The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 385 (Patreon)

Chapter 385: Wights, A Pitfall, and the Culprit

Huizhou Prefecture lay nearly a thousand li from Wuzhou City, a region on the fringes.

The Four-Winged Red Python flew for several hours before reaching the western side of Huizhou Prefecture. Even from afar, a rush of fire-aspected spiritual energy surged toward them, and the temperature around them spiked. Yao Yao brightened with excitement.

“Uncle Changlei, say what you will, if this Burning-Heaven Fire Domain can be opened up, the clan’s Alchemy Hall and Artifact Refining Hall will finally have a place to settle.”

After all,

both halls relied on earthfire.

And whether alchemists or artifact refiners, most cultivated fire-attribute Techniques. For them, this Burning-Heaven Fire Domain would make training twice the result for half the effort.

Fu Changlei was looking forward to it as well. “Come on, let’s take a look.”

The Four-Winged Red Python suddenly picked up speed.

But as they drew closer to the fire domain, the temperature climbed higher and higher. Widow Wang, even with a personal barrier of magic power, still couldn’t keep the heat from invading. Her breathing grew labored.

Seeing this, Yao Yao pinched a Hand Seal. A misty water barrier fell around Widow Wang.

The heat halted outside.

Widow Wang let out a breath of relief and saluted Yao Yao. “Many thanks, Elder Yongyao.”

Yet a thread of nervousness stirred in her heart.

Huizhou Prefecture truly was perilous.

Before any sects showed themselves, the environment alone was already a trial. Secretly, she hoped the clan would choose another place.

Boom!

As they drew near,

waves of heat rolled over them.

They looked closely.

The western reaches burned crimson, as if heaven and earth were a sea of magma. The terrifying heat made even Yao Yao and Fu Changlei—both in the Purple Mansion—feel somewhat overwhelmed. The Four-Winged Red Python grew agitated and loosed low, furious roars.

Fu Changlei frowned. “This fire domain—only a Golden Core would dare set foot in it!”

Yao Yao felt a jolt of fear as well,

but a trace of delight still curved her lips. “Uncle Changlei, the more dangerous this fire domain is, the likelier it hasn’t been developed before. Once Father leaves seclusion, with his hand at it, stabilizing this fire domain shouldn’t be a problem.”

Fu Changsheng had refined the Nine-Sun Red Lotus Flame.

No matter how fierce this Burning-Heaven Fire Domain was, before a top-fifty different fire like the Nine-Sun Red Lotus Flame, it likely wouldn’t be worth much.

Widow Wang—until now focused on resisting the heat—couldn’t help growing curious about the clan head she had never met. So the clan head even possessed a different fire between heaven and earth. No wonder he had led the Fu Clan from a minor Qi Refining family to a seventh-rank clan, a true prodigy.

West of the fire domain lay the Extreme West proper, where sects clustered.

After circling the fire domain, Yao Yao patted her storage pouch. An Eight-Trigram Array Disk floated out. With several swift Hand Seals from her fingers, a simple formation model unfolded in light.

Fu Changlei studied it for a moment,

then pinched a Hand Seal.

Several seals sank into the disk, and the original layout instantly shifted.

The outline of a subterranean magma citadel took shape. “If the clan head can master this fire domain, we could establish the first defensive line of our fief right here.”

Yao Yao flicked her storage pouch,

and thirty-six array flags whistled out to orbit the disk. After a short deduction,

her eyes lit up. “Mm. When the time comes, we’ll set thirty-six Cold-Jade Wells underground as array nodes and divert a measured amount of magma into them. Not only will it power the Array, it’ll also bleed off the fire toxin so ordinary disciples can enter.”

Both of them were a hair’s breadth from becoming fourth-rank Array Masters and Talisman-Formation Masters.

So with only a little deduction, they could tailor the most suitable formation to the terrain.

Off to the side, Widow Wang’s admiration deepened.

