Chapter 130: The News of Zhang Lingzong! The Zhang Family

The world suddenly grows late; the mountains and rivers are already autumn.

After the White Dew, the scorching heat of summer lingers only as a faint aftertaste; the cicadas on the great wutong trees of Yujing have lost their usual vigor.

At nine p.m., No. 381 Guangming Road, Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance Headquarters.

A piercing sound, like a sonic boom, erupted from the backyard square, shattering the night’s silence.

“Brother Sui—” Zhan Xinyue’s urgent cry followed immediately.

Under the pale moonlight, a fierce wind surged like blades, crisscrossing before Sui Chunsheng’s feet, carving deep fissures into the concrete ground.

He gasped for breath, sweat the size of beans dripping from his forehead; his tattered clothes were stained with a smear of crimson, and bright blood dripped from his fingertips.

“Three Yin Slashing Yin Knife! You’ve received the true transmission!?”

Sui Chunsheng’s gaze never wavered, fixed on the figure slowly emerging from the swirling dust—a young man who appeared two or three years younger than him, upright in posture, with sharp features and eyes that gleamed as if holding hidden light.

“Brother Chunsheng, I’m truly sorry—I held back, but still…”

The young man spread his hands, his tone resigned, yet his expression utterly relaxed.

“Three Yin Qi refinement, transforming malevolence into blades, polishing corpses to sharpen edges, slaying demons and exterminating ghosts…”

Sui Chunsheng murmured softly, his face as cold as frost.

“So it truly is the Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife.”

The Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife was no ordinary spell; its killing nature was immense, severing yang while preserving yin.

At this moment, Sui Chunsheng’s true yang qi was as frozen as ice—extremely yin, exceedingly deadly. This was still because the opponent had held back; clearly, he had received the true transmission.

Precisely because of this, Sui Chunsheng’s astonishment deepened further.

It was said that the Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife could not be fully mastered by women; only men could comprehend its terrifying might…

Yet if a man trained this method and received the true transmission, he must cut off his lineage entirely—no descendants.

“Brother Chunsheng, you’re injured…”

At that moment, Zhan Xinyue arrived, supporting Sui Chunsheng as she examined his wounds.

“Ma Buting, we agreed this was just a sparring match—you…”

“It was truly just sparring. Ask Brother Chunsheng if you don’t believe me.” Ma Buting kept his hands in his pockets, speaking calmly.

“He did indeed hold back.”

Zhan Xinyue was about to speak further, but Sui Chunsheng raised his hand to stop her: “I am outmatched.”

“Young Brother Ma’s arts are divine—he is truly formidable.”

“Brother Chunsheng flatters me. We’ll be colleagues now; there’ll be plenty of chances for sparring in the future.”

“My apologies tonight.”

As he spoke, Ma Buting bowed respectfully, his calm gaze slowly withdrawing from Sui Chunsheng, hands still in his pockets as he turned and walked away.

“Brother, how are you?”

Zhan Xinyue frowned; she could sense the weakness of Sui Chunsheng’s yuan spirit.

If his yuan spirit had once been a piercing gale, now it was scattered, fragmented, unable to cohere.

“The Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife is truly formidable,” Sui Chunsheng said grimly.

It was said that the Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife could extinguish true yang and destroy one’s cultivation.

Ma Buting had received the true transmission; though he had held back, Sui Chunsheng’s true yang felt plunged into winter—he would be unable to channel spells or fight for at least half a month, and his yuan spirit would require external medicine to nurture.

That kind of healing would cost him at least one or two hundred thousand.

“Such a ruthless technique,” Zhan Xinyue muttered, gritting her teeth as she watched Ma Buting’s retreating figure.

“This man’s Dao heart is as unshakable as a mountain; his nature is cruel and wild. Don’t provoke him,” Sui Chunsheng warned.

Training the Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife inevitably severs one’s lineage; yet he still chose it. His dao heart’s resolve is clear—even the loss of descendants cannot deter his pursuit of the dao. Being cruel to others is nothing; being cruel to oneself is true strength.

Such a nature, even in madness, is pushed to the extreme.

Such people either suffer catastrophic defeat or achieve supreme success. If Zhan Xinyue, at her current level, were to oppose him, she would only invite humiliation.

“Where did the chairman recruit this person?” Zhan Xinyue couldn’t help asking.

The Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance recruited with extreme strictness—every applicant must pass an exam.

But Ma Buting was an exception; long before they arrived in Suzhou, he was personally recruited by Lou Hechuan. His file was top secret—even his sect origins were unknown.

Even more, Chairman Lou had granted him two special slots, allowing him to form his own team—a privilege unprecedented.

Clearly, Ma Buting had been brought in as a special talent.

“His lineage must be extraordinary—otherwise, how could he have mastered a technique like the Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife?” Sui Chunsheng said gravely.

“But I heard from others in the alliance that he was long stationed on a covert front line, constantly dealing with Wuwei demons.”

“So that’s why,” Zhan Xinyue said, her expression clearing.

The Wuwei Sect had grown increasingly aggressive; talents like Ma Buting, seasoned in direct combat against them, were naturally highly valued.

