Chapter 71: Shame Turned to Anger

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Shame Turned to Anger

Carefully stowing the Secret Manual, Chen Yue then searched Gu Yiqiu and found a few gold leaves and some scattered silver taels. On Guo Xun, however, he found only a small amount of silver taels and nothing more.

Once he was done, Chen Yue didn’t linger. He activated the Breath Concealing Technique, suppressing his aura to its absolute minimum. At the same time, he executed the Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step, his figure becoming a wisp of smoke as he silently sped toward Youlin County.

The benefits of his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield breaking through to the Great Success stage were comprehensive.

Not only had his defensive power skyrocketed and his Gang Qi grown more condensed, but more crucially, the connection between his tendons, bones, internal organs, and Qi Blood had been strengthened to an entirely new level, forming a more stable and unified foundation of power.

This directly translated into improvements in his absolute strength, explosive power, and even his physical coordination.

The reason Chen Yue had been able to instantly catch Gu Yiqiu, who had used a Secret Technique to flee, was not just his exquisite Body Technique. It was also due to the absolute speed and explosive power granted by his body’s complete transformation.

In the blink of an eye, he had covered several miles.

The towering walls of Youlin County once again appeared in his line of sight. Chen Yue vaulted over them with ease, landing silently within the city.

He didn’t head directly back to the inner courtyard of the Chen Mansion. Instead, he first went to the secluded courtyard where he had previously met Shen Dujiang.

The courtyard was in disarray, but completely empty.

A quick glance revealed several packets of medicinal herbs on the table that hadn’t been taken—the very ones Shen Dujiang had been unable to procure earlier. He stepped forward and gathered them all. They were items he urgently needed, and he couldn’t let them go to waste.

Then, Chen Yue was on the move again, heading for another backup contact point in the western part of the city—a nearly derelict courtyard.

Like a night bird returning to the woods, Chen Yue gracefully vaulted the low earthen wall and landed inside the courtyard.

The instant his feet touched the ground, the faint scrape of a short blade being drawn from its sheath sounded from the shadows in a corner of the woodshed.

"It’s me," Chen Yue said in a low voice.

From the shadows, Shen Dujiang’s tense figure slowly emerged.

He was tightly gripping a pair of short daggers, his eyes were bloodshot, and it was clear he had been on high alert.

When he saw that it was indeed Chen Yue, Shen Dujiang’s entire body went slack with relief.

He hurried forward and looked Chen Yue up and down. Seeing that his clothes were merely a bit dusty and his breathing was calm and steady with no obvious injuries, he finally let out a long sigh of relief:

"Did you lose them? Thank heavens, thank heavens! It’s all thanks to that otherworldly Body Technique of yours. Otherwise, today... I’m afraid things would have ended grimly for us!"

Chen Yue didn’t answer right away. He walked over to a dilapidated, dust-covered wooden table inside, pulled out a stool that looked barely usable, brushed the dust from it, and slowly sat down.

Then he looked up at the concerned Shen Dujiang and said calmly, "I didn’t lose them."

"You didn’t lose them?" Shen Dujiang froze.

"The Marrow Refining Realm expert’s Body Technique was absurdly fast, and he even used a Secret Technique to boost his potential. I couldn’t shake him no matter what I did; he stayed right on my tail." Chen Yue’s tone was flat, as if he were recounting some trivial matter.

Shen Dujiang’s voice grew strained. "Then... then how did you..."

He couldn’t imagine how anyone could have survived a situation like that without being able to escape with a Body Technique.

Chen Yue looked at Shen Dujiang, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he said slowly, "I surrendered to them."

"What!"

Shen Dujiang reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. The hair on his body stood on end as he instinctively stumbled back a step, his spine hitting the cold earthen wall with a dull THUD.

He subconsciously reached for the dagger hidden at the small of his back, his eyes filled with horror and suspicion.

But when his gaze met the flash of amusement in Chen Yue’s calm eyes, he instantly realized what was happening.

"You...!"

Shen Dujiang’s old face flushed red with a mixture of shame and anger. He pointed at Chen Yue. "That’s not something to joke about! I’m too old for scares like that!"

The smile on Chen Yue’s face deepened. "I thought a cautious man like you would have smashed through a window and fled without a second glance the moment I said I surrendered."

Hearing this, the anger on Shen Dujiang’s face melted into a helpless, bitter smile. He released his grip on the dagger and said with a self-deprecating laugh:

"I won’t lie, for a second there, the thought did cross my mind. But then I realized, with the skills you just displayed, I probably wouldn’t make it out of this alley before you dragged me back. Besides..."

Shen Dujiang paused, his expression growing complex as he looked at Chen Yue. "If you had really surrendered, with what little I’m worth and what I know, my fate would be to get forced into joining them anyway. I might even survive a few more days that way. If I tried to run on my own, I’d just die faster."

Chen Yue chuckled softly. He found some tea leaves in a corner and began to brew a pot, asking casually, "Where did you lose your pursuer?"

At the mention of this, Shen Dujiang regained a bit of his dignity:

"That fellow’s Body Technique was far worse than the Marrow Refining Realm expert’s. I lost him without much trouble in the maze-like alleys of the southern district after a few twists and turns. But you still haven’t said how you got away?"

Chen Yue set down his teacup, the bottom making a soft clink against the rough wooden table.

He looked up, his gaze calm as he met Shen Dujiang’s. "I couldn’t get away at first. So I killed them both."

The smug look on Shen Dujiang’s face instantly froze. He blinked, staring at Chen Yue’s completely serious expression, and gave a dry laugh. "I told you, no more jokes. Let’s talk business..."

Chen Yue shook his head:

"I’m not joking this time. One in the Marrow Refining Realm, one in the Bone Forging realm. I killed them both. Their bodies are out in the wasteland beyond the city walls. I also helped myself to some of their things."

As he spoke, Chen Yue took the Great Vajra Palm Secret Manual from his robes and placed it gently on the table.

Shen Dujiang glanced at the Secret Manual, then snapped his head up to look at Chen Yue, searching his face for any hint that he was joking.

But Chen Yue’s expression was as calm as still water.

Shen Dujiang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he subconsciously swallowed.

"You... you’re serious? That was a Marrow Refining Realm master, plus an expert at the Bone Forging realm! At the black market last time, you were impressive against that Bone Forging expert, but..."

Shen Dujiang was at a loss for words. There was a fundamental gap between the Marrow Refining Realm and the Bone Forging realm. While Chen Yue’s previously displayed strength had been astonishing, it clearly hadn’t reached the level where he could defeat a foe from a higher realm!

"You’re really not joking?" A tremor entered Shen Dujiang’s voice, though whether from fear or excitement was impossible to tell.

Chen Yue just smiled at his reaction. Without another word of explanation, he simply pushed the Secret Manual a little closer to him.

Shen Dujiang stared at the Secret Manual for a long moment before finally letting out a long, heavy breath.

He picked up the teapot from the table and, ignoring the heat, poured a cup and gulped it down. Scalding tea trickled from the corner of his mouth, soaking the front of his robes, but he seemed to have calmed down a little.

Setting the teapot down, he looked at Chen Yue and gave a bitter smile. "At this point, I’d almost find it more believable if you told me you’d surrendered. So, did you manage to get any information out of them?"