Chapter 309: They Have Arrived After All (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

Xu Yuan, listening from the side, understood why Master Fei was so unpopular within the association.

"Crooked seedling," "wasting words"...

"May I ask, back in the day within the Three Fire Old Mother Association, did everyone address each other only by their 'flower names'?"

"And then, following the traditions of your Three Fire Old Mother Association, the Jianghu also gave you the nickname 'Three Ladies Association'?"

What Xu Yuan did not yet know was that, back when Miao Yan's father had just given birth to a son and named him "Miao Yan".

Master Fei secretly felt the name was ill-chosen, often speaking behind his back of things like "crooked seedling," "rotten eye (Yan) son," and the like.

Only later, as Miao Yan slowly grew up, did he stop saying such things.

After all, he was an elder.

And Miao Yan himself knew nothing of this matter...

Indeed, none of the younger generation of the entire Three Ladies Association knew that Master Fei, whom they viewed as "impartial and unsmiling," had such a past.

Master Fei turned to head toward the inner hall: "I shall first call Miao Yan out to announce this good news of the Ancestor's return to everyone..."

Auntie Wang extended a hand, her palm flying out to grab Master Fei.

"Do not tell too many people yet."

Grabbed and unable to move, Master Fei turned back to look at Auntie Wang, asking in confusion, "Why?"

Auntie Wang hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "My days are numbered..."

Auntie Wang had actually already made up her mind: "You have worked hard these years. If news of my return spreads, those old enemies from back then will all jump out. I cannot protect you for much longer; it would not be good for you.

So, do not spread the news.

I have completed the inheritance I left behind back then for you.

None in your generation have reached the Seventh Grade or above; we cannot let the children of later generations go through their whole lives without seeing hope of reaching the Seventh Grade or above."

The situation of the Three Ladies Association was actually quite common in the Huang Ming.

The vast majority of inheritances actually only possess the portion of the Third Grade.

Among those minor paths outside the Seven Great Gates, many do not even have paths reaching the Ninth Grade or above.

Even among the inheritances of the Seven Great Gates, over fifty percent only have paths of the Third Grade.

As for Law Cultivators, this proportion is at least seventy percent.

If viewed from the perspective of the children of those great surnames, one cannot understand those who choose these paths.

A cultivation path where the end can be seen at a glance—what meaning does it have?

But if viewed from the perspective of common folk, in a world of malevolent spirits where they are everywhere, they are merely fish on the chopping block.

As long as they can gain some ability to protect themselves, who would think so much?

Of course, they would join the sect without hesitation.

They have no other choice.

And within the vast territory of Huang Ming today, in the countryside and hamlets, there are actually many such cultivators who have only entered the sect, serving in positions like Village Head, maintaining the most basic order.

Master Fei was deeply moved: "The Noble Lady still thinks of us."

Auntie Wang released her hand; that hand flew back while gently waving: "It is only right. Since I left the Three Fire Old Mother Association, I should be responsible to the end.

If there were an inheritance of the Seventh Grade or above, these years, you would not have been bullied by the mere Ping Tian Association."

Auntie Wang was old now; her mindset was vastly different from back then.

Back then, she acted on impulse, saved a group of beggar children, and with a snap of her decision, established an organization.

Then, with family matters arising, she departed in a hurry.

Shanhé County was isolated, with poor communication; bound by the constraints of the River Works Alley, Auntie Wang could no longer go out to "venture forth," so she gradually forgot about this matter.

Subsequently, she received no further news of the Three Ladies Association.

Master Fei thought for a moment and said, "I will call Miao Yan here. I previously guessed that My Lord Xu is your descendant and told him so."

"Very well."

Master Fei went to the inner hall and called only Miao Yan.

In the inner hall, the people of the Zhan Cheng Association waited anxiously.

Miao Yan's mouth was also very tight; the words Master Fei spoke to him, before there was a definite result, he did not leak to any single member of the association.

What the members worried about was whether those two Ancestral Items could be repaired.

Miao Yan was brought before Auntie Wang; before he even understood what was happening, Master Fei forcibly pushed him down to kowtow three loud times!

