Chapter 9

The night is very deep.

Inside the Chen family mansion, however, it is not quiet.

Chen Tianfeng had just finished dealing with a pile of household chores.

He felt both his body and mind were very tired.

Those two black-robed people who came last night.

And that damned old fellow Wang Shan sneaked in secretly.

These two matters made his heart feel heavy and uncomfortable.

Especially when he thought of the task of a hundred maidens.

He became even more worried.

He was so worried his hair was almost turning white.

But now, there is something else that worries him even more.

He walked with somewhat heavy steps, passing through several corridors.

He arrived at a quiet place deep in the courtyard.

This is a secret room of the Chen family.

Usually, besides him and his most cherished grandson Chen Dao, almost no one can approach.

He pushed open the heavy stone door.

A faint medicinal scent and a hint of gloomy aura drifted out.

Chen Tianfeng furrowed his brows.

His gaze fell toward the center of the secret room.

Chen Dao, his formerly proud grandson.

Now he sits listlessly on the futon.

A few days ago, that old thing Wang Shan defeated him in front of everyone.

And he suffered such a humiliating matter.

Afterward, Chen Dao became completely listless.

He shut himself inside this secret room.

He refuses to see anyone.

He hardly cultivates anymore.

He only occasionally lets out a few low growls to vent his inner displeasure.

Hearing the sound of the stone door opening, Chen Dao slowly lifted his head.

His eyes used to be full of spirit.

Now inside them remains only deep resentment and unwillingness.

Seeing his grandson like this, Chen Tianfeng also felt pained.

He quickly walked over.

He lowered his voice, speaking as gently as possible.

"Dao'er, are you still thinking about that day's matter, feeling uneasy?"

Chen Dao moved his lips but made no sound.

Only his gaze grew darker.

"Ah..."

Chen Tianfeng sighed and sat beside him.

"Winning and losing are common; a small loss means nothing."

"That Wang Shan old scoundrel merely used some underhanded tricks and luckily won a little bit! Don't take it to heart!"

He patted Chen Dao's shoulder.

His tone carried a hint of ruthlessness.

"Rest assured, this grudge, Grandfather will definitely help you avenge!"

"I have already summoned two experts from the Wan family."

"They have agreed; tomorrow morning we will go and flatten the Wang family!"

"By then, we must definitely kill that Wang Shan old scoundrel, so he knows the consequences of offending our Chen family!"

Hearing the words 'flatten the Wang family' and 'kill him'.

Chen Dao's eyes finally had a glimmer of light.

His spirit also seemed to improve a bit.

Wang Shan!

That old fellow who made him lose all face and become a laughingstock!

He wished he could immediately see that old fellow kneeling and begging for mercy, being tortured to death!

The thought of revenge ignited like a fire in his heart.

He subconsciously wanted to circulate the spiritual energy in his body.

Imagining himself returning to his peak condition, even becoming stronger.

To personally tear Wang Shan apart.

But, as soon as he began to cultivate, the expression on his face froze.

Something's wrong!

He clearly felt that the spiritual energy in his body seemed to have sunk into a mire.

The operation started very unsmoothly.

The speed was much, much slower than usual.

What made him even more afraid was.

Deep in the dantian, waves of faint stabbing pain came.

Although it wasn't strong, it was always there.

This... what's going on?

"Grandfather..."

Chen Dao's voice trembled a little, and his face also paled a bit.

"I... I feel my body is a bit off."

He told Chen Tianfeng the strange feeling he felt while cultivating, in full detail.

Chen Tianfeng's heart gave a thump when he heard that.

He became nervous.

Dao'er is the Chen family's hope for the future.

He is also the key person for the Wan family's Myriad Beasts Method transplant plan.

Absolutely no problems can be allowed!

He quickly reached out and placed his hand on Chen Dao's pulse.

He sent a thread of his own spiritual energy in to examine carefully.

Unfortunately, Chen Tianfeng's own ability is not very high.

He is only around the sixth layer of Body Refining, far inferior to Chen Dao.

