Chapter 78: Resolution
Ye Fan had already engraved the image of the three-legged, two-eared round cauldron in his heart, but when it came to actually forging the "divine patterns" within his bitter sea, it proved extremely difficult. Just the task of condensing the nineteen strands of "divine patterns" together took a very long time.
In the end, he slowly smelted the nineteen strands of "divine patterns" into a mass the size of a bean, but he still couldn't cast it or give it form. No matter how he looked at it, it had no connection to a "cauldron."
Ye Fan tried many times, but he couldn't even hammer it into the shape of a cauldron, let alone carve any patterns onto it. Forging a cauldron was indeed incredibly difficult.
However, he wasn't anxious. After all, this was just the beginning. He would have plenty of time to polish it in the future. This would be a long and arduous process, and not just for him; others would likely find it even harder.
As dusk fell, Ye Fan caught a badger and headed back. As soon as he sat down in the small restaurant, the old man laid out a table full of food and wine, their aroma tantalizing.
Little Tingting was wearing a new set of clothes. Her rosy little face was brimming with sweet smiles, revealing two adorable dimples. A little girl's definition of happiness was very simple: as long as she had enough to eat and wasn't bullied, she was perfectly content. Besides, now she even had new clothes to wear.
"Today, the Li family was in a panic, mobilizing a lot of their men as if they were on guard against something," Old Man Jiang said at the dinner table.
"What happened?" Ye Fan asked.
"The Li family has a rival, living several dozen miles away. That family also has someone cultivating immortality outside, and they're a powerful local clan too. The two families have never gotten along. The Li family suspects the other family set fire to their dozen or so carts of goods. Today, they sent people to investigate, but the other side detained a steward and beat the rest half to death before driving them back."
Ye Fan chuckled lightly. "I was planning to stir things up with them anyway. This makes it even easier. This time, I guarantee they'll be too busy with their own troubles to suspect anything else. Let these two families that prey on the locals tear each other apart with suspicion."
After asking for the details, Ye Fan slipped out of the town quietly that night and headed straight for a manor several dozen miles away.
He slipped in without a sound. Although this family had someone cultivating immortality outside, no one of that caliber was present at the manor at the moment. To Ye Fan, it was like an empty house. After spending most of an hour, he found a man tied up tightly in a woodshed.
"Are you Steward Zhang?"
The man in the woodshed had a sharp, thin voice, matching Old Man Jiang's description. He immediately replied, "It's me. Who are you?"
"Steward Zhang, I've come to rescue you." Ye Fan walked over and snapped the ropes binding him with one hand. "Your young master has come down from the Misty Grotto-Heaven. This time, he's going to completely annihilate the Wang family."
"What..." Steward Zhang seemed very shocked. "Who are you?"
Ye Fan's voice turned cold. "Calm down. Your young master has invited a few fellow disciples, and I am one of them."
"Your humble servant pays respects to the Immortal Lord!" Although Steward Zhang could tell the speaker was young, upon learning he was a cultivator, he immediately kowtowed like a worshipping insect.
"No need for that. I have something to instruct you now. Listen carefully."
"Please speak, Immortal Lord."
"Here are a few buckets of oil. Go outside and set fires in several places. Once the flames are up, shout that your young master is going to wipe out their entire clan."
"Ah, if I do that, won't they catch me and kill me?" At this moment, Steward Zhang couldn't think of anything else; his only concern was whether he could save his own skin.
"Don't worry. Your safety is our responsibility. The few of us want to torment them slowly, to let the Wang family die in fear."
"Alright, I'll go set the fires now. Then I'll charge into battle alongside the Immortal Lords."
Ye Fan patted him on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "You've done a great service!"
Praised like this by someone he considered an immortal, Steward Zhang's blood boiled. He unleashed all the ruthlessness he usually used to bully his neighbors, picked up the buckets of oil, and charged out.
Ye Fan picked up the broken ropes from the ground, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Before long, flames shot up into the sky from the manor, with four or five locations catching fire simultaneously. At that moment, Steward Zhang's sharp voice rang out, especially piercing in the dead of night. "You Wang family bastards, your turtle nest is on fire! Just you wait—our young master will wipe out your entire clan!"
