That figure in green landed in front of him, and Chen An instantly recognized her.
Although he had only seen her once before, he had later investigated his suddenly-appearing "older brother," and likewise looked into the few "friends" that man had brought along.
Among them, this woman in green had left a particularly deep impression.
The reason was simple: her attitude toward Chen Kuang was absolutely not that of an equal friend. Rather, it was a mix between the respectful loyalty of a bodyguard and the dutiful deference of a maidservant.
In her eyes, there was no one else but Chen Kuang. As for others, she could not care less.
It could be called a different form of arrogance.
This was also one of the key reasons why Chen An found this "older brother" of his suspicious, these few companions of his clearly bore uncommon bearing.
If what Chen Kuang said was true, that he had spent these past years living as a wandering musician and surviving by selling his art, then how had he managed to pick up such a group of friends?
These days, with the political turmoil across the land, women with such poise and cultivation who would show themselves in public were exceedingly rare.
Even if they had fallen on hard times, how likely was it that they would depend on a wandering musician, who himself had no stable shelter?
And even if they did meet on the road, why would they be so warm-hearted as to help him, disregarding their own safety?
No matter how one looked at it, the situation was deeply suspicious.
If Chen An had been home back then, he absolutely would not have allowed these people into the house so casually. Unfortunately, the one at home at the time had been Gantang...
Later, Chen An had already commissioned the Soil True Officials to help investigate, but even to this day, he had yet to receive any solid intelligence.
Only Pei Xiu had dropped hints, several times, that Chen Kuang's identity was not a problem, and that he had no intention of coveting anything from the Chen family.
That was why Chen An hadn't tried testing Chen Kuang, nor opposed the decision to let Chen Ning leave with him.
But why had Pei Xiu remained ambiguous while still insisting there was no issue? Chen An had always felt uneasy about that, but he had no way to get to the truth.
And now, in this very moment, Chen An finally understood why Pei Xiu had taken that elusive stance.
With just a single sword strike, this green-robed woman had cleanly beheaded an eight-meridian soldier under the command of the local authorities.
Clean and decisive. One hit, instant kill.
In other words, this "maidservant" of Chen Kuang's was at least at the Innate Realm!
Chen An's heart trembled violently.
Qingcuo glanced at Chen An and made a gesture with her hand as everal long swords, including the one that had pierced through the skull of that eight-meridian officer, flew to her side, orbiting her like stars surrounding the moon.
Surging killing intent radiated from her figure.
Though the rain poured relentlessly, the area around her was crisscrossed by sword light, forming an impermeable barrier.
It was as if tge water could not touch her, as if she were some goddess of battle descended from the heavens.
She had not learned many techniques, but there was one thing she had truly mastered.
The art of killing.
"Everyone, please retreat for now. If it is not absolutely necessary, do not come out."
Qingcuo turned her gaze toward the Chen family couple who had rushed out from the main hall in panic.
Her expression remained calm as she raised her fingers in a sword gesture and said flatly:
"I am about to start killing."
Chen Rong cupped his hands nervously and stammered, "May I ask, young lady, who you are-"
"Swish!"
Qingcuo's sword gesture flicked diagonally, and another head fell behind her.
Another officer had tried to sneak up on her.
The severed head rolled to the ground, and the body collapsed to its knees. The gash across its neck was as wide as a rice bowl and perfectly smooth.
Blood sprayed out violently and was instantly washed away by the clashing rain, vanishing into the deluge.
The sight made Chen Rong's heart tremble even more violently. He began recalling whether he or anyone else in the Chen household had ever treated Qingcuo and her companions with any disrespect.
Fortunately, they had not.
Because of how much Gantang valued Chen Kuang, even the servants had been strictly ordered to treat the young master and his friends as honored guests.
Even they themselves had only investigated discreetly, afraid to provoke Gantang.
Outsiders may not know the truth, but the close family members, and especially Chen Rong, were keenly aware of just how obsessed Gantang had become.
Her longing for her lost son had driven her to the edge of madness...
This was also why Chen Rong and Chen An had treated Chen Kuang's identity with such caution. They did not want anyone taking advantage of Gantang's grief.
