Chapter 125: Shock

In the 1427th year of the Great Xuan Calendar, June.

A severe drought and demon disturbance swept through Yu Prefecture in Yuzhou, lasting for half a month.

…

Amidst the pitch-black darkness,

A sense of warmth rippled, like a spring breeze.

Suddenly, a lamp lit up, dispelling the nearby shadows. A jade-like hand placed the lamp beside it.

"So big…"

Xu Hongyu was slightly lost in thought.

In front of her, in the cellar, lay a massive piece of flame jade, about seven feet long, three feet wide, and nearly a foot thick.

Even as a direct descendant of the Yu family, someone who had been pampered since birth and had seen many rare treasures, she was seeing such a huge piece of high-quality flame jade for the first time. Even if it were divided and sold slowly, it would be worth at least hundreds of thousands of silver taels.

"Well, that’s pretty much it. What do you think is the best way to transport it secretly to Yu City?"

Chen Mu asked, standing aside.

There was no need to hide too much from Xu Hongyu regarding the matter involving the He family. After all, in a few days, when the He family discovered that He Guangzong and He Mingzhen were missing, they would surely cause a stir. Combined with the events of the earth tremor and landslide in the Wilderness Mountain, Xu Hongyu would guess that it was his doing.

Most importantly, Chen Mu could secretly transport this flame jade back to Yu Prefecture, but he had no way of sneaking such a huge piece into the city. After all, no matter how powerful he was, he wasn’t capable of carrying such a large object while flying across rooftops.

That wasn’t kung fu, that was magic.

"Let me think…"

After a brief moment of distraction, Xu Hongyu quickly regained her senses and began to ponder quietly. Soon, she had an idea and said to Chen Mu, "I have a way. We just need to do this… then this… and then this, and it will work."

Chen Mu nodded slightly.

He had no way of doing this, but Xu Hongyu could. After all, she was a direct descendant of the Yu family, and she had more than one way to secretly transport things into the city. This had nothing to do with martial arts; it depended on the power in her hands.

After she finished speaking, Xu Hongyu thought again, "But it won’t work for now. The demon disturbance hasn’t ended yet, and the defenses in Yu City are very high. There are patrols everywhere at night. We can only leave it in Anyu County for a while. Then, we can transport it back. I do have a safe place. If you trust me, you can leave it there first."

Chen Mu chuckled and said, "Why talk about trust between you and me? Besides, you are a dignified young lady of the Yu family, so you wouldn’t covet a small piece of flame jade."

Although this flame jade was worth at least hundreds of thousands of silver taels, an extremely large sum for Chen Mu, to the Yu family, one of the four great families in Yu City, governing tens of millions of people in Yu Prefecture, it was only an average sum, or perhaps slightly above.

"Okay."

Xu Hongyu nodded lightly and said, "But this time you revealed your Xun Wind Artistic Conception, it might cause some ripples in Yu Prefecture. Before, you hadn’t directly entered the sight of the highest levels of the other families. This time, whether it’s the He family, the Xue family, or the Xie family, their eyes will be on you and they will pay attention to you."

"It was bound to happen eventually."

Chen Mu shook his head slightly and then looked at Xu Hongyu, saying, "After this, the Demon Slaying Division might promote me to White Uniform Guard. However, I still want to use your merits to exchange for a Bone Forging Pill. So, I’m asking for your help again."

Although he would most likely become a White Uniform Guard directly, he had also entered the sight of the various families. In their intelligence, he was someone who had only recently broken through to the Tendon Transformation Realm, so he would continue to let the families hold this concept. Having Xu Hongyu, who was at the Perfection of Tendon Transformation Realm, exchange for the Bone Forging Pill would be foolproof.

"Why talk about help or not between you and me…"

Xu Hongyu said softly, suddenly realizing that her words were the same as Chen Mu’s earlier words. A strange feeling rose in her heart, and she could not help but shift her gaze slightly.

Chen Mu looked at Xu Hongyu. Although they were in the dim cellar, the lamplight reflected on the flame jade, and he could clearly see Xu Hongyu’s face. He was surprised to discover that there was a slight, almost unnoticeable, red flush on her fair, jade-like face. If his vision wasn’t far beyond ordinary people, he might not have noticed it.

