He gloated, "With those two dead, the conflict between the Lin and Xia Families has intensified and come out into the open. The Xia Family has no choice but to act... Otherwise, people will think they’re scared!"
"And as long as the Xia Family rallies support and declares their willingness to be the main force, the Rebel Army most likely won’t refuse. After all, the Lin Family’s vast fortune is coveted by everyone in the Rebel Army, from top to bottom."
"That’s right!"
Fang Rui nodded, wondering if there was any way for him to take advantage of the situation.
’With Li Xuantong gone, the only Fourth Grade experts in the city are the old patriarchs of the Lin and Xia Families. If those two face off... a Fifth Grade like me might be enough to sway the city’s situation and make some waves?’
’Calm down! Stay cool!’
Fang Rui forced himself to calm down. ’Why make waves? Stay low-key, I have to stay low-key!’
’Right. I won’t get involved in the main battle. I’ll let them fight to the death. I’ll stick to the periphery, launch some sneak attacks, fish in troubled waters, and skim some benefits for a piece of the pie. And while I’m at it, I’ll see if I can kill a few members of the Lin Family to get my revenge. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
The two drank and chatted, their conversation drifting from the city’s situation and the two major families to the trivial affairs of various households.
"...Brother Fang, you remember Old Sun’s family, your neighbors at the courtyard in Sweet Water Well Alley, right? His eldest son, Sun Sheng, joined the Rebel Army after being on the losing side of a battle. But he went missing not long after he came back..."
Jiang Ping’an sighed with deep regret. "Old Sun’s line has been extinguished. His family has been completely ruined in the past couple of days!"
"Oh, is that so?"
A perfectly measured look of surprise appeared on Fang Rui’s face, betraying nothing. Inwardly, however, he sighed. ’The loose ends from the Sun Sheng affair are finally tied up.’
He thought of his own circumstances, and a sorrowful expression couldn’t help but cross his face. ’If something were to happen to me out there, even if Mother, Third Sister, Nannan, and Ling’Er could get out of the cellar and find help, our family line would be extinguished...’
’Even with Brother Jiang’s help, they would have a difficult life. They might be able to get by for a short while, but eventually, they would be devoured by others until not even a scrap remained.’
At this thought, Fang Rui silently warned himself: ’I must be careful. Careful, and then even more careful!’
...
The two drank for a while longer. Before the sky grew completely dark, Jiang Ping’an took his leave. He said dinner was waiting for him at home and that he had official business to attend to that evening, so he couldn’t stay.
Not long after Jiang Ping’an left, the sound of marching soldiers suddenly rang out from outside.
"That’s... the direction of the Lin Family estate?!"
Fang Rui stood at the window, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched the Taiping Army march past. They wore red headscarves, were clad in armor, and carried weapons, moving in a long, serpentine line. "Just as I thought. By killing Chong Jihu, the Gang Leader of the Tiger Gang, and Duan Lang, the Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, I intensified the conflict between the Lin and Xia Families. Are the Rebel Army and the Xia Family making their move on the Lin Family ahead of schedule?"
’They’re probably moving at night to minimize panic and avoid disturbing the common folk...’ he mused.
A little while later, a governmental officer from the Rebel Army came around, going door to door with a notice: ’If you hear sounds of battle tonight, do not be alarmed. It is just the great families making a desperate struggle. Pay it no mind. Simply close your doors, wait quietly, and do not go outside.’
’So they’re openly moving against the Lin Family now? Right, sending troops to surround their estate means all pretenses are off.’
’The dagger is revealed now. What’s the point of hiding their intentions? They can’t be hidden anymore!’
Fang Rui thought for a moment, then told the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, to go play in the courtyard while he went into the inner room.
...
CREAK!
Fang Rui closed the door and sat cross-legged on the bed. ’Between the Lin and Xia Families, aside from the Xia Family’s old patriarch and the Lin Family’s Patriarch—both Fourth Grade—there should be another five or six Fifth Grade Martial Artists...’
’Though these main combatants will likely be busy watching and fighting each other and probably won’t appear on the outskirts, I still need another boost, just to be on the safe side.’
The upgrade Fang Rui had in mind wasn’t for his Cultivation Technique—he was far from having enough Tribulation Points for that. Instead, he planned to improve a martial art: the *Life-taking Saber Technique*.
Coincidentally, Jiang Ping’an had already brought his broadsword over when he came for drinks earlier.
He closed his eyes.
Fang Rui’s consciousness sank into the point of light in the top-left corner of his vision. He opened his panel and looked at the *Life-taking Saber Technique* under the Skills column. ’I didn’t upgrade it before because my Realm was the priority. Plus, keeping some Tribulation Points in reserve is a good way to prepare for emergencies...’
’...such as a sudden plague, or if Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, the Third Lady, Nannan, or Fang Ling were to suffer a sudden acute illness, I could temporarily upgrade my Medical Skill if it proved insufficient.’
’But now, I have plenty of Tribulation Points. Even after upgrading the *Life-taking Saber Technique* to a certain level, I’ll still have some left over for emergencies. I don’t have to worry about that anymore!’
[Tribulation Points: 591].
That’s right! Although only three or four days had passed since he broke through to the Fifth Grade, his Tribulation Point count had already swelled from just over two hundred fifty to nearly six hundred.
This was the feedback he received for killing Chong Jihu, the Gang Leader of the Tiger Gang, and Duan Lang, the Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, as well as for intensifying the city’s political situation and accelerating the Lin Family’s downfall.
’Time to begin. Upgrade the *Life-taking Saber Technique*!’
Fang Rui focused his intent and pressed the ’+’ symbol after the *Life-taking Saber Technique*.
As the Tribulation Points on the panel rapidly depleted, the familiar, cool stream of energy reappeared.
Just like when he upgraded *Fang’s Medical Skill*, this cool stream of energy didn’t circulate through his entire body as it did during a Realm breakthrough. Instead, it coiled and lingered within his mind.
In an instant, Fang Rui felt his thoughts seem to stretch and accelerate as passages from the *Life-taking Saber Technique* manual flickered through his mind, pulling him into a state of epiphany.
Furthermore, it was as if a small figure had appeared before his eyes, practicing the *Life-taking Saber Technique* over and over again, progressing from clumsy unfamiliarity to the Beginner level.
The only downside was that after just a few breaths, the state was broken. Fang Rui shuddered and his mind cleared.