Chapter 14

An Bangzhu's full name is An Wanli. Although he doesn't exude a fierce aura and appears somewhat plump, the fact that he managed to survive under the Qingpao Man's hands, even if it was through the humiliating method of rolling like a lazy donkey, is enough to show his prowess.

Shen Lian's status destined him to be unable to participate in the conversation between An Wanli, King Jin Dao, and Shen Qing Shan. They had reached an agreement.

King Jin Dao, An Wanli, and the short, thin old man then left the inn with their weapons.

Subsequently, the shouts and cries outside gradually diminished.

Even if the Qingpao Man's martial arts were unparalleled, he still found it difficult to fight against multiple opponents.

Shen Lian witnessed the Qingpao Man, covered in countless bloodstains—both his own and others'—eventually having his shoulder blades pierced and being shackled with fine iron chains, before being thrown into a steel prison cart.

'Preparations were indeed thorough,' Shen Lian, witnessing all this, naturally knew that this ambush had been meticulously planned.

If he knew that all this had taken only one or two days, he would be even more amazed by the power of the Shen family.

Shen Lian silently followed Shen Qing Shan back to the Shen residence. The events of today were indeed thought-provoking.

He had no particular ill will or good will towards the Qingpao Man.

He just felt that even a top-notch martial artist like the Qingpao Man could not fight a thousand enemies alone, which to some extent indicated the limitations of the human body.

At the same time, the Qingpao Man's 'God-Slaying Sword' truly refreshed his perspective.

If there was anything he wanted from the Qingpao Man, it wasn't something he had taken from the Green Bamboo Gang, but the cultivation method of the 'God-Slaying Sword.'

Back at the Shen residence, Shen Qing Shan naturally reported today's events to the old patriarch.

Although the old man already knew, he still listened patiently.

Sitting at home, he could not control everything. Hearing the same event from different people gave him a more comprehensive understanding, which was one of the reasons for his success.

Hearing all sides leads to clarity, while favoring one side leads to darkness.

Shen Qing Shan also informed the old man that the Green Bamboo Gang's leader, An Bangzhu, had retrieved something important from the Qingpao Man.

Shen Qing Shan mentioned Shen Lian's appearance there, but the old man did not say anything.

Shen Qing Shan knew that the old man was truly angry, but not saying anything was even worse for Shen Lian.

As if nothing had happened, in the days that followed, Shen Lian was effectively confined to his courtyard, not allowed to step outside.

Shen Lian did not show any anger, seemingly unaware of his house arrest, and continued his self-weight training, which puzzled those secretly monitoring him.

He also requested daily nourishing medicinal foods, which were not denied to him.

After that day, Shen Lian did not actively seek to meet the old man, and the old man did not actively seek to meet him. He did not step outside his courtyard, and almost everyone else in the Shen family seemed to have forgotten about this half-master.

Days passed, and a month went by in the blink of an eye.

Shen Lian's physique did not change much, but his complexion improved significantly.

He did not submit to the old man,

The old man was waiting for him to submit!

During this month, Shen Lian felt his physical condition improving constantly. With the financial support of the Shen family and his precise control over his body, he finally replenished the physical essence and energy that had been depleted over the past two years.

Still slender and still handsome, Shen Lian knew the changes he had undergone during this month.

He performed a one-armed handstand on the floor of his room, slightly bending and straightening his arm. This simple action indicated that his strength and endurance had reached a very satisfactory level.

Self-weight training does not build explosive muscles but uses the body's own weight to train comprehensively.

Moreover, with his extremely acute perception and modern medical knowledge, Shen Lian's understanding of his own body far exceeded that of the martial artists in this world.

Although Shen Lian had not cultivated inner energy, he believed that in terms of physical condition, he was healthier than King Jin Dao or the leader of the Green Bamboo Gang.

A gentle breeze slipped through the window, causing the candle flame to flicker. Shen Lian stopped his training and blew out the candle.

The night was sparsely starlit and the moon was pale. After the light was extinguished, visibility was very low.

Shen Lian sat on the bed, adjusted his breathing, and felt an endless surge of energy after his workout.

The world is a large prison, and the body is a small prison.

Leaving the prison may not necessarily be better.

But just like a tiger in a cage, although it has no worries about food and does not face harsh weather or the need to hunt in the cold, in the cage, the tiger is just a larger cat, having lost its nature.

Shen Lian did not know the consequences of his soul leaving his body, whether he would suffer the same fate as the previous Shen Lian and go mad.

But he knew he had to make a decision. The old man of the Shen family would not give him much more time.

This world is full of mysterious and unknown things. After witnessing the wealth and power of the Shen family, Shen Lian had to admit that the old man might find a way to control him. He could not wait.

The financial support of the Shen family could sustain his cultivation, but it was also a form of restraint.

He needed to take a risk.

Without the Shen family, he would not have recovered so quickly, which was a benefit of the Shen family, so he did not hate the old man, but was grateful.

But this did not mean he would accept the old man's arrangements.

He needed to maintain a balanced mindset, neither biased nor extreme.

Clearing his mind of杂念, the innate deity in his heart was born from the void.

As always, it was lonely and indistinct, dim and slow.

The soul and the body are inherently inseparable.

But Shen Lian clearly felt a force pulling him upward.

It seemed he was at the base of a tall tower, with a rope hanging down.

He grabbed the rope and kept ascending.

The earth's gravity tried to stop him, but it could not overcome the force of the rope.

The soul body was like a rocket, and the physical essence and energy were the fuel that propelled the rocket, helping him break free from the gravitational pull of the physical body.

Therefore, if the physical essence and energy were insufficient, the soul body leaving the body would be like water without a source or a tree without roots.

Shen Lian gradually understood this principle naturally.

As he reached the highest point, he had no more doubts and leaped lightly. The world was different.

He saw himself, not in a mirror, but in reality, seeing his own body.

His emaciated form was even more gaunt, his cheeks deeply sunken. His seated body slumped softly, like a dried corpse.

But he himself seemed to float in the air, free from the constraints of gravity.

'Long confined in a cage, I have returned to nature.'

No phrase could better describe Shen Lian's current state.

In the state of the soul body, it seemed he no longer experienced emotional fluctuations, feeling neither joy nor sorrow, calm and serene.

PS: Thank you to Ao Siye for the 2996 reward, Guidou for the 588 reward, and the reward from "No matter how beautiful the plot, it is still a play."

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