060: The Powerful Family Is Deep as Water; The Long Blade Is Fierce as Lightning
When Jiang Qiang saw Master Hu, who was thriving both in the Gathering Place and Brocade Workshop, walk out of the shop, he knew that Chen Dengming had succeeded.
He couldn't help but admire this leader even more.
If you were to say that Old Chen was cowardly and cowardly, that would be true. He could have come to Brocade Workshop with the caravan a long time ago, but he stubbornly refused to go out and risk his life for two thousand miles.
But to say that Old Chen is bold is an understatement. He dared to kill a cultivator when he was weak, and now he dares to retaliate against Master Hu, even arranging a meeting and negotiation with Master Hu.
All I can say is that Old Chen knows when to be cautious and when to be brave. He is cautious, not cowardly; he is bold, not reckless. No wonder he was able to rise from a fishmonger in an old shack to become the current Chief Chen.
When Master Hu himself came to Yunlai Inn.
Chen Dengming had already personally prepared the wine.
The wine is brewed to welcome guests.
The fragrant aroma of the wine further enhances the warm and friendly atmosphere.
"The evening sky threatens snow; shall we share a cup?"
Chen Dengming's voice came from upstairs.
Master Hu strode upstairs and immediately spotted Chen Dengming's familiar figure, which was even more imposing and robust than that of ordinary cultivators.
As soon as the other person turned around, he saw a pair of bright, spirited eyes, a high and straight nose, and those unusually familiar white hairs at the temples, giving off an eerie and indescribable aura.
Master Hu was startled, sensing that the spiritual power emanating from the other party was even stronger than before, and even faintly carried a hint of Sha Qi.
It was Sha Qi that could only be generated by killing many cultivators and even Demon Beast.
He immediately slapped his thigh, his expression moved, and rushed upstairs, exclaiming happily, "Brother Chen!! I never expected it to be you, Brother Chen! Oh ha ha, this is truly... a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple, making me ashamed!"
Two incense sticks later.
Inside the Yunlai Inn, Chen Dengming and Master Hu finished their discussion and both burst into laughter, not mentioning the unpleasant incident again.
Both were intelligent men, and they both pretended not to understand each other's attempts to intimidate and their counterattacks.
Now that the outcome has been decided, those who should accept their defeat should accept it, and those who should cooperate should cooperate. Unless one is determined to be an enemy, there is no need to continue playing any more tricks or schemes.
Seeing this, the men on both sides breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Chen Dengming suddenly stood up, smiled, and brought out some wine. He personally poured it into several bowls and handed them to the two Horse-faced Cultivators were flattered.
"Come, fellow Daoists, I, Chen, have offended you greatly just now. Please don't take it to heart. Drink this cup of wine, and from now on we'll be brothers. We'll make money together and drink together!"
"No, no! Old Chen, please don't flatter me. If you ever need anything from me in the future, just give the word, and I'll take care of it!"
"Old Chen, please don't be so polite! It was our poor attitude earlier, so please accept this first as a sign of respect."
The two monks immediately bowed and scraped, humbly accepting the wine bowls and drinking them down in one gulp. Then, they looked at their chests with bitter expressions.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"
Chen Dengming slapped his forehead, smiled, clasped his hands together in apology, and his heart stirred.
A buzzing sound began.
Two afterimages, one red and one black, flew out from the clothing of the two cultivators and instantly disappeared into Chen Dengming's sleeve.
Master Hu felt a chill run down his spine. He smiled, put down his pipe, his eyes gleaming brightly. He laughed loudly, opened the wine seal, and raised the wine jar.
"Old Chen, I'd like to congratulate us both in advance on our great fortune!"
"Master Hu, you'll also need to put in a lot of effort regarding that matter we discussed."
With a 'clang,' the two wine jars collided, releasing a rich aroma of wine.
Drinking with friends is the same as drinking with enemies. Even if it's a stranger, as long as they're willing to sit down and drink with you, it at least means they're not wary of you.