In addition to being surprised, his heart couldn’t help but smile.

He always felt that Xu Hongyu’s name was a bit mismatched. Her cold demeanor made her seem more like a piece of white jade. Now he suddenly discovered that Red Jade was fitting here. But the color of the jade was still too light. He wondered if he could see a more vivid color in the future?

…

The severe drought was gradually receding, and the demon disturbance was gradually subsiding.

Reports and intelligence from various counties and townships in Yu Prefecture were flying like snowflakes toward Yu City in the center, each falling into the hands of various families in the Inner City. When the news of Anyu County finally spread, it finally caused some shock.

The He Family.

In the luxurious and wealthy hall, jade and gold ornaments adorned every corner. The doors were all made of precious gold silk wood, engraved with intricate patterns and designs.

He Guangxun, the Deputy Commander of the Smelting Division, was standing respectfully at the side. Sitting on the grand tutor chair was an elderly man with a long gray beard, holding a purple dragon wood cane. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties.

He was the current helmsman of the He family, a second-generation figure of the He family.

He was also the father of He Guangxun, He Guangzong, and the others. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, but he was actually almost seventy years old. However, he had taken very precious spiritual items that maintained the blood and qi in his body, and his own cultivation was at the Perfection of Bone Forging Realm. He cultivated the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception, remaining stable and unmoving, which allowed him to maintain his realm to this day.

However, it was only a matter of a few years before he would step down. The main reason was that none of his sons, whether He Guangxun or He Guangzong, were capable of taking over the helm of the He family. It had to be handed over to another lineage, which is why he had delayed his retirement.

"Humph, the Yu family is truly lucky!"

He Zheng struck the ground with his cane. The cane hit the blue stone tiles with a sound like metal colliding.

He Guangxun stood on the side and said softly, "They’re just experiencing a brief resurgence at their death’s door, nothing much to note. It is true that Xu Hongyu was lucky to pull out such a figure in the Outer City. Mingxuan underestimated this person, and I didn’t pay much attention to him either. I never thought this person would be able to cultivate the Xun Wind Artistic Conception and become a figure of importance."

He Zheng said indifferently, "Who in this world dares to say they can anticipate everything? If you had known this person had such capabilities, and eliminated him early, then who else would take over the helm of the He family after me?"

Hearing He Zheng’s words, He Guangxun could not help but lower his head and say, "It is my lack of ability."

He Zheng sighed as he looked at He Guangxun’s lowered head. "You do have ability, but it’s not enough. With your current age, even if you use more spiritual treasures, it’s impossible to reach the Perfection of Bone Forging Realm. As for artistic conception, you’ve always been missing something over the years… Martial arts and body tempering are ultimately complementary. If you can improve your body tempering techniques, your blood and qi will be abundant, naturally your ears and eyes will be sharp, and even your wisdom and heart will be stimulated. Then your comprehension of martial arts will naturally improve."

Very few people comprehend artistic conception in the Tendon Transformation Realm.

There were slightly more in the Small Success of Bone Forging, even more in the Great Accomplishment of Bone Forging. Half of those in the Perfection of Bone Forging Realm could comprehend artistic conception, and those in the Five Viscera Realm went without saying, artistic conception was their foundation.

"Father, should I…"

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in He Guangxun’s eyes.

He Zheng struck the ground again with his cane and said in a low voice, "This Chen Mu has already grown to some extent. It’s no longer easy to kill him. Now is a special time, and it’s absolutely unwise to mobilize forces."

Hearing He Zheng’s warning, He Guangxun was suddenly a little stunned, because He Zheng had mentioned "a special time." Now was indeed a time of severe drought and demon disturbance, but it was not enough to cause He Zheng to be so serious about the term "special time".

Noticing the confusion in He Guangxun’s eyes.

He Zheng looked at him with profound gaze and slowly said, "You probably don’t know yet that not long ago, the direct lineage disciples of Heavenly Sword Joyous Union and Blood Shadow Xuanji Four Sects went to visit the Seven Profound Sect, and the direct lineage disciples of the Seven Profound Sect accepted their challenge and lost four battles in a row!"

