Chapter 254: Qinhai City
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“In this period, that person won’t come looking for us again, and the other assassins from Rain Tower should be the same,” Chen Fei explained when he noticed the curious gazes of Ruan Qiaojun and the others.
Although Dai Fangxuan managed to escape in the end and save his life, he lost an arm, and Chen Fei’s final strike pierced through his chest.
The sword’s force exploded within Dai Fangxuan’s body, and although he managed to suppress it with sheer willpower, it was inevitable that his internal organs were damaged.
Even with the vitality of a Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, a severe injury like this would take a long time to fully recover from, especially since Dai Fangxuan had burned his own blood essence to escape.
This additional injury meant that Dai Fangxuan might not fully recover for several years, even with top-tier healing elixirs like the Origin Awakening Pill, which would still take several months at the quickest.
Furthermore, being severely injured by Chen Fei in such a public manner raised questions about whether Dai Fangxuan would have the courage to show up in front of Chen Fei again, considering that not every escape attempt would be successful.
Ruan Qiaojun and the others didn’t ask further questions. Chu Wennian stepped forward and presented some items to Chen Fei, all of which were taken from the Rain Tower assassins. Chen Fei glanced at them briefly; they were poison and medicinal herbs, with no silver or other valuables.
As for weapons, Chen Fei didn’t have much use for common weapons, let alone these well-crafted iron ones.
Chen Fei waved his hand, declining these trivial items. He used his vital energy to restrain the three of them and headed back to their original location.
After a while, Chen Fei and the others returned to where the carriage was. Fortunately, the horses hadn’t run off, saving Chen Fei the trouble of searching for them.
The night passed without incident, and the next morning, the four of them resumed their journey as usual.
Inside the carriage, Chen Fei sat cross-legged, practicing his Zhongyuan Sword technique while constantly reviewing the pros and cons of yesterday’s battle.
The normal Zhongyuan Sword formation didn’t work very well against seasoned Aperture Tempering realm cultivators because Chen Fei’s Zhongyuan Sword was still in its early stages.
With ten sword beads, it was a simple matter to deal with Body Tempering realm warriors, but it showed signs of weakness against fellow Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.
To solve this problem, he would need to increase the number of sword beads, meaning he had to improve his proficiency with the Zhongyuan Sword.
However, if he did manage to enhance the Zhongyuan Sword to that level, there would be another problem: his own inner strength might not be sufficient to support the simultaneous use of so many sword beads, given the state of his apertures.
For other Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, they certainly wouldn’t have such problems. The speed at which they comprehend their techniques and the rate at which they advance in cultivation usually match up.
However, due to the unique nature of Chen Fei’s cultivation system, his speed in comprehending techniques far surpasses his cultivation progress.
According to his estimate, it might not even take a year for the Zhongyuan Sword to reach perfection.
If Chen Fei’s cultivation were sufficient, he could directly deploy a complete set of eighty-one sword beads, trapping his enemies within the sword formation. In that case, opponents like Dai Fangxuan would likely be pierced through at first sight.
But here’s the dilemma: Chen Fei could only have two apertures at most in one year. With a full set of eighty-one sword beads, he wouldn’t be able to use them all, making things a bit awkward.
Considering this, Chen Fei had used the principle of the Thousand Threads Technique to refine his sword into threads, transforming the sword beads into sword threads.
Thanks to his mental strength advantage, this transformation was successful, and the effect was indeed much better than the sword beads. Even Dai Fangxuan needed to exert his full strength to break free from the enveloping sword threads.
Additionally, Chen Fei had wrapped the sword threads around his Qianyuan Sword, partially resolving the issue of the sword’s inherent quality.
“The proficiency of the Zhongyuan Sword definitely needs to continue improving. By then, both the speed of cultivation and the number of sword beads and threads can be increased,” Chen Fei thought.
If he could double the number of sword beads and threads, Dai Fangxuan would be absolutely trapped within the sword formation. However, he would need to consider whether his cultivation could handle it.
The biggest surprise from the previous night, though, was the Dragon Suppressing Elephant technique.
After reaching the Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei had somewhat neglected it, subconsciously thinking that the sealing aspect of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant belonged to the Body Tempering realm.
He believed that, after reaching the Aperture Tempering realm, he would need to cultivate the subsequent techniques to maintain that level of power.
However, when he used vital energy to activate the Dragon Suppressing Elephant last night, the force it unleashed far exceeded his expectations.
Previously, the Dragon Suppressing Elephant was powered by pure physical strength, making it difficult for anyone in the Body Tempering realm to match it. But when he used vital energy, the Dragon Suppressing Elephant’s might increased even further.
Chen Fei couldn’t help but think of the Dragon-Elephant True Immortal he encountered in the cave. The True Immortal’s name was based on his cultivation technique, and he had only learned an incomplete part of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant.
Even so, the True Immortal possessed unparalleled combat prowess and an incorruptible body.
From this, it was clear that the Dragon Suppressing Elephant, even just its sealing aspect, was extraordinary. Even if Chen Fei didn’t learn the subsequent techniques, the sealing aspect alone would give him a significant advantage in the early stages of the Aperture Tempering realm.
Against a rogue cultivator like Dai Fangxuan, it would be enough to directly suppress him. If Chen Fei’s agility could keep up, Dai Fangxuan wouldn’t even have a chance to escape!
