Chapter 700

"Don't ask yet—look, Zhao Chi is covered in burn marks all over…"

"Zhao Chi, go to the clan leader's house first and tell them what you know."

Zhao Chi nodded and went straight into the clan leader's house.

There were more than ten people inside.

Clan leader Zhao Shizhang and his uncle Zhao Qizong were both there.

Upon seeing Zhao Chi, Zhao Shizhang stood up at once.

He walked over to Zhao Chi in surprise, reached out and took hold of him, and looked him over carefully.

"Zhao Chi? You're back? As long as you're safe and sound, that's good. Come here quickly."

Zhao Qizong also came over.

"Zhao Chi, things outside are very chaotic right now. Did you come back from River Valley Town?"

Zhao Chi nodded.

He immediately recounted everything that had just happened in detail.

Everyone listened very carefully.

Only Zhao Shizhang and Zhao Qizong occasionally asked about details.

After Zhao Chi finished speaking, the room fell silent for a while.

Afterwards, the others asked many more questions, and Zhao Chi answered each one.

As he answered, the expressions of the people in the room grew increasingly solemn.

Finally, Zhao Shizhang sighed lightly and said: "It looks like the heavens really are going to change. Zhao Chi, we know the general situation now. Go back first and get some proper rest."

Zhao Chi breathed a sigh of relief.

But he still asked: "Is there any news of Zhao Huai and Zhao Jiao? And Lu Hong?"

Zhao Shizhang shook his head: "No. We can't make contact with the whole of River Valley Town right now. The few people we sent out can't get in at all. Leave the three of them to us. You rest well—the future still depends on you lot."

"Alright."

Zhao Chi greeted everyone in the room, turned, and left.

But Zhao Qizong suddenly thought of something.

"Ah, Zhao Chi, wait a moment."

"What is it, Uncle?"

Zhao Qizong said to Zhao Shizhang: "Clan leader, Zhao Chi also took first place in this New Talent Tournament. We…"

Zhao Shizhang slapped his forehead: "Oh, right, right, right—I forgot all about it. This counts as a great piece of good news. Zhao Chi, come here."

"Yes, Clan leader."

Zhao Shizhang took out a golden treasure chest.

"Zhao Chi, you've proven yourself twice now. The family had originally decided last time to cultivate you. But then a series of things came up, and we truly had no spare strength. But now it's different—even if we have no spare strength, we still have to give you a reward. Take this golden treasure chest as your reward."

Zhao Chi declined: "There's no need, Clan leader. The family is in such difficulty, and the situation is very unstable right now. This golden treasure chest should be put to use by the clan instead."

Zhao Chi really wanted it.

After all, a golden treasure chest given by the family came with no psychological burden to pocket.

But under the current circumstances…

Zhao Shizhang laughed: "Little Chi, no need to decline. Even one more golden treasure chest like this wouldn't change anything for us, but you're the new lord—it will help you far more than it helps us. Take it."

Zhao Qizong also said: "Take it, Zhao Chi. Go back and open it quickly. We don't know how much time we have left, but…sigh…"

Zhao Chi declined no further.

He thanked them, accepted it, and left.

He entered the small courtyard of his own home and clicked to return to his territory.

Back inside his territory, Zhao Chi felt in much better spirits.

The faint, elusive fragrance filled his lungs, and Zhao Chi felt at ease.

The female craftsmen were all busy at work.

Upon seeing Zhao Chi, they greeted him warmly.

"My lord is back?"

"Lord, are you injured?"

"Good evening, my lord."

"Do you need any help?"

Zhao Chi waved his hand: "Hello, I'm fine. You all carry on."

Zhao Chi was in a very sorry state today.

Without strength, this is how it would be.

Even among lords of the same tier, Zhao Chi was already exceptionally outstanding.

But once one crossed tiers, there really was no power to fight back at all.

Zhao Chi walked while stripping off the clothes on his body.

The armor had almost no durability left and was about to be scrapped. The cloth garments were burned beyond recognition too—he'd have to wait for a new set.

Gu Qing and the others were all at the training ground.

Over the course of the entire day, they had engaged in a full seven battles.

Although they were virtual battles, they were no different from real combat.

Moreover, their opponents were all very strong, and they had all accumulated solid combat experience.

They were summing up the day's experience and correcting their shortcomings.

They were completely unaware of what was happening outside.

Zhao Chi didn't disturb them either, heading straight for the Carefree Spring.

The Carefree Spring steamed with rising heat.

The warm spring water enveloped his entire body.

Zhao Chi let out a relaxed sigh.

Other matters could wait, but the harvest this time could be called extremely bountiful.

The bet earned 1,760 gold coins.

Winning the championship yielded one each of "Marrow Washing Pill," "Individual Gene Expansion Stone," and "Self-Selected Super-Improved Fashion Design Blueprint Chest."

Zhao Quan gave 2 golden treasure chests, and the family gave 1 golden treasure chest.

With these resources, Zhao Chi was no worse off than the disciples of large families.

The only difference was that all of this was earned by Zhao Chi himself.

Zhao Chi released his hands, letting himself float on his back in the spring water.

Although it was a bit unseemly, those female villagers hadn't activated their affinity, so it didn't matter at all.

The weather within the territory was very nice.

Stars dotted the night sky, and a half-moon hung overhead.

Zhao Chi floated there, recalling the day's events.

Too much had happened today, so much that his whole brain could barely contain it all.

Zhao Chi emptied his mind, thinking of nothing.

Drifting with the gentle ripples in the spring, Zhao Chi floated over to a nearby group of female tailors.

Feng Xiu said with a playful smile: "My lord, how did you drift over to our side? Shall we give you a push?"

"Mm, go ahead."

"Hehe~"

Feng Xiu gave a gentle push, and Zhao Chi drifted toward the other side.

Let the rest time end here.

Zhao Chi opened his eyes and opened the system space.

After using these items, his strength would surely rise by a large margin.

First, he took out the Marrow Washing Pill.

Thumb-sized, dark brown, with a strong taste.

Especially after being wafted by the warm breath of the Carefree Spring, the smell was extremely nauseating.

Could it have gone bad?