Chapter 41: 41 Showdown

Ling'er had already packed her luggage and was waiting for Song Cheng.

But Song Cheng had not returned for a long time, so she began to worry along with Tong Jia.

By evening, they suddenly heard someone outside pass on the word that "the Young Miss has returned," followed by hearing that "the Young Miss took Song Cheng to the back room, closed the door, and no one knows what they are discussing."

Ling'er and Tong Jia hurried over, but upon arriving outside the door, they saw Ying'er standing against the wall.

Ling'er ran up and said in a sweet voice, "Yingying, you all returned so early?"

Ying'er was dressed in a silver sword robe, her brows and eyes cold; she said nothing and just held her blade.

Ling'er grinned and giggled.

She truly did not know what medicine was being sold in this gourd.

Why had the Young Miss returned early, and why had she walked together with Song Cheng? Both of these people could determine her fate; Ling'er felt unsettled in her heart.

As she laughed, she wanted to walk into the courtyard, saying, "Yingying, I'm going to brew a pot of hot tea for the Young Miss."

Ying'er suddenly glared, her eyes staring fixedly at Ling'er.

Ling'er sheepishly retreated, pouting in a coy, tea-like manner: "You stubborn thing, how many years have we been sisters?"

Ying'er said coldly, "My sisters would not betray the Young Miss."

Ling'er was stunned, then immediately understood; she did not argue, instead crying pitifully: "What could I do? Shi Yi was the Guard Captain; he used his power to pressure me, and I am just a lowly maid..."

Ying'er gave a cold laugh but ignored her, only keeping her hand on the hilt of her blade, making her afraid to enter the courtyard.

Back then, when she was flirting with Shi Yi, did she really think others were blind?

Inside the room.

"How did Shi Yi die?" An Chenyu's pretty face was covered in frost, like a sculpture of ice and snow carved silently in the darkness.

Her long legs were crossed, and beneath her ink-black hair, those apricot eyes were both charming and bright, flickering with a soul-stirring light.

Even Song Cheng had to admit that, in terms of appearance, An Chenyu surpassed his own wife.

Hmm. Her temperament seemed to surpass her as well.

However, the two were not the same type.

One was like ice and snow, the other was tiger-like and spirited.

Upon hearing this, Song Cheng gave a formulaic reply: "An Jie, the government is investigating..."

An Chenyu said, "Little Song, I didn't just return; I returned in the afternoon.

It's just that after I returned, I was stopped by the County Magistrate, who asked me for something."

Her beautiful eyes looked at Song Cheng quietly, as if observing the details of his reaction, her red lips moving slightly: "A cultivation manual, 'Grass Sea Startling Snake Form'."

Having said this, she took a deep breath and said, "Little Song, sit beside me."

Song Cheng nodded and sat over; the two sat with a small table between them, leaning in to talk.

An Chenyu said, "Shi Yi secretly made a deal with a powerful force to exchange for that force's Form Realm technique, and that force gave him the first half.

The price Shi Yi promised was that after he took control of the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce, he would not only make the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce submit to that force but also pay an annual tribute."

"Five thousand taels."

An Chenyu's face was covered in frost, her eyes cold, yet inside, a quiet flame began to grow.

"That force is quite large; if I submit, I will be dragged into certain matters.

I did not wish to be involved, yet Shi Yi actually promised on my behalf.

And now the County Magistrate has found me and wants me to continue fulfilling the promise.

Not only that, because Shi Yi is dead and the first half of 'Grass Sea Startling Snake Form' is lost, this is very serious. The County Magistrate demands that our annual tribute be doubled as compensation."

"He wants us to pay ten thousand taels!"

Song Cheng was puzzled and asked curiously, "An Jie, didn't Shi Yi make the deal with that big force?

Why is the County Magistrate coming to find you?

Could it be that the County Magistrate is also a person from that force?"

An Chenyu did not answer this, but instead turned to speak of another matter.

"Little Song, I have a bad habit. I always like to inquire about things before I arrive at a place, even when returning to the chamber of commerce in this Shanghe County, returning to my own home, it is the same.

Before I even arrived, I had my subordinates whip their horses to return secretly to collect information on what had happened in the residence recently.

As a result, I learned that Ling'er was close to you.

I have long been clear about what kind of person Ling'er is.

She is considerate and lively in front of me, and arrogant outside, but deep down she is very afraid, lacks a sense of security, and is naturally drawn to the strong.

I actually knew that Ling'er was colluding with Shi Yi.

But what surprised me was that after Shi Yi died, Ling'er actually became close to you.

I originally thought that you being able to escape the Ghost Disaster with your wife was already very extraordinary, so I wanted to build a relationship with you, let you integrate here, and stand with me.

But I still underestimated you."

An Chenyu took a sip of tea and said in an exceptionally calm tone, "Little Song, it was you who killed Shi Yi."

Without waiting for a response, An Chenyu added, "But it doesn't matter; if you hadn't killed him, one day I would have had to kill him myself.

But the problem now is that my An Family is at too much of a disadvantage.

However, I delayed slightly and told the County Magistrate that paying the tribute is fine, but it must be paid to their force's headquarters, not to him.

Interestingly, the County Magistrate did not agree.

He... wants to embezzle this money, at least half of it."

Song Cheng was silent.

He discovered that the Young Miss was not only smart but also possessed a breadth of information far greater than his own.

