Destruction—What Does It Have to Do with Me?

When Shen Yuan opened the door to the quiet chamber, the warm sunlight outside finally streamed into the room through the doorway.

Compared with the environment two days ago, shrouded in the frigid aura of the Candle Dragon Immortal Sword, the entire residence had now long since returned to normal. There was no longer any danger of that chill aura invading the flesh.

This phenomenon suddenly reminded Shen Yuan of how Sword Slave, when controlling the Dark-Bright Sword, had been able to make the Torch Dragon Inscription on its guard breathe out frigid aura.

Yet after obtaining the Dark-Bright Sword, he had not mastered any similar trait.

After thinking it over carefully, Shen Yuan was relieved. Sword Slave had studied the Dark-Bright Sword for decades and had even ultimately sacrificed himself to the sword. It was perfectly normal for him to possess insights unique to himself.

He should not underestimate the people of the world merely because he had mastered divine abilities.

The instant Shen Yuan opened the quiet chamber's door, Fu Hua, who had long been standing guard outside, was startled awake.

After the chaos two days ago, Fu Hua had been the member of the Fu family, aside from the old master, who had interacted with Shen Yuan the most. Naturally, he had been assigned to wait for Shen Yuan to emerge from seclusion.

Moreover, Old Master Fu had taken this opportunity to tell Fu Hua about matters concerning the Spirit Tide, cultivators, and the like.

Fu Hua had waited for a full two days. During that time, Shen Yuan had not contacted the outside world, so Fu Hua had ordered the household servants to keep food prepared at all times.

Even the black-and-white kitten Shen Yuan had left behind in the house had been assigned servants to care for it at all times.

If Fu Hua's attempts to please Shen Yuan two days ago had carried a certain purpose, then now, his respect came entirely from the heart.

Shen Yuan's unfathomably powerful strength had not only saved Old Master Fu, but the entire Fu family as well.

Had the mastermind truly succeeded in taking possession of Old Master Fu's body, the Fu family would inevitably have fallen into his hands. Those so-called heirs might very well have been silenced one by one.

Only that fool Fourth Brother would have believed that the mastermind genuinely intended to elevate him.

Of course, buried deep within Fu Hua's heart was a secret he had not even voluntarily told Old Master Fu: he suspected that Shen Yuan was not a person of this era.

The suspicion appeared utterly baseless, but Fu Hua had his own reasoning.

Otherwise, if Shen Yuan truly were merely a young man in his early twenties, how could he possibly have accomplished all this?

Through every connection he had, Fu Hua had deliberately investigated Shen Yuan's background. Shen Yuan's family was merely a small merchant household in Wen City, far inferior even to the Fu family.

Shallow waters might produce flood dragons, but true dragons could never be born from them!

All these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Fu Hua then hurriedly put on a smile and stepped forward to greet Shen Yuan.

Having remained in the quiet chamber and gone without a drop of water for two days of secluded cultivation, Shen Yuan's essence, vitality, and spirit were nevertheless still at their peak.

There was even a faintly sharp aura about him now, one he had never possessed before.

Feeling even greater admiration in his heart, Fu Hua beamed as he spoke.

"Mr. Shen, after two days of secluded cultivation, it appears you have gained much. The household has long prepared food and wine for you. Would you care to dine?"

Shen Yuan casually waved a hand.

"There is no need for that. How has Old Master Fu's health been these past two days?"

At the mention of Old Master Fu, Fu Hua's heart stirred slightly as he said,

"My father was sent to Wen City Central Hospital for treatment two days ago. During the course of his treatment, the doctors all said that his physical condition was excellent, as though he had never been injured at all.

"My father could originally have been discharged that very day, but afterward, someone from the Great Xia Court came to meet the old master and voluntarily offered to provide him with better treatment."

Hearing that the Great Xia Court had intervened, Shen Yuan first raised his brows. Yet he soon realized that it was not strange for the Great Xia Court to have noticed something.

