After returning to the Capital City, Chen Ye found time to dig up the long saber and crossbow he had buried outside the city. He cleaned and tended them carefully.
Then he visited an apothecary, a tailor, and an ironmonger to pick up a few essential items.
Only after that did he return to his lodgings.
That night, when all was quiet, Chen Ye took out three ten-year-old ginseng roots at once.
He wanted to use their essence to attempt his third Mortal Shedding.
It would give him a better chance before he made his move.
The silver he had worked so hard to save was now pretty much gone, down to the last scrap.
Chen Ye picked up one of the roots, stuffed it into his mouth, and began chewing slowly.
A bitter, fishy taste spread through his mouth. He paid it no mind and swallowed it bit by bit.
As he held his stance and chewed the ginseng, he paid close attention to the changes in his body.
This time, he did not use the Pawn System.
The reason, in the end, was that the Foundation Cultivation Technique was too low-grade.
It was like trying to understand quadratic equations from an elementary school textbook, let alone grasp advanced subjects such as calculus.
Even if he spent his precious lifespan on it now, it would be hard to gain another qualitative improvement.
To climb higher, he needed more advanced martial arts. Only by standing on a giant's shoulders could he stand taller and see farther.
Apart from the business with the Xie Family, that was another major reason he wanted to enter a great household like the Cui Family.
Only a household like the Cui Family possessed deeper martial arts that would let him keep climbing.
Time passed little by little.
That familiar feeling returned.
It was as though he stood beneath the spring sun, warmth soaking through his body until every pore relaxed.
The vitality in his flesh stirred. When it gathered to its peak, five specks of Radiance broke through the flesh near his dantian and shone like stars.
Chen Ye breathed slowly and deeply, continuously guiding the energy throughout his body.
Layers of white mist began pouring from his mouth and nose.
After an hour, he had refined and absorbed all the first root's medicinal power.
Chen Ye ate the second root.
Another hour later came the third.
As the essence of the three roots built up within him, Chen Ye clearly felt his body changing.
Heat spread through him, and his skin flushed red.
The white mist from his mouth and nose grew thicker. He seemed to be in an immortal realm, with layer upon layer of mist curling around him.
When the strange sensation pushed his body to its limit, the heat reached its peak.
Then came a boom.
It was as though an invisible barrier inside him had been smashed open.
[Name: Chen Ye] [Current martial art: Foundation Cultivation Technique (Perfected)] [Realm: Mortal Shedding (Three)] [Current remaining lifespan: One year, one month, twenty-three days.]
I did it!
The white mist from Chen Ye's mouth and nose dissipated.
He stood where he was and slowly opened his eyes.
At once, Chen Ye found that his entire world had changed.
It was like a nearsighted person putting on glasses for the first time. The haze before his eyes had vanished completely.
Everything around him was astonishingly clear.
His five senses had undergone a qualitative change. He felt his life force surge, as though he were a newborn. His senses, once dulled, had returned to their peak and broken beyond it.
Chen Ye focused all his attention on his five senses and experienced the world anew.
He turned his ear to listen and heard the blood flowing through his body, sounding in time with his breathing until the two resonated.
He concentrated on scent and caught the faint fragrance of wildflowers blooming outside, then the subtle smell between the warp and weft of his clothes, each thread distinct.
"It really is amazing!" Chen Ye could not help exclaiming.
Chen Ye raised a hand and discovered, to his surprise, that his body had changed as well.
He was stronger.
The clothes he had just had tailored to fit now felt slightly tight.
The clothes had not shrunk. He had grown taller, his body developing further.
Chen Ye threw a casual punch. Wind roared with every movement, and the pale gold calluses on his arms now had a faint, translucent sheen.
He kept driving his fists forward with the Mountain-Shattering Style, as though his strength would never run out. He practiced for a full three quarters of an hour before exhaustion set in—an improvement of more than one level over before.
As he punched, Chen Ye examined the changes closely. The essence he had accumulated from both the White Medicine and the old ginseng had vanished completely, absorbed into his flesh and blood.
From past experience, a breakthrough would bring forth another speck of Radiance around the time it occurred.
The sixth speck would probably break through soon, even faster than he had expected.
He needed to get his hands on an advanced martial arts manual and start training as soon as possible. Otherwise, such talent would go to waste.
After testing himself for a while, the novelty gradually faded, and his body adjusted to its sharpened senses. Satisfied, Chen Ye went to sleep and slept soundly through the night.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Su Guang came through in the end. He obtained the Mandala Flower Poison and handed it to Zuo Dongxi.
Knowing time was short, Zuo Dongxi acted quickly. That very night, he planted someone in the inn where the desperadoes were staying and waited for the right moment.
"This contains Black Fat Insect Powder. It has a faint scent of rouge. When someone who's eaten the Mandala Flower Poison smells it, the poison's effects will truly take hold."
Su Guang handed Chen Ye a sachet-like object along with Zhou Clan's Jade Pendant.
Holding the powder, Chen Ye gave a slight sniff. Beneath the scent of rouge, he could make out the smell of the powder itself.
Its scent spread swiftly and carried through everything.
Chen Ye tucked the powder inside his robe, keeping it apart from the Jade Pendant.
"Now everything's ready. All we need is the east wind. Keep a close watch on the Cui Family and the Liu Family."
Something occurred to Chen Ye, and he said to Zuo Dongxi, "Make sure the arrangements at Wang Family Valley are ready early, too."
Zuo Dongxi replied, "That won't be hard. Someone in my gang is from there. It'll only take a little stirring up."
Another two days passed.
Chen Ye and the others received definite news.
On the fifteenth of the fifth month, Third Miss Cui would visit Xiangguo Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings, accompanied by thirteen guards and attendants.
The leader of her guards was a seasoned Martial Master of the Dragon Elephant Realm.
Once they had the news, Chen Ye and the others wasted no time and sprang into action.
On the thirteenth of the fifth month, they reached the area near the ambush site ahead of time and lay in wait.
On the night of the fourteenth, the Mandala Flower Poison was successfully slipped into the desperadoes' food, and they ate every last bite.
The fifteenth of the fifth month arrived in a flash.
The sky hovered on the edge of dawn.
At Cui Mansion, Cui Xijun, the Cui Family's third daughter, emerged from the inner courtyard.
She wore a plain, moon-white dress, with only a silver dangling hairpin in her coiffure.
Cui Xijun was not the most striking of the Cui Family's young ladies, but she still had rosy lips, white teeth, and an easy grace. Her shapely figure was already beginning to fill out, setting her apart from the others.
As soon as Cui Xijun appeared at the entrance, the busy servants and guards around her fell silent of their own accord.
"Hong Ling, is everything ready?"
An adorable maid hurried forward. "Third Miss, as you instructed, the incense money for the temple and everything needed for the journey are ready."
"Then let's go."
Hong Ling looked puzzled. "Didn't Young Master Liu arrange to leave with you at the chen hour? It's only the mao hour now. If we miss the appointment, how will we explain it to him?"
"Never mind him. Do as I say."
Cui Xijun's decision to leave early was no whim.
Even a fool could tell what Liu Zhao wanted when he suddenly proposed going to the temple with her.
She wanted nothing more to do with him than necessary.
So she had Steward Cheng move the departure time forward by an hour.
By the time Liu Zhao set off, she would be nearly at the temple. She would not have to trouble herself with him on the road.
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