Chapter 138: Chapter 138: 138 Innate Expert (A thank-you update to Alliance Leader Lao Zei)

Elder Zhao did not want Big Lang to come back; he was quite clear about the clan’s development plans. Big Lang establishing a foothold in Xiyin City was an important step for the Zhao Family’s clan to move out of Zhige County and expand outward.

After some thought, he spoke with a dark face, “Send a message to Big Lang. If it’s inconvenient for him to leave, then we’ll take our revenge ourselves.”

At that moment, an impatient member of the Zhao Family asked, “How will we take revenge? Would it be worth it to lead our clansmen in a siege attack?”

No one believed that all their efforts from Zhao Family Fort wouldn’t be enough to defeat those four, but considering the potential cost, even the most optimistic members of the Zhao Family thought that it wouldn’t be worth it to fight such a battle over a mere few dozen silver yuan.

What would the outcome be if there were casualties in the double digits, even if they won? Moreover, if they couldn’t capture everyone, the enemy could retaliate—an individual responsible for acquisitions was already an Intermediate Level Martial Master, who knew what else they might have up their sleeve?

However, some insisted with unwavering determination that they needed to show their iron blood, “We must fight, whether it’s worth it or not… If we truly tolerate this, who within ten miles would take us seriously?”

“Enough quarreling,” Elder Zhao spoke with a darkened face, “Go back and take out the War Bow from the ancestral temple.”

The War Bow was a bow imbued with Techniques. Such a bow was usually utilized by Martial Masters using their Inner Qi to achieve the greatest effect. As for a Martial Artist… even if they could draw the War Bow, its power would be much diminished.

The ancestors of the Zhao Family had started by military merits, and when the clan was established, that War Bow became the most powerful backbone of the family.

“The War Bow?” someone exclaimed, “What if the enemy can withstand it? What then?”

War weapons were not exclusive to Zhao Family Fort; it wouldn’t be surprising if the other party, having an Intermediate Level Martial Master, also had access to such weapons.

Another person shouted out loud, “Elder, did you see that iron staff in that fellow’s hand? It’s strange—I’m sure it must be something special.”

“Iron staff?” Elder Zhao’s brows furrowed. He couldn’t help but feel that the iron staff was no good omen, “I did see it, but didn’t sense the slightest aura of a war weapon. It’s puzzling.”

“There’s nothing puzzling about it,” an outspoken High-Rank Martial Warrior chimed in, “Perhaps it’s a divine item that conceals its presence… who can say for sure?”

Wasn’t Elder Zhao aware of this? He thought for a moment, then nodded, “Then do this, take my name card and make a trip to the Tian Family in Dongmu Province.”

Dongmu Province was where he taught others to cultivate, and the Tian Family there also held top-tier power in the county. Among the students he taught, there were also about a dozen lower-tier disciples from the Tian Family.

After a pause and seeing no one cracking jokes, he explained further, “This person possesses that strange luminous object, the Tian Family will surely be interested… Moreover, we can spread the word that this person seems to have the ability to discern Immortal Crystals.”

“Discern Immortal Crystals?” More than one member of the Zhao Family gaped in astonishment—were they planning on setting someone up for grave misfortune?

The existence of Immortals was no secret within the layered families like the Zhao Family.

“Is that strange?” Elder Zhao huffed discontentedly, “This person’s high-priced purchase of talc must hide an unspeakable secret.”

The talc he mentioned was Jade, and there were old legends that talc had some connection to Immortal Crystals; however, that was part of the realm of myths. In reality, many Immortal Sects scorned talc—thus, the legend was likely a distortion of truth.

While the people of Zhao Family Fort were discussing how to take revenge, the atmosphere on Feng Jun’s side was also not very relaxed.

Lang Zhen first made a diagnosis for Feifei. His Inner Qi was not as strong as Feng Jun’s, but when it came to utilizing Inner Qi, even Feng Jun was no match.

His Inner Qi traveled through the little girl’s meridians and eventually he concluded, “It’s okay, some internal organs have shifted. With about seven or eight days of recuperation, she should be fine.”

When he said these words, his face showed no sign that it was “okay.”

Although Feifei was young, she was quite adept at reading expressions. She asked cautiously, “I won’t die, right?”

“You won’t die,” Lang Zhen answered expressionlessly, “We’ve taken the stone, you’ve earned thirty silver yuan. Spending five or six silver yuan on medicine will definitely cure you.”

Deng Lao Er’s mind wandered; seeing the mood, he asked, “Brother Wolf, why so glum? Afraid they will retaliate?”

Lang Zhen huffed lightly and didn’t deny it, “I just hope they have the sense to back off, otherwise, they will not be the ones to regret it.”

Deng Lao Er asked cautiously, “Did I hold back too much? But… there was no way to hit harder.”

“It’s right to hold back a little,” Lang Zhen answered without hesitation, “Heaven values all life, and as Martial Artists, reducing the sin of killing aids in cultivation. It’s just that… sigh, some people don’t realize their mistake until they see their coffins.”

“Alright, you guys chat,” Feng Jun, holding the iron staff with a wooden handle in one hand and a thick iron tube in the other, and with a big bag on his back, walked off into the distance, “I’m going to test something.”

