Chapter 256: Unforeseen Change
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Ruan Bojun sensed the fluctuations in the courtyard’s atmosphere, and his playful expression froze for a moment. In the courtyard, there were only two people: Chen Fei and Ruan Qiaojun.
This new aura of cultivation, apart from Ruan Qiaojun, would not be experienced by anyone else.
Ruan Qiaojun’s previous cultivation at the late stage of the Marrow Tempering realm, given her age, held promise for the future, but that was in the future, at least several years away before she could possibly break through to the Visceral Tempering realm.
Moreover, this was under relatively smooth conditions. If her cultivation faced obstacles and took more than a decade to advance, it wasn’t impossible.
In Qinhai City, there were many warriors like this. The path of martial arts was filled with hurdles, and sometimes what seemed like boundless prospects turned out to be obscured, and the person had already become one among the masses.
With her cultivation at the late stage of the Marrow Tempering realm, taking control of the Ruan family was certainly possible, but that required the wholehearted support of the Ruan family, or at least a majority of its members.
Clearly, most people supported Ruan Donglai rather than Ruan Qiaojun.
Besides Ruan Donglai’s years of garnering support, Ruan Qiaojun’s slightly weaker cultivation made many in the Ruan family worried about following her, fearing they wouldn’t have a better future.
But now, Ruan Qiaojun had broken through to the Visceral Tempering realm. Given her age, it was entirely foreseeable that she would reach the peak of the Visceral Tempering realm in the future.
In terms of cultivation, Ruan Qiaojun was no longer at a disadvantage, and when you considered her age, she had a clear advantage. Furthermore, if you looked into the matter more deeply, you’d realize that Chen Fei had helped her break through.
A cultivator in the Aperture Tempering realm personally assisting in your cultivation breakthrough was a relationship that sparked countless speculations far beyond a mere business transaction.
Ruan Donglai’s hard-earned advantages had been instantly diminished, and it had become less likely that he could easily overshadow Ruan Qiaojun, even if he had previously managed to do so.
Ruan Donglai clenched his fist, his anger palpable, but he didn’t know how to vent it. Ruan Donglai didn’t dare to say much about Chen Fei’s cultivation in the Aperture Tempering realm.
In recent days, he had been diligently assisting Ruan Qiaojun, appearing earnest and worried about making any mistakes that could be used against him.
In any case, Chen Fei definitely wouldn’t stay with the Ruan family for long. Enduring these few days, what happens afterward will be what it will be.
But now, all their plans had been shattered by Ruan Qiaojun’s breakthrough. Ruan Donglai took a deep breath, turned away stiffly, and left.
Ruan Bojun watched his father’s expression and didn’t dare to say much, obediently following behind.
In the face of absolute strength, sometimes schemes were nothing more than a joke. Because a strong individual wouldn’t follow the path you had planned, and you had no ability to correct them.
In the courtyard, Ruan Qiaojun slowly opened her eyes, sensing the changes in the world and the vitality of her internal organs. A smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Ruan Qiaojun had always yearned for the path of martial arts. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have left her life of luxury to come to Immortal Cloud City. Now, she had finally reached the realm she had longed for, and her joy was hard to contain.
“Thank you, Senior!” Ruan Qiaojun stood up and was about to kneel before
Chen Fei.
“No need to be so formal,” Chen Fei said.
With a surge of energy, Chen Fei lifted Ruan Qiaojun’s body. For Ruan Qiaojun, breaking through to the Visceral Tempering realm was a long-cherished dream, but for Chen Fei, it was just a casual gesture.
This was the difference in their realms.
Half an hour later, news of Ruan Qiaojun’s breakthrough to the Visceral Tempering realm had spread throughout the entire Ruan family. The fact that Chen Fei was involved in the breakthrough also greatly excited the entire Ruan family.
As long as they could establish a relationship with a cultivator in the Aperture Tempering realm, it was a significant advantage for the Ruan family.
With the spread of this news, many members of the Ruan family also had a change of heart. Ruan Qiaojun was the legitimate heir of the Ruan family, and becoming the family head was her rightful position.
Now, with her cultivation reaching the Visceral Tempering realm and the possibility of advancing even further in the future, following such a family head seemed like a good choice, especially with a connection to a cultivator in the Aperture Tempering realm.
One day later, outside Qinhai City, a group of Ruan family members stood at a distance. Ruan Qiaojun looked at Chen Fei with a hint of reluctance in her eyes. It could be said that Chen Fei was the most outstanding man she had ever met.
Even among the disciples of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, there were only a few who could break through to the Aperture Tempering realm at Chen Fei’s age.
But precisely because he was so exceptional, Ruan Qiaojun understood that Chen Fei could never belong to her. This was the part that made her feel sad. They had met, gone through so much together, were of a similar age, but they could never be together.
“That’s it for now. Take care!” Chen Fei looked at Ruan Qiaojun and the others.
“Take care!”
Ruan Qiaojun looked at Chen Fei’s face and softly spoke two words. Beside her, Chu Lan looked at Chen Fei with sadness, uncertain how long it would be before she could see him again.
