We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 196 Racing Against Time, Cloud Mist Manor
Time is tight.

After a brief disguise, Su Chen rushed to the Huayue Tower, the Shadow Assassin branch in Dafeng City, to purchase information.

Although Ma Chen said that the Liang family might arrest people from the Yun family, Su Chen did not intend to gamble everything and place all his hopes on the Liang family.

Moreover, even if these people who were captured are from the Yun clan, it doesn't mean they know the Golden Body Technique.

Therefore, buying information from Shadow Assassins is Su Chen's best option at the moment.

Since they were traveling along mountain paths, there was no need to worry about being discovered, so Su Chen moved very quickly and arrived in Dafeng City in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

At this moment, news of Su Chen's disturbance at the Luo family had not yet spread, and most people were unaware of it. No one along the streets was discussing the matter.

Upon entering Huayue Tower, things were not much different from usual. Su Chen found a waiter, who quickly led him to see the masked man.

He provided the money, and the masked man did the work. A stack of documents was soon presented to Su Chen.

These are all materials about members of the Yun family. This stack of materials alone shows the profound heritage of the Yun family.

The number of its direct descendants alone might be equivalent to the total population of a small town.

Although not all of these direct descendants are qualified to learn the Golden Body Technique, Su Chen purchased their information just in case.

Such a large-scale purchase of information about the direct descendants of the Yun family naturally attracted the attention of Ying Sha, who sent people to follow them.

After shaking off his pursuers, Su Chen did not leave Dafeng City.

He had previously rented a house in the city for emergencies, and now it came in handy.

The location of the residence is relatively remote. It is a courtyard house, and because it has been uninhabited for a long time, the furniture and beds are covered with dust.

After a quick cleaning, Su Chen took out the documents and began preliminary screening.

The initial screening criteria are simple: just select those who have clearly practiced the Golden Body Technique.

Even so, it took Su Chen several hours to complete the first round of screening from the vast amount of information.

Hundreds of documents were selected from thousands of submissions.

But that's not enough. A second round of screening is needed, which is to find martial artists who have cultivated the complete Golden Body Technique.

Su Chen had inquired with Ma Chen and Ying Sha separately and learned that the Yun Clan's Golden Body Technique had three levels.

Like other sects and families, the Yun clan does not provide all of its cultivation techniques for its members to practice at once.

It clearly stipulates that only those who have completed the first level of cultivation are qualified to obtain the subsequent cultivation methods.

If it were just that, the selection process would be easy; we would simply need to identify those martial artists who had cultivated to the Blood Transformation Realm.

However, in reality, very few members of the Yun clan actually cultivate this technique to the third level.

Most Yun clan disciples only use it as a stepping stone, and when they reach the point where they can no longer cultivate, they turn to other cultivation methods.

Very few people are able to continue cultivating indefinitely.

So even though hundreds of people were selected in the second round, the actual number who met Su Chen's requirements was not that many.

And that's exactly what happened; in the end, only ten spots were selected.

Some of these need to be excluded, because some martial artists are not in Dafeng City, but in the Yun Clan's stronghold, Xiazhou.

Ultimately, only three people met all the criteria.

Su Chen checked the three people's information.

Yun Yao, Blood Transformation Realm Three, Golden Body Minor Completion, Head of Yun Clan Chamber of Commerce...

Yun Bin, a cultivator at the Meridian Opening Realm and the Golden Body Perfection stage, is one of the elders of the Yun Clan and resides in Dafeng City...

Yun Pengju, at the Meridian Opening Realm, with a perfected Golden Body, is the patriarch of the Yun Clan, and resides in Dafeng City...

"Among the three, two are at the Meridian Opening Realm, but their specific strength is unknown. It seems that we can only choose Yun Yao."

There are different levels among martial artists who have opened their meridians. For example, Luo Yuanxiu is a beginner martial artist who is at the bottom of the meridian opening realm.

Yun Bin and Yun Pengju, one an elder of the Yun clan and the other the patriarch of the Yun clan, are both as strong as, or even stronger than, Luo Yuanxiu.

Moreover, both of them held high positions of power and were protected by a large number of attendants when they went out, making it extremely difficult to harm them.

It would be better to choose Yun Yao, a martial artist at the Blood Transformation Realm; one should pick the weakest link.

Su Chen was confident that even if the guards protected him when he traveled, he could knock them unconscious and kidnap them with a single slap.

