Chapter 41

About two hours later, Jiang Chen emerged from the secret room.

In fact, the healing only took about half an hour. The remaining one and a half hours, Jiang Chen spent transmitting the cultivation techniques of the *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea* to his father, Jiang Feng.

Not only that, but during this time, Jiang Chen also explained the profound mysteries, cultivation tips, and some detailed issues of the *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea*.

Transitioning from the *Canglang Technique* to the *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea* was not particularly difficult, as the *Canglang Technique* itself was a technique derived from the *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea*.

The *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea* was merely an advanced technique.

Of course, the profundity of the *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea* was at least ten times greater than that of the *Canglang Technique*.

As a feudal lord, Jiang Feng had very good martial talent. Otherwise, he would not have been able to cultivate the *Canglang Technique* to its peak state by the age of thirty-something.

If not for the limitations of the technique, his current cultivation would certainly not be limited to the Nine Meridian True Qi stage. With Jiang Feng's talent, entering the True Qi Master stage was a certainty.

When Jiang Chen came out of the secret room, Jiang Ying and the others immediately came forward.

"Little Lord, how is Lord Jiang...?" Jiang Ying was the most concerned about Jiang Feng's safety. He felt very guilty, believing that Lord Jiang's injury was due to his inadequate protection.

"Father has entered seclusion." Jiang Chen did not give a clear explanation.

Having obtained the *Nine Smiles of the Vast Sea*, Jiang Feng naturally wanted to use this opportunity to break through to the Ten Meridian True Qi stage. After all, he had been at the peak of the Nine Meridian True Qi stage for a long time.

Now that he had obtained the technique, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. By entering seclusion, he could both confuse the outside world and enhance his strength, achieving two goals at once.

Qiao Baishi, who clearly regarded Jiang Chen as an ally, approached with great concern: "Little Lord, how is your father's injury?"

"Third Hall Master, thank you for your concern. My father's injury is no longer serious. I will personally visit the Alchemist Hall in a few days to express my gratitude. However, please keep today's matter confidential."

"Of course." Qiao Baishi naturally understood Jiang Chen's intentions.

In the current situation of the capital, the ambiguity of Jiang Feng's injury might make the outside world uncertain and hesitant to act rashly.

Seeing Qiao Baishi's eager expression, Jiang Chen smiled: "The detoxification method, we can discuss in detail another time."

Qiao Baishi beamed, as he had been waiting for this. As a Spirit Alchemist, Qiao Baishi was eager to learn, and Jiang Chen naturally understood this.

After seeing Qiao Baishi off, Jiang Chen gathered Jiang Ying and the others in front of him.

"Jiang Ying, these days, strengthen the security of the mansion. Do not be careless."

"Jiang Fu, handle Lord Jiang's injury ambiguously. The more speculation from the outside, the better. Ideally, it should cause a city-wide uproar."

"Yes." Unconsciously, everyone had already gotten used to the young Lord Jiang Chen giving orders.

...

The news of Lord Jiang Han being attacked at the entrance of his mansion spread like wildfire.

For a time, the city was in an uproar, with all sorts of speculations rampant.

A respected feudal lord, a high-ranking official, was attacked right at his own doorstep, and it was said that his injuries were severe, his life hanging by a thread.

This made other feudal lords suddenly feel a sense of crisis.

Even though they all guessed that Lord Jiang Han had offended someone he shouldn't have, leading to this disaster, as feudal lords, being attacked in the capital still gave them a sense of foreboding.

After all, if it was Lord Jiang Han today, who would it be tomorrow? It could be anyone.

Once such an incident set a precedent, who knew what might happen next.

Apart from those feudal lords who were at odds with Lord Jiang Han, some neutral feudal lords expressed sympathy for his plight.

Inside the Longteng Mansion.

At the Longteng Mansion, Lord Longteng was hosting a private banquet for his esteemed guests.

Those who could attend such an extremely private banquet were all Lord Longteng's close confidants and loyal supporters.

At the main seat, next to Lord Longteng, sat a man in a silver robe, embroidered with exotic flowers.

This man exuded an eerie aura. His long hair, like the yin-yang symbol, was half black and half silver-gray, clearly dividing the two sides of his head.

His eyes, with pupils that glowed with a deep blue light, emitted an inexplicable and eerie aura.

"Master Zi, this cup of wine, I offer it to you alone." Lord Longteng personally raised his cup and said to the eerie man.

"Hehe, Lord, you are too kind. Drink!" The eerie man, Master Zi, drank it all in one go.

The Master of the Danwang Garden, Wang Yuan, smiled sinisterly: "This time, thanks to Master Zi's efforts, otherwise, it would have been difficult to kill Jiang Feng without anyone knowing."

Master Zi smiled faintly, accepting Wang Yuan's flattery without any modesty.

