The group led by Xu Mu quickly arrived at the Jiang Estate.
Though it was a secondary branch’s residence, its construction and luxury were no less than that of ordinary noble manors, complete with water pavilions, rockeries, flowers, trees, and corridors.
With the waist token, Qian Qian led Xu Mu and Qiongqi unhindered through the Jiang family grounds. After another half-incense stick’s worth of walking, they reached a secluded mountain path that led to the Jiang family ancestral shrine.
“Once we reach the ancestral shrine, do not wander around carelessly. If you trigger any hidden restrictions, I won’t be able to save you,” Qian Qian warned from ahead.
Xu Mu, carrying Qiongqi, nodded. He knew these rules well and would have been cautious even without Qian Qian’s reminder.
The path grew quieter, seeming to lead to an end. At that moment, an enraged voice suddenly boomed from the woods ahead.
“Hurry and let me pass, I need to see my father!”
The voice was eerily familiar. Qian Qian and Xu Mu exchanged glances, immediately recognizing it as Jiang Sheng’s. They quickened their pace, and after passing through a small grove of trees, they saw Jiang Sheng.
He was now less than a hundred meters from the ancestral shrine but was unable to proceed due to an obstruction.
“Why should you be allowed to pass? My uncle said your father needs to reflect here properly, and no one is allowed to let him out without his command!”
The young man blocking the path, with his arms crossed, looked at Jiang Sheng with a mocking expression.
“Jiang Zhao, I advise you to move aside quickly. I only want to speak a few words with my father, nothing else.” Jiang Sheng clenched his fists, suppressing his anger. This Jiang Zhao was from the main lineage.
He knew very well that he couldn’t act impulsively now, as it would only bring more trouble to his father.
“What, if I don’t let you, are you going to hit me? Even if you’ve broken through your cultivation, you still can’t beat me,” Jiang Zhao said mockingly, lightly patting Jiang Sheng’s face twice with his hand. He continued, “When you were in seclusion, your father borrowed a lot of money from my family. Come back to see your father only after you’ve repaid the debt.”
“Don’t push it too far!” Jiang Sheng’s eyes widened. He furiously shoved Jiang Zhao’s hand away, then grabbed his collar and roared, “If you block me again, even if I can’t beat you, I’ll risk my life to cripple you!”
“Oh, then try it.” Jiang Zhao’s expression turned icy. He first kicked Jiang Sheng away, then snapped his fingers. Instantly, a group of powerful guards surrounded him.
“Unfortunately, unlike you from a collateral branch, I usually bring guards with me when I go out.”
“But there’s something I forgot to tell you. During your seclusion, I also successfully broke through to the peak of the second stage and awakened a new innate ability. If you can truly defeat me head-on, I’ll let you pass. How about it?”
As Jiang Zhao spoke, he beckoned to Jiang Sheng, his expression full of confidence. Whether it was a group fight or a one-on-one duel, he was certain to win, as his talent and strength were both superior to Jiang Sheng’s.
“If you want to fight, fight me. If I win, I’ll let him pass,” Qian Qian said, walking over and standing beside Jiang Sheng.
Upon seeing who had arrived, Jiang Zhao’s expression immediately soured.
“I wondered who it was. So it’s an outsider who relies on my Jiang family, an orphan with no parents. Do you have any right to speak in matters concerning my Jiang family!” Jiang Zhao shouted, pointing at Qian Qian’s nose.
“In ten more days, when I pass the preliminaries of the Myriad Races Alliance and obtain the qualification token, the Patriarch will bestow me with a surname,” Qian Qian replied calmly.
“What’s the use of talking about future matters now!” Jiang Zhao paused, then said coldly, “At least now, you are not considered one of my Jiang family!”
“In the end, you still dare not fight me.” Qian Qian shook his head with disappointment and then looked at Jiang Sheng, “Let’s go. Uncle Jiang will be fine.”
“I’m not leaving. Today, I must see my father!” Jiang Sheng stood stubbornly in place like a wild bull, refusing to move.
“Qian Qian, you’re a year older than me, it’s unfair to fight you. If you want to fight, fight my elder brother in the preliminaries.” Jiang Zhao regained his composure and said mockingly. Then, he noticed someone behind Qian Qian.
“Who is this? I don’t recall seeing him.” Jiang Zhao narrowed his eyes and pointed at Xu Mu, asking.
“He is not a member of the Jiang family, so naturally, you haven’t seen him,” Qian Qian replied coldly.
“Oh, is that so.” Jiang Zhao got the answer he wanted and immediately smiled, then sternly demanded, “Jiang Sheng, Qian Qian, how dare you two bring an outsider to the ancestral shrine? What are your intentions!”
“Guards, tie up these three little thieves and await the elders’ judgment!” As Jiang Zhao spoke, the people behind him exuded the powerful aura of a third-stage ability user and surged towards Xu Mu and the other two.
Xu Mu narrowed his eyes, hesitating whether to act when suddenly, an ancient voice echoed from the woods ahead of the ancestral shrine.
“Stop.”
The two words carried no power, but everyone present, including the somewhat arrogant Jiang Zhao, dared not move.
The elderly man who spoke was one of the Jiang family’s direct lineage elders. Because his wife was buried here, he had retired to the mountains and lived near the ancestral shrine.
Normally, except for the Jiang family members who occasionally came to the shrine to pay respects, few people ever saw him.
Now, the elder slowly emerged from a dense thicket. He was thin, with sparse long hair tied up with a hairpin, dressed in simple clothes, his face sallow and dull.
“Elder Jiang Ting, my apologies. I disturbed your peaceful cultivation with such a trivial matter,” Jiang Zhao said, kneeling on one knee upon seeing the elder, confessing his guilt with some trepidation.
