Chapter 3: Fury

  After about a quarter of an hour, Fang Li found himself almost home, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace with joy.

  Fang Li's home was on the edge of the Fang family estate, different from the main residence area with its tall buildings and dense forests. As far as the eye could see, there were only a few thatched cottages scattered about, with wisps of smoke rising occasionally when it was time to start cooking.

  "Cloud Aunt, long time no see." As he walked along the road, Fang Li suddenly ran into an acquaintance. The woman had a rustic look and was carrying a basket. She was his neighbor and also from the Fang family branch. She was quite close to Fang Li's mother. At this moment, she was sneaking around, trying to get to the Fang residence without being noticed. When Fang Li called out to her, she jumped in fright.

  "Yun Yi, are you looking for my mother? Just go on in." Fang Li said with a smile, somewhat puzzled by the neighbor's behavior.

  "Ah"

  "Ah, Fang Li, how did you come back?" The peasant woman's eyes darted around, then she quickly handed the basket to Fang Li and said: "There's some food inside, take it in for your mother to eat. And, whatever you do, don't tell anyone I came." With that, she didn't wait for Fang Li to respond, turned and ran off as if her life depended on it.

  Fang Liman's face was full of confusion, and he didn't know why she was like this. He could only shake his head and push the door open with a basket in hand.

  The creaking sound of an old wooden door being pushed open was heard. As if responding to the noise, a faint voice came from inside the house.

  "Is it Cloud Big Sister? Don't send food over again in the future, I'm afraid it will bring trouble to your family. Anyway, I won't live for many more days..."

  Fang Li was stunned, this is his mother's voice!

  "Mother, it's me, I'm Li Er, I'm back!" Fang Li suddenly felt a bad premonition in his heart and rushed into the house. Inside, the room was dimly lit, with only a few rays of light shining through. On an old wooden bed, a middle-aged woman lay weakly on top, covered by a faded quilt.

  "Mother, what's wrong!" Fang Li widened his eyes, momentarily at a loss, and rushed to the side of the wooden bed. Although his mother had never been in good health, she wasn't bedridden either.

  "Li'er! Is that Li'er? My son is back!" The woman, who had been listless and lifeless, suddenly became agitated, straining to turn her head, and saw Fang Li's anxious face, with two streams of turbid tears flowing down. Her son had been away from home for a year, and as his mother, she naturally missed him often, now finally seeing him again.

  "Mother, what's wrong with you?" Seeing her mother's face was pale, Fang Li felt a pang in his heart and immediately reached out to take her pulse, quietly circulating his Qi to examine her condition.

  Before long, Fang Liben became enraged, like a ferocious lion. His mother was not just ill, but seriously injured, with two broken ribs and a large blood clot that wouldn't dissipate.

  "Who? Who is it?" Fang Li's eyes were about to burst out of their sockets, her eyeballs bulging with rage. Her mother was just an honest and ordinary woman, who had no grudges against anyone in her daily life, why would she suffer such a severe injury?

  "My son, don't be like this. If I can see you again, I'll be satisfied... Cough, cough, cough..." The woman anxiously grasped Fang Li's hand, afraid he would do something foolish, but with this excitement, she couldn't stop coughing.

  "Mother, don't speak anymore, I'll go get some medicine for you." Fang Li helped the woman pat her back until she stopped coughing, then immediately stood up with a cold face and walked out of the house.

  。

  "My child, it's no use. I know my own body well enough. Taking herbal medicine is simply ineffective." The woman said weakly, and began coughing again. The woman was originally frail and sickly, and now that she had suffered a serious injury, it was like adding insult to injury. How could ordinary medicinal herbs possibly cure her?

  "Don't worry, Mother. If the herbal medicine doesn't work, I'll get the dan medicine. If the first-grade dan medicine doesn't work, then I'll use the second-grade dan medicine. In short, I will definitely cure you." Fang Li said firmly.

  "Ah, elixir? Such a precious thing..." The woman looked at Fang Li with some surprise. She also knew something about the elixir, which was extremely valuable and only those powerful cultivators had the opportunity to take it. How could her son think of such an unrealistic thing? In her mind, her impression of Fang Li was still stuck in the past year, and she didn't believe he could get his hands on the elixir.

  The woman wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Fang Li.

  "Mother, where's my sister?" Fang Li suddenly realized that there was one less person in the house, his little sister who always liked to stick close to him. He looked around but couldn't find her anywhere.

  "Sixth child... Sixth child was taken away..." The woman stared blankly, her eyes dimming again as two streams of murky tears flowed out. Being asked by Fang Li like this brought back the painful memories she had endured not long ago. Nothing could be more agonizing than watching her own daughter being forcibly taken away right before her eyes.

  His eyes suddenly became as sharp as an eagle's, then he slowly let out a breath, calming himself down a bit before gritting his teeth and asking: "Who took your sister away, when did they take her away, and was it them who hurt you?"

  Fang Li clenched his teeth tightly, trying not to lose control. From his mother's words, he had already guessed some of what had happened and was furious in his heart. He had only been away from home for a year, but so many things had happened at home - his mother had been beaten, his sister had been taken away, and if he had come back a few days later, he might not have seen them again. Thinking about this, Fang Li's eyes turned red with rage.

