C2 You Are Better than Me

Jiang Fann made a beeline for the southern courtyard, guided by his memory. He decided to deal with Qiao Qianyu first, putting Jiang Zhengloong on hold. Jiang Fann was unconcerned whether Qiao was the favored nephew of the legitimate wife or not.

In the courtyard, a figure sat in meditation, deeply engrossed in cultivation. Nearby, a man in white fluttered his folding fan with effortless grace. His handsome features wore a smile as he watched Jiang Feng'er. This was none other than Qiao Qianyu.

At the entrance, Jiang Fann's silhouette emerged, advancing steadily step by step.

Qiao Qianyu's brow creased as he sensed an intrusion. Normally, no one dared to intrude upon his solitude. His surprise was palpable upon recognizing Jiang Fann.

A venomous glint flickered in his eyes. He dreaded the consequences of his secrets being revealed; even his aunt's influence wouldn't save him from the Patriarch's wrath.

"So it's you! Still among the living, I see!"

Jiang Fann's expression was one of detached indifference.

"Looks like you're the one running out of time."

Qiao Qianyu glanced at Jiang Feng'er, still immersed in her practice, before locking eyes with Jiang Fann, his gaze brimming with lethal intent.

"You're still breathing? I'll remedy that."

Jiang Fann's retort was icy, "Fool."

Without hesitation, Qiao Qianyu launched his attack, aiming to finish Jiang Fann with a deadly strike – the Life-Extermination Palm.

His movements were swift, closing the distance to Jiang Fann in a heartbeat. His expression twisted malevolently as his palm targeted Jiang Fann's head, channeling all his might. The energy coalescing in his palm could shatter stone.

"Die!"

Yet, Jiang Fann stood unflinchingly, his composure unshaken.

As Qiao Qianyu drew close, his left leg buckled, sending him stumbling to the ground in a heap. The energy he had mustered scattered to the winds, leaving him with a face of utter astonishment. The sensation of being utterly powerless was alien to him.

Jiang Fann remained standing, as if he had merely swatted away a nuisance.

Qiao Qianyu's voice trembled with fear as he stammered, "You... What have you done?"

Without a word, Jiang Fann crushed one of Qiao Qianyu's legs underfoot.

A horrific scream escaped Qiao Qianyu as his other leg was similarly shattered.

Struggling to turn over, Qiao Qianyu faced Jiang Fann, who stood before him, silent, his face twisted in a grimace of rage.

"Jiang Fann, my aunt will never forgive you for this."

His only answer was a swift kick to the face, sending blood gushing and teeth flying, the number of which remained uncertain.

The sound of Qiao Qianyu's screams roused Jiang Feng'er from her meditation. She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock at the scene before her.

Looking like a beaten pulp, Qiao Qianyu caught sight of his potential rescuer and cried out desperately, "Feng'er, save me! Jiang Fann is trying to kill me!"

"You never stop talking, do you?" Jiang Fann retorted, and proceeded to disable Qiao Qianyu's arms. This time, Qiao Qianyu passed out cold.

With a cold laugh, Jiang Fann said, "You couldn't even withstand a dose of Soul Pacifying Powder. But don't worry, you're not going to die just yet. I need you breathing for a little while longer."

A shaky Jiang Feng'er managed to ask, "Is that really you, Jiang Fann?"

Jiang Fann bent down, hoisting Qiao Qianyu up like a lifeless dog, his clothes miraculously free of blood. He grinned at Jiang Feng'er, "He won't be a nuisance to you anymore."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode off, his sights set on the ancestral hall, dragging Qiao Qianyu along for the ride.

Jiang Feng'er stood frozen, watching Jiang Fann's retreating figure.

It was unmistakably Jiang Fann, the same presence she knew, yet she felt as if she were looking at a stranger, leaving her in disbelief.

Leaving the southern courtyard behind, numerous onlookers saw Jiang Fann carrying the unconscious Qiao Qianyu, heading straight for the ancestral hall with relentless determination. Jiang Fann had no intention of letting anyone alert Jiang Zhengloong; he wanted no preparations made in his way.

On his return journey, Jiang Fann was anything but idle. Given his current level of power, it was highly unlikely he could use brute force to cow the Jiang Family into submission. But who was he, after all? He was the Medicine King of his era, and his prowess in medicine was unrivaled.

The Soul Pacifying Powder, originally just a calming incense, had been transformed by his hand with the addition of various herbs. Once sprinkled on himself, it rendered him untouchable to anyone below the Innate Stage.

Qiao Qianyu was bleeding profusely, his life force waning. It was uncertain how much longer he could hold on. Luckily, Jiang Fann could cover the distance from the southern courtyard to the ancestral hall in a mere six or seven minutes.

Approaching the ancestral hall, the sound of scripture chanting was already audible.

Without hesitation, Jiang Fann retrieved a pouch of Soul Pacifying Powder and scattered it over Qiao Qianyu before delivering a forceful kick. Qiao Qianyu, limp as a dead dog, was sent flying into the hall, the powder dispersing from his body like dust.

As Qiao Qianyu's presence continued to fade, hope for his rescue dwindled.

"Boldness! Who dares wreak havoc in the Jiang Family's domain?"

"Scoundrel, who's responsible for this?"

At the ancestral hall's entrance, onlookers were stunned by the advancing figure. "It's Jiang Fann!"

With a serene demeanor, Jiang Fann entered. Inside, one by one, the attendees collapsed. A handful of individuals with slightly higher cultivation desperately held on, though none were of the Innate Stage.

Jiang Fann wasted no time with pleasantries. He spotted Jiang Zhengloong next to his wife and strode toward him.

Jiang Zhengloong, shaking all over, was on the brink of collapse but managed to bellow, "Audacity! Jiang Fann! To behave so disgracefully in the ancestral hall. Are you asking for family discipline?"

But before another word could be uttered, Jiang Fann's foot met Jiang Zhengloong's face. Sent flying, he crashed into a candlestick and slammed to the ground, struggling briefly before lying still.

At that moment, Jiang Tianhai, head of the family and Jiang Fann's father, stepped into the ancestral hall.

Surveying the people sprawled across the ground, he furrowed his brow slightly. "Poisoned?"

Qiao Qingzhu, the esteemed First Lady, stood right next to Jiang Fann. A cultivator of Qi, her strength was considerable.

Her face twisted into a grotesque expression as she watched her son hurled through the air. "You insolent whelp, how dare you—"

Crack!

Jiang Fann delivered a slap without hesitation. "Silence, wretch!"

The slap left Qiao Qingzhu reeling, an insult the likes of which she had never experienced, especially not since her marriage into the Jiang Family. "You little cur, you dare strike me?"

"That's exactly what I did!"

Crack!

As Jiang Fann raised his hand for another slap, it was suddenly seized. Struggling to break free proved futile.

A sense of dread settled over him. "A master?"

Then, a familiar voice spoke from nearby, "Fann, enough of this foolishness."

Jiang Fann recognized the voice instantly. It was his father, Jiang Tianhai, who had always been strict but never demanded anything of him. When Jiang Fann was ousted from Loongze County by his legitimate wife, it was Jiang Tianhai who had secretly arranged for his son's safe passage to a Medical Center a hundred miles away, altering the course of his life.

Years had passed since they last met, stirring a complex mix of emotions within Jiang Fann. But he quickly composed himself; the confrontation was far from over.

With a deft maneuver, he disengaged from Jiang Tianhai's grip and retreated several steps. His father's cultivation was superior, nearly reaching the Later Period of the Innate Stage.

Jiang Tianhai was taken aback. Despite his proximity, he couldn't discern how Jiang Fann had slipped from his grasp. The Soul Pacifying Powder had little effect on someone of his caliber. Regrettably, there was no time to concoct a more potent remedy for Jiang Fann.

"How many can you safeguard?"

Without waiting for an answer, he dashed off towards Jiang Zhengloong.

Jiang Fann yanked him back, forcing him to kneel.

