Shen Ling’s eyes looked at Jiang Nan, filled with suspicion.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure and said, "I got to know him on the road, and I once saved his life."
Saving Zhang Chen with an elixir was not a secret that couldn’t be told. After all, even if she didn’t say it, Shen Qiu would eventually bring the news back.
Jiang Nan recounted how she met Zhang Chen on the ship, found him dead midway, and saved him with an elixir.
"That’s when I formed some friendship with him." Jiang Nan said calmly.
"You actually used an elixir to save him—what a waste of that precious elixir. You should have let him die on the road; it would have been better than causing so much trouble now. Sister, you’ve put me in a tough spot!" Shen Ling complained to Jiang Nan, expressing her bitterness.
"If I had known you didn’t like this guy, how could I have saved him? At the time, I heard he was to marry into the Shen family, so I wanted to build a good relationship, which is why I helped. Little did I know it would cause trouble for my sister—it’s indeed my fault." Jiang Nan, being clever, could turn life into death, and vice versa.
Hearing Jiang Nan’s words, Shen Ling was also helpless, only able to complain before the two of them disappeared through the archway in the distance.
Zhang Chen looked at the steamed bun in his hand, a trace of coldness in his eyes, with unknown thoughts passing through his mind.
"Big brother, they are really too much, making us eat the food meant for servants. They don’t see us as human at all." Zhang Tuowei, holding a steamed bun in his hand, had an angry look in his eyes.
"Don’t talk nonsense. Everything will naturally be decided by your big brother, just endure it." Mrs. Zhang quickly reprimanded from the side.
Hearing Mrs. Zhang’s reprimand, Zhang Chen waved his hand, "It’s fine, let her speak."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tuowei glanced at Mrs. Zhang, then lowered her head, silently munching on the steamed bun.
"What are your plans for the future?" Mrs. Zhang looked at Zhang Chen and asked.
"First, think of a way to retrieve the things mother left behind." Zhang Chen replied.
The courtyard returned to silence, with only the sound of people silently nibbling on steamed buns. After finishing a sullen lunch, Zhang Chen left the courtyard to stroll in the Shen family’s garden. Although he seemed to be strolling, he was secretly sensing the mysterious vibrations within the Shen family’s garden, quietly observing the Shen family’s foundation.
"The things mother left me are definitely not ordinary wealth like gold, silver, or antiques. Otherwise, such a wealthy family as the Shen family wouldn’t care. What she left must be associated with the mysterious..." Zhang Chen’s mind flashed with his own judgment.
He had the True God Golden Light, making him especially sensitive to mysterious Qi mechanisms. As he walked along, he captured and sensed all the mysterious Qi mechanisms, trying to deduce the Qi mechanism of the treasure his mother left him from among them.
"The Shen family is indeed a wealthy household, with at least thirteen mysterious Qi mechanisms throughout the estate. I wonder if the mystery left by my mother is hidden among them." Zhang Chen thought to himself.
At the same time, he was also spying on the Shen family’s divine spirit’s methods. If he could peek into the details of the Shen family’s divine spirit, it would be even more advantageous when he decided to take action.
"I have the ninth-tier Invisibility Rune. The only thing I dread is the Shen family’s tenth-tier divine spirit. If I can lure away the Shen family’s tenth-tier divine spirit, the entire Shen family would be like an unguarded territory to me. But how should I lure the Shen family’s tenth-tier divine spirit away?" Zhang Chen frowned and pondered.
Various thoughts flashed in his mind as he wanted to test the Shen family’s thirteen mysterious Qi mechanisms, but one wrong move could alert the tenth-tier divine spirit. If it made a move, it would spell trouble for him.
"Among those thirteen mysterious Qi mechanisms, three are second-tier mysteries, five are third to fifth-tier mysteries, and the rest are sixth to seventh-tier. Only the deepest area of the backyard has an extremely obscure Qi mechanism. According to Lai San’s memory, that location seems to be in the direction of the Shen family’s ancestral shrine, the seat of the Shen family’s tenth-tier divine spirit. If the mystery my mother left me is among those thirteen Qi mechanisms, the most likely one is the ancestral shrine’s direction." Zhang Chen’s Primordial Spirit quickly deduced.
With various thoughts in mind, Zhang Chen wandered toward the ancestral shrine, hoping to observe the Shen family’s shrine up close, perhaps uncovering some unexpected discoveries or clues.
However, just as Zhang Chen reached halfway, two young men approached him, both slightly older than Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen was familiar with one of their auras. Through Lai San’s memory, he knew that man was Shen Qiu, who had ignored him on the ship.
