13th February.
Chinese New Year’s Eve.
From early morning on, the sound of firecrackers could be heard in Sun City.
Scenic Lake Gardens.
On this day, the atmosphere was also particularly lively at the Fang residence.
The person responsible for this was none other than Fang Yuan.
On the night of the 12th, after Fang Ping’s stimulation with the energy stone, Fang Yuan broke through the level barrier in one fell swoop and completed the twice-honed process.
This young lassie’s control over her power was tenuous.
Now that she was a twice-honed individual, things started getting interesting.
Early on the morning of the 13th, Li Yuying was busy in the kitchen. Fang Yuan insisted on helping, but everything she put her hands on ended up broken. Li Yuying got so annoyed that she rejected Fang Yuan’s help several times and finally chased her troublesome daughter off.
Once out of the kitchen, Fang Yuan continued to wreak havoc.
Twice-honed non-martial artists were not considered very strong, but they were not that much weaker than Early-stage Rank-1 martial artists. This resulted in a lot of broken items in the house.
Fang Ping watched his sister’s cautious gait and smirked for quite some time.
Fortunately, Fang Yuan was not that strong. Had she possessed the same power as Fang Ping, the people downstairs would be unable to celebrate Chinese New Year due to the floorboards being loudly trampled.
Fang Yuan had become a whirlwind of destruction. Nowadays, the Fang residence was not overly concerned over trivial matters like this. If something broke, they would replace it with a new one.
However, Fang Yuan could not bear it anymore and was on the verge of crying.
She had already accidentally shattered the new smartphone that she had just recently purchased!
Even the teddy bear that she usually hugged to sleep had been ripped apart. When she woke up the next morning, it was already scattered around in pieces.
Now, she did not even dare to go back to her room; all she could do was to sit down conscientiously in the living room without moving. Even when Fang Ping walked up to her maliciously and pinched her cheeks hard, she did not budge.
Despite being unable to control her newfound power, Fang Yuan initially retaliated by throwing a punch at her brother. However, she channeled too much force into the blow and her knuckles nearly swelled up, whereas Fang Ping remained unscathed.
When Fang Ping came over to harass her once more, Fang Yuan felt so annoyed at being picked on that she shouted, “Dad, he’s bullying me again!”.
Fang Mingrong, who was busy pasting up Spring Festival couplets, merely smiled. Liveliness was what made a house a home.
Fang Ping found the situation far too amusing. Grinning as he pinched his sister’s cheeks, he teased, “How would a little girl like you understand? I’m just helping you adapt to your power.”
“Who are you trying to bluff!”
Fang Yuan huffed. Nobody used cheek-pinching to adapt to their power.
“It’s true. Your power’s all concentrated around the facial region. I’m just helping you circulate it so you can train more efficiently,” Fang Ping explained.
“I don’t believe you!”
“It’s okay if you don’t. Besides, you just achieved a breakthrough and there’s too much power accumulated in your face. If I don’t circulate the Vitality Force, in future you’ll always have a big plump face. Personally, I think it looks fine, but do you like it?”
Once she heard what he said, Fang Yuan was torn between doubt and believing her brother. It really did feel as if there was some Vitality surging into her cheeks.
However, this feeling was familiar—almost like past instances when her brother pinched her face.
Looking at his sister’s doubtful expression, Fang Ping said with a straight face, “Trust me, it’s true. Of course, if you don’t mind being stuck with a round face, then you won’t need my help any longer.”
Thinking that it would be better to believe rather than to disbelieve it, Fang Yuan gave in and allowed her brother to continue pinching her face.
After messing around with his sister for a while longer, Fang Ping stopped and laughed before going about his business.
On Chinese New Year Eve, there were many phone calls to be made and just as many to be received, among other tasks.
When others wished him Chinese New Year greetings, he had to do the same.
However, there was no need to contact folks like Old Man Li and Lu Fengrou as they were undergoing closed-door training.
These two individuals were striving to become true Grandmasters. They had already started their training before Fang Ping left school and had not been seen since.
...
Right as Fang Ping and his family were making merry.
Outside Scenic Lake Gardens, a small car was parked by the roadside.
Three men were seated inside.
