31: Zhao Family Crisis

Zhao Wuya is a Foundation Establishment Seniors whose Family is located in Daxin Chunhe Prefecture, over two thousand li from Liuyun Market. The 'difficulties' Zhao Family encountered were merely that his Family in Chunhe Prefecture had been suppressed recently. Zhao Family only had Zhao Wuya, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and only five Qi Refining Cultivators in his Family. Moreover, according to Martial Uncle Ye's Jade Slip introduction, these five all seemed to have poor Aptitude.

Lin Feng planned to investigate further upon arrival. To save time, Lin Feng used the Silver Shadow Leopard as a means of travel. This Silver Shadow Leopard was extremely fast, though its stamina was a bit lacking. After traveling a thousand li, it refused to move further. Helpless, Lin Feng had no choice but to let it enter his Spirit Beast Pouch.

This time, Lin Feng had used all his Spirit Stones from Liuyun Market to purchase Medicinal Pills. He bought a full four hundred Spirit Stones worth of Qi Gathering Pills, some Spirit Beast pellets, and spent all the remaining Spirit Stones on Talismans crafting Materials.

Due to his own Cultivation and the need to raise Spirit Beasts, Lin Feng had only saved a little over two hundred Spirit Stones during this period. The remaining Spirit Stones were all rewards from the Sect's current mission, totaling seven hundred, which Lin Feng spent entirely.

The reason Lin Feng did this was that he did not plan to return to Liuyun Market immediately after completing the mission. He intended to gain some experience outside, and only return to Liuyun Market once his Cultivation had improved.

After all, while there were many opportunities within Liuyun Market, there were also significant risks. Lin Feng knew that only by continuously improving his strength could he gain a foothold in this Cultivation World, and what he needed now was time. As long as he had enough time, Lin Feng's Cultivation would definitely reach a higher level.

Leaving Liuyun Market to avoid future crises was exactly what Lin Feng wanted, which is why he prepared so many Cultivation resources.

After three days of travel, Lin Feng finally arrived at Daxin Chunhe Prefecture. He first found an inn to stay in, and then began to inquire about the Zhao Family. After some inquiries, Lin Feng learned that the Zhao Family had indeed encountered some trouble recently.

It turned out that because the Zhao Family only had Zhao Wuya as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their influence in Chunhe Prefecture was not strong. Recently, due to Zhao Wuya's disappearance for many years, the Li Family, a large Family in Chunhe Prefecture, began to suppress the Zhao Family, attempting to annex their industries.

Upon learning of this situation, Lin Feng couldn't help but feel a little worried. He knew that his mission this time was not only to help Zhao Wuya's Family solve their difficulties but also to inquire about Zhao Wuya's whereabouts. Now that the Zhao Family was facing such trouble, it undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the mission.

However, Lin Feng did not back down. He decided to first go to the Zhao Family Head to understand the specific situation.

Lin Feng arrived at the Zhao Family and met the Zhao Family Head, Zhao Minghui. Zhao Minghui was quite excited when he learned that Lin Feng was sent by Ye Zhiqiu. He told Lin Feng in detail about the troubles the Zhao Family had recently encountered and pleaded with Lin Feng to help them solve their difficulties. After listening, Lin Feng already had a plan in mind.

Lin Feng comforted Zhao Minghui, saying, "Family Head Zhao, don't worry. I will do my best to help the Zhao Family solve their difficulties. However, I still need to understand some specific circumstances before I can formulate a plan."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Minghui quickly told Lin Feng the detailed situation of the Zhao Family. After listening, Lin Feng already had a preliminary idea. He decided to first secretly investigate the strength of the Li Family, and then formulate a specific plan.

Thus, Lin Feng began to move around Chunhe Prefecture, secretly inquiring about the Li Family. After some investigation, Lin Feng learned that the Li Family had a large influence in Chunhe Prefecture. The Li Family had been well-behaved when Zhao Wuya was present, but now that Zhao Wuya had not appeared for many years, and they somehow got the news that Zhao Wuya had died, they began to show their fangs towards the Zhao Family. Recently, they had been suppressing the forces controlled by the Zhao Family in Chunhe Prefecture.

Because their Family had more than a dozen Qi Refining Cultivators, and the Li Family Head, Li Haocheng, was a Late Stage Qi Refining Eighth Layer Cultivator, they acted with some impunity.

Moreover, Lin Feng discovered through secret observation that the Li Family seemed to be colluding with some Evil Path forces, and their strength was not to be underestimated. Upon learning of this situation, Lin Feng couldn't help but feel a little solemn. He knew that this mission was not easy, making Lin Feng feel a bit tricky. He decided to return to the inn first, plan carefully, and then act.

Lin Feng had been secretly tracking Li Family Cultivators recently and found that the Li Family seemed to be privately trading some people. Many people who had disappeared in Chunhe Prefecture recently were also greatly related to the Li Family. Lin Feng suspected that these missing people were very likely sold by the Li Family to Evil Path forces.

