Chapter 299 - 240: Treasure-Grade Cultivation Technique, a Great Increase in Life Fire

Chapter 299: Chapter 240: Treasure-Grade Cultivation Technique, a Great Increase in Life Fire

"But throughout history, countless things that seemed eternal have eventually vanished. Even Great Yan, which was said to be passed down through the generations and rule for ten thousand years—didn’t it, in the end, meet the fate of a collapsing dynasty?" the woman said.

"But I can’t accept it. I was so close to succeeding—just a hair’s breadth away. Do you understand that feeling?"

By the end, the man was almost roaring. His face twisted into a ferocious scowl, and his severed arm, which had stopped bleeding, began to drip with fresh blood.

Seeing this, the woman sighed, knowing that more words would be pointless. She pressed her palms together and said softly, "With things as they are, my debt to you is paid. I hope you will take care of yourself. Farewell."

Without waiting for the man’s reply, the woman turned and left.

She showed no hesitation, departing like a pure white cloud, unstained by any karma, detaching herself completely.

Watching her retreating figure, a look of deep anguish filled the man’s eyes. But in the end, he didn’t give chase. Instead, he turned and staggered away in the opposite direction.

「The Xu family.」

When Wu Liangchen landed, he saw Chen Sujin waiting anxiously in the courtyard.

Jiang Feng stood to the side, looking like he wanted to say something but didn’t dare. He only let out a long sigh of relief when Wu Liangchen returned. Then, he shot Wu Liangchen a wink—an expression all men understood—before taking his leave.

"Why are you here?" Wu Liangchen asked, a little surprised.

Chen Sujin’s cheeks flushed slightly. She came before Wu Liangchen in a proper manner and said in a low voice, "I heard about the monumental upheaval at the Imperial Palace. I was worried for your safety, so I came looking for you..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, eventually becoming as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. At the same time, she grew incredibly tense, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.

Chen Sujin’s heart was even more flustered.

Since the battle at Dingyuan Gate, she had only seen Wu Liangchen a handful of times, and they had barely exchanged a few words.

And those meetings only happened because she had taken the initiative to visit; otherwise, she might not have seen him at all.

’At this point, she had completely given up on the idea. She knew Wu Liangchen was truly different from other men.’

’He probably wasn’t interested in me at all.’

’Logically, after realizing this, Chen Sujin should have felt insecure or even heartbroken.’

’But it was just the opposite. Chen Sujin was surprisingly at ease and even respected Wu Liangchen more for it.’

’She knew her own circumstances. In truth, she had never intended to climb the social ladder by getting close to Wu Liangchen; she simply wanted to express her gratitude.’

’As a woman raised in a brothel from a young age, the only way she knew how to express gratitude was likely by offering her body.’

’It had become a fixed mindset, etched so deeply into her being that it was difficult to change.’

’So when Wu Liangchen treated her with courtesy, viewing her as a friend rather than lusting after her body, Chen Sujin suddenly felt like she had been given a new lease on life.’

’This feeling of being respected was utterly intoxicating.’

’So when she realized this, she fell out of one pit and into an even deeper one—one she might never climb out of in her lifetime.’

’And she didn’t want to.’

’She didn’t even ask for anything more. Just being in the same city as Wu Liangchen was enough to make her happy.’

That was why, when she heard the earth-shattering boom, she was terrified, deathly afraid that Wu Liangchen might have been caught up in it.

Her anxiety peaked when she arrived at the Xu family’s residence, only for Jiang Feng to tell her that Wu Liangchen had already gone to the Imperial Palace.

She couldn’t even bring herself to sit down, pacing back and forth in the courtyard as she waited.

But the wait had been worth it. The moment she saw Wu Liangchen, Chen Sujin felt a great weight lift from her shoulders, and her entire heart was filled to the brim with joy.

’He’s okay!’

’That’s wonderful!’

Of course, she didn’t dare reveal even a hint of these delicate thoughts.

Wu Liangchen, of course, had no way of knowing this. He simply nodded. "Don’t worry, I’m fine. However, Kyoto is likely to enter a turbulent period, so it would be best for you to close your doors and refuse visitors."

Hearing this, Chen Sujin lowered her head, her face turning crimson. She nervously twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands. After a long moment, she spoke in a voice tinged with a sob.

"Actually... I haven’t received any clients for a long time."

