. "The gap between you and him has only widened further over time. When Fang Longshan eventually steps down, won't the position of clan leader most likely fall into Fang Yue's hands? But he also fears that our Huofeng Branch may produce another genius. That's why he's now targeting your son. Fang Sheng, you must be careful of Fang Longshan. His ambitions are not small."

Fang Sheng's eyes flickered slightly. "But something still doesn't feel right. Fang Chen, that blind man, suddenly appeared in the martial grounds, yet even Fang Yue failed to notice him... Could it be that he truly possesses some ability?"

Elder Huofeng shook his head. "That was merely Fang Yue doing it deliberately."

"If that were the case, Fang Yue would not have immediately informed us about the matter that very night. I think he still hoped my son would continue learning under him," said Fang Sheng.

A faint smile curled upon Elder Huofeng's lips. "They simply didn't want to make things look too ugly and feared being ridiculed by the people below, so they staged this entire farce together. Now Fang Longshan is sending people everywhere to search for children from poor families purely to preserve some dignity for himself. I've already spread the word. At least within our Huofeng Branch, even if someone is so poor they have no food to eat or pants to wear, they still won't follow Fang Longshan's people away."

After a pause, he rose and walked toward the window, coldly gazing in the direction of the clan leader's residence.

"I want to see how Fang Longshan plans to clean up this mess in the end!"

***

At the bamboo tower courtyard, Fang Yue stormed in angrily. He said nothing, merely staring at Fang Chen with eyes as large as oxen.

Fang Chen frowned. "Fang Yue, why are you looking at me like that?"

Fang Yue's expression shifted. "How did you know I was looking at you?"

Recalling Fang Longshan's words, he finally could not resist sneaking closer toward Fang Chen. With his Martial Marquis cultivation, he could move like a ferocious tiger yet remain as still as a maiden. He silently approached Fang Chen before suddenly grabbing his shoulder.

The next moment, Fang Yue only felt the world spin around him. By the time he regained his senses, he had already crashed into the flower bed beside the courtyard.

A trace of confusion flashed through Fang Yue's eyes. "This..."

Turning his head, he saw Fang Chen still standing in the same spot as though he had never moved at all. Unable to believe it, Fang Yue immediately climbed to his feet and circled behind Fang Chen once more. When he confirmed that his palm had firmly landed on Fang Chen's shoulder, he prepared to exert force, but the world spun once again, and he crashed back into the exact same spot as before.

This time, after getting up, Fang Yue did not approach Fang Chen again. Instead, he stood there in silence, deep in thought. Twice in a row, he had failed to see how Fang Chen had moved. That alone was enough to prove Fang Longshan had not exaggerated. The man before him truly possessed strength surpassing his own, and his age was likely nowhere near as young as his appearance suggested.

No wonder the clan leader told me to call him Brother Fang Chen... It's one thing to fail once, but failing twice and landing in the same spot each time... This is simply...

Bitterness filled Fang Yue's heart. As one of the strongest Martial Marquis, he was a renowned figure throughout Hechuan Prefecture. Even against a Martial King like Fang Longshan, he believed he could exchange over a dozen moves. Yet the man before him was too strong, so strong that his depth was unfathomable.

Fang Yue's expression suddenly changed dramatically. "Wait! This is bad!"

He suddenly remembered how, the previous night, he had intentionally informed Elder Huofeng and the others so that the talented juniors below would not be wasted. If they strongly demanded replacements, wouldn't it mean he himself had delayed those six juniors from receiving their opportunity?

"Fang Yue, things seemed quite lively over at the clan leader's place last night. You probably contributed quite a bit, didn't you?" Fang Chen said with a faint smile.

"I... I was wrong..." Fang Yue revealed a bitter smile. "I'll go explain things to them right now..."

Fang Chen smiled. "No need. The candidates have already been replaced. What you should prepare yourself for instead is a harsh scolding from the clan leader."

At that moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded from behind them. "Father, you're here too? Why do you look so disheveled? What happened?"

The newcomer was Fang Yue's daughter, Fang Qiurou. She looked at Fang Yue and Fang Chen in surprise, suspicion flickering in her eyes.

"Uncle Fang... you didn't beat up my father, did you?"