Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
After working almost day and night, Chen Shi'an finally brought his sword draws up to ten thousand.
His prediction had been correct. At the three-thousandth draw, his body underwent marrow-washing and bone-tempering again.
All the way through the seven-thousandth draw, a warm current rose from his abdomen at every thousand-draw milestone, cleansing his body.
At eight thousand and nine thousand, however, nothing happened.
After seven cleansings, his marrow-washing and bone-tempering finally ended.
Ten thousand sword draws. He had achieved his modest goal.
The bonus he had hoped for never appeared. The Mysterious Stone Stele displayed only the number ten thousand.
Still, Chen Shi'an was not particularly disappointed.
His physique was already worlds apart from what it had been, far surpassing that of his previous life. He finally had a little something to rely on for survival.
"Sister-in-law, I'm heading out for a bit."
The appointed time had arrived, and Chen Shi'an had to meet Zhao Desheng.
"Will you be back for dinner?" Su Qingrou asked softly.
For four days, Chen Shi'an had never set foot outside, staying in his room every day to practice drawing his saber.
In the past, such a thing would have been utterly unimaginable.
Because of this, Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian had begun to believe that Chen Shi'an really had changed, and their attitude toward him had softened a little.
"If I'm not back, go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me." Leaving those words behind, Chen Shi'an strode toward the door.
"Brother-in-law."
Su Qingrou spoke again. "I'll think of something about the city construction tax.
Don't go gambling again. You're about to start a family. You need an honest livelihood, and you need to plan for the future."
Chen Shi'an was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Su Qingrou to have a way to resolve the city construction tax problem.
But he had no time to get to the bottom of it now. He smiled slightly. "Sister-in-law, I'm not going gambling. I have something to take care of."
With that, he strode out of the courtyard.
When he reached the grove where they had met last time, Chen Shi'an did not enter immediately. He quietly circled it first, then slowly walked inside only after finding nothing unusual.
Zhao Desheng had been waiting in the grove for some time and saw that Chen Shi'an had once again come alone.
Anger appeared on his face. "Chen Shi'an, you dare play me for a fool again and again? Have you gotten tired of living?"
Chen Shi'an put on an apologetic expression and held out three taels of silver. "Brother Zhao, something has changed. We'll have to cancel our previous deal. Here's your deposit back."
Zhao Desheng spat a thick glob of phlegm at Chen Shi'an's feet, his eyes flashing coldly. "Once I, Zhao Desheng, spend silver, there's no taking it back."
"Brother Zhao, this was my fault."
Chen Shi'an smiled ingratiatingly and cupped his hands, then took out another tael of silver. "I'll give you an extra tael as an apology."
Zhao Desheng narrowed his eyes. "Chen Shi'an, do you think I need that one tael of yours?
For old times' sake, I gave you a chance to make some silver, but you don't know how to appreciate it.
Let me make this clear. If you don't bring Su Qingrou and her daughter here today, I'll kill you.
Once you're dead, the Chen Family will have no heir. Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian will lose their household registration, and I'll still have ways to get my hands on them."
Chen Shi'an's smile disappeared. "Do you really have to take things that far?"
As he spoke, his hand reached toward his waist.
Only then did Zhao Desheng notice that Chen Shi'an actually had a horizontal saber hanging at his waist.
"Oh, so you came prepared."
A mocking expression appeared on Zhao Desheng's face. "A piece of trash like you, wearing a saber? Who do you think you're scaring?
If you want to exchange blows with me, your dead brother would have to climb out of his coffin. Then you might stand a chance."
Chen Shi'an lifted his eyelids slightly. "Zhao Desheng, you and my elder brother were brothers of a sort, at least..."
Zhao Desheng waved a hand to cut him off and burst out laughing. "Your brother was a complete and utter idiot. Was he worthy of being my brother?
If he hadn't married a wife as lovely as a flower and fathered a fine little girl, would I have put my arm around his shoulders?"
"You really are an animal!" Chen Shi'an said coldly.
"You're asking to die!"
Zhao Desheng lunged forward like a fierce tiger descending a mountain and drove a foot toward Chen Shi'an's stomach.
The kick was incredibly fast, accompanied by the whistle of rushing air.
Chen Shi'an's heart tightened.
In both speed and power, Zhao Desheng's kick would have made him the king among elite soldiers in the military of Chen Shi'an's previous life.
His former self could never have blocked or dodged that kick.
But after seven rounds of marrow-washing and bone-tempering, his current physique far surpassed that of his previous life.
He was fast enough to evade Zhao Desheng's attack now, but instead, he put on a terrified expression and stumbled backward in panic.
Thump.
Zhao Desheng's foot slammed into Chen Shi'an's stomach.
