Chapter 241: Holding Accountable

Fang Jixian, Fang Shifeng, and Fang Shaokun hurried to the Reception Hall, and upon seeing the person sitting upright in the main seat, they bowed respectfully.

"Lord Vermilion Bird, we were unaware of your sudden visit and failed to welcome you properly; we hope you will forgive our offense."

Fang Jixian said.

Vermilion Bird was still wearing that oversized cloak that was enough to cover his face; he took a sip of the tea offered by a servant and said, "Today is a good day for the Fang Family Head, so naturally, I had to come to offer my congratulations."

Vermilion Bird's voice was extremely hoarse, as if his vocal cords had been torn into strips, making the three generations of the Fang family tremble involuntarily.

"Lord Vermilion Bird is busy with a myriad of affairs, yet you still remember my birthday banquet; I am truly moved to tears!"

Fang Jixian said with a fawning smile.

Vermilion Bird set down his teacup and slowly raised his head; a corner of his hood lifted, revealing the lower half of his face from the nose down.

"There is one more matter I would like to ask the Fang Family Head about."

Although Vermilion Bird's gaze was clearly hidden beneath his hood, Fang Jixian distinctly felt he was being stared at; that invisible pressure was like a waking beast glaring at an enemy who had intruded into its territory.

"Please speak, my Lord."

Fang Jixian said respectfully.

"The raw materials for the Divine Medicine have always been cultivated by the Fang family, but the Divine Medicine is refined within the Martial Arts Alliance and is never sold externally..."

Zhuque said slowly, his eyes scrutinizing the three of them from a place where they could not see him, "But why have pills with effects similar to the Divine Medicine appeared in Jinling recently? And why have they even attracted the attention of the Inspection Division?"

Fang Jixian's expression froze; realizing that Zhuque had come to hold them accountable, he hurriedly explained, "My Lord, please do not misunderstand; my Fang family would absolutely never leak the raw materials! Furthermore, the Medicine Garden is not meant to be seen by others; wouldn't we be digging our own graves by doing such a thing?"

"Besides, the production method for the Divine Medicine has always been a secret technique of the Martial Arts Alliance that is not passed on; how would we even know it?"

"What you say is correct, but..."

Zhuque paused deliberately and calmly looked at Fang Shaokun; the latter's face turned deathly pale, his whole body tensed up, and his fists were clenched so tightly they had no color left.

"But refining medicinal herbs and mixing them into other ingredients can also produce certain effects."

After Zhuque finished speaking, he quietly observed the three people before him.

Fang Jixian frowned, clearly unaware: "My Lord, I can guarantee that my Fang family would absolutely never do anything that goes against the Martial Arts Alliance!"

"The Fang Family Head should not be so quick to guarantee; after all, the Fang family is large and influential, and if someone is hiding something from you, you might not necessarily know."

Zhuque said.

Fang Jixian was stunned and turned to look at Fang Shifeng, who shook his head innocently; he then looked at Fang Shaokun.

Fang Shaokun's expression was flustered, and the hair on his forehead had long since been soaked by cold sweat.

Fang Jixian furrowed his brows and shouted angrily, "You disgrace, kneel down!"

Fang Shaokun gave a start and fell to his knees with a thud, explaining in a panic, "Grandfather, it was my greed! I saw that every time the lords came to collect the raw materials, they would always throw away some that were of poor quality. I couldn't bear to see them destroyed, and I felt that the defective products were of no use for cultivation, so I had the people at the family company process and sell them!"

"I know I was wrong! Grandfather, Lord Zhuque, please spare my life! I will never dare to do it again!"

Fang Shaokun kowtowed desperately, begging for mercy.

Fang Jixian looked at him with a sense of disappointment and cursed angrily, "Trash! Idiot! How could the Fang family have an idiot like you!"

Zhuque stood up and asked, "How does the Fang Family Head intend to deal with this unworthy descendant of yours?"

Fang Jixian's expression was startled; he fell to his knees with a thud and begged, "Please, Lord Zhuque, for the sake of my Fang family's many years of service to the Alliance, spare my grandson this once! I will strictly discipline him, and it will never happen again."

"If you do wrong, you must accept punishment, especially since this has now attracted the attention of the Inspection Division; if the Inspection Division follows the trail and finds something..."

Zhuque let out a cold snort: "The Alliance Leader is furious; can your Fang family withstand it?"

Fang Jixian's body trembled, and he asked with a panicked expression, "Then what does my Lord think should be done?"

