"Who dares to trespass into the ancestral grounds of the Huang clan?!"
The branch clan leader, clad in a python robe, rose, exuding an aura of killing intent. The very robe he wore was a treasure forged by the Celestial Affairs Bureau, shimmering with a protective aura.
The woman in white ignored him and strode directly into the ancestral hall, her beautiful eyes fixed on "Old Ancestor" Huang Chen. "I'll ask again, who wants to end my Xiao Zhao's life?"
"Who exactly are you?!"
Huang Chen leaped to his feet, his divine sense already probing the woman's origins. Yet, his spiritual awareness felt like it was exploring an abyss of infinite depth, unable to discern her true nature. He had no idea of her realm or heritage. The sensation was terrifying. Either she possessed a profound technique to conceal her cultivation, or her realm was at least one or two levels above his. If that were the case, she would be an Upper Fifth Realm cultivator, a celestial being. For Tianchi Ridge, where no Upper Fifth Realm cultivator had ever appeared, it was akin to a fantasy.
"Does it matter who I am?"
The woman in white smiled faintly. "I only wish to ask one question: Do you intend to kill Lin Zhao? If so, I can act directly, without wasting my breath on pleasantries."
"You..."
Huang Chen gritted his teeth. The bracelet on his wrist detached and transformed into a crystalline light, which he caught. It was clearly a meticulously refined magical artifact. "What if we do, and what if we don't?"
"If you do, you all die, without exception."
The woman in white spoke with disarming ease, as if the matter had nothing to do with her. "If you don't, I will administer a mild punishment and depart."
"Such arrogance!"
The clan leader in the python robe was incensed. He casually raised his left thumb, drawing his sword slightly from its sheath. He was on the verge of attacking, and he sneered, "Do you truly not regard our Huang clan's ancestral grounds with any respect?"
The woman in white glanced at him, a smile gracing her lips, but she remained silent.
The other clan leaders also rose. It seemed conflict was inevitable. Many of them drew their long swords, while others circulated their divine abilities. Flying swords shot forth from their acupuncture points. These clan leaders were all legendary Sword Cultivators, their realms uniformly in the Middle Fifth Realm. Without such achievements, they likely wouldn't have held the position of clan leader.
"Are we really going to fight?"
The woman in white smiled slightly. "Then fight."
The next second, she raised a single finger. A colossal force rippled outward from her position. With a hum, the entire Huang family ancestral hall was enveloped by her aura. The flying swords conjured by the python-robed clan leader and the others, upon encountering this immense power, shattered into pieces, as if ordinary swords were faced with the king of all blades, feeling utterly inferior!
Only then did the woman in white fully extend her delicate finger. As she pointed it into the air, dozens of flying swords silently shot out. Each sword hovered inches from a clan leader's forehead, humming and vibrating. It seemed that with a single command, they could pierce through their brows, ending their lives instantly!
"You..."
At Old Ancestor Huang Chen's forehead, a flying sword also materialized. He was utterly stunned. What kind of Sword Cultivator could simultaneously possess nearly thirty flying swords? Let alone ordinary Sword Cultivators, even Upper Fifth Realm Sword Immortals, those in the True Origin Realm or Spirit Transformation Realm, what of it? They couldn't achieve this. Human effort had its limits. A genius Sword Cultivator could only cultivate three to five flying swords at most. Possessing over thirty was the epitome of greed and inability to master them all!
Yet, the flying swords of the woman in white before them were all exceptionally sharp. With a single command from her, dozens of corpses would litter the ground, and the entire Huang clan would be crippled, their aspirations of resurgence dashed.
"Esteemed... Celestial Maiden..."
Huang Chen finally changed his address, sighing. "Our Huang family concedes defeat. Whatever the Celestial Maiden requires, our Huang family will comply. Be it wealth, possessions, people, or lives, we will not defy you..."
The branch clan leaders were all astonished. Who would have thought that Old Ancestor Huang Chen would one day bow, and so completely, like a broken piece of pottery! However, no one doubted the Old Ancestor's judgment. If Huang Chen said so, this person must have an extraordinary background, perhaps even an Upper Fifth Realm Sword Immortal, which would be even more formidable.
"..."
The woman in white remained silent. She hadn't expected the secular powers to be so weak. The arrogance they had shown towards Lin Zhao earlier now seemed utterly ridiculous.
Huang Chen immediately knelt on one knee. "Celestial Maiden... our Huang clan is willing to sell our assets and gather a thousand Flying Fish Coins to give to Lin Zhao. Furthermore, we are willing to use the full might of our clan to recommend Lin Zhao to the Great Shang Dynasty's Martial Academy for him to cultivate the world's martial arts!"
Flying Fish Coins were refined from the essence of a rare creature called the "Flying Fish," making them extremely valuable and a common "high-grade currency" in the cultivation world. One Flying Fish Coin could be exchanged for a hundred Azure Cicada Coins at any immortal bank. An Azure Cicada Coin, in turn, could be exchanged for a thousand common copper coins in the mortal world, illustrating the immense worth of Flying Fish Coins.