Wu Liangchen realized his words had been inappropriate and gave an apologetic smile.

"Ah... that’s not what I meant..."

"There’s no need to explain, Master Wu. Really, you don’t have to. I know my place. I’m not the least bit offended. You’re right, I really should be more cautious for a while," Chen Sujin said.

Wu Liangchen glanced at her and saw that her expression was relaxed, showing no signs of sadness, so he nodded.

"Good. I’m going to the back to take care of something."

"Okay, you go on ahead. I’ll see if there’s anything I can help with around here," Chen Sujin said with a smile.

Wu Liangchen left.

Chen Sujin stared blankly at his retreating figure, but she quickly put on a happy smile and turned to go inside.

Only when Xu Kai was carried home did Chen Sujin finally take her leave, after helping Jiang Xiu with the household chores.

The moment she was in the carriage, however, Chen Sujin’s tears began to fall, so fast she couldn’t stop them.

It turned out that when one was truly heartbroken, even the tears were silent.

Jiang Xiu, completely unaware of Chen Sujin’s forced smile, even sighed to Xu Kai, who was lying in bed wrapped up as tightly as a mummy.

"That girl, Sujin, is truly a rare find. To grow up in a place like that without a trace of pride or arrogance... she rushes to do all the dirty, tiring work. It’s such a shame!"

Xu Kai, however, had a different take. Having navigated the political world for so many years, his ability to read people was second to none.

He had the distinct feeling that this Chen Sujin was carrying a heavy burden on her mind.

"Enough with the sighing," Xu Kai said, shifting his body with great difficulty. "Master Wu is an extraordinary man. How could a woman like her ever hope to be with him?"

"My lord, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing, I just want to turn over!"

"Let me help you..."

"Don’t!" Xu Kai cried out, but it was too late. Jiang Xiu’s large hand had already reached for him. With a gentle push, she sent him rolling across the bed twice. The pain made his eyes roll back in his head, and he nearly passed out.

"Oh dear, my lord, are you alright? I used too much strength again!" Jiang Xiu crouched down, her face full of apology.

"I’m... fine," Xu Kai gasped. "But next time, could you please let me finish talking before you do anything?"

"Of course, my lord!" Jiang Xiu nodded emphatically, her expression earnest.

...

「Secret Chamber.」

The atmosphere was heavy.

The man in the pig mask slammed his hand on the table and said icily, "Damn it! Those bastards in intelligence all deserve to die! They said the only ones in the Imperial Capital were Gu Yi and those two Grandmasters from the Martial God Temple. And what happened?"

"This Jiang Minghai who came out of nowhere nearly got us all wiped out!"

"Brother, please calm down," the man in the dog mask placated. "Dong Zhenlei is dead, Yan Hao has left, and all of Great Yan’s nobles have been rounded up. So, our operation did achieve something."

The pig-masked man shot him a look and sneered, "Achieved something my ass! Dong Zhenlei is dead and Yan Hao is gone, but now we have the even more troublesome Wu Liangchen and Jiang Minghai. How is that any different?"

"Brother, don’t be hasty," the dog-masked man said. "Setting aside whether or not Wu Liangchen will even continue to be involved, what if he is? He was never on Great Yan’s side to begin with. Now that Great Yan’s guardian Grandmasters are gone and its nobles and officials have all been wiped out, our East Sea nation’s plan will face no further obstacles."

"Exactly," the fox-masked woman chimed in. "Once our army crosses the border, I refuse to believe that Wu Liangchen can defy the heavens!"

The pig-masked man pondered for a moment before finally nodding. "I suppose that’s our only option. Fortunately, our man has successfully gotten close to Wu Liangchen. Now, if we plan carefully, we might be able to eliminate this major threat."

And while the group from the East Sea nation racked their brains for a way to deal with Wu Liangchen, back in the Xu family’s rear courtyard, Wu Liangchen closed the doors and windows, then took out the paper Yan Hao had given him.

It was covered in dense, tightly-packed script.

Wu Liangchen cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and read through it carefully once. He then closed his eyes to meditate for a moment before they snapped open.

At the same time, several lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Cultivation Technique: Star-Swallowing Meridian Opening Skill]

[Grade: Medium Treasure]

[Estimated Cost: 11,231 wisps of Life Fire]

[Consume Life Fire to upgrade?]