[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starlight-professional":3,"chapter-starlight-professional-starlight-professional-chapter-592":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starlight Professional",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2309252,4512,"Chapter 592: The Pan Family","starlight-professional-chapter-592",592,"\u003Cp>Puff! Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen wooden thorns emerged, piercing Fei Wu’s dantian and limbs, instantly neutralizing him and reducing him to a cripple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Fang Xing appear leisurely, gazing at Fei Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You? Fang Xing? Impossible… you’ve established your Dao foundation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Wu’s eyes bulged, blood streaming from them, his voice like a cuckoo’s mournful cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you know it’s me, you should know why I’ve come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing strolled calmly to Fei Wu’s side, sat down lightly, and watched the new head of the Fei family kneeling on the ground, blood pooling beneath him: “You’ll likely be the shortest-reigning head of the Fei family…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not my fault! Fei Shentong acted alone—he’s gone mad!” Fei Wu hurriedly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See? You knew all along.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing chuckled, then suddenly asked: “Where is the Dao foundation relic from the Qiao family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you know?” Fei Wu was stunned again: “I can give it to you, but you must promise—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, he was slapped clean off his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing reached out casually, a streak of emerald light yanking Fei Wu’s flying-mouse pouch into his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Wu, lying on the ground, saw this and turned ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course… you’re a petty man, and petty, treacherous men trust no one—the Dao foundation relic must be on your person…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing chuckled, opened the flying-mouse pouch, rummaged through it, and pulled out a jade vial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jade vial was a uniform sky-blue, containing a pale blue pill inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its pill aura swirled, radiating multicolored arcane light—clearly extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Qiao family truly has no strength—they acquired only the lowest-tier Dao foundation relic: the Dao Foundation Pill!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing sneered: “It can protect the meridians, enhance primordial qi… raise the chance of establishing the Dao foundation by one or two percent…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『You don’t want it, then don’t take it…』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Wu felt stifled, his spirit utterly crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Shentong’s assassination attempt on Fang Xing failed—apparently he confessed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, he was certain to die, and perhaps the entire Fei family would too…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I die here today, I have nothing to say—only hope you’ll spare the Fei family. I’ll leave a will naming Fei Yong as the new head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes and spoke gravely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Now you finally remember we’re in-laws and try to cling to ties?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing chuckled: “Once you’re dead, and I’m a Dao foundation cultivator, wouldn’t Fei Yong naturally become head? But since the Fei family was truly unaware, I have no need to create more bloodshed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fei family is a Dao foundation clan; its destruction would cause major repercussions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, if the Fei family falls, the Lu family of Poison Dragon Hill benefits most—and Fang Xing has no interest in the Lu family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to keep the Fei family intact, support Fei Yong, and have them manage the Qingli Marsh for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a precious land, if not fully planted with trees, would be a terrible waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you. Do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Wu closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, his head flew off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison Dragon Hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Feng rushed into the ten-thousand-mu bamboo forest, face pale with panic: “Uncle Fang… disaster! The new Fei family head, Fei Wu, died mysteriously…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Fei Wu is dead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing tried feigning shock, then gave up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes… the Fei family is stunned now. No one knows if Fei Shentong will step forward again to temporarily assume leadership.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Feng laughed with malicious glee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You got news this fast—you’ve planted spies in the Fei family. And Fei Shentong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing shook his head. How could a dead man return to become head?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… what do you intend to do? Invade the Fei family? Do you even have the strength?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Feng fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no such strength—even with the head dead, the Fei family still had many late-stage Qi Condensation elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could one man do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this, he wanted to drag Fang Xing into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your priority now should be notifying Song Yunqian and bringing Fei Yong back as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing regarded Lu Feng curiously: “Fei Yong has the support of Qingmu Ridge. If you offer the Fei family enough benefits, he’ll surely become head. Also, watch out for the Pan family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Pan family…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Feng’s expression changed. The Pan family had three Dao foundation experts and controlled the profits of Yunlai Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they wanted to insert themselves into the Qingli Marsh today, it was certainly possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go right away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, he immediately rose and hurried toward Dongfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing watched this and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the sky, two flying lights sped toward the Qingli Marsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside them were two Dao foundation cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One, a middle-aged man, had a leopard’s head and tiger’s eyes, his appearance fierce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was a young scholar, with delicate features and a serpentine aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the Pan family’s two famed Dao foundation experts: Pan Hu and Pan She.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Fei family’s trouble has prompted our Ancestor to send us… what’s the final plan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Hu looked at Pan She casually: “Are we going to swallow the Fei family whole?