Old Master Fu himself was a prodigious figure who had stepped into the martial path's Elixir Embrace realm during the age when spiritual energy had run dry, and had established the Fu family's immense foundation.

If Old Master Fu had failed to enter the path of cultivation due to frailty in his old age, that would have been one thing. At most, he would have been an ordinary man with some strength.

But once he became a cultivator, it was almost inevitable that he would one day become a great cultivator of the Qi Refinement into Spirit Realm.

For the present-day Great Xia, with storm clouds looming over the city, Old Master Fu was unquestionably a promising prospect. It was perfectly normal to watch him and invest in him.

The only thing that concerned Shen Yuan was whether Old Master Fu's attention from the authorities would implicate him as well.

Once the authorities connected him to his return from the Cloudmist Mountains several days ago, it might give rise to some unfavorable speculation.

Having spent many years navigating the business world, Fu Hua immediately sensed Shen Yuan's concern from his expression. He hastily smiled and said,

"Please rest assured, Mr. Shen. My father specifically instructed everyone that Mr. Shen's information must never be revealed to the outside world, and my father himself will certainly keep his lips sealed.

"This time, those who came from the Great Xia Court were people from the provincial government. My father is on very close terms with the provincial governor. The provincial government is still willing to grant him this much face."

Since Fu Hua had put it that way, Shen Yuan nodded and did not raise the matter again.

If the Fu family could not even conceal such a minor matter, they were not qualified to control such a vast family enterprise.

As they slowly descended from the second floor, Fu Hua deliberately took the initiative to make conversation, telling Shen Yuan about some of the events that had occurred during his two days of secluded cultivation.

For example, the powerful figures at the top of Great Xia had begun gradually lifting restrictions on information concerning cultivators for the lower classes. Large numbers of television dramas and web dramas about myths and legends had announced production online, while basic knowledge about cultivators was quietly beginning to spread through various folk-custom and mythology forums.

The upper echelons of Great Xia appeared to be preparing to let the public gradually adapt to the existence of cultivators in this manner.

The Cloudmist Mountains, which had previously been sealed off, had also announced that the restrictions would be lifted within the past two days.

Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries across Great Xia's many famous mountains and great rivers had reopened, announcing that they would accept outer disciples.

Compared to such heavyweight news, a rare earthquake suddenly striking Langhuan Mountain in Yangzhou did not seem particularly noteworthy.

As a family that had already entered Great Xia's upper society, the Fu family had access to information far beyond what Shen Yuan currently knew. After their exchange, Shen Yuan felt that he had gained quite a bit, and his impression of Fu Hua improved considerably as well.

Fu Hua had clearly put considerable effort into deliberately gathering this information and distinguishing what was important from what was not.

After recounting the Court's direction over the past two days and several important pieces of news, Fu Hua added in a low voice,

"The Spirit Tide returned several months ago, yet the Court deliberately kept the information sealed.

"But over the past several days, the Court has not only lifted the restrictions on information about cultivators, it has actively promoted it as well, attempting to integrate the existence of cultivators into everyday life.

"In my humble opinion, for the Court's policies to change so rapidly, it is highly likely that certain circumstances have already gone beyond their control.

"They cannot control everything. They can only muddy the waters and make use of them, relying on the influence they have accumulated among the common people over three thousand years to accomplish their own goals."

"The great edifice of the Great Xia Court may be in danger of collapse!"

Shen Yuan's footsteps paused slightly as his gaze swept lightly over Fu Hua's tense expression.

Fu Hua's meaning was clear. With Great Xia's situation in turmoil, he wanted to find the Fu family a patron to help them weather the crisis before them. This declaration showed that the one he wished to rely on was Shen Yuan.

But Fu Hua had calculated wrongly. Shen Yuan had never intended to involve himself in this turbulent situation. His sole goal was to protect himself and attain the great Dao of immortality.

Everything else was merely branches and leaves.

With the Dark-Bright Sword in hand, Shen Yuan drifted away, leaving behind only a calm sentence that echoed in Fu Hua's ears.

"Destruction—what does it have to do with me?"