Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Reaction
When news of Fang Rui’s death reached the Fang Family, the entire clan was consumed by fury.
"Rui’er is dead? Who did this?!"
"How dare that villain defy our Fang Family!"
"Investigate! Find out every detail! I don’t care who’s responsible—they must die!"
...
The inner residence of the Fang Family.
Fang Qixian’s expression was grim, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
The few men standing by to report were silent, terrified of provoking him.
"Has Ding Tong returned?"
At Fang Qixian’s question, a middle-aged man at his side stepped half-forward and answered, steeling himself.
"Clan Elder, we have no news yet."
BAM!
Fang Qixian slammed his palm onto the small pearwood table, and the sheer force of the blow instantly shattered it.
"Didn’t I tell you to investigate? Where’s the news?!"
The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed as he saw the faint golden Profound Light flash for an instant. He couldn’t help but swallow hard.
"Clan Elder, please calm your anger. The area outside Weishui City is vast, and we’ve had limited time to investigate, so we have no leads on Ding Tong yet. But please rest assured, Clan Elder, we have already dispatched several teams to conduct a grid search. We’re confident we’ll find a clue about Ding Tong in a few more days!"
Fang Qixian’s gaze shifted to the middle-aged man, who couldn’t help but flinch. Fang Qixian said nothing. He rose to his feet, his calm expression belying the fury simmering beneath.
’Rui’er!’
’My Rui’er!’
He still remembered how, just a few days ago, his son had excitedly chosen his men, preparing to assassinate an enemy. The scene was still vivid in his mind, as if it had happened only yesterday.
Seeing Rui’er’s naive actions, he had stepped in to offer a few words of guidance. He told Rui’er to take his Waist Token and find Tower Holder Ding Tong!
Tower Holder Ding Tong! A Martial Arts Master at the Perfect Second Level of Inner Qi. He was far stronger than the retainers Rui’er had chosen.
Seeing Rui’er leave in such high spirits, he, as a father, had felt happy too.
Who would have thought that farewell would be their last!
At this thought, the fury Fang Qixian had been fiercely suppressing could no longer be contained.
"Investigate! Go investigate! If a few teams can’t find anything, then send more! Ten teams! Twenty teams! I don’t care! I have only one demand: by sunset tomorrow, I want to know if Ding Tong is alive or dead! If he’s dead, I want to see a body. If he’s alive, I want to see him in person!"
"Yes, Clan Elder!"
Watching the raging Fang Qixian, the men around him broke out in a cold sweat.
"Go investigate now!"
Fang Qixian roared.
The men scurried out the door as if they’d been granted amnesty.
Fang Qixian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face thick with Evil Qi.
’If it was just an ordinary cultivator at the First Stage of the Inner Qi Realm, Rui’er’s guards would have had a high chance of escaping. So, the attacker must have been, at the very least, an expert in Martial Arts at Inner Qi First Level Perfection.’
’Did this person kill Rui’er on someone else’s orders, or for some other reason?’
’And... what about Ding Tong?’
’Ding Tong hasn’t returned for days; he’s most likely dead! But was his death part of a deliberate plot against Rui’er, or was it simply an accident during the assassination attempt?’
’If it’s the former, it means someone orchestrated an elaborate trap. The target wasn’t Rui’er, but me, or perhaps even the entire Fang Family!’
’If it’s the latter, it means that Chen Ping’an has the backing of at least one Martial Arts Master at the Third Stage of Inner Qi!’
But right now, for Fang Qixian, he didn’t care whether it was the former or the latter.
He only knew one thing: his Rui’er was dead.
’No matter who it is, I will make them pay for Rui’er’s life with their own!’
’And... Chen Ping’an! Since Rui’er wanted you dead while he was alive, then as his father, I will fulfill his wish!’
’Once this round of games between the Noble Families concludes, I will go to White Stone City myself and take Chen Ping’an’s life!’
...
Fang Rui’s death caused quite a stir in Weishui County City. The nature of his death was particularly egregious. Considering all the circumstances, the entire Fang Family strongly suspected it was a deliberate trap set for him.