Yan Jiuzhuang, the Marquis of Yanmen, laughed: "With Jiang Feng out of the way, the Jiang Han Mansion will be leaderless. That Jiang Chen boy is only sixteen years old; how much insight and ability can he have? Without Jiang Feng, the Jiang family's estate will surely fall. Lord Longteng's plans will advance another step."

Lord Longteng chuckled: "Eliminating Jiang Feng is just the first step. The second step is to seize the feudal lord's token of the Jiang family. Only when that token is in our hands will this step be completed perfectly."

"Isn't it laughable that the Jiang family's steward, Jiang Fu, went to the Danwang Garden to seek a Spirit Alchemist to treat Jiang Feng? It seems the Jiang family is in a panic." Wang Yuan thought of this and felt very satisfied.

"What is the current state of Jiang Feng's injuries?" Lord Longteng asked.

Wang Yuan hurriedly replied: "With Master Zi's efforts, Jiang Feng is certain to die. Even if he were at the True Qi Master stage, he would have no way to survive this poison."

"I am worried that the Alchemist Hall will interfere." Lord Longteng was still not reassured, as he had not seen Jiang Feng die.

Master Zi said calmly: "Lord Longteng, you worry too much. My methods are such that even the Grand Master of the Alchemist Hall would have at most a thirty percent chance of understanding them. And Grand Master Song Tianxing is not in the capital these days. The remaining people in the Alchemist Hall, hah, are all useless."

Master Zi spoke with arrogance, having great confidence in his poisoning skills.

Lord Longteng, who seemed to rely heavily on this person, laughed: "Being able to invite Master Zi to help is truly a heaven-sent opportunity for me."

"Lord Longteng, I don't want to say too many polite words. We each have our own needs. You must keep your promises when you ascend the throne."

"Am I the kind of person who would betray my allies? Master Zi, you can rest assured. When I ascend the throne, the position of National Master will be reserved for you. However, the condition is that you must help the Danwang Garden to bring down the Alchemist Hall. I do not want the Alchemist Hall to stand on the side of the Eastern Clan before I rise to power."

Master Zi said calmly: "If I cannot accomplish this, what right would I have to bargain with Lord Longteng?"

Lord Longteng laughed heartily and raised his cup again: "Then let us toast to our successful cooperation and the building of a great cause!"

...

Inside the royal palace, Dongfang Lu also learned of the attack on the Jiang Han Mansion as soon as possible.

"Tiandu, what is the latest intelligence?" Dongfang Lu was in a bad mood. Today, he had taken Du Ruhai into custody, indirectly striking a blow to Lord Longteng's arrogance.

He did not expect that Long Zhaofeng would counter with such a move, directly targeting Jiang Feng.

If Jiang Feng were to die, the impact on the royal family would be greater than the loss of Du Ruhai. In the end, it was Dongfang Lu who had lost.

After all, Jiang Feng was a feudal lord, and his strategic importance had recently increased rapidly.

Du Ruhai, on the other hand, was just a minor figure, with limited power in the capital, far from the core level.

"Your Majesty, the situation does not look good. The Jiang family has invited the Third Hall Master of the Alchemist Hall. However, the Third Hall Master left afterward, indicating that Jiang Feng's injuries are not optimistic."

Dongfang Lu threw the pillow to the ground, his tone cold: "Is Long Zhaofeng trying to openly defy me?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This is a show of force by Long Zhaofeng. His plans are not yet complete. You still have time to prepare."

After his anger subsided, Dongfang Lu immediately regained his regal demeanor: "We must do everything to comfort the Jiang family and prepare for the worst. If Jiang Feng does not recover, how to ensure a smooth transition for Jiang Chen is a major challenge."

Indeed, if Jiang Feng were to die, Jiang Chen, at only sixteen years old, would find it difficult to inherit the feudal lord's token and gain the support of the people.

Not to mention whether the nobles and ministers in the court would agree, even the local forces under Lord Jiang Han's rule might not recognize a young person.

A feudal lord's territory is vast, with many cities and complex power structures. Without a strong feudal lord to maintain order, these local forces would be the first to rebel.

"Tiandu, you must select a few experts and send them to the Jiang Han Mansion. I am worried that attacking Jiang Feng is just the first step. To completely seize the Jiang family's feudal lord's token, Jiang Chen will certainly be the next target. Jiang Chen must not be allowed to fail."

"Understood." Tiandu nodded.

"Go and call Gouyu." Dongfang Lu gently touched his forehead, showing a slight sign of fatigue. At this moment, only his sister Gouyu could put him at ease.

Princess Gouyu was also surprised to hear about Jiang Feng's attack. She had just completed the confiscation of Du Ruhai's property and hurried back to the palace upon receiving Dongfang Lu's summons.

In her heart, she silently prayed for Jiang Chen, hoping that Jiang Feng would not suffer any serious harm.

---

The news of the attack on Lord Jiang Han spread rapidly, causing a city-wide uproar and rampant speculation.