Come to think of it, perhaps this wasn't entirely a disaster that came out of nowhere?
After sorting through the entire chain of events,
Shen Changchuan suddenly recalled the token engraved with an elephant that he had found alongside the Azure Origin Water Grass in the hidden cave beneath the Great Bay River.
That token
might have been the token of identification held by that Shen Family branch member back then, right?
Though there was no direct evidence,
Shen Changchuan guessed that it was almost certainly the case.
Zhao Hantao was in the rear courtyard,
so he could simply ask him later.
But at the thought of Zhao Hantao,
Shen Changchuan remembered another matter from before.
No wonder Zhao Hantao knew my identity from the very beginning. He had probably been keeping an eye on me from the start, hadn't he?
Shen Changchuan remembered that when Zhao Hantao had first come to pay him a visit, he had kept his posture exceedingly low.
When Shen Changchuan had asked him about it, Zhao Hantao had answered that it was because he knew Shen Changchuan's true identity.
That was why he had been so respectful.
In contrast, the cultivators from the other six villages whom Shen Changchuan encountered afterward knew absolutely nothing about his identity.
Shen Changchuan had found that somewhat strange at the time as well.
Looking at it now,
Zhao Hantao had likely set his sights on Great Bay Village long ago.
That was why, at the very first opportunity,
he had learned Shen Changchuan's identity.
Yet at the same time,
although he knew Shen Changchuan's identity,
he did not know the specifics of Shen Changchuan's situation.
Otherwise, he would not have worried that Shen Changchuan might have a protector or some other bodyguard behind him, and laid a trap to ambush him.
I was lucky too. Those people didn't strike immediately, giving me two to three months to catch my breath.
Thinking of this,
Shen Changchuan could not help but feel a trace of relief rise in his heart.
If Zhao Hantao and the Four Fiends of Heshan had known of Shen Changchuan's standing, treatment, and accomplishments in the Shen Family, and understood that there could not possibly be any protector or bodyguard behind him,
they would likely have come knocking directly at his door!
And with the strength he had possessed at the time,
he would have had no power whatsoever to resist opponents like them!
It could be said
that Shen Changchuan had nearly brushed shoulders with a deadly crisis!
The Cultivation World is far too dangerous! This time, I was lucky enough to narrowly evade a deadly crisis, leaving me enough time to grow.
And afterward, my luck remained good. I encountered opportunities one after another, allowing my strength to rapidly rise in a short time and giving me the ability to protect myself.
Otherwise, the one lying on the ground now would probably be me!
Strength! I need greater strength!
A resolute light lit Shen Changchuan's eyes.
His desire to improve his strength
grew all the more urgent.
Back at Shen Family Manor, he had lived in constant apprehension.
Yet after leaving Shen Family Manor and coming to Great Bay Village thousands of miles away, he had nearly suffered a catastrophe without even realizing it.
The root cause of all this
was his lack of strength!
If he possessed the strength of the Nascent Soul realm,
who in Shen Family Manor would dare target him?
How would the mere Four Fiends of Heshan dare scheme against him?!
Strength.
He needed even greater strength
before he could freely take command of his own life!
Shen Changchuan's heart
grew even more resolute.
"Maternal Grandfather, leave everything concerning Zhao Hantao's next steps to me."
"But the secrets involved in this must never be leaked."
"A Cave Abode Ruins left behind by an Out of Body Stage realm expert—once news of it gets out, who knows how many people will swarm here like a tide."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Out of Body Stage realm expert from that Lineage who personally acted twenty years ago to wipe out the Hu Family of Great Bay Village most likely moved because of that Out of Body Stage Cave Abode Ruins as well."
"If word gets out, we'll likely be facing enormous trouble!"
Holding the thick stack of documents in his hand, Shen Changchuan spoke in a low voice.
At the same time,
with a thought from him, his perfected Fireball Technique was cast almost instantly. The blazing heat devoured the documents in his hand in the blink of an eye, burning them to nothing.
