Chapter 213 - 128: Intense Training of the Realm

Chen Cheng quickly calmed down. To each their own. Yan Jian’s decision to climb the social ladder was his choice, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Suddenly, Chen Cheng recalled something and asked curiously, "Didn’t Yan Jian get engaged to the daughter of the Qingcheng Gang not long ago?"

Shen Qingshuang gave a faint smile. "Are you referring to Wu Tingting? I’m aware of the matter, but it’s not an issue. It’s perfectly normal for a man to have several wives and concubines. Since Yan Jian is marrying the granddaughter of a Shen Family Elder, he can certainly take Wu Tingting as a concubine."

The Wu Family, I imagine, won’t have any objections.

"Furthermore, now that Yan Jian has won the favor of a Shen Family Elder, the Yan Family has a strong chance of becoming an Inner City Clan, which will guarantee their safety in Linji City."

"Oh," Chen Cheng responded.

Shen Qingshuang’s expression suddenly grew serious. "Junior Brother Chen, the Shen Family has many women of great talent and beauty. If you are interested, I can act as a matchmaker for you. How would you like to marry a daughter from the Shen Family’s main lineage?"

Chen Cheng furrowed his brow slightly. ’So, Shen Qingshuang hasn’t forgotten about this matter after all.’

"Senior Sister Shen, I already have a wife."

Shen Qingshuang let out a soft sigh. "Mu Xiaowan is a peerless beauty, truly a rare woman in this world.

"But since you have aligned yourself with the Shen Family, you ultimately need to have some formal ties to us. Otherwise, even if I want to cultivate your talents, the Shen Family Elders will object."

Chen Cheng fell silent. ’This must be why the two Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills the Shen Family promised have been so delayed.’

There was an old saying: "Those not of our kin cannot share our heart." From the Shen Family’s perspective, he could only be truly trusted if he was bound to them by marriage. When he put himself in their shoes, Chen Cheng couldn’t find any fault with their logic.

Shen Qingshuang had long known that while Chen Cheng appeared gentle, he was unyielding on the inside. He seemed modest and affable, but at his core, he was proud and would sooner break than bend. After witnessing the deep affection between him and Mu Xiaowan, she knew it would be exceedingly difficult to sway him with mere self-interest.

If she had a choice, she really didn’t want to be the villain in this. That’s why her initial plan today had been to approach Mu Xiaowan first and have her try to persuade Chen Cheng.

Sighing to herself once more, Shen Qingshuang continued,

"Junior Brother Chen, in truth, our Shen Family is a good and decent one. You don’t have to be so resistant to the idea."

"I know that your feelings for Mu Xiaowan run very deep. If you are willing to marry a woman from the Shen Family, Mu Xiaowan can remain your principal wife. The Shen woman can be a concubine. These are the best terms I can secure for you."

Chen Cheng wasn’t an entirely obstinate person. Since arriving in this world, he had occasionally considered following the local customs—amassing a group of wives and concubines and living a life of boundless freedom and happiness.

But as things stood, no other woman had caught his eye. Only Mu Xiaowan was his one true love. He had never even had such thoughts about the sisters Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingyao, who were famed as the two peerless beauties of Linji City.

It had nothing to do with the beauty of Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingyao. It was simply that, in Chen Cheng’s opinion, their personalities didn’t captivate him the way Mu Xiaowan’s did, a personality he loved wholeheartedly and without reservation.

"Senior Sister Shen, I must first discuss this matter with Xiaowan. On top of that, if I am to take a Shen woman as a concubine, it would have to be someone I find agreeable."

Chen Cheng replied earnestly after a moment of deliberation.

Although that was his answer, he knew Mu Xiaowan well enough to guess that she would most likely tell him to choose for himself. ’Frankly,’ he thought, ’I just want to find someone with a good heart, someone who can be genuinely kind to both me and Mu Xiaowan.’

’As for whether I can actually find such a person, well, I’ll have to look and see. There’s no need to rush things.’

In any case, the Shen Family had indeed done him the favor of cultivating his talent. As long as it didn’t wrong him or Mu Xiaowan, taking a Shen woman as a concubine was not an unreasonable request.

Shen Qingshuang’s eyes lit up, a smile spreading across her beautiful face.

She knew Chen Cheng’s character well. An answer like this was as good as a declaration of his stance toward the Shen Family, and his attitude was precisely what she had been after.

"Junior Brother Chen, you can rest assured. Your Senior Sister will be sure to find you a great beauty from the Shen Family who is gentle, kind-hearted, talented, and beautiful."

Chen Cheng smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister!"

"From now on, we’ll be family by marriage. There’s no need to be so formal, Junior Brother Chen." As she spoke, Shen Qingshuang took an exquisite Elixir Medicine Bag from within her robes and handed it to Chen Cheng. "These are this year’s Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills."

Chen Cheng took it. He could sense three Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills through the bag and was taken aback for a moment. "Senior Sister, are these... three Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills?"

Shen Qingshuang was clearly pleased. She nodded. "That’s right. When cultivating a Muscle Strengthening Technique, it’s considered extremely difficult for even a Martial Artist with a Top-Grade Root Bone to absorb and refine the power of three Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills in a single year. Someone like that could hope to reach Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection in six or seven years."

