Free Web NovelChapter 50: Chapter 50: Scheming
Inside the Xu Family estate in Lin Wu City.
Xu Zhi’s eyes were filled with venom as he and his father, Xu Zhang, listened to a steward’s report.
"Liang Cheng is seventeen and from Linhai Town. His father died young; his mother, from the Ning Family, runs a noodle shop. He joined the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall to practice martial arts. He reached the Dark Force level at sixteen and Transformation Force at seventeen. He won the Three Towns Grand Tournament, placed second in the Spring Hunt, and received a direct recommendation to the Martial Arts Academy."
Xu Zhang gently tapped his fingers on the armrest of his rosewood chair.
"Is that all?"
The steward continued, "After this young man entered the Martial Arts Academy, he first defeated Liu Meng and was later suspected in connection with Wang Li’s disappearance. According to our informant in the Academy, he has already exchanged for the Broken Wave Technique."
A cold glint flashed in Xu Zhang’s eyes. "To think a live-in son-in-law like Yang Wei could raise such a disciple. How unexpected."
"Father, you were the one who told me to find a way to get close to that girl from the Qiao Family. He’s just the son of a fisherman’s family. If we don’t teach him a lesson, we’re the ones who will lose face."
"Foolish! I always tell you to use your brain. If we get involved directly, we’ll offend the Martial Arts Academy for no reason. Why should we handle such a trivial matter ourselves? Consider this a lesson. For now, you will stay home and focus on improving your Cultivation."
After scolding Xu Zhi, Xu Zhang instructed the steward, "Go to the Martial Arts Academy. See if you can arrange for someone to teach Liang Cheng a lesson and make him stop meddling in others’ affairs."
"Yes, Master."
...
After returning to the Martial Arts Academy, Liang Cheng became a recluse.
He practiced his saber during the day and tempered his body at night, cultivating the Broken Wave Technique, circulating his Qi Blood to open his acupoints, and using the Qi Blood Pills from Chen Bainian to aid his training.
「On the seventh day.」
As Liang Cheng executed his one-thousandth strike in the Quiet Chamber, the sound of the blade cutting through the air suddenly transformed into the roar of crashing waves. With a single slash, the afterimages looked like one wave cresting upon another.
[Gale Saber Technique: Great Success (1/2000)]
Liang Cheng retracted his saber and stood still, slowly exhaling.
’My strength has reached a new level.’
「Ten days later,」 Chen Bainian had fifteen catties of Cold Iron Essence and twenty catties of Red Copper Sand delivered on time. It was all packed in an unremarkable iron box, carried into his room by two clerks.
With these herbs, his cultivation speed for the Iron Armor Realm accelerated once more.
The time it took for the medicinal liquid in the wooden tub to change from dark red to iron gray shortened from the time of one incense stick to half an incense stick. The iron-gray luster beneath his skin grew deeper and more condensed with each passing day. Ordinary blades could barely leave a white mark on him.
[Stone Armor Skill (Iron Armor): Minor Success (232/1000)]
[Broken Wave Technique, First Layer: Beginner Level (189/600)]
[Gale Saber Technique: Great Success (24/2000)]
With the help of the Qi Blood Pills, his progress with the Broken Wave Technique had reached a new stage. Unfortunately, the bottle of Qi Blood Pills was now completely used up.
Thinking of this, Liang Cheng headed to the Foreign Affairs Hall again to accept a mission. Having tasted the sweet benefits of using Qi Blood Pills for his cultivation, he naturally couldn’t give them up.
The Foreign Affairs Hall wasn’t very crowded today.
Liang Cheng walked up to the mission Jade Disc, his gaze sweeping over it quickly.
The rewards for low-level missions were too small, so he skipped right past them, his eyes finally stopping on a newly posted mission:
[Guard the West Mountain Mine for seven days]
[Requirements: Patient, skilled in defense]
[Reward: 80 points per day, with an additional 200 points upon completion]
[Note: The mine has recently been troubled by packs of Rock Rats. A Tier Four Rock Rat King occasionally appears. You only need to repel them, not exterminate them.]
’Seven days for a base of 560 points, plus a 200-point bonus, for a total of 760 points. The average isn’t that high, but it’s stable, and the part about being skilled in defense is a perfect fit for me.’
Liang Cheng took the mission slip and went to the counter to register. The disciple on duty wasn’t Zhao Ming. After checking his Jade Token, the disciple efficiently completed the procedure.
"The mine is on the West Mountain North Slope. Here is a map and a Pass Token. Today counts as the first day. Return here at this time in seven days to hand back the Token."
"Thank you."
Liang Cheng took the items and turned to leave.
...
