"This is outrageous!"

"I call you ’Young Master’ out of courtesy, and you really start thinking you’re some big shot!"

"You’re just a branch family member, exiled to this backwater! If I give you face, you’re the Shen Family’s Young Master. If I don’t, you’re not even worth a fart!"

"I’ll make you come crawling and begging to me one day!"

On a mountain road,

amidst the rumbling tremors of the earth,

a group was riding forward impatiently.

The envoy from the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance at the lead had a murderous look on his face, his eyes blazing with fury.

He never imagined

that some little brat named Shen Changchuan from Dawan Village would dare to refuse his invitation.

And without a second word,

he had them "shown" out in front of everyone!

This rude, dismissive attitude, like being thrown out, sent him into a fiery rage.

This wasn’t his first time acting as an envoy.

But when had his hosts ever treated him with anything but the utmost respect and humility?

Even when some ungrateful fool ultimately refused to join,

they would always decline tactfully with endless pleasantries, and the patriarch would personally see them to the door!

This time, being kicked out like trash was the greatest humiliation he had ever suffered in his life!

Outrageous!

This is utterly outrageous!

A mere brat at the Third or Fourth Layer, acting so arrogantly!

If it weren’t for the banner of the Shen Family standing behind him,

he would have razed Dawan Village to the ground today!

He just couldn’t swallow this insult!

"Sixth Master, why don’t we contact our people over there and have them make a move? Once that village is breached, it’ll definitely teach that little brat a harsh lesson!"

At that moment,

a trusted subordinate spurred his horse forward and whispered resolutely in the envoy’s ear.

The envoy, known as Sixth Master, felt his gaze harden, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He was clearly tempted.

But after a few breaths’ worth of thought,

he shook his head.

"No. A conflict just broke out on our side, and then they’re attacked over there."

"What’s more, it would be by forces with direct ties to us."

"The whole thing would be too obvious, too crude... If anyone with ulterior motives investigates, it’ll be troublesome. Even a mere branch of the Shen Family can’t be underestimated."

The envoy called Sixth Master clearly hadn’t been completely blinded by rage; he still had some sense left in him.

Though he was very tempted to retaliate.

If they acted rashly and someone found evidence, they couldn’t rule out a repeat of the Shen Family’s Soul Emergence Realm expert striking from the west with a single sword stroke, sending them all to meet King Yama.

After all, the destruction of Dawan Village’s original masters

hadn’t been that many years ago.

Although outsiders speculated there was a deeper story to that incident,

after all, to deal with the mere Hu Family, whose Patriarch was only at the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, why would a True Cultivator of the Soul Emergence Realm need to act personally?

There was a high probability of a great secret involved.

But so what?

Who could be sure

that if they harmed these Shen Clan Members, the Shen Family’s Soul Emergence expert wouldn’t act?

They didn’t dare to gamble,

and they couldn’t afford to lose.

However, despite this,

the Sixth Master didn’t completely reject the idea either.

And his subordinate wasn’t a fool.

He quickly grasped the underlying meaning.

"My apologies, Sixth Master. My thinking was shortsighted."

"The Shen Family is vast and powerful; they are indeed not someone we can afford to provoke."

"However, in two or three months, as outside Cultivators continuously pour in, the surrounding area will surely become chaotic. With that brat’s meager Cultivation at the Third and Fourth Layer, he’ll likely find it hard to withstand the onslaught. Not everyone will be intimidated by the Shen Clan’s name."

"After all, for some Loose Cultivators with no ties, they can just kill and flee. Even with the Shen Clan’s great reputation, what could they do about it?"

"But when that time comes, that arrogant little brat will only be getting what he deserves. It’s the cycle of karma, just desserts. It will have nothing to do with us."

The subordinate’s voice held a trace of excitement.

He felt he had understood the Sixth Master’s true meaning and voiced his thoughts, framing them as a guess.

Of course, to avoid leaving any incriminating evidence, he didn’t state it explicitly.

Hearing this, the Sixth Master

glanced at his subordinate and nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems you’re a smart one."

"If you know what to do, then do it. Once it’s done, I won’t treat you unfairly."

Excitement appeared on the subordinate’s face.

His guess had been correct.

He cupped his fists and said,

"In that case, this subordinate has an urgent family matter for the next two months and needs to request a leave of absence. I ask for the Sixth Master’s permission."

"Go. Be careful."

The group continued onward.

The thundering sound of hooves on the mountain road gradually faded into the distance.

But to the Sixth Master’s ears,

the sound had already become much lighter and more pleasant.

Hmph!

’A wet-behind-the-ears brat who doesn’t know the dangers of the world.’

’Then I’ll let you see’

’what it means to kill with a borrowed knife!’

The thought of that village being burned to the ground in the near future, teaching that arrogant brat a lesson he would never forget for the rest of his life,

caused the anger in his heart to dissipate, replaced by a feeling of immense satisfaction.

’How delightful!’

And the beauty of it was,

from beginning to end,

they hadn’t explicitly discussed anything.