The Fu Clan’s foundations were deeper than she’d imagined.

At first,

they had thought the Fu Clan’s rise in that remote corner of Jingzhou was just a lucky streak. But now it was clear: in this clan, no one ate idle rice.

Yao Yao withdrew her Hand Seals.

The flags and disk trembled, then streamed back into her pouch. “Uncle Changlei, we can’t enter the fire domain for now. Why don’t we go take a look at the Misty Ghost Forest to the east?”

“Good.”

The three of them turned.

They headed east.

Unlike the Burning-Heaven Fire Domain in the west, as they neared the Misty Ghost Forest, the temperature dropped sharply. A chill gathered, so cold it seemed to seep into their bones.

As they drew closer,

faint wails and howls, like cries from the underworld, drifted on the wind.

A black fog blanketed the entire east, like a dark ocean stretching beyond sight.

And even

without stepping in,

gusts of yin fiendish qi rolled out to meet them.

Yao Yao and Fu Changlei both involuntarily took a step back. Widow Wang, on the other hand, seemed to draw in a tonic. Her earlier fatigue vanished. She grew energetic, and color returned to her cheeks.

Moreover,

the wisps of yin fiendish qi spilling beyond the forest shivered as if being summoned, then converged on Widow Wang all at once. Widow Wang immediately sat cross-legged and began cultivating on the spot, refining the qi. In an instant, a small vortex of yin fiendish qi formed above her head.

“This…”

Fu Changlei’s brows rose in surprise.

This yin fiendish qi was something they avoided like venomous snakes, yet Widow Wang treated it like a supreme tonic, accepting it without discrimination.

Yao Yao’s eyes lit up. She sent a voice transmission. “Uncle Changlei, it seems what Widow Wang told us earlier is mostly true.”

Ordinary people could never absorb yin fiendish qi like this.

Fu Changlei nodded.

As expected,

no one chosen by the madam was ordinary. “Yao Yao, have the Four-Winged Red Python stand guard for Fairy Wang. We’ll survey the perimeter of the Misty Ghost Forest.”

The Four-Winged Red Python possessed third-tier combat strength.

With it guarding,

there would be no issue with Widow Wang’s safety.

The two did not split up. Together, they circled the forest once. Finding nothing unusual, Yao Yao looked at the depths, itching to try. “Uncle Changlei, how about we go in for a look?”

“No.”

Fu Changlei shook his head without a second thought.

Even spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate this forest. They had no idea what lay within—recklessness would be folly. Their goal here was to survey the terrain.

Yao Yao could only compromise. “In that case, I’ll send a puppet in to scout.”

Simply looking from outside

revealed little.

As she spoke,

she patted her storage pouch.

A flash of rosy light.

A late first-tier puppet tortoise sprang out.

Although Fu Molan had joined the World Pacification Bureau, the Puppet Hall she had founded was running smoothly. With a complete inheritance of Puppet Technique on hand, third-tier puppets were still hard to make, but first-tier puppets could now be produced in batches.

With a single Hand Seal,

witchlight rippled over the puppet tortoise.

Then

twin sparks of spiritual light lit in its hollow eyes. It kicked off and charged straight into the Misty Ghost Forest.

Yao Yao controlled the puppet tortoise.

But

before ten breaths had passed,

her brows knit.

Her link to the puppet tortoise had been severed.

At this point,

she could not even summon it back. “This Misty Ghost Forest…?”

Had the puppet gotten lost, or was there some ghost or beast lurking inside?

Seeing Yao Yao stymied and about to send another puppet, Fu Changlei quickly stopped her. “The clan head has the ghost servant Qiuchan. Failing that, Brother Shou can send a corpse puppet into the Misty Ghost Forest. We needn’t waste effort here.”

This was not their specialty.

Reluctantly, Yao Yao put the puppet away.

