Chapter 18

"Bang!"

Du Jiaolan smashed the teacup and teapot lid in the hall, her face as dark as water, her eyes emitting a venomous and icy light.

"A carefully planned grand scheme, ruined by a fool. I will make him disappear forever."

Du Qishan, Du Heng, and Du Fei, several members of the Du family, also had cold expressions as they stood scattered in the hall.

"Madam, how could that fool have so many spirit stones and spirit pills?" Du Qishan asked, puzzled.

He, like Du Jiaolan, was at the early stage of the Kaiyuan realm. He had been assigned by Du Haitian to assist Du Jiaolan, helping her control the Ling family. "The array inside the Medicine Mountain is very mysterious; I can't figure out its secrets. If it was really set up by Qin Shan, then Qin Shan... is not simple at all."

"Do we need to ask? Those spirit stones and spirit pills must have been left by Qin Shan. He is a weapon master, so it's not surprising that he had those materials," Du Jiaolan coldly snorted. "Regardless of whether Qin Shan is simple or not, he has been dead for two years. A dead man cannot cause us any trouble."

"I will follow your orders, Madam," Du Qishan said respectfully.

"Contact Haitian as soon as possible and inform him of the situation inside the Medicine Mountain. Have him arrange things at the Star Cloud Pavilion to prevent Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan from meeting Elder Han. As long as they don't see Elder Han, we can still arrange the matter of the Ling family's herb submission. We can continue to pressure Ling Chengye, saying that the Star Cloud Pavilion only needs the Jade Hand Flower and other spirit herbs from the Medicine Mountain, and accuse him of incompetence!"

Du Jiaolan gave the order and then looked at Du Heng, saying, "You should keep an eye on the Medicine Mountain. After Ling Chengye opens it, many members of the Ling family will go to investigate. There might be some discoveries. There must be something strange inside the Medicine Mountain; otherwise, the spirit herbs wouldn't wither for no reason, and Qin Shan and his grandson wouldn't have guarded it so fiercely."

"Mother, rest assured, I will watch it closely," Du Heng nodded.

Looking at the youngest, Du Fei, Du Jiaolan frowned, "Pay attention to that fool. If he is alone, let me know."

Du Fei also nodded.

...

Ice Rock City.

The Star Cloud Pavilion was located in the southern part of the city, with buildings towering and many stone towers. Each tower was guarded by warriors wearing clothes with the Star Cloud pattern, overlooking the surroundings from above.

"Please inform Elder Han that Ling Chengzhi from the Ling family is here to see him," Ling Chengzhi said with a smile to the guards at the southern gate of the Star Cloud Pavilion.

Ling Xuanxuan wore a striking orange short dress, with many silver rings on her white arms. Her cute and beautiful face also showed a lovely smile.

In the Ling family, she, Ling Xuanxuan, was the high and mighty second miss, who could be capricious and willful, but not here.

Before they came, Ling Chengzhi had warned her to control her temper after entering Ice Rock City to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"The Elder Han is not here. Come back another time," the guard at the gate, who had been instructed by Du Haitian, said coldly and unemotionally. "You are not the head of the Ling family. Even if Elder Han were here, he might not see you."

"How can you do this? We came all the way from the Ling family, and you didn't even ask. How do you know Elder Han is not here?" Ling Xuanxuan gritted her teeth and shouted at the two guards.

Even the two guards of the Star Cloud Pavilion dared to treat them so arrogantly, which clearly showed that the Ling family was not considered important in their eyes.

Ling Xuanxuan felt a strong sense of humiliation and realized that as a vassal force, they indeed did not receive good treatment.

"We know he's not here, and that's the reason," one of the guards said, looking at her with a lecherous gaze and smiling. "Little sister, it's not that your big brother doesn't want to help you, but there's really nothing I can do. Why don't you stay in Ice Rock City for a while? I'll let you know when Elder Han returns. Hehe, but I have to work during the day, so I'm only free at night. I wonder if you are free at night?"

The youthful and beautiful Ling Xuanxuan clearly aroused the interest of the two guards. They teased her with smiles, but remained firm in their refusal to let them see Elder Han.

Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan argued with them for a long time, their voices hoarse, but they had no solution.

During this time, many warriors of the Star Cloud Pavilion came and went at the gate.

When they heard that the visitors were from a vassal force, they were indifferent, only giving Ling Xuanxuan a few extra glances. Some even joked with the guards and then laughed and walked away.

—No one took the Ling family seriously.

"You can stay here until nightfall, but you won't see Elder Han. You should return to the Ling family and have your head come here personally," the guard later said, becoming increasingly impatient. "Don't block the entrance, or we won't be polite!"

"Hey, Young Master Zhi, are you going out for a drink? You look very energetic today! Ha, you'll surely dominate the night!"

