Chapter 218 - 217: Chu Feng’s Impotent Rage
Chapter 218: Chapter 217: Chu Feng’s Impotent Rage
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!...
The chests, along with the gold, silver, and jewels inside, vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The wealth value on his panel began to jump wildly!
[Wealth: 1,123,000 silver]
[Wealth: 2,123,000 silver]
[Wealth: 3,123,000 silver]
...
Finally, after every last chest in the secret room had disappeared, the number slowly settled—
[Wealth: 2,415,000 silver]
"Two million, four hundred and fifteen thousand silver taels!"
Fang Han stared at the number, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
Excluding his original 123,000 silver taels, he had gained nearly 2.3 million silver taels in wealth from this one operation.
Such a massive haul far exceeded any of his previous ones.
The Deng Family’s accumulation over many years was indeed astonishingly vast.
A wave of immense joy washed over him, but Fang Han quickly calmed himself.
’I can’t stay here long!’
He swiftly exited the secret room, erasing all traces he had left behind.
Then, just as he had arrived, he relied on his superb Breath Concealment Technique and Body Technique to silently depart from the heavily guarded Deng Mansion, melting into the deep night.
A little over two hours later, Deng Xiong slowly regained consciousness in the Grandmaster’s Chair in his study.
The sharp pain in the back of his neck made him instantly recall the terrifying scene from before he passed out.
He shot up with a start and looked around. The study was empty, but the feeling of being invaded and subdued was all too real.
"This is bad!"
Deng Xiong’s face went deathly pale as an ominous premonition washed over him like ice water.
He staggered out of the study and rushed recklessly toward the storage room, throwing open the entrance to the secret chamber.
When he saw the secret room, completely empty without a single chest remaining, Deng Xiong felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his body swayed violently.
"ARGH— My... my family’s fortune!!"
A roar, suppressed to its absolute limit and filled with heart-wrenching agony, rang out shrilly in the silent courtyard.
The next day, the inspection at the gates of Changping City was intensified, with all departing carriages and pedestrians subjected to extremely strict searches.
However, Fang Han, who carried nothing but some loose silver taels and his "Flowing Wind" sword, easily passed the inspection and left Changping City.
He didn’t linger. Employing his Body Technique, he traveled at full speed and safely returned to the Qingxuan Sect by noon.
...
「True Inheritance Courtyard, Chu Feng’s Villa.」
Inside the study, sandalwood incense curled in the air. Chu Feng sat upright in a Zitan wood Grandmaster’s Chair, his fingertips tapping lightly on the smooth armrest. A trace of unconcealable pleasure graced his handsome face.
His rank on the Celestial Pride List had risen two places, from one hundredth to ninety-eighth.
Although it wasn’t a huge jump, advancing even one step on the fiercely competitive Celestial Pride List was still something worth celebrating.
It was a rare bit of consolation, especially now, when he was so vexed by Fang Han and that mysterious thief.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Chu! My sincerest congratulations!"
Song Xiang stood below with his hands clasped, his face plastered with a sycophantic smile as he offered his congratulations in an exaggerated tone.
"Your rise on the Celestial Pride List is a testament to your strength and potential!"
Reading the mood and seeing that Chu Feng seemed to be in good spirits, he laid the flattery on even thicker.
"The likes of Fang Han are merely the glow of a firefly; how could he dare to compete with the bright moon that is Senior Brother Chu? He’s only getting by because he’s a fellow disciple. Otherwise, with your strength, Senior Brother Chu, crushing him would be as easy as squashing an ant!"
Listening to Song Xiang’s praise, the corners of Chu Feng’s mouth lifted into a slight smile, and the gloomy mood that had plagued him for days seemed to dissipate considerably.
He glanced at Song Xiang and said coolly,
"A minor improvement is nothing to speak of. Has there been any movement from Fang Han recently?"
At the mention of Fang Han, the smile on Song Xiang’s face stiffened for a moment before he quickly recovered and replied,
"Reporting to Senior Brother, our informant in the Sub-Branch, Chen Ying, was exposed by Fang Han. Chen Ying refuses to continue as our spy, so I’m currently trying to find a way to plant a new one..."
A glint of coldness flashed in Chu Feng’s eyes upon hearing this, but he said nothing more.
The speed of Fang Han’s rise in rank was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations, making him feel a faint sense of threat.
But it was only a faint threat. After all, he was a prodigy listed on the Celestial Pride List.
Just then, a soft FLUTTERING sound came from outside the window.
An exceptionally spirited, pure-white carrier pigeon flapped its wings and landed precisely on the windowsill, a small bamboo tube tied to its ankle.
Seeing this, the maidservant standing by the door quickly and quietly stepped forward, untied the bamboo tube, and held it with both hands. Head bowed, she walked briskly into the study and presented it respectfully.
"Senior Brother, it seems a message has arrived from our people," Song Xiang said with a smile as he took the bamboo tube.
"Read it aloud."
Chu Feng was in a rather good mood and waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Song Xiang acknowledged the order, pulled the stopper from the bamboo tube, and tipped out a rolled-up slip of paper, which he unfurled to read.
However, as his eyes swept over the words on the paper, his fawning smile froze instantly. His expression soured at a visible rate, and the fingers holding the note began to tremble slightly.
Chu Feng noticed Song Xiang’s strange reaction, frowned slightly, and set down his teacup.
"What is it?"
Song Xiang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Cold sweat beaded on his temples as he steeled himself and reported in a dry voice,
"Senior Brother... that... that thief has struck again!"
"What?!"
