Chapter 74: The Three-Seven Sword: The Convergence of All Things

“Hmm, Uncle Nie hasn’t contacted me lately, and I can’t reach him either—if I hear anything, I’ll definitely pass on the minister’s invitation.”

Fang Jun put down his phone, picked up the iced orange juice on the table, and took a sip.

Chu Tianshu asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The minister said she hasn’t seen Uncle Nie in ages and has some free time lately—she wants to invite him to dinner.”

Fang Jun sighed, “I’ve only met him during the New Year; otherwise, only his butler answers the phone—I have no idea where he actually is.”

Chu Tianshu said, “Didn’t you ask about the repair results of those three phones?”

“If there are results, the tech department will notify us. This is a minor thing—I wouldn’t directly ask the minister; she might not even know.”

As Fang Jun spoke, his pace slowed slightly, lost in thought.

“This call from the minister feels sudden—could Uncle Nie have gotten involved in something?”

He was distracted, his expression tinged with melancholy—not sudden worry, but rather a long-standing unease, one he’d grown accustomed to, so when something truly happened, he wouldn’t be startled.

“Now that I’ve successfully joined the Special Capture Bureau, if Uncle Nie has any trouble, he won’t drag me into it—otherwise, he’d be exposing himself to the Bureau.”

Fang Jun shook his head.

Chu Tianshu said, “So it sounds like your adoptive father isn’t on good terms with the Special Capture Bureau?”

“Anyone who can become a gambling king has plenty of things they can’t let the Special Capture Bureau know about.”

Fang Jun smiled, “Enough of that—how’s the sword doing?”

Chu Tianshu lifted the long sword before him.

The sword was so supple it could be coiled into a wristband; with a slight surge of mental energy, it would harden again, as rigid as steel.

On both sides of the hilt, a line of small characters was engraved.

“Man holds three parts of intent; the sword wields sevenfold might!”

This “sevenfold” likely doesn’t refer to directions.

The “Treatise on Cold Damage Clarified” states that all herbal formulas fall into seven categories: major, minor, slow, urgent, odd, even, and compound.

“The sword wields sevenfold might” probably means this.

“I’ve figured out the basics—this sword compresses the mental energy I store into it, raising its quality.”

Chu Tianshu explained, “The mental energy cultivated by healers naturally has healing and regulating effects.”

“After being condensed by this sword, it’s like turning herbal decoction into a potent pill—sometimes, no formula is needed; just swing the sword, activate the stored energy, and heal directly.”

Fang Jun extrapolated, “You’ve been storing energy for days just to fill it once—this sword’s mental energy must be deep enough for more than just healing, right?”

“Of course, it would be stronger in combat too.”

Chu Tianshu said, “But how much energy the sword can release at once still seems tied to my own capacity—I can’t unleash it all at once even when full.”

Chu Tianshu smiled.

“I don’t need to use it for combat yet—I’ll start by healing people!”

Yin Fengxin was sunbathing in the courtyard.

Seeing Chu Tianshu enter, he sat up quickly: “Are you going to needle me again?”

“No needles—use the sword.”

Chu Tianshu raised the sword and said, “I was supposed to needle you for another week and have you drink medicine for months.”

“But now I’ve got this—I think I can cure you in one go.”

Yin Fengxin looked nervous: “How should I cooperate?”

“Just sit still.”

Chu Tianshu swung the sword slightly, testing its feel.

Previously, when dealing with malevolent spirits, his mental energy acted like a dagger—deep penetration was necessary to affect the spirit.

But deep penetration also harmed the patient; a slight misstep could drain their vital energy.

So he could only proceed slowly, healing a little at a time.

But after being condensed by this “Three-Seven Sword,” the mental energy now only needs to graze the spirit’s skin to kill the Kidney Jade spirit instantly.

The wooden sword pierced Yin Fengxin’s waist.

The moment it touched, Yin Fengxin shuddered violently, as if electrocuted.

Chu Tianshu immediately withdrew the sword.

Yin Fengxin felt a shattering coolness spread from his waist through his entire body—he felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, so comfortable he wanted to cry out.

Chu Tianshu was also delighted—he’d finally cured him completely.

Fang Jun said, “That’s it?”