"According to the information, the Yun Clan Chamber of Commerce only recently moved to Dafeng City. Yun Yao is either socializing or on his way to socializing every day, and he spends most of his time in Dafeng City. It may not be so easy to succeed if we take action directly in Dafeng City."

However, it's not like there's no chance...

Su Chen looked at Yun Yao's information, lost in thought.

……

The moon is bright and the stars are few; the night is still and quiet.

The official road connecting Dafeng City and Fengnan City was pitch black, with howling mountain winds creating an eerie atmosphere.

Su Chen stood on a thick branch of a large tree in the forest, gazing into the distance where the flickering firelight was particularly conspicuous.

If he wasn't mistaken, the visitor was none other than Yun Yao.

Yunyao is very family-oriented. Although he is busy every day, he will return to Fengnan City every ten days to reunite with his family.

Today happened to be the day Yun Yao was returning home, and Su Chen waited early on the official road. Around midnight, Yun Yao's carriage arrived.

The firelight, like a nimble serpent, weaved through the endless darkness, occasionally punctuated by soft shouts and the sounds of approaching carriages.

Su Chen calmed himself down and was already prepared, waiting for the carriage to pass before making his move.

But he soon discovered that the carriage seemed to have encountered some trouble and had stopped some distance away.

"not good!"

Su Chen thought they would continue driving after a short while, but soon he realized something was wrong; the faint sounds of fighting drifted through the air.

This made him realize something was wrong, so he leaped away and sped off towards the location of the carriage.

The sounds of fighting around him grew fainter and fainter, which made Su Chen increasingly anxious.

Fortunately, not long after, the outline of a carriage came into view. Su Chen stared at it and his pupils immediately contracted.

The fighting had stopped at some point, and a blurry figure flashed past Su Chen and disappeared into the darkness.

Su Chen only needed to glance around to know what had happened: someone had gotten there first and captured Yun Yao, and now they intended to take him away.

"Chase!"

Without hesitation, Su Chen quickened his pace to catch up with the figure that had just vanished.

"What about people?"

After chasing for a short while, Su Chen suddenly lost sight of the other person, and his expression changed.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from behind, and a sharp arrow pierced the sky, hurtling towards Su Chen.

Su Chen's eyes narrowed, and at the critical moment, he raised his hand and focused his fingers, his palm slightly bent, instantly condensing dozens of nets of force.

hum!
The sharp arrow pierced the net of force, and was forcibly fixed as if it had hit a target, emitting a series of trembling sounds.

With the slightest resistance, it was penetrated by Su Chen's strength, completely disintegrated, and vanished in mid-air.

call!
It wasn't over yet. Seeing that one move had failed, the person in the shadows struck again.

A powerful surge of energy instantly condensed, transforming into a dark, flowing ribbon that took shape in an instant. Then, a palm strike was unleashed, shaking the air and creating layers of shockwaves.

Su Chen took a half step back, a look of seriousness in his eyes, but his movements did not slow down. After a half-second of preparation, he also struck out with a palm.

boom!
The two palms collided, instantly unleashing a terrifying force. A metallic clang echoed through the tranquil forest, stirring up invisible waves.

Su Chen grunted and retreated rapidly, using the momentum to escape into the forest without looking back. His figure disappeared from the sight of the man in black in the blink of an eye.

"Ran?"

The man in black was still surprised by Su Chen's strength and was planning to kill him with all his might, but in the blink of an eye, the other party took the opportunity to slip away.

This actually surprised him.

After a moment's thought, the man in black finally gave up the pursuit and headed in another direction.

"Yun Yao was indeed knocked unconscious and taken away by this person."

Su Chen was not injured; he did it intentionally.

The opponent is stronger than Luo Yuanxiu, and he is no match for that person. It will be extremely difficult for him to take Yun Yao away from him.

Therefore, Su Chen resorted to a less desirable option, feigning a fight with the opponent while planting a soul-guiding incense on him, and then decisively retreating to lower his guard.

Once the other party leaves, use the Soul-Guiding Worm to track their location and act accordingly.

After running for a while and confirming that no one was following him, Su Chen took out the Soul-Guiding Insect from his pocket.

Following the guidance of the soul-guiding insect, half an hour later, Su Chen arrived near a manor called 'Cloud Mist Manor'.

The villa is built against the mountain, located at the junction of two mountains. It is brightly lit at night, as bright as day, and is very eye-catching.

After observing from the shadows for a while, Su Chen frowned. The defenses of this manor were very tight.

