Night was falling, yet the lights of Nanjiang City still shone bright, concealing an unknown undercurrent beneath this prosperity. Inside the hospital, Qin Yuanfeng, Su Wanwan, and Su Beibei enjoyed a rare moment of togetherness. To guard against any retaliation from the Fu family, Qin Yuanfeng had ordered his men to relocate Su Wanwan's grandparents to a nearby hotel. Until the matter with the Fu family was completely resolved, he had no intention of letting the elderly couple return to their old residential neighborhood, and he arranged for Ghost Guards to protect them in secret. Outside, however, the Fu family was in an uproar over the day's events.
Fu Hongyuan sat in his study, his expression as gloomy as water about to drip. His pipe beat a steady, dull rhythm against the desktop, intertwining with the occasional whistle of the wind outside the window to compose an unsettling melody. Inside the study, several core members of the Fu family sat in a circle, the atmosphere heavy.
"Father, that fellow surnamed Qin is utterly arrogant. Not only did he cripple Elder Chen's dantian, but he also threatened to wipe out our Fu family," said Fu Beiting, gritting his teeth, hatred flashing in his eyes.
Fu Hongyuan took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled. Through the swirling smoke, his features appeared even graver. "Beiting, calm yourself. That Qin fellow is by no means an ordinary person. The ease with which he defeated Elder Chen today proves his strength is unfathomable. At the banquet, before losing consciousness, Elder Chen mentioned that the man seemed to possess the strength of the Martial Disciple Realm. While our Fu family holds some standing in Nanjiang City, a master of the Martial Disciple Realm is not someone we can easily provoke."
"A Martial Disciple Realm master? Father, isn't the highest realm of martial arts the Internal Grandmaster Realm?" Fu Beiting asked, puzzled.
Fu Hongyuan glared fiercely at Fu Beiting. "I tell you to study more, but you only know how to eat, drink, and make merry! The enemy our Fu family has provoked today is entirely your doing. If you weren't my son, I'd beat you half to death!"
Scolded by his father, Fu Beiting did not dare to talk back. Seeing his son lower his head in silence, Fu Hongyuan sighed and explained anyway. "In the eyes of ordinary people, martial arts are divided into three major realms: first is the External Realm; above the External is the Internal Realm; and second is the Internal Grandmaster Realm. Each of the three major realms is further divided into four stages: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and peak. For an ordinary person, reaching the Internal Realm already makes them a master, and reaching the Internal Grandmaster Realm can truly be called a master among masters. Moreover, ordinary people with diligent practice still have a great chance of achieving the Internal Grandmaster Realm in their lifetime. Take our family's three honored guests, for example: they studied martial arts their whole lives and only broke through to the Internal Grandmaster Realm in their forties or fifties. What many people do not know is that once the internal energy within an Internal Grandmaster materializes, it can potentially transform into true martial force, breaking through human shackles to reach the Martial Disciple Realm. Above the Martial Disciple Realm lie the Martial Soldier Realm, Martial Monarch Realm, Martial Emperor Realm, and Martial Deity Realm, with each realm likewise divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, and peak stages. The realms even higher than these are unknown. In a small place like our Nanjiang City, a family possessing even an Internal Grandmaster can secure a foothold here, let alone a Martial Disciple! Masters above the Martial Disciple Realm probably exist in great numbers in the Provincial Capital or larger cities. I hear that the current seven military commissioners of Great Xia are all in the Martial Emperor Realm, and the three Grand Elders leading Great Xia have supposedly reached the Martial Deity Realm. But a Martial Disciple Realm master is absolute royalty right here in Nanjiang City."
"Are we just going to let it go like this, then? Elder Chen is one of our family's pillars. Now that his dantian is shattered and his strength is entirely gone, this is undoubtedly a huge blow to us," chimed in a middle-aged man. He was Fu Hongyuan's younger brother and the second-in-command of the Fu family, Fu Hongyu.
"Of course we won't just let it go," a ruthless glint flashing in Fu Hongyuan's eyes. "Outsiders only know that our Fu family, together with the Fu Family Ancestor, has four Internal Grandmasters, but what they do not know is that the Fu Family Ancestor and our chief honored guest both broke through to the Martial Disciple Realm two years ago and have been in seclusion consolidating their cultivation ever since. Since that Qin brat happens to be a Martial Disciple Realm master, I will ask the Ancestor and the chief honored guest to take action tomorrow."
"Big brother is right. With the Ancestor and the chief honored guest stepping in, even if that Qin brat is a Martial Disciple, he will find it hard to deal with two Martial Disciple masters at the same time. He is a dead man," Fu Hongyu agreed with a nod, then asked worriedly, "Also, big brother, that Qin fellow said at the banquet that he campaigned for seven years. That suggests he might hail from the Military Department. If we kill him and he really is from the Military Department, will that bring trouble?"
