Twelve Sect Mansions·Ning Family.

The curved eaves resembling the moon are the hallmark of the Ning family's buildings.

Underneath each eave, there are small fish-shaped pendants carved from Red Jade hanging.

The drizzle continues.

Ning Hongli sits upright inside the house, staring at the patriarch Ning Yanfei, her brows furrowed.

"This matter is indeed unrelated to me."

"I know it's unrelated to you, but what I want to ask is whether you're aware that some details are connected to the case." Ning Yanfei said seriously. "The Shang family is not easy to fool. They saw your previous conflict with Shang Dingye, and now with Shang Dingye missing, you say you're not involved, you must make them believe it."

"But we are here at the Ning family. If they have evidence, they can come and take me!" Ning Hongli said in a deep voice.

"The Shang family's power is great... our Ning family owed them many favors back in the day..." Ning Yanfei said helplessly. "Hongli, although this matter is unrelated to you, I can see you've never lied since you were young. You're a person with enough pride. But... you should still go to the Shang family to apologize."

"I said it's unrelated to me! Why should I go to apologize!?" Ning Hongli exclaimed in astonishment.

"I understand, but only I understanding is of no use. We must make the Shang family believe it wasn't you... A Grandmaster going missing, this matter has too much impact..." Ning Yanfei said helplessly.

Ning Hongli was at a loss for words.

Among the patriarchs of the Twelve Sect Mansions, she, the patriarch of the Ning family, is often called the weakest patriarch.

She used to think it was just a rumor.

Now it seems, actually being a Grandmaster, she must go to the Shang family to apologize for some baseless suspicion??

It's simply an absurdity!

Where can she place the Ning family's face?!

"Big sister, do you know what you're saying!?" Ning Hongli closed her eyes, suppressing her emotions.

"I'm very clear. Hongli, this is what we owe them, back then..."

"I don't want to hear about back then, I'm talking about the current matter. Personal favors and facts should be distinct and separate, I'm talking about now!" Ning Hongli said earnestly.

The presence of a Grandmaster unconsciously began to spread slowly.

Ning Yanfei fell silent, picked up the milk tea in front of her, but only swirled the liquid inside, not drinking it.

The two sat in silence for a while.

Ning Yanfei finally spoke again.

"As for the current matter, I hope it is dealt with before the Shang family's patriarch returns, leaving no trace. Our Ning family cannot be implicated in this matter. Do you understand, Hongli?"

"I don't understand! Why is it always us who must concede!?" Ning Hongli raised her voice.

"No reason why, that's what we owe others." Ning Yanfei closed her eyes, answering calmly.

"Owe them??! You have your principles, clear distinctions between gratitude and grievances, repaying what's owed, that's you! But you cannot use your principles to press us all, press us to act according to your way!"

Bang!

Ning Hongli slapped the table, leaving a deep palm imprint on the solid black wooden table.

"Your matters are yours, the Ning family's matters are the Ning family's!" she breathed rapidly, shouting loudly.

"Hongli, I'm thinking for your good, why are you always so disobedient..." Ning Yanfei lowered her gaze, speaking softly.

"Should I now go to the Shang family to kill someone?" Ning Hongli suddenly laughed.

"..." Ning Yanfei fell silent.

Every Grandmaster has absolute confidence in their own beliefs, so she tried to persuade gently.

But now, it was evident she still failed.

"Simply an apology and reconciliation can maximally avoid potential dangerous threats? Such a simple matter can yield such great advantages, why are you unwilling?" she sighed lightly.

"Not everyone in the world only looks at pros and cons. Sister, not everyone is willing to follow your arrangements for anything."

Ning Hongli stood up and turned to leave.

Watching her storming away, Ning Yanfei sighed silently, still sitting quietly in her seat.

For a long time.

She lowered her head and drank the milk tea in one gulp.

Looking up again, a thin figure had appeared on the cushion where Ning Hongli previously sat.

This person wore a light yellow bamboo hat, a purple robe, the hat veiled by black gauze, hiding their face, vaguely revealing a black ghost mask underneath the gauze.

"It seems she isn't willing to listen to you." The voice from the veiled person was strange, neither male nor female, as if some kind of disguise.

"It's normal for a Grandmaster to have a temper." Ning Yanfei remained unflustered, "In a large clan, there are very few people with such pure and good nature as her. Perhaps, you can try to gradually incorporate her."

"Perhaps. But currently, we must first bide our time and conceal our strengths, not rush. Have you press a bit first. Wait for the right moment, then surely entice her." The veiled person replied. "Additionally, the Great Dao Teaching has set up a trap for the other two teachings this time, maybe now they can stabilize as the number one teaching of the world."

"Jin Yuyan and Yue Dewen, they truly are old partners. Even their failed schemes before allowed them to retreat completely. Now, after lying dormant for many years, they made a strike. Hitting the weak spot, the situation is set." Ning Yanfei said.

"Don't rush, don't rush... The one above will soon be too weak to continue. They are draining our strength, little do they realize we are growing accustomed to theirs.

Just wait and see, the time I've been waiting for is near... Limiting their men cannot last much longer." The veiled person smiled slightly, rose, and vanished.

"Then I'll hold on a bit longer...." Ning Yanfei closed her eyes, her fingers stroking the cup, her thoughts unknown.

*

*

*

Simply packed the luggage.

Zhang Rongfang in a short black outfit, short-sleeved, long pants, a snake-skin wide belt around the waist, with separate small pouches hung behind like strings of black grapes.

After altering his body shape, he arranged for someone to dress him, it was still that old Daoist from Agarwood Palace.