He could only roughly feel that his grandson's spiritual energy was indeed a bit chaotic.

It seemed less concentrated and smooth than before.

He didn't think deeply about it.

He felt this was probably due to the injury left from being hit by Wang Shan last time.

After all, back then Chen Dao really took several heavy blows from that old guy.

He suffered a serious internal injury.

Moreover, these days he's been in a bad mood and suffered a blow.

When qi and blood are not smooth, the circulation of spiritual energy will naturally be affected.

Yes, that's definitely it!

Chen Tianfeng nodded inwardly, forcibly suppressing that unease.

He took out a jade bottle from his bosom.

He poured out a few healing pills with a fresh scent and handed them to Chen Dao.

"Dao'er, don't be afraid; it's definitely because that old thief Wang Shan struck too hard and hurt you."

He comforted his grandson, but his tone carried gritted-teeth hatred.

"But it's okay, this is just temporary. First take these few Returning Qi Pills to regulate yourself."

"Wait until tomorrow, the Wan family's elders will destroy the Wang family, take back the money and goods they looted, and also retrieve the spiritual medicines the Chen family had to pay out. Grandfather will definitely find you better spiritual medicines, hire a better doctor, and guarantee your recovery—even stronger than before!"

Chen Dao received the pill.

He glanced at his grandfather a little hesitantly.

In the end he still swallowed it.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth.

It turned into a gentle medicinal power that spread throughout his body.

The stabbing pain in his dantian seemed to have lessened a bit.

The circulation of his spiritual energy also seemed to have smoothed a little.

But this slight improvement couldn't make him feel much better.

That feeling remained.

It was as if a layer of invisible, intangible fine dust had covered the meridians and acupoints.

Blocking him, binding him.

An indescribable panic, like a poisonous snake, silently crawled up his heart.

But he quickly suppressed that unease again.

Grandfather was right; surely the injury hasn't fully healed.

Destroy the Wang family, seize the resources, and everything can start over!

Now the most important thing is to take revenge!

He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.

He—Chen Dao—how could he possibly be finished like this!

Neither Chen Dao nor Chen Tianfeng, who hoped for his revival, noticed.

The truly fatal thing is not the external injury inflicted by Wang Shan.

But rather it is the 【Bone-corroding Powder】 that sneaks into Chen Dao's spiritual palace and meridians along with the spiritual energy.

This poison is very insidious.

It slowly, silently takes effect.

It won't kill a person in a short time; at the beginning one may not even feel it.

But it will bit by bit erode the cultivator's foundation.

It blocks the meridians, pollutes the spirit palace.

It makes it increasingly difficult for cultivators to use spiritual energy, causing their cultivation to stagnate, even slowly regress.

In the end, former geniuses will become useless trash, worse than ordinary people!

Poor Chen Tianfeng knows nothing.

He watched his grandson take the pill, his complexion improved a little, and his heart eased a bit.

He had even already been thinking.

Once the grandson transplants the 【Qing Tian Mo Lang Zhua】, his strength will surely increase greatly!

By then, let alone little Luo Bay County, even in the prefectural city, the Chen family will have a say!

He seemed to already see the Chen family, under his grandson's hand, heading toward glory and dominating the region.

He never imagined that this beautiful future would likely be ruined entirely by a packet of inconspicuous poison powder.

……

At that moment, in another guest courtyard of the Chen family mansion.

The two black-robed people sent by the Wan family, codenamed Jia and Yi, were making final preparations for tomorrow's operation.

The room was dark, with only an oil lamp flickering.

Heipao Jia carefully wiped his long sword; the blade was simple and ancient, giving off a cold light, as if it carried a bloody smell.

Heipao Yi was inspecting bottles and jars, which contained pills and some strange powders.

"Hmph, a measly Wang family—do they really deserve us making a trip? They're overestimating themselves." Heipao Yi snorted disdainfully, stuffing a porcelain bottle back into his bosom.

Last night, he let the sneaky onlooker escape, and he still held back his anger.

He now just wants to have a good fight to vent his anger.

