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

Chapter 64 The Great Earthquake of Changshan!

"What did you say? The soldiers have surrounded the Gao family's house?!"

Inside the Huang family's main hall, Huang Dongchun was struck dumb upon hearing the news. He sprang up from his armchair, his face filled with disbelief and astonishment.

The celadon teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and the scalding tea splashed onto his brocade robe, but he was completely unaware.

Elder Huang Ke, who was standing nearby, also changed his expression drastically and hurriedly stepped forward to ask:

"What exactly happened? Explain yourself!"

The Huang family member who came to deliver the message was pale-faced and his voice trembled:
"Nephew... Nephew doesn't know the specifics either. He only saw a large number of soldiers surrounding the Gao residence, barging in with murderous intent, saying that the Gao family colluded with river bandits and intended to commit treason."

"Who led the troops?" Huang Ke asked urgently, his brows furrowed.

"It seems to be Chen Sheng."

The young member of the Huang family tried hard to recall the thrilling scene that had just unfolded, and finally nodded affirmatively: "That's right, it was Chen Sheng from Beicheng. I saw him when we were confronting the Baisha Gang. He was the one who personally led his men into the Gao family."

"impossible!"

Huang Dongchun's face instantly turned ashen, his eyes flashing with shock and anger. "This is absolutely impossible!"

He simply couldn’t believe the news. Chen Sheng should have been buried in Black Snake Water Village, so how could he possibly be in Changshan County and besieging the Gao family with government troops?

Huang Ke frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure you saw it clearly? Is it really Chen Sheng?"

"It's absolutely true. It's him." The Huang family member said with certainty, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Upon receiving such a definite answer, Huang Ke couldn't help but gasp and subconsciously looked at the family head, Huang Dongchun.

The usually composed head of the Huang family now had a face so dark it could drip water, and his clenched fists were white at the knuckles, clearly indicating that he was deeply shaken.

"It seems we've miscalculated again."

The Huang family's great-uncle, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke, his voice low and solemn: "Not only has Chen Sheng returned alive, but judging from this situation, even the Black Serpent Water Village probably no longer exists."

"But... how is that possible?"

Huang Dongchun still found it hard to accept the fact: "Chen Sheng is just a martial artist in the Bone Forging Realm. How could he possibly withstand the combined attack from both inside and outside by the Ink Dragon Xu Meng and Chu Yueshan?"

In order to eliminate Chen Sheng, this major threat, the three families went to great lengths this time. They first lured Chen Sheng to Black Snake Water Village under the pretext of bandit suppression, and arranged for Xu Meng and Chu Yueshan to work together from the inside and outside. At the same time, they sent people to closely monitor the movements of County Magistrate Wu Kuang.

In Huang Dongchun's view, such an arrangement was flawless, and even if Chen Sheng had extraordinary abilities, he would have no chance of survival.

"Could it be that Li Huaisheng assisted in this?" Huang Ke suddenly thought of a possibility, and his face became even more unsightly.

Ever since the Huang family was lured away from their mountain stronghold and the Spirit Essence Gu was stolen, they have suspected that Li Huaisheng may have already defected to Chen Sheng.

However, this matter involved Huang family secrets, and they did not inform the other two families.

Could it really be that Li Huaisheng did something wrong and changed the course of the battle?

"That's impossible!"

Huang Dongchun denied it categorically, "Although Li Huaisheng is at the Marrow Transformation Realm, he specializes in poison techniques. His strength in a direct confrontation is mediocre. Both Chu Yueshan and Xu Meng are stronger than him."

As a family that had served Li Huaisheng for many years, the Huang family knew his strength all too well. They were adept at using him to secretly poison people, but Li Huaisheng had absolutely no chance of winning a direct confrontation with two experts at the Marrow Transformation Realm.

"It couldn't be another leak that gave Chen Sheng time to prepare, could it?" Huang Ke frowned, his tone tinged with anxiety.

"Alright, there's no point in dwelling on this now."

