Chapter 45

You Zhong instantly arrived above the carriage, and suddenly, the two giant beasts pulling the carriage roared in unison, stomping heavily on the ground.

With a loud boom, the ground and the air above it began to shake, the tremors spreading out in layers.

Under this shaking, the flames were all extinguished, and two powerful forces simultaneously collided with You Zhong's spear.

You Zhong's spear twisted like a pretzel, and he grunted, a trail of blood spilling from his mouth as he flew out and crashed heavily to the ground.

Xin Ming Wuzong's full-strength attack was easily shattered by two beasts!

Jiang Feng and Zhong Fan stood on the carriage, right in the middle of this force, both unharmed, not even a hair out of place.

A black-armored warrior stepped forward, pressing the tip of his spear against You Zhong's throat, about to apply force, when Zhong Fan raised his hand and said, "Hold on."

He glanced at Jiang Feng and said, "Don't kill him. Handle it officially, hand him over to Liang Liuchao."

The black-armored warrior stepped back silently, swung his spear, and You Zhong was lifted from the ground, drawing a long arc as he flew far away, crashing into the county office!

Zhong Fan shook his head helplessly, "Hai Chao, you're still so impulsive..."

Jiang Feng stood on the carriage, looking around.

The order in Hezhong County had been restored, and Liang Liuchao was leading part of the county army to rebuild the examination hall, issuing exam numbers to the scattered cultivators.

The injured were carried to one side for treatment or burial.

You Zhong's defeat left his followers from the Fuliang Sect in shock, like stray dogs, herded to one side, awaiting their fate.

There were still many things left to handle, but Jiang Feng knew that an invisible force was manipulating things behind the scenes, allowing events to continue to unfold. Some of it would proceed according to his plans, but more of it was no longer his concern.

He muttered, "If it weren't for you..."

Indeed, if it weren't for Zhong Fan, the situation would not have been resolved so quickly, causing more casualties, and perhaps everyone present, including himself, would have been sacrificed here.

Zhong Fan understood the unspoken part and interrupted, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come here, and everyone would have fallen into a trap. More than just a few would have died then."

Jiang Feng exhaled, jumped off the carriage, and walked towards the Changchuan River.

Zhong Fan looked at his back, also got off the carriage, and said without turning back, "Hai Chao and the Mountain Group stay, the rest leave."

In an instant, only six people remained behind Zhong Fan, standing far away, exuding a powerful presence but not following closely.

Jiang Feng showed no reaction, walking to the Changchuan River and stopping.

Zhong Fan stood beside him, silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "I'm leaving."

Jiang Feng glanced at him, "It's still more than a month before the agreed time."

Zhong Fan opened his palm, revealing a small green paper crane. "My mother is calling me, I have to go back."

Jiang Feng smiled at the paper crane, "Your mother has a childlike heart."

Zhong Fan also smiled, saying softly, "There is no better mother in this world than her."

Jiang Feng said, "For every child..."

His voice trailed off, then he suddenly asked, "Do you plan to restore your true identity?"

Zhong Fan asked knowingly, "Do you need me to help with something?"

Jiang Feng said, "A piece of information, you should know. Last time at the Half-Moon Market, I heard that Zhuyang City was breached, and Fuliang Jun was severely injured. Is this true?"

Zhong Fan nodded, "Yes."

Jiang Feng hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about his surroundings? Did anything else happen? For example, did anyone else die?"

Zhong Fan didn't ask why Jiang Feng cared, just shook his head, "No such news. That sword came from the north, breaking through Zhuyang City, targeting Fuliang Jun. Fuliang Jun used all his strength to save his life, but his Mingxin Seed and Yuan Branch were severely damaged, his power greatly diminished, and he still can't get out of bed. When the city was breached, some people were injured by bricks and stones, but none were fatally wounded."

Jiang Feng was stunned, "A sword from the north? Who did it?"

Zhong Fan shook his head, "No one knows yet."

Jiang Feng thought for a moment, then sighed in relief, "No one was fatally wounded... that's good..."

Zhong Fan looked at his back and suddenly asked, "There's less than two months until the county exam. You can't stay in Hezhong County; you need to change the exam location."

With such a major incident in Hezhong County, there would be more chaos, and it was uncertain whether the county exam could proceed normally. Moreover, too many people had seen Jiang Feng during the incident.

From now until the county exam, less than two months, this matter could not be forgotten so quickly. When the time came, Jiang Feng would face some trouble if he wanted to take the exam normally.

Jiang Feng also thought of this and nodded, "You're right, I'll prepare as soon as possible."

"If you want, I can help you arrange it."

Jiang Feng smiled and nodded freely, "Sure, I'll leave it to you!"