Another guard suddenly saw a chubby young man coming out and immediately showed a fawning smile.

He waved his hand, shooing away Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan like flies, and stepped aside to let the young man pass.

"Sure, get out of my way quickly. Young Master Zhi has an appointment at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. Don't waste my time."

Kang Zhi wore a yellow brocade robe and held a fan, walking slowly with his eyes half-closed.

There were also a few warriors of the Star Cloud Pavilion entering and exiting. When they saw him, they all stepped aside to let him pass.

"Those two from the Ling family, get out of the way. Don't block Young Master Zhi's path!" the guard shouted.

Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan looked grim, but they dared not say anything and could only step aside.

After staying for so long, they had not seen the guards treat anyone with such respect, so they immediately guessed that the young man in yellow was someone of high status.

"Ling family?" Kang Zhi, who had already passed through the southern gate, suddenly paused and turned to look at Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan suspiciously. "Is it the Ling family from the southwest of the Extreme Cold Mountains? You have a Medicine Mountain... is it you?"

Ling Chengzhi slightly lowered his head, feeling very puzzled, and said with a smile, "We are indeed from that Ling family."

"Bang!"

Kang Zhi suddenly walked over and slapped the guard who had told Ling Chengzhi to move aside, causing blood to fly from the guard's mouth.

Then he kicked the other guard, who clutched his stomach and squatted down in pain, his face drenched in cold sweat.

The warriors who were about to enter or exit the gate suddenly paused and stopped to watch.

Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan were also stunned, not knowing why the young man suddenly flew into a rage, but seeing the two lecherous guards beaten so badly, they felt extremely satisfied.

"Your mouths are too foul!" After beating the guards, Kang Zhi's fat face broke into a smile, and he asked, "What brings you to the Star Cloud Pavilion?"

"We are looking for Elder Han to discuss the supply of spirit herbs. They said Elder Han is not here, and they asked us to..."

Kang Zhi's fat face hardened after hearing this. He turned and beat the two guards again, cursing, "Are you tired of living? Uncle Han is clearly inside, but your dog eyes are blind?"

The two guards dared not dodge, crouching by the door and enduring Kang Zhi's abuse, cursing the person who had passed on Du Haitian's message in their hearts.

"Han Yu!" Kang Zhi pointed to a man inside and ordered, "Take them to see your uncle."

"Sure, Young Master Zhi," a young man smiled and walked forward.

"I have something to do, so I won't accompany you. By the way, how is Ling Lie doing?"

"Ling Lie?" Ling Chengzhi was stunned and nodded woodenly, "He's fine, fine..."

"Ha, when you see him, tell him to come to the Star Cloud Pavilion soon. We all miss him," the young man said with a smile, waved his hand, and left.

Han Yu led the bewildered Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan into the pavilion. The two guards who had spoken rudely earlier were still crouched in the corner, their noses and faces bruised, their heads lowered in fear.

"May I ask, what is Young Master Zhi's identity?" Ling Chengye suddenly asked.

"He is the son of our deputy pavilion master," Han Yu said with a bitter smile, as if he had suffered at Kang Zhi's hands. "It's not easy to gain Young Master Zhi's favor. This guy has a very strange temper. Uh, when you see my uncle, it's best to mention this. As long as it's not too difficult, my uncle will definitely help you."

Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan were shocked and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

The Star Cloud Pavilion had positions such as pavilion master, deputy pavilion master, elder, and hall master. There was only one pavilion master, and there were only two deputy pavilion masters. The power of a deputy pavilion master in the entire Star Cloud Pavilion was considerable. As the son of Deputy Pavilion Master Kang Hui, Kang Zhi naturally had the right to be arrogant and domineering.

Du Haitian, who suppressed the Ling family, was just an elder of the Star Cloud Pavilion. Among the five elders, Du Haitian ranked slightly lower, and his status and position were far from comparable to Deputy Pavilion Master Kang Hui. Even if Kang Zhi knew that the guards had been instructed by Du Haitian, he wouldn't care.

After a short while, Han Yu led the two to a hall filled with bookshelves.

Elder Han Qingrui, who was responsible for managing the tributes from vassal forces, was about to leave. Seeing that someone had come, he was initially impatient, but upon hearing that they were from the Ling family, his attitude changed dramatically.

"What is it?" Han Qingrui gestured for Han Yu to leave, personally made two cups of tea, and asked with a smile.

Ling Chengye was flattered and explained the situation, saying, "The spirit herbs on the Medicine Mountain have stopped withering. If you give us more time, we will certainly be able to meet the quota for the Ling family."

"I thought it was something serious," Han Qingrui waved his hand, indicating for them to sit and have some tea, then laughed and