Negotiation Day Arrives, Revenge Begins

On the way back to the inn, Old Man Ji used his Yuan power to seal the major acupoints around Dongfang Hongyu's body and fed him medicine, temporarily alleviating his suffering.

Once back in the room, treatment began immediately.

Inside the room, Old Man Ji said gravely to Shen Zhou, "The little fatty used a 'Bloodburst Pill.' His bones are now misaligned, his qi and blood are severely depleted, and his meridians are extremely fragile, on the verge of snapping at any moment. If not handled properly, even if his injuries heal, he'll never achieve anything in the martial path."

Shen Zhou replied seriously, "You don't need to explain all that to me. Just tell me what I need to do to save him."

To be honest, after learning the full story from A Dai, Shen Zhou was both surprised and moved. He never expected the usually unserious Dongfang Pangpang to go this far for A Dai and the others.

So now, no matter what was asked of him, he would not refuse.

Old Man Ji nodded. "Next, I need you to unleash the power of the Celestial Firmament Realm. Use your innate firmament qi to protect the little fatty's heart meridian while reshaping his bones, tendons, and blood. Only this can wash away the hidden dangers of the Bloodburst Pill and even smooth his future martial path.

But this process is difficult and dangerous. You must control your strength carefully and not rush.

Can you do it?"

Shen Zhou understood after hearing this.

Tendon transformation and marrow cleansing.

Reshaping bones and tendons.

Earlier, when he had overused his Entries at the Qin Family, he had indirectly undergone such a process himself, so he was somewhat familiar with it.

He nodded. "I can, but I need your help."

"How can we help you?"

"First, strike me with all your strength using a sword!"

"???"

Old Man Ji and Li Taohua were stunned.

In all their years, they had never heard such an absurd request.

How could that help?

In fact, it could!

The power of an Entry was unpredictable—stronger when facing strength.

Without external stimulation, Shen Zhou couldn't simply draw the Taixuan Sword and burst forth with 'Celestial Firmament Realm' power.

This reason was, of course, not something he could explain to outsiders.

While Shen Zhou and the others treated Dongfang Pangpang inside the room, A Dai and San Mazi stood guard outside, also injured.

Dongfang Pangpang had been hurt so badly for their sake, and they couldn't rest easy until they heard he was safe.

Xi Mei kept crying outside the door, blaming herself. "I'm sorry, Brother A Dai, Brother San Mazi. It's all Xi Mei's fault. If not for me, you wouldn't have been hurt, and Brother Hongyu wouldn't be so badly injured."

A Dai had already taken a pill, but any big movement still pulled at his wounds, making him wince. To reassure Xi Mei, he forced a smile. "Silly girl, how can you blame yourself? It's that Wu guy's fault. This has nothing to do with you, understand?"

San Mazi chimed in, "Yeah, that Wu guy—Wu Jiuyan, right? Damn him. Just wait, one day I'll beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!"

Also waiting outside were Tan Tong and Qin Mingyue.

When they heard what had happened at the market, they were both shocked.

Tan Tong was furious—his junior brothers had faced such a big incident, and he hadn't been there.

Qin Mingyue was surprised that A Dai and the others had run into Wu Jiuyan.

Hearing San Mazi's talk of revenge, she replied, "Wu Jiuyan is one of the three young prodigies of the Wu Clan's current generation. He's at the peak of the Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm and has mastered the Wu Clan's clan-defining technique, 'Thunder Flash.' He has a record of cross-realm combat, defeating a Transformation Yuan Sixth Realm expert and even holding his own against a 'Transformation Yuan Seventh Realm' without losing.

With your talent, it would take at least ten years to reach his current cultivation level.

Wanting to defeat him is a fool's dream."

San Mazi's fervor was doused by Qin Mingyue's cold words, but he stubbornly retorted, "Who says I have to be the one to beat him? I'll have Boss Zhou cripple him first, then I'll go in for a few hits. What's wrong with that?"

Qin Mingyue paused, then fell silent.

So that's what you meant by defeat. Then pretend I said nothing.

San Mazi felt a bit smug, silently praising himself: I'm such a clever one!

The treatment continued late into the night.

When the door finally opened again, Shen Zhou walked out looking mentally drained, followed by Old Man Ji and Li Taohua.

Hearing the commotion, the group waiting outside immediately stood up to ask about the situation.

Old Man Ji nodded to them. "He's fine. This little fatty actually turned misfortune into fortune. After Shen boy helped him with tendon transformation and marrow cleansing, his physique is now comparable to a prodigy's. You all need to work hard too, or you'll soon be left in the dust by him."

A Dai, San Mazi, and Xi Mei all nodded in unison.

After this incident, they had all realized the importance of strength.

Then Old Man Ji turned to Shen Zhou and cautioned, "Shen boy, I know you won't let this go easily, but I still have to remind you: tomorrow's negotiations between the Xu and Qin families are critical, and the Yang Family is watching you like a hawk. If possible, don't rush to take revenge. Wait until after tomorrow's matters are settled, then find your chance."

Shen Zhou was silent for a moment, then said nothing, only nodded. He then called the Three Little Ones to go back to their rooms and rest.

After Shen Zhou, Qin Mingyue, and the others had left, Li Taohua finally spoke, a rare occurrence. "Do you think he'll listen to you?"

