246: Chapter 246 Undercurrents Are Quietly Flowing

Mu Mingfeng heard this, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

He naturally understood what Valley Master Qin Cangyan meant by "reminiscing."

Cangyan Valley had done so many things for the Mu Family over the years, growing from a small, nearly destroyed force into a powerhouse that now boasted five Mahayana Cultivators and dominated the Cangyan Mountains, all thanks to the Mu Family's backing.

But Mu Mingfeng knew even better that the reason Valley Master Qin Cangyan was so attentive was because Cangyan Valley had encountered some trouble while expanding in the Northern Territory recently and urgently needed the Mu Family to provide an additional batch of Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills.

When asking the Mu Family for favors, one naturally had to be extra attentive.

"Tomorrow, I will personally go to Laifu Inn to meet Valley Master Qin."

Mu Mingfeng looked up at the middle-aged man, his tone returning to its usual composure.

"Send people to keep a close watch on Yuelan Dojo. As soon as Sun Mingcheng and those Kunlun Disciple leave the dojo, notify Zheng Lingfeng immediately. As for the rest, Valley Master Qin will handle it himself."

"Yes." The middle-aged man bowed to accept the order, his figure merging silently into the faint ripples in the corner of the wall just as it had appeared, disappearing quickly and leaving only the dim light of the bronze oil lamp on the desk flickering.

Mu Mingfeng sat alone in the study for a while longer, picked up the teacup that had long gone cold on the desk, took a slow sip, and cast his gaze through the window lattice at the crescent moon half-hidden by thin clouds in the night sky.

After tomorrow, the Sun Family's Foundation in Huaiyang City would be uprooted, Zheng Lingfeng would be even more grateful to the Mu Family, and the blade that was Cangyan Valley would be put away as usual after use, leaving no traces.

Everything was proceeding according to plan, all under his control.

He set down the teacup, the smile on his face remaining as gentle as jade.

The night deepened, and the bustle in Huaiyang City gradually died down, leaving only a few pleasure houses still lit with ambiguous lights, with an occasional drunken laugh drifting out from the depths of the alleys, soon swallowed by the night wind.

In Yuelan Dojo in the south of the city, the last batch of Cultivators seeking Alchemy finally dispersed, and Great Master Changming personally saw off a few old friends who had come from afar before turning back to the backyard.

Zhou Tianchen had been discussing the Dao with Great Master Changming for three days and had given two lectures in a row; even though his Divine Soul strength far exceeded that of Alchemists of the same rank, he felt a trace of fatigue at this moment.

He returned to the quiet room at the back of the dojo, but instead of rushing to rest, he sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, took out the green jade bottle from his storage ring, and held the green jade calming pill gifted by Great Master Changming in his palm, examining it carefully under the moonlight spilling through the window.

The Medicinal Pill shone with a warm, emerald luster under the moonlight, and the fine pill veins on its surface flowed slowly like living things. Each rotation released a faint trace of medicinal fragrance, and just smelling it made one's Divine Soul feel clear.

Zhou Tianchen examined it for a moment, put the Medicinal Pill back into the bottle, but did not rush to take it.

With only a few days left until the opening of Xuanhuang Fortress, he planned to find an absolutely quiet time before entering the Secret Realm to completely refine this Medicinal Pill to help his Nine Forging Soul Technique advance further.

He put the green jade bottle into his storage ring, took out the yellowed ancient book, turned to the page he had read last time, and continued reading by the moonlight.

In the adjacent quiet room, Lu Jinghan was still sitting cross-legged on the bluestone, the Jinghan Sword across his knees, his eyes slightly closed.

The silver-white Law of Time and Space fluctuations lingering around him were a bit thicker than three days ago, faintly outlining extremely faint spacetime patterns around him. Those patterns appeared and disappeared in the light of the moonstones, like ripples wrinkled by a breeze on the water surface.

During these few days at Yuelan Dojo, although he had not participated in the alchemy discussions, he had not been idle either.

Every day, in addition to regulating his breath and Cultivate, he also repeatedly deduced the subsequent changes of the Time Mark Sword Art in his mind, integrating the Sword Intent of the first three forms—Late Twilight, Tracing Light, and A Moment in the Floating World—and faintly touching the threshold of the fourth form.

In another quiet room, Duan Xinghe was still in that posture of holding his long sword.

The faint starlight aura around him was particularly conspicuous in the night, and pale silver starlight slowly overflowed from his body.

An extremely faint star map was outlined within a three-foot radius around him, with stars dotted in it, slowly rotating. Each rotation caused an extremely subtle Sword Intent to shoot out from those starlights, only to quickly dissipate in the air.

The jet-black long sword in his arms had its newly replaced sword tassel swaying gently in the starlight, and the runes on the scabbard had light flowing faintly, as if resonating with its master's breathing.

Outside Yuelan Dojo, Huaiyang City, shrouded in the night, seemed calm, but several undercurrents were already quietly surging in secret.

The scouts sent by the Zheng Family had already crept to the surroundings of the Sun Family mansion under the cover of night, hiding in the shadows of the street corners, silently recording every person and every carriage entering and leaving the Sun Family.

The Sun Family was completely unaware of this; the mansion was brightly lit, and a few stewards who had returned late were still checking the monthly Medicinal Pill accounts in the accounting room, with maids occasionally passing through the corridors with teacups, their footsteps echoing softly on the bluestone floor.

Changming Lingxi and Sun Mingcheng walked side by side under the corridor on the west side of the dojo.

The night wind blew across the wind chimes under the corridor, making a crisp and pleasant tinkling sound. Changming Lingxi was still holding the Jade Slip that was already densely packed with notes, tilting her head to discuss with Sun Mingcheng the key points of Alchemical Fire mentioned in the lecture just now.

Sun Mingcheng was still his usual composed self, unfolding his folding fan and waving it gently as he walked, occasionally interjecting a pertinent comment, which made Changming Lingxi nod repeatedly.

When they reached the end of the corridor, Sun Mingcheng said goodbye and left. Three figures appeared silently not far behind him, trailing him from a distance until they confirmed he had safely returned to the Sun Family mansion before quietly dispersing.

Those were the secret guards sent by Clan Head Sun Henian. Ever since the incident at Bafang Pavilion, he had not dared to let his son walk alone in the city, so two secret guards took turns guarding him in secret every night.

And in the corner behind the main hall of the dojo, Yun Tianxiang was still sitting in that inconspicuous position, his aura restrained to the point of almost merging with the shadows.

He had witnessed the entire process of Zheng Lingfeng and Mu Mingfeng making things difficult for Sun Mingcheng and Changming Lingxi, and had also watched the two of them leave the dojo.

He did not follow them; there were Mu Family people beside Zheng Lingfeng, and behind Mu Mingfeng was the massive power of the Mu Family's Fifth Elder's lineage. Following rashly would only alert the enemy.

However, from their conversation and demeanor, he became increasingly certain that the relationship between the Zheng Family and the Mu Family was by no means as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Zheng Lingfeng's attitude towards Mu Mingfeng was not like a simple friendship, but more like a kind of dependence and reliance.

And Mu Mingfeng's care for Zheng Lingfeng was far more than the usual friendship between noble families; that faint indulgence and protection seemed more like maintaining a useful tool for himself.

He needed more evidence, needed to find a witness who could directly point to the Zheng Family's participation in the destruction of the Yun Family back then.

He combed through all the details he had observed today in his mind, then slowly stood up and walked out of the dojo silently, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.