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As the Purple Thunder Sword flashed with lightning, blood splattered across the Fragrant Garden.

Jia He’s head fell to the ground, and Zhou Heng felt a few more parts of his heart lighten.

After becoming an official member of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers, he had been able to check for the remnants of the Evil Spirit Mark on his own.

This was not the first time he had beheaded a peak seventh-rank expert from the Plague Emperor Sect.

After killing Jia He, the Evil Spirit Mark had completely disappeared.

Zhou Heng paid no attention to the panicking courtesans; holding the bloodless Purple Thunder Sword, he walked out of the Fragrant Garden.

He had just reached the entrance.

When he encountered someone—a familiar face.

Wang Xiuye.

“Brother Zhou, what brings you here?” Wang Xiuye, upon seeing Zhou Heng, expressed surprise, “Did you also come to kill Jia He?”

“Jia He’s head has already hit the floor,” Zhou Heng said with a light laugh, “But Brother Wang has arrived just a step too late, he died by my hand.”

“I didn’t expect Brother Zhou to be hunting members of the evil path all the way to Xuanzhou,” Wang Xiuye remarked with a mix of admiration and guilt, “I’m sorry about the Loose Immortal incident last time; I wasn’t able to persuade my family’s elders to help.”

The incident with Yu Long, the Loose Immortal, had occurred more than two months ago, and he was now aware of what had transpired afterwards.

The Chu Qingchuan from the Shenxiao Sect, who was deemed ‘dead’ alongside him, had convinced his own family’s elders upon returning to his sect to lend their support against the Loose Immortal.

Whereas upon his return to his clan, he couldn’t sway his family’s elders, which was not his fault, but he still felt a strong sense of guilt when compared to Chu Qingchuan’s success.

“Sorry? There’s no need for that,” Zhou Heng waved his hand and said with a smile, “What’s done is done.”

Because he knew that Wang Xiuye’s elders had indeed helped, as the Zodiac Officer of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers was actually Wang Xiuye’s father, Wang Xueyuan.

“That won’t do, now that you’re in Xuanzhou, it’s only right for me to offer hospitality and make amends to you,” Wang Xiuye said with a smile.

He still wanted to take the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Zhou Heng.

And indeed, he truly admired what Zhou Heng had done in the past few months; after all, there were very few who dared to provoke the evildoers of the world as he did.

Zhou Heng, seeing Wang Xiuye’s enthusiasm and having no other matters to attend to, nodded with a smile, “Then I shall graciously accept your offer.”

Wang Xiuye immediately responded with a laugh, “Hahaha, Brother Zhou, you’re too polite.”

…

The Wang Family’s main house was located in Xuanzhou County City, at a not-so-close distance from Fengyu Town.

Over a thousand li.

However, after Zhou Heng’s red horse consumed the Linju Pill, even without the lotus gear, it could travel three thousand li in a day; while Wang Xiuye’s horse was a little slower, it could still travel two thousand li a day.

As such, the two of them arrived at Xuanzhou County City in less than a day’s time.

It must be said that this was indeed the most prosperous county city Zhou Heng had ever seen.

Xuanzhou City was located in the central part of Da Qi, only separated from the core region of Zhongzhou by two states, making it one of the most thriving county cities in the central area, with industries mainly focused on gemstones and medicinal materials.

Neither Fangzhou nor Sui State could compare to it.

“Brother Zhou, our Xuanzhou City isn’t too shabby, right?” Wang Xiuye, leading his horse, walked side by side with Zhou Heng on the streets of Xuanzhou County City, feeling quite proud.

Because, his father, Wang Xueyuan, was not only the eldest member of the Wang Family’s collateral branch but also the steward of the County City’s yamen in Xuanzhou, overseeing the planning of the entire County City’s civil residences and marketplaces.

In other words, the current prosperity and orderly development of Xuanzhou City were inseparable from the efforts of Wang Xueyuan, the steward of the city.

