Chapter 55

With the hundred taels of gold sent by Shangguan Ruomeng, the expansion project of Jishi Fang officially began. Feng Jueyu specially drafted a project plan, and had Li Yide and the other two follow it step by step.

Two days later, Feng Jueyu received a message from the third son of the Zhao family. The note was written by Gongyang Yu. Despite the old man's unappealing appearance, his calligraphy was astonishing. After reading the note, Feng Jueyu learned that the royal spies had finally left without any results, and Jishi Fang had once again become a neglected, half-dead "ghost" shop.

This made both the three Lis and Feng Jueyu himself very happy. As a result, Feng Jueyu began to frequently visit the southern part of the city and the Shangguan residence.

In the following days, Feng Jueyu experienced a life of leisure. Shangguan Ruomeng was out early and returned late, giving him great freedom and convenience. The great assassin began to plan his life, going to bed early and rising early. He would get up before dawn to admire flowers and tend to plants in the garden.

He would then go jogging and take a walk to exercise his body...

In the morning, he would have morning tea at the square by Xilin Lake, eating fried dough sticks and soy milk, enjoying the scenery by the lake, walking birds, and even finding a chess stall to play chess...

He would then disappear for the entire day, only returning in the evening, exhausted. He would have dinner with his future in-laws at the main house and then return to his residence to fall into a deep sleep...

Feng Jueyu's healthy daily routine soon caught the attention of the people in the Shangguan residence. From the old man to the servants, everyone was surprised by Feng Jueyu's lifestyle. Although his activities during the day seemed healthy, why was he always so tired when he returned? It seemed as if he couldn't even eat properly, and all he did was sleep.

After careful observation, analysis, and judgment by the Shangguan family's master and servants, they discovered that Feng Jueyu's habits had regressed. In the past, he would chat with his friends in the morning, walk birds, and then disappear in the afternoon. Without a doubt, he would return to Xilin Lake, where there were many brothels and beautiful women. While other wealthy young masters indulged in nightly revelry, Feng Jueyu, not daring to stay out all night, moved his indulgences to the afternoon. This was truly shameless, especially since he was already a member of the Shangguan family and still acted so irresponsibly.

Thus, a wave of criticism against Feng Jueyu began in the Shangguan residence.

Of course, the purpose was not to criticize Feng Jueyu, but because of Shangguan Ruomeng's series of actions, people realized that the current sole decision-maker of the Shangguan family was determined to marry Feng Jueyu and never leave the Shangguan family. This naturally displeased the people of the second and third houses, who began to use Feng Jueyu to criticize Shangguan Ruomeng, saying that she had chosen the worst husband and allowed him to act as he pleased, tarnishing the Shangguan family's reputation.

In fact, the second house's Wen and Wu often frequented pleasure quarters, and the third house, though childless, had the old man's third son, Shangguan Jinglei, who kept a mistress in a certain art pavilion by Xilin Lake. Others might not say anything, but this young master found it too shameful and pretended not to hear.

As the saying goes: "The world laughs at me for being too crazy, but I laugh at them for not seeing through."

What they didn't know was that every move Feng Jueyu made was related to his cultivation.

Rising early in the morning to linger in the flower garden was to test the effect of the life aura on the plants in the garden.

Subsequent morning exercises and jogging were to improve his body's coordination, lung capacity, and overall health.

Walking birds and playing chess were to observe the situation in the Tianan Empire and hone his mental fortitude.

As for the time he disappeared, he was treating Li Yide and Gongyang Yu, while also soaking in medicinal baths and using the life aura to refine the herbs needed for the first-grade healing medicine.

Some of the herbs for the first-grade healing medicine must be catalyzed by the life aura to produce the best medicine.

In the evening, although Feng Jueyu was already quite tired, he did not rest. He entered the Hongyuan Space, planted the seeds of the herbs in the land, and cultivated them for future use in making the gold edition and supreme edition of the healing medicine.

Not only that, but Feng Jueyu also reconfigured and developed several medicinal formulas available in the market of the Tai Xuan Continent. In just seven or eight days, he developed no less than ten different types of medicines.

For example, a sleeping drug called "Never Wake," a poison called "King of Hell" that was even more toxic than the deadly "Red Crane Top," and a drug called "Soft Fragrance Powder" that rendered one immobile upon inhalation. One day, he even obtained a packet of aphrodisiac from the second son of the Zhao family and transformed it into a unique "Sweeping a Wide Area." Even the two sets of golden needles prepared by Tong'er were coated with extremely cold and hot poisons.

These two poisons, one yin and one yang, were derived from the death aura, made by grinding seven poisonous herbs into a powder, dissolving it in water, and then coating the needles. They were extremely toxic.

Even touching these needles would result in poisoning, making them deadly weapons.

Feng Jueyu now had three sets of needles: two for killing enemies and one for saving lives. He named them the "Evil Emperor Three Needles," a name that was extremely arrogant...

In any case, from morning to night, he never wasted a single moment. He carried countless poisons and healing medicines, possessing even more terrifying capital than a standard assassin from another world.

Meanwhile, the Life and Death Unpredictable Art made rapid progress under Feng Jueyu's continuous cultivation, and the true qi in his body had already reached the high stage of the Qi Martial Realm.