A middle-aged man sat in the back row. Out of the corner of his eye, he swept a glance at a tall building in the small district. “We’ll make our move when it gets dark!” he whispered.
In the front row sat Protector Mei, the old man who had been in the meeting house previously. “So a direct raid, or do we lure him out?” he asked softly.
“A direct raid! Of course, there’s no need to deliberately murder his family. If there’s no need for them to die, don’t kill them,” muttered the middle-aged man.
Having said that, he continued, “To prevent him from escaping, Protector Mei should attack first so Fang Ping feels that there’s hope for survival!
“Fang Ping is an extremely confident person. In addition to his family being around, given that Protector Mei is an early-stage Rank-6, the boy might choose to fight and not flee immediately like a coward.
“As long as you engage him in combat so he’s occupied, he won’t be able to run!”
The middle-aged man had made certain plans. If a Rank-5 encountered a Rank-6 and fled before fighting, then killing Fang Ping would not be guaranteed.
However, if Fang Ping chose to engage in combat, then he would be caught in the fight and be unable to escape
As for holding his family hostage and threatening Fang Ping, hardly any martial artists would stoop to that as it was pointless.
TV dramas were only TV dramas after all. Capturing Fang Ping’s family and forcing him to permanently disable his martial arts abilities was not a decisive action; it was an idiotic move.
Unless they were dull-witted, nobody would be so foolish as to comply.
Facing certain death at the hands of one’s opponent and still agreeing to disable one’s abilities would not only mean an inability to save anyone else, one would still end up dead in the end. Only an idiot would choose such a pointless death.
Protector Mei was a mere early-stage Rank-6. Fang Ping might not necessarily choose flight over fight.
Of course, one could not discount the fact that he was cold-blooded enough to abandon his family upon detecting Protector Mei’s aura.
If it came to that, the middle-aged man had also made the necessary arrangements.
Another Protector was already stationed outside to prevent Fang Ping’s escape.
As for himself, he would follow Protector Mei. Should Fang Ping choose not to run, the middle-aged man would find an opportunity to deal the killing blow, giving the target no chance to retaliate.
After giving verbal instructions, the middle-aged man looked out the car window once more.
The sky had grown dark.
The man’s eyes were cold. Fang Ping would never get to savor his Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner.
...
Inside Scenic Lake Gardens.
Fang Ping was still on the phone.
Chen Yunxi had called.
Fang Ping did not chat much. Even over the phone, he could hear a cold murmur.
A certain old man was probably beside his granddaughter, listening in on her phone conversation again.
Fang Ping felt completely helpless when it came to Chen Yaoting’s eavesdropping. ‘I’m not even doing the talking; it’s all your granddaughter. What’s the use of you murmuring beside her?’ he wondered.
Chen Yunxi had a lot to say, especially when she started asking whether Fang Ping’s parents and sister liked the presents she bought them. At this moment, some heavy breathing could be heard over the phone.
Old Man Chen sounded like he was about to explode.
This granddaughter of his was showering Fang Ping with too much affection!
That rascal would not appreciate those presents.
Fang Ping did not want to agitate the old man anymore; he was afraid Chen Yaoting might hunt him down on Chinese New Year itself, baying for blood.
After a few more words with Chen Yunxi, Fang Ping hung up.
As soon as the call ended, an eavesdropping Fang Yuan tried to creep away. However, she used too much force and nearly knocked over the potted plants on the balcony.
Fang Ping was speechless. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck from behind and hoisted her up, looking at the struggling lass with a smug expression on his face.
‘Good, you’ve given me a great opportunity!’ Fang Ping thought.
‘I’ve always wanted to experience this feeling!’
In the past, he was always the one being held up by the scruff of his neck. Now that he was able to do the same to someone else, it felt very empowering.
Fang Yuan looked thoroughly embarrassed. Fang Ping was bullying her too much!
It was so shameful!
The siblings tussled with each other for a while. Outside, the sky began to darken. In the kitchen, Li Yuying had prepared their Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner and was now bringing out the dishes.
“Time to eat!”
As soon their mother called, Fang Ping let go of his sister to get ready for dinner.
By now, night had fallen.
No sooner had Fang Ping taken a few steps than he furrowed his brow slightly and looked sidelong out the window.
“What’s wrong?” Fang Yuan massaged her neck and asked curiously.
