At the Li Family estate, Li Chan had been summoned to the palace where Chu Feng resided.
"Wuqing, sir, you called for me in such a hurry—is something the matter?" Li Chan held a position of extraordinary importance within the Li Family. It was no exaggeration to say she was the person with the most say after the Family Head himself.
Yet for all her lofty status, whenever this woman met Chu Feng in private, she could never help but address him as her benefactor, and her attitude was always remarkably warm—so warm, in fact, that it seemed a touch unusual.
"Iron Beast, go on. Tell the Young Mistress everything exactly as it happened," Chu Feng said, turning his gaze to the demon beast beside him.
"This is—?" Only then did Li Chan notice that the demon beast which had attacked her that day now seemed entirely different. Though it still appeared docile, the strange quality it once had was gone. In its eyes she could see a clear, lucid awareness—it seemed to possess its own spiritual intelligence now.
Sure enough, after Chu Feng spoke, the demon beast rose to its feet, walked over to Li Chan, and first offered her a deeply apologetic bow. Then it said, "Young Mistress, I offer my sincere apologies for what happened that day. I hope you can understand—I truly had no choice."
"You... you've regained your true nature?" The moment the beast—named Iron Beast—spoke, Li Chan was overcome with joy. She turned to Chu Feng and exclaimed, "Wuqing, sir, you succeeded?"
"Indeed. Mister Wuqing, with his extraordinary abilities, not only restored my true nature but also helped me recall everything that has happened during this time. So even though I lost my spiritual awareness a while back, every experience I went through is still vivid in my memory."
Before Chu Feng could even open his mouth, the Iron Beast spoke up first. From its words and manner, it was clear that the creature was genuinely grateful to Chu Feng for breaking the seal and restoring its nature.
"Then what exactly happened? Who sealed your nature, and who brought you into Wolf Fang Mountain?" Li Chan pressed urgently.
"Just as you and Mister Wuqing suspected—it was the Ma Family. The one who captured me was the Ma Family Head, Ma Yukun." The demon beast spoke calmly, yet in a single sentence it revealed the truth.
"Was it really them?" Hearing this, Li Chan's expression changed dramatically. Though she had already guessed the answer, having it confirmed still left her feeling a sense of disbelief.
Li Chan immediately brought Chu Feng and the demon beast to her father's residence and told him everything.
Furthermore, at Chu Feng's direction, the demon beast embellished the account with plenty of fabricated details, all designed to convince the Li Family Head that his so-called brother had long harbored ill intentions and sought to devour the Li Family.
"Despicable! I treated him as a brother, and he dares scheme against me like this—even wanting to kill my daughter!" Sure enough, with Chu Feng, Li Chan, and the demon beast all working in concert, the Li Family Head was consumed with fury upon learning the truth, his fists clenched tight, teeth grinding together.
As a purple-robed Spirit World Master, Chu Feng could clearly perceive the raging fury and overwhelming killing intent surging within the Li Family Head's body.
"Father, what do we do now? The Ma Family has clearly harbored selfish intentions for a long time, and they've been planning this for ages. The day to open the treasure is only a few days away—they'll definitely make their move," Li Chan asked with a worried expression.
"That's..."
"The date for opening the treasure has already been set. If I suddenly back out now, it will only arouse his suspicions. This truly is a difficult situation." Put on the spot by Li Chan's question, the Li Family Head found himself at a loss.
"Family Head, Young Mistress, I happen to have a plan." At that moment, Chu Feng spoke up.
"Wuqing, what plan do you have? Please, tell us quickly!" The Li Family Head immediately pressed.
"This time, the Young Mistress's near-death experience was meticulously orchestrated by the Ma Family, but it was also made possible by the Sha Bi couple. If not for those two traitors, the Young Mistress would never have been placed in such danger," Chu Feng said.
"Hmph! The Sha Bi couple served me all these years, and I never once mistreated them. Without my guidance and support, they could never have achieved their current cultivation. And yet they repay me like this—I will make them pay!" At the mention of the Sha Bi couple, the Li Family Head's fury erupted like thunder, his killing intent boiling over.
"Family Head, the Sha Bi couple naturally deserve severe punishment, but right now we can actually make use of them," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Make use of them? How?" Li Chan asked.
"They know I saved you, and they know I am a Spirit World Master. They also know that I subdued the demon beast and brought it back, so they'll certainly guess that I was trying to find a breakthrough from the beast.
"Tomorrow, you should announce that I attempted to break the beast's seal but failed, causing it to lose all control. With no other option, I was forced to kill it. I will use a special barrier technique to craft a fake demon beast corpse and present it publicly so they'll believe it's real.
"This way, the Sha Bi couple will certainly report it to the Ma Family. The Ma Family won't realize we already know their secret. And given your relationship with the Ma Family Head, they'll believe you're still kept in the dark.
"As for opening the treasure in a few days—we must go through with it as planned. But we need to act against the Ma Family before they make their move. In other words, we'll beat them at their own game," Chu Feng explained.
"But the Ma Family's overall strength already surpasses ours, and they've been planning for so long. I'm afraid that in a few days, we won't be able to match them," Li Chan said worriedly.
"That's not as difficult as it seems. Although the Ma Family's overall strength may exceed the Li Family's, they only have one Martial Lord-level expert—the Family Head himself. If the Family Head can kill the Ma Family Head, the Ma Family is sure to fall," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Wuqing, what you say makes sense. However, Ma Yukun and I have sparred privately many times, and it always ends in a draw. Killing him won't be easy. If the ambush fails, we'll be drawn into a prolonged battle. I might manage, but I worry you all would be placed in danger," the Li Family Head said with some concern.
"Please set your mind at ease, Family Head. I, Wuqing, have studied barrier techniques and have also had certain fortuitous encounters. As long as the Family Head is resolved to put Ma Yukun to death, I can guarantee that you will prevail over him," Chu Feng said confidently.
"What method do you have, Wuqing? Please, don't hold back!" the Li Family Head asked.
"Here I have a forbidden pill obtained from ancient ruins. It won't allow you to advance from the first rank of the Martial Lord realm to the second rank, but it will dramatically boost your strength. Killing the Ma Family Head will absolutely be within reach.
"However, a forbidden pill is still a forbidden pill. Five hours after consumption, its effects will fade, and when they do, you will endure the pain of ten thousand insects gnawing at your bones. But with your current cultivation, it will absolutely not be fatal. On the contrary, it will even prove beneficial to your future cultivation." As he spoke, Chu Feng produced a pill that was half black and half white.
"This is—the Black and White Rakshasa!!!"
Upon seeing the pill, the Li Family Head's expression changed drastically, his aged face full of shock.