Long Xiao stayed at the inn for two days, not leaving his room, ordering takeout for meals.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Long Xiao opened one classic after another from the "Dragon Scripture," only stopping when he felt a headache and his brain could no longer absorb more information.
The knowledge recorded in various classics became ingrained in Long Xiao's mind. While his strength hadn't increased significantly, his demeanor and thinking ability were rapidly changing. His understanding of the entire world was also transforming.
Two days later, Long Xiao was like a different person, becoming more serene and composed, his deep eyes seeming to penetrate all things in the world.
Standing by the window, Long Xiao glanced at the people tailing him outside. They were still there.
As the night deepened, the bustling city quieted down, and Long Xiao found himself somewhat enjoying the silence.
The scenes presented by the classics in the "Dragon Scripture" were so shocking that they completely subverted his perception of this world. The world was entirely different from what he had imagined; what he saw now was merely a facade.
Long Xiao stood by the window, contemplating for a long time, as hours passed and the sky gradually brightened.
After breakfast, Ye Xiao called.
"Brother Long, you've really messed up this time. It seems you've walked into a trap."
"Someone wants to set a trap for me?" Long Xiao asked.
"No, this is a very, very large trap. The target isn't you. It might be the Long family, or perhaps some significant figure connected to the Long family."
"The Long family? Aren't the Nangong family afraid of the Long family destroying them?" Long Xiao asked in surprise.
"Brother Long, it's not just the Nangong family setting this trap. There's also the Shinto Shrine group from Japan and the Rockefeller family. They seem to be after something belonging to the Long family."
"Something? What is it?" Long Xiao asked.
Ye Mei sighed and said, "We haven't figured that out yet. My people can't get access to the core secrets of this scheme. We don't even know which families are participating."
After ending the call, Long Xiao felt troubled. His intrusion into the Nangong family could bring ruin to the Long family. If he didn't go, Luan Jiping would self-destruct.
Although he was currently using the identity of Hu Lei, he had to be Long Xiao at the wedding banquet. He needed to keep the Hu Lei identity to facilitate his escape later.
After much deliberation, Long Xiao decided to proceed cautiously. Perhaps this scheme had nothing to do with him, and his appearance was just an accident.
With his mind made up, Long Xiao packed his belongings and left the inn, heading directly to the train station. He planned to go to Lingnan City first and then decide his next course of action based on the situation.
Lingnan City had no distinctive industries; its prosperity was largely attributed to the Nangong family. Although the Nangong family was located in Funiu Town, Lingnan City was the largest city in the vicinity of Funiu Town, and most of the city's industries were related to the Nangong family.
Long Xiao disembarked at Lingnan City station and was immediately approached by someone inquiring about his name and identity. If he was attending the wedding banquet, accommodation would be arranged for him.
Long Xiao looked at the person asking and said, "My name is Hu Lei, an elder of the Martial Alliance's Enforcement Hall."
The inquirer's face was filled with astonishment. "You are Hu Lei? The one who vowed to flatten the Nangong family?"
Vowing to flatten the Nangong family. Long Xiao had never said such a thing. He didn't know where it came from.
"I don't have such grand ambitions. I'm just helping a friend as per his request," he replied.
The inquirer gave Long Xiao a thumbs-up. "You've got character. It's just that your friend is quite something, asking you to challenge our Nangong family while he hides far away."
Long Xiao shook his head. "He's not hiding. He should have arrived by now."
"Impossible. If Long Xiao had arrived, we would have received news already."
Long Xiao smiled. "If Long Xiao arrived, you would know. Then he wouldn't be called Long Xiao anymore."
The inquirer nodded. "You're absolutely right. Wait for me for a few minutes. I'll report this to my superiors and see if I can arrange accommodation for you."
The person who had inquired about Long Xiao took out his phone and made a call. The reply was that accommodation could be arranged for Hu Lei.
Long Xiao was settled into a luxurious hotel. Currently, all guesthouses and hotels in Lingnan City were fully booked, even the small inns were packed.
There were still six days until the wedding. Since arriving in Funiu Town, Luan Jiping had been confined to a small courtyard.
She had food and drink, but her freedom of movement was restricted. The only people she could interact with were the ten members of the Luan family accompanying her.
The Luan family members who came to escort her were personally selected by Luan Mingkai. These ten people were all his confidantes, and they said nothing about the outside situation to Luan Jiping.
Luan Jiping knew that Long Xiao would definitely come to save her. In the past, she only knew that the Nangong family was the head of the eight martial arts families, but she didn't know its scale or power.
Upon arriving at the Nangong family, she realized that the scale and power of the Nangong family far exceeded her imagination.
The Nangong family had eighteen branches, known as the Eighteen Branches. Eight branches were in China, and ten were abroad. The head of the eighteen branches was the family head, Nangong Qin Yu's branch, which had two experts at the Heavenly realm.
The Nangong family that people knew was only Nangong Qin Yu's branch. Very little was known about the other branches.
Luan Jiping began to worry about Long Xiao. With his current strength, he couldn't even handle one Heavenly realm expert, let alone two.
If Long Xiao were to storm the Nangong family, it wouldn't even require the two Heavenly realm experts to act. Nangong Qin Yu's branch alone had over a dozen experts at the Grand Completion of the Earth realm, and hundreds of experts at the Peak of the Earth realm.
Long Xiao had not yet reached the Heavenly realm. He certainly couldn't handle hundreds of Peak Earth realm experts, and even less so over a dozen Grand Completion Earth realm experts.
Luan Jiping had experienced Long Xiao's stubbornness more than once. She believed Long Xiao would come, and she was no longer worried about her own predicament. Her concern was for Long Xiao, hoping he wouldn't show up.
With six days left until the wedding, after settling into the hotel, Long Xiao once again shut himself away, meticulously studying the "Dragon Scripture."
Long Xiao opened one cultivation technique classic after another, searching for methods that could be used for large-scale slaughter.
It was already impossible to increase his strength to the point of defeating early-stage Heavenly realm experts in a short period.
If Long Xiao wanted to heavily damage the Nangong family, he had to find a cultivation technique for large-scale slaughter. As long as the Heavenly realm experts of the Nangong family didn't intervene, he would keep killing, forcing the Nangong family to release the prisoner.
After two days of effort, Long Xiao finally mastered two large-scale slaughter techniques. Although these were only introductory techniques, their killing speed was no slower than that of a powerful bomb.
Large-scale slaughter would undoubtedly consume a significant amount of vital energy. In the Nangong family, it was not impossible to quickly replenish vital energy.
Funiu Town undoubtedly had plants and trees, and there would be a large number of Nangong family members at the wedding banquet – all sources of life force.
To ensure rapid replenishment of vital energy, Long Xiao meticulously practiced the "Dragon Swallows the Seas" technique again, ensuring he could exert its full potential when using it.