He did not often visit the ancestral shrine, so he had forgotten that besides the guards he had bribed, there was also this reclusive elder.
Elder Jiang Ting glanced at him without speaking. He then addressed Jiang Sheng in a slightly gentle tone, “Little Sheng, go back. Your father is fine.”
“Grandpa Jiang Ting, but I still want to see my father. I miss him,” Jiang Sheng, upon seeing the elder, lost his temper. Instead, he walked out from the crowd and said to the elder, feeling wronged.
“This…” Xu Mu looked at the scene before him and glanced at Qian Qian with confusion.
“This is one of the Jiang family elders, a Domain Lord. By seniority, he is Jiang Sheng’s father’s cousin, a gentle person who lives in seclusion and avoids worldly affairs,” Qian Qian explained quietly to Xu Mu.
“Oh, oh.” Xu Mu nodded, surprised to find a Domain Lord at the collateral branch’s ancestral shrine.
“Little Sheng, what your father did this time was indeed improper. Your eldest uncle’s decision to confine him is also understandable. Don’t cause trouble here anymore; go back,” Elder Jiang Ting said with a chuckle, stroking Jiang Sheng’s head. He then turned to look at Qian Qian.
“Although you are not yet a member of my Jiang family, you grew up here since childhood. Accompanying Little Sheng to the ancestral shrine is not a problem, but bringing an outsider is ultimately somewhat improper.”
“I won’t hold you accountable this time. Hurry up and take your people and leave,” Elder Jiang Ting said, his gentle tone carrying an undeniable authority.
“Reporting to Elder Jiang Ting, what I did was indeed improper. If the family holds me accountable, Qian Qian is willing to accept punishment.” Qian Qian knelt on one knee, cupped his fists in apology, and then continued, “However, this person beside me, while not a member of my Jiang family, cannot be considered a complete outsider.”
“Because he is the genius helper that Jiang Sheng’s father hired with a large sum of money to participate in the Myriad Races Alliance.”
“Oh?” Elder Jiang Ting raised his gaze to Xu Mu with some surprise upon hearing this.
After two months of recuperation, the killing intent on Xu Mu had almost vanished. As he hadn’t acted for a long time, his surging blood energy and blade intent were also suppressed.
Elder Jiang Ting casually examined him and found nothing special about Xu Mu. His gaze towards Qian Qian then turned somewhat cold:
“Although I have been in seclusion for a long time and have a gentle disposition, it does not mean I am a fool.”
“I see nothing special about this person you speak of. If he is truly the helper Jiang Li spent so much money to find, then outsiders will only mock our Jiang family more!”
As Elder Jiang Ting spoke, an invisible pressure descended upon the scene. Qian Qian, kneeling on one knee, immediately turned pale.
Seeing this, Jiang Sheng glanced at Xu Mu and immediately knelt beside Qian Qian, saying, “Please, Elder, spare Qian Qian this time. He was merely worried about me and acted rashly!”
“He indeed acted rashly,” Jiang Zhao said with a cold smile, finally seizing an opportunity to interject. He walked forward and knelt on one knee, saying, “Elder Jiang Ting, Qian Qian brought an outsider to the ancestral shrine without permission and deceived the elder. If he is not severely punished, how can the masses be convinced!”
“How can the masses be convinced!” the guards behind Jiang Zhao also knelt and said respectfully.
“Are you trying to force my hand?” Elder Jiang Ting snorted unpleasantly. He looked at Jiang Sheng and Qian Qian, who were kneeling on the ground, and then at Xu Mu, who stood silently in the distance. After a moment of hesitation, just as he was about to impose a lenient punishment, he heard Xu Mu speak.
“Elder Jiang Ting.” Xu Mu spoke, his expression calm as he looked at the elder. He then asked with feigned confusion, “Forgive my bluntness, but I have one matter I do not understand. You haven’t even seen my skills, so how can you know I will disgrace the Jiang family?”
Upon hearing this, Elder Jiang Ting’s brows furrowed. His withered eyes fixed on Xu Mu, and Xu Mu gazed back at him calmly.
After a few seconds, Jiang Zhao was the first to react and stood up. He pointed at Xu Mu and roared, “How dare you, a mere brat, to offend Elder Jiang Ting and act wildly in my Jiang family ancestral shrine!”
“If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll think my Jiang family are all fools!”
As Jiang Zhao spoke, his innate ability surged, and he instantly clenched his fist and charged at Xu Mu. His speed was so great that it created a string of terrifying thunderous roars in the air.
Seeing this, Jiang Sheng’s face turned alarmed, and he was about to stand up to help intercept, but Qian Qian grabbed him.
“No need.” Qian Qian said seriously, shaking his head at Jiang Sheng. He then immediately looked up, his gaze fixed on Xu Mu.
At this moment, Jiang Zhao’s thunder-attribute innate ability surged, and his Rushing Thunder Fist slammed towards Xu Mu, crackling with blue-white lightning, seemingly about to pierce his chest.
But facing such a ferocious lightning-infused fist, Xu Mu, who had been standing still, simply held Qiongqi in his right hand and extended his left.
*Bang!*
His palm met the fist. A deafening explosion resounded as the Rushing Thunder Fist collided, its power seemingly immense.
However, Xu Mu’s body did not budge an inch.
Everyone’s expressions froze in that instant, including Elder Jiang Ting’s.
The next second, with a scream, Jiang Zhao’s body was directly sent flying several meters away by the palm force that erupted from Xu Mu, before crashing to the ground.
“Elder Jiang Ting, may I ask now if I will still disgrace the Jiang family?” Xu Mu stood in place, stroking the cat with his left hand, and asked the elder calmly.
…