I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

A Chaos Strike can penetrate defenses directly!

In the future, if you encounter a martial artist with strong defense, this will be a killing move!

Of course, it remains to be seen how effective it will be for martial artists, but the fact that Xie Liancheng and Xie Yuan value it so highly indicates that it is no ordinary item.

In addition, Ye Kang also felt something was strange.

"When one comprehends a martial art, one can even reach the universe. Why does it feel less powerful when used?"

【Ding】

[Friendly reminder: Chaos Strike is merely the opening chapter of a fragment of a supreme martial art, and its power is less than one ten-thousandth of its original strength.]

"Oh right! How could I have forgotten about that!"

"It's not just a fragment, it's only the beginning of a fragment! And it already has such power. If one obtained the complete martial arts manual, wouldn't they be invincible? It's a pity that the Xie family probably didn't have the rest of the manual either, otherwise they wouldn't have been content to stay in Jinling and be one of the four great families."

Ye Kang shook his head, giving up on his fantasies.

He circulated his inner energy again, letting it flow through several small cycles, merging himself with the mountain vegetation and feeling the subtle scents in the air.

Although you have a cheat code, your cultivation level is ultimately your own, and you can't just stop practicing altogether.

This practice lasted all night.

Ye Kang opened his eyes, and dew dripped from his eyelashes, flowing down his face like ants crawling.

A cool breeze blows in the morning; the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.

Although the weather has not yet turned cool, there are already signs of coolness in the air.

Ye Kang stood up, mounted his horse, and galloped back to Jinling City.

Having grasped the essence of chaos, the next step should be the Grand Canal.

Since he didn't need to go to the branch office to hand in his mission this time, Ye Kang rushed back to the Xie family. As soon as he arrived at his own villa, his parents came out.

"Kang'er, you're so busy all the time, our family hasn't been together for a long time."

Mother Xie Yunying spoke with a mixture of doting and reproach, while tenderly removing Ye Kang's blood-stained outer garment.

Ye Kang smiled helplessly and said, "Mother, you know I'm here on a mission. I can't just visit relatives and not do anything."

"I know, I know. You're more capable now, so you can't be as irresponsible as before. The Mid-Autumn Festival is in a few days, you can't just not come home for dinner, can you?"

His mother's question hit the nail on the head, leaving Ye Kang speechless.

He couldn't help but complain in his heart, "Why did these damn bandits have to choose to hold their meeting on the fifteenth of August!"

When his mother saw Ye Kang stammering, she understood what was going on and just shook her head and said, "Alright, alright, you go ahead with your work. But once the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, we'll have to start preparing for your older brother's marriage. You absolutely cannot be absent from this."

As she spoke, her mother glanced at Ye Ping sitting on the stone bench beside her.

The latter blushed slightly and scratched his head sheepishly.

This was the direct purpose of the Ye family's trip: to arrange a marriage for Ye Ping. Ye Kang still remembered the name of the girl opposite him: Cui Xueping from the Cui family.

Although she is also from a collateral branch of the family, she is said to be good-looking and gentle, and is very much loved by the elders of the Cui family, holding a higher status than Cui Mengyu.

Such an important matter could not be taken lightly, and Ye Kang immediately stated, "Don't worry, Mother, even the most important things have to come after my elder brother's wedding!"

"Then I'm relieved. The weather has gotten a bit cooler lately, so it's time to get some new clothes. I went to the best tailor shop in Jinling and had a dress made for you. I also asked Lingxiu to buy some mooncakes from the street. Don't forget to eat them."

As Mother spoke, Lingyu and Lingxiu, who were standing nearby, came forward with their things.

Lingyu held a white long robe with drawstrings at the waist, cloud patterns embroidered on the shoulders, and a sky-blue jade pendant hanging from it; it could easily be worn as a close-fitting outfit.

In Lingxiu's hand was a box of five-colored mooncakes, each with a different flavor and filling, and a fragrant aroma, clearly the work of a master craftsman.

Ye Kang felt a warmth in his heart, and the family smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

Having fought so many battles outside, only this small family could give Ye Kang such a comfortable and warm feeling.

After spending some more time with his family, Ye Kang changed into new clothes and went out.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, a hunched figure, completely shrouded in a black robe and with his head covered, smiled gently at Ye Kang on the bamboo path ahead.

