The flash of lightning in the sun and moon felt like a heavy blow to the chest after hearing Mu Gui Danxin’s words. That Qian Jin was quite clever, immediately seeking out the simple-minded idealist warrior Mu Gui Wuxin to join the Torrential Stream Fortress after striking someone; he would surely be welcomed into their ranks.

“Do it… Fine! Fine!” Lei Guang Riyue nodded repeatedly. “Guild Leader Mu Gui Wuxin, I won’t kill Qian Jin. He broke seven of my son’s ribs and damaged his internal organs. If I break him in the same way, we’ll be even.”

Mu Gui Wuxin smiled as he looked at Lei Guang Riyue. “Tell me, would you agree? If you were in this situation, would you agree to such a demand?”

Lei Guang Riyue froze. There was no way he would agree to such a thing if the roles were reversed.

“How about this then…” Lei Guang Riyue suppressed the rage that demanded he kill Qian Jin. Lei Wei, though a less capable older brother compared to the other two Hua, was still a relatively promising child; he was just a bit too proud, something time and experience would smooth out. Yet now, he was severely injured by a blow. If this matter wasn't resolved properly, it would be difficult for his son to secure the position of family head in the future. “Mu Gui Wuxin, I will help you negotiate with the Blacksmiths' Guild. We can raise the price of metal ores slightly this year, and equipment can be a bit cheaper. How about that?”

Lei Guang Riyue looked at Mu Gui Wuxin with confidence. The Lei family’s standing in Eternal Flow City wasn't solely due to their military might. In truth, among the Eight Great Powers, the Lei family’s combat strength wasn't top-tier, but the Lei family possessed a unique advantage!

The Lei family had a direct relative! Lei Guang Riyue’s own older brother worked at the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild, the Heavenly Fire Forge, and was just shy of the Vice Guild Leader position. With a few more years of seniority, he would likely secure it, and he already wielded considerable influence within the Heavenly Fire Forge. If he genuinely got involved, this matter could indeed be settled.

Mu Gui Wuxin smiled. That offer was certainly tempting; the swing in profit from that negotiation—a rise and a fall—was significant. “Tell me, would I agree?”

The provocative tone made Mu Gui Wuxin’s stance abundantly clear: there was no room for negotiation when it came to handing someone over.

“Fine, fine, fine!” Lei Guang Riyue closed his eyes, taking deep, heavy breaths. This was a serious miscalculation. If he had known Qian Jin had joined the Torrential Stream Fortress, if he had known Mu Gui Wuxin happened to be there, he would have endured anything until Mu Gui Wuxin temporarily left to handle the matter himself. By then, the person would be dead, and Mu Gui Wuxin could only accept some compensation and an apology without recourse.

Now… Lei Guang Riyue felt utterly passive. But if he simply left the Luo family's residence like this, the entire Eternal Flow City would know the next day that the Lei family was afraid of the Torrential Stream Fortress, that their son had been beaten and they could only retreat like turtles, shrinking their heads into their shells, afraid to confront the issue.

“Since it has come to this,” Lei Guang Riyue reopened his eyes, the killing intent and rage gone, replaced by an indescribable firmness. “Then, for the Lei family to seek the justice it deserves, there is only one path left. Declare War! Declare War on the Torrential Stream Fortress! As long as the Lei family is not completely wiped out, this matter will not end.”

War! Qian Jin hadn't expected the Lei family head to possess such mettle, choosing outright factional warfare! This action immediately elevated the situation to one between major powers, much like a conflict between houses. As long as it didn't involve treason against the Zenith Policy Dynasty’s rule, even the law had difficulty intervening—a specific national law that the Zenith Policy Great Emperor Fulong had explicitly mandated could never be altered. (First published on mobile/PC via Baidu Search.)

Internal wars caused attrition, but the essence forged by such conflicts was the elite among the elite! Moreover, both wars against the Demon Race and disputes between factions served as outlets, paradoxically making it less likely to affect the stability of imperial authority.

“Then let’s fight,” Fabredis stepped forward, gently twirling the Sky Reed Sword in his hand. “Since the Torrential Stream Fortress must face a conflict that could determine life or death, I finally have a legitimate excuse to join and return to the Fortress.”

Hearing this, Lei Guang Riyue’s heart leaped wildly, his face turning ashen. If this Fabredis truly joined the war, things would become incredibly troublesome! He was known as the one among ordinary warriors most likely to reach Sainthood, the Dou Soul level warrior closest to that threshold.

“In the end, both sides will suffer losses, giving other factions opportunities to rise and expand. Why must it come to fighting?”

Lei Guang Riyue heard a familiar voice, and his grave expression softened considerably. Turning to look at his only beloved daughter, Lei Yueyue, he couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart. If only this girl had been born a son, she possessed not only formidable warrior strength at the age of twenty-four, but also a rare, concrete ability to assess matters, far surpassing Lei Wei.

Lei Yueyue wore women's battle attire that wasn't overly large, yet her breasts were held high and firm. Her long legs were intermittently glimpsed beneath her battle skirt, quite alluring. Her beautiful face held a pair of eyes that radiated a faint, wicked aura.