"This…"

He Guangxun was immediately stunned upon hearing the news.

He knew that there were gaps between the direct lineage disciples, and that the direct lineage disciple of the Tai Xuan Peak was the leader of the seven great direct lineages of the Seven Profound Sect. According to what he knew, he was an exceptional figure, like a star in the sky, and yet he was defeated by the figures from other sects.

"The direct lineage disciples of the four sects that came to visit the sect must be the leaders among their respective direct lineage disciples. It’s not surprising that the direct lineage disciples of the other peaks of the Seven Profound Sect were defeated. But it’s unexpected that the direct lineage disciple of the Tai Xuan Peak would be defeated by the direct lineage disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect…"

He Zheng shook his head slowly. His eyes also carried a trace of peculiarity, saying, "The Heavenly Sword direct lineage disciple, Zuo Qianqiu, is a figure like a bright moon in the sky. Someone like Chen Mu is nothing but an ant. The Yu family could be wiped out with a wave of a hand in front of him."

A storm raged through He Guangxun’s heart, but he soon revealed a trace of confusion.

In front of such figures, the He family and the Yu family were indeed nothing. But the problem was, what did this have to do with them?

And at that moment.

He Zheng said indifferently, "The direct lineage disciples of the four sects fought this battle on the condition that if they won, they would be able to reside in Yuzhou. They also made an agreement with the Seven Profound Sect that the border would be the Yu Prefecture!"

A look of shock finally appeared in He Guangxun’s eyes. No wonder He Zheng was so solemn and grave. If the four major sects were to interfere in Yu Prefecture and reside in Yu Prefecture, the entire structure of Yu Prefecture would be turned upside down!

If the four major sects were to reside in Yu Prefecture, the Seven Profound Sect would definitely not let it go completely. They would surely deepen their governance and control of Yu Prefecture, which meant Yu Prefecture might turn into the front line for the major sects to compete against each other!

At this moment.

It was indeed not the time to act rashly.

After all, in the face of major sect forces like the Seven Profound Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect, the four major families of Yu Prefecture were nothing. If they did not judge the situation correctly, they might be crushed to dust.

"Therefore, starting from today, the matters between the He family and the Yu family must be temporarily put aside. Do you understand?"

He Zheng slowly looked at He Guangxun.

"Understood."

He Guangxun nodded with a look of extreme gravity.

Indeed, at this time, even if the He family and the Yu family had a blood feud, they could not act rashly. No matter what, they must first restrain themselves and lie low in order to observe the situation. They absolutely must not be drawn into sect struggles.

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"By the way, Father, a message came from Huaiyu. Guangzong and Mingzhen lost contact two days ago and their whereabouts are unknown. Also, there was an earth tremor in the direction of Wilderness Mountain, and a mountain peak collapsed…"

He Guangxun remembered that he had another matter to report.

He Zheng frowned and said, "Why didn’t you report this sooner? Quickly send people to investigate."

"Yes."

He Guangxun responded and walked out.

He Zheng leaned on his cane and watched He Guangxun’s departing back, his brow furrowed. It was troublesome for something to happen at this time, and compared to this, he had even more troublesome things to deal with. He had to quickly clear up some traces.

And he absolutely must not contact the people from the Heavenly Corpse Sect again for a short time.

…

South of Yu City.

Xue Huaikong, wearing an unremarkable gray uniform, stood on the city wall, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Suddenly, a subordinate approached and whispered a few words to him.

"Chen Mu?"

Xue Huaikong was slightly stunned. Then he quickly retrieved a name from his memory and murmured, "This person actually has such comprehension. Perhaps we should have fought with the Yu family for him back then?"

"Oh well. At this time, an artistic conception figure can’t change anything. What will happen to Yu Prefecture depends entirely on the Seven Profound Sect and the four sects. Man’s plans ultimately can’t compete with the heavens. But, fortunately, I’ve also taken some precautions."

Xue Huaikong sighed.

