Chapter 57: Hongmen Banquet?

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Hongmen Banquet?

Thinking of Yun Wan, Fang Xu suddenly remembered the Jade Pendant she had given him that night!

Yun Wan had once said that if he encountered trouble, he could take the Jade Token to the Yun family for help.

"Senior Sister." Looking at Lu Qingluo, Fang Xu took the Jade Pendant from his chest pocket and said, "This is the Jade Pendant Miss Yun gave me. She said that with it, the Yun family can shelter us."

Lu Qingluo froze slightly, then said with great joy, "Does that mean no one in the entire Huangzhou Prefecture will dare to touch us?"

Fang Xu nodded.

No matter how powerful the Wu family was, they only had some influence in their limited territory of Qinghe County. Placed in Huangzhou Prefecture, they were nothing but insignificant nobodies. If the Yun family put out the word, he believed no one foolish enough would dare go against their wishes and attack them.

"You should take the Jade Pendant and go to Huangzhou right now, Senior Sister," Fang Xu said as he handed the item to Lu Qingluo. Fenglin Town still had Chu Muyun and the Wang family. He couldn’t leave.

Knowing the urgency of the situation, Lu Qingluo didn’t argue. She accepted the Jade Pendant and looked at Fang Xu with a complex expression. "Thank you, Fang Xu. You must be careful."

Fang Xu smiled and nodded. "Rest assured, Senior Sister."

At the Hu family.

As a powerful faction entrenched in Fenglin Town, Hu Lin himself possessed the cultivation of a Sixth Realm Martial Disciple. His family had lived in Fenglin Town for decades, boasting a sizable number of clansmen.

However, at this moment, the Hu family’s residence was littered with corpses!

A group of Martial Artists wearing the Wu family’s attire were slaughtering the remaining members of the Hu family within the compound. By the time Fang Xu arrived, the common people only dared to watch from a distance. No one dared to step forward and intervene.

Hu Lin had been killed by the people from the Ascension Association. The Wu family, adhering to the principle of destroying their enemies root and branch, immediately dispatched their men to slaughter every last member of the Hu family, sparing not even the infants in their swaddling clothes.

Looking at the group of Martial Artists walking out of the Hu family compound, covered in blood and sporting sinister grins, Fang Xu clenched his fists tightly! But then, his fists slowly loosened. To stick his neck out without sufficient strength would be throwing his life away.

These Wu family Martial Artists deserved to die, but he currently only possessed the strength of a Second Realm Martial Disciple. If he rashly charged in to face over a dozen Martial Artists with higher cultivation than himself, he would be hopelessly outnumbered and likely hacked to death. He had to wait! Wait until his cultivation improved a bit more. Then, he would simply step up and wipe the entire Wu family out of existence!

Watching the group of Wu family Martial Artists head toward the distant Qi family compound, Fang Xu waited until the crowd of onlookers dispersed. Only then did he slowly enter the Hu family compound, finding Hu Lin’s corpse among the bodies scattered in every direction.

Looking at Hu Lin, whose eyes were wide open in death, he shook his head and reached out to close them.

[Touched Hu Lin’s corpse. Gained 35 points of Strength Attribute.]

After acquiring this legacy, he proceeded to the other households, claiming all the legacies from their bodies. The increase in his Strength Attribute and Life Attribute made him keenly feel the changes happening within his body.

By evening, Fang Xu dragged his exhausted body back home. He drew a basin of clear water from the well, washed off the bloodstains, and returned to his room to change into clean clothes before walking over to Chu Muyun’s door.

"Fang Xu." Inside, Chu Muyun hurriedly opened the door, looking at him with concern. "What happened?"

Fang Xu smiled and shook his head. "It’s nothing. Are you hungry? Let’s go cook."

Wheeling Chu Muyun into the courtyard, Fang Xu went into the kitchen. Just as he was about to start a fire to cook, he heard Chu Muyun speak up from the yard. "Who are you? Are you looking for Fang Xu?"

Hearing her voice, Fang Xu hurried out of the kitchen. He saw that the visitor was Taozi, one of the three Ascension Association members from earlier that day.

"My senior brother sent me to inform you to attend a banquet at the Wu family tonight." After saying this, the young man took a deep look at Chu Muyun, gave a gentle smile, and turned to leave.

