"Senior brothers, stop standing there in a daze. Hurry up and help." Feng Ning pulled a large bundle of hemp rope out of her Storage Bag. "Tie them all up."
At these words, Helian Changkong and Bai Junze stepped forward to help first. Wan Chongshan no longer held back, scurrying over with eager excitement to stealthily snatch everyone's Storage Bags.
Mo Xuan wanted to help as well, but Di Siyu held him back. "You have internal injuries. Don't move around just yet."
When Su Yunfeng finally caught up, sweating profusely after failing to find Feng Ning earlier, this was the peaceful, picturesque scene that greeted him: the entire family, all neat and present in one place.
Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother were busy tying people up and tossing them onto the Flying Eagle.
Master was lurking nearby, up to goodness knows what.
Eldest Senior Brother and Junior Sister—well, Junior Brother—were just standing on the sidelines watching.
"Fourth Senior Brother, you've arrived at the perfect time. You know how to pilot a Flying Eagle, right? Take me to the Feng family." Feng Ning leaped onto the Flying Eagle and beckoned to Su Yunfeng.
Su Yunfeng hurried forward, only to ask with a belated sense of uncertainty, "To the Feng family?"
Was this the Feng family he was thinking of?
"Mm." Feng Ning nodded with a smile, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Don't chicken out. We're just going to drop off some gifts, not start a war."
Feng Ning still possessed the most basic sense of self-awareness.
"Oh." Although Su Yunfeng didn't understand, he respected Junior Sister's ideas. Besides, the Flying Eagle was fast; even Deity Transformation Stage powerhouses couldn't catch it.
Just as he was about to take the controls of the Flying Eagle, he watched as his master, senior brothers, and junior brother all leaped aboard.
The family... was once again neat and present.
Wan Chongshan said earnestly, "Little disciple, count us in. Just in case a fight breaks out, we'll have a few extra people to take the beatings for you."
Feng Ning: "..."
"Fine then!" Faced with their worried yet expectant gazes, she really couldn't bring herself to refuse. "Many hands make light work. Strike hard and finish early."
***
The past few days for the Feng family could only be described as gloomy and desolate.
Because Feng Ning had caused such a massive uproar and the Head of the Family had personally failed to capture her, they had become the secret laughingstock of numerous sects and had been forced to pay out a huge amount of spiritual stones in compensation.
If they were to dispatch the main branch of the Feng family to capture Feng Ning that good-for-nothing at a time like this, it would simply be too beneath their dignity.
The Feng family could no longer afford to lose that face.
They had no choice but to pin their hopes on the minor sects affiliated with the Feng family.
Fortunately, Feng Ning didn't amount to much either, actually taking refuge in a third-rate minor sect.
Good news was sure to come soon.
"Head of the Family! This is terrible... people are falling... falling from the sky!! Please hurry to the front courtyard and see for yourselves!!!" An anxious and panicked servant shouted from outside the door.
Feng Batian slammed his hand on the table, stood up angrily, and strode out. "Causing such a panic is completely unseemly! Can't you just remain composed..."
Upon laying eyes on the scene in the front courtyard, Feng Batian swallowed the rest of his words right back down his throat.
There, scattered all over the ground, lay a row of naked men covered in blood. They stretched in a disorderly jumble from the front courtyard all the way to the main gate, which was already crowded with onlookers watching the spectacle.
In broad daylight under the clear sky, this was utterly sickening to the eyes!
The female members of the Feng family were so terrified they didn't dare step out of their rooms, afraid they might lay eyes on something unclean.
The male disciples were running around in a frantic panic trying to rescue people, especially with so many onlookers watching right at the entrance.
"What is the meaning of this?" Feng Batian's aged face was as dark as ink.
The Feng family's steward elder hurriedly stepped forward and whispered into his ear, "Head of the Family, the ones who fell are all from the Golden Armor Sect. They only reported today that they were going to capture that good-for-nothing Feng Ning, but somehow they all fell from the sky, and they are in such a... disgraceful state."
Feng Ning! It was Feng Ning again!
"Did she do this?" At the mere mention of that name, Feng Batian's teeth grated with hatred.
"No one saw clearly if it was Feng Ning. A huge bird just flashed past, *whoosh*, and a whole pile of people dropped down." The steward elder's expression wasn't looking too good either; it was just too humiliating!
"A huge bird?" Feng Batian couldn't help recalling the one he had failed to catch. "Then it must be Feng Ning without a doubt. Where did that big bird fly off to?"