Just then,

a strange mist welled from Widow Wang’s skin. She began to chant in an obscure tongue. The Misty Ghost Forest let out a low hum, and the ground thudded with heavy footfalls from within.

“What is…”

Yao Yao and Fu Changlei traded a look.

The suddenness of it sent a chill up their spines.

Because

as the footsteps drew near, a suona’s funeral wail rose from the woods.

Vaguely,

they felt a powerful presence approaching.

Fu Changlei made a snap decision. “Awaken!”

Buzz!

A Clear-Heart incantation erupted in rolling sound waves and sank into Widow Wang. Her spell cut off at once. The footsteps in the forest faltered, the suona faded, and everything returned to normal.

At that moment,

Widow Wang opened her eyes.

But her face was blank.

Clearly,

she had no idea what had just happened. Yet her cultivation had unexpectedly broken through to the peak of Qi Refining!

Yao Yao said, “Fairy Wang, did anything happen just now? Do you truly remember nothing?”

Widow Wang shook her head in confusion.

However,

the next instant,

her eyes turned white, and her whole body trembled.

A hoary male voice came from her mouth. “Kan ke la…”

The language was

completely unfamiliar.

Neither Yao Yao nor Fu Changlei understood it.

But

Fu Changlei reacted quickly, taking out a Shadow-Preserving Pod. He sent a Hand Seal into it and recorded everything Widow Wang said.

Widow Wang spoke only two sentences.

Then

her body shuddered.

The white in her eyes receded to black.

She opened her eyes, bewildered.

However,

she was drenched as if fished from a river, her spirit flagging as drowsiness washed over her.

Yao Yao sent a Hand Seal into her. Healing Spirit Body energy coiled around Widow Wang. Her heavy eyelids lifted, and vigor returned. Yao Yao asked with keen interest, “Fairy Wang, do you know what just happened?”

“Just now… just now I felt my body completely out of my control. Before my eyes was a boundless expanse, but it was black—black like the whole world was one darkness!”

At this,

Widow Wang shuddered and instinctively retreated several steps away from the forest’s edge.

Seeing this, Yao Yao let the matter rest.

They left the Misty Ghost Forest and headed toward the central region.

“Roar!”

The Four-Winged Red Python had barely left the eastern side and reached the edge of the central zone when it flinched and balked.

Thunder rolled across the sky.

Suspended high above the center was an island like a marsh of lightning. From afar, one might think the heavenly tribulation pool had fallen to earth.

Beneath that tribulation pool,

a lush growth of Yin Thunder Bamboo spread.

As they drew closer,

they realized it wasn’t just a patch—it stretched for nearly a hundred li. Everywhere the eye fell, was verdant Yin Thunder Bamboo.

Yin Thunder Bamboo was a premium second-tier spiritual material.

“This really is a treasure trove.”

Harvesting and selling the bamboo would fetch a great many spirit stones.

Yao Yao was still exulting

when—

Rumble!

From the lightning marsh above,

a bolt of divine thunder struck without warning.

A second-tier granary crane passing below was hit squarely. With a boom, it exploded into a puff of black ash.

“The power of that divine thunder…”

Yao Yao’s pupils tightened.

If she had taken that strike with no defenses, she would at least be gravely injured, if not killed.

It was plain to see

how terrifying the thunder was. “No wonder no one dares go in to harvest this sea of Yin Thunder Bamboo.”

As they spoke,

several more bolts fell—without the slightest warning, impossible to predict.

Yin Thunder Bamboo had value, but a thunder-resistant magic treasure would cost more than the haul. Higher-level Golden Core cultivators wouldn’t look twice at second-tier goods, and the island of thunder above seemed to hide even stronger divine thunder. “Uncle Changlei, Huizhou Prefecture really is danger everywhere.”

Fu Changlei possessed a mutated thunder spiritual root.

His gaze lingered on the island of thunder, itching to attempt it, but he forced himself to stop.