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, just as Chen Fei had predicted. During these three days, everything remained calm and quiet, with no further appearances by Rain Tower’s assassins. It was evident that Dai Fangxuan had already relayed the message.
An Aperture Tempering realm cultivator who managed to severely injure Dai Fangxuan was already pushing the limits of what the employer’s payment could support for this mission. Unless the employer decided to increase the payment, it seemed that this mission would come to an end.
In Qinhai City, at the Ruan family’s main residence:
“Father, what should we do? According to the timing, that wretched Ruan Qiaojun should be arriving in the city soon. When that happens, control of the Ruan family will once again fall into the hands of their main branch!” Ruan Bojun paced restlessly in the study, his expression filled with anxiety.
After all the effort they put into taking control of the Ruan family, it seemed like they were on the verge of losing it.
“Don’t panic. Even if Ruan Qiaojun returns and becomes the nominal family head, it depends on whether others will cooperate with her!” Ruan Donglai reprimanded his son in a hushed voice, showing some displeasure with his impatience.
Ruan Bojun was slightly puzzled, looking at his father.
“The position of family head is just a title. If you have the ability, everything will be secure. But if you lack the capability to take the position, no one will listen to you. Does Ruan Qiaojun, a mere woman, think she can firmly hold the position of family head?” Ruan Donglai sneered.
The failure of Rain Tower’s mission had exceeded Ruan Donglai’s expectations, especially when he heard that there was an Aperture Tempering realm expert involved. It made him deeply worried.
The best-case scenario would have been if Ruan Qiaojun never returned, allowing him to maintain control over the entire Ruan family.
But now that they couldn’t stop her return, Ruan Donglai had to resort to other plans, one of which was to undermine Ruan Qiaojun’s authority.
The Ruan family was a prominent clan in Qinhai City, and Ruan Donglai had no intention of giving up control of it.
“How should we balance the situation with that sudden Aperture Tempering realm expert?”
Ruan Bojun asked in a hushed tone because this Aperture Tempering realm expert had left him deeply unsettled. If such an expert were to descend upon the Ruan family, he doubted anyone would dare to oppose them.
Strength, in this world, sometimes represented the greatest authority!
“That person was most likely temporarily hired by Ruan Qiaojun and won’t stay with our Ruan family forever. While they are here, we’ll be completely obedient. But once that person leaves, we will regain control of the situation!” Ruan Donglai spoke with determination.
It was becoming less likely to kill Ruan Qiaojun afterward, considering the sensitivities surrounding a Aperture Tempering realm expert.
However, undermining her authority was entirely within their capabilities. Which Aperture Tempering realm expert would be so free to stick their nose into their family’s business?
Besides, Ruan Donglai suspected that Ruan Qiaojun and that expert were not very close, so there was less to worry about when it came to undermining her position.
“Father, I understand!”
Ruan Bojun’s eyes lit up as he grasped the sequence of events and implications. A smile spread across his face.
“Instruct the servants to make a grand welcoming scene when Qiaojun returns from her studies in Immortal Cloud City. We want everyone in Qinhai City to see that we genuinely welcome her back,” Ruan Donglai said with a smile. He wanted the whole city to witness their enthusiastic reception of Ruan Qiaojun.
“Yes, Father!” Ruan Bojun’s face also bore a smile.
That afternoon, the Ruan family arranged for someone stationed three miles outside the city to report the sighting of Chu Wennian driving a carriage slowly toward Qinhai City.
Ruan Donglai immediately led the Ruan family members to a location one mile outside the city, where they awaited Ruan Qiaojun’s arrival.
Whether it was in terms of etiquette or grandeur, Ruan Donglai had indeed taken things to the extreme. After all, in terms of seniority, Ruan Qiaojun had to address Ruan Donglai as “Second Uncle.”
Ruan Donglai wanted to convey to everyone that he had no intention of coveting the position of the Ruan family’s head.
“Second Uncle!
After getting off the carriage, Ruan Qiaojun saw Ruan Donglai and called out in a low voice. Among all the members of the Ruan family, Ruan Donglai was one of the few who had been genuinely kind to her. Even when her father reprimanded her, Ruan Donglai would step in with a smile to protect her.
“These few days must have been tough. Did you encounter any troubles on the road?” Ruan Donglai looked at Ruan Qiaojun’s dusty appearance with a touch of sadness. It was as if he saw his own child returning after enduring hardships outside.
Chen Fei stood by the carriage and glanced at the members of the Ruan family.
Most of them wore fake smiles on their faces. It was clear that not everyone was happy about Ruan Qiaojun’s return.
“I encountered some difficulties, but they’ve all been resolved. Second Uncle, let me introduce you. This is a senior I met on the way. Thanks to him, I was able to return safely.”
Ruan Qiaojun led Ruan Donglai to Chen Fei’s side and introduced him.
Ruan Donglai looked at Chen Fei’s young face and sensed the hidden aura around him. He couldn’t help but be surprised. Such a young person was already an Aperture Tempering realm expert. Truly astonishing.
“Many thanks to the senior for protecting Qiaojun and helping her return safely. If the senior has any requests, the Ruan family will do everything in our power to assist!” Ruan Donglai bowed respectfully.
“No need for excessive courtesy.”
Chen Fei glanced at Ruan Donglai and then at Ruan Qiaojun.. With someone as shrewd as him, how could you possibly control the situation?