Chapter 60: A Letter Arrives at Wang Family Mountain, the Wang Clan

Returning to his room, Yu Lou cultivated for an hour, pushing his current cultivation to the maximum limit allowed by heaven and earth.

Before sleeping, he lay on his bed, eyes open, staring at the empty darkness before him.

Yu An was already snoring, but Yu Lou simply couldn’t fall asleep.

In the profound silence, Yu Lou thought of his “meeting” with Mu Yingxi today and her words.

After a long while, he quietly rose, slipped out the back door of Fuyuan Residence, and entered the backyard of Zhiwei Fang.

Originally, when Hong Mei was being escorted by the Wang trio, Wang Rongsheng used the carrier pigeons Wang Shi had set up in the mortal town to send a message to the clan chief for help.

Wang Shi also had faster communication methods in Qingxi Fang than carrier pigeons—gray-backed falcons with early-stage hybrid demon cultivation.

These gray-backed falcons possessed cultivation equivalent to the early stage of Qi Gathering, could fly fifteen hundred li per day, and were spiritual birds bred by beast-tamers.

The only difference between spiritual birds/animals and demonic birds/animals is that the former have been tamed by cultivators and can be used directly.

By the donkey shed at Zhiwei Fang, two gray-backed falcons nestled contentedly together, perched on the wooden beam beneath the shed.

Seeing Yu Lou approach, the wooden spirit donkey in the shed snorted, pointing its nose toward the hay and lowing “Er-a, er-a.”

Its noise startled the falcons on the beam; disturbed in their slumber, the pair immediately pecked furiously at its forehead.

Though hybrid demon birds had considerable attack power, fortunately, Wang Shi’s wooden spirit donkey also possessed cultivation and thick hide, so it suffered no injury.

“Alright, which of you two is willing to deliver this letter to the clan chief?”

Yu Lou pinched a handful of hay and shoved it into the donkey’s mouth to silence the brute, then made his request to the falcon pair.

After examining the slip of paper in Yu Lou’s hand, the male and female falcons conferred briefly, then flew up and landed on his palm.

Though they were spiritually cultivated birds, their species’ nature meant they were small and light—so even perched on his hand, Yu Lou felt no weight.

Feeling five sharp pecks on his fingers, Yu Lou asked in surprise.

“Five Dragon-Tiger Dried? Isn’t one enough for delivering a letter?”

Dragon-Tiger Dried sounded impressive, but it was merely dried snacks made from tiger stick roots and little celestial dragons, offering minor benefits to cultivation and vital energy.

The general method involved stuffing processed tiger stick roots into gecko bellies, then drying them.

They cost about one spirit stone for six, with the expense mainly going into processing the tiger stick roots—the geckos were ordinary ones.

Thus, even though the falcon pair had demanded extravagantly, it was still very cheap.

But Yu Lou could never forget the Wang clan’s motto—always haggle down by ninety percent first.

“One at most. Not another single one!”

Hearing Yu Lou’s words, the two falcons flew angrily around him, squawking harsh insults.

After a while, the male falcon landed on Yu Lou’s shoulder and gave his arm two heavy pecks, glaring at him with unmistakable intent.

“One and a half—but I can’t give them to you until tomorrow. If you agree, I’ll entrust you with the letter.

If not, I’ll wait until the next Wang caravan passes through Qingxi Fang to send it.”

Yu Lou wouldn’t tolerate these birds arbitrarily raising prices; Wang Shi’s rule was one Dragon-Tiger Dried per delivery—they’d not only raised prices but dared to quintuple them.

After another round of curses, the male falcon snatched the letter from Yu Lou’s hand and flew off without looking back.

Yet his bright, clever eyes were filled with utter contempt.

Stupid human child—easily tricked into giving up half a Dragon-Tiger Dried. What an idiot!

Wang Shi people always start haggling by slashing prices to the floor; under their intense training, these spiritual birds had learned how to counter.

To haggle effectively, you must first inflate prices, then let the Wang fools slash them back down.

Yu Lou slept soundly, while the male falcon carrying the letter sped swiftly through the starlit night toward Wang Family Mountain.

Thirteen years ago, Yu Lou and Yu An left Wang Family Mountain together.

Now, three years had passed.

The male falcon flew over the capital of Anbei Kingdom, where the brilliant glow of countless lanterns symbolized the rising power of the Wang clan.

As it flew, dawn’s light caught up with its shadow; its graceful form reflected on the water’s surface. After flying all night, the male falcon landed on a floating log in the Nameless Lake.

It lowered its head, drank a few sips of water, then took flight again beneath the rising sun.

It flew over flat fields and through forest waterfalls.

Finally, amid turbulent mountains, it found the hidden entrance to the Wang clan’s territory.

Beneath a sheer cliff, a greenish underground river flowed from a cave at the cliff’s base; the falcon dove sharply, hugging the water’s surface as it flew into the Wang clan’s secret realm.

Beyond the artificial underground river, hidden by towering mountains, lay a paradise-like sanctuary.

Surrounded by thousand-zhang mountains and concealed by a cloud-array overhead, the Wang clan’s territory resembled a heavenly realm.

The abundant spiritual energy intoxicated the falcon; flying past orderly courtyards, it soared straight toward the central plateau in the basin.

The Qi-Blind Donkey Plain, the eighth-rank spiritual object—the very foundation of the Wang clan.

From above, over a hundred donkeys scattered across the plain, fighting, sleeping, or creating little donkeys.

On this central plateau, four winding streams flowed outward from the center, cascading into waterfalls at the plateau’s edge.