Even so,

this place was a supreme cultivation ground for him. “Yao Yao, send a message to Yongyi—we’ll choose Huizhou Prefecture!”

“Alright!”

Not long after the three arrived in Huizhou Prefecture,

the Joyous Sect.

Outer Sect Elder Qin received a report, and his eyes lit up. He hurried to the back mountain. After a brief transmission, the light curtain of a formation opened. Elder Qin strode down the corridor into a natural cave abode. An old man was meditating by the lakeside.

Elder Qin cupped his hands. “Master, we have word from below—the Fu Clan people have appeared in Huizhou Prefecture. Shall we act?”

At that,

Yun Zhenren’s closed eyes snapped open.

A flash of ruthless light shot through them.

His only descendant had died at Fu Changsheng’s hands. Several major disciples had also been slain by Fu Changsheng. The enmity was irreconcilable. That Fu Clan should have stayed cowering in remote Jingzhou, yet they were bold enough to set foot on his turf.

This time,

he would make Fu Changsheng—and the Fu Clan—pay in blood.

Yun Zhenren sent a Hand Seal into the lake. Waves surged, and the images of Fu Changlei’s trio shimmered on the surface. Seeing no sign of Fu Changsheng, he frowned. His ten fingers flickered through a rapid calculation. After a moment he said in a low voice, “Pass the word.”

“Withdraw our men watching Huizhou Prefecture.”

Elder Qin froze.

The Fu Clan had delivered themselves—this was the perfect chance for vengeance. Why withdraw?

“Master, do you have a plan?”

“Do as I say. Remember—without my order, no one is to lay a hand on any member of the Fu Clan.”

“Yes, Master.”

Still baffled,

Elder Qin obeyed regardless. He had been of average talent when selected as a disciple; the reason Yun Zhenren had chosen him at all was that he was steady and obedient. Leaving the back mountain, he promptly relayed Yun Zhenren’s decree.

Wuzhou City.

Fu Yongyi waited in the inn, glancing now and then at the Messaging Talisman on him.

He, too, was eager about choosing the fief. It was a pity he couldn’t go to Huizhou Prefecture and survey it. The Extreme West was rich in minerals—this should have been the perfect time for him to take the field.

Just then,

a knock sounded at the door.

“Could that be Fugui?”

By their pace,

Yao Yao and the others shouldn’t be back so soon.

Fu Yongyi opened the array.

A strange female cultivator stood outside. Mid Purple Mansion, wearing palace robes, her black hair done up with a jade pin—she looked no more than thirty.

“Fairy, have you got the wrong door?”

“Fellow Daoist Fu, I’m from the Lei Clan—just call me Susu. Our Lei Clan also came to receive a fief from the Imperial Court. My elder brother and the rest went out, leaving me alone at the inn—boring as can be. I heard your Fu Clan was next door and came to pay my respects. You don’t mind, do you?”

Hearing this,

Fu Yongyi relaxed a shade.

So the Lei Clan hadn’t chosen immediately, either, and had gone out to survey first.

Still,

Lei Susu suddenly calling upon him was unexpected.

But, in a sense, the Lei Clan and Fu Clan were connected by marriage. He couldn’t very well turn her away. He gestured inward. “Please, Miss Susu.”

Once seated,

Fu Yongyi personally poured her a cup of Wuling Tea.

Lei Susu took a sip. “Mm, no wonder they say it’s an Eastern Wilds specialty—so much richer than the teas of Jingzhou.”

Setting the cup down,

Lei Susu saw Fu Yongyi acting like a bashful maiden, all awkward and ill at ease. Her own embarrassment evaporated, and she teased him.

“Fellow Daoist Fu, am I so scary? From the moment we met, you haven’t dared look me in the eye.”

Then,

seeing his face flush scarlet, she found it amusing.