"It's fine. I have already ordered someone to notify Beichen. Beichen was promoted to battalion commander in the Southern Theater Military Department, and I hear his regimental commander thinks very highly of him. I have already called Beichen, and in two days, he will lead men from the Southern Theater Military Department to reinforce us. Even if that Qin fellow is from the Military Department, between our Fu family and Beichen's connections, we can smooth it over!" Hearing this, Fu Hongyu felt a wave of joy. Fu Beichen was his own flesh and blood. Although not as favored as his elder brother Fu Hongyuan's only son Fu Beiting, Fu Beichen had made something of himself. He enlisted at eighteen, joined the Southern Theater Military Department, and now at twenty-five, through his own efforts and the heavy financial backing of the Fu family, he had climbed all the way to battalion commander in the Western Regions, vaguely emerging as a leading figure among the younger generation of the Fu family.
"Also, we cannot let our guard down regarding Su Wanwan. She is surely with that Qin fellow right now, making it impossible for us to strike, but she has always lived with her grandparents. As long as we kidnap those two old fogies, we won't have to worry about her failing to obey us," Fu Beiting added. "And that little bastard—the phone call mentioned that after the brat was rescued by the Qin fellow, he was placed in Caring Hospital, which happens to be a Fu family property. I'll find an opportunity to have someone kidnap the little bastard. With them in our hands, won't that Qin brat be at our mercy?"
"Beiting, watch your bounds," Fu Hongyuan warned. "We must also prevent Qin Yuanfeng from being driven to desperation and pulling off some extreme stunt."
After finishing their discussion, the core members of the Fu family dispersed to carry out their respective tasks. Fu Hongyuan remained in his study to ponder further countermeasures. Having operated in Nanjiang City for decades with a deep foundation, he did not take Qin Yuanfeng's threat seriously; rather, what made him extremely furious was that Qin Yuanfeng had disrupted the Fu family's wedding banquet and snatched the bride away in public, causing the family to lose all face.
Meanwhile, following Qin Yuanfeng's command, the other forty-nine Ghost Guards besides Gui Yi secretly infiltrated Great Xia through various channels and converged toward Nanjiang City. The fifty Ghost Guards were a special entity within the Asura Temple, charged solely with the duty of guarding the Temple Master in secret and taking orders from him alone. The five Asura Kings, on the other hand, led their subordinates to surround the various overseas strongholds of Great Xia, awaiting only Qin Yuanfeng's command.
At the same time, inside the central headquarters of the Great Xia Military Department, everyone was thoroughly shaken, every high-ranking military official turning pale with cold sweat streaming down their bodies. They had just received news that, at this very moment, thousands of powerful fighters from the overseas Asura Temple had surrounded several Great Xia strongholds on the Outer Realm Battlefield.
Yu Xiao, the military commissioner of the Central Theater Military Department, looked pale as he stared at the satellite map of the Outer Realm Battlefield on the central electronic screen of the Military Department. Thousands of arrows were currently closing in on the various strongholds of Great Xia on the Outer Realm Battlefield.
"Have you still not reached the person in charge at the Asura Temple? Great Xia has always been on friendly terms with the Asura Temple! Why are they suddenly closing in on our strongholds? What is the reason?! What reason?!" Yu Xiao roared frantically at the military intelligence personnel. Seeing Yu Xiao in such a fury, the intelligence officers lowered their heads in silence. This was the Asura Temple—the strongest force in the outer realms!
At the hospital, Qin Yuanfeng accompanied Su Wanwan and Su Beibei in the ward. At that moment, Gui Yi walked in and said to Qin Yuanfeng, "Big brother, there's a call for you. You need to come outside to take it!"
Qin Yuanfeng nodded slightly, exchanged a few words with Su Wanwan and Su Beibei, and walked out of the ward toward the hospital rooftop, with Gui Yi following closely behind. Reaching the rooftop, Qin Yuanfeng pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Gui Yi, lit one for himself, took a puff, and said, "Gui Yi, speak. What on earth has happened?"
Gui Yi lit his cigarette as well, took a fierce drag, and said, "Temple Master, news came from the Asura Temple headquarters that because the five Asura Kings surrounded the Great Xia branch on the Outer Realm Battlefield, the Great Xia Military Department has called our headquarters repeatedly, hoping to speak with you and ask if there is some misunderstanding between us!"
Qin Yuanfeng lowered his head, took a drag from his cigarette, and replied, "Gui Yi, I told you, since we are currently in Great Xia, do not call me Temple Master. Just call me big brother. Tell headquarters to reply to Great Xia that the Fu family of Nanjiang City dared to bully my wife and daughter, and has been placed on the Asura Temple's must-kill list. Six days from now, not a single soul in the Fu family will be left alive. If Great Xia intervenes in this matter, then we go to war!"