Chapter 45

The trip to the palace proved to be quite fruitful for Jiang Chen.

Firstly, this unremarkable-looking knife gave Jiang Chen a sense of encountering an old and close friend.

Moreover, Princess Gouyu planned to assign some personnel to him, which could help alleviate his immediate predicament.

Although his personal strength had improved significantly during this period, it was still somewhat insufficient to deal with the potentially worsening vortex in the capital.

If he could dispatch a few strong warriors, at least Jiang Ying could be freed up to focus on the overall situation in the Marquis Mansion.

Returning to the Marquis Mansion, it was already night.

Jiang Chen sat cross-legged, with the unnamed knife placed before him.

Man and knife, sitting opposite each other under the moon.

The Canglang True Qi within his body was activated, and at this moment, Jiang Chen felt like a giant whale swimming in the vast sea.

The Canglang True Qi within his body was continuously drawn out, swirling around him like the waves of the sea, spreading out layer by layer.

Under the starry sky, Jiang Chen's Canglang True Qi emitted a silver-white glow, harmonizing with the crescent moon. The layers of silver light shimmered, giving a mysterious feeling.

At this moment, Jiang Chen truly felt like a dragon playing in the waves, freely and joyfully manipulating the True Qi, his spirit soul like a divine dragon roaming beyond the nine heavens.

The light from the stars in the sky formed a strange flow, interacting with the Canglang True Qi guided by Jiang Chen, creating a peculiar cycle.

At this moment, the stars in the sky seemed like the eyes of ancient deities, all casting a warm gaze upon this mundane world.

Suddenly, a strange scene unfolded!

The unnamed knife, placed opposite him, suddenly emitted a stunning light.

This light shot straight into the sky, like a celestial ribbon hanging over the Milky Way!

Whoosh!

It was as if a fleeting glance from the ancient world, as if an ancient deity suddenly opened its eyes.

This world-shaking light, like a bolt of lightning from the sky, vanished in an instant.

In the next moment, the unnamed knife emitted a series of low humming sounds, and the entire scabbard began to tremble.

A terrifying force, as if unable to be contained, seemed to want to burst out of the scabbard.

It was as if an ancient giant demon was breaking free from its seal, as if the sharp edge that could cut through the earth was breaking through the soil, as if countless fierce beasts were breaking out of their cages...

At this moment, Jiang Chen suddenly opened his eyes and gently pressed the hilt with his right hand: "Buddy, so you have awakened, huh?"

Jiang Chen's press was like a powerful seal, instantly suppressing all the impulses, all the momentum, all the wildness.

The hilt moved slightly in Jiang Chen's hand and then stopped obediently.

At this moment, a strange halo quickly spread from the tip of the knife, directly covering Jiang Chen's entire body.

At this moment, man and knife became one.

It was as if a solemn ritual had been completed, a perfect fusion.

In the next moment, a thought flashed through Jiang Chen's mind: this knife had now recognized him as its master, acknowledging him!

After this thought flashed through his mind, Jiang Chen felt a sense of tranquility, as if a protective charm had been placed within his body, a sense of incredible safety quietly spreading throughout his body.

...

In a very secret place in the Eastern Kingdom, a mysterious old man suddenly shot a startled gaze, staring at the world-shaking light that had streaked across like a meteor, his eyes full of shock, surprise, and even a hint of fear.

"Such terrifying light, what kind of world-shaking powerhouse is passing by here?"

If Dongfang Lu were here, he would recognize that this old man was none other than the legendary Ling Dao powerhouse who had been in seclusion for hundreds of years in the Eastern Kingdom!

...

The next day, Princess Gouyu indeed brought four people. To be precise, four powerhouses, all high-rank True Qi practitioners.

"Jiang Chen, these four are experts from the Heavenly Capital's Victory Camp. You can call them Victory One, Victory Two, Victory Three, and Victory Four."

Victory One was of medium build, about thirty years old, with a sharp gaze and decisive manner, clearly the leader of the four, and a Nine-Pulse True Qi powerhouse.

Victory Two and Victory Three were twin brothers, both with broad backs and strong physiques, and were Eight-Pulse True Qi powerhouses.

Victory Four was a pale-faced young man, only a few years older than Jiang Chen, with a cold and aloof demeanor, making him seem hard to approach.

"Do you four know your duties?" Princess Gouyu asked.

"Follow Jiang Little Marquis's orders, ready to face any danger, ready to enter any perilous situation. Protect Jiang Little Marquis, willing to die rather than fail."

All four answered crisply and decisively.

They were warriors and soldiers. Obeying orders was their duty.

"Very good. Jiang Little Marquis is a key minister of the royal family. You four are now on a national mission. Remember, don't disgrace the 'Victory Camp' or the Heavenly Capital's Commander."

"Rather die than disgrace ourselves!"

Their performance pleased Princess Gouyu. She raised an eyebrow with a smile: "Jiang Chen, what do you think of these four?"

"Good strength, obedient, should be useful." Jiang Chen didn't want to be too uncooperative.