She crossed one long leg over the other,

and her tone grew more casual. “Fellow Daoist Fu, there are only three prefectures left in Wuzhou. No matter what we choose, we’ll be neighbors. The Extreme West belongs to sects—out there, we’ll need each other’s care.”

It was the truth,

and the Lei Clan’s leadership’s position.

In Wuzhou,

the Fu Clan was the best ally. This relationship must not sour. “Fellow Daoist Fu, Huizhou Prefecture is absolutely not an option. Has your clan set your sights on one of the other two? Our clan head said either is fine for us. If your Fu Clan has a preference, tell us and we won’t compete.”

Fu Yongyi had been listening quietly.

At this,

he looked up at Lei Susu.

Her earnest gaze did not look like a ploy to fish for information.

Even so,

one must not be careless.

Fu Yongyi stuck to the simple truth. “Our people are currently on the road surveying. Nothing has been decided.”

Lei Susu was about to say more

when

a rapid buzzing sounded from the talisman on Fu Yongyi.

She glanced over, then rose with a smile. “Since Fellow Daoist Fu has business, Susu will take her leave.”

Outside,

Lei Susu didn’t return to her room, but strolled down to the street to idle. Soon, she saw Fu Yongyi hurry toward the World Pacification Bureau’s Cloudsky Hall. Lei Susu immediately went back upstairs, took out a Communication Jade Slip, and sent a message. “Clan Head, the Fu Clan has already selected their fief, but I couldn’t learn which prefecture.”

The guilelessness she had shown in front of Fu Yongyi vanished—Lei Susu’s face now was sharp and shrewd.

Meanwhile,

by the time Fu Yongyi arrived at the World Pacification Bureau, Qianhu Yan had personally come to receive him.

“Fellow Daoist Fu, have you decided?”

There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

Fu Yongyi nodded gratefully to Qianhu Yan.

Seeing this, Qianhu Yan’s eyes lit up. He laughed heartily. “Look at that! Didn’t I say Huizhou Prefecture was a fine place? Come, come—before the Lei Clan catches on, let’s get your signature and seal down. Can’t let the duck fly off the plate.”

He was exceptionally enthusiastic as he led Fu Yongyi to the main hall where Wanhù Li presided.

He ran all the procedures himself.

Once the seal was stamped,

Qianhu Yan exchanged a quick glance with Wanhù Li, and their smiles grew even warmer. “Fellow Daoist Fu, keep the deed safe. The seventh-rank clan archway should take about a year or two to craft. We’ll send it to your residence as soon as it’s done. Also, by regulation, three years from now the court will transport a batch of commoners and unranked clans to your fief. If you need anything at all, just tell me.”

He escorted Fu Yongyi out of the Bureau all smiles.

Watching him go, he snorted inwardly.

“So the Fu Clan really did fall apart without Fu Changsheng to steady them. Pretty on the outside, empty on the inside.”

Huizhou Prefecture looked rich in resources, but hid deadly crises. If the Fu Clan lasted even the first ten years, he, Qianhu Yan, would eat his hat. In high spirits, he hummed a ditty.

When Fu Yongyi left the Bureau, Wang Fugui had already heard the news and was waiting at the door. Seeing him emerge, he hurried up. “Elder Yongyi, the fief is chosen?”

“Mm. From now on, Huizhou Prefecture will be our Fu Clan’s seventh-rank fief. Come, let’s go back to pack up. We’ll join Yao Yao and the others right away.”

Fu Yongyi could barely wait.

At that, Wang Fugui’s face changed.

He had spent a little money in the marketplace and picked up a nasty rumor about Huizhou Prefecture.

Before Wuzhou was conquered by Great Zhou,

Huizhou Prefecture had been abandoned for centuries. In the Extreme West, it was a forbidden zone to anyone below Golden Core. A Golden Core once defied the rumors and built his sect there. At first, all was well. Then overnight, the entire sect vanished without a trace.

From then on,

people treated the Extreme West with dread and kept their distance.

