"Mr. Chen, why go to such lengths?" Zhang Chen hurriedly helped Chen Ping up.
"Zhang, you are my benefactor, like a reborn parent to me!" Chen Ping’s voice was filled with excitement.
Upon hearing Chen Ping’s words, Zhang Chen’s eyes showed a hint of emotion: "It’s still because of the good karma you sowed with your kind heart! If you hadn’t saved me back then, we never would have met."
Zhang Chen was telling the truth; in this dog-eat-dog world, kind people are scarce, and kind nobles even scarcer.
"All I did back then was give you a piece of bread; how could that compare to the creation you’ve given me today?" Chen Ping clutched Zhang Chen’s hand, his voice full of excitement.
"Let’s not speak of that. We’re good brothers, and such polite words make us seem distant. Let’s go have a drink together." Zhang Chen pulled Chen Ping into the house, then instructed the servants to set out wine, and the two drank heartily again.
After three rounds of wine, Chen Ping, this wealthy young master, unexpectedly burst into tears, pouring out his heart to Zhang Chen.
Who knows how much pressure he’s been under lately?
The escort goods were targeted, his father was schemed against, his successor’s position was coveted, he lost an arm, and his Martial Dao tendons were destroyed. He had hit rock bottom, and it was Zhang Chen who gave him hope for survival at the crucial moment, helping him undergo Washing Marrow and Cutting Hair, completing his physical transformation, and regaining his strength.
Zhang Chen understood the pain in Chen Ping’s heart, so he did not offer comforting words but let Chen Ping vent his emotions.
In the end, in his drunken state, Chen Ping was sent back home by two servants at Zhang Chen’s behest.
Watching Chen Ping’s departing figure, Zhang Chen stood outside the main gates and sighed gently, knowing that Chen Ping’s drunkenness was fake and his gratitude real.
For a man, without the aid of a little yellow wine, many ’sentimental’ words simply cannot be spoken.
"The matters of the Dragon Tiger Escort Agency have temporarily stabilized. Although I’ve got the Gong Family’s Gong Hei and Mr. Gong Si under control, Chen Ping can enjoy a period of peace," Zhang Chen thought silently and then turned back into the house.
He helped Chen Ping simply because Chen Ping was a good person. And a good person should not face such outcomes.
With Chen Ping’s departure, Zhang Chen’s life returned to calm.
On the fifth day, Huang Chao visited. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he began chattering, "Zhang Chen, I always felt something was off; there’s something suspicious about that Gong Family’s Gong Hei and Mr. Gong Si."
Zhang Chen sat inside, brewing tea, and upon hearing Huang Chao’s words, showed a hint of surprise: "What’s off about them?"
"Lately, at midnight, a bloody light often emanates from the two of them, filled with a filthy, ominous aura, it’s very suspicious!" Huang Chao said to Zhang Chen.
Upon hearing Huang Chao’s words, Zhang Chen turned his head and gave him a surprised look. He wasn’t astonished that Huang Chao noticed the strangeness in the two; rather, it was that when his Blood God Child possessed Gong Hei, he didn’t sense a secretly observing Huang Chao, indicating this kid’s Transformation Technique had grown stronger.
"You don’t need to get involved in the Gong Family’s matters. I’ve already got a handle on everything. If things blow up later and involve you, you might be in big trouble. As for the distribution of the Tree of Life Coffin, if I get it, we’ll split it fifty-fifty." Zhang Chen said to Huang Chao.
Huang Chao had no doubts about Zhang Chen, trusting him even more than himself. After hearing Zhang Chen’s words, Huang Chao smiled with delight: "I was wondering why the Gong Family’s people would suddenly become like that. So it turns out you silently acted, allowing the Gong Family to fall for your scheme. I don’t actually deserve such a large part, since I didn’t put in as much effort. I’ll just take a tenth."
"We agreed to split it equally, so it should be equal. The long-term strategy between friends is to share interests equally. No matter how much effort either of us puts in during this process, you’ve already given all your power and fulfilled your effort. We should be equal partners, and all gains should be divided equally. Otherwise, our friendship won’t last long." Zhang Chen said solemnly to Huang Chao.
Upon hearing this, Huang Chao was momentarily stunned, then sighed softly after a while: "You truly are a friend worth making. In that case, I won’t be polite. Let’s see what the future holds."
Huang Chao admired Zhang Chen for his decisive actions, and promised sincerely to Zhang Chen: "In the future, if you ever have any trouble, just see if I, Huang Chao, don’t step up."
"Enough talk. Let’s drink." Zhang Chen invited Huang Chao into the house with a smile.
The long-term strategy between friends is indeed the exchange and balance of interests.
Of course, the most crucial thing is that Zhang Chen has mastered the Authority of Wood Element, and the Tree of Life gave him a branch. He can mold a big tree within a day’s time, so he doesn’t care much about how much he allocates.
After the two had a round of drinks, Huang Chao said to Zhang Chen, "Chen Sanliang has already started heading south, towards Jinling City. He will likely arrive in Jinling in about half a year."
"Has Chen Sanliang’s injury healed?" Zhang Chen asked with a look of surprise.
