Chapter 253: Facade
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
In the Ruan Family.
The servants were all busy setting up tables full of delicacies in preparation for the dinner.
Ruan Ming was in the living room. As he paced around, there was a worried look on his face. "Why are they not here yet? Look for them!"
"Yes, Sir!"
A few housekeepers agreed and were promptly dismissed.
Not long after, the head housekeeper frantically ran into the mansion. As he did, he clumsily tripped over a step and knocked his forehead into the ground, grazing it. "Family Head, someone delivered a letter together with Young Master's jade!"
Ruan Ming's heart skipped a beat as he composed himself and took the letter.
"What audacity..."
There were only a few words in the letter. After reading it, his right hand started to shiver. "This person has kidnapped Junxian and want us to bring the Yang Family's Green Blooded Qilin!"
The few housekeepers remained silent.
The Green Blooded Qilin was a treasure of the Ruan Family. It was a jade figure which had extraordinary properties of strengthening bones, enhancing elemental force and was an antidote to many types of poison.
"Who could it be? Guo Family? Li Family?"
Ruan Ming paced around. "This is an emergency. If the enemy could get hold of Junxian, this must mean that he had defeated He Shantong, the Black Tiger Taosui. When did the Ruan Family get ourselves such a strong enemy?"
He wouldn't believe that people would go after their family merely for the riches.
"It's alright, let me consult the few elders!"
He was a decisive person and went straight to the patriarchal hall.
As the few housekeepers exchanged glances, they all knew that the family head was decided. He would surely save Young Master Junxian. After all, he was not only his biological son but also the entire hop of the family's future.
In the patriarchal hall of the Ruan Family.
It was peaceful and surrounded by a few plots of spiritual farms filled with unique flowers and plants.
At the boundary of the spiritual farm, there were a few straw huts. Three old men who looked like farmers were sitting within as they smoked and drank tea.
"Greetings elders, I am the unfilial grandson, Ruan Ming!"
As soon as Ruan Ming arrived, he immediately knelt down and explained what had happened.
"We have seen Junxian before. He would surely be a Wu Zong in the Meridian Opening realm in the future and is the pillar of our family with potential to become stronger..."
As an elder emptied his smoke pot on a rock, he continued with a hoarse voice. "However, this time, our enemy is extremely strong. Even I myself don't have the confidence to defeat Black Tiger Taisui! It seems that we have to compromise... A human life is always more important. After all, it is just a mere Green Blooded Qilin!"
As they came to an agreement, the issue was settled.
"Mmm, we'll agree to this!"
The two elders by the sides nodded their heads in unison. "Just remember that you're responsible for this!"
"Of course!"
Ruan Ming replied respectfully. If not for the fact that the elder head and he shared the same heritage, he could not have resolved this easily.
"This is no big issue..."
The other two elders agreed to the arrangement. "You'll go by yourself and we will follow behind you secretly, hehe... I'll want to see what kind of god is he?"
"I'm afraid that the enemy will be prepared. Just in case, we should immediately inform Thousand Year Mountain!"
Ruan Ming quipped.
Thousand Year Mountain was an influential organisation in the Victorious East Region, and was led by a highly skilled martial artist ranked in the Dragon Ranks!
"That's true... After all, Black Tiger Taisui and Junxian are both from Thousand Year Mountain!"
In terms of influence, Thousand Year Mountain would be much stronger compared to the tiny Ruan Family, which was why the three elders agreed to it. "Although help might not come in time, it is still better than nothing!"
...
After half a day on Bull's Head Mountain.
Based on Fang Yuan's requirement, Ruan Ming had to personally deliver the goods.
In reality, this was all a facade.
The Green Blooded Qilin was randomly mentioned. With such a short time given, the Ruan Family had to personally come and could not plan for anything. This was Fang Yuan's motive.
On a plateau, he could see three people walking towards him. The one in front was Ruan Ming.
Behind him were two old-looking elders with powerful spiritual auras. Both of them were Wu Zongs in the Meridian Opening realm.
As for the elder head? He was guarding at home.
After all, it could be a trick to lure all of them out. The mansion was important and they had to guard it.
"Father..."
Ruan Junxian followed behind Fang Yuan with a desolate face. His martial arts were sealed but he was not severely injured. He was carrying an unconscious He Shantong.
As he saw Ruan Ming arrive, he called out to him but subsequently felt ashamed.
"Junxian, how are you and your master?"
Seeing this, Ruan Ming could only sigh.
"I'm alright and master is only slightly injured.... This person is a 3rd Meridian Wu Zong, be careful, Father!"
Ruan Junxian looked at Fang Yuan and exclaimed.
Who knew that Fang Yuan would completely ignore him? Fang Yuan looked at the family head of the Ruan Family. "You are Ruan Ming? Very well! Have you brought what I have asked for?"
"I've brought it!"
Ruan Ming opened his cloth bag. Inside, there was a green and red-coloured figure of a Qilin and it was glittering.
"Wait up!"
Seeing Fang Yuan approach him, Ruan Ming took a step back and raised the Green Blooded Qilin high up in the air. "I'll pass you the goods, but you'll pass me the person! If you dare to try anything funny, I'll destroy this treasure and the Ruan Family will forever be against you!"