"My dear grandson, you certainly know how to pick your time! Not only did you take up your own Mid-Autumn Festival, but you also dragged this old man into it. This year, I won't be able to hold my adorable little granddaughter and admire the moon."

It's my third maternal grandfather!

He actually came all the way here to find me!

Ye Kang was flattered and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "It's all my fault for causing trouble for Third Grandfather."

"It's alright. The moon is fullest on the sixteenth, so if we go early and come back early, we might even make it back on the night of the sixteenth."

The Grand Canal is quite a distance from Jinling City, about two hundred li away. Even if Ye Kang were riding the Imperial City Guard's divine steed, it would still take him a day and a night to reach it.

With the round trip and the treasure hunt in between, time was very tight.

Without another word, the two went to the stables, fetched their respective horses, and galloped away through the back door.

When the stablemen saw Xie Yuan, they were so frightened that they could hardly stand.

After the two left, they dared to whisper, "What's going on? The Third Ancestor actually went out in person, and with the newly arrived young master! He hasn't been out for years!"

As luck would have it, while the grooms were talking, a young boy came to feed his newly acquired horse. Upon hearing this, the boy was startled, dropped the feed, and ran away.

The boy was Xie Jinghong's younger brother. He came to Xie Jinghong's attic, ran to the top floor, where Xie Jinghong's face was still wrapped in bandages, and his eyes were staring blankly into the distance.

The boy exclaimed, "Brother! Something terrible has happened! I just heard that Third Ancestor and Ye Kang rode away from home together!"

Xie Jinghong turned her head blankly, the wound on her face still seeming to sting faintly.

The Third Patriarch personally took action, and he was even with Ye Kang!

"Could it be that the Ancestor has already made a decision...?"

Xie Jinghong muttered to himself, his lifeless eyes filled with resentment.

But there was nothing he could do; he couldn't beat Ye Kang...

……

A day and a night passed quickly.

Another morning.

Ye Kang and Xie Yuan crossed a plain, and a man-made river appeared before them.

Ye Kang didn't know where the bandits were gathering, but Xie Yuan did.

As the third ancestor of the Xie family, he controlled the Xie family's intelligence sources, so obtaining this information was no problem for him.

The meeting place was not far from the two of them.

Looking at the Grand Canal, Xie Yuan sighed, "The emperors of the previous dynasty were incompetent and tyrannical, but they did do a few good things. This Grand Canal runs through the north and south. Although it was laborious and costly to build, many cities and towns along the way benefited from it and were able to survive."

"Was the Grand Canal built by the previous dynasty's royal family?" Ye Kang asked doubtfully.

Xie Yuan was immediately dumbfounded.

"You're the Deputy Commander of the Imperial City Guard, why are you asking me?"

"Uh... I usually only know how to fight and kill, how would I know about these things..."

"Hahahaha!" Xie Yuan couldn't stop laughing.

“You rascal, that’s quite clever. Alright, let me explain it to you. The Grand Canal was built a hundred years ago. Twenty years later, the previous dynasty was in decline, and the current emperor was blessed by a god, which is why he started his rebellion. It’s hard to say that the downfall of the previous dynasty had nothing to do with the Grand Canal.”

After a moment of silence, Ye Kang finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask all along.

"Third Grandfather, what kind of dynasty was the previous dynasty? I heard that the martial arts of the previous royal family were very powerful, so how could they have been defeated so easily?"

Xie Yuan glanced at Ye Kang and shook his head.

"I don't know the specifics, and I don't want to know. You should just do your job properly. These are things you shouldn't know, and you shouldn't ask about."

Xie Yuan's tone suddenly became serious, and his words carried a hint of instruction.

Ye Kang immediately realized that there were probably some incredible secrets involved, which he couldn't possibly find out with his current strength.

Ye Kang bowed silently, thus changing the subject.

"Let's go. Although it's not yet the fifteenth, the bandits have already started their gathering. Let's go and have a go."

Xie Yuan abruptly changed the subject, his pure and profound aura vanished, and he immediately reined in his horse and turned around.

It's not surprising that Xie Yuan, as the third ancestor of the Xie family, possessed martial arts techniques that concealed his aura. Ye Kang immediately activated the Hidden Yuan Concealing Qi Technique and spurred his horse to follow.