With a muffled grunt, Chen Shi'an flew more than ten feet backward and crashed heavily to the ground.
After struggling for a long while, he finally staggered to his feet.
He looked wretched and miserable, but in truth, he had suffered little harm.
When Zhao Desheng's kick struck him, he had bent at the waist and curled his body, dissipating most of the force.
His current physique could easily withstand the remaining impact.
"Zhao Desheng, this is the Stronghold! You're a guard captain, yet you attacked me. I'll report you to the City Yamen!" Clutching his stomach, Chen Shi'an spoke through gritted teeth.
Zhao Desheng sneered. "You refused the toast, so now you'll drink the punishment wine. Do you think you'll leave here alive today?"
Chen Shi'an's expression changed dramatically, and he cried out in fear, "Zhao Desheng, my sister-in-law knows I came to meet you. If you dare kill me, the Stronghold will trace it back to you. Then you won't live either!"
Zhao Desheng roared with laughter. "A worthless fool like you really thinks he's somebody.
In the Stronghold, people like you are hardly better than bedbugs. If you die, you die. Who would waste much effort investigating?
Besides, after I butcher you, I'll throw your corpse into the Outer City.
Naturally, your death will be blamed on the refugees there.
Su Qingrou's unsupported accusations won't give me any trouble. She'll only get herself charged with slander.
How do you like that arrangement?"
Chen Shi'an suddenly said, "That arrangement of yours is genuinely good. I could borrow it."
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Zhao Desheng was baffled. "Have you gone mad, brat?
I'll give you one last chance. Drive Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian out of the Chen Family right now, and I'll spare your life."
Chen Shi'an replied coldly, "Zhao, why don't you piss on the ground and take a look at your reflection? What kind of dogshit are you, daring to covet my sister-in-law? You're not even worthy of drinking her foot-washing water."
Zhao Desheng flew into a rage. With a ringing sound, he drew the horizontal saber at his waist and lunged at Chen Shi'an again, brimming with murderous intent.
Chen Shi'an swayed and retreated in panic once more.
"Trash! Die!"
In a flash, Zhao Desheng was right in front of Chen Shi'an. His horizontal saber slashed down toward Chen Shi'an's head, vicious and ruthless.
At that very instant, Chen Shi'an abruptly stopped his panicked retreat. Bending his waist and knees, he darted forward like a nimble ape.
At the same time, a cold gleam suddenly blossomed in the grove as the horizontal saber at Chen Shi'an's waist left its sheath.
The next moment, the two figures passed each other and stood four paces apart, back to back.
Chen Shi'an held his saber in his right hand. Crimson blood slowly dripped from its tip to the ground.
The ferocity on Zhao Desheng's face had vanished, replaced by overwhelming terror. His right arm had been severed at the shoulder and lay on the ground, its hand still tightly gripping his horizontal saber.
"You know how to use a saber? How is that possible?"
Zhao Desheng did have some grit. Despite losing his arm, he did not scream in pain. Instead, he staggered around, his face full of shock and disbelief.
Chen Shi'an also slowly turned and asked expressionlessly, "Were you behind my elder brother's accident six months ago?"
Clutching his blood-spurting shoulder, Zhao Desheng gave a sinister chuckle. "To think I misjudged you. So you, Chen Shi'an, were playing the pig to devour the tiger.
That's right. Your brother met with that accident because he didn't know what was good for him."
Chen Shi'an's gaze chilled slightly. "Since you've admitted it, you can be on your way now."
With that, he slowly stepped forward, murderous intent swirling around him.
"Chen Shi'an, do you dare kill me?"
Yet Zhao Desheng looked utterly confident. "Do you know who you'll offend if you kill me?
To tell you the truth, I'm only a pawn.
So what if you've hidden your abilities deeply? Offend this powerful figure, and you're certain to die.
If you know what's good for you, hurry up and help me reattach my arm, then drive Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian out of the Chen Family.
I'll cover up what happened today for you, and I can even keep you alive."
Chen Shi'an considered briefly, then continued forward. "Zhao Desheng, you'll tell any lie to stay alive. Stop wasting your effort and prepare to die."
"Wait!"
Zhao Desheng retreated two steps and hurriedly said, "Chen Shi'an, don't ruin yourself! I'm working for Lord Wang. Lord Wang specifically requested Chen Tiantian. You can't protect her!"
Chen Shi'an stopped and frowned slightly. "Which Lord Wang?"
Zhao Desheng hastily answered, "What other Lord Wang is there in our Windrise Stronghold? Lord Wang Tianye, of course!"
At those words, Chen Shi'an's heart gave a jolt.
Wang Tianye, the commander of Windrise Stronghold's city guards, held tremendous power in the Stronghold and was a Ranked Martial Artist as well.