But now it seemed... maybe they had overthought things.
Or perhaps... they had underestimated it.
Now that the situation had become this serious, Qingcuo naturally could not reveal the truth to them, lest she create more complications.
Still, she decided she should at least calm the Chen family's nerves. So she spoke in the gentlest tone she could muster:
"There is no need for the master and madam to worry. I am merely a servant under the master's command, here to ensure the safety of the Chen household. Please wait a moment, when the master appears, he will answer all your questions."
In the eyes of this slow-witted beast, recognized by Chen Kuang, if others were weaker than her, then they were safe.
Thus, presenting herself as meek was the best reassurance.
A guard or subordinate might seem more threatening.
In every respect, the identity of a maidservant was the most non-threatening and secure, signaling both her weakness and her loyalty.
Qingcuo was quite pleased with her quick improvisation.
She had no idea, however, how much shock her use of the word "servant" had caused those present.
Far more than watching her casually slice apart an eight-meridian expert earlier, this was something far harder to digest.
Chen Rong stood dumbfounded, his words caught in his throat.
In their eyes, Chen An was already among the elite martial cultivators of the Jianghu.
Within the Canal Guild, only two deputy leaders were at the Innate Realm. The rest, whether chapter heads or subchapter leaders, were rarely even at nine meridians.
Were it not for Chen An's youth and lack of experience, his strength alone would qualify him to contend for chapter leader status.
But now, an opponent that Chen An struggled against had been taken down by Qingcuo in a single move.
Clearly, her cultivation was far above Chen An's.
For someone like her to call herself a "servant", this was entirely outside of the bounds of reason.
Before she spoke, although their relationship had resembled master and servant, it was still possible to excuse things by saying Chen Kuang hadn't actually ordered her around, and had only referred to them all as his friends.
But now Qingcuo had personally confirmed it!
In Chen Rong's understanding, cultivators were proud by nature. That was almost a given.
So to make someone of such strength willingly act as a servant, there was only one possible explanation.
Chen Kuang's cultivation... must be even higher than that of this green-robed woman.
Chen Rong's brow twitched uncontrollably. His heart thudded wildly in his chest. Despite the destruction all around the Chen estate, he felt an inexplicable surge of heat inside him.
It was a feeling he knew well.
Back when a friend first told him there was a chance to join the Canal Guild, he had felt this same sensation.
He had thought it over for one night, then made the decision, no matter the cost, he would attach himself to the Canal Guild.
He had a hunch that if he missed that opportunity, he would regret it for life.
Sure enough, years later, the Canal Guild had risen above countless other factions, becoming a dominant force. And Chen Rong had become a man known far and wide as "Old Master Chen."
Now, that feeling had returned.
But...
Chen Rong remembered how coldly Chen Kuang had treated him.
He thought back to how he had ignored him these past few days, and even gone behind his back to investigate him...
That surge of heat was instantly extinguished, like being drenched in a basin of cold water.
Chen Rong gave a bitter smile.
This opportunity... he might have already missed it.
...
Gantang, standing in the rain, hurried to support Chen An, feeding him a healing pill.
After hearing Qingcuo's words, she immediately looked up and cautiously asked, "Miss Qing, did Kuang'er send you?"
Qingcuo nodded.
Gantang quickly asked, "Then what about him? Isn't he coming with us?"
Qingcuo shook her head. "The master still has things to handle. And... the current disaster at the Chen estate, to some extent, is partially because of us."
"If the master does not appear even after I've dealt with these people, I will escort all of you away myself, to avoid further harm."
If the target were solely the Chen household, there would be no need for someone like the Jingshan Daoist, with his level of cultivation, to appear.
And from the intel he had disclosed earlier, it was clear the Prefect already knew of Chen Kuang's whereabouts,meaning their tracks had been exposed.
What remained uncertain was: how soon would the Martial Saint Pavilion's people arrive?
If it were just the Canal Guild, Qingcuo alone could handle it.
But with three experts from the Martial Saint Pavilion, each near the Master Realm, and all accompanied by disciples, the level of threat was no longer the same.
It was practically certain death.
Lin Eryou and Zhou Yanwei had stayed behind, but their contributions would be limited. Together with Qingcuo, they could at most hold back one of them.
