Talent

Zhang Tieyi stared at the three golden specks of light, silent for a moment.

Then, that face, which had always been stern and humorless, broke into a rare smile.

"Not bad. You may stop your practice."

Compared to usual, there was no difference in the tone of Zhang Tieyi's voice.

But if one listened carefully, Chen Ye could still detect a trace of joy hidden within.

Zhang Tieyi turned serious and said, "The young master has accepted the imperial summons and will be departing for the capital with Lord Xie in a few days. We need to select a group of guards from the estate to accompany him, and we are currently short on manpower. You will go with them when the time comes."

Chen Ye's expression did not change upon hearing this news.

But several thoughts exploded in his mind simultaneously.

Starting from the so-called Tiger-Capturing Fist, to the kick Zhang Tieyi had delivered, and finally the lifespan consumed by the Blood Ginseng Pill.

Everything pieced together.

They had never been looking for mere guards.

And now, the sudden mention of guards accompanying the young master.

As expected, what was meant to come had arrived.

When Chen Ye looked up, his face was already masked with a smile. "It is all thanks to your guidance, Lord Xie."

"Heh, spare me the pleasantries," Zhang Tieyi said. "Practice diligently and do not slack off. When everything is ready, I will come to the courtyard to call for you myself."

With that, he turned and strode away.

Chen Ye stood alone in the empty hall.

Morning light poured in from outside the door, spreading a cold, white sheet across the floor tiles.

He looked down at his lower abdomen.

The golden light had completely faded, sinking beneath his skin and vanishing from sight.

But that warmth remained buried in his flesh, rising and falling with his breath.

He stood there for a long time.

Between the training and the medicine over these past few days, Zhang Tieyi's repeated inquiries about whether he felt anything special, his visit this morning, and the fragmented information he had gathered from Gao Qiaoniang—everything was now obvious.

The Gao Family was using medicine and techniques to catalyze something within his body.

They did not want his cultivation at all.

What they wanted was him, or rather, the thing inside him that was being forced to ripen.

He did not know what that thing was called.

But there was no doubt that, in some sense, he was considered a "resource."

The time left for him was running out.

Evening.

Gao Qiaoniang brought him his dinner, just as she did every day.

After spending these days together, the two were no longer strangers.

Chen Ye had gradually come to understand Gao Qiaoniang's temperament.

She was a woman of few words, not hard-hearted, and fundamentally kind.

This time, he did not beat around the bush and asked directly:

"Miss Qiao, the pill that Guard Zhang gave me this morning made me feel very unwell after I took it. Is there something wrong with it?"

Gao Qiaoniang fell silent for a moment.

It was not the usual pause to choose her words, but a pure, heavy silence.

After a long while, she whispered, "It wasn't that fast before."

"How long did it take for the previous person to start taking this medicine?"

"About a month later."

Chen Ye's heart tightened.

He had taken the medicine in only five or six days.

This meant the Gao Family's needs were more urgent, or that the thing inside him was more potent than it had been in the previous person.

Chen Ye looked at Gao Qiaoniang, his expression turning grave as he asked, "Miss Qiao, do you know what this medicine is actually for?"

Gao Qiaoniang shook her head and said, "I am only responsible for decocting the medicine; the prescription is provided by Zhang Tieyi."

She paused, then added, "But Guard Zhang, you would be best off not going with him."

Chen Ye raised his eyes to look at her.

Gao Qiaoniang gripped her sleeves as she spoke, her voice lowered as if she feared ears behind the walls.

"Those people from before were all sent over to the Xie Family, and after that..."

Gao Qiaoniang left the rest unsaid.

Looking at her expression, Chen Ye could tell the outcome was clearly not good.

In all likelihood, they were dead.

Chen Ye remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"Thank you."

He knew that Gao Qiaoniang was, after all, a member of the Gao Family; for her to reveal this much was no small feat, and she had taken a great risk.

Gao Qiaoniang glanced at Chen Ye.

There was no scrutiny in that gaze, nor was there pity; there was only a hint of curiosity.

In the end, she said nothing, pushed the food forward, and after setting it out, retreated as she usually did.

Chen Ye suddenly realized that this girl had likely sensed he was different from the other servants.

He was neither servile nor glib.

He didn't look like a servant, but rather like a young master or a gentleman from some family who had fallen on hard times.

Chen Ye gave a self-deprecating smile and picked up his chopsticks again.

Gao Qiaoniang stepped out of the side room and returned to the kitchen, where she picked up the freshly brewed medicine and poured it all into the slop bucket.

The medicinal broth spread a dark stain over the leftovers, slowly seeping in.

With a ladle of water, it vanished completely.

The night deepened.

Chen Ye lay on his bed, carefully reviewing everything.

As of now, he could deduce two certain conclusions from the intelligence around him.

First, the Gao Family was indeed "raising" something, using medicinal power and a cultivation technique to catalyze it, and the dosage was becoming increasingly potent.

Second, there had been more than one person like him before, and they had all been sent to the Xie Family, never to be heard from again.

In other words, the Gao Family was not cultivating him; they were ripening him.

Once he reached maturity, he would be sent to the Xie Family.

What did the Xie Family want with him?

Medicinal material? A supplement? Or something else entirely?

He did not know.

But there was no doubt that once he went, he would not be coming back.

Chen Ye sat up, reorganizing all the information in the dim light.

The conclusion remained unchanged.

Chen Ye remembered that when the golden light emerged from his dantian this morning, the look on Zhang Tieyi's face was not one of appreciation or satisfaction.

It was the certainty of someone who had waited a long time and finally seen the result.

That moment should be the sign that he had matured as "human material."

Time was even more pressing than he had anticipated.

If he waited any longer, the extent to which things might develop would be unpredictable.

Fortunately, Zhang Tieyi likely wouldn't come every single day over the next few days.

This was his final opportunity; he had to act before the Gao Family sent him away.

Tonight, he would pawn his lifespan once more.

He needed to push his cultivation to a level sufficient to confront Zhang Tieyi head-on in advance.

As for the cost, it didn't matter.

Only those who survived could talk about what came next.

With his mind made up, Chen Ye summoned the Pawn System panel.

He stared at the numbers on the panel, silently calculating.

Half a year of lifespan could push the progress of the Foundation Cultivation Technique from Minor Success to Major Success, and another half year should be enough to push this martial art from Major Success to Perfection.

After consuming one year, he would have exactly one year of lifespan remaining, kept just in case.

Having made his decision, Chen Ye did not hesitate.

"Pawn one year of lifespan!"

[Deducted one year of lifespan, provided one year of cultivation.]

[Foundation Cultivation Technique (Minor Success)]→[Foundation Cultivation Technique (Perfection)]

The anticipated agony arrived right on schedule, surging in like a tidal wave and instantly sweeping across his entire body.

Unlike the pain from last time, this was far more intense, exploding outward from the very depths of his bone marrow.

The joints throughout his body popped and cracked like roasting beans, his flesh and blood seemingly squeezed and reshaped repeatedly by an invisible force.

Chen Ye gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the torment racking his body so he wouldn't let out a sound.

His body writhed in the darkness, looking like a maggot that could be crushed to death at any moment.