Chapter 146

"Young man, would you like something to eat? We saved some for you."

At this moment, the old man of the Jiang family, seeing Fang Yu finish his cultivation, spoke up.

Fang Yu smiled and shook his head. "No need. Look, Xiao Tingting's bowls are about to be washed."

"It's fine, Big Brother. If you're hungry, go ahead and eat first."

The little girl's voice rang out from over there.

"Really not needed—those flames just ate their fill."

Fang Yu still shook his head, his gaze fixed on Xiao Tingting washing dishes nearby. He moved his hand, drawing a talisman in the empty air.

The talisman flew over and landed before the bowls Xiao Tingting was about to wash, automatically pouring forth pure water that cleaned each bowl clean.

"Cultivation can make life easier. This is the Purifying Body Talisman—I give it to you."

"There are such miraculous things?!"

The old man of the Jiang family stared curiously at the talisman; Xiao Tingting of the Jiang family was equally curious, watching as the talisman washed the bowls spotless, finding it utterly wondrous.

Purifying Body Talisman.

This was one of the few talismans Fang Yu received when he first became a peripheral disciple of Yuhua Sect, greatly improving a cultivator's quality of life—otherwise, as a cultivator, you'd still have to wash clothes and light fires—where would a cultivator's dignity be?

Within the Men Sect, there naturally exist talismans such as the Purifying Body Talisman, Soulfire Talisman, Steel Talisman, Divine Step Talisman, True Water Talisman, and True Qi Talisman, comprehensively enhancing disciples' daily life and cultivation.

Fang Yu has now reached the third layer of the Divine Ability Secret Realm, the Gang Qi Realm, and can freely forge talismans.

"This is too miraculous—but if I don't wash dishes, what should I do instead?"

Xiao Tingting, seeing the talisman meant for washing dishes, felt both curiosity and unease—after all, as was customary, she should be cultivating.

"Perhaps Xiao Tingting could also walk the path of cultivation. I see you have great potential—but the path must still be chosen by you."

Fang Yu spoke.

"Cultivation—Tingting's parents died because of cultivation…"

The Jiang family elder, hearing the word "cultivation," shook his head.

"Cultivation means this: when they're willing to reason, reason with them; if they refuse to reason, overturn the chessboard and show them what reason truly is."

Fang Yu spoke, his spiritual sense seemingly seeing a dragon-scaled horse before a Li family household in the town.

Dragon-scaled horse, a rare beast, covered in blue scales, shaped like a horse, immensely strong, running many times faster than ordinary horses—traveling four to five thousand li per day without issue.

Purely in terms of speed, it seems even faster than the Xuan Huang Fire Horses of the Great Xuan Empire.

Ordinary mortals rarely possess such rare beasts; even cultivators of the Ocean of Suffering Realm struggle to subdue them. This dragon-scaled horse is formidable, typically subdued by Life Spring Realm cultivators and then granted to younger disciples who cannot yet ride divine rainbows.

Now that a dragon-scaled horse has arrived at the Li family estate, it naturally means the Li family's seventh young master has returned.

Fang Yu once struck the Li family's people; now that their cultivator has returned, he will naturally seek trouble with Fang Yu.

He didn't mind such trouble.

"Is cultivation like this? Brother Fang speaks sense."

Pang Bo, hearing Fang Yu's words, felt he had never heard such a thing before.

If they reason, then reason.

If they refuse to reason, you can cultivate until you overturn the chessboard and annihilate them—also a fine path.

Cultivation indeed requires cultivation.

"The Li family's young master is coming—let's settle him today."

Fang Yu's spiritual sense transmitted to Ye Fan and Pang Bo's ears; both men stirred inwardly.

Soon after, a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six stepped in, wearing a faint smile, disdainfully glancing at the Jiang family elder, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo, then fixing his gaze on Xiao Tingting.

"Little one, you've grown taller—good. Your life seems to be going well. So many people eating here? That surprises me."

The old Jiang man, unreadable, replied: "Thanks to Seventh Young Master's grace, we barely scrape by."

"You sound resentful, old man. That's not good. When you're old and harbor resentment, you won't live long."

The young man looked down, a faint sneer on his face.

He had entered the Smoke Mist Grotto with Xiao Tingting's father at the same time, but due to inferior talent, he was left far behind—and because of his misdeeds, he had once been punished by Tingting's parents, and he bore a grudge.

Now that Tingting's parents were dead, he sent men to seize the Jiang family elder's inn, driving them nearly to the brink of starvation.

"How would I dare resent Seventh Young Master? There's no such thing."

The Jiang family elder remained calm.

"You're old—you don't have many years left. Why hold things inside? It only makes you miserable. Anger harms your body. You're already over seventy—few years remain."

"I want to know—were Tingting's parents truly killed by accident?"

The Jiang family elder could no longer hold back, voicing the question that had haunted him.

"Old Jiang, you've been holding back anger, haven't you? But I won't tell you—figure it out yourself. And this time, I've come to take Tingting to the Smoke Mist Grotto. She's old enough now; it's time she followed me and did some things. Don't worry—I'll take good care of her. After all, I owe it to her parents' memory."

The young man, hearing the Jiang family elder ask this, did not answer immediately—his voice grew colder.

"Impossible! You won't let this happen!"

The Jiang family elder was furious beyond measure, refusing absolutely to allow this.

"This isn't up to you. I'm here to notify you. If you think they'll stop me, I'd be very interested."

The young man turned his gaze to Ye Fan and Pang Bo.

At that moment, Fang Yu's voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Is that so? I don't believe it."

Streams of emerald flame flowed through the air, binding the Li family's young master in midair.

In an instant, the Li family's young master felt a terrifying threat to his life—the searing heat nearly vaporized him.

"You—you can't kill me! If you kill me, you'll never learn the secret of Tingting's parents! And the Smoke Mist Grotto won't let you go!"

"Oh? I still don't believe it."

Some of the green flames entered the young man's mind, and immediately fragments of memory flowed out, becoming known to Fang Yu.

Then, the green flames swept up the Li family's Seventh Young Master and shot skyward; soon, only a stone-like object, neither too big nor too small, fell down.

Yuan.