Shen Xingzhu's projection could deal with another.
But the last one...
Qingcuo couldn't think of any way to contend.
She had already contacted Pei Xiu earlier, who, now acting as Chen Kuang's spokesperson, had deployed the main forces of the Soil True Officials to the various locations marked on that list.
Saving even a few would be a victory.
At this point, even if it meant exposing some of Liang's hidden assets, they no longer had the luxury of holding back.
Previously, the Zhou Kingdom's Enlightenment Envoy was restricted by Prince Qi.
As the most likely candidate for Crown Prince, he still cared somewhat about his public image and tried to maintain a semblance of "benevolence."
Of course, how much of that so-called "benevolence" ever reached the suffering people was questionable, but at least it kept the Envoy from being too wantonly cruel to the conquered population.
This time, however, Prince Qi had marched north to fight the barbarians.
With no one to restrain the Enlightenment Envoy, he had full authority to carry out "education" as he saw fit.
And this particular Enlightenment Envoy of Jishao Prefecture had chosen to collaborate with the Prefect and the local gang powers to implement the most brutal form of cleansing and suppression.
They intended to silence all opposing voices and eliminate all dissent in one sweeping blow.
If this campaign of cultural conquest began with such bloody "success," the other Enlightenment Envoys across Liang would surely follow suit, using it as a model.
Then the entire nation of Liang would truly be beyond saving.
They could not allow such a thing to happen. Otherwise, any future attempt to revive Liang would become nearly impossible.
For Chen Kuang personally, he could not allow his own family to live in such an environment.
Especially not when the gang factions colluding with the Prefect and the Enlightenment Envoy were now aiming to eliminate the Chen family.
To him, this wasn't just about destroying the Chen family.
It was about stripping away the three layers of protection he had built for himself.
Such a thing, was absolutely not allowed to happen!
With all their interests aligned, it was no wonder Chen Kuang had invested so much into preparing for this situation.
But Qingcuo could not see how he, a mere nine-meridian cultivator, was supposed to contend with Martial Saint Pavilion elites who might have already reached half a step into the Master Realm.
And yet... even without a clear answer, she found herself inexplicably calm.
She had witnessed how Chen Kuang had clawed his way out of death row, surviving where others would perish.
In just half a month, he had gone from an ordinary mortal with no cultivation to a nine-meridian practitioner.
She had seen him shatter the spine of Li Hongling, a foe they had thought unbeatable.
She had also seen him lure away two Moon-Embracing Elders of the Three Calamities Sect alone, and survive the encounter to regroup with them.
Qingcuo was not good at understanding or expressing emotions, but deep within her, she was shaken.
That long, silent tremor in her heart was like the first crack in a glacier.
The sound of splitting ice, low and distant, was not loud nor violent, but it echoed all the way to the glacier's foundation and heralded the beginning of its collapse.
She did not know when it began, but at some point, in her heart, Chen Kuang had become a person like that crack.
As long as he existed, something could be broken, something could be changed...
No matter what insurmountable wall stood in front of them.
As long as Chen Kuang was there, the wall would one day crack and crumble.
Gantang was dazed. "Kuang'er wants us to leave first? He wants to stay behind and face these soldiers alone?"
Her face was pale. "Can't he come with us?"
Qingcuo shook her head. "Not those soldiers."
Gantang froze, and before she could feel relief, Qingcuo added, "The ones coming are enemies a hundred times stronger. If they arrive, the Chen estate, and even the entire surrounding town, might be annihilated."
"So, Master and Madam, please prepare quickly. For now, there's no need to worry."
Having said that, Qingcuo leapt into the air.
The flying swords around her moved freely, whistling as they darted through the estate, decapitating the remaining officers as effortlessly as harvesting grass.
In that instant, the wind changed direction.
Those who had once been arrogant and overbearing were now terrified, screaming and fleeing, were the very soldiers who had come to arrest them.
...
Chen Rong and Gantang helped Chen An back into the main hall.
The three of them exchanged silent glances. Water dripped from their drenched clothes, pooling around them, as the sounds of screaming and the storm outside echoed through the estate. None of them spoke.
