Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Zhou Dingwen's heart skipped a beat.

He had never expected that the Zhou Family in Yongzhou, thousands of miles away, would know about the incident of Zhou Yu being blown up.

Was there a secret informant from the main Zhou family by his side?

Zhou Dingwen suddenly felt a chill all over his body as he squinted and asked, "Where did the Third Young Master hear about this?"

"So, it did happen then?" Zhou Xintong's tone was indifferent. He stood up, stared at Zhou Dingwen, and emitted a vague, yet apparent, aura.

Endowed with exceptional talent in Martial Arts since childhood, he had always been much favored and never opposed.

Seeing Zhou Dingwen showing a hint of resistance now, he felt a surge of discontent.

He thought of simply killing him with one strike, and then taking over the Zhou family's business and bringing it back himself.
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As per the main family's usual practice, the branched Zhou families had little to do with them.

For someone like Zhou Dingwen, a member of a collateral branch, even if he was the son of an elder and a senior relative, Zhou Xintong wouldn't normally offer him a second glance, let alone speak with him politely for so long.

But, remembering the strict instructions of his great grandfather, he restrained himself.

Similarly, Zhou Dingwen, despite being the head of the Taiping County Zhou family and an influential figure here, appeared utterly insignificant and low-status when facing the main household's eldest lineage.

He also felt immensely stifled.

Both were looking at each other with considerable disfavor.

After a long while, Zhou Dingwen gritted his teeth and said, "There is indeed such a matter."

Zhou Xintong, with a hint of dissatisfaction, asked, "Have you found out who did it? Is it related to the Huang Tian Sect?"

"These are family disgraces not to be aired publicly."

"Hm?" Zhou Xintong sternly said, "I think Lord Jiu should consider his answer more carefully before responding."

Zhou Xintong stood tall and straight in front of Zhou Dingwen, his body radiating a cold and insurmountable aura, as if solidifying the air around them.

His words, though soft, carried great weight, each word resounding profoundly.

Zhou Dingwen, standing a few steps away, suddenly had a fluctuating expression on his face.

He felt an unprecedented pressure, as if tightly bound by an invisible force.

Sweat silently emerged from Zhou Dingwen's forehead, trickled down his cheeks, and dropped onto the stone pavement, making a faint sound.

He took a deep breath and said, "This matter is not related to the Huang Tian Sect."

"That's good. I recall that it was Uncle who was investigating this from the beginning. Ask him to come here."

Zhou Dingwen felt a sudden surge of horror.

How did the main household in Yongzhou even know who was conducting the investigation? How could they possibly know?

Could it be that… these years… someone by his side...

Zhou Dingwen suddenly felt as if his heart was being tightly squeezed in someone's fist before being released.

Instantly, he lost all courage to face this junior member of the main family lineage and quickly nodded in agreement.

Soon, Zhou Jishan was called by the servants.

Zhou Xintong had no idle time to exchange pleasantries with this uncle.

He slowly stepped forward, instantly closing the distance between them, his imposing manner almost suffocating Zhou Jishan.

"I want to ask, concerning the affair of Aunt being blown up, who is responsible, and is it connected to the Huang Tian Sect?"

Zhou Jishan hurriedly replied, "It has been confirmed that it has nothing to do with the Huang Tian Sect, it was… it was… a collusion from within our seventh house…"

Zhou Xintong suddenly interjected, "Was the person who brought Aunt back also from the seventh house?"

Zhou Jishan was also shocked, how could they know about this matter.

"I…"

"Not clear yet? Then investigate it properly again. This matter could be severe or minor; I need a detailed explanation in three days."

Zhou Jishan looked at his already withered father and was at a loss for what to do.

"Quickly prepare a courtyard for me, I've been rushing over by carriage and now I'm exhausted," Zhou Xintong casually remarked before retaking his seat at the head of the table.

"Yes."

Zhou Dingwen and his son dared not stay any longer in the front hall and hurriedly withdrew.