It was estimated that someone from the Seven Profound Sect would come down within a few days, and the arrival of the four sects would definitely not be long. Then his position as City Lord would no longer be like before, where he held the power to command a prefecture, but would suddenly become very awkward.

But he had no choice but to deal with this situation. He could not give up the Xue family’s power in Yu Prefecture. He could only observe the situation silently and go with the flow. Fortunately, the Xue family had made arrangements in advance, placing their bloodline foundations in other prefectures. There were also many clansmen in the Seven Profound Sect, which was much better than the He and Xie families.

…

Yu Family Martial Arts Academy.

Clang!

The tip of Chen Yue’s sword was pointed diagonally, drawing an arc. It clashed with the sword in Yu Yun’s hand. As sparks flew, Yu Yun’s face changed slightly. Noticing that something was wrong, she was forced to retreat.

But a slight glimmer flashed in Chen Yue’s eyes. Her sword strike changed. Instead of a cut, she used a slash. In one move, she knocked the side of Yu Yun’s sword, sending it flying from her grasp. At the same time, she thrust her sword forward, suspending it in front of Yu Yun’s throat.

"You…"

Yu Yun looked at Chen Yue, her face alternating between white and red.

"Chen Yue wins."

A senior female martial arts master next to them spoke in a calm tone.

Yu Yun looked angrily at Chen Yue, saying, "That doesn’t count, you cheated!"

Chen Yue had actually used the same sword move as her. If they had continued fighting, both would have been injured. She had withdrawn to avoid the attack, but Chen Yue had changed her move to pursue her. How could there be such a cunning person?

"Chen Yue won with her technique. Yu Yun, when you fight with an enemy, do you also expect the enemy to only fight with brute force?"

The female martial arts master said indifferently.

Being reprimanded by her teacher, the grievance in Yu Yun’s heart surged up at once. She was clearly of a higher realm than Chen Yue, but she had lost. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Chen Yue and said, "You broken-down family from the countryside, don’t think you’ll be so lucky next time…"

"Yu Yun."

The female martial arts master’s tone became more stern, "Being overly ambitious but having little skill is a great taboo for martial artists. Even if you come from a prestigious family, so what? In the past ten years, has there been a rising star in our Yu family that can compare to Yichuan? Even the Chen Yue in front of you, her brother Chen Mu, recently killed over a hundred demons in one battle in Anyu County. He has already stepped into the realm of artistic conception. How can you compare?"

Upon hearing the first half of the female martial arts master’s words, Yu Yun lowered her head, feeling somewhat wronged. However, upon hearing the second half, she was immediately stunned and looked incredulously at the female martial arts master, saying, "Artistic conception?"

"My brother, he…"

Even Chen Yue was surprised and looked at the female martial arts master.

The female martial arts master nodded slightly and said, "It was just reported."

After her surprise, a look of joy and excitement appeared on Chen Yue’s small face. She was no longer a newbie in the martial arts world. Although artistic conception was still a height that was far beyond her reach, it did not prevent her from understanding the significance of that height.

Looking at the entire Yu family, there were not many experts who had comprehended artistic conception.

Even more so, among those of Chen Mu’s generation, even including Xu Hongyu, no one had yet comprehended artistic conception. It was a completely different level compared to those who were still honing their blade momentum.

Yu Yun was stunned on the spot, her face frozen. Her brother was also an outstanding figure in the Yu family’s martial arts academy. Although he was not among the most outstanding of the fourth generation men, he was now at the Great Accomplishment of Tendon Transformation Realm. His age was similar to Xu Hongyu’s, but to this day, her brother had only cultivated two blade momentums, and the path to artistic conception was still far, far away.

In her memory, she could not help but recall the figure she had seen in the South District that day, Chen Yue’s brother. Could it be that that person had already stepped into the realm of artistic conception? The young man who seemed to have only a good-looking exterior was actually such a figure?

Not far away.

Yu Ru was also frozen in place, her eyes sparkling.

Brother Chen Mu… had comprehended artistic conception?

He was even more powerful than she imagined.

It was the third watch, but the word count was even more, still 13,000, even more than the previous four shifts…Because the plot is complete, it will not be divided into four chapters.