A banquet at the Wu family? Fang Xu sneered. These people from the Ascension Association were truly interesting. During the day, they wanted to put him and Lu Qingluo to death, but at night, they were inviting him to a banquet at the Wu family? Didn’t they know he was now locked in a blood feud with the Wu family?

"Fang Xu?" Seeing his expression shift, Chu Muyun called out softly.

Fang Xu snapped back to reality and gave her a slight smile. "It’ll just be a moment."

With that, he ducked back into the kitchen. He was planning to make a trip to this banquet. If for no other reason, he had to go for the sake of the sole remaining person on his friend list. The Wu Family Ancestor and the disciples of the Ascension Association—the legacies he could obtain after they died should be quite impressive.

As for his safety, he had already thought it through. If those three from the Ascension Association wanted to kill him, there would be no need for such a convoluted setup. If they chose to strike, no one in the entire Fenglin Town—not even the Crown Prince, Li Xun—would dare step in to protect him. And the Wu Family Ancestor, bound by the rules of the Ascension Association, absolutely wouldn’t dare attack him. Aside from that, his only concern was the Wu family’s Martial Artists.

During the day, after absorbing the legacies of Hu Lin and four others, Fang Xu felt his current strength had at least doubled compared to when he killed Wu Yuanqing. He could sense that he had the power to put up a fight against anyone below the peak of the Martial Disciple realm.

After preparing the meal for Chu Muyun, Fang Xu met her slightly worried gaze. He bent down, ruffled her hair, and said, "I’ll give you a massage when I get back."

"Be careful, Fang Xu," Chu Muyun said softly. Although she didn’t know exactly what had transpired today, she had caught the scent of blood and Evil Qi lingering on him.

Leaving the small courtyard, Fang Xu walked straight toward the Wu Family Manor.

Outside Fenglin Town, the massive manor was draped in white mourning silk. The Martial Artists guarding the gates all wore white cloth bands tied around their heads. Seeing Fang Xu arrive, they glared at him with vicious intent.

Fang Xu swept his gaze over them and calmly walked through the main gates. At a glance, he spotted two coffins placed in the courtyard. Lying in one of the coffins was none other than Wu Yuanqing. The other coffin was empty.

"Oh?"

"You’ve actually got some guts. I thought you wouldn’t dare show up," the young man in black said with a smile upon seeing Fang Xu.

Fang Xu cupped his hands slightly. "How could I dare refuse Senior Brother’s invitation?"

"Senior Brother?" The black-clad young man shook his head. "Having the Immortal Sect’s introductory pass doesn’t mean you have the right to call me Senior Brother.

"My name is Mu Xuan. These are Tao Ziheng and Lin Yu. Your courage commands my admiration. I really look forward to you passing the entrance examination.

"Please, have a seat."

The black-clad Mu Xuan gestured toward the tables. Fang Xu glanced at the banquet set up behind the two coffins and smiled faintly. "Very lavish."

At the banquet table, Wuhuan, the white-haired and white-bearded Wu Family Ancestor, spoke with a cold expression. "It’s your farewell drink, so naturally we have to feed you well."

Meeting his gaze, Fang Xu showed no fear and walked straight to the table to sit down. Seeing this, Mu Xuan nodded in appreciation and gestured for his two junior brothers to sit down as well. None of them spoke, making the atmosphere both awkward and oppressive.

Fang Xu glanced at the wine flagon nearby. Smiling, he stood up, picked it up, and poured a cup for himself before doing the same for Wuhuan and the three others.

Then, he slowly raised his cup. "Elder Wu... hmm, come to think of it, I should also be calling you Senior Brother.

"Senior Brother, the dead cannot be brought back to life. My condolences."

"You!" Wuhuan trembled with rage. A fierce aura suddenly erupted from his body, and he prepared to strike right then and there.

"Senior Brother, do not forget the rules," Mu Xuan said coolly.

Hearing this, Wuhuan’s anger instantly deflated. He was just a Registered Disciple. In terms of status, he couldn’t compare to Mu Xuan and the other two. Just because they politely called him "Senior Brother" didn’t mean he actually held that standing. He knew the rules of the Ascension Association perfectly well.

Seeing Wuhuan forcibly swallowing his anger, Fang Xu smiled faintly and raised his cup toward Mu Xuan and his two companions. "Three Senior Brothers have traveled a long way. This junior offers a toast to you."

With that, he tipped his head back and drained the wine in his cup, then looked at the four of them with a smile on his face.