Deng Lao Er sprang up to follow, but then he heard a severe cough. Turning his head, he saw Lang Zhen coughing violently while making eye contact with him, slightly shaking his head.

—Kid, this is none of your business. Can you not be so curious for once?

Soon, the sound of dull thunder echoed from afar, a single blast followed by three or four intermittent ones.

Then, sounds like cracking bamboo could be heard, which also continued intermittently for about a dozen times.

The following two days passed without incident. Each night, Feng Jun would turn on the xenon lamp, blanketing the surroundings in snow-white light.

On the third night, twenty miles away, Elder Zhao led a group of people as they distantly observed the place bright as daylight.

A middle-aged man with a horse-like face asked in a deep voice, “Have you figured out the workings of that clever device?”

Elder Zhao slowly shook his head, “Minister Luo, this person’s appearance is mysterious, not only does he possess an abundance of gold and silver, but he also has many marvelous things. I’m afraid he might have obtained an Immortal’s legacy.”

“Watch your words! There’s no legacy of an Immortal,” Minister Luo with the horse-like face said grimly, “A few of my disciples and I merely happened to be passing by. Tomorrow you should send someone to test the waters… If the situation turns dire, I myself will take action.”

Happened to be passing by? Elder Zhao inwardly sighed, “Damn, you all want to act as the prostitute, but also want to erect a chastity archway.”

This horse-faced Minister Luo was an Innate Expert hired by the Tian Family from Dongmu Province.

The Tian Family was a large clan with nearly a thousand direct descendants and over ten martial masters, including two high-rank martial masters. They were one of the powerful families in Dongmu Province, and one of Elder Zhao’s goals in going to Dongmu to teach martial arts was to establish connections with these powerful clans.

However, how the Tian Family managed to recruit an Innate Expert is beyond the knowledge of outsiders.

But at this moment, Elder Zhao also felt a bit of disappointment, “Damn, you really don’t have the bearing of an Innate Expert.”

He was very aware that the Tian Family was extremely interested in the young man who collected stones, which is why they sent four martial masters and one Innate Expert over.

Yet now, Minister Luo flatly denied that the other party had mastered any secrets related to Immortals.

Elder Zhao could guess why he would say such a thing. It was nothing more than fear that the stone collector really had some connection with Immortals. If an Immortal were to hold them accountable, what would an Innate Expert count for then?

In that case, it was not impossible for the entire Tian Family to be uprooted.

That’s why Minister Luo was so cautious.

But as an Innate Expert, to be so timid, aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed by others?

Minister Luo at this moment was also inwardly sneering, “Damn it all, do you even know how terrifying Immortals are? And you dare to openly show interest in the possible legacy of an Immortal?”

“You don’t even take a look in the mirror to see, those things… are they something for you to covet?”

Different social strata come into contact with different information. As an Innate Expert, Minister Luo’s understanding of Immortals was not something the bumpkins from Zhao Family could compare to.

The next day was still overcast. Feifei got up early to make breakfast for the several adults and her younger brother. However, as soon as she left her room, she let out a scream, “Ah…”

The one in charge of the night watch was Deng Lao Er. It was already light out, and he had turned off the “Immortal Crystal Lamp.” At that moment, he was a bit lax due to drowsiness.

At the sound of the scream, he instinctively opened his eyes and glanced to the side, which also made him jump in fright, “What the…!”

Four to five miles ahead, a large number of figures were moving. He hurriedly picked up the “binoculars” issued by the Divine Doctor.

For him, the binoculars were an absolute treasure. Even with a distance of seven or eight miles, he could recognize faces, a feat not even high-rank martial warriors might be capable of.

He was extremely curious about where this item came from; to the point where he even secretly suspected whether the Divine Doctor was connected to Immortals.

The Divine Doctor offered a brief explanation, mentioning something about bald head mirrors. Although Deng Lao Er didn’t understand what that meant, from the Divine Doctor’s confident tone, it seemed the principle of the gadget was not hard to grasp, and it wasn’t too difficult to produce.

When he looked through the binoculars, he discovered two to three hundred people had appeared four to five miles away. He then recognized two individuals and couldn’t help but yell, “A lot of people from Zhao Family are here!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, two figures appeared before him, none other than Deng Lao Da and Lang Zhen.

Lone Wolf raised his hand and snatched the binoculars to take a careful look.

Deng Lao Da didn’t dare to compete with Brother Wolf for the binoculars and could only strain his eyes to observe the distance, then snorted coldly, “Are they planning to crush us outright?”

They had anticipated that Zhao Family might return in full force. However, both he and Lang Zhen believed that if the Zhao Family were to seek revenge, they would most likely launch a surprise attack—despite having many martial artists, this didn’t mean they would forgo the element of surprise.

A lion uses its full strength even to catch a rabbit. Employing a surprise attack would reduce the losses for the attackers, a calculation anyone could make.

However, Deng Lao Er believed that if he were Zhao Family, he would definitely take advantage of their numerical superiority to arrange their forces and roll over their opponents with dignity. That’s the domineering spirit a big clan should display.

It seemed his guess was more accurate.

(Extra chapter for the league lord, “Old Thief Himself,” congratulations. The young man returns home to find that he has lost quite a few monthly tickets, so I hurriedly add another chapter to suppress the shock.)