The sudden appearance of a large cat from the darkness startled Mo Huai’an.

The young mage almost triggered the talisman in his hand, but luckily he realized in time that it was Zhang Yuan’s tamed beast, thus avoiding a friendly fire incident.

The Gray-toothed Lynx paid no attention to Mo Huai’an. It leapt to Zhang Yuan’s side and dropped the item it was carrying in its mouth.

A gray, dusty bag.

The bag was obviously filled with something, bulging and looking quite hefty.

Awwooo~

The Gray-toothed Lynx lifted its head and growled softly at Zhang Yuan.

There were still traces of blood at the corners of its mouth.

Zhang Yuan reached out to rub the furry head of the big cat and then picked up the item it had brought back.

He untied the string of the bag, and a gleaming radiance immediately poured out from within.

A jade lion, the size of an adult’s palm, appeared in front of Zhang Yuan!

This lion was carved with lifelike detail, showcasing the master craftsman’s exquisite skill. The material was exceptionally beautiful, like a pond of emerald water solidified and condensed, vibrant and lively.

Most importantly, Zhang Yuan could sense the spirituality inherent within this jade lion!

This was a profound artifact.

He suddenly understood—the people from Huo Family Castle were most likely trying to reclaim this item!

"Jade Lion."

Zhang Yuan weighed the jade lion in his hand and handed it to Mo Huai’an: "This is the inheritance treasure of the Huo Family. Unexpectedly, it ended up in our hands."

The origin of the Jade Lion was just mentioned by Huo Zhennan earlier.

Despite this guy being severely injured and near death, able to answer only a limited number of questions, Zhang Yuan easily deduced the whole truth by piecing together the earlier details.

One could only say that retribution to the natural order is inevitable.

The people of Huo Family Castle believed that the Jade Lion fell into the hands of Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an, so they spared no effort to send elite forces to ambush them in the dead of night, attempting to kill the two by the roadside.

As a result, they were instead seriously injured by the two, with only a few escaping alive.

Ultimately, the Jade Lion ended up in Zhang Yuan’s hands.

Through communication with the Gray-toothed Lynx, Zhang Yuan learned that the creature discovered it while pursuing the enemy.

Intuition let the big cat realize its extraordinary value, so it brought it back.

Of course, the target chased by the Gray-toothed Lynx also died under its sharp claws and teeth.

The Gray-toothed Lynx, at a level close to Level 4, has a combat power comparable to a Tier Four expert, and the night environment is its domain.

The fate of any enemy hunted by it is sealed!

Zhang Yuan didn’t expect this big cat to have a "treasure hunting" ability.

Regardless of whether it was a blind cat stalking a dead rat, it brought Zhang Yuan the biggest gain of the night.

Deserving of a reward!

"This item is interesting."

Mo Huai’an played with it for a bit then returned the Jade Lion to Zhang Yuan: "It should be a sealing artifact, with something sealed inside. Only by knowing the correct method can it be released intact."

"Otherwise, both jade and rock perish!"

The young mage smiled meaningfully: "The Huo Family likely acquired it by accident, unable to find the unsealing method, so they could only keep it as an inheritance treasure, never expecting it to be stolen."

Zhang Yuan, pondering, took back the Jade Lion and asked: "Junior Brother, is there anyone in Upper Scenic Celestial who can unseal it?"

Mo Huai’an proudly replied: "Of course there is!"

But then his expression fell: "But the ancestral master may not be willing to intervene."

Zhang Yuan chuckled: "That’s okay. We’ll talk about it when we go back later."

After a pause, Zhang Yuan added: "Finder’s keepers. If we succeed in unsealing it in the future, we’ll split the contents half and half."

"No, no!"

Mo Huai’an waved his hands profusely, looking embarrassed: "Senior Brother Zhang, this is your opportunity. I can’t just take it."

Zhang Yuan shook his head and did not pursue the topic, asking: "So what are your plans next? Should we go destroy Huo Family Castle?"

Destroy Huo Family Castle?

Mo Huai’an was instantly dumbfounded.

Zhang Yuan’s words were understated, but the intense killing intent and bloody connotation in his tone sent chills down his spine.

The young mage never imagined that Zhang Yuan could harbor such a strong propensity for killing!

The word "destroy" was not to be used lightly.

To exterminate an entire family means slaughtering everyone, sparing neither women, children, the elderly, nor the frail, leaving none alive.

Does Zhang Yuan have the capability for that?

Mo Huai’an had just heard Zhang Yuan questioning Huo Zhennan, knowing that the strongest in Huo Family Castle was only a Tier Five Martial Artist. It was indeed possible for Zhang Yuan to wipe out the family. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Plus, with him, that would be even less of a problem!

But Mo Huai’an felt that enough people had died tonight.

His hesitation and shock were completely observed by Zhang Yuan, who immediately smiled: "No worries, it’s just my suggestion. If you don’t want to provoke more complications, then let’s just leave Huo Family Castle be."

Mo Huai’an was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly: "Is this the Jianghu?"

Zhang Yuan nodded: "Yes."

What is the Jianghu?

Wherever there are people and grudges, there is Jianghu. Life and death struggle is also Jianghu. Fighting and killing are most definitely Jianghu!

The events of tonight had Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an as the passive parties; the two did not initiate the conflict. The aggression and hostility from Huo Family Castle were enough to place the two on high moral and legal ground.

No matter what kind of countermeasures are taken, they would all be just and reasonable.

Beyond reproach!

Strictly speaking, the elite of the Huo family besieging Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an was a significant affront to Upper Scenic Celestial.

Exterminating their family was also a matter of safeguarding the sect’s dignity!

Of course, since Mo Huai’an was unwilling, Zhang Yuan naturally wouldn’t force the issue.

The young mage held the talisman in his hand, staring dazedly at the blazing bonfire ahead.

His gaze slowly swept around, passing over scattered bodies.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

But Zhang Yuan felt that this sect’s true disciple, who was naively ignorant of worldly affairs, had begun to mature through this battle.

The long night had not yet passed.

Neither had any drowsiness, so they stayed by the bonfire, roasting meat and drinking wine, discussing martial arts until dawn.

Zhang Yuan found that although Mo Huai’an was very young, he had an extremely rich knowledge base.

According to Mo Huai’an himself, he had a talent for photographic memory, able to memorize entire books just by flipping through them once, regardless of thickness.

And Mo Huai’an loved reading, often immersing himself in the sect’s library pavilion for days and nights, engrossed in books and texts.

He had accumulated a vast amount of literary knowledge.

Many of the classics he read were ones Zhang Yuan had no authority to access.

After a night of conversation, Zhang Yuan benefited greatly.

By the next morning, he and Mo Huai’an packed their things and continued their journey.

They left the place of trouble far behind.

Approaching evening, a long caravan appeared within their sight!

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PS: I’ve been out paying respects at the ancestral tombs these past two days, so updates have been slow. Please forgive me. I’ll return to regular updates tomorrow.