Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 103 The Lady's Credibility

"The Mysterious Yin Body of the Centuries-Old Earth Lotus"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping his fingertips rhythmically on the armrest of his chair. He then turned his gaze to Xu Shenzhi and suddenly let out a soft, enigmatic laugh:

“Young Master Xu, this is hardly a way of presenting a treasure; you clearly want to use me to avenge the annulment of your engagement.”

These two so-called "opportunities" point to the Han family, from which Han Ling'er was born, and to Wang Zhilan herself.

The intention behind it is obvious and requires no further thought.

Xu Shenzhi did not try to hide it. After hearing Chen Sheng's words, he immediately nodded and admitted it frankly:
“Commander, you are wise. Everything Shenzhi said is true. But Shenzhi also admits that he does have selfish motives. However, the right to choose is now entirely in your hands. Whether to take it or not, when to take it, and how to take it are all decided by you. Shenzhi has no intention of coercing you in the slightest.”

Xu Shenzhi understood that in front of someone like Chen Sheng, trying to play mind games and deliberately conceal his true intentions would only backfire and arouse suspicion.

It would be better to be honest and straightforward, as this would at least show some sincerity.

He thought that Chen Sheng might be wary of the Wang family's power and would refrain from taking action against Wang Zhilan for the time being.

However, given Chen Sheng's domineering personality and pursuit of power displayed at the Huang family that day, it was impossible for him not to be tempted by the Han family's century-old Earth Core Lotus, which could directly enhance cultivation.

This was an open conspiracy, and also his only chance in the short term to get revenge.

Otherwise, he alone would be in trouble.

Let alone shaking the Wang family, if the Xu family doesn't support him, he can't even shake the Han family in the slightest.

Although the Han family has declined somewhat in recent years, with the unexpected death of a powerful Earthly Fiend Realm expert, there are still Innate Realm experts in the clan, making them difficult for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator to deal with.

Moreover, he suspected that the Han family might have sided with the Wang family.

In this way, they become an existence he cannot afford to offend.

Chen Sheng leaned back in his chair, looking slightly languid, and then casually posed a question:
"Then, what is this so-called family treasure that your Xu family has passed down for so many years?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shenzhi's expression changed drastically and he froze instantly, a hint of undisguised panic flashing in his eyes.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze. Xu Shen subconsciously looked up abruptly and met Chen Sheng's all-knowing, slightly mocking sneer. His heart sank.

His mind raced, and he dared not conceal anything any longer. He quickly bowed, his voice trembling slightly.

"Reporting to the commander, the most precious thing in my Xu family is a spirit tree. This tree can only bear fruit once every ten years. The spirit fruit has the miraculous effect of cleansing the marrow and refining the meridians. Its medicinal power is even stronger than the top-grade Pure Yuan Pill on the market."

However, this fruit can only be taken once in a lifetime; multiple uses are ineffective. If the commander is interested, Shenzhi should immediately return home and retrieve it for him, presenting it to him with both hands.

After listening, Chen Sheng smiled faintly.

These so-called aristocratic families indeed share similar foundations. Their so-called clan treasures are nothing more than cultivation resources that can bless future generations and ensure the continuation of the clan's fortune.

"I am aware of what you have said, and I will take care of it in the future."

Chen Sheng's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, nor what he was thinking at that moment:
"Since you are sincerely willing to serve, then stay."

Just as Xu Shenzhi had predicted, Chen Sheng had a great interest in any treasure that could improve one's cultivation.

He had already memorized the Han family's century-old Earth Lotus, but this matter required careful consideration. He would have to wait until he was promoted to the prefectural city before he could make any plans to take action.

As for the Xuan Yin Body possessed by Wang Zhilan, the legitimate daughter of the Wang family, although it was more alluring, it also carried greater risks.

The Wang family's power is deeply entrenched and cannot be easily shaken by him at this stage.

This matter can only be put aside for now and left for later.

If the time is right, and he has no fear of the Wang family, he would naturally not mind having a taste if given the opportunity.

But if there's no chance, he won't keep it in his mind.

"Your subordinate thanks you for taking me in, sir!"

Xu Shenzhi felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He quickly and solemnly bowed.

In the following days, Chen Sheng continued to devote most of his time to the tedious practice of cultivation.

That thirty-year-old Snow Lake Flower truly possesses extraordinary medicinal properties.

Although taking the medicine raw wasted a lot of its potency, it still allowed Chen Sheng's cultivation to make significant progress.

The innate true energy transformed from refining just one petal was enough to equal half a month of his arduous cultivation.

If one can completely refine it, one's cultivation level will definitely rise to another level.

However, Chen Sheng was also aware that even so, there was still a considerable gap between him and the peak of the Chaoyuan Realm.