Princess Gouyu was genuinely afraid that Jiang Chen would say something unpleasant, but hearing this, her worries eased.

"By the way, Jiang Chen, I received an invitation from the Alchemist Hall this morning, saying they are inviting me to a medicinal exhibition tomorrow. What's going on? Isn't it the Danwang Garden that holds the medicinal exhibition? What does the Alchemist Hall have to do with it?"

Jiang Chen chuckled: "The capital's spiritual medicine giants are not just the Danwang Garden. Besides, when has the Danwang Garden ever led the trend in the capital?"

"What's really going on?" Princess Gouyu was very curious.

"Will you know tomorrow? You should go, maybe there will be a big red envelope." Jiang Chen smiled, not wanting to say more about it.

"Red envelopes or not, I don't care. But it seems there will be some excitement, so I can't miss it. Are you going tomorrow?"

Jiang Chen waved the invitation in his hand: "Can I miss such an exciting event?"

Just as he was speaking, Jiang Fu led a person in, his face dark. Seeing Princess Gouyu, Jiang Fu wisely bowed and then said to Jiang Chen: "Little Marquis, this person claims to be from the Danwang Garden, saying they are holding a medicinal exhibition tomorrow and inviting our Jianghan Marquis Mansion to attend."

The man had a shrewd look, a smug smile, and a loud, clear voice: "Jiang Little Marquis, your family and the Danwang Garden once had a cooperative relationship. Tomorrow we are holding a big event, so how about showing up?"

Jiang Chen glanced at the invitation the man handed over but didn't take it, nodding for Jiang Fu to receive it.

Jiang Fu, being a clever person, took it and respectfully opened it, placing it before Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen glanced at it and smiled faintly: "I don't give face, I only give a slap. Are you sure you welcome me?"

"Of course, we welcome you. Ha ha, but tomorrow, the Danwang Garden will be giving others a slap. If you like excitement, don't miss it."

The man laughed smugly and turned to leave. He didn't even recognize Princess Gouyu, so naturally, he didn't bow to her.

"The Danwang Garden, truly a bunch of smug little people." Jiang Chen saw that this man had no basic manners and ignored a princess.

It had to be said, the Danwang Garden was getting a bit too cocky, their tails almost reaching the sky.

...

Inside the Danwang Garden.

Wang Yuanzhu, along with other high-ranking officials of the Danwang Garden, were present.

Among them, Master Zi was surrounded by everyone, sitting in the middle.

"Master Zi, everything is ready. We just need to wait for tomorrow's medicinal exhibition to make a stunning debut." Wang Yuanzhu was full of ambition, his face excited. "This Dragon-Tiger Blood Transformation Pill has such effects. Once it hits the market, it will surely dominate half the market, and even open up the markets of the surrounding sixteen countries. Add to that our Rejuvenating Qi Pill and the Crane Heart Pill for clearing the mind and reducing fire. With these three prongs, in time, the Danwang Garden will definitely replace the Alchemist Hall."

"Right, tomorrow, we will give the Alchemist Hall a good slap." Another high-ranking official of the Danwang Garden laughed. "The Alchemist Hall has always controlled the market for healing medicines. Once our Dragon-Tiger Blood Transformation Pill is released, what medicines will they have left to compete with us?"

Defeating the Alchemist Hall in three areas would be a huge blow to them.

The high-ranking officials of the Danwang Garden could almost see the day when the Danwang Garden would replace the Alchemist Hall. Just thinking about it was enough to make them excited.

Master Zi said calmly: "Giving the Alchemist Hall a slap is just the first step. Moreover, the Alchemist Hall is a massive organization, and their Grand Master is not simple. Don't think everything will be easy. We must coordinate well with the Longteng Marquis. Otherwise, it will be impossible to replace the Alchemist Hall in the short term."

Master Zi's insight was sharp. He knew that if the Longteng Marquis did not replace the Dongfang clan, the Danwang Garden would not be able to replace the Alchemist Hall in the short term.

This was a matter of great trends.

However, Master Zi was also confident that with his arrival, these trends would begin to reverse, and the reversal would start with tomorrow's medicinal exhibition!

...

Everything was ready, and the long-awaited day for the Danwang Garden had finally arrived.

The weather was beautiful, the sun was bright, and the sky was clear. This seemed to foreshadow that the future of the Danwang Garden would be smooth and bright.

Jiang Chen also emerged from his cultivation chamber early in the morning. After breakfast, accompanied by the four powerhouses from the Victory Camp, he headed toward the largest market in the capital, the Ten Thousand Treasures Palace.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Treasures Palace, the Danwang Garden's reception staff were already waiting. Seeing Jiang Chen's arrival, they all showed a look of surprise.

From the perspective of the Danwang Garden, as long as the Jiang family wasn't crazy, they would not come to such an occasion today.

If they came, it would undoubtedly be a self-inflicted embarrassment. After all, today the Danwang Garden was going to show off its power and give others a slap. If the Jiang family came, wouldn't they be delivering themselves to be slapped?