The water plunged underground, then was redirected by four channels back into the deep earth veins beneath the Qi-Blind Donkey Plain, where it was recirculated by array power.

These streams were all spiritual waters from Qin Yun Qingxi; the river itself was undergoing the transformation from spiritual water to spiritual object.

At the source of the streams, standing at the heart of the Qi-Blind Donkey Plain, were several ancient, lush pines.

The spiritual waters from Qin Yun Qingxi flowed from their roots, nourishing them, while they, in turn, nourished the waters.

On the thickest of these ancient pines grew a platform formed naturally from its branches.

Seated upon it was a Daoist in meditation—Wang Clan’s patriarch.

The male falcon landed beside the platform, hopped twice, and placed the letter before Wang Xianmao.

Wang Xianmao didn’t open his eyes; a breeze blew, unfurling the letter, revealing Yu Lou’s message.

Perched on a nearby branch stood a beautiful red-crowned spiritual crane, who asked the falcon.

“Graybeak, wasn’t it your wife’s turn to deliver the letter?”

Elder Crane, with cultivation at the peak of the minor demon stage and having practiced the demonic arts provided by the Wang clan, could speak directly.

The falcon couldn’t—he was too low in cultivation and intelligence, merely chirping a simple reply.

“Too late. Wang kid, ambushed. Unsettled. I came.”

“The Wang kid was ambushed?” Elder Crane gasped.

The Yu generation had already lost Yu Liu; now another was ambushed—Wang Clan had seemed plagued by misfortune these past years.

“Hum~”

Wang Xianmao ignored the birds’ chatter and blew a bone flute.

This specially crafted bone flute enabled targeted voice transmission within the Wang clan’s territory; different tones summoned specific individuals.

Soon, an elder of the Wang clan appeared before him.

“Yu Lou and Yu An have been away three years—it’s time they returned. Go fetch them, and be careful on the way.”

The elder was aged in appearance but powerfully built, his eyes gleaming with spiritual radiance, his cultivation at the peak of Qi Gathering.

He nodded thoughtfully and bowed.

“Xian Zhou humbly obeys your command, Elder Brother!”

Wang Xian Zhou turned to leave, the patriarch’s voice echoing in his mind.

“A few years ago, disciples from Miaofeng Mountain ambushed Rong Yuan—but he killed them.

Now they’re embroiled in fierce conflict with Gushen Sect. On your journey, make your presence known—loudly.

Let them know the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan has the right to join this game.”

Hearing his brother’s words, Wang Xian Zhou smiled and waved dismissively—he knew exactly how to handle this.

Gushen Sect and Miaofeng Mountain were locked in heated conflict; Wang Xianmao’s old friends had visited twice, urging the Wang clan to take a side.

But Wang Xianmao found Miaofeng Mountain’s offered gains insufficient, so he had delayed his decision.

Now, by sending Xian Zhou to make a public appearance, he could further raise the Wang clan’s entry fee.

If Miaofeng Mountain wants the Wang clan to fight for them, mere scraps won’t do—they must bleed.

In Qingxi Fang, Gao Jian stuffed himself with Zhiwei Fang’s donkey-meat buns while watching the packed crowds inside Baibao Pavilion, his mouth watering even more.

But remembering the news shared by his fellow guard, he could only drool.

He dared not even dream of extorting anything.

The Wang clan was tough—and growing tougher by the year.

Above them stood titans like Mang Xiang and Xuan Zhuan; below, numerous high- and peak-stage Qi Gathering enforcers.

Just the other day, the new arrival Wang Rongsheng openly threatened to crush Che Clan’s territory.

Arrogant? But he had the strength to be.

While other long-established shops struggled, Wang Clan’s Baibao Pavilion had opened only a few days and already crushed its rivals.

“Boss, someone’s flying with a spiritual device over Qingxi Fang!”

Gao Jian’s subordinate was the first to notice the anomaly.

Gao Jian looked up and saw a man riding a white flying carriage, hovering motionless in Qingxi Fang’s sky.

Arrogant—he could sense the rider was merely a Qi Gathering cultivator, but spiritual light obscured his face and blocked his spiritual sense.

Seeing such arrogance, Gao Jian didn’t hesitate.

He tossed aside his bun, drew his Spirit-Binding Rope from his waist, and leapt onto the roof of Baibao Pavilion.

Swinging the rope like a whip, he cracked the air and bellowed:

“Who dares violate Qingxi Fang’s regulations!”

It sounded fierce, but he was merely probing the stranger’s background.

He was smart—he knew anyone bold enough to fly here must have power and connections; he only needed to put on a show.

To be a dog, you must have the mindset of a dog—no need to kill yourself for it.

But...

No matter how careful Gao Jian was, it made no difference, because Wang Xianzhou had come with a mission.

Wang Xianzhou, seated on the Mirror-Silver Orchid Wood flying carriage, saw Gao Jian and smiled, pointing at him lightly.

Shocking Spike, a secret technique passed down among the Immortal Alliance’s envoys.

It targets the cultivator’s spiritual soul, one of the strongest specialized attack techniques accessible to Qi Refining cultivators.

Wang Xianzhou merely flicked a finger, and Gao Jian fell from the rooftop as if struck by lightning.

Watching Gao Jian lie sprawled like a dead dog, Wang Xianzhou dispersed the spiritual light from his flying carriage and taunted,

“Little Gao, it’s been only a few years—have you already dared to bare your teeth at me?”

Former Immortal Alliance envoy, inner disciple of the Red Lantern Society, strongest Qi Refining killer of the Wang clan, holder of the record for slaying a Foundation Establishment cultivator while still in Qi Refining—Wang Xianzhou, at your service.