Once a drink is shared, strangers become friends, and difficult topics become easier to discuss.
A gentle breeze sweeps away the remaining snow, and a warm breeze brings back spring.
A month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Winter has passed, and early spring has arrived.
The cold and unbearable weather is finally over.
The tense and hostile relationship Luo Family and Zhu Family, like winter turning to spring, finally showed some signs of easing.
Or rather, the relationship that eased was not between the Luo Family and Zhu Families, but between the Luo Family and Luo families.
Rumor has it that the Luo family's Foundation Establishment Late Stage ancestor possesses astonishing abilities; somehow, he managed to obtain another Foundation Establishment from the Five Qin Sect, a cultivation sect.
The Luo Family Ancestor wishes to present this Foundation Establishment as a marriage gift to the Luo Family Lüo Bing, the eldest daughter of the Luo family, in order to renew the goodwill between the two families. Luo Ping will marry into the Luo Family as a son-in-law, and after Luo Ping and Lüo Bing have a child, that child will belong to the Luo family.
After this rumor spread, the tense standoff between the Zhu Family and Luo Family naturally changed again and eased.
Countless cultivators and mortals who heard the news were not only dumbfounded, but also felt as uncomfortable as if they had swallowed a fly.
Are you guys playing mahjong or something?
One minute it's an arranged marriage, the next it's a son-in-law marrying into the wife's family.
If you want to fight, then fight; if you want to play dirty, then play dirty. We, a bunch of Rogue Cultivator and mortals, will suffer the consequences. We'll be like sesame seeds stuck between several large iron balls, pushed and bumped around until we're crushed to pieces and squeezed for oil.
A lot of people died one winter, but then two of the families said they had dialed the wrong number, it was all a misunderstanding, so all those who died died for nothing?
That's right, he really died in vain.
Especially for ordinary people, who lack the ability to protect themselves and have few channels of information, they truly died without knowing why.
However, for the major Cultivation Family, the life and death of mortals, including Rogue Cultivator, is not a great loss to them. In fact, they regard human life as a tool in a game and a way to express their attitude.
When Luo Ping of the Luo family failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment, the Luo Family's expression of wanting to break off the engagement was merely a test of their interests.
If the Luo family does not agree, they need to offer corresponding compensation and sincerity in order to persuade the Luo Family to continue the marriage agreement.
After all, without paying a huge price, it's unlikely that Luo Ping, with only a Medium-grade Spiritual Root and no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment, would be able to forcibly bind himself to Lüo Bing; it would be a huge waste of resources.
However, the terms of interest that the Luo family ultimately negotiated with the Luo Family failed to satisfy the Luo Family.
After the talks broke down, the Zhu Family seized the opportunity to make trouble, which was exactly what the Luo family wanted. They wanted to use the Zhu Family to make the Luo Family feel uncomfortable, thereby prompting them to take further action.
The Luo Family was naturally aware of the Luo and Zhu Family's plans. They remained calm and collected, saying, "If the Zhu Family wants territory, I'll give it to you. We'll retreat step by step, even if we're temporarily at a disadvantage. As long as Lüo Bing successfully Foundation Establishment, we'll get back everything we've lost and completely break free from our marriage agreement with the Luo family, thus gaining even greater benefits in the future."
As a result, the impossible happened: Lüo Bing failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment, and the Luo Family's composure vanished completely.
Under these circumstances, facing the increasingly aggressive Zhu Family, the Luo Family's situation was naturally quite awkward.
At this critical moment, the Luo family took the initiative to lower their stance, step forward promptly, forgive past transgressions, and even offered Foundation Establishment as a form of financial assistance, only discussing the future. This was to force the Luo Family to accept the situation reluctantly.
The many conflicts, entanglements, conspiracies, and schemes within this narrative are all revealed through the bloodshed that blossoms in the dead of winter.