Zhong Fan asked, "Do you want to know who is behind this?"

Jiang Feng was stunned, turning back, "You know?"

Zhong Fan said, "The ruler of Zhutian Kingdom is called Zhuyang Wang, the most noble and powerful figure in Zhutian Kingdom—according to the rules, that is."

Jiang Feng was very perceptive, "Actually not?"

Zhong Fan said, "Zhutian Kingdom has twenty-four noble families, which have existed longer than the kingdom itself. These families have noble bloodlines, enduring and powerful, controlling most of the power in Zhutian Kingdom."

"The leading families among the twenty-four are the Zhou, Wang, Sun, and Qian families, and the other twenty families follow their lead."

In a flash, Jiang Feng recalled the mysterious manor he had seen near Chaoyi Peak.

On the manor's gate, there was a "Zhou" character, and in the conversations of those people, the Zhou family was mentioned!

Could that be the Zhou family's manor? Yes, only the first family of Zhutian Kingdom could be so domineering, killing the young people of the Jiang family at will. Only they could kill these people and make the Jiang family dare not even complain, let alone step into the Taowu Mountain range again!

At that time, why could he move freely in and out of the Zhou family's manor, as if unseen, while Jiang Huixiao and others were stopped and even killed?

Jiang Feng raised his eyes and asked, "Do you have connections with the Zhou family?"

Zhong Fan was surprised by his perceptiveness and said, "Yes. My family has some connections with the Zhou family. Before I met you, I was staying at the Zhou family's hot spring villa for recuperation."

"Do your families have a good relationship?"

"Just some business connections."

Jiang Feng's mind raced, connecting one clue after another.

The luxury and arrogance of the Zhou family's manor, Fuliang Jun, the Imperial Tutor, the World Tutor...

He muttered, "Zhuyang Wang is very dissatisfied with the existence of the noble families, so he specially supported Fuliang Jun, making him take disciples and build power to oppose the noble families. Fuliang Jun did well, which raised the alarm of the noble families, so they took advantage of this incident..."

Zhong Fan nodded, "You were right before. The reason Fuliang Jun's power was established so smoothly is closely related to his own strength. His severe injury has made his power unstable, and the noble families have taken advantage of this weakness."

Jiang Feng turned to look at the aftermath behind him, "Is this how they take advantage of the weakness?"

Zhong Fan said coolly, "The noble families have existed for too long, and there are naturally many dirty and disgusting things among them."

The river breeze blew, and Jiang Feng's hair danced wildly, his expression somewhat hidden.

Zhong Fan said, "Whatever you plan to do, please be cautious. After all, you have not yet entered the realm."

Jiang Feng pushed back his hair, his expression unusually calm, "Thank you, I understand. I will act within my limits."

Zhong Fan extended his hand, offering him something.

Jiang Feng looked down and exclaimed. In Zhong Fan's hand was the jade pendant he had worn on his waist, engraved with the character "Zhong." Not long ago, he had used the jade pendant to send a message, summoning the Qianzhong Army. Now, the jade pendant had lost some of its luster, appearing somewhat dim.

Zhong Fan said, "I'll leave this to you. Although it can no longer summon the Qianzhong Army, in a critical moment, you can take it to a Zhong family shop for help."

Jiang Feng finally smiled, reaching up to pat Zhong Fan's head, "Thank you!"

Zhong Fan was stunned by the pat, raising his hand to protest but quickly letting it drop, shaking his head helplessly. Just as he was about to say something, a voice called out from not far away, "Jiang Feng, Jiang Feng!"

Jiang Feng turned his head, and Pingluan Shan ran over, examining him up and down, "Are you okay?"

Jiang Feng said, "I'm fine, how about you? Did you come out of the county office? How is your side?"

Pingluan Shan said, "Everything is fine, everyone is safe. The county army came in and detained all the Fuliang Sect disciples. They are now organizing the people inside to retake the exam. I was anxious to know how you were, so I came out to check."

Before Jiang Feng could respond, he excitedly continued, "Let me tell you, this time it was all thanks to the dried meat you gave me. It not only increased strength but also speed and defense, all kinds of effects! I distributed it to the students inside, and their strength all improved, at least enough to save their lives from those villains!"

Hearing that everyone inside was safe, Jiang Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his eyebrows and turned to smile, "It seems the experiment was effective..."

Before he could finish, he was stunned.

Behind him, the area was empty, not a single person. He didn't know when, but Zhong Fan had already left. The Qianzhong Army, which seemed to be always with death, had all disappeared, leaving only the surging river, flowing as usual.

He lowered his head and sighed softly, "He really isn't good at farewells..."