Just as Liang Cheng was accepting the mission, Liu Meng reappeared in public.
His injuries should have taken over a month to heal, but thanks to the Xu Family’s elixirs, he had recovered ahead of schedule. However, his right arm still felt a bit stiff when he tried to channel his Power.
When Liu Meng pushed open the door to a side room in the Foreign Affairs Hall, Zhao Ming was at his desk, checking account ledgers.
Hearing the noise, he looked up, a little surprised. "You’re healed?"
"Thanks to you, cousin, I’m finally healed. I was going stir-crazy all this time."
Liu Meng’s voice was sullen as he sat down opposite him.
"Since you’re healed, just rest up and don’t cause any more trouble."
"Me cause trouble?" Liu Meng’s face suddenly darkened. "So I’m just supposed to accept being injured for nothing?!"
"What else can you do?" Zhao Ming closed the ledger, his gaze turning cold. "You were the one who got on that stage. You were the one who made the bet. You lost, so you have to accept it. Liang Cheng is in the spotlight right now. Even Wang Li..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
But Liu Meng keenly caught the anomaly. "Wang Li? What happened to him?"
Zhao Ming was silent for a moment before lowering his voice. "Wang Li and Sun Yan... they’ve disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Liu Meng was stunned for a second, then, as if realizing something, his pupils shrank. "Cousin, are you saying you suspect he killed Wang Li?"
"Suspect?" Zhao Ming sneered. "He’s already exchanged for an Inner Cultivation Method—the first layer of the Broken Wave Technique."
"The Broken Wave Technique..." Liu Meng repeated in a mumble, his eyes becoming bloodshot. "He exchanged for the Broken Wave Technique?"
’That’s the cultivation technique I trained in for two years, the one that made my name. Liang Cheng beat me on the stage, and now he’s even going to surpass me in the very technique that is my foundation?’
"The Broken Wave Technique requires four thousand Contribution Points," Zhao Ming stated the number. "Aside from taking them from Wang Li, I can’t think of any other way he could have gotten them."
"Good! That’s just great!" Liu Meng slammed his fist on the table, rattling the pen holder. "He’s shitting on my head!"
Seeing his state, Zhao Ming frowned. "I told you this so you’d understand the stakes, not so you could go get yourself killed. Wang Li was stronger than you, and even with Sun Yan by his side, they both fell to Liang Cheng. If you go now, you’re just committing suicide."
But Liu Meng suddenly laughed, a savage grin on his face. "Cousin, are you scared?"
Zhao Ming’s expression darkened.
"Aren’t you afraid that if Liang Cheng keeps getting stronger, he’ll find out it was you who leaked his mission route to Wang Li?" Liu Meng took a step closer.
"Liu Meng!"
"Am I wrong?" Liu Meng’s voice dropped even lower, but each word was like a knife. "When he gets even stronger, do you think he’ll let you go?"
The tips of Zhao Ming’s fingers turned white. He had been thinking the very same thing.
"However," Liu Meng’s tone shifted, "we’re not the only ones Liang Cheng has offended."
Zhao Ming’s head snapped up. "What do you mean?"
"The Lin Wu City Xu Family."
Liu Meng spat out five words.
"A few days ago, the Xu Family’s Third Young Master, Xu Zhi, was beaten up by Liang Cheng in the street. He suffered three broken ribs. The Xu Family is looking for someone to teach him a lesson."
"The Xu Family?" Zhao Ming’s expression flickered. "They approached you?"
"That’s right. How else could I have recovered so quickly?" Liu Meng took a silver banknote from his robes and slapped it on the table. "This is a one-thousand-tael deposit. There will be a generous reward after the job is done.
The Xu Family promised that if Liang Cheng dies ’accidentally’ during a mission, they will smooth things over with everyone at the Martial Arts Academy. There will be no repercussions."
Zhao Ming stared at the silver banknote, silent for a long time. The Xu Family was a major clan in Lin Wu City. If he could establish a connection with them, the benefits would be substantial.
With this in mind, he finally spoke. "The West Mountain Mine has been having a rat problem recently. The Foreign Affairs Hall just posted a mission, and Liang Cheng has already accepted it."
A vicious glint flashed in Liu Meng’s eyes. "The mine?"
"The terrain there is complex, with countless side tunnels. Cave-ins are frequent."
Zhao Ming’s voice was calm, but it carried an undercurrent of ice. "It’s not uncommon for people to run into a Demon Beast Group or get buried by falling rocks, their bodies never to be found."
The two exchanged a look. Everything was understood without a word.
Liu Meng could no longer sit still. He left the silver banknote on the table, stood up, and left.
"Thank you, cousin!"
