Flora Thrall made her way quickly to the small mountain village described in the letter.
Sweeping the area with her spiritual sense, Flora noted that the village had over three hundred residents. Thanks to the abundant qi of the Central Domain, even the villagers who practiced only crude techniques had mostly reached Divine Sea level, and a few were at Core Formation.
The handful of surviving Hua Clan members had sealed their true cultivation, blending in among the villagers and appearing to be only at Divine Sea level.
With a flicker, Flora appeared inside a courtyard built of packed earthen walls.
An elderly woman in coarse clothing was hunched over, picking stones from a basket of beans, completely unaware that Flora had arrived.
Flora’s face lit up with excitement as she softly called, “Granny Chen.”
At the sound, the old woman jerked her head up. Her cloudy eyes filled with emotion, and with a clatter, she dropped her basket—beans scattering across the ground.
"Young Miss, Young Miss—is it really you?" Granny Chen cried, her voice trembling.
"Granny Chen!" Flora called again, her voice choked with emotion.
Flora’s eyes grew moist as she hurried forward and gently supported Granny Chen.
Just then, three people—a middle-aged man, a young man, and a young woman—quickly stepped out of the house.
The middle-aged man was Granny Chen’s eldest son, the young man her grandson, and the young woman her second daughter-in-law.
All three dropped to their knees, bowing deeply to Flora. "Greetings, Young Miss!"
Each of them looked visibly moved, kneeling together and performing a formal salute.
"You don’t need to be so formal. Please, get up!" Flora said warmly, urging them to rise.
Flora personally helped them up. Back when the Tanner Clan slaughtered thousands of Hua Clan members, these people weren’t even distant relatives—yet she felt a special kinship with them now.
But just as Flora helped the young woman up, a sudden change occurred.
Suddenly, a black dagger flashed into the young woman’s hand and stabbed toward Flora’s abdomen.
Her speed was so fast that, aside from Flora, no one else reacted in time.
But just as the dagger was about to pierce her, Flora vanished from her spot and reappeared several meters away, coldly staring at the young woman. In a deep voice, she demanded, "Who are you really?"
Granny Chen’s second daughter-in-law had originally been just an ordinary person, barely at Divine Sea level when the Hua Clan was destroyed. Now, she showed power surpassing a typical Demigod.
So Flora instantly realized this was no longer Granny Chen’s real daughter-in-law.
The impostor sneered, "Heh heh! Since you’ve seen through me, it doesn’t matter. Now that you’re here, don’t even think about leaving!"
With a chilling laugh, the young woman’s body twisted and morphed into a middle-aged man.
"You... You're not Chunhua! Who are you? Where did you take Chunhua?" Granny Chen’s second son shouted in shock.
Granny Chen’s second son was utterly stunned, his voice shaking.
The middle-aged man gave a cold smile. "Relax. I wouldn’t bother killing a mere village woman like her!"
With a sinister smile, the middle-aged man flickered forward, trying to attack Flora. But just as he moved, his body suddenly swayed, and with a horrified expression, he collapsed to the ground.
Black qi began to spread across his face, and he started trembling violently in agony.
Flora stepped forward, looking down at him. "Who are you? Why did you come to assassinate me?" she demanded, her voice icy.
She loomed over the middle-aged man, her gaze sharp as she questioned him.
By now, black qi had spread over the man's face, and his body shook violently with pain.
The middle-aged man was no weakling—he was a fourth-tier War General.
But Flora could poison even seventh-tier War Generals. With no warning, he stood no chance against her toxins.
"Don’t kill me! If you cure me, I’ll tell you who sent me!" the man begged desperately.
Enduring the agony, the middle-aged man spoke through clenched teeth, "Please, just help me!"
Flora scoffed, "Do you think you have the right to bargain with me? Confess honestly, and don’t say I didn’t warn you—after half a quarter-hour, even I won’t be able to cure this poison!"
Hearing this, the man’s eyes filled with panic. "If I tell you, will you cure me?" he asked, voice trembling.
He had tried to drive the poison out with his energy, but the toxin was so domineering it devoured his power and grew stronger—he couldn’t expel it at all.
"That depends on my mood," Flora replied coolly.
"Fine, I'll talk!" the man gave in, defeated.
Humiliated and resentful, the middle-aged man continued, "It was Shawn Du. Shawn Du ordered me to capture you and deliver you to him!"
"Him?" Flora was stunned. She’d already given Shawn Du the antidote—so why was he still trying to kidnap her? Was it just to vent for his son, or something else?
She couldn't figure it out—she’d already handed over the antidote, so why would Shawn Du still try to have her kidnapped? Was it just for revenge, or something more?
Half a quarter-hour later, at the Tanner estate, Ian Song tapped a finger, sending a Puppet Mastery sigil into the man's brow. Soon, the man was completely enslaved, and under compulsion, he confirmed Shawn Du had ordered the kidnapping of Flora.
Ian Song was furious when he heard someone had tried to kidnap Flora. Luckily, the attacker underestimated her and only sent a fourth-tier War General—otherwise, things could've gone very differently.
Wei Le cursed, "Young Master, the Du Family is so two-faced! They dared send someone to kidnap Sister Flora right behind our backs!"
"Exactly—wipe them out!" another voice echoed, full of righteous fury.
Zhou Yan'er pumped her fist energetically, making a show of righteous indignation.
Zhou Yan'er made a dramatic fist, her eyes blazing with determination.
Ian Song turned to Flora. "What do you think?" he asked, meeting her gaze.
Flora hesitated. "Young Master, this was all Shawn Du's doing. Even if we confront the Du Family, they'll probably deny everything. Besides, there's no evidence on this man to prove Shawn Du was behind it."
The other women nodded in agreement, backing Flora up.
Ian Song’s expression was unreadable. After a long silence, he said, "Let’s wait and see for now. If the Du Family tries anything else, they’ll have no excuses left."
Shaking his head, Ian Song said, "First off, your young master isn't a constable and doesn't need evidence—if I say the Du Family did it, then it's them. Second, if anyone dares touch my people, evidence or not, I'll destroy them all the same!"
His eyes flashed coldly. Clearly, the destruction of the Tanner Clan hadn't made the other families in Skywind City recognize reality—they still dared to provoke him.
Hearing this, the women suddenly understood, and Flora looked at Ian Song with even deeper affection.
"Let's go! Time to cause trouble for the Du Family!" Ian Song declared.
With a wave of his hand, Ian Song led the group outside, everyone hurrying to follow.
Du Family estate.
"Chief Steward, bad news—someone's barged into the Du Family!" a guard reported urgently.
A guard rushed in to report.
Shawn Du was startled. "Who is it?" he asked instinctively.
"It's a handsome young man, accompanied by two men and five women!" the guard replied quickly.
"Could it be him?" Shawn Du muttered, suspicion rising.
Shawn Du's heart skipped a beat. He quickly released his spiritual sense and, sure enough, detected Ian Song. Instantly, a sense of dread overwhelmed him—he knew his plot to kidnap Flora had likely been exposed.
Terrified, Shawn Du didn't even bother instructing the guard. He darted straight to the patriarch's courtyard, calling out in panic, "Patriarch, bad news—Evan Chu has come knocking!"