Huang Chao nodded, "I heard that Chen Sanliang had another breakthrough in cultivation. After breaking down to build anew, his injuries have fully healed."
Zhang Chen felt a sense of seriousness upon hearing this. Another breakthrough for Chen Sanliang is not good news for Zhou Qiucheng.
Moreover, Chen Sanliang wasn’t walking quietly all the way here. He has been debating Dao along the way, and academies in various places became his resources. By the time he steps into Jinling, who knows how terrifying his cultivation level will soar to.
"I never expected Chen Sanliang, an old scholar, to reach such a level today." Zhang Chen sighed quietly in his heart.
Huang Chao and Zhang Chen drank until midnight before hurriedly leaving, leaving Zhang Chen standing in the courtyard silently gazing at the bright moon in the sky.
Since Huang Chao left, Zhang Chen’s days had become peaceful. He spent his days either reading or delving into the Law of Heaven and Earth, enjoying a carefree life. However, inside Jinling City, he felt a sense of foreboding, as if a storm was coming, and there seemed to be an undercurrent among the crowd.
"If Chen Sanliang debates Dao with Zhou Qiucheng, something bad will likely happen. The Yellow Heaven Dao and those nobles previously driven out by Chen Sanliang will surely not let it go easily; they will want to cause trouble." Zhang Chen pondered in his heart.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and three months had gone by. On this day, Zhang Chen was reading in the pavilion when suddenly an inexplicable fluctuation came from his waist. Startled by it, he quickly took down the Alchemy Furnace from his waist and carefully sensed the changes within. He noticed that the Mountain and River Primordial Embryo had withered, leaving only a Jade Whip, which emitted brilliant multicolored lights, radiating strong Dao rhyme within the Mountain and River Primordial Embryo, its Qi Mechanism permeating through the Alchemy Furnace, alerting Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen carefully comprehended the changes, showing a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"The entire Mountain and River Primordial Embryo was drained by the God-Beating Whip, and its material has transformed unexpectedly." Gazing through the multicolored light, he observed its body, resembling the color of Mutton Fat Jade, revealing a surprised expression in his eyes.
But with the metamorphosis of the God-Beating Whip, the Qi Mechanism it emanated grew stronger, the multicolored light became more intense, and finally, the entire Mountain and River Primordial Embryo turned into powder, with only the God-Beating Whip wrapped in multicolored light appearing within the Alchemy Furnace.
Once the God-Beating Whip emerged inside the Alchemy Furnace, its Qi Mechanism surged, ravaging the furnace like a violent storm.
"This is no good. My Alchemy Furnace may not be able to suppress the Qi Mechanism of the God-Beating Whip’s birth!" Without hesitation, Zhang Chen swiftly employed the Escape Technique to leave Jinling City, rushing towards the outskirts.
While employing the Escape Technique, Zhang Chen also took out a Sealing Rune, attaching it to the Alchemy Furnace. Yet the Qi Mechanism of the God-Beating Whip grew increasingly potent, causing the whole furnace to hum and vibrate, much like boiling water, threatening to burst through the boiler at any moment.
"Such a treasure emerging will surely cause extraordinary phenomena, attracting much attention and potentially stirring up trouble." Zhang Chen felt a tingle of unease, not expecting the birth of the treasure to cause such a commotion.
"The treasure you crafted is no ordinary item; once it appears, it will undoubtedly resonate with the Heavenly Dao, receiving its baptism and imprint, completing its transformation. Your treasure would rank as a top-tier Secret Treasure even in the most distant Mysterious Era." A Great Freedom Celestial Demon spoke from Zhang Chen’s sleeve.
Hearing that, Zhang Chen pondered. The crafted treasure must undergo the empowerment and baptism of the Law of Heaven and Earth to wield the awe-inspiring power of the Heavenly Dao.
At present, Zhang Chen could only hope that the commotion caused by his God-Beating Whip would be mild, otherwise, it could spell big trouble for him.
"Oh, I should disguise my appearance..."
Zhang Chen, lacking a Transformation Technique, could only use ice to form a mask on his face. Additionally, he hung the Buzhou Seal on his body, enveloping himself in its Divine Power, and then gathered mist to conceal himself.
With the Buzhou Seal, unless someone physically dispelled the mist, no one would be able to detect his whereabouts.
Traveling three hundred miles out of Jinling City, Zhang Chen stopped in a large mountain, where the Alchemy Furnace in his hands trembled more violently, about to be suppressed no longer. Only then did Zhang Chen retract the Escape Light, standing on a large rock, and casually opened the Alchemy Furnace. The next moment, a multicolored light shot into the sky, hovering directly above the clouds.
Then, as the God-Beating Whip resonated with Heaven and Earth, a vast and formidable brilliance surged skywards, with the multicolored light evolving into numerous Innate Patterns, its Qi Mechanism dominating for tens of miles around, drawing the attention of countless powerful figures.
"What’s this? A Twelfth Tier treasure?" Inside Jinling City, Zhou Qiucheng abruptly stood up, facing the outside of the city with an expression of disbelief.