After An Chenyu finished speaking, she brushed it aside lightly and turned to say, "Little Song, before answering your question, I want to know an answer first. You, what are your plans now?"

Song Cheng fell silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his eyes to look at An Chenyu.

The two met each other's gaze.

Song Cheng said, "I want to marry you."

As the four words fell, the air suddenly became quiet to the extreme.

An Chenyu rested her chin on her hand as she watched him, a flash of contemplation in her eyes; she closed them slightly, and when she opened them again, she responded with elegant poise: "Fine."

Song Cheng:??? An Chenyu continued: "You protect me, hold down the fort at my Ruyi Chamber of Commerce, and help me avoid the trouble of marriage.

I will provide you with money, connections, and... an alliance relationship, excluding sleeping together.

And if we truly get along in the future, then I will sleep with you and become a real husband and wife.

If not, once we no longer need the status of husband and wife to maintain the alliance, we can simply write a letter of divorce."

"But if you are unwilling and only think about sleeping with me.

Given your means to kill Shi Yi, it is not impossible for you to use force.

But I guarantee that even if you risk everything to obtain my body, you will obtain nothing else."

The Young Miss's expression remained calm.

Song Cheng said, "Fine."

An Chenyu said indifferently: "You know all my bargaining chips, so since you and I will bear the name of husband and wife, can you let me see your bargaining chips for this trade?"

Clearly priced, this was a transaction.

At this point, Song Cheng did not waste words or act coy; he stood up, put a little distance between them, stood in the center of the main hall, and gripped the hilt of his thin sword with five fingers. An Chenyu looked at the hilt, her apricot eyes showing a hint of astonishment, as if she recognized it.

Song Cheng's blood energy connected, and Xuanwu True Strength surged from all directions; the Pounce, Shu, and Jue Jin Jin strengths overlapped like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, and the hand currently drawing the blade was the sea itself.

The hand was like the sea, and the blade was a move of Transforming into a Flood Dragon.

The blade slashed into the air.

Hum!!

A piercing dragon cry rang out.

Although An Chenyu's strength data was only 8~8, she seemed very knowledgeable; at this moment, looking at this move, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Song Cheng in extreme shock.

No matter how strong Song Cheng was, she wouldn't actually be shocked, but in this blade strike, she had actually seen the shadows of "Flicking Willow Strength" and "Jue Jin Jin Strength".

This was a strike that fused two strengths and added the original strength on top.

It appeared to be the same Jin Realm power, but in reality, the difference was quite large.

This gap might not be so obvious at the beginning, but the further one went, the more it became a world of difference.

"Flicking Willow Strength? Jue Jin Jin Strength?"

An Chenyu's voice, which had been like still water without waves from beginning to end, finally revealed astonishment.

Song Cheng looked steadily at her and asked: "An Jie, do you believe in geniuses?"

An Chenyu covered her lips and actually started to laugh, then she composed her expression and said calmly: "The sky is high and the earth is far, and the Ghost Disaster is besieging the city; it is normal that there was no time to inform your parents.

Two days from now is an auspicious day; let us get married then.

I will give you a letter of divorce; if you no longer want this relationship, we can divorce at any time, and there will be no restrictions.

After we are married, you and Tong Niangzi will both move to my courtyard to live.

Tong Niangzi will have to suffer a little; to the outside world, we will say she is my personal maid, used for your bed-warming.

In reality, she and I will address each other as sisters."

Song Cheng said: "An Jie, just make the arrangements."

An Chenyu said: "Little Song, regarding the County Magistrate and the Ghost Disaster, it is not a secret among the upper and middle echelons of this land, it is just a long story. Do you want to hear it now?"

Song Cheng nodded; he was full of patience for this information, and even if it took a day and a night, he would not lack patience.

An Chenyu said: "Which one do you want to hear first?"

Song Cheng said: "The Ghost Disaster."

An Chenyu said: "The Ghost Disaster has existed since ancient times; it is like the tide, and towns are like islands.

When the tide floods in, the islands are submerged in the Ghost Tide and separated from one another.

Just like Shanghe County is now... as for when the tide will recede, I can only say it won't be too long, but the specifics are unpredictable."

Existed since ancient times?

The doubt that had always been in Song Cheng's heart was suddenly answered.

His previous doubt was: Why does the Extreme Bliss World exist? Where did the Extreme Bliss World come from? The "Taboo" on his panel had clearly been in an "unlocked" state before. If the appearance of Yun E had pulled back the curtain on the world's Taboos, then Yun E should have been the first Taboo.

It was precisely because of this preconceived notion that he had previously stayed in the Hou Shan of Tanghe Village... but now, An Chenyu's words had awakened the dreamer; he suddenly knew: the "Taboo options" on his panel were not so much "unlocked" as they were "not yet awakened."

On this land, there were many ancient Taboos that were terrifying to the extreme, all lying dormant.

Now, they had simply awakened.

Compared to them, Yun E, that drowned ghost... was just a newborn child.

No wonder the ghost servants that invaded Shanghe County didn't seem to come from Yun E's side; it turned out Yun E had already been hollowed out and suppressed to the bottom of the Ghost Tide.

Whether human or ghost, the trendsetters on the crest of the waves are always the strong.

But he did not want to be a trendsetter.

He had to hurry up and break through to "Yellow Grade Grade B", and then... turn the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce into a "safe environment" suitable for an immortal to live in.

(End of chapter)