“It’s nothing...”
Fang Ping’s reply was perfunctory, but his brow was still furrowed. Had he just felt a fluctuation of Vitality?
Currently, his Mentality was over 800Hz and his senses were very sharp.
Human powerhouses and those from the Catacombs could detect each other from thousands of li away; it all depended on the strength of their Mentality.
Mentality detection and attack ranges were different.
A Rank-7 powerhouse’s Mentality attack range might only cover a few hundred meters, but his detection range would not be so limited—it might be 10 times wider or more.
However, the distance between their residential block and the small district’s outer perimeter was over a few hundred meters. Fang Ping only detected a weak fluctuation; it was barely noticeable.
‘Did a martial artist just pass by?’ Fang Ping thought to himself. That Vitality fluctuation was so weak he suspected he might have been mistaken.
His ears wiggled as he pondered.
Thanks to his honed ossicles, he also had exceptional hearing.
As soon as his ears began to quiver, countless voices from his surroundings immediately flooded his ears. They were enough to make Fang Ping dizzy.
“Happy Chinese New Year’s Eve, hubby!”
“Daddy, I want to eat. I’m so hungry.”
“...”
Voices all around drifted over, one after the other.
Fang Ping even picked up some risqué ones that were supposed to be private. He silently rebuked them, ‘It’s not even late at night yet, and it’s Chinese New Year’s Eve. Is that how you two actually plan to celebrate?’
After his mental chiding, he blocked out all distractions and focused his ears in the direction where he had initially detected the fluctuation.
After a while, his expression changed slightly.
He did not hear anything of note; the only thing worth paying attention to was a few faint breaths. That was not the point, however. The crucial thing was that the breaths were very long.
There was a long pause, followed by another breath.
Only a martial artist would do this!
Fang Ping took a deep breath, his heartbeat quickening slightly. Was this really a passing martial artist?
That might not be the case!
Fang Yuan was still looking at him. Fang Ping waved his hand. “Go have your dinner first.”
“Brother...”
“Go!”
After forcing his sister to leave, Fang Ping did some quick thinking and made a phone call. As soon as the receiver was picked up, he said swiftly, “There’s a martial artist outside my residential district!”
“What rank?”
“No idea.”
“I’ll be there right away.”
Fang Ping pondered for a moment then requested, “When you arrive, pleased get my family to safety. Myself, I can either fight or flee!”
“Fang Ping...”
“Brother Wang, I’m counting on you!”
“Alright! I’ll notify Commander Bai who’s stationed at Auspicious Peace City; it’s only around a hundred li away from here. If he hurries as fast as he can, he’ll reach you in 10 minutes max!”
That being said, Commander Bai was a Grandmaster who was responsible for the entire city. Whether or not he would come, that was another story.
After all, the Nanjiang Catacombs were this man’s responsibility.
Even if he did agree to come over, arrangements would need to be made. 10 minutes...that was the best-case scenario; it would also depend on Commander Bai’s swiftness.
Fang Ping said nothing more and quickly hung up.
After thinking for a bit, he sent a few messages from his phone.
Judging by the current situation, there might be no threat at all, and that martial artist could just be passing by...but this was Chinese New Year’s Eve. Which martial artist would be lingering outside this district instead of celebrating it at home?
Fang Ping had never been hesitant to regard others in a bad light.
It was far better to be safe than sorry.
Whether it was his own insignificant life or his family’s safety, Fang Ping valued them all.
Back in the day when he went up against Huang Bin who seemed to have something against him, Fang Ping was not even a martial artist yet—but his initial reaction at that time was to strike first to establish dominance.
The Fang Ping of today would never let his guard down, even if a martial artist really was just passing by.
Not only that, but he had also made a lot of enemies.
The first thing that Fang Ping thought of was not the evil sect, but the pill and weapons manufacturing companies!
The recent changes at MCMAU had infringed on the interests of those two companies. When it came to profit, it was not hard to fathom people committing unimaginable acts to get what they wanted.
After taking a quick breath and seeing his parents and sister waiting for him in the dining area, Fang Ping strode over and whispered, “Dad, Mom, I need you to leave this place first. Take the stairs down, but don’t exit the building!
“Just wait in the stairwell of another floor for a while.”
