Chapter 152: 152 Wonderful Hand Pavilion (Three more s for monthly votes)

What is the matter? The Second Young Master asked chirpily, “Whatever the Seventh Uncle is up to, that’s what I’ll be up to.”

He wanted to continue flaunting his wit, but upon seeing the other party’s expression darken, he stopped immediately, “You’re building talc houses here, making such a commotion. Naturally, I heard about it and had to come take a look.”

Tian Yangni helplessly rolled his eyes: Damn, the news still got out.

In fact, it was impossible for the news not to spread. How many Innate Experts were there in Donghua Country? One less for each one that died.

Moreover, the Tian Family’s flagrant construction couldn’t be concealed, even if the location was in the wild outskirts of Zhige County.

Not to mention, as long as the people of Zhao Family Fort weren’t all silenced, the news would eventually leak.

Therefore, Tian Yangni found Feng Jun and explained the situation, then extended the invitation to the Divine Doctor to visit Dongmu Province again.

Feng Jun continued to decline and asked curiously, “This Yu Family… can your Tian family not afford to provoke them either?”

What do you mean ‘cannot afford to provoke’? Tian Yangni was genuinely a little unhappy, as if it made the Tian Family seem weak.

But then again, considering the groups they’d encountered—Luo Wendao, Divine Doctor, and Lord Beiyuan Mansion… well, adding the Yu Family, that would make four groups none of them wished to provoke.

It seemed, on reflection, that the Tian Family really wasn’t worth mentioning, capable only of bullying weaker forces such as Zhao Family Fort.

Therefore, all he could do was awkwardly respond, “If we burn our boats, the outcome is uncertain, but at the moment… there’s no need for that.”

Feng Jun, however, didn’t mind his embarrassment and pondered another possibility, “Two families have already shown up uninvited. If this continues… might more people start paying attention here?”

Tian Yangni was also considering this issue; he really didn’t want to share his opportunity with others.

Hearing this he could only sigh, “It’s possible that might happen. If we want to prevent such incidents, it’s actually… not difficult.”

“Oh?” Feng Jun looked at him interestedly, “How is it not difficult?”

“Just authorize my Tian Family to guard the surrounding area,” was Tian Yangni’s clear request.

Actually, he had already bought the land deed for the area some time ago, at not a high cost. Yet, if the Divine Doctor didn’t stay there, the land was worthless.

Only by inviting the Divine Doctor to stay would the value of the land increase. That was the meaning of “It’s not the mountains’ height that grants them fame, but the presence of an Immortal.”

So he must first gift the land, then vie for the right to protect it himself… Sounds a bit ridiculous, right? But there was no choice, this was the price of striving for a chance to meet an Immortal. If other families knew, they would envy him.

Of course, he didn’t expect his ulterior motives to escape the Divine Doctor, “My Tian Family is willing to serve and run errands for you.”

Feng Jun fell silent, and after a long while, he sighed, “Forget it, let nature take its course.”

Deep down, he really despised the protection from the Tian Family—if that was the case, how much difference would it make from staying with the Tian Family?

However, Tian Yangni misunderstood, thinking that it wasn’t easy to come by an opportunity to meet an Immortal. But at that moment, he was considering something else, “Indeed, if anyone bears ill will… they can’t fool the Divine Doctor.”

Feng Jun was momentarily lost for words, unsure how to respond to that.

I can sense obvious killing intent somewhat, but as for those subtle malice… you’re really overestimating me.

Unaware of his awkwardness, Tian Yangni continued to let his thoughts fly, “In that case, capturing and killing those with malice should be effortless…”

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, “In this way, the Divine Doctor could easily acquire some cultivation techniques…”

Hey, wake up! Feng Jun looked at him speechlessly: Do I look like someone who would entrap others?

Nevertheless, that wasn’t a bad line of thought. The premise was: he had to identify those with malicious intent.

This was a difficult task indeed, as the most unpredictable thing in the world is the human heart.

In the following two days, the night market continued to operate half-heartedly. There was no helping it—the location and foot traffic were lacking, and without any variables, the place simply couldn’t thrive in the short term.

However, a few more merchants from afar trickled in, selling needles, threads, and other sundries, as well as performers showcasing their talents.

On the third night, a light rain began to fall, and the night market dispersed at the beginning of the Hai hour, with those selling umbrellas and raincoats profiting a fair amount.

In the early hours of the morning, two screams echoed from Feng Jun’s courtyard. In the blink of an eye, the night watchmen of the Tian Family arrived at the courtyard gate, loudly inquiring, “Divine Doctor, what has happened?”

Feng Jun emerged from the courtyard holding two men, threw them on the ground, and spoke nonchalantly, “Caught a couple of little mice. Interrogate them and see where they’re from.”

The captured were both Intermediate Level martial masters, but these two were somewhat noteworthy; they were highly agile martial masters with silent and nimble footwork, the type to engage in thievery.

Yet, careful as they might be, they could never have foreseen an electric net set up in Feng Jun’s courtyard.

The fine drizzle, although facilitating their infiltration, also increased the power of the electrical grid, and unfortunately, one of them was caught.

Feng Jun was resting in the house while recharging himself, and the sudden change in the electric current woke him up instantly.

His reaction was so quick that before the two men could respond, they were captured.

