Yongzhou, State Security Bureau Sub-Bureau.
Zhang Baowen, the sub-bureau chief of the State Security Bureau in Yongzhou, looked somewhat incredulously at the subordinate before him and asked, “You say Li Feng has gone to Kunyang Town?”
“Yes.” The subordinate replied.
“Kunyang Town? I never imagined Li Feng would head to Kunyang Town?”
Zhang Baowen furrowed his brows. He had received orders from Buddha Bamboo to monitor Li Feng’s every move. Yet he had not expected Li Feng to go straight to Kunyang Town upon arriving in Yongzhou. As the sub-bureau chief of the State Security Bureau in Yongzhou, he knew full well what sort of place Kunyang Town was. It was a forbidden zone in Nanning Province, as mysterious as the vast Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
Zhang Baowen could not fathom why Li Feng had gone to Kunyang Town. What business did he have in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains?
“You may go.” Zhang Baowen waved a hand at his subordinate, dismissing him.
“It seems I must report this after all.”
With this thought, Zhang Baowen dialled Buddha Bamboo’s number. Though he was the sub-bureau chief of the State Security Bureau in Yongzhou, Buddha Bamboo was the captain of the special operations team at the State Security Bureau headquarters. In the bureau, Buddha Bamboo held the power of life and death over others. His status was one Zhang Baowen could not hope to match.
The call connected swiftly. Buddha Bamboo’s voice came through the line. “Captain Buddha Bamboo, Li Feng has gone to Kunyang Town. I believe this is vital intelligence that I must report to you.”
“Kunyang Town? I never thought Li Feng would go to Kunyang Town?” Buddha Bamboo’s voice carried a note of surprise. Clearly, even he was taken aback by Zhang Baowen’s news.
Zhang Baowen said nothing. He did not know why Buddha Bamboo had tasked him with surveilling Li Feng, nor did he know Li Feng’s identity. He understood that some matters were not for him to question.
“Understood.” With those three words, Buddha Bamboo ended the call.
“What is going on?” Zhang Baowen was stunned. He had assumed Buddha Bamboo would issue some command, yet the man had simply said “understood” and hung up.
In the next instant, Zhang Baowen realised: Buddha Bamboo did not want him involved any further.
“He does not want me to know something, does he?”
A strange smile crept across Zhang Baowen’s face. He took out his personal mobile phone, composed a text message, and sent it.
…
Nanning was the ancestral home of the Song family, one of the eight great aristocratic clans. From the pre-Qin era onward, the Song family had been revered as leaders by the hundred clans of Nanning, always upholding the orthodox line of the Han people. Over thousands of years, from their perch in Nanning, they had watched the world’s tempests rise and fall, dominating one region unchallenged, with none daring to provoke them.
And the Song family mountain city in Lingnan was the clan’s great stronghold. Over millennia, the Song family had reigned as overlords in Nanning. The Song family mountain city had preserved its original appearance. Even in modern society, the mountain city remained dominated by retro-style architecture.
The Song family mountain city sprawled with thousands of dwellings, connected in orderly fashion by bluestone avenues. It climbed the mountainside in layers, each level linked by stone steps or gentle slopes. Roadsides brimmed with trees and flowers, shaded by verdant canopies. Mountain springs were channeled into streams that wove through gardens and residences, forming endless vistas of arched bridges over flowing water, serene ponds, and elegant pavilions.
At the mountain city’s pinnacle stood its signature structure: towers and pavilions that loomed imposingly. Built of wood and stone, from the eaves to the latticed windows, every carved ornament was executed with meticulous care. This created an air of majestic grandeur infused with the retro essence of southern culture, underscoring the Song family’s pivotal influence in the south.
At this moment, in a pavilion within the Song family mountain city, a young man listened to his subordinate’s report.
“…Young Master, according to intelligence, Li Feng of the Li family has now gone to Kunyang Town…” Before the young man stood a middle-aged man of ordinary appearance. At this point, he glanced at the youth before continuing, “Moreover, aside from Li Feng of the Li family, people from the Zheng family of Central Plains Province entered Yongzhou a few days ago, with unknown intentions.”
“Li Feng of the Li family, the Zheng family of Central Plains Province. When has Yongzhou ever been so lively?” A faint smile tugged at the youth’s lips. His fingers drummed upon the desk. After a long while, he finally spoke, “You say Li Feng has gone to Kunyang Town?”