“Indeed, it’s a very prosperous county city,” Zhou Heng gently nodded, his gaze sweeping over the shops on both sides of the street, and he couldn’t help but smile, “Many of these shops belong to our Pure Yang Palace.”

“Exactly,” Wang Xiuye nodded and laughed, “The Pure Yang Palace’s businesses in the mortal realm are mainly focused on gemstones, jewelry, and medicinal materials. These happen to be the most flourishing industries in Xuanzhou City, so naturally, there are many shops belonging to the Pure Yang Palace.”

“Now we are in the most bustling marketplace of Xuanzhou City, ‘Yuzhi Street,’ where the Pure Yang Palace’s properties could almost be said to be every three steps a shop, and every five steps a stall, occupying a significant market share.

“Moreover, since my father put a lot of effort into the establishment of these shops, and after they were built and opened, he also assisted in managing them with all his might, there is a bit of a dividend. For this, we must thank your Sect for its generosity.”

“Haha, no wonder Brother Wang is so eager to be on good terms with me,” Zhou Heng laughed, pointing out Wang Xiuye’s thoughts.

“Brother Zhou, you shouldn’t have said it out loud, haha,” Wang Xiuye didn’t feel embarrassed, as they had already discussed this on the road before, and they had opened up about it.

After all, the two of them could be considered friends who had been through “near-death” experiences together, and such trivial matters wouldn’t cause any resentment.

Deliberately currying favor with someone usually starts with a purpose.

This is normal.

If Wang Xiuye truly only wanted to befriend him purely out of admiration and respect for him, then Zhou Heng would be very cautious, and might even keep his distance.

“Third Young Master, Third Young Master!”

Just then, a youth dressed as a young servant in blue clothes and a blue hat ran over from afar, waving his hand as he ran.

“Xiao Tang, what’s the matter?” Wang Xiuye frowned slightly; the blue-clothed servant was his attendant.

“Something has happened at home, please come back first,” Xiao Tang said breathlessly, glancing at Zhou Heng beside him and then lowering his voice to Wang Xiuye, “The eldest house of the main branch, and the old master, are all waiting for you to return.”

The “old master” he referred to was Wang Xiuye’s father, Wang Xueyuan, the eldest member of the Wang Family’s collateral branch in Xuanzhou.

“Alright,” Wang Xiuye nodded, then said to Zhou Heng, “Brother Zhou, sorry, but we’ll have to speed up our walk. I’ll take you for a good tour of Xuanzhou City another day.”

“Sure,” Zhou Heng gently nodded, he wasn’t in a hurry anyway, but he was a bit curious about what exactly had happened at the Wang Family.

“This…” Xiao Tang hesitated upon hearing this, lowered his voice, and said to Wang Xiuye, “Third Young Master, this isn’t good, right? It’s a matter of our Wang Family, having an outsider…”

“Xiao Tang!” Wang Xiuye rebuked sharply, interrupting the servant’s words, his eyes narrowed as he spoke sternly, “Who gave you the courage to speak to me like that?”

In his memory, Xiao Tang had always been submissive and wouldn’t dare to say a word against him, but today, Xiao Tang’s attitude was vastly different from usual.

There was a problem.

“Third Young Master, I, I’m only considering what’s best for you,” Xiao Tang said with a look of grievance, “You don’t know the current situation; you’re part of the collateral line, this…”

“Lead the way!” Wang Xiuye’s expression suddenly turned dark as he glared at Xiao Tang, then smiled at Zhou Heng, “Brother Zhou, please don’t mind what this servant said, come with me.”

The identity of a member of the collateral branch was a thorn in his side.

Not because he loathed his collateral lineage blood or held any resentment against his parents.

But because in families like the Wang Clan, who considered lineage orthodoxy extremely important, he had to work a thousand times harder than the main branch’s direct descendants to receive somewhat equal treatment from the family.