Lang Zhen was in closed-door cultivation, thoroughly solidifying his cultivation level, so his reaction was a bit slower. By the time he came out, it was all over.

So he too quickly left to oversee the Tian Family members interrogating the two men.

It wasn’t until daylight fully broke that he returned, looking quite grave, “Those two were tight-lipped, but after discussing with Tian Lewen, we think it’s very likely they are from the Wonderful Hand Pavilion.”

Tian Lewen was a rising star of the Tian Family, an intermediate-level martial master, currently in charge of the dispatch and management of the Tian Family members here.

However, what most concerned Lone Wolf was the identity of those two martial masters as members of “Wonderful Hand Pavilion,” a rather mysterious organization known for stealing various items. They have a big reputation throughout Donghua Country, but, oddly enough, no one knows their base of operations.

The organization was quite troublesome; anything they set their sights on, they would steal by hook or by crook, even killing if necessary, which was why their reputation was so disreputable.

Lang Zhen didn’t mind being targeted; what concerned him was, “The Wonderful Hand Pavilion hasn’t made any previous declarations, and now they’re not announcing their name, so it’s very possible that the Wonderful Hand Pavilion has accepted a commission from another party.”

The Wonderful Hand Pavilion not only stole on their own but also took on commissions from others, whether for stealing items or gathering information, and for these outsourced jobs, they usually wouldn’t fly the flag of Wonderful Hand Pavilion.

After hearing all of this, Feng Jun slightly furrowed his brow, “Are you all that wary of Wonderful Hand Pavilion?”

“I don’t care, the Lang Family doesn’t have anything worth stealing,” Lang Zhen spread his hands and replied nonchalantly, “The Wonderful Hand Pavilion is only after money… It seems to be the Tian Family who is a bit troubled.”

Feng Junruo nodded thoughtfully, “It seems difficult to gather information about the client from them, doesn’t it?”

“The Wonderful Hand Pavilion won’t reveal the identity of their clients,” Lang Zhen answered with certainty, “To prevent Wonderful Hand Pavilion from coming to rescue them, I suggest…we might as well kill these two.”

Kill them? Upon hearing this, Feng Jun was startled again, “Such an organization should be quite difficult to deal with, aren’t you afraid of retaliation?”

“Just say they were killed in a fight, what’s there to retaliate for?” Lang Zhen spoke dismissively, “If the Wonderful Hand Pavilion dares to come forward and seek trouble… huh, I don’t know how many people are trying to find their whereabouts.”

The Wonderful Hand Pavilion was indeed troublesome, but over the years, they constantly stole from all over the place and had incurred too many enemies.

Lang Zhen was indeed a man of decisive action; once he saw no information could be gathered, he intended to kill the two men.

As for questioning if such an act disregarded the value of human life or if it was indiscriminate killing, he expressed…he wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters.

Feng Jun was not someone who played the overly good samaritan and nodded upon hearing this, “Considering their past thefts have led to the ruin and demise of countless households, killing them would indeed be ridding the people of a scourge.”

After knowing his stance, Lang Zhen turned and left.

Tian Yangni had gone out on business yesterday, and when he returned and learned that the Tian Family had killed two martial masters suspected to be from the Wonderful Hand Pavilion, he was shocked and questioned loudly and sternly, “How could you… how could you not wait for my return?”

Tian Lewen, however, was somewhat indifferent, “They were just two thieves, do we need a reason to kill bandits?”

In this realm, the common folk were extremely unforgiving of bandits; in a society where resources were scarce, taking someone else’s goods was essentially akin to indirect murder.

In many remote places, captured thieves did not need to be taken to an official; they were simply killed on the spot, with no repercussions.

Of course, this only applied to thieves from outside the area; for the local petty thieves, there was a different process.

It is also precisely for this reason that on the outskirts of Xiyin City, there were people who specially swindled outsiders and did not have too many scruples about it.

“You really don’t know the consequences of what you’ve done,” Tian Yangni saw that he still dared to talk back, and shouted with a stomp, frustrated and pounding his chest, “Do you think the Wonderful Hand Pavilion is so easy to provoke? What if they set their sights on our Tian Family?”

Tian Lewen didn’t give up his stance just because the other party was an elder, which he saw as irresponsible to the clan.

He argued with reason, “If thieves are accidentally killed during a robbery, is Wonderful Hand Pavilion going to retaliate?”

At the same time, he didn’t forget to emphasize, “Lang Zhen also said that if we are to execute them, we can’t delay too long… if it becomes known that they’re not dead, it would be even more troublesome to handle.”

“Lang Zhen?” Tian Yangni became even more furious, “Can you compare with him? Of course, he’s not afraid; our Tian Family is.”

Tian Lewen’s eyes widened, and his chest heaved with emotion, “Uncle Seven, I really don’t like what you’re saying. I’m younger than he is, my cultivation level is higher, and my family background is stronger than his, how can I not compare with him?”

“You don’t see who he is following,” Tian Yangni glared at him resentfully, thinking to himself that Immortal Lang Zhen would be afraid of Wonderful Hand Pavilion?

But by then, it was too late for further words; he could only stomp his foot heavily and leave to find Feng Jun.

(Third update, the monthly ticket ranking has dropped to 35, loudly calling for monthly tickets.)