Chu Tianshu smiled, “I’ve already helped him consolidate his foundation and nourish his yuan over these days—that’s what made this sword strike possible.”

On a small path outside the courtyard, an electric scooter stopped.

“What’s going on here…?”

The rider was a thin old man in a brown jacket, no helmet, his face full of astonishment: “Wasn’t he here to recuperate? Why are you using this… is this a peachwood sword?”

Yin Fengxin was even more shocked—he leapt to his feet: “Dad? What are you doing here?”

Chu Tianshu and Fang Jun exchanged glances.

A few days ago, Yin’s father had called again, asking for the address; Yin Fengxin had found it awkward.

But Fang Jun hadn’t minded—he’d given the man the address outright.

“These two must be your company bosses—oh my, your company really has a conscience! Benefits mean recuperating at your boss’s house? You’ve really made it.”

Yin’s father walked in cheerfully, carrying a bag of oranges.

“This house is amazing—better than our old place. If we could ever live like this, we’d be satisfied.”

Yin Fengxin, hearing this nonsense—as if his father planned to move in permanently—snapped: “The company’s benefit only lasts a few days—I’m moving back tonight!”

“How can you talk to me like that?”

Yin’s father’s face flushed: “I came here specially to see you! Do you think I’m trying to mooch off your boss’s house? You’ve got no respect for your own father!”

“I’ll tell you—within a few years, I’ll get you a house like this!”

Emotionally stirred, Yin’s father had meant to ease into sharing good news—but he blurted it out.

“Our company’s about to make big money—our veteran employees will get huge salary raises!”

Yin Fengxin stared in disbelief: “You’re a flyer distributor—how can your company make big money?”

“Of course we have a company—we’ve got hundreds of people!”

Yin’s father beamed, “Don’t underestimate flyer distribution. Even big casinos like the New Pujing use spam ads online. Most people think it’s useless, but that’s because they don’t see the boss’s long-term vision.”

“What makes the most money globally isn’t industry or investment—it’s new financial theories and management thinking.”

“For example, many banks offer higher interest rates to large depositors. If five hundred people each deposit ten thousand, they can all get that high rate—much better than depositing alone.”

“If everyone agrees, the extra interest earned can be split into ten shares, then ten lucky winners are drawn from the five hundred—they’ll make a fortune, and everyone else still breaks even.”

Chu Tianshu frowned deeply—this sounded exactly like a scam operation.

Yin Fengxin gasped: “You didn’t give them money, did you? Wait—you don’t even have money!”

“I was just giving an example.”

Yin’s father said, “That was the most basic financial trick—it’s easy to cross the line and hard to build trust.”

“Our company executives already explained to us clearly—they use far more advanced techniques, much safer. Those of us who joined early and distributed flyers have already made a big contribution.”

“Once preparations are complete, we’ll all become grassroots cadres.”

Yin’s father snapped, “Today’s lecture might announce promotions—I slipped out to tell you the good news, and this is your reaction?”

“Fine—wait and see who makes more money, you or me?”

Yin’s father set down the oranges and turned to leave.

Yin Fengxin opened his mouth.

He still thought his father’s story was nonsense, but he didn’t know how to dissuade him.

His father had already ridden off.

Fang Jun saw his thoughts and smiled: “If you’re worried, we can follow them—if we find anything wrong, we can report them immediately.”

Chu Tianshu nodded: “Better safe than sorry—if there’s trouble, at worst your dad gets detained for a while, better than getting scammed badly later.”

Yin Fengxin was deeply grateful: “Then let’s go check.”

Yin’s father was on an electric scooter—he’d started earlier, but couldn’t match the speed of a minivan.

The three got in the car; Fang Jun drove at a steady pace, trailing behind.

As they left the small fishing village, another car pulled onto the cement road ahead.

“Minister, you already called—why come in person?”

Shen Yuntai smiled, “It’s nearby anyway. A surprise home visit lets me see exactly what Fang Jun’s hiding from me.”

The driver suddenly said, “The car Fang Jun took just drove off—I recognized the license plate.”

Shen Yuntai sat up straighter: “Then follow it.”

A strange thought flickered through her mind.

The Macau region is so small—so many things are tangled and hard to untangle.

If someone were planning a major event, drawing wide involvement, could someone unaware of the truth already be heading straight to the scene?

(End of Chapter)