Zhuque looked at Fang Shaokun and curled his lips in a cold sneer; just as he was about to speak, a loud boom came from the back courtyard of the Fang residence.

A servant stumbled in and said loudly, "Family Head, someone has broken into the Medicine Garden!"

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Zhuque, was shocked.

The Medicine Garden was the Fang family's secret, and it was the basis for the collusion between the Martial Arts Alliance and the Fang family; if the Medicine Garden were exposed, it would not only be dangerous for the Fang family, but also for the Martial Arts Alliance.

Zhuque was the first to dash away, and Fang Jixian and the others followed without a moment's delay.

The Medicine Garden.

Chen Che and the Garden Guardian were locked in a fierce battle.

The scene of the battle was like a visual feast, with both of their speeds reaching an unbelievable level.

Their movements were so fast that in the eyes of the onlooker, Tang Ying, she could only capture the blurred afterimages left behind as they moved.

Every punch and every kick was accompanied by vibrations in the air and fluctuations of energy, as if even space itself were being distorted by their power.

The Garden Guardian's body, in high-speed motion, seemed to turn into trails of light, each flicker making him difficult to track.

Meanwhile, Chen Che activated the Array Diagram, using the wind as his wings, weaving flexibly through the air and leaving behind strings of wind ripples.

The battle between the two was like a dance of light and wind, with every clash full of power and beauty.

The arcs of light and the ripples of wind intertwined, forming a moving picture!

However, the intensity of the battle was also constantly escalating.

The two began to use more powerful skills, and the energy fluctuations in the air became more violent. The collision of light and wind produced dazzling sparks, and every contact was accompanied by a huge explosion, as if the entire Fang residence were trembling from their power!

Because he had accidentally entered the Array Diagram at the start, the Garden Guardian's strength was greatly restricted; although he did not fall behind in the face of Chen Che's offensive, he was dealing with it very stiflingly.

Chen Che made good use of his advantage, trying every possible way to prevent the Garden Guardian from escaping the Array Diagram, attempting to wear him out within it.

The Garden Guardian seemed to have seen through Chen Che's intentions and began to change his strategy, no longer blindly looking for opportunities to escape the Array Diagram, but instead taking the initiative to attack!

"Pfft!"

In another rapid collision, the True Qi Long Sword manifested in Chen Che's hand pierced the Garden Guardian's shoulder; the Garden Guardian's figure stalled, but he revealed a sinister, treacherous smile.

"Bang!"

The True Qi Long Sword was shattered by the True Qi emitted by the Garden Guardian; he did not defend but instead counterattacked, striking Chen Che's chest with a palm, the palm's True Qi passing straight through his chest!

Trading injury for a kill!

"Pfft!"

Chen Che spat out a mouthful of blood, having no choice but to put some distance between himself and the Medicine Garden guardian.

The Medicine Garden guardian, finally gaining the initiative, did not press the attack, but instead swept backward like a great roc spreading its wings.

It seemed his goal was still to escape the Array Diagram, yet how could Chen Che let him have his way?

Within the Array Diagram, Chen Che still had the confidence to win, but once the Medicine Garden guardian escaped the control of the Array Diagram, even triggering the Great Red Sun Poison would only result in mutual destruction!

Tang Ying also saw the situation of the battle clearly; seeing the Medicine Garden guardian about to escape the Array Diagram, her heart tightened, and she could not help but break into a cold sweat.

Chen Che quickly steadied his figure, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his lips, as his hands changed incantations, and walls of True Qi rose into the sky from the edges of the Array Diagram.

The Medicine Garden guardian retreated and slammed into the True Qi Wall, his figure stalling for an instant.

He gritted his teeth, swung his body forward, and slammed into the True Qi Wall with even greater force.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound mixed with a hum spread out, and the ground of the Medicine Garden was overturned once again.

Chen Che slammed both palms onto the ground, the Array Diagram rotated, and a crimson character appeared beneath the Medicine Garden guardian's feet.

"Li Fire: Burning!"

Chen Che roared, and a raging pillar of fire shot into the sky; the Medicine Garden guardian had no choice but to stop slamming into the wall, his True Qi manifesting into a Protective Shield to isolate himself from the burning flames.

Before the fire pillar ceased, Chen Che changed his incantations again, raising his arms and then bringing them down: "Zhen Thunder: Awakening of Insects!"

"Crack!"

A violent bolt of thunder descended from the sky, striking down directly upon the Medicine Garden guardian's head.