Though fully conscious, he was baffled, unable to muster his strength, and the discomfort was overwhelming.

Jiang Fann seized him by the throat.

"Release him!" commanded Jiang Tianhai.

With an icy gaze, Jiang Fann tightened his grip on Jiang Zhengloong's neck, hoisting him overhead. Despite his frantic struggles, Zhengloong was powerless.

Qiao Qingzhu attempted to charge toward them but stumbled after a mere two steps, crashing to the ground. She looked up, fury burning in her eyes as she stared at Jiang Fann.

"Release my son!"

Jiang Fann regarded her with a meaningful stare. "Release him? He had Qiao Qianyu throw me off a cliff. How should we settle that? You claim to have searched for me, yet never once did you reach the cliff's base. What about that?"

He then turned his fierce glare to Jiang Tianhai. "Outsiders see the whole truth, yet you, as the family patriarch, turn a blind eye. Is this how you father?"

Jiang Tianhai met Jiang Fann's gaze with astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words.

"The King of Hell has no claim on me! I've returned to settle scores! Qiao Qianyu is the first; Jiang Zhengloong, this waste, is the second!"

No sooner had he spoken than Jiang Fann snapped Jiang Zhengloong's arm with his free hand. Choked and unable to cry out, Zhengloong's face turned a ghastly shade of blue.

Jiang Tianhai stood still, pulling Qiao Qingzhu to his side and letting out a weary sigh before addressing Jiang Fann, "I can't imagine what you've endured these past weeks. You seek justice, and I shall grant it. But first, release your brother."

"My brother? He's nothing but trash! What justice can you possibly offer me?"

Despite his words, Jiang Fann rendered Jiang Zhengloong's arms useless. He then struck a devastating blow to Zhengloong's Qi Sea and flung him aside like a lifeless dog. With his Qi Sea shattered and his cultivation ruined, Zhengloong was effectively broken.

Jiang Fann had made up his mind before returning. Qiao Qianyu would pay with his life. Though Jiang Zhengloong was no saint, Fann wasn't heartless enough to kill his own half-brother. He could leave Loongze County in the future, but what of his mother? How would she face the Jiang Family now?

Qiao Qingzhu collapsed onto Jiang Zhengloong, her eyes burning with fury as she confronted Jiang Fann: "How could you cripple him? What drove you to such malice?"

Jiang Fann returned her glare with icy detachment. "He was nothing more than trash. Crippled or not, it makes no difference. As for being vicious, I don't hold a candle to you."

All eyes in the ancestral hall turned to Jiang Fann, none daring to speculate what had transpired over the past half-month to cause such a dramatic shift in his presence.

With a gesture of contempt, Jiang Fann seized his own memorial tablet and crushed it to dust.

Just then, a maidservant burst through the entrance, pausing in shock at the chaos before her.

Jiang Tianhai barked, "Stay out!"

But the maidservant, rooted at the threshold, blurted out in distress, "Master, it's urgent! The Second Madam... she's on her deathbed. The physician has advised us to prepare for the worst..."

Jiang Fann was taken aback; the Second Madam was his mother, Mo Rong.

Upon hearing the grim news, Jiang Tianhai strode from the ancestral hall, heading for the Second Madam's quarters. Jiang Fann was quick on his heels, leaving the hall behind.

In the wake of Jiang Fann's departure, a hushed stillness fell over the ancestral hall.

The gathered family members felt their strength ebb away, knowing it would take time to recover from the shock. With Jiang Fann gone, a collective sigh of relief was palpable.

"Was that really Jiang Fann?"

"It must be. And yet, he hasn't even achieved the Stellar Energy. Wherever he got that medicine from, its effects are astoundingly potent."

"It appears he's stumbled upon a tremendous stroke of luck these past weeks. It looks like the Jiang Family is in for some lively times ahead."

"Keep it down! The full picture isn't clear yet. Better to hold our tongues and avoid trouble," one cautioned, casting a meaningful glance towards Qiao Qingzhu.

The others quickly nodded, taking the hint to heart.