Sword Qi to the Sky

Chapter 360 The Secrets of That Year
"The Cui family's Cui Kan is nothing special."

An Shicheng's voice carried a hint of frivolity as he glanced sideways at the defeated prodigy of the Cui family, his eyes filled with pride and contempt.

The people of Qinghe County all thought he was a playboy, but they didn't know that he had been diligently cultivating himself day and night, longing for this day.

The people and cultivators of Qinghe County have always believed that the Cui and Xie families are the true rulers of Qinghe County. The Yukun Academy has monopolized the cultivation talents of Qinghe County, and the resources and industries are also in the hands of the powerful families. The county prince's mansion, which was conferred by the imperial court, is practically useless.

Although everyone knew that the Prince's Mansion was the actual ruler of Qinghe County, they only maintained a polite distance and kept their distance.

Now, the situation should change. Since it is his father's fiefdom, it is not enough for him to simply be the ruler; he must completely control this land.

In Qinghe County, everyone follows the lead of the Prince's Mansion.

Cui Ku's magical power surged, and he leaned forward, still wanting to continue the fight. Although he was repelled, he was not defeated. However, this confrontation made him realize the true nature of this纨绔世子 (a spoiled young master).

“Three days from now, the Prince’s Mansion will invite you all to attend the ceremony to kill demons. If your Cui family or Xie family cannot kill them, the Prince’s Mansion will do it.” An Shicheng looked around at the crowd and said, “Everyone in Qinghe City is welcome to attend the ceremony. The demons we capture this time will be executed together, including the old demon from Shenmu Manor.”

The crowd was in an uproar. There had been rumors that the old demon of Shenmu Manor had been captured by the Prince's Mansion, but it was not yet confirmed and many people still had doubts. But now that An Shicheng had said it himself, there was no longer any controversy. The old demon of Shenmu Manor had been captured alive.

People outside the city had heard a great commotion coming from the wilderness. Could it be the battle to capture the old demon?

Who did it?
Is it Prince Anlu of Qinghe?

Everyone felt like they were in a dream.

An Shicheng glanced at Li Fan and Yue Qingqiu beside him one last time, a frivolous smile on his face, and said, "This demon is not bad. If you offer it to me, perhaps I can overlook what happened before."

“I’m afraid you can’t handle it,” Li Fan replied.

“Haha…” An Shicheng laughed loudly and said, “I will give you three more days. After three days, you can come to watch the ceremony. Don’t even think about leaving. You can’t get out of Qinghe City.”

After saying this, he descended and returned to his beast mount. He glanced at the crowd, reined in his demon, turned around, and led them away.

Three days later, the people of Qinghe County will know that this Qinghe County is named after An.

Those powerful and influential families should all grovel before them.

As for the Jade Kun Academy, it should naturally be under their control as well.

He didn't care about Li Fan and that female demon; he could destroy them with a flick of his finger.

He didn't come here for Li Fan and his group; they weren't worthy of his personal visit.

He came here merely to establish his authority and show the people of Qinghe County what he was capable of.

As for Li Fan and the others, they can't leave.

After An Shicheng and his group left, the Cui family and the people from Yukun Academy all looked extremely embarrassed.

Cui Ku landed, his heart filled with turmoil. There were many powerful people and geniuses in the world, and he knew he couldn't be too arrogant. He was known as the number one genius in Qinghe County, but now he had fallen into a disadvantageous position in his confrontation with that纨绔子 (a spoiled brat).

“Swordsmanship, Buddhist and Taoist practices, martial arts.” Xie Lingxuan said in a low voice, “Behind this playboy An Shicheng, there is probably a person who has worked hard to cultivate. If he is like this, then the Prince of Qinghe must not be the same as we imagine.”

“Yes.” Cui Jian nodded: “This time, I’m afraid they’re targeting our family.”

"Let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves in three days." Xie Lingxuan looked at Cui Kun: "Given the fighting prowess he's displayed, if the fight continues, do you think you can win?"

“Difficult…” Cui Kuang responded in a low voice.

Xie Lingxuan nodded slightly: "I feel the same way."

An Shicheng's attack power was extremely strong; if she had faced An Shicheng before, the same outcome would have occurred.

“Brother Lu, would you like to come with us? An Shicheng is acting strangely and will definitely try to get back at you,” Cui Kuan said to Li Fan.

"Thank you," Li Fan replied. "However, since he said three days from now, I suppose he won't make a move in the next few days, so I won't trouble Brother Cui any further."

“Alright.” Cui Kan nodded. “In that case, we’ll take our leave now. Brother Lu, please be careful.”

After saying that, they all left in a hurry. He needed to go back and discuss the matter with his elders, as well as what might happen in three days.

When Li Fan returned to the restaurant, the people around him were all talking about what had just happened.

Many eyes fell on Li Fan, wondering if this person had offended the Prince's Mansion.

At this moment, two figures entered the restaurant.

One of the two men was dressed in white, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a compelling aura. The other man was dressed in simple clothes, with a robust physique and a wide robe, radiating a wild and unrestrained spirit that drew attention from those around them.