If something major happened in the future and this subordinate’s great mistake was discovered,

it would be his decision,

and have nothing to do with him.

’He was a victim, too, after all.’

....

「Inside Dawan Village」

High above, the Gale Falcon was still circling.

Even though several days had passed without a successful strike, it remained unhurried.

Like a patient hunter, it patiently waited for an opportunity.

It exerted immense pressure on everyone.

There was nothing Shen Changchuan could do about it,

so he could only pretend it didn’t exist for the time being.

Besides, the beast didn’t dare to fly down rashly.

And if his plan succeeded,

he would be able to deal with it in just a few days.

’No need to worry too much.’

’They only want to collect money without fulfilling any obligations. What a beautiful dream.’

After sending off the so-called Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance, Shen Changchuan snorted coldly in his heart.

’The Wu Family of Wu Family Collection has two True Cultivators of the Soul Emergence Realm, and even they didn’t take my money. What gives you, the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance, the right?!’

However, although Shen Changchuan was very displeased with this arrogant, so-called Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance,

he had no intention of underestimating them.

The fact that this Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance had managed to develop to its current state, and that the Wu Family seemed to be ignoring them poaching their members, meant they couldn’t be simple.

And judging by the envoy’s condescending attitude today, as well as his expression when he was ’shown’ out,

Shen Changchuan didn’t think the matter was over.

’Looks like that guy will most likely resort to some tricks.’

’But for the time being, it shouldn’t be a big problem.’

’With the deterrent of the Shen Family’s banner, established forces with roots and businesses like them probably won’t dare to act rashly. The fact that the so-called envoy didn’t attack immediately when I showed him out proves this point.’

’Even if he’s unwilling to let it go, the most he’ll likely do is try to fish in troubled waters and plot in the shadows in two or three months, when the influx of outside Cultivators creates the most chaos.’

’But if my plan goes smoothly, I won’t have to worry in two or three months either.’

Although Shen Changchuan couldn’t hear a conversation from dozens of miles away,

he could more or less guess the enemy’s likely methods.

But he wasn’t too panicked about it.

With sufficient strength came the confidence to handle any unexpected changes.

Thinking of this,

he also remembered the clan senior he met at Wu Family Collection, Shen Tingchu.

It was thanks to him crushing the previous masters of Dawan Village, the Hu Family, with the force of thunder back then,

that now, twenty years later, he, Shen Changchuan, could still benefit from the protection of his legacy.

’The banner of the Shen Family is still very useful.’

’Before I’m strong enough,’

’unless it’s absolutely necessary,’

’I can’t just throw it away!’

Shen Changchuan’s eyes flashed as he thought to himself.

The matter of the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance being shown out didn’t cause much of a stir in Dawan Village.

This was not only because Shen Changchuan’s prestige was so high that no one in the village would disobey him, and thus no one would question his decision.

It was also because the envoy’s aggressive demeanor in the main hall, where he didn’t even feign basic courtesy, made it clear he looked down on all of them, including their Young Master.

In the eyes of Han Qinhu and the others, Shen Changchuan politely ’showing’ the envoy out

was already giving them a great deal of face!

He had done nothing wrong.

But at the same time,

the experience in the hall—of being suppressed by the other party’s Sixth Layer Peak aura to the point of being unable to breathe—

also ignited a sense of shame and anger within them.

In the end, their strength was just too weak.

They didn’t even have the confidence to speak up!

This motivated Han Qinhu, Han Dayong, and even the two children, Wang Tieniu and Duan Xiaolei, to cultivate diligently and gain greater strength.

Setting aside the latter three, they were young and had the ambition and potential for further advancement; turning shame into courage was only natural for them.

As for Han Qinhu, his original mindset was that he had already lived most of his life. To luckily be able to step onto the Path of Immortal Cultivation thanks to his grandson and see its sights was already a fine thing.

He didn’t have much ambition for the Immortal Dao.

But this experience

had ignited a fighting spirit in this man, who was over fifty, that he hadn’t felt since his youth.

’As my grandson’s chief steward, I can’t keep embarrassing him in the future!’

This incident secretly sparked a wave of diligent Cultivation in Dawan Village.

This was something Shen Changchuan hadn’t expected.

「A few days later」

Shen Changchuan didn’t leave immediately, but stayed in the village for a few more days.

He also patrolled the area for dozens of miles around a few times.

After confirming that the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance hadn’t made any sneaky moves, he gave Han Qinhu some instructions and headed into the deep mountains.

During these few days,

the Gale Falcon had struck again.

Its target was a young, reckless, and playful child who couldn’t stand being cooped up at home for seven or eight straight days and wanted to go out and play.

As a result, the beast in the sky seized the opportunity and swooped down like a sharp arrow.

If Shen Changchuan hadn’t been nearby at that moment

and scared it away,

it would have likely been another tragedy for Dawan Village.

As the child’s parents prostrated themselves on the ground, holding their child and weeping with gratitude,

Shen Changchuan knew

that it was time to deal with the Gale Falcon once and for all!