The Wang family fell into chaos. There were women crying and men cursing. Soon, people with gleaming swords and blades charged toward Steward Zhang's location.
At that moment, Steward Zhang was extremely excited. With immortals backing him up, he felt no fear and set another four or five large fires.
Seeing all this, the Wang family members' eyes turned red with rage. They roared and charged forward, swinging their blades. The bright, cold steel of the long knives was especially dazzling against the backdrop of the flames.
Only then did Steward Zhang feel fear, because the immortals hadn't appeared by his side. By now, it was too late to escape. He let out a terrified scream, but as soon as he turned and took a single step, a blade struck his neck. Blood gushed out, and he died with his eyes wide open in resentment.
Seeing Steward Zhang killed, Ye Fan quietly retreated from the shadows. But he didn't leave. Taking advantage of the chaos, he set more than a dozen large fires. The blazing flames burned fiercely, turning half the sky a bright red.
Only then did Ye Fan fly away like the wind, vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
The next day, the news reached Clear Wind Town, and the Li family was shaken to its core.
"The Wang family lost half their manor to the fire?!"
"What? It was Zhang Shun who did it?"
"Bastard! Zhang Shun, I'll kill your whole family!"
The Li family was in a panic, running around like ants on a hot pan. They gathered all their able-bodied men, preparing to deal with the Wang family's retaliation.
Half of the Wang family's manor had been reduced to ashes. They were furious. That very day, they burned down the Li family's shop in the county town, looted all the gold and silver, and gathered their servants to march on Clear Wind Town.
That day, outside Clear Wind Town, the two families engaged in a bloody, violent conflict. Many were killed and wounded on both sides. There was nothing left to explain; it could only be resolved with blades and blood.
It wasn't until dusk that both sides temporarily withdrew. Clearly, this matter couldn't end like this. In the following days, there would certainly be more bloodshed.
That very night, the Wang family came again, charging into Clear Wind Town and heading straight for the Li family to set fires. If not for their precautions, the Li family might have been completely reduced to ashes. Even so, many rooms were burned down, and the night was anything but peaceful.
The residents of Clear Wind Town were all secretly delighted. The Li family had long been preying on the locals, stirring up public resentment. No one had dared to stand up to them, but what was happening now was something they had only dared to dream of doing.
Old Man Jiang witnessed all this and couldn't help but show a worried expression. Seeing this, Ye Fan laughed and said, "Don't worry. Neither of these families is good. It's just dogs biting dogs—all fur and feathers."
The old man nodded. "Child, try not to do things like this in the future..." He was a bit worried about Ye Fan. Seeing an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy stir up such a big storm with just a few tricks, he feared that as the boy's mind grew deeper, he might stray onto a crooked path.
Ye Fan chuckled lightly. "Uncle, rest assured. I never have the heart to harm people. I only act this way toward people like them."
"The Li family member who's cultivating immortality outside will probably be coming back soon." The old man's expression turned sorrowful as he thought of his own son.
"I think so too. With something like this happening to the Li family, they've definitely sent word to the Misty Grotto-Heaven."
"Even if this hadn't happened, the Li family's cultivator would still be coming back soon."
"Why?" Ye Fan was a bit puzzled.
"The Li family usually spends a fortune, mainly to collect spiritual medicines and send them to their family members who are cultivating. A while ago, it seems they acquired some kind of 'Source.' I heard a herb gatherer found it in a deep mountain cave. It's said to be of great benefit to cultivators."
Ye Fan's heart jolted!
According to ancient records, in the era when heaven and earth combined their qi to give birth to all things, vegetation flourished, living beings were powerful, and spiritual herbs were endless. They even produced many 'Sources,' crystal clear like amber, but sealed within them was a vast amount of life essence.
There were even some rare 'Divine Sources' that sealed powerful creatures from the primordial era. When such 'Sources' were mined, they could provide a massive amount of life energy.
"Found a 'Source' in a deep mountain cave? The Li family has really given me a great gift!" A brilliant smile spread across Ye Fan's face.