The visitor was Dan Guangao.
After his first visit, when he found Chen Che wasn’t there, he had never co by again.
After replacing Dan Guanjing, he had imdiately shown his ambition. Backed by the Royal Family, he recruited dozens of Loose Cultivators in the Market.
Clearly, he wanted to build a grand enterprise.
In just over a month, he had already made a small na for himself in the Market. To many Loose Cultivators, he had beco sothing of a local tyrant.
But in Chen Che’s eyes, he was just like the Big Leader of the fish stalls—he had no foundation, just a motley crew.
If the slightest thing went wrong, they would scatter like rats from a sinking ship.
"Fellow Daoist Dan, what brings you to my humble shop?"
Chen Che asked casually.
"I have a big business proposition I’d like to discuss with Tributor Chen."
Dan Guangao said nothing, but he glanced from side to side with a secretive and profound expression.
Seeing this, ng Qingxuan tactfully rose and left.
She wanted to stay, but she wasn’t his dao companion, so she knew she had to leave to avoid any awkwardness.
Chen Che watched her leave. After a mont’s thought, he led Dan Guangao to the Pill Shop’s backyard and even set up a Silent Barrier. Only after he had brewed a pot of Spirit Tea did his guest speak mysteriously:
"Has Tributor Chen heard a certain rumor?"
"Just say what you have to say."
Chen Che said flatly.
"Tributor Chen, you have a deep relationship with several of my brothers, so I won’t hide this from you. It’s a rumor about a Golden Core Cultivator!"
Dan Guangao lowered his voice, leaned forward, and said with a grave expression:
"Here in Yunzhou, over a thousand years ago, there was a Golden Core Cultivator who called himself ’True Master Chixia’! But what he was most praised for was that he was also a Tier Three Alchemist who owned a Pill Furnace called the ’Chixia Tripod’!"
"Back then, a millennium ago, True Master Chixia was an incredible figure, capable of turning the world upside down. I heard that even the current patriarch of the Primordial Sect once received his guidance and could be considered half his disciple."
As he spoke, Dan Guangao’s eyes filled with yearning.
"And then?"
A flicker of light crossed Chen Che’s eyes, but his expression remained unchanged.
In fact, since he possessed a Cave Mansion, how could he not be curious about its origins?
He had actually looked into it and found that his Cave Mansion had belonged to ’True Master Chixia’. However, due to the great passage of ti, many of the records were blurry and the wording was vague, far less detailed than what his guest was saying now.
"Unfortunately, he later disappeared without a trace. According to outside speculation, it’s highly likely he passed away in his Cave Mansion..."
Dan Guangao slowly shook his head, his words filled with apparent regret.
Chen Che nodded slightly. He knew that what the man said next would be the true purpose of his visit.
Sure enough, his guest paused for a few breaths before his voice suddenly dropped. "I know where his Cave Mansion is."
"Where?"
Chen Che raised an eyebrow, his eyes slowly narrowing as a hint of killing intent flickered within them.
"My Royal Family has records of this matter. After coming to the Market, I made nurous inquiries and was able to estimate the Cave Mansion’s location!"
Dan Guangao didn’t notice the killing intent in Chen Che’s eyes. A trace of excitent appeared on his face.
"The Cave Mansion is located downstream on the Black Water River, and its entrance is hidden within the raging current. That’s why no one has ever found it."
Chen Che laughed inwardly, his eyes glinting.
"Why would you tell such a secret, Fellow Daoist?"
"To be honest, the Cave Mansion is protected by an Array and a powerful restriction. With my strength alone, I can’t possibly break through them, and it would be easy for word to leak. If I sought help from others, it’s very likely they’d just kill and take it for themselves!"
Dan Guangao looked indignant, and his words seed to show a hatred for the atmosphere in Yunzhou.
"But Tributor Chen is different. You are generous and righteous. Several of my brothers in the clan have received your guidance. You are a first-rate, reliable person! That’s why I’ve co today—to invite you to go with and break the restriction together!"
"When the ti cos, we’ll split everything inside the Cave Mansion fifty-fifty. If we find the Chixia Tripod, it will belong to you, Tributor Chen!"
Dan Guangao’s words were not only sincere but also perfectly reasonable.
There wasn’t a single flaw.
Anyone else would have likely been overjoyed by now.
But Chen Che didn’t believe a single word.
’Because this Cave Mansion is already in my possession. How could it possibly be downstream on the Black Water River?’
Moreover, he was also aware of the vicious thods used by so of the Market’s Tribulation Cultivators:
They would first pretend to befriend soone, offering trivial benefits, sotis even for as long as three to five years. Once they gained the target’s trust, they would use lures like Pills, Cultivation Techniques, or Cave Mansions to trick the Cultivator to a deserted place, then murder them and steal their treasures.
"Alas!"
Under Dan Guangao’s expectant gaze, Chen Che let out a long sigh.
"Tributor Chen, why do you sigh?"
Dan Guangao was confused.
"How many Princes of the Great Feng are there left?"
"Excluding the ones who are no longer here, and Dan Guanjing who was taken back with his legs broken, there are still thirty-seven."
"In that case, one more death among you won’t matter much."
"Tributor Chen, I was wrong about you!"
At these words, Dan Guangao’s expression changed. He shot to his feet, his eyes filled with terror and furious shock.