The terms offered by Huang Chen were indeed an exertion of the clan's entire strength.
"Enough!"
The woman in white's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "How Xiao Zhao cultivates is not for you to interfere with."
Huang Chen nodded repeatedly.
The other clan leaders also knelt. The previously arrogant clan leader in the python robe knelt on both knees, saying piously, "Then... what are the Celestial Maiden's demands? Our Huang family will undoubtedly strive to fulfill them!"
"No demands."
The woman in white said calmly. "Huang Yueran assassinated Xiao Zhao, but he is already dead. I have no interest in eradicating your entire Huang clan. Since that is the case, from this day forward, your Huang clan is forbidden from pursuing or troubling Lin Zhao. Furthermore, you must keep my appearance here a complete secret. If you dare to violate either of these conditions, your Huang family will still face annihilation."
"Yes!"
Old Ancestor Huang Chen nodded repeatedly. "Everything the Celestial Maiden has instructed, our Huang family will do its utmost to comply."
"That is all."
The woman in white turned and left, transforming into a streak of white light that vanished into the night.
...
In the small town, a gentle rain suddenly began to fall.
On the stone bridge connecting the front and back streets, Qin Suihan held up a grey oil-paper umbrella. Beside him stood Physician Zhang, a wine gourd slung at his waist, filled with medicinal wine rumored to be quite potent. At this moment, they stood at the far end of the bridge, watching as a woman of ethereal beauty, clad in white, slowly ascended the steps and entered their view.
"She has indeed intervened."
Physician Zhang gently caressed the smooth exterior of his medicinal wine gourd and smiled. "Since Ming Yuechi and Ding Muchen ascended, our Snow Domain Tianchi hasn't been this lively in a long time..."
Qin Suihan smiled slightly and offered the woman in white a courteous Confucian bow. "Is it truly wise to appear so openly before the eyes of the world?"
The woman in white's voice was cold. "None of your business?"
Qin Suihan took a step forward. "I wouldn't interfere if I didn't have to, but since we've met... I must offer a little concealment."
As he spoke, Qin Suihan created a small world, containing only the three of them.
But at this moment, the woman in white also took a step forward, creating a far more profound and boundless world that forcefully encompassed Qin Suihan's.
"Hahahahaha~~~~"
Physician Zhang laughed until tears welled up in his eyes. Leaning on the cold railing of the stone bridge, he said, "Old Qin, you insisted on meddling, didn't you... whoever has the lower realm is the one who feels awkward, right?"
Qin Suihan blushed. "If my realm hadn't been downgraded, I suppose this wouldn't have happened..."
"Qin Suihan."
The woman in white approached him step by step, her expression icy. "What do you want? Since Xiao Zhao dug me up from Tianchi, it is his destined fortune. Yet you interfere, are you trying to create complications, or are you vying to be Xiao Zhao's protector? Frankly, with me here, is it your turn? What business does your Confucian school have in this?"
Qin Suihan smiled faintly. "It's just that I find this child, Lin Zhao, very congenial and cannot bear to watch him suffer. Since you wish to be his protector, why did you not act when he was struck by Huang Yueran's sword? You were behind Lin Zhao at the time..."
"Huang Yueran's two swords will benefit him immensely."
The woman in white said calmly. "I have my own judgment on when to act. In the future... you'd best mind yourself. Don't your Confucian scholars all advocate self-restraint and propriety? Why can't you control yourself in this instance?"
"I am enlightened."
Qin Suihan clasped his hands in a salute.
The woman in white brushed past him, glancing at Physician Zhang with a cold sneer. "Why are you, someone like you, still lingering in the mortal world? Can't you save the dying and heal the wounded in the immortal realm?"
"Ah ha..."
The old physician chuckled awkwardly. "Isn't it... that I wish to remain in the mortal world and win a little bit of fortune for my medical school? Otherwise, when that day truly comes, if my medical school cannot get a single bite, we will likely only be able to scavenge scraps in the eternal realm of the immortal world."
"Hmph..."
The woman in white smiled faintly and descended the bridge.
...
"This one... is truly not to be provoked..."
Physician Zhang began to mutter.
Qin Suihan smiled slightly. "Protector... a protector, indeed, it's quite good to be a protector. To guide Lin Zhao for a stretch, it can be considered another deed of satisfaction I, Qin Suihan, have accomplished in the mortal world!"
"Hmm?"
On the narrow street in the back, the woman in white slowly turned her head.
Qin Suihan closed his oil-paper umbrella and smiled. "Enough said, I'm going home to sleep. What time is it?"
...
Deep into the night.
A streak of white light silently floated in through the window, seeping into the hilt of an ancient sword. Lin Zhao, fast asleep, was exuding a faint aura of fist intent. The Farmer's Three Fists, practiced for seven or eight years, had finally, at this moment, truly entered the realm of mastery.