This person's acting was realistic, imposing in presence, simply more like a Guardian Church Mansion Warden than himself.

So having him dress was most appropriate.

After ensuring everything was in place, he departed that night without informing anyone, leaving only a few letters behind, then he went away.

Leaving Qingchuan Prefecture, he did not travel by land but took a ship instead.

Within the jurisdiction of Qingchuan Prefecture lies Qingchuan Port. While there aren't many ships, there are still various cargo ships heading to other places.

The Spirit Emperor had ostensibly transferred him here under the pretext of reorganizing and developing the port.

Zhang Rongfang casually boarded one. Using the guise of a student of the Academy going on a study tour, he followed the ocean currents to Kyushu Port, adjacent to Wushan Prefecture.

He planned to first visit his sister in Wushan Prefecture and then proceed to Dan Province, where the Five Cauldrons Sect was located.

On the way, he would inquire about the true whereabouts of Yue Shi.

And also that Moon King...

He always felt that the appearance of the Moon King was too coincidental, as if it was intentionally cooperating with the Great Dao Teaching.

But clearly, the Sensing Sect and the Great Dao Teaching were sworn enemies.

Collaborating would require putting aside many old grudges.

Crash.

The waves slapped against the ship, making a dull sound.

It pulled Zhang Rongfang back from his thoughts.

He looked up towards the distance, watching the gradually receding silhouette of Qingchuan Port, feeling a sense of liberation as if he had shed a heavy burden.

'From now on, I am not Zhang Ying, but Zhang Jing.'

Changing names was something of an old tradition for him.

At this moment, he no longer needed to consider hiding his strength; what he needed was to do what he truly desired.

"Mr. Zhang, is it your first time leaving your hometown?" Beside him, the shipmaster, Yan Zheng, leisurely approached with a smoking pipe to make conversation.

"My hometown isn't actually here; I just came to earn money temporarily." Zhang Rongfang smiled and replied.

"Actually, Qingchuan Prefecture is a great place, very safe. You could consider buying property here. If Mr. Zhang is interested, you can ask Old Yan to handle it for you, considering this fateful meeting, I'll give you a twenty percent discount." Shipmaster Yan Zheng said with a chuckle.

"Then I'll have to thank Brother Yan." Zhang Rongfang smiled.

"Uncle Zhang, are you a martial artist?" On the deck, a short-haired girl with large eyes and a graceful, athletic build came over on her own initiative.

The girl had long legs, her skin a healthy wheat color, and a not too large or small bust covered only by a bandeau. Her lower half wore gray tight-fitting trousers, outlining a full and slender silhouette.

She was evidently someone who often exercised.

"Why call me uncle? Do I look that old?" Zhang Rongfang was speechless and touched his chin where a beard was growing.

"I'm seventeen this year. My dad said you should be almost thirty, so what should I call you if not uncle?" The girl widened her eyes and said.

"Brother?" Zhang Rongfang tried to suggest.

"Tsk tsk tsk~~~ Shameless." The girl playfully stuck out her finger, making a funny face as she pulled her eye corners.

Zhang Rongfang and Yan Zheng both laughed.

The ship slowly drifted away.

Zhang Rongfang's mood gradually calmed down as he chatted with the father and daughter.

The ship he was on was named the Feiyun, which was said to be a retired warship that had participated in an expedition to Rilie Island.

But in recent years, the navy had rapidly modernized, and ships were replaced quickly.

So a large number of ships were sold to merchants.

Besides carrying a large amount of cargo, the Feiyun also had more than thirty passengers.

In these times, anyone who could afford a long-distance passenger ship surely wasn't poor.

After lunch.

Zhang Rongfang returned to his cabin and once again took out the Blood God statue he brought along before leaving.

He examined it carefully, but even the attribute panel didn't offer more hints.

So he attempted to use brute force to destroy it.

Yet he surprisingly discovered that the statue was quite sturdy.

With his current strength, he couldn't damage it in the slightest.

He vaguely remembered that when he first obtained the statue, it wasn't as hard.

After getting no results from his research, Zhang Rongfang finally turned his attention to his cultivation of literature.

"Without the master's token monitoring me, it's time to improve my cultivation of literature."

In the cabin room.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused on the attribute points he had accumulated over the past few days.

'Available Attributes: 10'

Meanwhile, the cultivation of literature remained at its previous progress.

'Supreme Bright Void Skill (Fifth Realm - Late-stage Nascent Soul)'

"Let's begin... This time, let's see what effect breaking through to Refining God will have."

Had it not been for the master's surveillance, he would have long wanted to enhance his cultivation of literature and conserve attribute points.

It's known that advancing a level in cultivation of literature is more rewarding than adding points directly to life force.

Unfortunately, due to this reason, he was forcibly delayed for so many years.

Now, the opportunity has finally come.

In the cabin, Zhang Rongfang focused his mind, concentrating on the plus sign next to the Supreme Bright Void Skill, imagining a gentle click.

With a swift motion, three attribute points were consumed.

And the rank of Late-stage Nascent Soul began to blur. Soon, within seconds, the text cleared and emerged as a new rank: Early-stage Refining God.

Simultaneously, countless memories of diligently cultivating literature, meditating, and entering concentration day and night flooded his mind.

But now, Zhang Rongfang no longer felt dizzy from these memories; he was gradually getting accustomed to such intensity.

Effortlessly, after entering Refining God, he carefully closed his eyes to experience it.

First, the Nascent Soul Qi and Blood cluster in his chest and abdomen was slowly splitting apart, like a silkworm spinning silk, a faint and subtle current of air followed the meridians, directly entering the mind.