  The woman hesitated for a moment, looked at Fang Li, and didn't say anything. She didn't know whether or not to tell Fang Li about this matter, fearing that he would do something foolish.

  "Tell me, Mother, one minute later and my sister will be in danger." Fang Li said anxiously, at this time he had a roaring tiger locked up in his heart, which needed to jump out.

  "Liuer..." The woman softly called out her daughter's name, also extremely worried. After thinking it over again and again, she finally slowly told the whole story from start to finish.

  After hearing the whole story, Fang Li calmed down, but there was a terrifying red glow deep in his eyes.

  。

  Mother is gentle and self-disciplined, younger sister is clever and lovely, just these two people, yet there are still people who bully them with an impure heart, simply inhumane! Fang Yu tightly clenched his fists, his veins bulging.

  "Mother, you rest first, I'll bring my sister back, don't worry." Fang Li softly comforted his mother and then stepped out of the room under her worried gaze.

  The woman was helpless and knew that her son was stubborn, so she could only watch him leave with her eyes open, praying silently in her heart that all her children would be safe and sound.

  Fang Li looked around and saw a peasant woman's head poking out of a nearby thatched hut, which was the same Cloud Auntie he had just met.

  Fang Li took big strides and walked over, coming to a stop in front of her.

  "Is there... something?" Yun's aunt was somewhat uneasy, occasionally glancing around, afraid of being seen.

  "Thank you for bringing food for my mother to eat, but I have to go out for a while, and I hope you can help take care of my mother. I'll be back soon." Fang Li said solemnly.

  "Ah?" Yun's aunt drew back a little, somewhat hesitant, not unwilling, but with some reservations.

  "Don't worry, I guarantee that Fang Linbao won't come to bother you." Fang Li said confidently. He could also guess some of Yun's thoughts. As a member of the branch family, he had a deep-seated fear of the direct descendants. Otherwise, if his mother was beaten and his sister was taken away, someone would have reported it to the family elder.

  Recalling the miserable situation of Fang Li's mother, Yun Yi also couldn't bear it. After all, they had been neighbors for decades. She hesitated repeatedly before finally nodding in agreement.

  Yun's aunt agreed, and Fang Li didn't say anything more. With Yun's aunt temporarily helping to take care of his mother, he could also feel a bit more at ease. He immediately strode out, heading straight for the area where the direct descendants of the Fang family lived.

  Although Fang Li was angry, he didn't lose his composure. After a moment's thought, he took out a small wooden plaque and a paper crane from his bosom, hung the plaque on the crane, and with a surge of internal energy, activated the seal on the crane. To his amazement, the crane came to life and flew away swiftly.

  "It's time to go settle the score with Fang Linbao." Watching the paper crane fly away, Fang Li muttered to himself, a crazed killing intent appearing in his eyes. The vengeance for his mother and sister would not be shared under the same sky!

  Whoosh

  Fang Li hadn't gone far when he suddenly heard two sounds, and before he could react, two masked men had already rushed out from both sides of the road. Both of them were holding long swords with a faint green glow on the blades, clearly coated with poison.

  "Assassination? But sending only two Qi Refining Fourth Stage cultivators is a bit too disrespectful to me." Fang Li stopped in his tracks, coldly staring at the two masked men rushing towards him, and spoke calmly without showing any signs of panic.

  Two masked men heard Fang Li's words, the eyes exposed outside the mask narrowed slightly, apparently somewhat angry at the contemptuous tone in Fang Li's speech, and without considering anything else, continued to kill their way over.

  As soon as a person's emotions fluctuate, they easily reveal their weaknesses. Fang Li smiled slightly and pressed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, waiting for the two masked men to approach before suddenly drawing out his sword with a "ting" sound, instantly releasing red and black light.

  The two masked men were not surprised, obviously having known about Fang Li's extraordinary weapon for a long time and had been on guard in their hearts. Seeing Fang Li draw his sword, they smiled mockingly and were about to dodge.

  "Want to hide? Too late, the rattan grass trap!" Fang Li saw through their intentions and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. The next moment, the surrounding land suddenly changed, and the originally low-growing grass grew rapidly, instantly producing many rattans that bound their ankles.

  "Array Master!" The two masked men widened their eyes in terror, immediately recalling the noble profession of Array Masters. They couldn't believe that an ordinary branch family member could actually set up an array!

  "Intelligence was wrong, retreat quickly!" One of the masked men shouted anxiously, about to turn around and leave. Facing the legendary noble array master, he didn't dare continue with the assassination, otherwise, facing that strange array, he might end up paying with his life.

  But now it's a bit late to want to leave, as dozens of vines have grown wildly like grasping hands, instantly wrapping around their legs.

  The vines are very secure, no matter how hard they struggle, they cannot break free.

  "Bad!" The two masked men shouted in unison, but the next moment, they heard two loud noises, and two heads flew up, with blood splashing everywhere.

  Fang Li sheathed his iron sword, gazing coldly at the two headless corpses on the ground without a hint of pity. He turned and continued onward. If it were in the past, he might still have been dazed for a moment because of killing people, but now it was different. His heart had long been filled with anger, and besides, the ones he killed were two assassins. Assassins had always despised life; since they didn't respect life, they didn't deserve to live either.