But he was mentally prepared for this.

The path of cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses. To expect to ascend to heaven in one step by relying on a single spiritual herb is nothing short of a fool's dream.

As far as he knew, even for those disciples of major sects with abundant resources, it usually took several years of painstaking effort to go from the initial stage of the Innate Realm to the peak of the Chaoyuan Realm, and that was already considered an extremely fast pace.

This is because it is not only the accumulation of true qi, but also the process of continuously purifying, refining, and controlling true qi.

The vast majority of innate martial artists in the world simply do not possess inexhaustible resources. This is precisely why many innate martial artists struggle to make any progress in their cultivation throughout their entire lives.

There's no other reason than that resources are scarce.

"My lord, Madam Yang is outside requesting an audience."

Just as Chen Sheng was immersed in cultivation, Yan Ming's voice suddenly came from outside the tent.

"Please come in, madam."

Chen Sheng slowly finished his practice, opened his eyes, and spat out a condensed white arrow of energy from his mouth, which dissipated about a foot away.

Madam Yang remained as charming as ever, her well-tailored brocade dress perfectly highlighting her voluptuous figure. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she had dressed up meticulously for this trip.

Chen Sheng glanced at her and immediately understood her purpose.

It seems that the lady's reputation has soared again.

"Commander Chen."

Madam Yang glanced around and, seeing that there were no outsiders in the tent, she disregarded formalities and gracefully walked to Chen Sheng's side, naturally sitting down next to him.

The rounded curves were taut, and a fragrance quickly wafted from his body.

Chen Sheng's gaze unconsciously twitched.

Thinking to myself, it seems the peach blossoms are in bloom again.

"Madam, did you come today because of the robbery of the Yang family's merchant ship?" Chen Sheng had all sorts of thoughts in his mind, but he didn't show any of them on the surface and went straight to the point.

"How...how did you know?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Madam Yang's beautiful eyes.

"This matter has already spread like wildfire throughout the city. As the commander of the military battalion, if I were unaware of even this, wouldn't that be dereliction of duty?" Chen Sheng said calmly.

In fact, he not only knew about the robbery of the Yang family's merchant ship, but also knew that it was just a trap set by the Green Wolf Village gang to lure him out of the city.

Behind this lies a plot against him.

Seeing that Chen Sheng already knew, Madam Yang stopped beating around the bush, and a look of worry appeared on her pretty face:
"It is because of this matter that my Yang family's merchant ships have been robbed one after another in the past few days, resulting in considerable losses. My brother once sent people to Qinglang Village to negotiate, trying to pay money to avoid further trouble, but those bandits showed no mercy and were very tough."

Therefore, my brother suspects there might be a trap involved, and it's very likely aimed at you. He specifically sent me here to warn you not to fall into their trap and rashly leave the city.”

Yang Yi had been operating in Changshan County for many years and had extensive experience dealing with various river bandits.

The Green Wolf Stronghold's actions this time were so unusual; if they weren't after money, then they must have some other motive. Considering the previous annihilation of the Black Serpent Water Stronghold by Chen Sheng and the subsequent changes, Yang Yi quickly focused his attention on Chen Sheng.

After all, the entire Changshan County now knows that the Yang family has bowed down to Chen Sheng, and attacking the Yang family would be disrespectful to Chen Sheng, but these bandits still insist on going their own way.

Then guessing the truth becomes quite simple.

Hearing this, Chen Sheng was genuinely surprised.

He had originally thought that the Yang family had sent Madam Yang to ask him to send troops to suppress the bandits and recover their losses. He never expected that Yang Yi would be so astute; not only did he not intend to do so, but he had also sent someone specifically to warn him to be careful of traps.

Sure enough, none of these cunning old foxes who were able to thrive in the local area were easy to deal with.

Why do you have that expression?

Madam Yang noticed the subtle change in Chen Sheng's expression and couldn't help but give him a playful glare: "You don't actually think that my Yang family has come to beg you to come out of the city to suppress the bandits, do you?"

Now that the Gao and Huang families have been destroyed one after another, other forces in Changshan County dare not act rashly due to Chen Sheng's power, and a large amount of benefits and resources naturally flow to the Yang family.

As long as the Yang family can steadily digest these gains, it is not impossible for them not only to restore their former glory, but also to surpass the tripartite balance of power among the three clans of Changshan.

Furthermore, Yang Yi knew that all of this stemmed from Chen Sheng's presence.

Without Chen Sheng, this "demon," to keep them in check, the other forces in Changshan County would have long been unable to restrain themselves. Compared to that, losing a few ships of goods was nothing to them.

"nothing."

Chen Sheng smiled and said, "It just so happens that I am also ready to send troops to suppress the bandits."