Shen Changchuan lightly waved his palm,
and the ashes in his hand crumbled completely into powder, vanishing between heaven and earth.
All traces had been thoroughly destroyed.
"Rest assured, Changchuan. During the interrogation, I was the only one present."
"I know the gravity of this matter. I will not reveal this secret to anyone, even if it's Dayong!"
Han Qinhu nodded as well, his expression solemn.
The lesson from Zhao Hantao's son, Zhao Jingming, was right before him,
so Han Qinhu naturally would not make such a mistake.
He had already decided
that every secret concerning this matter would be locked deep within his heart, and he would not reveal so much as half a word to the outside world.
"Then I'll trouble you, Maternal Grandfather."
After briefly discussing the subsequent management of Zhao Family Village,
Han Qinhu took his leave.
Shen Changchuan, meanwhile, entered the back room.
Only half an hour later
did he emerge with a calm expression.
He had asked Zhao Hantao for more detailed information,
and had also confirmed
that the token he had found at the bottom of the Great Bay River
was indeed the token of identification that the Shen Family branch member had used to enter the Ruins back then.
Shen Changchuan also obtained from him
a map leading to the cliff where those Ruins were located.
However, Shen Changchuan had not been so dazzled by the Cave Abode Ruins of an Out of Body Stage realm expert that he ran off to take risks at once.
He had examined the map.
It was roughly located deep within the Yao Beast Mountain Forest.
He was only at the middle phase of the Qi Gathering Fourth Level.
Although he had some means to make up for his combat strength, he was still far too weak in the end.
Shen Changchuan did not intend to explore it now.
He felt that even if he were to investigate it,
he should at least wait until he reached the Qi Gathering Fifth Level or Sixth Level.
There was never anything wrong with being more cautious.
For the time being, all sorts of matters had come to an end.
Shen Changchuan finally had time to take stock of his gains.
The battle in which he had counter-killed the Four Fiends of Heshan
had been the most perilous battle Shen Changchuan had faced since crossing over.
It had also been the battle in which he gained the most.
After sorting through all the supplies in the Storage Bags,
Shen Changchuan's final gains were as follows:
Two hundred and twenty-three Spirit Stones,
one Dharma Artifact, the Soul-Snatching Bell; one poisoned dagger from Heshan's Second; one damaged defensive Dharma Artifact, a leather armor, from Old Four; and one quasi-low-grade Dharma Artifact from Old Three, its blade mixed with a considerable amount of Gold Essence.
His spirit medicines included one Azure Spirit Grass, three Blueheart Leaves, two Jade Dew Flowers, and so on. They were all low-grade spirit medicines, roughly comparable to the spirit ginseng Shen Changchuan had consumed during his cultivation before. None were particularly worth noting.
There were thirteen Qi Nourishing Pills and two Essence Pills in total.
The remaining materials and miscellaneous items included ninety jin of Spirit Grain, twenty jin of iron essence, one piece of Crimson Origin Iron Ore, several pitch-black ores he could not identify, spirit wood, Demon Beast materials, and more.
Within the Storage Bags, Shen Changchuan also found a handwritten manual of detailed explanations on spells. It recorded basic spells such as the Breath Concealment Technique, Water Blade Technique, Water Dragon Technique, Earth Stone Collision, Earth Shaking Technique, Golden Bell Technique, and more.
It seemed to be a collection of the various spells that the Four Fiends of Heshan had gathered over the years.
It also contained the basic Qi Absorption Art, various cultivation experiences, and so on.
And beyond all that,
there was also the Formation called the Mizong Liangyi Formation, which Shen Changchuan had pulled out of the ground before leaving.
He had not realized just how much he had gained until he took stock of it all.
Once he did, it nearly gave Shen Changchuan a tremendous shock.
As he was now,
he could practically be said to have become rich overnight!
Before you continue