Chapter Fifty-Nine: News from the First Family

"The Zhang family was wiped out, not a single survivor?!" Another man, face full of disbelief, took up the thread, and all those present—except the first to speak—were equally horrified.

In Panlong City, the Zhang family was nothing short of a ruling power; only the Mo family could stand as its equal. Yet even the Mo family was slightly weaker, and it was unthinkable that they alone could annihilate the Zhangs. Moreover, there had been no sign of the Mo family sending large forces to the Zhang estate. If this were their doing, they would hardly have gone to such lengths to conceal it.

Thus, only one possibility remained: an outside force. But what force from beyond could be so ruthless as to obliterate the Zhang family in one swift blow, not even allowing them an hour's resistance? The Zhangs, after all, boasted six warriors at the Meridian Unblocking level!

"Let us speak no more of this," said the first man, abruptly changing the subject, excitement glinting in his eyes. "By the way, have you heard about the bounty in Qingxue County?"

"How could we not? It’s about Jiang Beicheng, the son of the Jiang family—Qingxue County’s foremost clan. Three years ago, he was poisoned by a rare and deadly toxin. They sought out countless famous doctors, but none could cure him."

"In the end, the Jiangs spent a fortune to bring in a master from the capital, who managed only to suppress and seal the poison temporarily; it could not be removed. Word is, only the core of a Fourth Rank ferocious beast—the Hydra—can cure him completely!"

"Three years have passed. Despite pouring money and manpower into the search, the Jiang family has failed to find the Hydra’s core. Now, the poison has spread throughout Jiang Beicheng’s meridians, beyond the reach of medicine; even the seal can no longer restrain it."

"He has, at most, a month to live."

"That’s why the Jiang family’s bounty now extends across every city in the Ice and Snow Kingdom. Whoever provides the Hydra’s core will receive a billion taels of silver, and a seat as a guest elder of the Jiang clan."

One of them answered, but he seemed puzzled as to why his friend had brought this up.

The first man laughed. "That was half a month ago. Now, the Jiangs have doubled the bounty. But that’s not what I meant. They’ve added a new clause: if you can provide news of the Hydra’s whereabouts, you’ll be rewarded with a hundred million taels."

"You’re dreaming. The Hydra may be just a Fourth Rank beast, but it’s not something we can handle. That’s equivalent to a Meridian Unblocking expert, and ferocious beasts are often stronger than humans of the same level."

At this, the others rolled their eyes. They were all still at the Body Tempering stage—no match for a Fourth Rank beast. Even tracking it was beyond their abilities.

The Hydra was a rare creature, having appeared only a handful of times in the kingdom’s thirteen-hundred-year history. Even with strength, they would not know where to look.

"You fools, who said I was going to hunt the Hydra? I was just thinking..."

As his companions grumbled, Lin Fan smiled faintly, drained his cup of Clear Breeze Wine, and gazed at another table. He did not bother to listen further, though he vaguely heard mention of false information.

In Lin Fan’s view, that man was truly foolish.

With a clan as mighty as the Jiangs, anyone daring to deceive them would not live to see the next sunrise. Over so many years, surely others had tried to feed them false leads, but none had ever succeeded in claiming the reward, nor had any even shown their face.

So, the question remained: had such people really never existed?

Frankly, Lin Fan did not believe it…

About an hour later, Lin Fan stepped out of the Four Seas Tavern, having overheard all manner of rumors—family feuds, auction house sales, changes in the rankings of young prodigies.

But only three pieces of news were of any use to him: first, that Jiang Beicheng of the Jiang family was poisoned; second, that there was a gang known as the Blood Wolf Gang—a local power in Panlong City.

This gang was similar to the Sea Shark Society of Xiaobei City, but far stronger.

The third piece of news surprised him: in less than seven days, the Four Seas Auction House in Qingxue County would host a grand auction.

The treasures already known to be on offer included Purple Gold Ginseng, Three-Leaf Lingzhi, ten-year-old Polygonum, and all manner of divine weapons and rare artifacts.

Among the most prized items was a powerful cultivation method capable of advancing one to the River Realm.

Of course, Lin Fan was not interested in the cultivation method; instead, he saw the auction as an opportunity to sell some of his own goods—perhaps a few Vitality Fruits, Body Tempering Fruits, and the Godslayer Crossbow.

At the same time, given his serious injuries, he also needed to purchase medicinal herbs to aid his recovery.

When Lin Fan returned to the Zhang estate, Mo Li Wuyia had already left, and even the bodies in the courtyard had been cleared away—though the stench of blood still lingered.

He summoned Zhang Yi and instructed him, "Announce to the outside world that the Zhang family has been destroyed by the Lin family. Also, go and take over the Blood Wolf Gang; make them serve me."

"Young Master, what use is a small gang like the Blood Wolves? Their strongest members are only at the Qi Pulse stage. When I was in Panlong City before, a single order from me and they obeyed at once," Zhang Yi replied, perplexed. He could understand wanting to proclaim the Lin family’s triumph over the Zhangs to build their reputation and recruit followers, but the Blood Wolf Gang was so insignificant as to be scarcely worth the effort.

Lin Fan’s eyelids lifted slightly as he fixed Zhang Yi with a cold gaze. "Are you questioning my orders?"

In that instant, Lin Fan’s eyes became as lifeless as still water, making Zhang Yi shudder and lower his head. "I wouldn’t dare!"

"Then go," Lin Fan said, turning away toward the great hall, ignoring Zhang Yi.

Cold sweat beaded on Zhang Yi’s brow. For a moment, he had felt as if a noose had tightened around his neck, the suffocating pressure nearly overwhelming. Though the young master’s strength had not yet recovered, there was now an unfathomable aura about him—one that could not be explained.

Zhang Yi left the estate with head bowed, intent on subduing the Blood Wolf Gang and using them to spread the news—far more efficient that way.

"The Zhang family is destroyed. In seven days, attend the Four Seas Auction and auction a few items for me," Lin Fan communicated to Qian Jin through a voice transmitter, also sending details on the Body Tempering Fruit, Vitality Fruit, and the Godslayer Crossbow.

"No problem, Brother Fan. If you hadn’t contacted me, I was about to reach out to you. In seven days, the Four Seas Chamber is hosting an auction. I’ve already reserved one of the largest private rooms for us. Just waiting for your return."

Qian Jin’s quick reply brought a faint smile to Lin Fan’s lips. He put away the voice transmitter and entered the system space.

"Buy two Vitality Fruits and three hundred Body Tempering Fruits," he said to the system’s AI without hesitation. Soon, fruit after fruit materialized in his hands, and he tossed them into his storage ring.

He would auction only one Vitality Fruit and ten Body Tempering Fruits, keeping the rest to build up the Lin family’s strength.

If all went well, this would add more than three hundred Vitality Realm experts to the Lin family. Combined with the four hundred Zhang family retainers he had taken in—excluding those core members killed by the Mo family—his forces would now number nearly eight hundred Vitality Realm cultivators. Adding in Zhang Yi’s forty or fifty Qi Pulse experts, and the two Meridian Unblocking experts (Zhang Yi and his grandfather), the Lin family would be firmly established in Panlong City.

Such power was already comparable to a true great clan, albeit among the weakest of them—but a great clan nonetheless.

The only concern now was that the Lin family’s monopoly over Panlong City might attract the envy of other great clans. After all, apart from the top thirty families, no clan could dominate all the resources of an entire city—most were divided between two or three families. The top ten, meanwhile, each controlled several cities’ worth of resources.

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