Old Man Ji gave a bitter laugh and said, "Heaven knows."

The next day, golden sunlight spilled across the land, painting the entire mine in a layer of gold.

Inside the inn.

Early in the morning, Qin Mingshu came looking for him. He waited outside Shen Zhou's door, and when he saw Shen Zhou emerge, he immediately bowed and said, "Family Head, the grandaunt and the clan leader have sent me to escort you to the mine."

After a night of circulating his energy to regulate his breathing, Shen Zhou had recovered his spirits. Seeing Qin Mingshu, he even smiled, as if yesterday's events had already passed. He said, "Good, then let's set out."

Old Man Ji, who was just heading out the door, saw this scene and furrowed his brow, muttering to himself, "This kid, did he really take my advice from yesterday to heart?"

Tan Tong was at his side and asked, "Teacher, is that a bad thing?"

Old Man Ji shook his head and said, "Hard to say. The Shen kid I know shouldn't be able to let go that quickly."

Just then, Li Taohua also came out. After they met up, they set off together toward the mine.

Before leaving, Old Man Ji asked why the Three Little Ones hadn't come. Tan Tong replied that A Dai and San Mazi were still badly injured from yesterday, and Xi Mei had to stay and tend to their wounds, so none of them were coming.

Old Man Ji nodded after hearing this. Though he felt a faint sense that something was off, he didn't think much of it.

The Mine Enclosure. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the place was vast, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of miners at work.

In years past, the Xu and Qin families had held their negotiations here, and today was no different.

Only this year, unlike the sparse crowds of previous years, the five great families plus the Qin family had all gathered, along with many rogue cultivators coming to watch the excitement. This packed the enormous Mine Enclosure full to bursting, and people even had to queue just to enter the valley mouth.

Among the crowd, the Chu family was led by an elder this time.

That elder had graying hair and a withered, gaunt face, looking like nothing more than an ordinary old man. But the sharp glint that occasionally flashed in his eyes revealed his extraordinary nature.

Beside him stood Chu Tianqi in a blue robe. Looking at the surging crowd around them, he couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't expect the negotiations between the Xu and Qin families to be this lively. Truly a rare sight."

The Chu Family Elder said slowly, "Young master, before we left this time, the family head instructed us: we are only to observe, not to participate in anything."

Chu Tianqi nodded knowingly. "Understood. What I tell you will never compare to seeing it with your own eyes. Just how much power the Qin Family Divine Weapon can let a person unleash—I believe you'll soon witness it firsthand."

On the other side, the Yang family had also entered the grounds.

The Yang Family Head had come in person, accompanied by a young man and a young woman.

The man was called Yang Feipeng.

The woman was called Yang Feiniao.

Neither of them was old, and they were the two most outstanding members of the current Yang generation.

With such a scene today, he naturally had to bring them along to broaden their horizons, and also to see for himself just how miraculous the Qin Family Divine Weapon really was.

Meanwhile, the Qin and Xu families had already entered the mine and were resting at their respective staging areas.

Among the procession entering the mountains, the Wu Family Head had come in person this time. Like the other families, he was here to see the Qin Family Divine Weapon.

In the procession, a young man followed at his side, riding atop a towering, striped fierce tiger. The tiger was ferocious beyond measure, causing many to step back in fear and awe.

But the young man seemed completely unconcerned, as if he even enjoyed the attention.

After noticing this, the Wu Family Head glanced at the young man and said, "Tone it down. Today's negotiations have nothing to do with us. We're just here to watch the show. Don't go making a scene and stirring up trouble for me."

Wu Jiuyan gave a faint smile at this and said, "Father, rest assured. I've been quite well-behaved lately. How could I cause you any trouble?"

The Wu Family Head said, "Do you think I don't know what you were up to in the market yesterday?"

Wu Jiuyan shrugged nonchalantly. "I just dealt with a few small fry. They don't even qualify as trouble."

The Wu Family Head let out a cold snort but said nothing more.

He seemed to tacitly agree that what happened in the market yesterday was indeed no trouble for the Wu family.

The procession continued into the mountains.

In a place where neither the Wu Family Head nor Wu Jiuyan noticed, there were three figures... no, to be precise, four.

One of them was on the plump side, his body wrapped in quite a few bandages and gauze, walking with difficulty.

They were none other than A Dai, San Mazi, Xi Mei, and Dongfang Pangpang.

As the saying goes, a gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years.

But when Shen Zhou takes revenge, even waiting one night makes him uncomfortable.

So after returning to his room last night, Shen Zhou had discussed the revenge plan with the Three Little Ones.

Their plan was simple: today, the three of them would keep watch on the target, then lure him out, and leave the rest to Shen Zhou.

Dongfang Hongyu only learned about Shen Zhou's plan to avenge him when the Three Little Ones went to see him this morning, and he insisted on coming along no matter what.

In his words: "Revenge is something I have to be part of. Fatty here needs to let that bastard know I'm not someone to mess with!"

And so, this scene unfolded.

From the moment Wu Jiuyan appeared, the four of them never took their eyes off him. Then A Dai said to the others, "According to the plan Boss Zhou laid out last night, we split up now."

San Mazi, Xi Mei, and Dongfang Hongyu's expressions turned serious, and they nodded in unison.

The revenge operation had begun!