He had previously held back for two reasons: first, he had not yet broken through to the Innate Realm and his strength was insufficient; second, after breaking through, he needed time to stabilize his realm and planned to refine the Snow Lake Flower to improve his strength.

But since the other party is so eager to die, he will naturally grant their wish.

After all, Mr. Chen has always been kind-hearted and can't stand seeing others suffer from unrequited hope.

Furthermore, news of his breakthrough to the Innate Realm must have already reached the city.

Now is the time to make new contributions.

Suppressing the Changshan bandits who were terrorizing the region was a significant achievement. If he could kill a Xiantian (a high-level cultivator), it would be even more extraordinary. Given his merits, the higher-ups wouldn't just assign him a position arbitrarily.

After all, if you really think about it, he can be considered someone with connections now.

However, this background is somewhat dubious; it's currently just Wu Kuang's connections.

But even so, it's enough.

In his eyes, these river bandits were no longer ordinary bandits, but rather stepping stones for him to advance to a higher position of power!
“Both my brother and I have said there’s a trap involved; it’s clearly aimed at you.”

When Madam Yang saw that Chen Sheng was really going to make a move, she became anxious and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Don't worry, madam."

Chen Sheng waved his hand, his tone filled with strong confidence: "Since I dare to go, I am naturally not afraid of any ambush they may set up."

"But this time it is very likely that multiple bandits have joined forces and laid a trap. I know you are very strong, but even a tiger can hardly fight against a pack of wolves. You must not act rashly."

Mrs. Yang's face was full of worry.

Since their first meeting, she had fallen completely in love with him and didn't want Chen Sheng to take any risks.

"Just relax."

Chen Sheng gently patted the back of Madam Yang's hand, which was resting on her lap, to comfort her.

Seeing his confident and self-assured demeanor, Madam Yang, despite her many worries and countless words of advice, could no longer utter a single word of admonition.

After all, what fascinated her most deep down was Chen Sheng's husbandly air of being able to control everything.

Whenever she saw Chen Sheng like this, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

"Then be careful in everything."

All those words can be summed up in this one heartfelt admonition.

"Madam, you must have come here for more than just this one matter today, right?"

Chen Sheng changed the subject, his gaze seemingly able to see through people's hearts.

"Are you... are you some kind of mind reader? How do you know everything?"

Madam Yang was taken aback again. It was understandable that Chen Sheng knew about the hijacking of the merchant ship, but she was still hesitant to speak up about this second matter.

"By observing the lady's expression, one can guess a thing or two."

Chen Sheng said calmly.

This was no exaggeration; he did indeed glean some information from Madam Yang's expression.

After a moment's hesitation, Madam Yang finally told the truth:

"Yesterday, Lin Shou went to the Yang family and talked to me about some things."

"What's the matter?"

He said he didn't want a divorce.

Madam Yang recounted in a low voice the details of Lin Shou's visit and conversation the previous day.

In summary, after witnessing Chen Sheng's breakthrough to the Innate Realm, Lin Shou concluded that Chen Sheng was about to be promoted to a high position in the prefecture.

Furthermore, he believed that Chen Sheng, for the sake of his future, would certainly not want to bear the stigma of 'seizing another man's wife,' and thus used this to 'persuade' Madam Yang to give up the idea of ​​divorce, implying that he could turn a blind eye to this matter and what would happen afterward.

After all, given Chen Sheng's qualifications and potential, barring any unforeseen circumstances, many prominent families would be willing to form marriage alliances with him.

At the same time, Lin Shou also made a request that can only be described as absurd.

If Madam Yang has children with Chen Sheng in the future, she hopes that they will take his surname, Lin, and be raised by him to continue the family line.

After all, although he had no interest in women, he did not want the Lin family line to end.

Chen Sheng scoffed after hearing this, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm:
"Ha, this old fellow, he's really dreaming."

Then, Chen Sheng's tone turned cold:
"You don't need to worry about this matter; leave it to me."

It seems that Lin Shou has lost sight of his place.

It's not enough for them to just sit quietly and collect their share of the money; they even dare to harbor delusional thoughts. They really need to be given a good talking-to.

Even if he leaves Changshan, it's not up to Lin Shou to make the decisions here.

A puppet should look like a puppet.

As for his offspring, Chen Sheng has never considered this at this stage, because in his view, it would only be a burden that adds to his worries and hinders his pursuit of the pinnacle of martial arts.

"My concubine understands."

Seeing Chen Sheng's resolute attitude, Madam Yang immediately stopped talking, pursed her lips, and whispered:
"Chen Sheng, I've... figured it out."

A slight smile curved Chen Sheng's lips:
“Perfect timing, I’ve figured it out too.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(End of this chapter)