Chapter 66: Trouble at the Plum Blossom Gang

Xu Ziyan smiled and said, “Of course your daughter made it herself! Father, isn’t your daughter amazing!”

Xu Haoguang heard this and looked overjoyed. He said with a trembling voice, “Yan’er, have you told the Clan Leader about this?”

Xu Ziyan’s heart jumped. She gently shook her head and said firmly, “Father, I don’t want the people in the clan to know about this. At the very least, now is not the right time.”

“Why?” Xu Haoguang was stunned.

“Father!” Xu Ziyan looked at her father with a serious expression and said gravely,

“You have been in the clan for fifteen years. You should know how cruel the clan can be. I don’t want to reveal too much about myself before I have the ability to protect myself. Right now, only a few people, like the Clan Leader, know about my talent in cultivation and Talisman Crafting. If the whole clan knew, things definitely wouldn’t be this peaceful.

If I also reveal my talent in Alchemy, do you think I would still be safe?”

Upon hearing Xu Ziyan’s words, Xu Haoguang was first taken aback, and then he couldn’t help but feel ashamed. He had experienced fifteen years of brutal competition within the clan; how could he not know the dangers of the world? Not to mention if the people in the clan found out, but if the clan failed to keep this secret and outsiders learned of it, the danger Xu Ziyan would face was unimaginable.

Seeing her father’s drastically changed expression and look of shame, Xu Ziyan said softly,

“Father, don’t worry. Even my current Talisman Crafting Art is already a great help to the clan. When my cultivation level increases and the time is right, I will refine a batch of Elixirs for the clan.”

Xu Haoguang nodded. He finally calmed down from his shock. He turned to Madam Xu and said,

“Yulian, you must hide this Spirit Nurturing Pill well. Don’t let anyone know about it. This concerns Yan’er’s life.”

“Brother Guang, I know.”

Xu Ziyan’s mother, Xia Yulian, said softly. She carefully hid the medicine bottle in her bosom. With that resolute expression, it seemed even if someone threatened her life, she wouldn’t say the Spirit Nurturing Pill was refined by her own daughter.

“Father, take one. See if you can break through to the Eighth Layer of Houtian!” Xu Ziyan said quietly.

Hearing this, Xu Haoguang’s eyes shone with a brilliant light. He nodded vigorously, tucked the bottle in his hand into his chest, and put the Spirit Nurturing Pill he had poured out earlier into his mouth and swallowed it.

Xu Ziyan and Xia Yulian both gently stepped back. Xia Yulian held Xu Ziyan’s hand, watching her husband in the middle of the courtyard nervously. Xu Ziyan gently patted her mother’s hand, gave her a slight smile, and comforted her not to worry.

Soon, vigorous Spiritual Energy fluctuations came from Xu Haoguang’s body. The heaven and earth Spiritual Energy entering Xu Haoguang’s body began to speed up. Of course, breaking through to the Eighth Layer of Houtian wouldn’t cause any violent fluctuations, but even so, Xu Haoguang’s clothes moved without any wind.

Half an hour later, the strange phenomena around Xu Haoguang gradually disappeared. Xu Haoguang opened his eyes, his gaze full of pleasant surprise.

“Brother Guang, did you break through?” Xia Yulian quickly stepped forward, excitedly looking her husband up and down.

Xu Haoguang looked at his daughter’s calm face, chuckled twice, nodded, and said softly,

“I broke through!”

Xu Ziyan finished lunch at her parents’ place, then left amidst their repeated instructions and warnings. Just as she turned the corner, she saw a crowd gathered in front of her door. It was the group of twenty-plus New Disciples. Seeing Xu Ziyan approach, a woman squeezed out from the crowd, ran towards Xu Ziyan, respectfully gave her a deep bow, and said with an anxious face,

“Sister Ziyan, something terrible has happened!”

“Don’t panic, what happened?” Xu Ziyan already had a rough idea of what had happened. Her gaze sharpened as she stared intently at the woman.

“Sister Ziyan, the Brave Gang, the Splendid Gang, and the Overarching Gang have all come to our Plum Blossom Gang. Please go take a look quickly! The Gang Leader sent me to ask for you!”

“Let’s go!”

Without another word, Xu Ziyan immediately turned and walked towards the direction of the Plum Blossom Gang. She thought to herself, “I’ve wanted to spar with those Postnatal Twelfth Layer people for a while now, to test my understanding of the heavenly path while suppressing my cultivation level at the Eleventh Layer of Houtian. I’m about to enter the Inner Hall soon and was just worrying about the lack of opportunity, and they delivered themselves right to my doorstep.”

Beneath her calm exterior, Xu Ziyan suppressed her excitement and strode quickly towards the Plum Blossom Gang.

Soon, Xu Ziyan and the others arrived at the Plum Blossom Gang. They saw that the area outside the Plum Blossom Gang was now surrounded by people from the three gangs. Hearing the sound of footsteps, those people also turned to look. Seeing it was Xu Ziyan who had arrived, they were all momentarily stunned, but when they saw the woman from the Plum Blossom Gang beside Xu Ziyan, they immediately understood.

Xu Ziyan’s gaze swept coldly over the crowd. Among the people from the three gangs present, many had witnessed how Xu Ziyan, even when she was only at the Sixth Level of Houtian, had overpowered them, these Senior Disciples. Even more had experienced the battle at Tongyou Valley together with Xu Ziyan.

Therefore, when they saw Xu Ziyan’s cold gaze and her steady steps towards them, they unconsciously stepped back to both sides, clearing a path in the middle.

Xu Ziyan walked through the crowd with an expressionless face and arrived outside the Plum Blossom Gang’s Spirit Hall. She saw that over two hundred members of the Plum Blossom Gang were standing outside the Spirit Hall, their faces filled with grief and anger as they glared at the disciples of the three gangs. Xu Ziyan turned to the New Disciples beside her and said,

“Wait for me here. Listen to everything Xu Qingxue says!”

“Yes!” the New Disciples replied in unison. They glanced at Xu Qingxue and then all stood behind her.

Xu Ziyan stepped into Xu Dongxue’s Spirit Hall and immediately felt the tense, confrontational atmosphere inside. Xu Huniu, Xu Hualing, and several other high-ranking members of the Plum Blossom Gang stood in front of Xu Dongxue’s spirit tablet, angrily staring at some people sitting in the seats.

Xu Ziyan looked over and immediately recognized Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao. Xu Gan still had his usual mighty appearance. Xu Wen was also still flamboyant; even though it was winter, he still wouldn’t part with his folding fan. Xu Tianxiao also maintained his cold expression. However, Xu Ziyan could instantly sense that these three were consciously restraining their auras, respectfully looking at the person sitting in the middle.

Xu Ziyan’s gaze turned towards that person. She saw he was dressed in black clothes, his appearance was quite ordinary, but his two eyes had a Peach Blossom glow to them, and the corners of his mouth were curved up in a large, arrogant smirk, looking full of pride as if reaching for the clouds.

Seeing Xu Ziyan step inside, the expression of the man in black changed slightly. He clearly recognized Xu Ziyan…