"You just said Lord Wang specifically requested Chen Tiantian?" Chen Shi'an's expression grew grave.
Rumors had circulated in Windrise Stronghold that Wang Tianye had a perverse taste for young girls.
Thinking Chen Shi'an was frightened, Zhao Desheng raised his head slightly. "Of course! It's Chen Tiantian's good fortune that Lord Wang took a fancy to her. Your elder brother refused to appreciate the favor, so he could only report to the underworld.
If Lord Wang hadn't ordered us to use gentle methods, I wouldn't have bothered wasting time with you. I'd have simply tied her up and delivered her."
Chen Shi'an's brow furrowed even more deeply. If Zhao Desheng was not lying and Wang Tianye had set his sights on Chen Tiantian, this would be troublesome.
With Wang Tianye's strength and authority, crushing him would be no harder than crushing an ant.
"Chen Shi'an, if you know what's good for you, hurry up and reattach my arm, then apologize to me. We'll consider this matter settled." Zhao Desheng began to look smug.
After swiftly weighing his options, Chen Shi'an sheathed his saber and put on a fawning smile. "Brother Zhao, you should have said so sooner.
If I'd known you were acting on Lord Wang's orders, no matter how reluctant I was to part with Su Qingrou, I wouldn't have uttered a word of protest. I'd have immediately delivered mother and daughter into your hands myself."
As he spoke, he jogged forward, deftly picked up Zhao Desheng's arm, and helped hold it against his shoulder.
A mocking expression appeared on Zhao Desheng's face. He quickly took out medicinal powder and applied it to the severed stump, then swallowed a pill and exhaled deeply.
"Brother Zhao, when you take Chen Tiantian to Lord Wang's residence later, could you bring me along so I can show my face before him?" Chen Shi'an attentively supported Zhao Desheng's arm, his face full of ingratiating smiles.
Zhao Desheng answered disdainfully, "Who do you think you are, wanting to meet Lord Wang? Even I have to call in plenty of favors just to see him once."
Chen Shi'an looked puzzled. "Didn't you just say Lord Wang specifically requested Chen Tiantian? If we deliver her, won't we get to see him?"
Zhao Desheng curled his lip. "Lord Wang has requested plenty of young virgins. Chen Tiantian isn't the only one. For all we know, he's already forgotten about it."
Chen Shi'an blinked. "So Lord Wang doesn't know about what you've been doing?"
Zhao Desheng sneered. "Lord Wang is the Stronghold's commander and protector. With his exalted position, why would he concern himself with such trivial details?
Don't be disappointed, either. As long as we deliver Chen Tiantian to the Commander-in-Chief's Residence, we'll certainly be rewarded.
As for Su Qingrou, once I'm tired of playing with her, I'll naturally let you have a share..."
Before he could finish, a relaxed smile suddenly appeared on Chen Shi'an's face. "You gave me quite a scare. So you were just borrowing a tiger's skin to wave as your banner. That makes things easy."
Zhao Desheng realized something was wrong and hurriedly looked up, only to see a cold gleam flash before his eyes.
Then he felt a chill at his neck. His throat could no longer make a sound, and his entire body toppled stiffly to the ground, dead beyond any doubt.
Chen Shi'an searched the corpse and found a money pouch containing six taels of loose silver.
Clearly, it had been intended to purchase Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian.
"Barely six taels of silver, not a scrap extra. Just another pauper. Why pretend to be a big, bushy-tailed wolf?" Chen Shi'an wiped the blood from his horizontal saber on the corpse.
After cleaning away the bloodstains in the grove, he covered the corpse with dry grass and leaves, then left.
Although Wang Tianye knew nothing of Zhao Desheng's actions, he still had to dispose of the corpse carefully.
Someone else might know that Zhao Desheng had been coveting Su Qingrou.
If they followed that lead, they could easily trace it back to Chen Shi'an.
Murder within the Stronghold was a grave crime.
Zhao Desheng was also a Squad Leader in the City Guard Battalion. His death was no small matter. If even the faintest clues were discovered, Chen Shi'an would find it difficult to escape execution, and Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian would be implicated as well.
He left the grove now to find a way to transport the corpse to Windrise Stronghold's Outer City.
Across the Desolate Ruins, there were hundreds of outer cities like the one at Windrise Stronghold, large and small.
Every stronghold had an outer city established beyond its walls.
These so-called outer cities were merely areas enclosed by fences outside the strongholds' walls.
The outer cities were not under the strongholds' jurisdiction, and anyone could enter, including refugees whom the strongholds refused to accept.
They were also places where refugees and other factions traded with the strongholds.
The primary reason the various strongholds established outer cities was to guard against attacks by demon beasts.
With an outer city in place, there was an additional buffer when demon beasts attacked, giving the stronghold more time to respond.
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