The journey from Qinhai City to Immortal Cloud City was a lifetime’s distance for ordinary people. This farewell probably meant they wouldn’t see each other again in this lifetime.
Seeing his granddaughter’s expression, Chu Wennian sighed softly. Life was sometimes like this, many things were beyond one’s control.
Chen Fei waved goodbye to the three of them, his figure flickering as he headed towards Apricot Fen City in the direction of the rising sun. Chen Fei’s figure turned into a black dot and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Seeing Chen Fei leave, Ruan Donglai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Having a cultivator in the Aperture Tempering realm around, especially one who wasn’t directly affiliated with their side, had put a lot of pressure on Ruan Donglai.
“Let’s go back!”
Ruan Qiaojun turned and looked at the Ruan family members, her voice heavy. Just now, Ruan Qiaojun had made a decision. After stabilizing the Ruan family, she would return to Immortal Cloud City.
Only in Immortal Cloud City did Ruan Qiaojun have a better chance of continuing on the path of martial arts. Although breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm was extremely slim, who could say for sure?
And it was only by reaching the Aperture Tempering realm that she would have the qualification to stand by that man’s side!
Chen Fei didn’t know about Ruan Qiaojun’s change of heart. At this moment, he was pushing the Soul Chasing Steps and the Gathering Wind Technique to their limits, causing everything along the road to be thrown back at high speed.
He didn’t choose horses or carriages; they were too slow for him now.
With his current speed, Chen Fei could reach Apricot Fen City in half a day. After a short rest, he could spend another day returning to the Primodial Sword Sect.
For other Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, they probably wouldn’t choose this method of travel because it was too exhausting, requiring frequent breaks along the way.
If they encountered unexpected situations, they would be at a significant disadvantage.
However, for Chen Fei, there were no such concerns.
With his Vital energy driving the Dragon Suppressing Elephant, Chen Fei’s body felt like it was surging with power, and simply traveling didn’t make him feel too fatigued.
His body, tempered by the Dragon Suppressing Elephant, was more robust and enduring than he had imagined.
Half a day later, Chen Fei arrived in Apricot Fen City without encountering any incidents. Anyone who saw someone traveling at Chen Fei’s speed, even if they had the intention to intercept, would probably think twice and wisely retreat.
How hopeless must one’s life be to try to rob a warrior like this? Perhaps they thought their lives were too long!
In Apricot Fen City, Chen Fei found a restaurant and rested for a while. After a satisfying meal, as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw two familiar figures approaching him. It was Zhang Sinan, the young lady of the Zhang family in Pingyin County, and her maidservant, Dan Xiang.
The last time Chen Fei had seen them was in the mansion of Wang Liang, the Marquis of Xu. He didn’t know what their relationship with Wang Liang was, and he didn’t care.
However, compared to when he had seen them last, today both of them looked somewhat haggard.
“Miss, where should we go next?”
Dan Xiang asked with a melancholic expression. The Xu family is finished, and Lord Xu Wangliang hasn’t returned for too long, suspected to have died outside. Xu Wangliang had quite a few enemies, and taking advantage of this opportunity, it seemed like the Xu family had collapsed overnight.
The two of them, who had just settled down for a while, had to leave again.
“When the Immortal Cloud Merchant Band returns, we’ll go to Immortal Cloud City!” Zhang Sinan said firmly.
“Very well, wherever the young miss goes, I’ll go!” Dan Xiang replied resolutely.
Just as she was about to continue speaking, she suddenly saw a familiar figure in the distance. However, before she could get a clear look, that person had disappeared.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Sinan followed Dan Xiang’s gaze but didn’t see anything noteworthy. She couldn’t help but ask in confusion.
“I think I saw someone familiar just now, but I can’t remember who it was,” Dan Xiang said with a puzzled shake of her head.
Zhang Sinan nodded but didn’t press further. She picked up the tea on the table and took a bitter sip. In just a few years, Zhang Sinan felt like she had experienced too much.
If her strength could be strong enough, she could completely control her own destiny instead of being like this, helpless and without support.
After leaving the restaurant, Chen Fei’s figure flickered, and he ran towards the direction of Immortal Cloud City.
As night fell, Chen Fei appeared on the treetop of a tree, gazing at a mountain about a mile away. On top of the mountain, there was a lonely grass hut.
This place was isolated, with no village in front and no store behind. The grass hut on the mountaintop looked eerie no matter how you looked at it.
This was the location of the evil bride that had forced the Immortal Cloud Merchant Band to change its route several times, ultimately returning to this road. The last time Chen Fei had seen it, her cultivation was only in the Visceral Tempering realm.
Back then, Chen Fei was curious about this oddity but didn’t probe further, considering that her cultivation was still lower than his.
The evil was dangerous, but killing it had its value. For a newly minted Aperture Tempering realm like Chen Fei, it was possible to use the evil to accelerate the refinement of the Qianyuan Sword into a Spirit Sword.
However, now that Chen Fei stood here, sensing the grass hut, he realized that it no longer emitted any gloominess. It seemed like it had truly turned into an ordinary house.
The evil bride was gone!