“He’s killed many Wuwei demons—his hands are stained with blood,” Sui Chunsheng added.

In this age, even Daoists with supernatural arts rarely get the chance to kill.

Anyone who has taken a life is a ruthless figure.

“I understand.”

Zhan Xinyue nodded, suppressing her earlier agitation.

“Brother, with your condition now… I heard there’s been movement at the old family estate…”

“No problem. There won’t be any action for the next half-month. If absolutely necessary, we can still call in outside help.”

Sui Chunsheng waved his hand, appearing confident—this was his years of experience and inner assurance within the Dao Alliance.

At this moment, on the third floor.

Ma Buting entered his office to find two people already seated inside: Zhou Miaochan and Zhou Miaoyu, the two sisters.

“Is the Li Yishan case settled?”

Ma Buting closed the office door and asked casually.

Divining fortune and misfortune, surveying feng shui, subduing demons and exorcising evils—all were Dao Alliance services, but clients who came through connections were invariably wealthy or noble.

The Zhou sisters were Ma Buting’s junior disciples, also transferred to the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance by him; naturally, their first case had to be handled flawlessly.

“It’s settled,” Zhou Miaochan nodded.

Such trivial matters were child’s play for the sisters—hardly worth mention.

“Huh!? You drank?”

Ma Buting’s brow lifted, his sharp gaze locking onto Zhou Miaochan.

His perception was incredibly acute; even if she’d drunk only one cup of alcohol and used her true yang to burn off the alcohol’s residue, she still couldn’t hide it from Ma Buting’s nose.

Zhou Miaochan was currently under dietary abstinence; breaking it was a grave taboo, detrimental to cultivation.

“I met a fellow Daoist.”

After a brief pause, Zhou Miaochan recounted in full detail her encounter with Zhang Fan at the Crown Hotel that evening.

At first, Ma Buting paid no attention, his expression casual, as if not listening—but as she continued, his gaze gradually sharpened, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.

When Zhou Miaochan finished speaking, the office fell silent.

Zhou Miaoyu was about to speak, but Zhou Miaochan silenced her with a glance.

“Fur-reversing, bone-reversing…”

At last, Ma Buting spoke. A faint rumbling echoed from within him, as if his bones trembled; simultaneously, every hair on his body stood erect, and a cool current surged outward, as if being expelled from his body.

“A common health cultivation method—yet he’s made it produce such an effect…” Ma Buting said gravely.

“Brother, if my Three Yin Slashing Demon Knife were fully cultivated, then…” Zhou Miaoyu began.

“Even if you had fully cultivated it, you still couldn’t match him!”

Ma Buting raised his hand, cutting her off.

Cultivation is like this: the higher your realm, the more precisely you judge enemies and allies; the lower your realm, the more blurred your perception.

Merely from Zhou Miaochan’s description, Ma Buting could tell they had encountered a master—at least one stronger than Zhou Miaoyu.

“Yujing, the ancient capital of six dynasties, the premier city of Jiangnan… truly teeming with hidden dragons and tigers.”

Ma Buting murmured softly, leaning back in his chair.

“But… it was only a fleeting encounter. Not worth expending thought on.”

At this, Ma Buting’s gaze darkened, then cleared again—as if he had entirely forgotten the previous conversation.

“The abbot of Xuanmiao Temple, Xuanji Zi, suddenly died recently… you’ve heard about this, right?”

“I heard it was the Wuwei demons who poisoned him,” Zhou Miaochan said gravely.

“These demons are growing bolder by the day.”

“The higher authorities have decided to select the best from within the Dao sects to form an independent organization to exterminate the Wuwei demons.”

Ma Buting’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, his eyes flashing with startling brilliance.

This was not a decision of the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance—it came from the very top of the Dao Alliance headquarters.

Such an organization had never existed before; if one could join, it would be like breaking mountains and smashing temples, delivering a devastating blow to the Wuwei Sect.

“Brother, do you have a chance?” Zhou Miaochan couldn’t help asking.

China was vast; the central plains and sacred mountains concealed countless masters. If selection was truly based on merit, the difficulty was unimaginable.

“Perhaps,” Ma Buting shook his head.

There were too many extraordinary talents in the world: Xia Weisheng of Zhenwu Mountain, An Wuyang of Zhongnan Mountain, Qi Delong and Qi Dongqiang of Laojun Mountain—all already renowned.

If this organization truly aimed to gather all Dao elite, the competition would be unprecedented.

“If I can make a name for myself in the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance, perhaps I’ll have a chance,” Ma Buting said gravely.

[101] He needed to make his record more impressive.

Ordinary cases can't help him; only capturing someone as significant as the Thirteen Zodiacs would be a sure thing, with no room for doubt.

“This…”

Zhou Miaochan and Zhou Miaoyu exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Beings like the Thirteen Zodiacs are elusive—seen only in glimpses, their whereabouts unknown; not even finding them is possible, let alone capturing them.

“As it happens, there’s an opportunity right now.”

As he spoke, Ma Buting pulled a file folder from his drawer and tossed it onto the desk.

Zhou Miaochan picked it up and opened it—inside were a stack of photos and documents.

“What is this?”

