Cyan Yang Manor was originally the Xu Family's summer villa in Guangning City.
At the height of the Xu Family's power, their businesses were widespread and prosperous, thanks mainly to the family's Patriarch, Xu Zeyuan.
In the Jianghu, he was known as the Hundred-Pound Saber.
In his youth, he had swept through the Three Mountains and Six Stockades with his Unskilled Saber Technique, making a great name for himself.
After settling in Guangning City, his descendants thrived, riding on his reputation in both business and other ventures.
However, a few years ago, the Hundred-Pound Saber, Xu Zeyuan, left home for a long journey, apparently to meet with an old friend.
Unexpectedly, less than seven days after his departure, his body was found by the side of a Jianghu road.
Without this stabilizing pillar, the Xu Family immediately went into decline.
Although his descendants inherited his Martial Arts, they never mastered its essence and failed to make a name for themselves in the Jianghu.
Furthermore, by relying on Xu Zeyuan's prestige over the years, the Xu Family had made many enemies.
When the wall falls, everyone gives it a push. Their family fortune began to shrink drastically.
Cyan Yang Manor was also mortgaged away during that time, but it is unknown who the current Manor Master is.
This was the information about Cyan Yang Manor that Fang Mingxuan had gathered in less than an hour.
As they spurred their horses on toward Cyan Yang Manor, Fang Mingxuan recounted this to Fang Shuwen as casual conversation.
He did so mainly because this information was of little significance to their current situation.
By the time he finished speaking, Cyan Yang Manor was already in sight.
From a distance, it appeared to be a very quiet manor. It wasn't particularly large and was situated at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by farmland.
The seedlings were now sprouting, a time of vigorous growth.
Fang Mingxuan had ordered his men to avoid trampling the seedlings as they advanced, for no matter who owned them, they would one day become food and should not be wasted.
Moving through the gaps between the fields, the torch-wielding crowd surrounded Cyan Yang Manor.
But under the cover of night, the manor seemed exceptionally quiet.
Fang Shuwen strained his ears but couldn't hear the slightest sound.
He looked at Zhang Fang.
"Brother Zhang, when you were keeping watch, did they notice you?"
"Never."
Zhang Fang was extremely confident.
"I'm very careful. How could they possibly have discovered me? Why do you ask?"
"It seems like there's no one in the manor," Zhou Qingmei said.
"Why don't we just go in and take a look?"
Fang Shuwen nodded.
"In that case, you must stay close to me."
Only then could he protect her at a moment's notice.
Zhang Fang's eyes widened.
"Wait a minute, the way you two are talking... something's not right. What's the relationship between you two?"
Neither Fang Shuwen nor Zhou Qingmei paid him any mind. After a quick word with Fang Mingxuan, the Fang Family Patriarch accompanied them to the gates of Cyan Yang Manor.
Fang Shuwen gave the gate a gentle push. It was bolted from the inside.
Upon realizing this, Fang Shuwen dispensed with courtesy. With a burst of Palm Power, he shattered the gate.
Fang Shuwen and the others took the lead, while the rest filed in after them.
A portion of the men remained outside, continuing the encirclement to prevent anyone from escaping in the chaos.
But a quick glance revealed that the manor was indeed empty. There wasn't even a single light.
"But the main gate was bolted from the inside, which means the people are still in the manor... Hmm, a sound!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fang Shuwen's figure shot out, rushing straight toward a room.
He didn't bother with opening the door. He crashed into it with his whole body, smashing it to splinters.
In the blink of an eye, he was back, with a person in his grasp.
The man looked stunned, as if he hadn't yet processed what had happened. He only had to lift his eyes to see a sea of torches and countless pairs of eyes staring at him.
His heart tightened. He threw up both palms, black energy coalescing in each, ready to strike.
"The Black Death Demon Technique!"
Zhang Fang cried out in alarm.
But before the man could unleash his Palm Technique, two sharp CRACKS echoed out as Fang Shuwen crushed both of his shoulders.
His arms fell limply to his sides.
Seeing this, Zhang Fang's eyelid twitched again.
After Fang Shuwen had dragged the man out, others had rushed into the room to investigate. Now, one of them emerged and shouted,
"We found something! There's a secret passage in the room."
That meant there was more to Cyan Yang Manor than met the eye, hidden underground.
Fang Shuwen looked down at the man in his grasp.
"Are all the Black Death Sect members hiding underground?"
The man gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Fang Shuwen didn't press further. With a swift motion, he brought a palm down on the man's head, killing him on the spot.
"What should we do now? The situation below is unknown. Rushing down rashly might not be the best course of action."
"How about we use fire?"
Fang Mingxuan suggested,
"We can light a fire at the entrance and funnel the thick smoke underground to force them out."
But Fang Shuwen shook his head.
"That's not a good idea. First, we don't know the specific situation down there. There must be a reason why the Black Death Sect members are hiding there.
"What if they're using this time to cultivate their Demon Technique... there might still be innocent people alive down there.
"Second, no one can say for sure that this is the only entrance.
"If the smoke goes in and they realize something is wrong, they could just escape through another exit. Wouldn't all our effort be for nothing?"
Hearing this, everyone nodded, feeling that Fang Shuwen's words made sense.
But if that was the case, what they should do next became a difficult question.
Going down was a risk. Not only could they be surrounded, but they might also walk into a trap.
Not going down meant they could only stand there and stare blankly.
Finally, Fang Shuwen glanced at Zhou Qingmei.
"Are you willing to go down and investigate with me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingmei smiled instantly.
"I was just thinking the same thing!"
Zhang Fang was taken aback.
"You're really going down there?"
"This is extremely dangerous. You should reconsider."
Fang Mingxuan added his own words of caution.
Fang Shuwen felt a bit helpless. He knew that as long as the Black Death Sect wasn't eliminated, Zhou Qingmei would remain in danger.
Causing such a commotion tonight had already alerted the enemy.
If they couldn't completely eradicate the Black Death Cult Members in Cyan Yang Manor, they would be forced onto the defensive.
A prolonged defense would inevitably lead to failure, and the mission could be compromised.
Therefore, even if it was risky, he had to go down and investigate.
Thinking this, he waved his hand.
"Everyone, say no more. Brother Zhang risked his life to gather this information. We've come this far; how can we give up on the verge of success?
"If we let these Black Death Sect villains escape, they will surely cause endless trouble in the future!"
Hearing this, Zhang Fang immediately said,
"Then I'll go with you."
"Count this old man in, too."
Fang Mingxuan laughed heartily.
"I never thought that at my age, I'd get to experience the heroic passion of youth again!"
"This..."
Hearing him say this, Fang Shuwen felt conflicted.
Although Fang Lingxin had said he knew Martial Arts, it was hard to say how skilled he truly was... 'If his Martial Arts were really that good, how could he have gotten himself lost all those years ago?'
'He's old now. Is he even in good health?'
'If he comes down with us and something happens to him, what will I do?'
...
...
P.S. Starting today, the update schedule will change to two chapters a day.
I had originally planned to switch to two chapters a day at 60,000 characters. The plan was to get a contract at 40,000 characters, but I couldn't sign yesterday because it was the weekend. Then today, the site's backend was undergoing maintenance, so I couldn't sign again. Since the word count is getting close, my editor just told me to switch to two chapters a day ahead of schedule.
But if you think about it, it's only one day early, so I hope everyone can bear with me~
Once the book goes through the recommendation process and is put on the premium shelves, I plan to update 10,000 characters a day.
Please help out by following the latest chapters~ Give me a boost, thank you!!