"The inner workings of powerful families are as treacherous as water. This is merely a power struggle between three Cultivation Family on a small, remote border of the Cultivation World, yet it has already affected the fates of many people. I have no choice but to work on it."
"Perhaps the Luo family had already planned for Luo Ping's failure to Foundation Establishment. It was all pre-planned. The reason Lüo Bing failed to break through was probably also arranged by them, to injure him during the sect competition, or something else."
Chen Dengming expressed this sentiment when he received the news half a month ago, offering his own calm analysis.
But by then he had already broken through and successfully entered the Qi Cultivation Fifth Level, which boosted his confidence and self-assurance.
Even after achieving a breakthrough in his strength, he did not relax.
Aside from occasionally crafting Gu Creatures to sell to Jiang Qiang and Master Hu's Merchant Alliance, he spends most of his time cultivating and training in actual combat.
If it weren't for the fact that one could watch the Little Array Spirit dance on ordinary days, cultivating one's character, one's life would be like that of an ascetic.
On this day, a spring rain arrived.
Inside Brocade Workshop, a light drizzle fell on the street, as soft as silk.
Outside Brocade Workshop, spring rain patters down, the mountains and forests are serene, and the clear river water, carrying a few pieces of ice, flows by, like a misty ink painting.
"Fu--"
A Demon Beast with jet-black fur, steel teeth, sharp claws, and wings suddenly sped across the icy river, howling in agony as it crossed the icy water, leaving a trail of blood in its wake—a horrifying sight.
"Whoosh!--"
A gleaming blade of light, swift and unparalleled, followed closely behind, crossing the icy river, poised to give chase.
The Demon Beast's dark face suddenly bulged with veins, and it turned around and roared. The sound waves, as if they were tangible, burst from its mouth, and a bloody tongue grew out of its mouth and attacked the enemy behind it.
"Cut!"
Amidst the flashing blades, Chen Dengming roared, instantly concentrating his sword strikes and employing Artifact Control Technique, achieving perfect harmony between man and blade.
The longsword instantly transformed into dazzling lightning, and the man advanced with the blade.
His strikes are like a startled dragon amidst raging waves; his steps are devastating as he wields his blade. He strikes the moment the opportunity arises, and even the bravest hero cannot escape his fate!
Boom!!--
The blade energy of the Ice Spirit Blade suddenly surged, the icy blade energy condensed and surged wildly, forming a steel-like pressure. In an instant, it became a terrifying blade energy three zhang long, sweeping away everything in its path and heavily slashing towards the Demon Beast.
The blood-red tongue shot out by the Demon Beast felt icy cold at first, numbing even the pain.
Immediately afterwards, an intense killing intent surged forth like a raging torrent, instantly raising goosebumps and making one's blood feel as if it were about to freeze.
"Puff!!--"
With a loud cracking sound, the Demon Beast's body was slashed backward by the violent blade energy, crashing into a blue stone behind it with a "thud" and sliding for several more feet before finally coming to a stop.
Along the way, the soil and the newly sprouted green grass by the river were forced apart by the fierce and sharp energy of the blade, and some leaves were shaken up and fell down in a rustling sound.
"Buzz--"
"Buzz--"
Two afterimages, one black and one gold, swept past in an arc and landed on the Demon Beast. Without hesitation, the beast bit down with its venomous mouth and sharp teeth, and began to excitedly swallow the spiritual blood.
A flash of light.
Chen Dengming landed, his white hair flying in the wind. The Ice Spirit Blade shrank instantly, hovering around Chen Dengming like a nimble fish. He looked at the Ice Spirit Blade with a strange expression.
"After further improvements in Artifact Control Technique and Blade Dao, his power has indeed become even greater..."
Seven chapters already, my friends! You've completely drained me! Four of them were 5,000 words each, and I still got criticized for not updating enough! Waaah! If it were 3,000 words per chapter, that would be ten chapters! Sigh! I'm still too young. My friends, please vote with your monthly tickets! Will there be an extra chapter tonight? It depends on the results and the monthly tickets!