The two walked straight to a corner and sat down. Luo Qingyan and the others looked up at them, their gazes lingering on the white-robed man for a moment before turning to Li Fan, quite puzzled, but they didn't ask any further questions and looked away. The white-robed man who had arrived was none other than Wen Ruyu.

The arrival of the person beside him also caused Li Fan to show a strange expression, as it was not Senior Brother Ji Hua.

"Uncle-Master, Junior Brother," Li Fan called out telepathically.

The person accompanying Wen Ruyu was none other than Xing Feng, the peak master of Lishan Martial Intent Peak.

Xing Feng looked up at Li Fan, his gaze lingering on Huang Xiong for a moment. Huang Xiong naturally recognized Wen Ruyu, and when he saw Xing Feng looking at him, he seemed to realize something and looked at Li Fan.

“Brother Huang, that is my Uncle Xing Feng, who is also your master. However, there are too many people around, so there’s no need to formally become his disciple for now,” Li Fan transmitted to Huang Xiong.

Huang Xiong was somewhat excited, but he still managed to restrain himself.

Master has descended the mountain.

This was his first time meeting his master.

Wen Ruyu ordered the food and drinks, which made Li Fan even more curious. His junior brother had first sent him here, and now he and Uncle Xing Feng had arrived in person. It couldn't be just a simple matter of letting him train.

What exactly is going on in Qinghe County?
Night time.

Inside the inn, Li Fan and Huang Xiong left their own courtyard and went to the courtyard next door. This place was now sealed off and shielded, so outsiders could not see in.

Wen Ruyu and Xing Feng waited in the courtyard. Huang Xiong stepped forward and knelt down: "Disciple Huang Xiong greets Master."

"Get up." Xing Feng looked Huang Xiong up and down. Zuo Canglan had told him about this when he returned to Lishan.

He stepped forward, placed his palm on Huang Xiong's shoulder, and patted him hard, causing Huang Xiong's body to tremble slightly, but he still stood straight.

"Good aptitude." Xing Feng glanced at Li Fan and said, "Your master told me before that you took on a disciple for me. I came down the mountain to take a look this time, and his martial arts aptitude is very good."

"It was I who overstepped my bounds, and I hope my senior uncle will not take offense," Li Fan said.

"Xiao Fan, don't forget your identity. No matter what you do, it's not an overstepping of your bounds," Xing Feng said to Li Fan, which surprised Li Fan. He then smiled bitterly. As the current Sword Master of Li Mountain, he had never had such thoughts before.

"By the way, Uncle-Master, why did you and Junior Brother come to Qinghe County? Is something important happening here?" Li Fan asked. If it was just because of the Qinghe County Prince's Mansion, it didn't seem worth the trip.

Xing Feng's expression darkened, and he glanced at Wen Ruyu beside him. Only then did Li Fan notice that Wen Ruyu's expression was also unusually cold.

“Ruyu…” Xing Feng seemed somewhat hesitant.

“There’s nothing I can’t say in front of my junior brother,” Wen Ruyu said. “He died right here back then.”

Li Fan was taken aback, then seemed to realize something, and his heart trembled violently.

Junior Brother's father, Wen Haoran, was once the Sword Master of Lishan.

"Back then, demons wreaked havoc on the world. Hao Ran roamed the world with his sword, killing all the demons in all directions with a single strike. He even killed many powerful demons, but his body was covered in wounds. When he finally arrived in Qinghe County, he must have been seriously injured. I was responsible for coming to meet him back then, but when I arrived..." Xing Feng's eyes were bloodshot as he thought about what happened back then.

"Li Shan has been investigating what happened back then, what caused that demon chaos, and the death of Senior Brother Wen, there may be other reasons."

"Later we found out that many great cultivators from the imperial court also appeared in Qinghe County to kill demons back then. One of them was An Lu, who was later enfeoffed as the Prince of Qinghe County."

Li Fan's body surged with sword intent, his aura icy cold, and he said, "Was this done by An Lu?"

“Anlu doesn’t have that ability,” Xing Feng said. “Even if Haoran is injured, Anlu is not worthy. However, Anlu may be involved. Anlu has been hiding his abilities all these years, which may be due to this reason. Later, we secretly investigated Qinghe County and made new discoveries.”

"What discovery?" Li Fan asked.

“There’s something wrong with the Taoist priest around An Lu. This is a good opportunity to make a move against An Lu.” Xing Feng’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. Wen Haoran’s death back then has always been a painful memory for Li Shan.

That should have been the golden age for Lishan.

With Zuo Canglan in the past and Wen Haoran in the future, these two generations of prodigies both have the opportunity to reach the realm of Sword Saint.

However, they fell one after another, which was a pain for Lishan and directly led to its decline.

Fortunately, Li Fan and Wen Ruyu are here now, and they will inherit the Sword of Lishan.

Li Fan looked at Wen Ruyu, only to see her gazing into the distance, her expression calm and serene.

Li Fan knew that his junior brother harbored resentment towards his father, but he had never forgotten his father. Therefore, he wanted to kill all the demons in the world and kill all the people in the world who had fallen into demonic ways.

(End of this chapter)