Huang's great-uncle stood up, his expression solemn. "No matter how Chen Sheng manages to turn the tide, the most urgent task is that we must not sit idly by and watch the Gao family perish." He looked around at everyone present and said firmly, "Patriarch, Huang Ke, you must immediately lead men to the Gao family to provide support. If the government insists on taking action, we will no longer tolerate this."

At the same time, quickly send someone to inform the Yang family of this matter. Yang Yi is a smart man; he should also understand the principle of mutual dependence.

The old man paused, then continued, "Also, immediately send someone to report to Magistrate Lin Shou. I think he doesn't want to see Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng's family become too powerful."

Huang's great-uncle saw it clearly: although the three families were openly and secretly fighting each other on a daily basis, they were always united when facing pressure from the government.

Once the Gao family is destroyed, the Huang and Yang families will also be in grave danger. And Magistrate Lin Shou, a clever man who has always maintained a balance among the various forces, will never want to see Wu Kuang's power grow too strong and break the existing pattern.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away." Huang Dongchun nodded heavily, turned around and strode away.

He had wanted to teach the arrogant Chen Sheng a lesson back when the White Sand Gang was in a standoff, but he had to hold back due to the situation. Now that the opportunity had come his way, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

Watching the patriarch's departing figure, a sharp glint flashed in the cloudy eyes of the Huang family's great-uncle. The rapid changes in the situation had exceeded his expectations, causing even this seasoned old man to feel somewhat uneasy.

Meanwhile, a similar scene was unfolding inside the Yang family mansion.

Yang Yi was equally shocked upon hearing the news.

He immediately convened core members of his family to discuss countermeasures and ultimately made the same decision as the Huang family: on the one hand, he sent someone to ask Magistrate Lin Shou for help, and on the other hand, he personally led the Yang family's experts to the Gao family to provide support.

At this moment, the seemingly loose alliance of the three major families in Changshan County displayed astonishing unity when faced with a life-or-death threat.

at the same time.

The entire Changshan County was in a state of shock at this moment.

After all, the government's troop deployment cannot be kept secret, especially since the government troops directly surrounded the Gao family and launched a direct attack on the Gao family for colluding with river bandits and plotting rebellion.

Many people even witnessed the soldiers storming the Gao family's house.

The news spread rapidly, and Changshan was shaken to its core.

After all, the Gao family was no small family; they were a true aristocratic clan with a history of over a hundred years. There was once a folk song circulating in Changshan County: "The government has no say; the three clans of Changshan are the only ones who truly rule!"
The so-called Changshan Three Clans refer to the Gao, Huang, and Yang families.

This demonstrates just how high his prestige and power were.

But now, the government troops are actually going to wipe out the Gao family. How can this not be shocking?
Inside the Gao Family Ancestral Hall, Chen Sheng seemed oblivious to the undercurrents swirling within the city.

He held a palm-sized piece of golden jade paste in his hand, examining it closely. The object was crystal clear, radiating a faint golden luster, and felt warm to the touch, with a subtle coolness within it.

This is precisely the Buddhist body-refining elixir mentioned in the Heavenly Book of "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune"—the Golden Jade Ointment. According to the Heavenly Book, this item has miraculous effects on body refining and is especially suitable for practitioners of Buddhist cultivation methods.

What Chen Sheng found regrettable was that the Golden Jade Paste was not complete; a portion of it had clearly been used. However, even so, the remaining half should be enough for his cultivation needs.

However, a question also arose in his mind:

Why would such a Buddhist treasure end up in the Gao family?
As far as he knew, the Golden Jade Ointment was a secret recipe of the Buddhist sect, made from a variety of rare and precious medicinal herbs. Even in the prefectural city, it was a rare treasure. Needless to say, it was also a rare find in Changshan. The Gao family had no dealings with the Buddhist sect, so the appearance of this item here was truly puzzling.

Chen Sheng stroked the gold and jade ointment in his hand, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

It seems that there may be some unknown secrets hidden behind the Gao family.

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.

First day of the month, begging for monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)