Watching their retreating figures disappear outside the door, Zhou Xintong revealed a disdainful expression, "Even I, as Ninth Lord, am incompetent—a mere family matter and yet I, an outsider, seem to understand it better than they do. I really do not know why the Old Master insisted that I must come and make this effort."

"This old servant thinks that this might involve matters pertaining to the Huang Tian Sect, as the masters are strategizing to ascend to court and must be cautious."

Zhou Xintong nodded in deep agreement.

"Luckily over the years, our main family has never relaxed its supervision over the branch families; otherwise, today we might not have managed to intimidate them. In the future, once I become the Family Head, I will not have such trouble; whoever disobeys will be killed outright."

...

The quadrangle yard where Shen Qing resided in Taiping County city seemed somewhat empty.

The old scholar tree that had once been planted in the courtyard had already been chopped down, leaving only a stump about half a meter tall.

Shen Qing picked up a bowl of medicinal soup and sat on the stump, drinking down the contents of the bowl in one go.

As the medicinal soup entered his throat, it was initially bitter beyond words, but soon a warm current rose from his Dantian and swiftly flowed through his limbs and bones. Everywhere it passed, it felt as though countless tiny needles were gently stimulating every inch of skin and every bone, bringing an indescribable tingling and exhilaration.

Under Shen Qing's guidance, the turbulent power, akin to rivers meeting the sea, gradually calmed down and transformed into a gentle yet powerful stream, slowly filling his body.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Qing could clearly feel that after so many days and nights of continuous meditation and taking medicine, the Qi inside his body had reached an unprecedented fullness at that moment.

It seemed that he was no longer able to absorb the remaining medicinal power into Qi.

As if he had reached some critical threshold of this physical body.

"Great Perfection of Qi Cultivation Realm..." Shen Qing quietly mused to himself, a barely concealable joy flashing in his eyes.

He clearly remembered Li Linfeng telling him that the so-called Qi Cultivation Realm was about nurturing Qi through precious medicine.

In this realm, the physical body was a vessel for Qi, and when Qi filled this vessel completely, it signified the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Realm.

Shen Qing calculated that he had spent about a month and a half on this process, which could be considered exceptionally fast.

As the medicinal power was fully absorbed, Shen Qing slowly stood up, his physique as straight as a pine, exuding an indescribable spirit with every motion.

Over this month, combined with the refinement and supplementation of the Tiger Demon Pill, he secretly estimated that the Qi inside his body was now about five times that of a common Martial Artist in the Qi Cultivation Realm.

Combined with the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill and several other Martial Arts, what level Shen Qing had reached was not even clear to him.

Although he hadn't broken through to the Qi Hai Realm, Shen Qing faintly felt that even Martial Artists in the Qi Hai Realm might not necessarily be his match.

The precise estimation would only be known after a fight.

"Qingzi, something seems off outside," his uncle Shen Er muttered, returning from outside.

Shen Qing asked, "What seems off?"

"I don't know what's going on today, but the Zhou Family has started frantically selling land, houses, and buildings. The other bosses are ecstatic, and even the county government is now accepting the Zhou Family's properties. Everyone is saying that the Zhou Family Boss has gone mad," Shen Er replied.

Shen Qing furrowed his brows. Why would the Zhou Family suddenly decide to sell off their property?

There must be a demon at work behind unusual occurrences.

He called over Shen Xiaohu and instructed, "Go and find Tian Xiaohu for me, I have some matters to inquire about."

Seeing the serious expression on Shen Qing's face, Shen Xiaohu quickly nodded in agreement and dashed out.

A short while later, Tian Xiaohu, who had been wandering the streets, was pulled back into the house by Shen Xiaohu.

"Qingzi, did you want to see me?"

Shen Qing nodded and said, "I feel something strange is happening in the Inner City. Help me find out what exactly the Zhou Family is up to, and if there's anything else amiss in the city besides the Zhou Family."

Suddenly, Shen Qing had an ominous premonition.

It seemed Taiping County was no longer a place to stay.