The look of contentment on Chu Feng’s face vanished without a trace. He shot upright, a terrifying glint erupting in his eyes as he demanded urgently,
"What about the ambush? Did the Sixth Grade Martial Artists we sent succeed? Did they capture that bastard?"
A sliver of hope remained in his heart, wishing that this time, his arrangements had paid off.
Song Xiang’s face grew even paler, and he bowed his head lower, barely daring to look Chu Feng in the eye as he stammered,
"R-Reporting to Senior Brother... the thief’s target this time wasn’t either of the two families we had under watch. It was the Deng Family of Changping City, who we thought wouldn’t be a target!"
"The Deng Family Patriarch, Deng Xiong, was knocked unconscious in his study last night. The wealth accumulated in their family’s secret room over decades... was completely plundered!"
BAM!
The green jade teacup in Chu Feng’s hand was crushed into pieces. Warm tea and leaves splashed all over his hand, but he didn’t seem to notice.
His face, flushed just moments before, instantly turned ashen. His chest heaved violently as an irrepressible rage, like a volcano, built and churned in his eyes.
The air in the study seemed to freeze, the elegant scent of sandalwood replaced by an invisible, malevolent aura.
Song Xiang was too terrified to even breathe. He stood bowed, his body trembling slightly, cursing the Deng Family and that damnable thief a million times over in his head.
’I’d just barely gotten Senior Brother Chu into a good mood, and this goddamn news had to come and ruin everything!’
After a long silence, Chu Feng finally forced a sentence through his gritted teeth, his voice bone-chillingly cold and laced with a fury suppressed to its absolute limit.
"Deng Xiong... is a Late Stage of Seventh Grade, with a Cultivation near its peak. And he was snuck up on and knocked out without a sound? He couldn’t even send a warning?"
"Yes, Deng Xiong was knocked out without any chance to resist," Song Xiang said quickly. "The assailant’s strength is likely... Sixth Grade!"
Chu Feng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, forcibly suppressing the rage that threatened to overwhelm his reason.
’I underestimated my opponent!’
He had originally thought it was just a Seventh Grade Martial Artist with some special tricks and a talent for concealment. He never expected his opponent to be a genuine Sixth Grade Expert!
To be able to subdue a Late Stage of Seventh Grade expert like Deng Xiong so cleanly, their strength was likely not to be trifled with even among the Sixth Grade.
The ones he had sent to lie in wait were just two ordinary Sixth Grade Martial Artists. If they had actually faced this person, the outcome would have been uncertain.
They might have even been killed or severely injured instead!
At this thought, a cold sweat broke out on Chu Feng’s back, followed by an even deeper rage and killing intent.
Why would a Sixth Grade Martial Artist specifically target him? Why were they only striking at the powers under his command?
’Is it an old enemy?’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t make sense of any of them.
He opened his eyes, his gaze having regained some of its composure, but the chill in their depths had only intensified.
"Song Xiang."
"Your orders, Senior Brother!" Song Xiang replied hastily, as if granted a pardon.
"Take my calling card and go invite the three True Inheritors Zhao Wuji, Sun Mo, and Li Qinghong from the True Inheritance Courtyard," Chu Feng said in a low voice. "Tell them that I, Chu Feng, have an urgent matter to discuss and ask them to please do me the honor of coming."
These three were all True Disciples in the True Inheritance Courtyard with whom he was on decent terms, and their Cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Sixth Grade. Though not on the Celestial Pride List, their strength was not to be underestimated.
Hearing this, Song Xiang’s heart skipped a beat. He knew Chu Feng was about to spare no expense to bring in even stronger forces to deal with the thief. He quickly bowed.
"Yes! Senior Brother, I’ll see to it at once!"
With that, he hurriedly left the study, as if staying another moment would suffocate him.
Alone in the study, Chu Feng stared at the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, his expression so dark it looked like it could drip water.
His knuckles turned white from clenching his fists. He muttered to himself, his voice laced with a bone-deep chill.
"No matter who you are, for daring to toy with me like this, I will make you... pay the price!"
...
Back in Room C-7, Fang Han bolted the door shut.
’I can’t make another move for a while.’
By now, Chu Feng must have received word of the theft at the Deng Family’s estate. With three of his subordinate factions robbed in succession, he was undoubtedly furious.
This time, he had revealed the strength of at least a Sixth Grade Martial Artist. Chu Feng’s next ambush would surely be designed to counter a Sixth Grade Martial Artist.
He might even use multiple Sixth Grade Martial Artists to set a trap, or an extremely powerful one!
Although his current strength far surpassed others of the same rank, if he had to face a siege by multiple Sixth Grade Martial Artists, or an ambush by a top-level expert among the Sixth Grade...
...he had no absolute confidence he could win, let alone escape unscathed.
Striking again so soon would be too risky and utterly unwise.
’The priority right now is to absorb my gains from this haul and increase my strength as quickly as possible.’
Fang Han focused his mind and, with a thought, summoned his system panel.
A translucent screen of light quietly unfurled, the data displayed clearly.
[Host: Fang Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]
[Stepping Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]
[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]
[Wealth: 2,415,000 silver]
"Almost 2.3 million!"
His gaze fell on the [Wealth] column, and his heart still couldn’t help but beat a little faster.
Excluding his original 123,000, robbing the Deng Family had netted him a massive fortune of nearly 2.3 million silver taels. This was almost equivalent to half of the entire Fang Family’s total assets.
If he had tried to accumulate such a vast fortune by completing missions step-by-step, it would have taken who knows how many years.
But now, he had obtained it all from a single heist. The old saying was right: crime really does pay.
And with this wealth, he could once again increase his Talent Amplification multipliers, further accelerating the speed of his power growth.