Wang Fugui opened his mouth,

but seeing how happy Fu Yongyi was, he swallowed the words.

It was a done deal—too late to change.

Thus,

on the way to Huizhou Prefecture, Wang Fugui was heavy with worry.

Even Fu Yongyi noticed. “Fugui, what’s wrong?”

Prompted, Wang Fugui gritted his teeth

and told the tale he’d heard in full.

“Is this true?” Fu Yongyi asked.

“Elder Yongyi, our Fu Clan has ties to the Wanning Chamber of Commerce. A little asking is enough to verify it. They’ve no reason to lie to me.”

Hearing this,

Fu Yongyi jolted.

“You…”

Such critical information, and not said sooner.

Now the deed had been inked—there was no changing it.

If the tale were true,

they had thrown away a fief for nothing. Worse, by Great Zhou law, while clans enjoyed the benefits of a fief, they also had to defend it. In other words, whether the fief was deadly or not, they were obliged to garrison it.

And if they couldn’t uncover why that sect had vanished back then,

the Fu Clan might retrace those steps. “That old dog Qianhu Yan!!”

To conceal something so important,

then happily hawk Huizhou Prefecture to them—this was no benefactor of Aunt Molan’s; it was a mortal enemy!

They’d been played.

No wonder Lei Susu had said Huizhou Prefecture was a deadly land!

At first,

he had thought it a smokescreen to keep the Fu Clan from choosing it.

Seeing Fu Yongyi’s face change, Wang Fugui dropped to his knees to beg for punishment. “Elder Yongyi, I deserve death for not reporting at once.”

“Up.”

Blame would do them no good now.

What mattered

was to stand united and, before Father emerged from seclusion, find the “culprit” behind Huizhou Prefecture. Otherwise the Fu Clan would know no peace there day or night.

Gravely,

Fu Yongyi increased his pace.

By the time he reached Huizhou Prefecture, Yao Yao and Fu Changlei had left the island of thunder and reached the Heavenly Dragon Mountains to the north.

Seeing Fu Yongyi, both were surprised. “Stone Bro, you’re too fast! We thought you wouldn’t arrive until dusk.”

As they drew close,

Yao Yao noticed how dark his face was.

She blinked. “Stone Bro, don’t tell me the Lei Clan snatched Huizhou first?”

If only that were the case.

Fu Yongyi relayed Wang Fugui’s intelligence word for word.

Everyone’s face changed. Widow Wang couldn’t help cursing. “That damned Qianhu Yan—he dug a pit and waited for us to jump!”

Before this,

Qianhu Yan had said it was the ruins of an ancient sect.

They had asked why the Imperial Court hadn’t developed it, and now they understood. The place was a great ominous land—no one dared set foot there.

Yao Yao stamped her foot in fury.

Fu Changlei finally saw it clearly. From their field survey, Huizhou Prefecture could be adapted by formation work and put to use. Now he knew why no clan had chosen it. He set his mind racing and quickly calmed. “Since the deed is done, remorse is useless. Better we think of how to break the game.”

The “culprit” in Huizhou Prefecture was no trivial thing.

If they could ferret it out with their meager strength, the various sects of the Extreme West would not have left it alone for centuries.

Yao Yao and the rest were discouraged.

Fu Changlei had them continue surveying the Heavenly Dragon Mountains.

He himself returned to their temporary cave abode. Sealing the formation, he took out the Shadow Gate Mask and reported Huizhou’s situation to Fu Changsheng, word for word. After a long time, the mask trembled slightly.

A line of text appeared.

Thanks for reading! That turn from “jackpot” to “oh no” hit like a bolt of divine thunder—right on theme for Huizhou. If you’re enjoying the ride, pretty please consider supporting on Patreon; even a small pledge keeps the translations flowing and the tea hot. And if you have a moment, dropping a rating or review on NovelUpdates really helps more readers find this series. Your support means the world!

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