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan She said: “We’re both Dao foundation clans under Qingmu Ridge—such direct annexation would be improper. My Pan family has long-standing ties with the Fei family; we’ve come merely to mourn the new head’s death… and to lend them a hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? You’ve planted someone in the Fei family? Who are we backing today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Hu asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fei family was merely a Qi Condensation clan; with two Dao foundation experts here, installing any head was a single word away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan She smiled: “Fei Shentong and Fei Wu may lack strength, but they ran the Fei family well. I never interfered before. But this time, no matter who becomes head, he must marry a woman from our Pan family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In orthodox circles, annexation was never crude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It involved marriage alliances, apprenticeships… constant negotiation and maneuvering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it took longer and demanded more effort, it left fewer long-term problems—and for the annexed, it was better than demonic clans who slaughtered entire families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingli Marsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a single word, not a single line, not a single detail in here!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now draped entirely in white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was Fei Wu’s seventh day—many relatives and friends had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yunqian and Fei Yong were among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Lu of Poison Dragon Hill arrives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the master of ceremonies announced it, Lu Feng arrived at the Fei family estate with Song Yunqian and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Condolences…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gripped Fei Yong’s hand, face filled with sorrow: “Fei Wu was my friend. Seeing him dead is truly heartbreaking. You must also grieve…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This speech mattered little—what mattered was who he said it to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several young Fei family members saw Lu Feng treating Fei Yong as the new head and grew angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But some elder Fei family members found it perfectly natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Yong was half of Poison Dragon Hill—why shouldn’t these outsiders support him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the head’s death was suspicious. Until the truth was uncovered, the truly shrewd wouldn’t touch that burning seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other visiting factions whispered among themselves, sensing Fei Yong, the young man, had a high chance of becoming the new head—perhaps they should invest more?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Fei family ancestral hall erupted in chaos over who should become head, above the Qingli Marsh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Hu and Pan She arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they exchanged glances and grew solemn: “Who is this Daoist friend? Playing a joke on our Pan family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hummm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unseen, clouds scattered—each one was a swarm of winged, mutated cold-white ants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Fang Xing’s years of mutation induction and breeding, these cold-white ants were utterly different from the first generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the king was as large as a thumb, sporting two or even three pairs of wings, its aura already reaching the Late Sensing stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their numbers were astonishingly vast, spreading unnoticed across the heavens, even catching the two Pill Foundation cultivators of the Pan clan off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fang Xing of Poisonous Dragon Slope… greets you both, fellow cultivators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing appeared gracefully, gazing at Pan Hu and Pan She: “I am a relative by marriage to the Fei family. Since you’ve come to pay respects, shouldn’t you have landed your cultivation light ten li away and walked here? Isn’t that proper etiquette?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Hu and Pan She exchanged glances. According to the etiquette of Pill Foundation clans, this was indeed correct—anything less would be disrespectful; to fly in so brazenly as guests would suggest bullying the weak with strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, they had come to pressure the Fei family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the Fei family had no Pill Foundation cultivators—without deterrent power, there was no need to show caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Poisonous Dragon Slope?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a relative by marriage to the Fei family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Hu and Pan She exchanged glances, both deeply startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Fei family didn’t even cultivate their own kin, yet they helped an outsider achieve Pill Foundation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Hu widened his eyes, convinced the entire Fei family had gone blind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This can’t be right—this Fang cultivator must be a natural genius who achieved Pill Foundation on his own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan She glanced at the pale white ants, forcing a smile onto his face while inwardly reeling in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of this newly ascended Pill Foundation beginner’s other abilities, just this mastery over insects is truly unparalleled—he could easily hold off both of us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within our Pan clan, only the ancestral elder could stand against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan She’s Pill Foundation was named the “Linglong Heart,” granting him extraordinary cunning and an uncanny intuitive sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, he knew—even with Pan Hu beside him—he was no match for Fang Xing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely so. What do you intend to do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing smiled pleasantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We came to mourn, and lost our composure—this is indeed our fault…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan She immediately stopped Pan Hu, smiling warmly: “We shall return ten li away and walk in to pay our respects—that is proper etiquette.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is excellent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing nodded, watching Pan She and Pan Hu depart, then floated gently down outside the Fei family’s main residence, beyond the funeral hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ripple of bamboo shadows swayed across his body, his Pill Foundation power suppressing the entire scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pill Foundation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Yong froze: “Grandpa Fang is a Pill Foundation cultivator?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pill Foundation?” Lü Feng also froze: “How is this possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly realized his prior schemes and confident planning were all a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fei Yong shall be head of the family—who opposes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing paid them no mind, sweeping his gaze across the crowd and speaking coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1786,"2026-06-20T11:03:22.760Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d5083f419f677bcaff7db03e295ca6b6a943b253471493da6b870cff273b4692","starlight-professional-chapter-593","starlight-professional-chapter-591",726,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarlight-professional-cover.jpg"]