Chapter 176: Chapter 117: Treasure Island

Chen Qing returned to Nanzhe No. 7 Fishery and immediately summoned everyone.

Sun Xiaomiao, his expression grave, asked curiously, “Steward, what happened?”

Chen Qing said gravely, “Tighten security at once! Double all sentries, both overt and covert. Expand the patrol radius to three miles of water outside the Fishery. Impose a blackout at night—no open flames unless absolutely necessary.”

The string of commands was issued with perfect clarity.

A chill went through the men. Not daring to delay, they answered in unison, “Yes! We obey!”

Chen Qing couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the Zheng Family’s situation. ’Trouble is brewing,’ he thought.

「Two days later.」

Chen Qing stared at the latest issue of the *Jianghu Anecdotes* in his hands.

The headline on the front page was emblazoned in huge, shocking characters.

“Zheng Family Colluded with Nine Waves Island Water Bandits—Evidence Is Irrefutable!”

The article was sensationalized to the extreme, revealing in detail how the Zheng Family had worked hand-in-glove with the Nine Waves Island Water Bandits. It described how they provided intelligence, supplies, and even shelter, and how they divided the spoils while preying on merchants and travelers.

The article’s wording was scathing, every word a condemnation. It pointed directly to the Zheng Family as the greatest plague in Yunlin Prefecture. More alarmingly, it hinted that the shadow of the Infinite Demon Sect’s infiltration might be behind their actions, a suggestion that was shocking enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Chen Qing took a deep breath. ’The Prefecture City is in for some serious trouble,’ he thought.

In Yunlin Prefecture, on Fenghua Path, any faction associated with the Infinite Demon Sect was inviting disaster.

….

BOOM!

A deafening crash shattered the nighttime tranquility of the Zheng Mansion.

The great vermilion gate, a symbol of the Zheng Family’s century of glory, shattered like paper under a colossal impact!

A blast of air, thick with smoke and dust, shot inward!

“Insolence! Who dares trespass in the Zheng Family’s ancestral home?!”

Zheng Tong’s roar was like a clap of thunder as he became the first to charge out from the smoke-filled breach.

Behind him were several Zheng Family experts with powerful presences.

Swords and sabers were drawn, their cold light glinting as the experts instantly formed a murderous formation.

As one of Yunlin Prefecture’s top Martial Arts Families, the Zheng Family had a profound heritage and experts in abundance.

Who had ever dared to attack them at their own doorstep?

However, when Zheng Tong saw the figures in the settling dust, his pupils contracted. His rage instantly cooled, and a dire premonition gripped his heart.

The dust settled, revealing two elders who radiated an intimidating authority.

The man on the left wore the cloud-patterned green robes of Qixia Manor. His gaze was cold and indifferent. He was none other than the Second Manor Master of Qixia Manor, He Yueting, the ’Mad Tiger.’

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his aura as vast and deep as the sea. The formless pressure was so immense that even a Late-stage Embracing Pill expert like Zheng Tong found it difficult to breathe.

The man on the right had a burly build and a full head of white hair. A familiar vermilion wine gourd hung from his waist. It was the Dean of the Wutai Sect’s Li Fire Institute, Hong Yuandong!

At this moment, his face held no trace of a smile.

“He Yueting! Hong Yuandong!”

Zheng Tong’s voice held a barely perceptible tremble. “You… the Wutai Sect… Qixia Manor…”

He Yueting cut him off coldly. “Zheng Tong, where is Zheng Yuankui? Have every single person in the Zheng Family, master or servant, gather in the front courtyard immediately! Anyone not present within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea will be treated as an accomplice of the Demon Sect and killed without mercy!”

’Accomplices of the Demon Sect!?’

Those words, laced with chilling killing intent, sent a shiver down the spine of every Zheng Family expert.

“By what right?! This is slander!” Zheng Tong roared.

“By what right?”

Hong Yuandong snorted, his voice booming like a great bell and making everyone’s eardrums ring. “By the right of your Zheng Family colluding with the Nine Waves Island Water Bandits and wreaking havoc on the trade routes! By the right of the Wutai Sect and Qixia Manor having the duty to oversee Yunlin and purge heretics! And by the right of… our suspicion that the Zheng Family has been infiltrated by the Demon Sect! Are those reasons enough for you?!”

Hong Yuandong’s Li Fire True Astral pressed down like a physical mountain, forcing Zheng Tong and his men back step by step, their blood churning in their chests.

Facing the combined pressure of two long-renowned Astral Force masters, Zheng Tong, though furious, knew that resisting head-on would be as futile as an egg striking a stone.

He Yueting wasted no more words. With a flicker of movement, he appeared before Zheng Tong. The Late-stage Embracing Pill expert’s vision blurred, and in the next instant, his arm was seized and he was forced to his knees.

“Search! Inside and out, search meticulously! Don’t miss a single corner!”

“Yes, sir!”

The elite disciples of both sects, who had been waiting at the ready, answered in unison.

Soon, all members of the Zheng Family were gathered in the open space of the front courtyard, forming a vast, dark crowd.

There were masters dressed in silks and finery, trembling servants, and bewildered women and children.

Fear, anger, bewilderment, humiliation… these emotions and more spread through the crowd.

“This is outrageous!”

A woman, long accustomed to arrogance, shrieked, glaring venomously at the disciples of the two sects.

“Annoying.”

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of a Qixia Manor disciple as his long saber became a streak of light!

SHLICK!

Blood arced high into the air! A head, its face still frozen in shock, flew up before rolling in the dust. The headless body collapsed, a fountain of gore erupting from the neck as it fell.

A dead silence fell over the courtyard!

The faces of the Zheng Family members turned ashen. They clenched their fists, nails digging into their palms, as they stared daggers at the disciple.

Time ticked by, and the oppressive atmosphere became suffocating.

Only the sounds of footsteps and the ransacking of rooms were jarringly loud in the silent night.

Cold sweat beaded on Zheng Tong’s brow. His gaze drifted unconsciously toward a certain direction in the back of the estate, and his breathing grew ragged.

Suddenly!

“Reporting—!”

A disciple from Qixia Manor came running from the inner residence, clutching a purple sandalwood box. The lid was still stained with freshly turned soil.

“Reporting to the Second Manor Master and Dean Hong! We found this in a secret compartment inside a hidden cellar beneath the rockery in the rear garden!”

All eyes instantly focused on the sandalwood box.

Zheng Tong’s heart sank.

He Yueting’s gaze sharpened. “Open it!”

The disciple did as he was told and opened the sandalwood box.

Inside, there was no gold or jewelry. Instead, dozens of black porcelain bottles, each the size of an infant’s fist, were arranged in neat rows!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep