Chapter 266 - A Night Visit to the Zhao Clan

During the banquet, Chu Xuan’er pushed Chen Fan into drinking lots of wine with her. Before long, she was drunk, her face flushed, and blabbered nonstop. Ultimately, the female servants helped her return to her room to rest.

At the mansion's gate, the Qi Grandmaster guard captain saw Chen Fan walking out and asked, “Young Master, you’re heading out?”

Chen Fan nodded and said, “Since it’s my first day here in the imperial city, I have yet to experience the city’s bustling nightlife. I want to experience it for a bit and sober myself up.”

The Qi Grandmaster guard captain nodded and did not stop Chen Fan. The guard immediately entered the mansion and relayed the news to the marquis.

Despite the nighttime, the imperial city remained well-lit and bustling with activity, with constant sounds of shouting. Chen Fan strolled around, looking like a simple person taking in the new surroundings.

However, Chen Fan was laughing coldly inside.

Hehe.

He had long since noticed he was being followed, likely by people from the Calm Sun Marquis mansion.

Chen Fan did not mind it.

He understood Chu Feng’s intention for doing so.

Chen Fan’s origins were unclear. While he had saved Chu Xuan’er and others in Cloudsun Town, the marquis couldn't be certain of Chen Fan’s true intentions.

What stopped him from thinking that Chen Fan was acting to get close to Chu Xuan’er?

Chen Fan ignored his tail, pretending he had not noticed them, and walked leisurely in the imperial city.

The Great Chu Empire’s imperial city was vast, and even after walking for several hours, Chen Fan hadn't covered half of it.

At a crowded corner, he deftly slipped into the crowd, moving like a fish in water, and vanished from sight.

Swish!

The two people tailing him were shocked. They hurriedly ran up and searched carefully, but there were no traces of Chen Fan.

“What should we do? We’ve lost him!”

“Did he make us?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s return and report to Lord Marquis first.”

The two exchanged words and swiftly turned back, rushing toward the Calm Sun Marquis’ mansion.

After they had left, Chen Fan appeared in a dark corner.

Watching them leave, Chen Fan’s eyes flickered with a cold smile. He then seamlessly blended into the crowd and vanished again.

......

In the northwest area, the central district of the imperial city:

The Zhao Clan mansion was also extremely huge.

With a history spanning over a thousand years, the Zhao Clan was a prestigious martial clan deeply rooted in the city. It was one of the top clans even in the imperial city.

Their clansmen might not necessarily be able to act as they pleased in the city, but few people dared to offend them.

Numerous people were currently gathered in the Zhao Clan mansion’s main hall; they all looked angry. The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat heavy.

A terrified servant, who had been cleaning the Zhao Clan's ancestral hall, had rushed in a moment ago, exclaiming, “Big trouble.”

It turned out that Zhao Ru's life tablet, housed in the ancestral hall, had shattered. [1]

These tablets, intricately linked to the owner's soul, would instantly break upon the owner's death. Since Zhao Ru’s life tablet had shattered, it meant that he had died.

Zhao Ru was at the peak of the seventh level—a top expert within the Zhao Clan. His unexpected demise sent shockwaves throughout the entire clan.

A middle-aged man with an imposing appearance looked at the others and asked, “What happened? What exactly happened?! Why did Zhao Ru’s life tablet shatter?”

This person was the Zhao Clan’s patriarch, Zhao Hong. The anger on his face was obvious for all to see, and his aura was even colder.

Zhao Ru was dead, and they did not even know when he died. How could he not be furious?

One of the Zhao Clan’s higher-ups said, “Patriarch, Zhao Ru said he was going out to take care of a matter three months ago and left the city. He did not say exactly what the matter was about.”

Zhao Hong roared in a low voice, “If you don’t know, then go find out! A seventh-level Yuanfu realm powerhouse of our Zhao Clan has died! How did he die, who killed him, and where did he die! Find out everything!”

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

“No need to investigate. I killed him!”

“Who is it?!”

Zhao Hong and the others’ faces immediately changed. Their eyes sparked as they moved, reappearing outside the main hall.

In the courtyard, a figure stood on the rockery above a small lake, wearing a mask that revealed only a pair of dark and cold eyes.

Zhao Hong’s sharp gaze shot toward Chen Fan, and he shouted coldly, “Who are you?”

The mask Chen Fan wore could conceal his aura, so Zhao Hong couldn’t perceive Chen Fan’s cultivation aura despite being at the ninth level. As a result, he could not help but feel somewhat apprehensive toward Chen Fan.

The Zhao Clan’s mansion was tightly guarded, yet Chen Fan had sneaked in undetected. Moreover, Chen Fan had concealed his presence from numerous people. They might never have known about the intrusion if he had not revealed himself.

Chen Fan said coldly, “Who I am is not important. All you need to know is that I killed Zhao Ru!”

“You killed Zhao Ru? How dare you kill our Zhao Clan’s people!” A Zhao Clan higher-up shouted, their voice filled with killing intent. They stared at Chen Fan with a sharp gaze as if they wanted to drill a hole through him to see him inside and out.

“Who exactly are you? Acting sneakily and barging into our Zhao Clan mansion wearing a mask!” shouted another Zhao Clan higher-up coldly, their aura swirling with the intention to apprehend Chen Fan at the slightest provocation.

“I’m your Zhao Clan’s enemy! I’ve come to you tonight to send you Zhao Ru’s corpse.”

Chen Fan waved his hand. Immediately, a headless corpse flew toward Zhao Hong and the others.

“You really killed Zhao Ru!”

“Damn it! Bastard, you deserve to die!”

“How dare you kill our Zhao Clan’s people! No matter who you are, only death awaits you!”

“......”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

As soon as Zhao Hong and the others saw the headless corpse, they immediately recognized it belonged to Zhao Ru. Their auras erupted uncontrollably, one after another, forming a violent whirlwind. The whole area was filled with icy killing intent.

“Bastard, you dare kill our people. You can forget about leaving. I’ll see who you really are!”

A Zhao Clan higher-up at the seventh level unleashed their aura, and their figure blurred. As if the earth had shrunk, they instantly arrived before Chen Fan, their palm grabbing at him.

Boom ka!

This person’s fingers were like an eagle’s claw. They were incomparably sharp, piercing through the air and pressed down threateningly. The rockery under Chen Fan’s feet crumbled, and the debris rolled down.

“You bastard, no matter who you are, you’re destined to die for your crime. After I take you down, remove your mask, and find out your real identity, your clan shall suffer the calamity of eradication!”

This Zhao Clan higher-up revealed a vicious expression.

“You’re looking to die!”

A cold light shot out from Chen Fan’s eyes. He rubbed his palms together, and the Heaven Piercing Spear appeared.

Chen Fan channeled his powers fiercely and struck out with a devastating attack, bringing about a deafening shrill. An aura that was like a grim reaper’s spread out.

1. Briefly mentioned in 79 when Sir Blood Shirt or Xue Yi died and his family learned of the news. ☜