"Your Martial Dao talent is exceptionally high, Junior Brother Chen. You should be able to absorb and refine four Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills."

"You can get one from the City Guard Department, so I took the initiative to request an allotment of three more for you."

"Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills are extremely precious. Even the Direct Descendants of our Shen Family rarely receive an allotment. You must cultivate diligently. It would be best if you could reach Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection within five years. That way, you’ll make your Senior Sister proud."

’My cultivation burns through two Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills a month,’ Chen Cheng thought. ’Four pills will barely make a dent! And reaching Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection? Why would I need five years? I won’t even need one!’

What he needed most right now was Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills, so getting an extra one was a fantastic surprise. Chen Cheng clasped his hands in a salute and said earnestly, "Thank you, Senior Sister. I will not let you down."

"Mm." Shen Qingshuang gave a slight nod. She watched Chen Cheng carefully tuck the elixir pills away before speaking again. "Junior Brother Chen, I heard that you and Chief Constable Ji Jingbei don’t have a very harmonious relationship at the Lishui Sub-Department."

"Ji Jingbei has the Jiang Family backing him. Even though I’m the Chief of the South City Guard Headquarters, it’s not convenient for me to move against him. You’ll have to rely on yourself in that matter."

Chen Cheng said, "Thank you, Senior Sister. I’m managing just fine at the Lishui Sub-Department."

Shen Qingshuang said, "When it comes to Martial Dao talent, Yan Jian is your inferior. But in the ways of officialdom, you are his. That’s why I assigned him to the Lotus Pier territory to deal with the Zhou Family."

"For the foreseeable future, Linji City will likely be turbulent. Reaching the Muscle Strengthening Realm puts you in much greater danger than when you were in the Skin Grinding Realm. In many situations, the Shen Family won’t be able to look out for you, so you must be extra cautious."

"What are you referring to, Senior Sister?" Chen Cheng asked, confused.

Shen Qingshuang said, "Do you remember the Black Lotus Sect?"

"Weren’t they wiped out by the Demon Suppression Department?" Chen Cheng clearly remembered the three-day demon purge carried out by the combined forces of the Demon Suppression Department, the Protectorate Army, and the City Guard Department.

"The Black Lotus Sect has been a menace for centuries; they’re not so easily annihilated." Shen Qingshuang shook her head. "The last operation by the Demon Suppression Department did indeed clear out the Black Lotus Sect’s followers operating in the Four Outer City Districts."

"But that only cleared out the lowest-level members. The sect’s upper echelon, those at the Muscle Strengthening Realm and above, have all sorts of methods to conceal the scent of their blood and qi. They managed to evade the Demon Suppression Department’s Bloodthirsty Demon Wolves and escape Linji City."

"The Black Lotus Sect Headquarters is most likely hidden deep within the Great Wilderness Mountain Range, just outside Linji City."

"Recently, the estates of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City located near Linji City have been attacked by assailants of unknown identity. A Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist from our Shen Family has gone missing, and the other three great clans have also reported missing Martial Artists."

"The Protectorate Army was deployed immediately to conduct a wide search, but they found no trace of the culprits."

"On top of that, there have been frequent disappearances of Martial Artists at the Muscle Strengthening Realm and above outside the city as well."

"This series of incidents is very likely the work of those fiends from the Black Lotus Sect."

"Similar incidents aren’t just happening in Linji City; they’re also occurring in the surrounding State and Prefecture Cities."

"Word that the Black Lotus Sect Headquarters is hidden deep within the Great Wilderness Mountain Range has probably spread. This news will likely alarm Su State City and the several other state cities in the region."

"In addition to the Great Dao Sect from our own Su State City, sects from other state cities will likely dispatch powerful martial experts to help eliminate the Black Lotus Sect. Lijing Prefecture City is likely to become a focal point where powerful forces converge..."

...

Now with more Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills in hand, Chen Cheng returned home and immediately began preparing to cultivate the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique: boiling water, decocting herbs, and immersing himself in the medicinal bath.

Soaking in the Herbal Decoction, Chen Cheng mulled over the information he’d gotten from Shen Qingshuang.

’With the Black Lotus Sect causing trouble, I should be safe as long as I stay inside Linji City.’

’And the powerful martial experts from the State Cities coming to eliminate the Black Lotus Sect... that doesn’t have much to do with me either.’

’But is anything in this world ever certain? Who knows when the great tide of events might sweep over us all, plunging the world into chaos.’

’I need to increase my own Martial Arts Power as quickly as possible and be prepared.’

After finishing his cultivation of the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique, Chen Cheng began to practice his Powerful Eagle Claw Skill.

After viewing the Fundamental Diagram, Chen Cheng’s mind was still processing the many insights he had yet to fully digest. He stood on the terrace, facing the biting cold wind, his hands shaped into claws as he executed the Powerful Claw Stance.

...

[Powerful Eagle Claw Skill comprehension progress has increased.]

Finally, as the system notification appeared, a sudden clarity dawned on Chen Cheng, and a wave of new insights flooded his mind.