The difference was that Gantang's silence stemmed from sorrow and worry, while the father and son were overwhelmed by emotional turbulence brought on by the drastic shift in their perception.
The complete overturning of Chen Kuang's identity left them in utter disbelief.
Chen Rong recalled his own guarded attitude. The way he had briefly looked down on Chen Kuang's background as a wandering minstrel.
The private decision he had made to ensure Chen Kuang would never inherit the family's business. Now, all of that made him feel like a complete joke.
Chen An, too, remembered how arrogant he had been before Chen Kuang, speaking condescendingly and even saying things like, "I'll keep you safe for a lifetime."
And now? It was Chen Kuang's "maidservant" who had just saved his life.
Chen An was mortified. He felt that the next time he saw Chen Kuang, he'd have to go out of his way to avoid him.
Otherwise, that one phrase would come rushing back and haunt him on the spot, it was so embarrassing he could die from it.
When identity and perception are so dramatically overturned, even previous suspicions seem to crumble on their own.
Besides, the Chen family was no longer the Chen family it once had been.
In the southern docklands, they held considerable influence, but that was only because they had the backing of the Canal Guild.
Now that the Guild was "cleaning house," others would quickly adjust their sails with the shifting winds.
How much of their family property would remain after this... was completely unknown.
That said, even though Qingcuo had claimed that today's attack on the Chen estate was partially due to them, Chen Rong and Chen An weren't foolish enough to think Chen Kuang had orchestrated it.
The Canal Guild had been planning to move against the Chen family for a long time. It had been a slow accumulation of grievances, especially under Fan Hailong's autocratic leadership.
The reckoning today likely extended far beyond just their household.
"Coo, coo..."
Suddenly, a pigeon flew in from outside.
Chen An's eyes sharpened. With a wave of his hand, the pigeon flew directly to him, a small sealed letter tied to its leg.
"It's from the branch president at the western docks..."
As he spoke, he opened the letter and his expression darkened.
"He wanted to warn us, he received news that Fan Hailong intends to eliminate all non-aligned branches of the Guild, to purge dissent... Even a swift pigeon like this would have taken half an hour to fly here in the rain."
Chen Rong sighed. "Then he must have sent it too late. By now, he's likely either captured or dead."
That western dock branch had always had a good relationship with the Chen family.
Now, though, it seemed no one was safe.
Chen An released the pigeon, but instead of flying away, it circled above, cooing anxiously, hovering low to the ground.
He frowned, then said, "I'll go take a look."
"Be careful," Chen Rong warned.
Outside, the storm had intensified. Thunder rolled across the sky.
The Chen estate, and indeed the entire town, had already fallen into eerie silence.
Chen An climbed out the window, leapt onto the wall, and looked toward the low-flying pigeon.
His pupils contracted sharply.
Lightning cracked through the night sky, illuminating the dark clouds.
Underneath the tree by the wall of the Chen estate lay a pile of pigeon corpses, at least fourteen or fifteen of them!
His heart pounded as he jumped down and picked up the bodies one by one. Each had a letter tied to its leg.
He opened them one by one.
"The Lan family, with three top scholars among its members... The Ji family, who publicly vowed they'd rather die than submit to Zhou occupation... The Salt Guild... The Yue Lake Gang..."
The more Chen An read, the more alarmed he became.
Fourteen pigeons in total. Each one represented a family or a faction.
They had all received news and tried to alert others, but all their messages had been intercepted.
And this was probably just the tip of the iceberg...
Chen An laid the pigeon bodies down and looked up at the pitch-black sky churning with thunderclouds.
The wind and rain were so intense it blocked out all visibility.
He took a deep breath and murmured,
"Enemies stronger than the officers... stronger than the Prefect... stronger than the Canal Guild..."
"Chen Kuang... Big Brother... don't tell me he's trying to save all of Jishao Prefecture?"
...
The Prefect's Residence.
The Prefect, supposedly the most distinguished man in the estate, was at this moment bowing respectfully alongside Fan Hailong of the Canal Guild.
Both were offering fine wine to three individuals seated at the head of the hall.
The Enlightenment Envoy from Zhou stood beside them, keeping them company.
