Chapter 35

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As Father opened the brocade box and held the distorted wooden figure in his hand, Chen Qing sneered again, saying, "The gift Yao Xing sent is so meager, no more than a grudge against Father for treating him harshly..."

Chen Qing was full of resentment towards Chen Hai, not even bothering to give the dark yang wood figure a proper glance. Such a strangely shaped figure, only three or four inches tall, even if it were made of high-quality yang spirit wood, what could be so precious about it?

"However much it is, it's Xing'er's heart," Chen Lie knew that Chen Qing had a deep prejudice against Xing'er, so he ignored her words and said with a smile, playing with the wooden figure in his hand. At first, he also found the shape very strange, and it felt rough to the touch, as if it had never been polished...

"What kind of heart is this? If he just carves a wooden figure at random, it counts as a heart, then what about the years I spent helping Father carefully cultivate those two nine-leaf orchids?" Chen Qing persisted, her resentment towards Yao Xing evident, but in front of Chen Lie, she couldn't help but show the petulant attitude of a young daughter, hoping that Father would throw away the ugly wooden figure.

Ge Tong, Shen Kun, and others knew Chen Hai's abilities and that he wanted to incorporate martial arts secrets into the wooden figure, so they could more easily see the martial arts aura the figure possessed; Chen Qing, Chen Zhang, and others, full of disdain, only found the figure's strange shape awkward and ugly.

As a late-stage Ming Qiao realm powerhouse, Chen Lie had long opened his ancestral qi sea, which connected his mind to the heavens.

When Chen Lie seriously examined the wooden figure in his hand, he felt a powerful, pure, and righteous aura emanate from it, causing his ancestral qi sea to tremble uncontrollably.

Such a strong martial arts aura, capable of moving his spirit, how could this be possible?

Chen Hai allowed the aura from the wooden figure to enter his ancestral qi sea. Under the illumination of his mind, the ancestral qi sea transformed into a surging river, and this pure and righteous aura condensed into a vague fish-shaped shadow, as if trying to leap high against the current...

The essence of the aura was so complete that it was about to form a secret image! And this shadow subtly stirred the vast true essence in his spirit sea, ready to surge into the Foot Jue Yang spirit meridian...

How could this be possible?

Chen Lie suppressed the surging waves in his heart, frowned, and turned the wooden figure in his palm, his eyes scanning the faces of his daughter Chen Qing, Zhao Shan, Qian Wenyi, and the others, asking solemnly:

"Is this wooden figure carved by Xing'er himself?"

Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi had not noticed anything special about the wooden figure, and now that Chen Lie had it in his hand, they couldn't see anything clearly, but since Chen Lie asked, they had to tell the truth:

"... When the young master took out the wooden figure, it was already a semi-finished product, but the last few dozen cuts were done by the young master in one go, as we saw with our own eyes."

"What's the point? Even if he carved it himself, what kind of heart is that? I can carve a hundred, a thousand for Father tomorrow," Chen Qing, still in the mindset of a young daughter, pouted in dissatisfaction.

Chen Lie ignored Chen Qing's mischief, pondered for a moment, and returned the two cold iron knives to Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi. He then said to the more mature Zhao Shan:

"Indeed, Xing'er shouldn't be allowed to run wild outside without supervision. You go to Mengyi City and keep an eye on Xing'er to prevent him from causing trouble. Choose two capable people to accompany you, so you can support each other if anything happens. And tell Xing'er that I am very satisfied with the wooden figure, but he should only carve for fun and not give it away easily."

Chen Qing thought that Father was sending Zhao Shan to Mengyi to strictly control the rogue Yao Xing, so she had no complaints. Chen Zhang, however, frowned, thinking that while Father was ostensibly sending Zhao Shan to watch over Yao Xing, he was also tacitly allowing Yao Xing to continue operating the armor shop in Mengyi under the Chen family's name...

Zhao Shan, among the household guards, was not the highest in cultivation, with several late-stage Bi Ling realm direct-line descendants remaining in Weijiang City to assist with military affairs. But Chen Zhang knew that Qian Wenyi and Zhao Shan were absolutely trusted by their adoptive father Chen Lie, otherwise they wouldn't have been stationed at the Jian Yun Cliff cave.

Now, adoptive father Chen Lie was sending Zhao Shan to Mengyi with two more people, ostensibly to watch over Yao Xing, but also to give him enough manpower to command!

Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi exchanged a glance, unsure why the family head had suddenly made this decision, but they could only follow orders.

**************

After reporting on the trip to Yulong Manor and Mengyi, Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi left the main residence and returned to the village at the foot of the mountain to rest and prepare for the journey to Mengyi.

"Ah, it's not as enjoyable as being in the army. We didn't have to worry about these troubles before. Do you think the lord still has expectations for the young master?" Back at the village, with no outsiders around, Qian Wenyi couldn't help but sigh, voicing his doubts to Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan smiled bitterly, knowing that some things were not to be discussed privately with Qian Wenyi, so he didn't respond.

Unlike the previous trip to Yulong Mountain with Miss Chen Qing, which took over ten days, Zhao Shan didn't know how long he would stay in Mengyi this time. He had to pack his armor, bow, horse, and other luggage.

And the family head said to choose two more people to go to Mengyi, but he didn't know who would be willing to serve the notorious young master.

Qian Wenyi, with a rougher temperament, patted Zhao Shan's shoulder in comfort, saying, "I think the young master has changed a lot since going to Tieliu Ridge and might really strive to achieve something."