Lin Feng secretly pondered that his strength alone would be difficult to deal with, and it seemed he could only send information to the Sect. Lin Feng decided to secretly help the Zhao Family while ambushing some weaker Li Family Cultivators to first tie up the Li Family's energy, gaining more time for rescue, and at the same time, have the Zhao Family send a letter to Junior Martial Uncle Ye in Liuyun Market to seek help.

Lin Feng knew that he must act cautiously and avoid alerting the enemy. So, he began to plan a series of actions.

First, Lin Feng decided to use his familiarity with the environment and the advantages of the Silver Shadow Leopard and Spirit Rhinoceros Eye at night, relying on the Silver Shadow Leopard's speed advantage to harass the outer forces of the Li Family. He chose to act at night, using the cover of darkness to ambush some weaker Cultivators of the Li Family. After each action, he would quickly withdraw, leaving no traces.

At the same time, Lin Feng also had the Zhao Family secretly collect evidence of the Li Family's collusion with Evil Path forces. He knew that only by possessing conclusive evidence could the Sect pay more attention to this matter and send more forces to support them.

After all, this matter involved the Evil Path, and the Sect would not ignore it. If it were merely a conflict between the Zhao Family and the Li Family, the Sect would not intervene, but since the Li Family was colluding with the Evil Path, the Sect would certainly intervene.

Under Lin Feng's planning, the Zhao Family began to secretly send people to Liuyun Market, delivering the letter and evidence together to Junior Martial Uncle Ye. Upon learning of this, Junior Martial Uncle Ye was greatly shocked and immediately reported it to the higher-ups of the Sect.

The Sect's higher-ups attached great importance to this matter and decided to send a Foundation Establishment cultivator and several Qi Refining Cultivators to Daxin Chunhe Prefecture to help Lin Feng resolve this matter.

Since this matter involved Heretical Cultivator, Lin Feng did not dare to be too excessive with the Li Family. Lin Feng was currently unsure of the true strength of the Li Family's mastermind.

So Lin Feng decided to risk going to the Zhao Family to investigate the situation. Only four or five people in the Zhao Family knew of Lin Feng's existence, and Lin Feng's subsequent communication with the Zhao Family Head was also through the Zhao Family's secret passage. Secrecy was crucial; a slight oversight could jeopardize the entire plan to delay the Li Family.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Li Family's movements, Lin Feng decided to risk infiltrating the Li Family. He used his proficiency with stealth talismans to successfully bypass the Li Family's guards and sneak into the core area of the Li Family.

There, he overheard a conversation between the Li Family Head, Li Haocheng, and a mysterious person. This was an individual whose entire body was covered in black clothing, concealing his face. Lin Feng did not dare to approach. That person's Cultivation was clearly higher than that of the Li Family Head, Li Haocheng, who treated him with utmost respect.

Lin Feng held his breath upon seeing this scene, exerting the Hidden Spirit Art to its maximum, and even applying several stealth talismans to his body. Through his recent observations, it was evident that the Li Family indeed had significant backing.

Moreover, from their conversation, Lin Feng also learned a shocking piece of news: the mysterious person was actually an Elder of a nearby Demonic Cultivation Sect, possessing Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment strength. They planned to launch a general attack on the Zhao Family soon, completely annexing the Zhao Family's industries, and gradually encroaching upon the surrounding forces of Chunhe Prefecture to expand their sphere of influence, with the Li Family serving as their front.

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng couldn't help but secretly rejoice. Fortunately, he had arrived in time, otherwise, the Zhao Family would probably have suffered a calamity. He dared not linger any longer. After the mysterious person left, he quietly withdrew from the Li Family and returned to the inn.

Upon returning to the inn, Lin Feng immediately informed Zhao Minghui of this important intelligence. Zhao Minghui was also greatly alarmed upon hearing this. He had not expected that the Li Family would collude with Evil Path forces to attack the Zhao Family.

Lin Feng comforted Zhao Minghui, saying, "Family Head Zhao, there's no need to worry too much. We have already informed the Sect about this matter, and the Sect will soon send people to support us. Before then, we need to make full preparations. The opponent's momentum is not small; it's not something we can handle. You should first secretly evacuate some of the younger generations of the Family from Chunhe Prefecture to preserve some of the Zhao Family's lineage, while we stabilize the Li Family and wait for the Sect's support."

Zhao Minghui nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. He knew that Lin Feng was right. The current strength of the Zhao Family was simply no match for the Li Family. If they resisted forcefully, it would only lead to the complete annihilation of the Zhao Family, and a sudden evacuation would also attract the Li Family's pursuit. Now, they could only act according to Lin Feng's words.

Thus, he immediately arranged for people to secretly evacuate some of the younger generations from the Family from Chunhe Prefecture. At the same time, Lin Feng also began to prepare a plan to deal with the Li Family.

Lin Feng no longer stayed at the inn but resided in the Zhao Family. These days, he had been crafting talismans within the Family and also awaiting the Sect's support.