As for Chen Ping’an, he was not considered a primary suspect.
Most importantly, a day after the news broke, the death of Tower Holder Ding Tong was confirmed!
Tower Holder Ding Tong, famous for many years, was a bona fide Martial Arts Master at the Perfect Second Level of Inner Qi. Even a master of his caliber was unable to escape and died on the spot.
That meant the assailant had to have reached at least the Third Stage of Inner Qi, the Celestial Rain Falling Realm! And not just any ordinary cultivator at that realm, but a seasoned master with cunning Magical Combat skills and extensive real-world fighting experience.
At Chen Ping’an’s current age, it was absolutely impossible for him to have reached that level!
Even Weishui’s number one prodigy, Liu Ziming, had only just barely reached the Second Stage of Inner Qi at that age.
If Chen Ping’an were that powerful, he would have long since become famous throughout Canglong Province, instantly becoming a sought-after and influential figure!
Furthermore, it was extremely difficult to conceal one’s Martial Arts Realm in Weishui County City. In recent days, the realm Chen Ping’an had displayed was merely that of someone who had just entered the Inner Qi Realm, nothing special.
Therefore, in the Fang Family’s investigation, Chen Ping’an was temporarily excluded from the list of culprits.
Also, the matter of the assassination attempt on Chen Ping’an was not suitable for widespread publicity. On the surface, Chen Ping’an had no connection whatsoever to Fang Rui’s death.
The Fang Family’s investigation into Chen Ping’an was thus pushed to the bottom of the list.
...
The White Stone Town Pacification Bureau reported to the Weishui Garrison and oversaw all powers, large and small, within the city, as well as patrolling the populace. Functionally, it was the most powerful institution in White Stone City.
However...
Due to the opening of the Long’an Trade Route, White Stone City had become a chaotic mix of the good and the bad over the past decade, with a complex web of powers. On the surface alone, there were eight major factions: three great families, four major gangs, and the Commerce Alliance, which was formed by numerous smaller business associations.
Below these eight major factions, the various other powers were even more chaotic. Beyond that, all sorts of demons and monsters hid in the shadows, such as the likes of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.
The situation in the entire city could only be described as utter chaos. In the last ten years, there had been three different Commanders-in-Chief. Aside from one who retired due to severe injuries, the other two had lost their lives.
And that was just the Commanders-in-Chief. The number of Deputy Commanders and Inspectorate officers who had died was even greater.
Chen Ping’an’s own predecessor, for example, had died inexplicably in his home.
The Weishui Garrison was also infuriated by this situation. However, the development of the Long’an Trade Route was now in its final stages. The interests of various parties both inside and outside the province needed to be balanced, and Weishui’s own interests had to be protected. The Weishui Garrison simply couldn’t spare much energy to deal with it.
They could only scrape together enough personnel to maintain the status quo, praying that no major upheaval would erupt in White Stone City.
Fortunately, the current Commander-in-Chief of the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau, Feng Shixian, was a ruthless man. With his strength at the Third Stage of Inner Qi, the Celestial Rain Falling Realm, he suppressed all factions and maintained the balance within the city.
Normally, a cultivator at the Second Stage of Inner Qi was more than sufficient for the position of White Stone City’s Commander-in-Chief! There was no need to dispatch a master at the Third Stage of Inner Qi, the Celestial Rain Falling Realm!
That was why the Weishui Garrison had transferred Feng Shixian over in the first place—to clean up the atmosphere in White Stone City and stabilize the situation.
Feng Shixian’s appointment did indeed stabilize the situation in White Stone City for a time. However, judging from the recent inexplicable death of a Deputy Commander in his own home, it was clear that even Feng Shixian was on the verge of losing control.
Information about White Stone City surfaced in Chen Ping’an’s mind. He encountered no trouble and smoothly followed the line of people entering the city, arriving inside White Stone City without a hitch.
After entering the city, Chen Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry to report to the Garrison Commandant’s Office. An idea came to him: he would first get a feel for the situation in the city. He found a random inn, and after stabling the carriage and settling their luggage, he took Chen Erya and Peony and began to wander around the city.
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