Leaving aside the inside, even just near the outer wall, there was a guard every ten meters, separating the two worlds. To put it simply, not even a fly could get in.

Despite the tight security, Su Chen was unwilling to give up. According to the guidance of the soul-guiding worm, the man in black must have brought Yun Yao into the manor.

As night deepened, Su Chen remained hidden, observing the situation.

These guards are not the same; they change shifts approximately every three hours.

Su Chen planned to make his move when they changed shifts.

As summer approaches, the days are getting longer, and it's basically light around six in the morning. Right now, there are less than three hours until dawn.

Soon, two hours passed.

The east was just beginning to lighten, and the sky was gradually brightening.

Because he hadn't moved for a long time, Su Chen had a little dew on him, but it didn't have much of an impact.

Su Chen estimated the time when the shift would change.

Suddenly, Su Chen's ears twitched slightly, as if he had sensed something, and he abruptly turned his gaze toward the gate of the manor.

"How could it be him?"

A person walked out of the gate, and the familiar face was reflected in Su Chen's pupils, instantly reminding him of the person's identity.

This person was none other than Liang Qingsong, the patriarch of the Liang clan.

"Could this be the Liang family's manor?"

Su Chen looked puzzled, took out the Soul-Guiding Insect from his pocket, and saw it quickly fly in the direction Liang Qingsong had left. He suddenly realized.

"No wonder I always felt his attack moves were somewhat familiar."

The Soul-Guiding Insect helped him verify that the person from last night was Liang Qingsong, the patriarch of the Liang clan, and also confirmed the ownership of this manor.

However, he still didn't quite understand what Liang Qingsong intended to do by kidnapping Yun Yao.

He thought of what Ma Chen had said before, that masked prisoners were often sent to the dungeon of the Liang family. Could there be any connection between the two?
There were still too few clues, and after thinking it over and over, Su Chen couldn't come up with much of a lead, so he gave up.

However, Liang Qingsong's appearance stirred Su Chen's thoughts, and he came up with a way to sneak into the manor.

He didn't intend to wait for the guards to change shifts; instead, he planned to walk in openly and brazenly.

Since it's the Liang family's manor, surely even the Liang family patriarch can't be barred from entering?
With this in mind, Su Chen got up and left. He needed to make thorough preparations before entering.

As the rooster crowed and the sun rose, a new day began, and Su Chen appeared outside the manor with a completely new look.

He had changed his clothes and now looked exactly like Liang Qingsong.

With his altered height, he looks exactly like Liang Qingsong, as if they were cut from the same mold.

Although he had taken on the appearance of Liang Qingsong, he dared not be careless in the slightest.

Fortunately, his face served as his pass, and the guards let him in without even asking him any questions.

Upon entering, Su Chen's first impression was that not even a fly could escape.

Not only were there heavy guards outside, but there were also long patrols inside, with sentries every three or five steps.

Upon seeing Su Chen, the guards would stop and bow, but Su Chen waved his hand dismissively and ignored them.

The second impression was its size. The manor was vast, with roads leading in all directions. The intricate network of roads made Su Chen feel disoriented, unsure of where to go.

After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward. No matter where he went, the first thing he had to do was shake off these guards so that he would have a chance to find Yun Yao.

It should be noted that he not only put the soul-summoning incense on Liang Qingsong, but also on Yun Yao, in order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

After passing through three courtyards, the number of guards decreased significantly, but their strength increased, spreading out in both the visible and hidden areas.

The further Su Chen went, the more alarmed he became. What exactly was the Liang family hiding inside this manor, which had been heavily guarded?
"Master, didn't you leave?"

As they walked into a garden, a voice suddenly rang out, followed by a noblewoman in palace attire walking towards them with a look of delight.

Even in broad daylight, she didn't shy away from snuggling up to Su Chen like a little bird seeking shelter.

"I came back because I have something to take care of."

Judging from the other party's actions, Su Chen guessed that the other party was probably one of Liang Qingsong's wives or concubines, and that Liang Qingsong was very fond of her.

"Is the master finished with his work?" the noblewoman in palace attire asked sweetly.

"Hmm?" Su Chen snorted coldly, without answering.

The noblewoman in palace attire immediately retorted with a playful laugh, "I deserve to die, I shouldn't have asked that question. Then, sir, could you perhaps spend some time with me after you've finished your work?"

The alluring charm on her face, combined with her mature demeanor, made the noblewoman in her palace attire radiantly beautiful.