Even though he had gained fame at a young age, approaching the top ten of the human ranks, and was the most outstanding among the young generation of the Wang Clan in Xuanzhou.

Yet in reality, his treatment within the family still fell short of the direct descendants of the main branch, even though some of those descendants weren’t even close to the top thirty of the human ranks.

This injustice became a thorn in his heart.

Zhou Heng nodded and followed, but his curiosity was increasingly piqued. What exactly had happened to the Wang Family that even a mere servant dared to cross Wang Xiuye?

“Could it be that Wang Xiuye’s prominence has grown too great, overshadowing the legitimate lineage and he is about to be suppressed?” Zhou Heng wondered to himself, aware this was not an impossibility.

Clans are different from sects.

It’s not necessarily about the survival of the fittest.

In the families of the great lineage, the division between legitimate and illegitimate branches is the eternal theme.

The sovereignty of the legitimate line and the authority of the main line cannot be challenged.

Illegitimate and collateral branches should never even dream of overstepping their bounds.

Moreover, being in the top twenty of the human rankings, although also considered talented, does not necessarily mean one is exceptional; whether they can reach the Secret Six Rank in the end is still unknown.

For the Wang Clan of Xuanzhou, which has a nearly four thousand-year legacy, having one more or one less such genius isn’t particularly important.

Now that Wang Xiuye’s fame has risen, surpassing the young generation of the main line.

It’s indeed possible that he will be suppressed.

…

Xiao Tang was leading the way in front.

Zhou Heng and Wang Xiuye were walking behind, each leading a horse, neither of them speaking.

But Zhou Heng was using his keen perception to listen to the discussions of the people on the street, trying to pick up some clues about the Wang Family’s troubles.

“Hey, did you see that earlier? A young master with quite the entourage went to the Wang Family’s mansion.”

“I saw it, I saw it, that young master was really handsome, and his presence was truly grand, with sixteen people carrying a Golden Palanquin, shining under the sun—tsk tsk, so dazzling, just like the sun falling down.”

“What, sixteen people carrying a palanquin? I didn’t notice, I was too busy looking at all those beautiful maids following him, at least thirty of them, I’m so jealous.”

“Jealous of what? Do you also want thirty-plus maids? You’re going to drive your mother mad. Get on your knees and wash the clothes when you get home! You’re out of your mind!”

“I—I didn’t mean that, don’t talk nonsense! Stop—stop it!”

This conversation between a young couple, filled with playful banter and jest, still revealed some rather useful information.

Sixteen people carrying a palanquin.

More than thirty maids in attendance.

“Such a grand spectacle indeed, who could it be?” Zhou Heng frowned in contemplation but eventually gave up, as he did not recall knowing such an ostentatious character.

However, the description of ‘like the sun falling down’ made him think of a sect, one of the top ten of the Great Sects of Da Qi, with a long history said to date back to the Mythical Era.

The Solar Divine Palace!

This sect actually began to rise to prominence during the Middle Ancient Age of Saints, yet they claimed heritage from a celestial being who resided within the sun during the Mythical Era, a history that predates even the Pure Yang Palace.

During the chaotic battles of the Nine Saints in the Middle Ancient Era, a Tao Lord from the Solar Divine Palace even had a great dispute over the Dao with a Tao Lord from the Pure Yang Palace.

“If it really is the Solar Divine Palace, that would be quite interesting,” Zhou Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly as the most outstanding young disciple of the modern Solar Divine Palace was in the top ten of the human rankings.

Gu Xiao.

Known as the “Son of God.”

Ranked sixth on the human list.

…

The Wang Family estate was located in the central southern district of Xuanzhou City.

This was a huge garden that covered more than five thousand acres, extremely luxurious and endlessly complex, with many secret runes and prohibitions laid out in the dark, capable of forming a world-shocking great formation at any moment.

