Chapter 104: Trouble from the Mouth

The head of the Jiang family was burdened with heavy thoughts throughout the journey.

Upon returning home, he sat beside the tea table in the council hall, growing increasingly restless as he pondered.

Suddenly, he called out toward the door, “Fetch Jiang Wei and the elder of the clan.”

“Yes, sir,” a servant replied respectfully and immediately hurried toward the backyard.

Before long, Jiang Wei and the elder arrived at the council hall.

Jiang Wei inquired, “Father, you summoned us in such haste—is something serious the matter?”

The elder wore a similar look of puzzlement.

The head of the Jiang family spoke gravely, “You’re both aware of what happened with Jiang Haotian, yes?”

They nodded.

“I just met with the city lord. He and the Mu family head intend to continue their covert attempts to assassinate Jiang Haotian. I hesitated, so I wanted to hear your opinions.”

“Given the circumstances, do we even have another choice?” the elder countered.

Jiang Wei said, “Jiang Haotian is a man who never lets go of a grudge. After our repeated attempts on his life, he won’t let this rest peacefully.”

“Sigh,” the family head sighed deeply. “I understand your points, but the situation is now set in stone. Trying to kill him again would be like a moth flying into the flame.”

Jiang Wei looked at him suspiciously. “Father, are you suggesting we seek peace?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“That’s impossible!” the elder refused outright.

“I understand your hatred—Jiang Haotian caused you to lose your arm, and he was responsible for Jiang Sen’s death. But have you considered that we brought this upon ourselves?”

The elder fell silent.

“We are different from the Mu and Ling families,” the family head continued. “They have no backing and can only rely on the city lord. But our Jiang family still has our second brother as a pillar.”

“Though not always dependable, when the fate of the family is at stake, he won’t stand by idly.”

“That’s why, from the beginning, we shouldn’t have aligned ourselves with the city lord,” he said, regret etched deeply across his face.

The second brother he mentioned was none other than Luo Qingzhu’s father, the grandmaster of Yan County’s Treasure Pavilion.

Jiang Wei asked, “So, what now? Should we seek peace or let the mistakes continue?”

“We cannot continue down the wrong path,” the family head shook his head, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. “I have decided—we will seek peace.”

The elder’s voice lowered. “Even if we take the initiative to seek peace, Jiang Haotian may never agree.”

“No, if we show sincerity, he will surely agree. After all, he has a deep connection with Qingzhu.”

“More importantly, he’s already capable of refining top-grade elixirs and is bound to rise in the future. With his relationship with Qingzhu, perhaps we can even use that connection to ease the tension between me and my second brother,” the family head explained.

The elder’s eyes lit up.

Looking at the elder, the family head asked, “What do you think?”

The elder pondered for a moment, then exhaled deeply. “If it helps ease our conflict with the second brother, then swallowing our pride and seeking peace is worth it.”

The family head smiled. “Alright, I’ll go find him now.”

Jiang Wei said, “Father, let me go.”

“You?” the family head questioned, looking at him skeptically.

Jiang Wei patted his chest confidently. “I guarantee the mission will be accomplished.”

The elder chuckled, “Let him go. After all, they’re both young—no generation gap. Besides, if this young man can establish a good relationship with Jiang Haotian, it will be of great benefit in the future.”

The family head furrowed his brow but ultimately nodded in agreement. “I’ll say this upfront—if you mess up, I’ll beat you when you return. Now go!”

“Too harsh—are you really my father?” Jiang Wei muttered in dissatisfaction.

...

“Where is my fiancé?”

A sharp, commanding voice rang out somewhere within the Alchemy Hall, like a lioness’s roar echoing through the night sky.

A masked woman, holding an umbrella, stormed angrily toward Feng Cheng’s villa.

Ling Yunfei followed behind with his mother, both wearing wry smiles.

“Your fiancée came looking for you?”

“Heh, looks like a good show is about to start.”

The rotund man sneaked along, his eyes gleaming mischievously, as if eager for chaos.

At the same time, Qin Feiyang heard the woman’s shout, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

The trouble he feared had finally arrived.

He closed his iron-bound book, listened carefully for a moment, heard no footsteps, and left the ancient mansion, walking slowly along the path.

In front of the villa, the masked woman kicked open the gate fiercely, like a fierce tigress.

Feng Cheng opened the door and looked at the woman with displeasure. “This is the Alchemy Hall’s restricted area. How can you just barge in like this? It’s disgraceful.”

“Don’t try to change the subject!” The masked woman took two quick steps forward, grabbed Feng Cheng by the beard, and strode into the pavilion. Standing in the middle of the hall, she demanded angrily, “Tell me, why do I suddenly have a fiancé?”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

“Girl, let go! Let go!”

Feng Cheng shouted.

Ling Yunfei and his mother stood to the side, barely suppressing their laughter.

Hearing the commotion, Luo Xiong and Elder Mo hurried over. Seeing the scene, they exchanged amused smiles.

“Greetings, esteemed elders,” Ling Yunfei said with a bow.

“No need to be so formal in private,” Luo Xiong replied with a smile, then looked at Ling Yunfei’s mother. “If I recall correctly, your name is Liu Zhi?”