"Hurry up and finish it." Heipao Jia spoke little, his hand wiping the blade never stopping.

In his view, the Wang family were just a bunch of ants—flick a finger and they'd be gone.

The only somewhat unexpected thing was the guy who ran away last night.

Besides, he didn't think that person could do anything.

He probably escaped using some one‑time life‑saving trick, and there won't be a second time.

"By the way, I heard that youngster from the Chen family seems to have some health issues?" Heipao Yi suddenly asked.

"Well, Chen Tianfeng said he was injured, his mood was bad, and his cultivation had a slight problem." Heipao Jia said lightly.

"No problem." Heipao Yi coldly snorted.

"A minor injury is nothing. Once the 【Qing Tian Mo Lang Zhua】 is transplanted, the power of the 【Myriad Beast Method】 will help him recover, possibly even improve, and his cultivation will advance further."

The two of them didn't even consider Chen Dao's so‑called "discomfort" worth anything.

They thought that as long as the transplant went smoothly, the 【Myriad Beast Method】 was so powerful that any minor ailment could be suppressed.

As for Chen Dao's own foundation, it was actually not that important.

How could they know that the real problem wasn't the injury, nor the mood?

But rather that sinister, foundation‑destroying 【Bone‑Corroding Powder】!

This stuff will not only let the highly‑expected Chen Dao become completely useless.

It could also ruin the Wan family's painstakingly prepared 【Myriad Beast Method】 transplant plan completely!

Even, if the toxin acts up, it could trigger even more terrifying consequences during the transplant, leaving a major problem.

Unfortunately, no one knows about this yet.

……

Far deep within the Wang Family Courtyard.

Wang Shan was shrouded by the mist of the array.

He certainly didn't know either that the packet of 【Bone‑Corroding Powder】 he had casually scattered was already taking effect in Chen Dao's body.

He also didn't know how big a "surprise" this would bring to the Wan family.

He now sat cross‑legged in the room, fully circulating the 【Duant Body Art】.

Relying on the medicinal power of the 【Xisui Flower】 and some 【Spirit Blood Branches】, plus the spiritual energy gathered by the 【Misty Spirit Gathering Array】, his wounds were slowly healing.

The cracks in his ribs were healing, the shock injuries to his internal organs were mostly healed, and his damaged meridians were being repaired.

But to be fully healed, it still needs time.

But what he lacks most right now is time.

He could feel a huge danger pressing down on the Wang Family's head.

It could erupt at any moment.

He must quickly become stronger and prepare life-saving means.

The 【Thick Earth Talisman】 bought for 1,000 Spirit Plant Points, he kept close to his body; this is his greatest trump card.

But he still needs offensive means!

【Sharp Metal Talisman】!

That requires a full 1,500 Spirit Plant Points!

His gaze turned toward the window.

The Shi Mu Ling Tian improved with 【Jade Spirit Liquid】 is now teeming with life.

Hope lies on those soon-to-mature 【Spirit Blood Branches】!

Besides healing injuries and accumulating points, Wang Shan was not idle.

He was honing his martial technique.

【Pishan Palm】!

This is the only attack technique he knows now, and the one he's most familiar with.

Last night, sparring with Heipao Ren made him see the flaw in this palm technique.

The power is alright, but there are too few variations and the openings are too obvious.

He runs through the palm technique's movements over and over in his mind.

He carefully senses that force and momentum.

He wants to master this palm technique to an even higher level.

He wants everyone who looks down on him, Wang Shan, and who looks down on the Pishan Palm to realize.

This old man's Pishan Palm is not to be provoked!

When no one is noticing, things are starting to change.

The Chen Family's "genius" is slowly becoming a good-for-nothing.

His former aura is being destroyed bit by bit by poison.

The one behind all this is exactly that Wang Family old man.

Everyone looks down on him, including the Wan Family's masters, thinking he's someone they can easily crush.

But he is actually gathering his strength in secret.

He is honing his claws and fangs.

He is merely waiting for dawn.

That inescapable life-and-death showdown is about to begin.