As for the second man,
Zhang Chen had already seen the two of them and Shen Ling together outside the small grove, but at that time, they were too far away to see clearly. Now, upon closer inspection of the other’s facial features, which bore some resemblance to his own, he vaguely recognized the other’s identity: Zhang Gaoqiu!
Zhang Chen saw the two of them, and they saw Zhang Chen as well. However, they didn’t pay much attention to him, mistaking him for a servant. After all, Zhang Chen was dressed in coarse cloth, wearing garments not even fit for a servant. In the Shen Family, even servants had to wear top-quality woven cotton clothes.
The two merely glanced at Zhang Chen and continued talking to each other. Shen Qiu said, "Big cousin, how is that treasure?"
Zhang Gaoqiu’s face darkened and he said, "Although I share the same bloodline as that bastard, there are differences. I’m afraid the hope of breaking the seal and getting that treasure is shattered."
Shen Qiu’s voice was full of disbelief: "Logically, since you and Zhang Chen come from the same source, sharing the same bloodline, you should be able to break the seal of that mysterious object. How could you fail?"
"Perhaps there are subtle differences," Zhang Gaoqiu’s voice was full of helplessness.
"And what about the marriage with Shen Ling?" Shen Qiu inquired.
Zhang Gaoqiu was silent for a while before saying, "I can only ask my family to decide for me!"
"Maybe we can trick that wild boy into opening the seal, and once we get the treasure, drive him out of the mansion. At that time, big cousin, you’ll naturally win the beauty’s favor. Or we can find a way to get that boy’s blood, maybe we could use his blood to open the treasure seal and seize it directly..." Shen Qiu suggested.
"Then what about that boy? He and Shen Ling are engaged, they are a rightful pair," Zhang Gaoqiu’s voice showed a hint of hesitation.
"He’s just a poor boy. Under the protection of my Shen Family, he can survive in Jinling City. If he’s sensible, that’s fine, but if he’s not, we can break his hands and feet, imprison him, and throw him into a random prison to let him die. Who would dare publicly search for a fugitive?" Shen Qiu’s voice was full of indifference.
Zhang Gaoqiu scratched his head upon hearing this, as the two passed by Zhang Chen. Zhang Gaoqiu glanced at Zhang Chen and then withdrew his gaze, saying to Zhang Gaoqiu, "Such methods are too crude. It would be better to ruin his reputation first, making those old guys in Kyoto lose faith in him, and then let him disappear." His voice was filled with coldness.
Behind them, Zhang Chen suddenly stopped, turned to look at Zhang Gaoqiu and Shen Qiu with a strange look in his eyes, unable to believe they were discussing their schemes so openly.
Then Zhang Chen’s eyes revealed a cold killing intent, his fingertips moved slightly within his sleeve, wanting to use the Blood God Child to possess them, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
These two were different from the servant Lai San. Lai San was just a lowly servant, and even if something happened to him, no one would notice a lowly servant.
But Shen Qiu and Zhang Gaoqiu were noble sons, constantly under the watchful eyes of those old guys. If the Blood God Child possessed them, there would still be subtle differences, and if discovered, it would cause no small trouble, potentially ruining his plans.
If possessed by the Blood God Child, their souls would be devoured, turning them into Blood Puppets. The Blood God Child would replace the three souls and seven spirits, and it would be impossible to hide from those above the Tenth Tier.
Unless Zhang Chen’s Blood Dao reached the Tenth Tier, then it could naturally evade the scrutiny of experts of the same level.
"Jinling City is a big place, unlike the small Northern Lands. While experts may not be everywhere, they are not lacking. I must be cautious with every move," Zhang Chen thought to himself.
For him, development was the most important thing, staying hidden to buy time for himself. As long as he had enough time, heaven would be on his side.
As they passed each other, Zhang Chen moved away, a trace of Evil Qi flowing in his heart: "For now, I’ll remember this account, and when I rise, I will settle it well with you."
Wandering along, Zhang Chen observed the scenery of the Shen Family, and soon he arrived at the Shen Family’s ancestral hall.
A dozen disciples guarded the outside of the Shen Family ancestral hall, making it impossible for Zhang Chen to approach. He could only stand in the pavilion, looking at the distant ancestral hall through the gaps in the trees, a look of surprise in his eyes:
"Something’s not right!"
Within the Shen Family’s ancestral hall, he sensed a familiar Qi mechanism, similar to his Authority of Death, but not quite the same.
"That power is not the power of death, but it is entangled with the Law of Death, along with another indescribable power. That power seems to be born from death, yet transcends it. There’s a peculiar connection between the two, truly strange." Zhang Chen stood in the pavilion, carefully sensing the extremely subtle power in the Shen Family ancestral hall, his eyes showing a hint of caution. It was his first encounter with such a peculiar power attribute.