“Many years ago, the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance detected a leakage of dragon qi from Yujing City’s dragon vein,” Ma Buting said gravely.

“Dragon qi leakage!?” Zhou Miaochan stared at the documents in her hands, lost in thought.

Yujing City lies at the head of the Yangtze River, the very apex of the water dragon; though never a royal capital, it has always been rich in dragon qi, a place of profound spiritual energy.

Precisely because of this, many Daoists have chosen to live here in seclusion, cultivating in the mortal world.

“Mountains and rivers shift, seas become fields—dragon veins move, and dragon qi leaks naturally,” Ma Buting said gravely.

Dragon veins form from mountains, rivers, and seas; when terrain changes, the dragon vein shifts, and dragon qi inevitably leaks—natural disasters like earthquakes and floods often trigger this.

Throughout history, many natural disasters have caused dragon vein shifts, leading to dynastic collapse or short-lived reigns.

Thus, the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance paid it little heed.

“Ten years ago, Yujing City’s dragon qi experienced an unusual leakage…”

Ma Buting pointed to a photo in the documents Zhou Miaochan held.

That leakage caused the Yangtze River’s downstream waters to stop flowing for three hours.

At the time, a master from Maoshan discovered that the dragon qi leakage in Yujing City was not natural.

“Someone is stealing dragon qi!?” Zhou Miaochan paled, unable to believe it.

Stealing dragon qi is like stealing the heavens’ secrets.

What kind of power could achieve this? Who could possess such ability? “Since then, the dragon qi leakage in Yujing City has improved somewhat—though it still leaks, it’s now intermittent,” Ma Buting said gravely.

Precisely because of this, the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance’s investigation became far more difficult.

But fortunately, recently, they finally pinpointed the target and found the ultimate source where the dragon qi was flowing into.

“A cluster of old residential buildings in Sanqin District…”

“One particular old house.”

A terrifying gleam flashed in Ma Buting’s eyes.

“Brother, what’s inside that old house?” Zhou Miaochan couldn’t help asking.

“I don’t know,” Ma Buting shook his head.

“But… daring to steal Yujing City’s dragon qi suggests something monstrous may be hidden there.”

“If we lock it down and capture it, it’ll be a major achievement.”

“Understood.”

Zhou Miaochan and Zhou Miaoyu exchanged a glance and both said: “We’ll assist Brother.”

Now, they only needed to spend a little more time and effort to lock the source of the dragon qi influx, find that old house, and higher-ups would naturally send personnel to investigate.

Then, Ma Buting only needed to perform well.

“Almost there… almost there…”

Leaning back in his chair, Ma Buting slowly closed his eyes, his heart brimming with anticipation.

…

The next day, morning.

As dawn broke, Zhang Fan stepped outside.

Lately, his sleep had grown worse; even taking the sleeping pills left by Zhang Lingzong only granted him two or three hours.

While the sky was still dim, he stepped out of his home to breathe fresh air.

“Xiao Fan, up early? Come have breakfast with Uncle.”

Just as he reached the compound gate, Liu Fusheng’s head popped out of the guard booth, waving at him with gloved hands.

“Uncle Liu…”

Zhang Fan entered the guard booth—steaming hot pork buns already sat on the table, paired with a cup of freshly squeezed soy milk; this life was worth it.

“Uncle Liu, you’re on morning shift today?”

Zhang Fan picked up a bun and bit into it—the rich meat juice burst in his mouth.

“Night shift—I haven’t switched yet,” Liu Fusheng grinned. “Xiao Fan, you’ve been getting up earlier and earlier lately.”

Hearing this, Zhang Fan’s face twitched; he took a sip of soy milk to wash down the bun but said nothing.

In truth, sometimes he didn’t sleep at all.

“By the way, your father called me yesterday.”

At that moment, Liu Fusheng’s words made Zhang Fan’s eyes instantly brighten.

“He called you? How? Why?”

Zhang Fan had many questions he wanted to ask Zhang Lingzong face to face.

“He used a stranger’s phone,” Liu Fusheng said casually.

“A stranger!?” Zhang Fan frowned, suspicious.

“Uncle Liu, are you hiding something from me? Have you been in contact with my father all along?”

“What nonsense are you talking?” Liu Fusheng patted Zhang Fan’s shoulder. “I’m just an ordinary guard—how could I have so many schemes? Young people always overthink things.”

Your uncle is just an ordinary security guard—how could he have so many scheming tricks? Young people these days just love to imagine things.

“Uncle, why did my father call you?”

“Xiao Fan, where did you live as a child?”

Liu Fusheng changed the subject abruptly.

“Where? A cluster of old residential buildings in Sanqin District, I think…” Zhang Fan replied offhandedly.

Ten years ago, his mother died in a car accident, and he and Zhang Lingzong moved to Hongfu Huayuan.

Of course, that was Zhang Lingzong’s version.

It was around then that Liu Fusheng came to work as a guard here.

“What’s the connection?” Zhang Fan pressed. “What does this have to do with my father?”

“Your father said… you should go back to the old house sometime—he left some things there.”

Liu Fusheng ate his bun, speaking casually.

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)