Chapter 96

Old Master Fu and Shangguan Junyi’s confrontation seemed frequent, but in reality, it only lasted a moment. After many rounds, the lights in various rooms of the Flowery Hall began to turn on one by one. The people awakened by the explosion of spiritual energy ran out of their rooms and saw the courtyard littered with broken tiles and leaves, a scene of utter chaos.

Shangguan Junyi stood outside a room, looking at the door that Old Master Fu had crashed through, with a hint of helplessness on her face.

Old Master Fu, who had been struck on the back, felt a powerful and domineering spiritual energy swirling and leaping within him, continuously tearing at his meridians, causing him excruciating pain and a faint urge to vomit.

The "Two Extremes Yin-Yang Technique" possessed both the characteristics of a cultivation method and a spiritual skill, renowned for its immense destructive power. Even in ancient times, it was considered one of the top-tier cultivation methods. Although Shangguan Junyi had retracted most of her palm force, the direct impact still inflicted severe injuries on Old Master Fu.

He endured the pain, using his arms to support his trembling body, and looked up to see a woman in a green robe standing about two meters away inside the room. She had a graceful figure, her left hand covering her face, and was slowly approaching him.

"Miss, it’s this old servant," Old Master Fu said in a trembling voice. "These past years, Master has been missing you dearly. He specially ordered me to come and invite you to a gathering in the capital. I hope you will agree and not let Master’s heartfelt intentions go to waste."

The woman in the green robe took two steps forward, coming to stand in front of Old Master Fu, and slowly extended her white, crystal-clear right hand.

"Miss..." Old Master Fu’s face lit up with joy, about to say more.

"Where did you come from, you scoundrel!" The woman suddenly shot several green threads of spiritual energy from her palm, piercing into Old Master Fu’s limbs. The corrosive power of the spiritual energy instantly paralyzed his limbs, rendering him unable to move. "Daring to intrude into my room!"

"Miss..." Old Master Fu felt all his senses being severed, struggling to open his mouth to call out, but no sound came out.

The woman in the green robe’s eyes flashed with a fierce light, about to activate her spiritual energy to take his life, when she suddenly heard Zhong Wen’s loud and urgent cry: "Sister Qinglian, show mercy!"

It turned out that this was Ye Qinglian’s room.

Zhong Wen quickly dashed to Ye Qinglian’s side and considerately handed her a hat with a veil.

Ye Qinglian had been following Zhong Wen’s instructions to restore her facial skin and had not covered her face, staying in her room to avoid being seen. When she saw a stranger intrude, she was startled and enraged, and without hesitation, she struck to kill. If not for Zhong Wen’s timely shout, Old Master Fu would already be a cold, lifeless corpse.

Seeing the hat Zhong Wen handed her, Ye Qinglian’s expression softened. She withdrew the spiritual energy from her right hand, took the hat, and put it on, letting the veil fall in front of her face. From the outside, one could only vaguely discern her delicate oval face, unable to see her features or the scars on her face.

"Who is this old rascal?" Ye Qinglian’s voice was cold. She had already been awakened by the fight outside the door and was dressed, but she never expected Old Master Fu to directly intrude into her room.

"This old man is the family member of the Palace Master. He probably mistook this for her room, driven by his deep longing, and rashly intruded," Zhong Wen whispered in her ear, "Sister, don’t hold a grudge over a small matter. These past two days are crucial for the recovery of your wounds, and it’s not advisable to get angry."

"Quickly get him out of here." Zhong Wen’s words instantly extinguished Ye Qinglian’s anger. She waved her hand impatiently, "Don’t let me see him again."

What did he do?

Seeing Zhong Wen actually able to calm the enraged female demon, Nangong Ling’s face showed a rare look of shock.

"Alright, sister, rest well." Zhong Wen grinned, picked up the fallen Old Master Fu, and quickly left Ye Qinglian’s room, considerately closing the door behind him.

"Old Master Fu, how are you?" Lin Chaofeng had also arrived in the courtyard and, seeing Old Master Fu’s miserable state, was greatly alarmed.

"Cough... cough..." Old Master Fu coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face darkening, "Young Master, don’t worry. Thanks to Miss Shangguan’s mercy, this old servant won’t die just yet."

Lin Chaofeng, hearing this, looked at the graceful figure of Shangguan Junyi with an incredulous expression.

He couldn’t believe that such a delicate beauty had defeated the Lin family’s top expert, Old Master Fu, who was at the peak of the Heavenly Wheel realm and was just one step away from the Spirit Venerable realm.

"Junyi, you didn’t know your own strength. Please forgive me, Old Master Fu." Shangguan Junyi apologized repeatedly, but her face showed no sign of remorse.

"It was this old servant’s fault, intruding into a woman’s room at night. If I had died at the hands of that young lady, it would have been my own fault." Old Master Fu, while speaking, felt the spiritual energy vortex still swirling within him, tearing at more meridians, making his face even paler.

Although he couldn’t see Ye Qinglian’s face clearly, from her facial features and personality, he knew that the person in the room was not his Miss. This time, he had not only failed to achieve his goal but had also suffered a significant loss. The task assigned by Minister Lin was a complete failure.

"Little brother, Old Master Fu is still a member of the Lin family. If the Palace Master finds out he was injured by me after she emerges from seclusion, Sister will be in trouble." Shangguan Junyi said to Zhong Wen in a coquettish voice, "Can you help treat him?"

Zhong Wen couldn’t resist her coquettish tone, feeling his bones turn to jelly. He patted his chest and said loudly, "Sister Shangguan, how can I refuse your command?"

He lifted Old Master Fu’s frail body again, turned to Lin Chaofeng with a smile, and said, "Brother Lin, don’t worry. There’s no one in this world that I, Zhong Wen, can’t treat."