“Yes.” The middle-aged man nodded and said, “He may well be clashing with the Du Sect of Kunyang Town by now.”
“Li Feng, eh? I never thought the Li family’s wastrel would hide his depths so well. Were it not for the intelligence from Tianhai City, I would still be in the dark. Interesting, interesting. Truly too interesting. No wonder my second brother suffered at Li Feng’s hands.” The youth was none other than Song Yongquan, elder brother to Song Zhiyuan and the Song family’s first heir apparent.
“Young Master, with Li Feng clashing against the Du Sect this time, do you think we should…” The middle-aged man glanced at Song Yongquan, hesitating as if unsure how to proceed.
Song Yongquan raised a hand to cut off the middle-aged man’s words and said, “I know what you mean. However, there is no need for us to intervene in this matter.”
The middle-aged man looked at Song Yongquan in puzzlement.
“A mere Li Feng is hardly worth mobilising our forces on a grand scale. At present, our sole focus must be the Earth Martial Realm ruins in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Only we can claim the treasures within those ruins and cultivate an Earth Martial Realm powerhouse for the Song family. Then I, Song Yongquan, shall be the future head of the Song family.” A sharp glint flashed in Song Yongquan’s eyes.
“Young Master, your foresight is profound. This subordinate admires you.” The middle-aged man said hastily.
Song Yongquan laughed heartily. The reason he had forsaken the mission in Tianhai City was precisely the discovery of the Earth Martial Realm ruins in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Otherwise, with his temperament, how could he have let Song Zhiyuan go to Tianhai City?
Song Zhiyuan likely never dreamed that, just as he believed he could complete the Tianhai City mission and become the Song family’s future head, Song Yongquan had already secured the Earth Martial Realm ruins. He would cultivate an Earth Martial Realm powerhouse for the clan. At that point, what chance would Song Zhiyuan have against him?
Song Yongquan’s gaze flickered as he said, “What concerns me now is the Zheng family of Central Plains Province. Who has the Zheng family sent this time?”
“It is Zheng Xiaoyang, the Zheng family’s third son.” The middle-aged man replied.
“Zheng Xiaoyang is one of the Zheng family’s handful of true experts, a peak Houtian Realm powerhouse. He cannot have come to Yongzhou merely for sightseeing, can he?” Song Yongquan glanced at the middle-aged man and said, “Do you suppose the Zheng family learned of the Earth Martial Realm ruins in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains?”
“Young Master, that seems unlikely. Few know of the Earth Martial Realm ruins. Aside from us, only that group in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. They would hardly tell the Zheng family, would they? Moreover…”
At this point, the middle-aged man glanced at Song Yongquan and said, “Moreover, the Zheng family of Central Plains Province has the Fu family behind them. If the Zheng family knew of this, then this time’s arrival would involve not merely Zheng Xiaoyang of the Zheng family, but experts from the Fu family.”
“You have a point. However, the Fu family are despicable and shameless. They may not dare come to Yongzhou.” Song Yongquan pondered and said, “It is possible Zheng Xiaoyang is merely the Fu family’s vanguard. We cannot let our guard down. Very well, dispatch men at once to watch Zheng Xiaoyang and his group. I want to know their every move at all times.”
The middle-aged man acknowledged the order. Suddenly recalling something, he said, “Young Master, regarding the matter of the Earth Martial Realm ruins, should we inform the family head?”
“Not yet.” Song Yongquan shook his head. The Earth Martial Realm ruins were no trifling matter. If the clan learned of them, the family might not allow him to intervene. In that case, how could he achieve his aims?
Moreover, if he controlled the Earth Martial Realm ruins himself and chanced upon an opportunity within, he, Song Yongquan, might become an Earth Martial Realm powerhouse. At that juncture, would not the Song family bend to his will?
The middle-aged man opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end said nothing. He knew that once Song Yongquan decided something, it would not change. He merely worried now about that group they had encountered in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. He felt they were no simple folk.
He reckoned the forces under Song Yongquan’s command were few. Even if they could handle that group, developing the Earth Martial Realm ruins would be no easy task.
Song Yongquan glanced at the middle-aged man and said, “I know what troubles you, Uncle Tang. You must understand, this is my opportunity, my chance to become the Song family’s future head and an Earth Martial Realm powerhouse. No matter what, I intend to seize it. If it comes to the worst, I shall notify the family at once.”
This middle-aged man, addressed as Uncle Tang, could only nod helplessly.