"If the young master doesn't reform, I can endure a few years of hardship, but I'm afraid he really wants to achieve something..." Zhao Shan couldn't help but vent his frustrations.

Hearing Zhao Shan's words, Qian Wenyi was initially stunned, not understanding what he meant, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt there was a hidden meaning. He asked uncertainly, "Are you worried that the young lord has some ideas?"

Zhao Shan nodded but didn't continue.

He knew that if the family head truly had expectations for the young master Yao Xing, their situation as subordinates would be even more difficult.

The young lord Chen Zhang was an adopted son, not a direct descendant, and whether the family head would pass the family business to the adopted son or the direct nephew, the young master, was still uncertain.

Staying at Jian Yun Cliff was simpler for Qian Wenyi. Miss Chen Qing sometimes had a temper, but she was kind-hearted and would protect them in times of need. If they did something wrong, the worst they would get was a scolding.

This time, going to Mengyi, he was actually sent by the family head to help the young master establish himself in Mengyi. Whether it would be a blessing or a curse was hard to predict, but at least the young lord Chen Zhang would be on guard against him from now on.

If possible, Zhao Shan would never want to get involved in this mess, but with the family head's order, he had no choice but to comply.

At this moment, hearing the gate to the courtyard being pushed open, Zhao Shan looked out and saw the young lord Chen Zhang walking in with two servants.

"Does the young lord have any instructions?" Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi went out to greet him.

"You've just returned, and you haven't even had a drink, and Zhao Shan is going to Mengyi again," Chen Zhang stood in the courtyard, hands behind his back, looking up at the green locust tree, seemingly admiring something, and asked casually, "You've met Yao Xing. Has he been diligently cultivating at Tieliu Ridge Daoist Academy recently?"

As if afraid Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi would misunderstand, Chen Zhang added, "Yao Xing has caused Father a lot of worry. As a son, I must help Father share the burden."

"We only spoke a few words to the young master and then parted," Zhao Shan thought about saying something to please the young lord, "The young master's cultivation was destroyed in the Yao clan, so it's much harder for him to start over. I'm not sure if he has been diligently cultivating."

"Even if he has the heart to start over, it will take many times more resources than a normal person, and the results may not be certain," Chen Zhang waved his hand and said to Zhao Shan, "Let's not talk about this. I came to tell you that I won't hold it against you for serving Yao Xing in the past. You still need to keep an eye on him and prevent him from causing trouble in Mengyi, tarnishing Father's reputation. Also, Father asked you to choose some people to go with you. I think Chen An and Chen Fugtian are quite capable, so you should take them..."

Chen Zhang pointed to the two capable servants who had come with him, specifically asking Zhao Shan to take them to Mengyi.

"Alright." Zhao Shan didn't expect the young lord to come in person to warn him and even send two trusted subordinates to watch over the young master, but he couldn't refuse.

Qian Wenyi was startled, now understanding why Zhao Shan had looked so worried earlier.

Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi were subordinates and household ministers, with a higher status; Chen An and Chen Fugtian were direct-line slaves granted the Chen surname, theoretically of lower status, but sometimes more trusted by their masters.

**************

At this moment, Chen Hai was unaware of the subtle developments at Jian Yun Cliff. His soul and consciousness had submerged into the Blood Cloud Wasteland, and his puppet clone stood on the remains of a Raksha ghost.

Although the hiding place he had chosen far from the temple stone valley was in a deep crevice, the Rebirth Array of the Raksha Realm had been activated twice in the past month, filling the vast Blood Cloud Wasteland with even more resurrected Raksha ghosts.

Despite thinking he was far enough from the temple stone valley, the crevice was still teeming with Raksha ghosts.

Finally, a Raksha ghost discovered something amiss in the crevice where he was hiding.

After the Raksha ghost dug out the two large rocks blocking the entrance, Chen Hai had nowhere to hide.

In the narrow cave, the martial arts and dual spear techniques he had practiced could not be fully utilized, and he was forced to use the puppet clone's sharp claws to fight the Raksha ghost in close combat.

After stepping on the Raksha ghost's blood-soaked corpse, the puppet clone was also severely injured, with its blood-red skin, tougher than leather armor, torn in several places, and large chunks of flesh falling off. The blood, like strong acid, sizzled and smoked as it dripped onto the cracked rocks...

Chen Hai was worried about how to heal the puppet clone's injuries, as Left Ear had not taught him the method to refine the puppet clone. At this moment, the puppet clone's ancestral qi sea suddenly opened, transforming into an endless blood-red sky. A towering Raksha ghost stood under the blood-red sky, exuding an overwhelmingly fierce demonic aura.

The sudden appearance of the Raksha demon secret image startled Chen Hai.

At first glance, the Raksha demon secret image seemed no different from the martial arts secret shapes he had previously understood, but the demonic aura he felt from it was so intense that he felt as small as an ant. He realized that this demonic secret image was far superior to the so-called martial arts secret shapes in terms of realm.

Could this be what Left Ear had directly implanted into the puppet clone's ancestral qi sea, to help him understand the true Raksha Blood Refinement Secret Technique?

As Chen Hai was puzzled, a mysterious mantra, similar to Raksha language, suddenly resounded in his ancestral qi sea, forming countless blood-light symbols that surrounded the Raksha demon secret image under the blood-red sky...

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