"Word is that the big bird circled the Feng family's airspace several times before flying away. It flew too fast, so nobody could see where it went." The steward elder looked somewhat skeptical. "Could it really be that good-for-nothing Feng Ning? Does she even have that kind of ability? The Golden Armor Sect Master is a Golden Core Stage powerhouse after all."
"It has to be her! Go investigate those people from the Wanshou Sect." Feng Batian stroked his throbbing temples with a tone of absolute certainty. "Wait! What did you just say? The big bird circled above the Feng family a whole bunch of times?"
Oh no!
"What is it, Head of the Family?" The steward elder was startled by his sudden shift in emotion. "Is there something..."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before the steward elder could finish speaking, familiar explosions rang out across various parts of the Feng family estate. Several of their exquisitely luxurious buildings were blasted to smithereens.
"This?" The steward elder panicked. "That Feng Ning!! What on earth is she trying to do? She genuinely has no intention of ever returning to the Feng family!"
"Pfft—" Feng Batian was so thoroughly enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. "That unfilial daughter! Unfilial daughter... Go... send people to capture her and bring her back to me! Bring her back!!"
"Head of the Family! Head of the Family..." The steward elder hurriedly supported Feng Batian, who had fainted from anger. "Someone, quickly go invite an alchemist!"
***
Meanwhile, Feng Ning and her group had arrived at Yunzhong City, the largest city in the Cultivation World.
Feng Ning wanted to see with her own eyes just how many sects had issued a bounty for her.
She remained deeply preoccupied with that bounty reward of one hundred medium-grade spiritual stones.
The reason she was able to give the Feng family such an explosive and thrilling surprise was because she was familiar with the terrain; she knew precisely which courtyards in the Feng family lacked defensive barriers, making it easy to plant her modified, timed thunder-fire bombs.
As for the other sects that had put a bounty on her, she wasn't very familiar with them... so she would just have to start with the bounty amounts.
Wearing a veiled hat, Feng Ning walked up to the bounty notice board, where her name, Feng Ning, was written neatly right at the very bottom.
Three sects and two major clans had issued bounties.
The Tianyun Sect at the head of the list had already raised the reward to two hundred medium-grade spiritual stones. Hm! They had good taste, knowing she was worth a price hike; she would start with this Tianyun Sect first then.
"Master, senior brothers, let's find an inn to settle down in first." She couldn't possibly drag this many people along to cause trouble.
"No need. Going to an inn is so expensive!" Wan Chongshan waved his hand in refusal. "This old man remembers there's a dilapidated temple not far ahead. Let's go rest our legs over there."
Seeing how smoothly and knowingly they operated, Feng Ning swallowed back whatever she had been about to say.
As soon as they reached the entrance of the dilapidated temple, Su Yunfeng skillfully set up a fortune-telling stall, while Mo Xuan sat before the stall acting as a customer.
Helian Changkong and Bai Junze, meanwhile, practiced sword forms and street performances to the side.
Wan Chongshan entered the dilapidated temple to change into beggar's rags, then slumped down by the roadside to beg.
Their routine was so painfully practiced that they had clearly arranged every detail of their own roles.
The remaining two, Feng Ning and Di Siyu, looked at each other, realizing neither of them could blend into this atmosphere.
Feng Ning sidled up to Di Siyu, tilting her head as she whispered, "Junior Brother, look. Master and senior brothers are working so hard. Shouldn't we avoid being idle too?"
Di Siyu grew instantly alert. "What are you planning?"
"Oh! Nothing much, just wanted to take you out to earn some bounty money." Feng Ning was very direct. "Look at how hard Master and the senior brothers are working to make money; it wouldn't look right for us to just act like good-for-nothings, would it?"
"Or perhaps... you'd rather blend in with Master and the others, following Master to go begging? Or following the senior brothers to perform street tricks?"
"Where are we going to earn this bounty money?" Di Siyu rubbed his brow and made his decision decisively.
Feng Ning glanced over at her master and senior brothers, who were completely immersed in their respective roles, then quietly tugged Di Siyu away.
Standing in a secluded corner near the Tianyun Sect's branch in Yunzhong City, Feng Ning removed her veiled hat and casually handed Di Siyu several slips of paper. "Keep these teleportation talismans safe. In a moment, capture me and take me inside to collect the bounty, and then head over to the Sword Sect's branch to wait for me to teleport across."
Di Siyu frowned as he took the teleportation talismans. "You want to use yourself as currency for the bounty? And trade yourself to two sects at once?"