Chapter 164:

Inside the Taoist temple in the north of the Imperial Capital.

Taoist Qingyi’s face didn’t look good, and he was scolding Dao Zhen in front of him.

He already understood the whole story about what happened at the vegetable market.

"The fault is not yours, but during this time, you should also be more cautious in your actions and not mingle too much with ordinary people," Qingyi scolded.

Regardless of whether the fault lies with Dao Zhen or Dao Xu, Immortal Gate will not bow to the Great Yan Imperial Court and hand over the disciples who caused a ruckus in the marketplace.

Since Emperor Yonghe manifested the imperial fortune of the Human Emperor Sword, the attitudes of Great Dao Sect and other Immortal Gates have inevitably changed, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Using oppressive force is not advisable; it might backfire. If it provokes the resistance of the Great Yan Imperial Court or Emperor Yonghe, things will be difficult to resolve.

With the foundation of the Nine Immortal Gates, they naturally don’t fear a mere mortal emperor who holds the Human Emperor Sword.

But Immortal Gate belongs to Immortal Gate, and cultivators belong to themselves.

In the eyes of Elder Qingyi, Emperor Yonghe now is like a dirty mop, while Lv Bu is alive.

Although they don’t think highly of this ordinary king, they also don’t want to take the initiative to touch Emperor Yonghe’s bad luck.

Therefore, Elder Qingyi made his disciple Dao Xu face the wall and reflect for ten years at the gate of the mountain. In Qingyi’s view, Immortal Gate has already lowered its head.

If this matter spreads to the ears of other Immortal Gates, they would probably be ridiculed.

The people in the immortal path have long transcended the mundane world. They are revered and greatly admired by worldly mortals who worship them like gods.

How can the laws of the mundane world restrain cultivators?

Despite Elder Qingyi’s scolding, Dao Zhen appeared sincere in admitting his mistake, but his mind was somewhat absent.

He was pondering over a question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

"I have personally witnessed the untimely deaths of Qiao Zhong and Qiao Shuanglin, two members of the Qiao’s family."

"But why… after their deaths, my soul-binding spell didn’t work?"

When mortal bodies die and souls scatter, although it happens quickly, there is still a process.

Cultivators like Dao Zhen, who have mastered soul-binding spells, naturally have no problem capturing the soul of a recently deceased mortal.

But why… two consecutive failures?

"These two members of the Qiao family seem to be extraordinary…" Dao Zhen observed quietly, but suspicion arose in his heart.

However, he didn’t ask Elder Qingyi at this moment when she was angry.

Just after Elder Qingyi warned him not to get too involved with mortals, he asked, fearing that he would meet Senior Sister Dao Xu on the Introspection Cliff of the sect later.

He kept his doubts deep in his heart, but his curiosity about the Qiao family grew stronger.

"I wonder how many more people are in the Qiao family. If they are all such exceptional individuals, it would be worth taking a closer look," Dao Zhen’s lips curled slightly upwards.

………………

The old house of the Fang family.

Qiao Mu left the old house alone, while Fang Yuan saw him off at the door.

The two of them were a bit reserved in their interactions and didn’t exchange many pleasantries.

After all, Fang Yuan had initially met Qiao Zhong, who had introduced him to Fang Yuan’s mentor Qiao Shuanglin, and Qiao Senlin was another elder of the Qiao family who had just arrived in the Imperial Capital.

Moreover, Qiao Senlin had come for revenge, which made Fang Yuan feel a slight sense of guilt.

Of course, this was what Fang Yuan thought in his heart, not Qiao Mu.

Whether it was Qiao Zhong, Qiao Shuanglin, or the current Qiao Senlin, they were all just wearing different disguises, but inside they were the same.

The same thoughts, the same determination, always consistent.

"It’s time to solve the feud between Wan Ronghua and Qiao Mu," thought Qiao Mu.



At first, there was no feud between him and Wan Ronghua. He only became interested when he heard that this wealthy man from Imperial Capital had caused the downfall of Fang Yuan’s family.

Later, he discovered that he had been framed twice and suffered damage to his reputation, which caused the grudge to form.

Knowing Wan Ronghua’s methods, it was clear that he wanted more than just ruining Qiao Mu’s reputation. There would definitely be more ruthless actions to come… but Qiao Mu wasn’t going to sit back and don’thing.

When the young woman confessed to the authorities and revealed Wan Ronghua as the mastermind, and when the authorities cleared Qiao Shuanglin’s name, Qiao Mu was a bit surprised.

So he waited for a few more days, hoping to see if the Great Yan authorities would uphold justice and cause some trouble for Wan Ronghua, even if it was just a little bit.

However, his wait was in vain.

Since that was the case, it was now his time to step into the spotlight. Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Breaking into the mansion of a powerful and wealthy person was something he had done before.

……..

At the entrance of the old house, after saying goodbye to Qiao Mu, Fang Yuan also left, preparing to go on duty at the heavenly prison.

Qiao Senlin had just met him, and Qiao Senlin didn’t mention the fact that he was planning to confront Wan Ronghua.

If he knew, he would surely feel uneasy.

Once on the street, Fang Yuan’s thoughts were still a bit chaotic, immersed in the recent dramatic changes.

After buying the old Fang family house, he thought he could prosper and establish the Fang family’s name in the Imperial Capital. If his little sister was still here, maybe she would come back too.

However, things didn’t turn out as he expected.

Qiao Shuanglin, who had helped him, quickly died. And there were enemies who added fuel to the fire. Afterward, he even heard from Qiao Mu that his little sister had changed her name and married into the Fang family…

Lost in these thoughts, he didn’t notice a wrinkled old man with a white beard quietly approaching among the pedestrians on the street.

Then, as they brushed past each other, the old man purposely or accidentally bumped into the shoulder.

"Oh dear–"

The old man slipped and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the cobblestone street. Blood was flowing, giving him a somewhat terrifying appearance as he cried out in pain, unable to get up.

"Young man, did I offend you? Can’t you restrain yourself from causing such trouble for an old man like me–" The fallen old man shouted at the top of his lungs.

Fang Yuan was taken aback for a moment and before he could gather his thoughts, he tried to reach out and help the old man with the bleeding head.

However, just as he was about to make a move, a crowd started gathering, drawn by the commotion.

"Don’t you young people look where you’re going?"

"Tsk tsk, isn’t this old gentleman already in his seventies or eighties? At such an old age, even a minor fall…"

The surrounding pedestrians crowded in, voicing their disapproval and creating a noisy atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan suddenly felt a sense of familiarity as his heart grew calm…

When the incident happened at the market, he wasn’t present, but he witnessed the amazing show at the entrance of the clinic.

"Is it Wan Ronghua?" he wondered to himself.

No, it couldn’t be, Wan Ronghua wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake for the third time…

If he wanted to frame me, a mere pawn, he would use a more clever method.

This simple framing tactic wasn’t enough to fool a wicked person.



As a guard of the heavenly prison, he wasn’t a good person either and knew how to handle troublemakers with appropriate methods.

Fang Yuan’s heart sank, his eyes squinted slightly, and he lowered his head to grab the old man’s collar, lifting him up from the ground.

However, he felt a sadness in his heart that was hard to put into words.

If the situation wasn’t like Wan Ronghua’s, then perhaps there would be an even worse possibility…

Does that sister who isn’t related to him by blood want him to end up like Qiao Shuanglin, or die a tragic death?