“That’s right,” Liu Zhi nodded, somewhat flattered.

Seeing this, Ling Yunfei grasped his mother’s hand, glanced at Luo Xiong, Feng Cheng, and Elder Mo, then bowed deeply.

“I haven’t had the chance to meet you three before. I heard Sister Feng was coming to the Alchemy Hall, so I brought my mother here to thank you in person.”

“Thank you for helping rescue my mother. I, Ling Yunfei, will never forget this kindness.”

Luo Xiong’s face lit up with a satisfied smile. “You should be thanking Jiang Haotian most of all.”

“Indeed,” Ling Yunfei nodded.

“Have you guys finished chatting? This girl has gone crazy—come help me out here!”

Feng Cheng shouted, exasperated.

They all exchanged glances and smiled.

Luo Xiong shook his head. “This is your family matter; we can’t help.”

Then he and Elder Mo folded their arms, preparing to watch the spectacle unfold.

Naturally, Ling Yunfei and his mother dared not intervene.

“No loyalty,” Feng Cheng glared fiercely at Luo Xiong and Elder Mo.

After Luo Xiong arrived, the masked woman calmed considerably and released Feng Cheng’s beard, bowing slightly to the two elders.

They smiled and nodded in return.

The masked woman then turned to Feng Cheng, snorting coldly. “You’ve only been at the Martial King Hall for two years, and yet suddenly you have a fiancé out of nowhere. You must explain this.”

Feng Cheng smiled sheepishly. “Girl, this isn’t Grandpa’s fault. It’s all Jiang Haotian’s doing. If you want to find someone, find him. Even if you skin him alive, Grandpa won’t blame you.”

“Jiang Haotian!” The masked woman’s brows furrowed, a fierce hatred flashing in her eyes.

“That woman is not to be trifled with,” Qin Feiyang muttered quietly from outside the door.

In truth, he had arrived earlier, but upon seeing that Feng Cheng’s granddaughter was the masked woman he had encountered only yesterday, he dared not enter.

This woman was far too formidable.

Jiang Wei’s fate was still fresh in his mind, and he had no desire to embarrass himself publicly.

“Call Ling Yunfei out, then make a quick exit,” he whispered, crouching low to peer inside at the group.

At that moment, the rotund man sneaked into the courtyard.

Noticing Qin Feiyang lurking suspiciously at the gate, his eyes brightened. He quietly approached, stood behind Qin Feiyang, and peered inside.

“So many people?”

He tapped his head, then patted Qin Feiyang on the shoulder. “Why are you hiding here? Aren’t you going to see your fiancée?”

Qin Feiyang stiffened.

When did this damned fat man arrive?

Everyone inside the hall turned toward the door, surprised to see Qin Feiyang and the rotund man.

Qin Feiyang smiled awkwardly, never having felt so embarrassed.

He straightened and glared fiercely at the rotund man.

“What’s going on?”

The rotund man looked puzzled.

“I’ll deal with you later!” Qin Feiyang snorted coldly and entered the hall, chuckling nervously. “Um… hello, everyone.”

“We’re doing very well,” Luo Xiong nodded with a mischievous grin, as if to say, “Kid, you’re in big trouble now.”

Qin Feiyang’s smile stiffened but quickly recovered.

He turned to face the masked woman and met her icy gaze.

His heart tightened as he stammered, “Miss, this is a misunderstanding. Let me explain...”

Before he could finish, the masked woman said, “There’s nothing to explain. If I’m not mistaken, the Alchemy Hall has a pig cage, right? Go stay in it for a few days!”

With that, she stepped forward and suddenly stood before Qin Feiyang, reaching out to grab his shoulder.

“This woman is truly a handful,” Qin Feiyang muttered, immediately activating his smoke-step technique and leaping back.

He had no intention of going anywhere near the pig cage.

“Oh!” The masked woman showed surprise that he had dodged.

“Not bad, but if you think you can slip away from me, you don’t have the skill,” she said coldly, closing the distance in a single step and grabbing his wrist with lightning speed.

Her fingers were like jade, her skin smooth as cream, giving Qin Feiyang a strangely pleasant sensation.

But he had no time for that, forcing a smile. “Miss, men and women should maintain proper boundaries.”

“Aren’t you my fiancé? What difference does it make?” The masked woman smiled playfully.

Qin Feiyang hurriedly said, “This really is a misunderstanding...”

“Ling’er, it’s really you,” a voice of surprise came from outside the door.

Everyone turned to see Lin Chen running in swiftly.

Qin Feiyang’s eyes flickered with suspicion.

When he saw Lin Chen, he noticed the masked woman’s arm stiffen slightly.

“Could they know each other?” he muttered.

Lin Chen entered the hall, his eyes darkening as he saw the masked woman holding Qin Feiyang’s hand.

At that moment, Qin Feiyang realized something clearly.

If he guessed right, Lin Chen must have feelings for this tigress.

That’s why, upon hearing the rumors, Lin Chen had treated him as a rival and targeted him relentlessly.

Thinking this over, Qin Feiyang felt both angry and amused.

He never imagined a casual remark would bring about such an unexpected disaster.

Truly, misfortune comes from the mouth.