“Father, Lord Mu Gui Wuxin, every issue has a channel for resolution; there’s no need to be so furious.” Lei Yueyue held a faint, sweet smile on her face. Seeing Luo Qingqing, she paused slightly, beginning to understand why her younger brother, Lei Wei, had been beaten.

Mu Gui Wuxin looked upon Lei Yueyue with distinct displeasure. This girl wasn't one of those who relied on good looks without brains; in fact, she was exceptionally sharp, executing matters cleanly and decisively, all while harboring a subtle wickedness. This earned her the moniker 'Evil Moon Angel,' making her true capabilities impossible to gauge. Some even rumored she wasn't just a warrior but also secretly cultivated magic, possibly possessing the ability of Dual Cultivation of Fighter and Demon. To restrain oneself from announcing such an ability when others in her position would flaunt it—what level of self-control did that imply?

“This whole affair, frankly, is just a fight between children,” Lei Yueyue said with a grin, sizing up Qian Jin. “Since it's something concerning our generation, why don't we, the younger generation, resolve it?”

Lei Guang Riyue nodded lightly. “Daughter, what is your suggestion?”

“My brother’s matter is naturally mine as his older sister. It’s reasonable for me, the older sister, to step forward now that my brother has been beaten, isn't it?” Lei Yueyue smiled at Mu Gui Wuxin. “How about this: I’ll have a fair duel with Qian Jin? We don’t need to escalate things this much, do we?”

“Good!” Lei Guang Riyue was the first to loudly agree, secretly pleased in his heart. His daughter, Lei Yueyue, wasn't only a secret Dual Cultivator of Fighter and Demon, but her pure Dou Qi strength was also astonishing. At twenty-four, she had reached the realm of a Demon-Subduing Warrior. To defeat a boy under nineteen who hadn't yet reached his peak? It should be easy, unless he was a Bloodline Warrior! But Lei Wei had confirmed he wasn't any kind of Bloodline Warrior.

Mu Gui Wuxin sneered repeatedly. “Now that is fair! Lei Yueyue, how old are you? Twenty-four or twenty-five? You are going to fight a young warrior who hasn't even turned nineteen, and you call that fair? That’s truly fair! Can you be any fairer? Why don’t you have your father step in? Let him use the Wind-Whispering Fist! Hit him! Fight Qian Jin in a fair match!”

“But I am a woman,” Lei Yueyue replied dismissively with a smile. “Qian Jin, a man, wouldn’t dare refuse a challenge from a woman like me, would he?”

“What a coincidence, I am also a woman.”

Gu Yue Jiaying walked beside Qian Jin, as calm as ever. “Why don’t the two of us fight?”

Lei Yueyue’s delicate willow-like eyebrows twitched slightly as she looked at Gu Yue Jiaying, a flicker of apprehension crossing her eyes. “I apologize, you cannot fight me. The matter I aim to resolve concerns my kin. You are an outsider.”

“Yes! Exactly! You are an outsider!” Lei Guang Riyue immediately raised his voice, thoroughly admiring his daughter’s quick wit. Before Fabredis left Eternal Flow City, Lei Yueyue had indeed clashed with Gu Yue Jiaying. As two of the most outstanding female warriors of that time, every encounter ended with Lei Yueyue being soundly beaten to the ground by Gu Yue Jiaying. Although Lei Yueyue hadn't cultivated magic back then, she felt a primal fear when fighting Gu Yue Jiaying—a fear born from being utterly crushed into the mud by her many years ago.

“I am his fiancée.”

Gu Yue Jiaying stated this with such placid calm that it was enough to stun everyone present. Even Mu Gui Wuxin’s eyes widened, staring intently at Fabredis to confirm, only to be met with a nod accompanied by a smug smile from Fabredis.

Damn it! Mu Gui Wuxin shot Fabredis a look of utter disdain. You moved fast! No wonder you tried so hard to recommend this person to me; you were planning to have your son-in-law stage a coup.

Lei Yueyue’s delicate body visibly trembled. Her cherry lips parted involuntarily to their widest extent. She knew Gu Yue Jiaying’s temperament better than anyone; that woman never paid much attention to men. There had only been one man who ever stirred her heart, but just as that man sparked her affection, he died… How could this Qian Jin possibly…

Gu Yue Jiaying lightly flicked her wrist, and two curved blades flipped out from her sleeves, catching the light with a faint, cold gleam. “When do you want to fight? And how do you want to fight?”

Lei Yueyue’s expression grew increasingly grim. These exact words had been spoken by Gu Yue Jiaying more than once years ago, and every time, the result was Lei Yueyue being thoroughly thrashed into the dirt.

Rage burned in Lei Yueyue’s chest, but her mind remained clear. She absolutely would not lose her rationality and challenge Gu Yue Jiaying just because of these familiar words. In a battle between warriors of comparable strength, if one side could not even raise their fighting spirit, the outcome was predetermined defeat. Lei Yueyue believed that even if her strength was slightly superior to Gu Yue Jiaying’s, she probably still couldn't defeat this infuriating woman.

The reason was simple! Lei Yueyue was afraid whenever she saw Gu Yue Jiaying—a visceral, instinctual fear.