Chapter 111: Fourth Sister

“So there’s nothing to discuss?”

Lu Fang’s eyes locked onto the Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince like frozen ice.

“Impudent! How dare you speak to the Prince like that?” the lead guard snapped.

The Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince showed no anger, smiling sweetly: “Impudent? How dare you speak to Lord Wenguan like that? Lord Wenguan, no more words—please return.”

Lu Fang paused, then said: “Twenty-Seventh Prince, how about this—I’ll stand by your side, if you release my sister.”

The Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince boredly scratched his ear: “Lord Wenguan, I have no idea what you’re talking about? You want me to release your sister? What does that even mean?”

“You don’t need to explain, and I have no interest in knowing.”

“But just now you said you’d stand by me—I’m truly sorry. Your feud with the Xiao family? They won’t allow it.”

“I don’t need you as my subordinate—you’re not even worthy.”

Crack!

The wooden floor beneath Lu Fang’s feet shattered into fragments; the chair and table where the Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince sat exploded into splinters!

“W-what are you trying to do?!”

The Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince leapt up, stumbling backward in alarm; the guards tensed, eyes locked on Lu Fang as if facing a deadly foe.

Song Ce stepped before the Prince, barking: “Lord Wenguan! What are you doing? This is the Twenty-Seventh Prince! Do you want to die?!”

Lu Fang’s long hair whipped up by the force of his aura, he advanced coldly toward the Prince: “You really think I’m afraid of you? If you dare lay hands on my family, even if I must drag this to His Majesty, I won’t flinch.”

Seeing the guards surrounding him, and Song Ce—who had just reached the Sixth Realm—before him, the Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince sneered at Lu Fang:

“You dog, how dare you threaten a member of the imperial family? I think you’re plotting rebellion! Seize him and throw him into the Ministry of Justice’s prison!”

The guards shouted in unison: “Yes, Your Highness!”

Almost simultaneously, the six Sixth Realm guards unleashed their full power.

Yet suddenly, they found themselves frozen—the air thickened like glue, crushing their bodies, making breathing impossible.

Before they could even think, they were blasted backward, crashing through the tavern’s walls and leaving gaping holes.

“Where is Lu Ling?”

Lu Fang continued advancing toward the Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince.

“Lord Wenguan!” Song Ce blocked his path, voice low: “If you take another step, I’ll consider it an attack on the Prince—and then I won’t hold back.”

The Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince snapped:

“You worthless servant, why waste words with him? Never mind the rest—just beat him senseless! I want to see him kneel before me! Isn’t your righteous qi supposed to be strong?”

A flash of fury crossed Song Ce’s face, but he obeyed the Prince’s order.

With the god’s aid, his righteous qi since entering the Sixth Realm had merged with divine power, propelling his strength forward dramatically.

But!

The god’s voice suddenly echoed in his heart: “Why care if this fool prince dies? If Lord Wenguan kills him—or humiliates him—it benefits you.”

In an instant,

Song Ce made his decision. Without even resisting, he flew backward, collapsing to the ground.

The Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince stared, dumbfounded. Facing Lu Fang’s furious approach, he swallowed hard, voice hoarse: “Lord Wenguan! I’m a prince! What do you intend?!”

Lu Fang said nothing. He stopped a pace away, expressionless, and punched the Prince square in the face.

Thud!

The Prince flew backward, slamming hard onto the ground.

Lu Fang strode forward, dark-eyed—when suddenly a figure appeared before him: Minister He Fan.

“Lord Wenguan, don’t act rashly. His Majesty is already aware. Once the truth is uncovered, he will give you justice.”

The Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince rose, spitting blood and two teeth, snarling: “Minister He! You’ve arrived just in time! Lord Wenguan attacked me without cause—throw him into the Ministry of Justice’s prison!”

Minister He, seeing Lu Fang had calmed, turned and glanced at the Prince: “His Majesty summons you to Taihe Palace.”

With that, he and the Prince vanished.

Lu Fang paused briefly, then drew a glowing transmission talisman from his storage pouch—it was from his Third Brother, Wang Fu.

“We found Lu Ling outside the city. Your Fourth Sister rescued her. She asks you to come personally to retrieve her. Also, I’ve captured one of the Twenty-Seventh Prince’s guards. His Majesty ordered me to bring him straight to the palace.”

Lu Fang exhaled deeply. Lu Ling was safe.

…

Outside the capital, Yingwu Mountain, before a crystal-clear lake.

A woman in her early twenties sat on the shore, her pale feet dangling in the water, schools of fish swirling around her toes.

She looked innocent, almost childlike.

Her hair was braided into countless tiny plaits, adorned with playful, colorful hairpins; beside her lay a bamboo basket.

From afar, she looked like a country girl who’d climbed the mountain to gather herbs, now resting to play by the water.

Yet dipping her feet in the water during this bitter cold? It felt strangely unnatural.

The moment Lu Fang arrived, his full attention fixed on the woman. Even with his aura, he could not gauge her depth. He ventured: “Fourth Sister?”

She didn’t turn. “They say clear water holds no fish—but why, then, are there so many fish in this crystal-clear lake?”

Lu Fang’s mind stirred. He walked to the shore, watching the fish dart joyfully, and said slowly:

“The water is indeed clear—but when it rains, it turns murky; when snow falls, it freezes… So yes, clear water holds no fish.”

The woman nodded. “Little brother, you do have a point…”

After further conversation, Lu Fang learned this Fourth Sister’s name was Feng Yiyi, her realm was Great Confucian Third Stage—everything else, she refused to answer.

A Great Confucian Third Stage at twenty-something?

Lu Fang’s eyelids twitched. This Fourth Sister was unquestionably a celestial prodigy wherever she went.

Feng Yiyi flashed a bright smile. “Master said I’m to be your guardian. Until you can protect yourself, I’ll be the one watching over you.”

“Thank you, Fourth Sister.”

Lu Fang bowed, then shifted: “Fourth Sister, you saved my sister Lu Ling—where is she?”

Feng Yiyi waved her hand. At the base of a nearby tree, Lu Ling and Xiao Tao lay unconscious. She snapped her fingers—the two girls slowly stirred.

“Brother…”

Lu Ling looked like a child caught doing wrong.

Lu Fang glared at her: “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Lu Ling shook her head. “Brother, I want to go to the Western Buddhist Kingdom. My biological parents are there.”