Especially her body, which exudes desire inside and out, is incredibly alluring and makes one's hormones surge unconsciously.

There's a reason why Liang Qingsong likes noblewomen in palace attire; who could resist such a bewitching woman?

Fortunately, Su Chen was no ordinary person. He lifted the chin of the noblewoman in palace attire and smiled, "No problem."

After seeing off the noblewoman in palace attire, Su Chen found a secluded spot and released the Soul-Guiding Insects.

Although Liang Qingsong and Yun Yao were both covered in soul-attracting incense, the soul-attracting insects could automatically distinguish them based on the strength of the scent.

As long as Yun Yao remains in the manor, the Soul-Guiding Worm will prioritize finding him.

After all, Liang Qingsong had already left the manor, and the lingering scent, however strong, was not as strong as Yun Yao's.

To Su Chen's surprise, the Soul-Guiding Insect found not Yun Yao, but a noblewoman in palace attire.

If Su Chen hadn't intervened in time, the Soul-Guiding Worm would probably have flown onto the noblewoman in palace attire.

Seeing this, Su Chen knew the reason perfectly well. He could only say that Liang Qingsong's skills had aged and could not fill the bottomless pit of the noblewoman in palace attire.

After getting away from the noblewoman in palace attire, Su Chen released the Soul-Guiding Insects again. This time, the Soul-Guiding Insects did not linger on the scent left on the noblewoman in palace attire, but instead flew through the many courtyards to a study that was even larger than the courtyard he had rented.

Along the way, apart from the noble ladies in palace attire, Su Chen did not find any other members of the Liang family.

He guessed that this must be a secret place privately built by Liang Qingsong, with only a noblewoman in palace attire left to guard it.

Whether it is true or not, it makes it convenient for him to do things now.

The study was very large, and even though Su Chen knew there were mechanisms inside, he still felt somewhat at a loss as to where to begin.

Fortunately, there was a soul-guiding worm; it hovered on one of the bookshelves and stopped moving.

Su Chen glanced at the titles of the books on the bookshelf; most of them were about the rise of the Liang family, nothing particularly special.

The rest of the bookshelves contained only regular books, not the martial arts manuals Su Chen had imagined.

Noticing the location where the soul-guiding insects were hovering, Su Chen tried them one by one and soon discovered that one of the books could not be pulled out.

This made him beam with joy, indicating that he had found the key.

"somebody is coming."

Before he could be happy for long, Su Chen's expression changed as he heard footsteps coming from not far away.

"What are you doing here?" He left the bookshelf, frowning as he looked at the lone noblewoman in palace attire.

The noblewoman in palace attire had lost her initial alluring and charming demeanor; her beautiful eyes were now fixed on Su Chen, yearning for him.

"You are not Liang Qingsong."

The noblewoman in palace attire's next words made Su Chen's heart skip a beat: "I followed Liang Qingsong when I was eighteen and have served him for twenty years without fail. I know him inside and out."

"When did you discover it?" Su Chen did not refute, and the golden needle quietly condensed.

“When I made advances toward you,” the noblewoman in palace attire gave Su Chen a deep look, “he wouldn’t have been unresponsive.”

Su Chen: "..."

Su Chen coughed lightly, attempting to defend himself, "I am a gentleman."

The noblewoman in palace attire remained silent, gazing at Su Chen with a beaming smile.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Su Chen's face, but he quickly regained his composure and asked, "Since you've discovered me, why don't you expose me?"

"Because I believe you are a virtuous man." The noblewoman in palace attire chuckled softly.

Then, as if knowing Su Chen's intention, he looked at the bookshelf next to him and said, "There is indeed a secret passage inside the bookshelf, but only Liang Qingsong can open the hidden door. Even I have never been inside."

"What exactly are you planning?" Su Chen asked, frowning.

The other party didn't seem to want to arrest him; instead, they wanted him to try something out. This attitude left him somewhat confused.

From her words just now, Su Chen could deduce Liang Qingsong's trust in her.

After all, twenty years of service is enough to earn someone's trust.

Furthermore, the fact that the entire manor only had one noblewoman in palace attire indicates that Liang Qingsong not only trusted her but also entrusted her with important responsibilities, putting the manor under her management.

Judging from her current behavior, the lady in palace attire does not seem to be loyal to Liang Qingsong.

"You are the first person to break into the manor. I want you to try to open the secret door in the secret passage."

(End of this chapter)