Of course, this was only a part of the Wang Family’s earthly possessions, with even more inside the Celestial Cave Sky.

However, the “younger” generation that still walked the earth, as well as a few Celestials living in the mundane world, mostly resided within this enormous garden.

At this moment, inside the reception hall of the Wang Family estate, Wang Liangcheng from the main line of descendants sat on a chair carved from golden-threaded nanmu wood.

The main line of descendants did not mean the Family Head, but rather a position that dealt with various affairs, roughly equivalent to someone who assisted the Family Head with tasks.

Wang Liangcheng’s cultivation wasn’t particularly high either, at the peak of Secret Six Rank.

Across a tea table, the person seated was a handsome young man with extraordinary features, as if sculpted by the divine craftsmanship of ghosts and gods.

This young man appeared to be in his twenties, with a somewhat haughty expression, wearing a set of golden robes with a red sun embroidered on each shoulder, each containing a three-legged crow.

He was none other than the true disciple of the Solar Divine Palace, the sixth on the human list, known as the “Son of the God,” Gu Xiao.

Wang Xueyuan from a collateral branch of the family was also present, but he was there to make the tea.

That’s how it is in great families; when the main branch’s descendants receive guests, if relatives from the collateral lines are present, they should be serving tea and water, attending to the needs of others.

That’s the rule.

The longer a family’s lineage, the more they value these rules.

“The terms offered by Young Master Gu are indeed very good, but Yu Zhi Street has been painstakingly planned and managed by my brother over the years,” Wang Liangcheng pretended to be troubled and sighed, “Moreover, there are quite a few shops owned by the Pure Yang Palace on that street, which complicates matters.”

Wang Xueyuan listened quietly by the side, remaining silent.

“Don’t get it wrong, Wang Eldest,” Gu Xiao chuckled lightly, glancing at Wang Liangcheng, “If it weren’t for those Pure Yang Palace shops there, I wouldn’t have any interest in that so-called Yu Zhi Street.”

“We all understand that, as you are a true disciple of the Solar Divine Palace, heh heh,” Wang Liangcheng also laughed, saying, “But this matter is indeed difficult to handle.”

“I know what you want to say; I’ll just raise my offer a bit more,” Gu Xiao said indifferently, “I am set on getting that Yu Zhi Street.”

“Great, Young Master Gu, you’re straightforward!” Wang Liangcheng smiled.

“Eldest brother,” Wang Xueyuan suddenly spoke up, “Those shops on Yu Zhi Street are the only livelihood for many families. If Yu Zhi Street is gone, how will they live?”

“They can just find other trades to do, can’t they? It’s not like they’ll starve without the Pure Yang Palace’s businesses,” Gu Xiao glanced at Wang Xueyuan, then smiled at Wang Liangcheng, “Eldest Branch, doesn’t your Wang Family distinguish between legitimate and collateral lines?”

“Xueyuan, did I allow you to interrupt just now?” Wang Liangcheng scolded in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense if there’s no need.”

“The matter of Yu Zhi Street can’t be decided for now,” Wang Xueyuan still shook his head, saying, “Let’s wait until Xiuye comes back. He has also contributed to the planning and construction of Yu Zhi Street; we should ask for his opinion.”

“Hahaha!” Gu Xiao burst into laughter, “How interesting!”

“You!” Wang Liangcheng was outraged but forcibly suppressed his anger. He did not want to lose his composure in front of an outsider, as it would tarnish his dignity.

Just at that moment, a young servant hurriedly ran in.

“Great Elder, the Third Young Master is back, Xiuye, the Third Young Master is back.” This wasn’t the servant named Tang, but another one on duty, specifically for running errands and delivering messages.

“So he’s back, what’s there to report about?” Wang Liangcheng glared, immediately frightening the young servant.

“But, but…” the servant stammered in fear, whispering, “The one who came with the Third Young Master is also a true disciple from the Pure Yang Palace, named Zhou Heng.”