"I trusted you, which is why I ca to discuss this with you, but now you want to kill and take this secret for yourself? The Black Water River is vast and relentless, and I am the only one who knows the location of the Cave Mansion’s entrance. Without to lead the way, you could search for decades and never find it."
Chen Che sneered, not bothering to argue with him.
"Is that so?"
He raised his head slightly, a light flashing in his eyes.
Before Dan Guangao could react, he felt the other man’s eyes suddenly blur. They beca as deep as the sea, as vast as the starry sky. With just one glance, his entire consciousness seed to sink into them involuntarily.
In a re instant, his body trembled, and his eyes glazed over.
It was Attacking God and Inquiring Heart.
"Speak. Who sent you?"
Chen Che casually picked up his teacup and asked in a slow, deliberate tone.
"It was... it was..."
A flicker of struggle appeared on Dan Guangao’s face, clearly resisting the force, but he still spoke against his will.
"The Han Family!"
Chen Che wasn’t surprised. He didn’t have many mortal enemies in this world, but the Han Family was probably the one that hated him most.
Taking a shallow sip of tea, he continued his questioning:
"Why did the Han Family approach you?"
"They said you caused the Han Family to lose its share of the mine, and that you colluded with ng Qingxuan to make their ancestor take three palm strikes. They said this was an irreconcilable feud!"
Struggle showed in Dan Guangao’s eyes, but he continued to speak:
"They found and told to lure you out so they could set up an ambush to kill you. They also promised that if it succeeded, they would support my rise to power. Once Ye Jingzhou is dead, they can naturally swallow up Jinyun Valley!"
The man was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer; he couldn’t possibly resist Chen Che’s Divine Sense.
He answered every question, revealing everything.
It turned out that Dan Guangao wasn’t content with just establishing a foothold in the Market; he wanted to build a greater power. Backed by the Royal Family, he had recruited many Loose Cultivators to serve him. Just then, the Han Family’s feud with Jinyun Valley began, and they chose him.
The two sides hit it off imdiately.
First, the Han Family believed that because the previous Princes of the Great Feng Dynasty all had ’deep relationships’ with Chen Che, he would choose to trust Dan Guangao.
Second, they dangled the secret of ’True Master Chixia’, certain that Chen Che, being a Pill Master, would be unable to resist the temptation.
Whether it was true or not, he would certainly go to investigate.
However, they never would have imagined...
...that Chen Che had already obtained the Cave Mansion long ago, and that it even had another owner before him. Thus, a trap like this was like child’s play in his eyes.
"The Han Family!"
Chen Che chuckled and withdrew his Divine Sense.
He had long expected that the Han Family wouldn’t give up so easily, but he hadn’t thought they would be waiting for him here.
"Ah..."
Snapping back to his senses, Dan Guangao looked at Chen Che’s faint, mocking smile and his face went deathly pale. Realizing he was dood, he decisively dropped to his knees and began to cry and beg for rcy.
"Tributor Chen, I beg you, for the sake of my brothers, please spare . I’ll return to Great Feng today and never co back."
He still held out hope in his heart.
After all, several of his brothers had ’deep relationships’ with the man.
Now, he could only hope Chen Che would show so sentint for their old ties, even if it was just a sliver.
"Sake?"
Chen Che sneered and slowly set down his teacup. "I once gave them three pieces of advice: understand the situation, accept reality, and don’t be curious... Now, I’ll add a fourth piece of advice for you!"
Dan Guangao trembled in silence. Hearing the other man’s casual tone, he was just starting to relax when the voice drifted over again:
"Rember, don’t pick the wrong side!"
"Huh?"
Dan Guangao’s eyes filled with terror. Before he could react, he saw Chen Che point a finger. His head was pierced through. He didn’t even have ti to scream before he died on the spot.
"Ding Fei!"
Chen Che called out.
Hearing the call, Ding Fei walked into the backyard. He wasn’t surprised to see the corpse on the ground. He didn’t ask what happened, just silently searched the body and then destroyed it.
At the sa ti, he sighed inwardly.
’The Great Feng Dynasty will have to send another Prince.’
In the blink of an eye, the backyard was quiet again.
The feud between the Han Family and Jinyun Valley was none of his business. But they had dragged him into it multiple tis, and that made it his business.
"Downstream on the Black Water River!"
Chen Che held his teacup, a cold glint in his eyes.
As long as the Han Family stayed holed up in Chi State, there was truly nothing he could do. But since they had co here, they would have to pay a price.
...
...
The night was as black as ink.
In the night sky, the Little Chick slowly flapped its wings, soaring through the air.
Chen Che stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in green robes.
His Divine Sense was vast, allowing him to travel day or night.
Three days ago, after interrogating Dan Guangao and learning of the Han Family’s plot, he had followed their prearranged signal and released a white pigeon to let the Han Family know he had taken the bait.
Originally, Chen Che had planned to tell Lu Yi.
After all, he had only been dragged into this because of Jinyun Valley. But on second thought, if the Han Family could buy off Zhao Ping and Dan Guangao, they might have other disciples on their payroll too.
So, after weighing his options, he made a decision.
’If there are only a few of them, I’ll take care of them myself.’
’If there are too many, I’ll turn and run.’
"Hmm?"
In a flash, the Little Chick had flown over the Black Water River, arriving above the supposed ’Cave Mansion’ entrance.
However, he didn’t descend rashly. He first swept the area with his Divine Sense. When he discovered the deploynt of people around, his expression froze slightly.
’There seem to be... a few too many people!’
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