Plotting

The sixth courtyard of the Gao Family manor, the study.

Two guards saw Gao Yunheng approaching and respectfully pulled open the doors for him.

Gao Yunheng gave a slight nod and strode inside.

Inside the study, the scent of sandalwood hung faint and lingering.

Behind a purple sandalwood desk, the head of the Gao Family, Gao Boyan, was holding a brush to practice calligraphy.

Seeing Gao Yunheng enter, he did not even lift his eyelids, merely saying indifferently, "Is it done?"

"Yes." Gao Yunheng maintained a respectful posture, stepping forward half a step. "Xie Xuanlang came by personally this morning. Has the candidate been finalized?"

"Just finalized." Gao Boyan, over forty, possessed thick black hair and a ruddy complexion, showing no signs of aging. As he moved his brush, he spoke: "The head of the Xie Family suffered a stubborn ailment years ago due to a deviation in his cultivation, and every year he must seek those whose blood and qi contain 'True Yang' to concoct medicine for treatment. Those with True Yang in their blood are few, and those with 'Triple Yang' are rarer still. Once they caught wind of this, they naturally had to come and verify it themselves to be at ease."

Gao Yunheng pondered for a moment. "I heard the Xie Family had previously found a suitable 'human ingredient' elsewhere?"

"Yes, he died on the way." Gao Boyan waved his hand, unwilling to discuss it further. "There is no need to dwell on that; just do our part. The errands we have run for the Xie Family over these years have not gone unnoticed. This time, the imperial court specifically recruited someone from our Gao Family to enter officialdom, which was also due to their influence behind the scenes. You brothers are of age; it is time to seek a future for the family and yourselves. Prepare well; you depart for the capital tomorrow. Remember, once you reach the capital, you must not let your cultivation slide."

Gao Yunheng said solemnly, "Rest assured, Father. Once I reach the capital, I will not slack off. I will cultivate diligently and strive to break through to the Dragon Elephant realm as soon as possible, so as not to fail the family's investment."

"The servant chosen—has his background been fully investigated? There will be no future trouble?"

"He was carefully screened from among the servants. His aptitude is acceptable, and his background is clean. His father died the year before last and his mother remarried; now he is the only one left in his family. It was also that year that he entered the manor as a menial servant."

"What is his surname?"

"Chen."

"Oh, the Chen Family has been in decline for a long time. I haven't heard of anyone of note coming from it; that is quite suitable." Gao Boyan's tone turned cold as he cautioned, "Few know that the Xie Family uses human ingredients for medicine. This matter must be airtight; no loose ends can be left, lest a good deed turn into a disaster."

Gao Yunheng said with confidence, "Rest assured, Father. We have always used 'selecting martial arts seedlings' as a pretext. During the selection process, we even deliberately mixed in several youths with ordinary aptitude to act as a cover. No one could possibly know the secret."

"During this time, I have had him consume Blood Ginseng Pill, supplemented by the Foundation Cultivation Technique to stimulate the trace of True Yang in his blood and qi. This method itself provides a boost to martial cultivation. Even if a well-informed martial artist were to come, they might not see through it; they might even think it is his great fortune. What more of a clueless servant?"

"The timing is now ripe; the True Yang in his body has been successfully triggered. I have already arranged for Zhang Tieyi to hand him over to the Xie Family in a few days. Those who know of this are limited to you, me, Zhang Tieyi, and a few others."

"Good." Gao Boyan finally set down his brush and picked up the completed calligraphy, examining it carefully.

It was a sheet of rice paper no more than two feet square, with only the character "Medicine" written upon it.

He stared at the character for a moment, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"Zhang Tieyi has worked diligently over the years and has made significant contributions. He mentioned last time that he wanted us to recommend him to the Academy Bureau to secure an official position and status. You can decide on that yourself once you reach the capital."

"Understood." Gao Yunheng acknowledged, then recalled something. He weighed his tone and mentioned quietly, "By the way, Father. Qiao Niang has also done much for the family over these years."

He paused slightly, watching his father's expression.

Gao Boyan, however, acted as if he hadn't heard, his gaze still fixed on the "Medicine" character on the paper, showing no reaction.

Gao Yunheng understood, so he said no more, suppressing the thought of securing the status of a legitimate daughter for Qiao Niang.

For the past two days, Zhang Tieyi had not appeared.

For Chen Ye, this provided him with enough time to catch his breath.

He pondered repeatedly: if he wanted to break the situation, taking action in this courtyard was the most suitable choice.

First, he had lived here for eight or nine days and was already intimately familiar with every brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree in the courtyard.

Second, Zhang Tieyi always came alone and never brought anyone else.

As long as he could silently dispose of Zhang Tieyi within the courtyard, he would have at least half an hour of a safe window to make his escape.

Of course, more importantly, Zhang Tieyi's guard was low here.

In the eyes of that bald brute, he was merely a lamb being raised for slaughter, a lowly servant who hadn't even stepped into Mortal Shedding.

If he were taken out of the courtyard, it would be different.

Taking action while being escorted would allow him to utilize more variables, but Zhang Tieyi would surely be on high alert, and he was unfamiliar with the terrain and the number of people accompanying them.

With his strength—having just broken through to the first level of Mortal Shedding—the risk of dealing with multiple people in an unfamiliar environment was simply too high.

If he waited until the handover with the Xie Family to act, that would be the worst possible strategy.

Once he entered the Xie Family's territory, he would not be facing just one Zhang Tieyi.

The Xie Family was a second-rank noble house of the Great Jing Kingdom, a top-tier clan second only to the imperial family, with countless experts and unfathomable depths.

Even if he unleashed the strength of the Dragon Elephant realm on the spot, it was unlikely he would escape unscathed.

Considering everything, taking action in this small courtyard was his only choice.

With the location decided, Chen Ye began to rehearse every detail of the action, starting to make preparations in the courtyard in advance.

After completing all the preparations, all that remained was to adapt to the situation as it unfolded—to do his best and leave the rest to fate.

The eleventh day.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Chen Ye stood by the well, drawing water to wash up.

The well water splashed onto his face, the bone-chilling cold snapping him fully awake.

He stood by the edge of the well, looking up at the square patch of sky above the courtyard.

It was a grayish-blue, not yet fully bright.

It was a good day.

He practiced his martial arts as usual, waiting.

Finally.

Zhang Tieyi, whom he hadn't seen for several days, entered the courtyard.

When Zhang Tieyi pushed the gate open and stepped in, he saw Chen Ye standing in a horse stance facing the entrance, his posture steady as if waiting for him to inspect it.

Zhang Tieyi was already accustomed to this.

He had been a guard for the Gao Family for over a decade, escorting more than one batch of "talent."

These people were all the same as the one before him: hardworking and ambitious, doing their best to perform.

After all, this was a chance to leap over the dragon gate and change one's destiny.

If it were him, facing a behemoth like the Xie Family, he would inevitably feel his heart surge, longing to catch their eye and climb the social ladder.

Let alone a crude servant with such limited horizons as Chen Ye.

To obtain such a stroke of fortune was like a child carrying pure gold through a busy market; they could only be at the mercy of others.

Zhang Tieyi stopped overthinking and walked straight up to Chen Ye.