With that, he took large steps, carrying Old Master Fu to his room.

Closing the door, he had Old Master Fu lie flat on the bed: "Old Master Fu, please take off your upper clothing so I can treat you."

The patient was not a beauty like Shangguan Junyi or Leng Wushuang, but a thin old man, so Zhong Wen had no interest in undressing him.

"Little Brother Zhong, are you really going to treat this old servant?" Old Master Fu, while struggling to take off his upper clothing, asked, "Don’t you know the purpose of my visit to Qingfeng Mountain?"

"I heard about it from Brother Lin during the day." Zhong Wen said calmly, "You can’t take the Palace Master away from the Flowery Hall’s territory."

"Indeed, I underestimated the Flowery Hall." Old Master Fu sighed, "I didn’t expect Miss Shangguan to be far stronger than me, and there’s even a Heavenly Wheel expert in the palace."

"Old Master Fu, I admire your loyalty to Minister Lin." Zhong Wen took out golden needles and inserted them into several key acupoints on Old Master Fu’s back, "But we in the Flowery Hall won’t stand idly by and let you push the Palace Master into a fire."

"The Xiao family wields immense power, almost rivaling the imperial family. Refusing this marriage could bring great trouble to the Lin family." Old Master Fu said solemnly, "If only Miss marries into the Xiao family, the Lin family will be safe. A little sacrifice is nothing."

"To you, the Palace Master is just a daughter of the Lin family, but to us, she is the most important family member." Zhong Wen shook his head, "I just want her to be happy and healthy. As for whether the Lin family will be suppressed by the Xiao family, it’s none of my concern."

"How do you know that Miss will be unhappy if she marries into the Xiao family?" Old Master Fu asked, "The position of the Xiao family’s young lady is envied by many."

"I’ve met Xiao Wenjian, and he is not a good match." Zhong Wen said, placing a pill in Old Master Fu’s mouth, "Swallow this. It will speed up your recovery."

"If Miss’s refusal to marry leads to the decline of the Lin family, she will surely feel guilty." Old Master Fu swallowed the pill, still somewhat unwilling.

"The Palace Master has not refused the marriage; she is just in seclusion." Zhong Wen said with a mischievous smile.

"Miss may not be as self-deceiving as you, Little Brother Zhong." Old Master Fu turned his head, looking into his eyes.

"Old Master Fu, perhaps the one who is self-deceiving is you." Zhong Wen’s face darkened, "Knowing that the mission has already failed, do you really think a few words can change our minds?"

Old Master Fu was speechless, but Zhong Wen continued, "Perhaps you don’t know my capabilities. If Minister Lin uses filial piety to force the Palace Master to marry Xiao Wenjian, I will go to the capital and level the entire Lin family, showing you what it means to fall from grace!"

"Little Brother Zhong, your cultivation is not yet at the Heavenly Wheel realm. How can you level the Lin family?"

"A doctor can kill without cultivation."

At that moment, Zhong Wen’s eyes shone with an incredibly sharp light, like a divine sword emerging, looking down on the world, making Old Master Fu feel a faint sense of fear.

What a terrifying young man!

For this young man who claimed he would level the Minister’s residence, Old Master Fu didn’t think he was exaggerating.

The sharpness in Zhong Wen’s eyes quickly disappeared, and he resumed his playful demeanor: "Speaking of which, you seem to have some chronic ailments. Do you feel a dull pain in your meridians when the weather is humid?"

"Little Brother Zhong, your medical skills are truly remarkable." Old Master Fu nodded, feeling his meridians gradually recovering, "This old servant once fought a powerful enemy. Although I defeated him, I was left with some hidden ailments, which have delayed my progress to the next level for many years."

"Since we’re treating you anyway." Zhong Wen’s face showed a strange smile, "Why not cure your chronic ailments as well?"

Old Master Fu, hearing this, turned his head sharply, his eyes shining!

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

In the elegant room on the second floor of Qingfeng Pavilion, Baoqin was pouring tea for a plump, middle-aged man.

"Seeing you after just one day, Manager Qiao seems even more beautiful, truly surprising me," the middle-aged man, who was the manager of Shengyu Trading Company, said.

"Manager Wang, your mouth is so sweet." Qiao Erniang laughed, her body exuding a charming and alluring aura, "I wonder how many women you’ve deceived with it."

"Manager Wang, with this appearance, who would like me?" Manager Wang laughed.

"Oh? I heard that Manager Wang has six beautiful wives at home." Qiao Erniang’s eyes sparkled with mischief, "If not for mutual affection, were they all forcibly taken home?"

"Ha ha, I can’t argue with Manager Qiao’s sharp tongue." Manager Wang shook his head and laughed, "Let’s get to the point. What kind of cooperation do you propose, Manager Qiao?"

Qiao Erniang extended her white fingers, pressing a piece of paper on the table and gently pushing it to Manager Wang: "Please take a look, Manager Wang."

Manager Wang took the paper and scanned it, his face showing surprise: "This price is less than 60% of the market rate. Can Qingfeng Pavilion really ensure the supply?"

"Manager Wang, you don’t know that we have acquired many medicinal fields and improved planting tools and methods. The supply of spiritual herbs will only become more abundant in the future," Qiao Erniang covered her mouth and laughed, "Moreover, since our two companies have formed an alliance, if we don’t provide more support to Shengyu Trading Company, how can you compete with the Silver Ring Trading Company for the spiritual herb market?"

Mentioning the improved planting tools and methods, Qiao Erniang couldn’t help but think of Yin Ning’er and Shen Xiaowan, the two girls whom Zhong Wen had been using as laborers.

"Thank you, Manager Qiao." Manager Wang said seriously, "With this, we have a real chance to compete with the Silver Ring."