As an Enlightenment Envoy, he represented the might and mercy of the Zhou Emperor bestowed upon the conquered. To maintain imperial dignity, he didn't need to bow to members of the Martial Saint Pavilion.
Especially since the Pavilion and Zhou were closely aligned.
The three before them were all Moon-Embracing Realm cultivators, one of them even at the peak of the realm, a half-step into Master Realm.
"Immortal Shi, Immortal Bai, Immortal Lou, this wine is brewed using the first thaw of the Eastern Court Lake in early March. A brew like this comes once in a century, only our Jishao Prefecture has it."
"To toast your campaign, nothing could be more fitting."
The Prefect smiled obsequiously as he introduced the wine. "May the three Immortals achieve swift and total victory!"
These three were no ordinary individuals. Even without the Pavilion behind them, they were still leaders and elders of formidable sects.
Shi Youguang of the Rotten Branch Mountain.
Bai Fen, Sect Master of the Firebrand Sect.
Lou Lan, Guest Elder of the One Heart Academy.
Any one of them could shake the land with just a single command.
Being able to toast these three was, in the Prefect's eyes, something of an honor.
Compared to them, even the Liberty Mountain scholar who had visited yesterday seemed unimpressive.
Ah, people really shouldn't compare themselves to others.
Still, what intrigued the Prefect most was the man named Chen Kuang, who had taken Liang's royal wife and daughter.
Just who was this guy? Did he have three heads and six arms?
To have the Martial Saint Pavilion dispatch three experts of such terrifying cultivation to surround and kill him, wasn't that a bit much?
"You look like you've got something to ask?" Shi Youguang said, reading the prefect's expression with ease.
The Prefect jolted in fright and immediately dropped to his knees. "I-I wouldn't dare..."
Lou Lan giggled. Her pale face was bright and stunning. "Why get so scared just from a question? Relax, we cultivators are still human. We won't eat you~"
Bai Fen frowned. He clearly found the Prefect's sycophancy repulsive.
Shi Youguang smiled. "Go ahead and ask. For this wine's sake, I'll humor you."
The Prefect breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously said, "Isn't it a bit excessive for the three of you to go after one man? In my humble opinion, any one of you could squash him like an ant."
"An ant?" Lou Lan chuckled. "If only he were an ant! But unfortunately... he's not."
Her smile was bright, but her eyes were ice-cold.
She reached out and brushed a finger along the Prefect's greasy cheek, making him momentarily dazed, his eyes unfocused.
"What kind of 'ant' can escape unscathed after being hunted by two Moon-Embracing Elders of the Three Calamities Sect?"
"Di Wu had only just received the order to intercept him, and then, bam, news came back that he was dead... and we still don't know who did it."
"Once is coincidence. Twice, that's skill."
"With such capabilities, even the Martial Saint Pavilion must treat him seriously."
Lou Lan sighed and withdrew her hand. The Prefect remained standing still like a statue.
"If one isn't enough, and two don't work, then we send three~"
She picked up her cup and downed the wine with a smile. "The Martial Saint Pavilion has no shortage of experts. Even if he's a once-in-a-millennium genius, a freak with talent surpassing even Shen Xingzhu, before he has time to grow, we can bury him with enough experts!"
"Don't you all agree~?"
She turned, only to find Bai Fen had already vanished.
Lou Lan pouted. "He really is a battle maniac. So impatient."
Shi Youguang said, "In that case, I should get going too."
"Aren't you already gone?" Lou Lan said, smacking him on the head, but her hand passed right through his face. It was just a projection.
He had long since departed for the Chen estate.
Lou Lan shoved the motionless Prefect aside and vanished like a gust of wind.
The Prefect collapsed backward, stiff as a board.
Fan Hailong rushed forward in alarm, only to discover the Prefect had already stopped breathing, his expression still frozen in greed and yearning.
...
In a quiet room, Chen Kuang opened his eyes from meditation.
A surge of visible power gathered around him, rising sharply as spiritual energy surged all through his meridians, condensed into a single, unyielding and intense flow.
After three days of refinement, he had finally broken through to the Innate Realm and condensed his Origin Force!
It was a bit late, but he'd made it.