Then Master Fei revealed Auntie Wang's identity. Miao Yan thought for a moment he had misheard, confirming it several times in a row... and then felt a thunderclap explode above his head.

Although he had previously prepared himself with the thought that "Xu Yuan is the Ancestor's descendant," this was too fantastical.

The Ancestral Grandmother, missing for several decades, has returned!

Coming to his senses, Miao Yan leaped up, howling, "Led by the Ancestral Grandmother, I will immediately assemble the core members of the Zhan Cheng Association, launch a night raid on the Ping Tian Association! Destroy them!"

The territories the Ping Tian Association had spat out these years had basically all been swallowed back up by the Ping Tian Association.

The current "peace" between the Three Ladies Association and the Ping Tian Association exists because the Three Ladies Association knows they cannot win a fight.

Now that the Ancestral Grandmother has returned, what are we afraid of!

Xu Yuan coughed dryly twice on the side.

This official is still here, and you are already clamoring for a civil war!

The Ping Tian Association was banned in Zhan Cheng, but they have secretly infiltrated again.

Officially, there is no branch of the Ping Tian Association within Zhan Cheng, but this cannot be hidden from the people of the Three Ladies Association.

Master Fei soothed Miao Yan and explained the Ancestral Grandmother's arrangements.

Miao Yan immediately said, "I will write to my father right away. If that old man knows the Ancestor has returned, he will be overjoyed, to say the least."

Auntie Wang nodded in agreement.

After arranging these matters, Aunt Wang and Xu Yuan returned together to the Nancheng Patrol Station.

Only Master Fei and Miao Yan remained in the front hall. Master Fei suddenly frowned: "Send someone to deliver a message first thing tomorrow morning. Tell your father not to startle the snake; bring only a few old brothers. We must discuss thoroughly how to deal with those traitors!"

Miao Yan then thought of Wei Wei Huoshi Shen Qingpeng in Pingcheng.

Shen Qingpeng was the most talented among the younger generation of the Third Lady Society.

He had already reached the Seventh Rank ten years ago, with talented subordinates emerging one after another.

He frequently dictated decisions to the several "Masters."

Even on the very day he advanced to the Seventh Rank, he declared his intention to forge a technique surpassing the Sixth Rank for the Third Lady Society.

Over these ten years, he traveled everywhere seeking high-level Rank Dan Xiu, hoping to find a path to advance to the Sixth Rank.

Everyone understood that once he reached the Sixth Rank, he would likely be eager to appoint himself the Society Head of the Third Lady Society.

But Master Fei and the others of the older generation always believed in their hearts that the Society Head was the Ancestral Lady.

Four years ago, he began using various pretexts to assign his subordinates to posts in Luocheng and Zhancheng.

One of the Fire Masters under Miao Yan was Shen Qingpeng's man.

Miao Yan sold two craft items to Xu Yuan; the Society wanted to remove him from his post, but his father protected him.

Part of the reason was also that the several senior Masters worried that if Miao Yan were removed, no suitable person would take over, and the Zhancheng Society would ultimately fall into Shen Qingpeng's hands.

Xu Yuan did not pay much attention to the affairs of the Third Lady Society.

Taking advantage of this period without cases, he prepared to focus on raising his own level.

It was time for the Commerce Method to condense a Law Object.

He also thought of the "treasure" that Zhang Laoya had promised him, and couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache.

In the mid-afternoon, a carriage entered the city through the North Gate.

Inside sat a beautiful woman in her thirties, and five horse-riding men guarded the carriage.

They settled in a rather expensive inn in Beicheng.

These people spent lavishly, giving the innkeeper three taels of silver for dinner and instructing him to make arrangements.

After the beautiful woman had dinner in her room, she ordered her subordinates: "Guard the surroundings; I will calculate where we must begin."

"Yes, Lady."

The beautiful woman took out a set of counting rods and muttered to herself with a cold smile: "I shall calculate what demons and monsters are in Zhancheng, causing goods worth 1.2 million taels to vanish without a trace!"

(End of this chapter)