"Hmmm... Whatever!"
Fang Yuan sighed and pushed Ruan Junxian forward.
As they approached each other, the two elders behind Ruan Ming started to muster their elemental force, making the situation rather tense.
In the vicinity, everyone was extremely tensed up.
Just as Ruan Junxian was halfway from reaching his father, something happened!
With a snicker, Fang Yuan executed his shadowstep and came in front of Ruan Ming, striking a claw out!
"What a thief!"
Ruan Ming glanced at him and mustered his elemental force as he was about to destroy the Green Blooded Qilin.
Beside him, the two elders exclaimed and struck the force of their spiritual meridians out.
All of this was planned before. If Fang Yuan wanted to snatch the Green Blooded Qilin, he would have to endure the strike from both Meridian Opening Wu Zongs! It was the perfect plan!
With a sinister smile, Fang Yuan dodged them.
"Bang!"
Unable to do anything, the Green Blooded Qilin was shattered to pieces as Ruan Ming was left stunned.
"Haha... Do you really think I'm after this thing?"
With a laugh, he pointed his right index finger out and a red sword essence appeared.
A sword's essence would strike as far as 30,000 miles, and a sword's radiance would blind 19 regions!
"Ah!"
The fight between highly skilled martial artists would mean that any mistakes would lead to the outcome of the fight. As the two Wu Zongs had predicted Fang Yuan's intentions wrongly, they had to dodge the sword essence with much embarrassment.
They were inferior to Fang Yuan from the beginning and now, they were panicking.
"Stay down!"
Behind Fang Yuan, his spiritual meridians formed and transfigured into a spiritual armour covering his whole body. As he came closer, he struck a claw out at Ruan Ming.
Under the attack of Sixth Elemental Force, being a normal Wu Zong, Ruan Ming could only do so much. Even after the Second Elemental Force exploded from his Qian Kun Giant Spiritual Technique, it was not enough. His neck was gripped on and his mind went blank.
"Father!"
Within seconds, Fang Yuan had already forced the two Meridian Opening Wu Zongs back and had captured Ruan Ming.
Ruan Junxian's expression changed as his eyes became bloodshot.
He finally understood that Fang Yuan had only revealed his Meridian Opening cultivation to him for him to trick his few elders and immediately felt regretful.
He never knew that this young man would be so dangerous!
"Mmm... It's just another two Meridian Opening Wu Zongs. Why not take both of them with me as an assurance!"
After capturing Ruan Ming, Fang Yuan glared at the other two elders, and they could sense danger in his eyes.
It was an unplanned surprise for him to be able to capture so many members of the Ruan Family.
"Thief!"
At this moment, there were sounds coming from the foot of the mountain, and a group of people were arriving.
The person leading the pack was an old man with white hair. Behind the old man, there were 6 spiritual meridians forming, making him appear like a giant.
"Qian Kun Giant Spiritual Technique? This must be the elder head to have reached such a level of cultivation! He should be in the Tiger Ranks!"
Fang Yuan was mildly shocked. As he looked at the group of people behind, he noticed that someone was pointing at him.
As vibrations from their voices spread, Fang Yuan became aware of what was happening. Outside his actualised dream world, a grey fog was attempting to enter.
"Buzz!"
In the next moment, the 8 Gates Sword Array shook and the red sword essence flashed around, reducing the grey fog to nothing.
"A curse master?! Or a dream master?"
Fang Yuan smiled. With the protection of the soul in his actualised dream world, it was an extremely effective defence against attacks from spiritual wills. This was especially so for fights among dream masters, as the main battleground would be in their actualised dream worlds.
As he looked down, he realised that most of them were spitting out blood.
"They have indeed called for reinforcements. These should be the highly skilled people in Yiwu County... forget it!"
He did not want to continue fighting and promptly left.
After all, he had already gotten what he wanted.
Furthermore, although there were only a few highly skilled people in Yiwu county, they would still give him trouble if they combined forces.
"Go!"
Before he left, he flicked his finger out. Suddenly, there appeared another sun in the sky. The sword essence from the red sword was like the brilliance from the sun. As it shone down, it seeped through the vegetation and rocks and blocked the group of people who were giving chase.
Everyone was shocked at slowed down as they witnessed Fang Yuan escaping into the woods.
"Brother!"
As the two elders saw the elder head, they were embarrassed.
"Who would've guessed that that crazy person was after Ruan Ming!"
The elder head gave a cold look. "Although I had already rushed here, it seems like I was a little late!"
Without caring about Ruan Junxian, he looked at the people behind. "How is Brother Qing Yun?"
"That person cultivates in both spiritual techniques and martial arts and has an extremely powerful spiritual will. Brother Qing Yun initially wanted to cast a spell to confuse him, but little did he know that he would experience backlash!"
A middle-aged woman shook her head. "When did your Ruan Family anger such a strong enemy? If I knew he would be so strong, I wouldn't have agreed to help out!"
"We're sorry about this!"
The elder head of Ruan Family gave a bitter smile. "I am also confused about this. However, rest assured that I will not get any of you implicated in this. After this, we'll deliver gifts as a form of compensation!"
With this, the few highly skilled martial artists who had arrived to help out became a little more amiable, but in the elder head's mind, he had already vomited blood countless times.