“Brother...”
“Ping Ping...”
Fang Ping smiled. “It’s okay, maybe I’m just overly suspicious. Why don’t you head downstairs first? If the coast is clear, we can resume our dinner.”
Fang Mingrong looked at his son and the saber in his hand for a brief moment, then he nodded. “All right, be careful!”
“Brother!”
Fang Yuan clenched her teeth. “There’s no danger, right?” she asked softly.
“Of course. All right, no more talking, go down first!” Fang Ping told her.
Fang Mingrong did not hesitate and pulled Li Yuying along, who seemed like she wanted to ask her son some more questions. Fang Yuan looked unwilling, but she stopped talking and quickly followed her parents.
...
Once his family had left, Fang Ping did not act rashly. Instead, he chose to wait.
Now he stood at the balcony, deliberately showing his silhouette.
His Mentality and hearing were fully focused. If anyone was observing, they would see him looking back into the dining area, as if he were talking to the people inside.
After a while, Fang Ping’s phone rang.
“I’m here.”
“Don’t come through the main entrance.”
“Got it.”
“My parents and sister are in the stairwell, so don’t come over first. Wait and see. If there isn’t an attack, then stay where you are. The minute they make a move, you get them out right away.”
“Fang Ping...”
Wang Jinyang exhaled heavily. Very quietly he said, “Yes, I know. We stall for time.”
He continued, “Commander Bai promised to come over, but...it’s Chinese New Year’s Eve and there are insufficient powerhouses stationed aboveground. There will be some delay as he needs to make some arrangements.”
Fang Ping was not surprised about this. No matter how important his safety was, precedence still had to be given to the Nanjiang Catacombs.
Commander Bai was currently the strongest powerhouse in Nanjiang in terms of combat strength, but he was still a military man and would not leave his duties. It was already unexpectedly difficult for him to agree to hurry over.
“I understand. Hope he makes it in time.”
“It’ll be fine.”
Wang Jinyang said nothing more after that and hung up.
He did not scout the area either. If he was discovered, there would be problems.
If someone did harbor ill intentions towards Fang Ping, whomever they sent would not be weak.
If there was no malicious intent...then it was just a false alarm and would not be an issue.
He and Fang Ping were both prodigies. If this turned out to be a misunderstanding, some polite words and profuse apologies would suffice. The Grandmaster would not blame them.
At this very moment, Fang Ping suddenly stopped talking.
He could hear voices coming from the source of the breathing.
...
“He’s still by the window.”
Outside the small district, the middle-aged man frowned slightly. He stared at the apartment where Fang Ping was; it seemed like their target was on a phone call. “It’s dark already...do you want to proceed?” he muttered.
The old man replied, “Let’s wait a bit longer. Advancing now would blow our cover.”
His younger accomplice’s frown deepened. After a short pause, he responded, “No more waiting. We’ve to grasp this chance before the odds turn against us! Protector Mei, you move first while I go from the other side, then we’ll strike at the same time!”
The Protector nodded his head in agreement, Without any delay, he stepped out of the car.
Their other accomplice exited from the vehicle as well. He did not proceed further and stayed where he was.
The middle-aged man stepped out too, but he did not walk. Instead, he assumed the flight stance and disappeared above the horizon.
...
Inside the apartment.
Fang Ping cursed silently!
They were definitely coming for him.
It seemed like they were making their move now, much sooner than he expected. It looked like Commander Bai would not make it in time.
Fang Ping took a deep breath and gripped his saber. He could not leave now. If he did, the assailants might even wreck the entire building in a fury.
However, if they were to engage in combat and he escaped, they would not waste time lingering around here.
Fang Ping now curbed his entire aura and constructed several Mentality Shields in front of him. Condensed waves of Celestiality flowed from his hand into the Chaos-vanquishing Saber.
There were a few assailants, but he had to focus on eliminating at least one first.
Large amounts of Celestiality were channeled into the saber. The flesh of Fang Ping’s palm also started to blur together.
His golden bones emitted a faint glow.
He was now ready with his most powerful strike.
It was impossible to determine the enemy’s strength at present, but they would definitely not be high-ranked; Fang Ping was sure of that.
If they were not that powerful, then the chances of him landing a killing blow would not be so low after all.