In his spare time, he also taught Li Yide the needle technique of the Reviving Heaven Fine Needle. Despite the old man's advanced age, his comprehension was extremely strong, and in just seven or eight days, he learned the basics, feeling very proud. Even the little girl Tong'er learned a few needle techniques and often asked Feng Jueyu questions...

In summary, in just eight days, Feng Jueyu's strength had greatly increased, far surpassing what he was in the spring. If he were to encounter a True Martial Realm expert, or even a Spirit Martial Realm expert, he would easily defeat them...

On this day, Feng Jueyu woke up as usual, practicing breathing exercises while facing the purple qi from the east, then went out for morning exercises, jogging along Xilin Lake. After running about four or five miles, he went to a shop he often visited for breakfast and then watched a chess stall.

Just as he arrived at the chess stall, Feng Jueyu noticed a new chess stall nearby, where two old men were playing.

Feng Jueyu had visited the chess stall many times but had never seen these two old men before. When he was young, he often practiced Go with his master, who told him that playing chess could hone one's mental fortitude. Seeing the two old men deep in thought, moving their pieces with precision, Feng Jueyu walked over.

The two old men were dressed very simply, both wearing clean blue robes, looking like they weren't wealthy. However, each had a bodyguard standing behind them, wearing swords and exuding a formidable aura. If they were to change into black suits and wear sunglasses, they would look like bodyguards from Zhongnanhai.

Seeing Feng Jueyu approach, the two bodyguards looked at him with caution. Not detecting any true qi from him, they relaxed slightly but remained vigilant.

Feng Jueyu paid no attention to the bodyguards, his focus entirely on the chessboard.

As he took a few steps closer, the two bodyguards prepared to stop him but were deterred by a glance from one of the old men.

Feng Jueyu moved closer, unlike other talented scholars who stood stiffly with a fan, looking impressive. He was so engrossed that he squatted down next to the chessboard, supporting his cheek with his right hand, almost pressing his face against the board.

The two old men exchanged a glance and smiled, continuing their game without a word...

Feng Jueyu looked at the chessboard and was inwardly amazed by the intense game...

On the board, black and white pieces almost filled the entire board, the battle fiercely contested. The old man with the white pieces seemed to have the upper hand, but the middle and right sides were perilous.

The old man with the black pieces was fiercely attacking the middle and right sides, trying to gain the upper hand.

In contrast, the old man with the white pieces remained calm, never panicking. After each move that temporarily resolved a crisis, he would apply pressure on the left side, catching the black pieces off guard...

Clearly, both old men were chess masters, equally skilled, with excellent strategic thinking. Feng Jueyu, who also enjoyed chess and was quite skilled, found the game increasingly exciting and was completely absorbed...

After a while, the old man with the black pieces gathered his pieces and smiled, "I concede."

The old man with the white pieces chuckled, separating the black and white pieces and putting them back into the box, "This game was intense. I almost let you trick me, old man."

The old man with the black pieces, unconcerned with the outcome, smiled and asked, "How about another game?"

The old man with the white pieces shook his head, "There are some important matters at the residence. Let's end it here today."

With that, the old man with the white pieces left with his bodyguard, not giving Feng Jueyu a second glance.

Feng Jueyu took a deep breath, realizing the game was over, and prepared to leave.

At that moment, the old man with the black pieces called out to Feng Jueyu, "Young sir, you've been watching for a while. You must have some insight. How about a game with me?"

Feng Jueyu turned around and looked at the chessboard, "My skills are average, but I'll play a game."

Saying this, Feng Jueyu sat down opposite the old man. They separated the black and white pieces and cleared the board. The old man smiled, "Please, young sir, you go first."

"Alright, I won't be shy," Feng Jueyu responded, placing his piece without hesitation.

*Snap!*

"This opening..." The old man was taken aback, then frowned and continued the game.

They took turns placing pieces, and after about ten moves, the old man became increasingly surprised. As the game progressed, he would look up at Feng Jueyu more often, thinking for a while before making his move.

After several dozen moves, the old man sighed, gathered his black pieces, and said, "I concede."

"Ah," Feng Jueyu, still pondering his next move, showed no expression and began to gather the pieces.

Seeing this, the old man couldn't help but ask, "Where did you learn to play chess?"

Feng Jueyu replied, "I learned from chess books and practiced on my own."

The old man was speechless, then smiled, "Have you heard a saying?"

"What saying?"

"Observing a game is like observing a person. What do you think of this?"

The old man had no intention of starting another game, smiling as he gathered the pieces.

Feng Jueyu looked up at the old man, "Do you think chess is a gentleman's game?"

The old man was taken aback, not expecting the young man to understand his meaning. He nodded and asked, "What do you think?"

Feng Jueyu disagreed, "Everyone has their own perspective. My experience is naturally less than yours, but I see chess as a battle between two armies, a game of strategy. There is only victory or defeat, no distinction in methods. My understanding is crude, I apologize for any offense."

The old man was stunned, then shook his head and laughed.

Feng Jueyu looked at the sky, knowing it was time to return to his cultivation, and stood up, bowing, "Old sir, I have some important matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."

"Win and leave?" The old man's mouth twisted in annoyance, but since the game was voluntary, he couldn't force him to stay. He smiled and nodded, "Until we meet again."

Feng Jueyu left, and as he disappeared from the square, the old man's bodyguard asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, you just lost?"

The old man glanced at the bodyguard, then looked in the direction Feng Jueyu had gone, "I was careless..."