The two feigned warmth amidst a somewhat awkward atmosphere, neither really drinking the wine, just lightly sipping at the edge.
As for the dishes on the table, Zhang Chen only ate according to the sequence Zhang Gaoqiu had followed. As for the dishes not yet tasted, Zhang Chen wouldn’t touch them with a chopstick.
The two exchanged cups back and forth for another quarter of an hour. During this time, Zhang Gaoqiu urged the servants several times, but still there was no sign of Wang Xifeng and Shen Ling’s arrival.
"Perhaps they’ve been delayed by some unforeseen event. I’ll personally go check on them. Please, dear brother, stay here for a while," said Zhang Gaoqiu to Zhang Chen before standing up to leave.
Zhang Chen watched Zhang Gaoqiu’s departing figure silently, setting down his chopsticks and bowl.
Zhuge Family
The Tenth Tier deity of the Shen Family stood alongside a strong practitioner of the Zhuge Family, as the patriarch of the Zhuge Family handed over a broken mirror to the deity of the Shen Family, saying, "This is a secret treasure of our Zhuge Family, capable of tracing back the Power of Time. It should help you unearth that thief."
The deity of the Shen Family, upon receiving that fragment, was overjoyed: "Good! If this succeeds, our Shen Family will surely offer generous thanks."
Meanwhile, Zhang Gaoqiu traversed corridors and passed through various decorated arches until he reached Wang Xifeng’s residence, where he found both Shen Ling and Wang Xifeng present.
"How goes it?" Shen Ling inquired upon seeing Zhang Gaoqiu enter.
Zhang Gaoqiu replied, "The lad’s already walked into the trap, aunty. Now’s the time for you to act, so we can capture him perfectly."
Wang Xifeng glanced at Zhang Gaoqiu, "Boy, there must be no mistakes with this affair. If there is, I might as well not live."
"Aunty, you just go. The drug’s effect should have kicked in by now, and that boy has likely lost his senses," Zhang Gaoqiu assured. "Just engage him for half an hour, play your part thoroughly to prevent suspicion, and then I’ll step in to conclude matters. That boy’s merely flesh and blood, despite his talents, he’s surely no match for you. Your cultivation greatly surpasses his, what is there to fear?"
Wang Xifeng nodded in approval, believing Zhang Gaoqiu’s words. After all, she was a Sixth Tier Bloodline Practitioner, while Zhang Chen was but a youth. How much bloodline power could he possibly possess? At his age, how much of his Bloodline Power could he have awakened?
Bloodline Power grows and is unleashed with physical development and growth, but it declines with age and frailty. Though Bloodline Practitioners are formidable, their prime doesn’t last long.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chen sat composed inside the room, contemplating what trick Zhang Gaoqiu might be playing. Suddenly, he overheard whispers from outside the courtyard, only to find two servant girls cooking in a corner of the neighboring courtyard wall.
One of the servant girls complained discontentedly, "That third madam is truly awful, always making us cook separately. If it’s not done right, we get whipped; it really makes life unbearable."
"I’ve been hit thrice this month already, it’s left me too scared to turn over in my sleep."
"Who hasn’t?"
...
As the servant girls whispered, the flames gradually rose, with wisps of blue smoke curling up.
At this moment, someone called from afar, "Caiyi, Caidie, the madam summons you for questioning."
The two maidservants, disregarding the stove, quickly responded and left.
Watching the smoke rising over the neighboring courtyard wall, Zhang Chen was indifferent, yet a moment later, as the smoke wafted over, he inhaled a few breaths, which stirred his Qi Blood, causing inappropriate visions to inexplicably surface in his mind.
Yet Zhang Chen was still nonchalant, thinking merely that his body was gradually maturing and he was naturally starting to be drawn to women.
After a while, sudden footsteps echoed, coupled with a clear voice asking, "Is Cousin at home?"
It was Jiang Nan!
To ensure their scheme against Zhang Chen didn’t affect innocent parties due to the smoke, Zhang Gaoqiu had already dispersed all the servant girls and servants in the courtyard.
Now, as the smoke spread, a completely unguarded Jiang Nan stepped into the courtyard. Not seeing any of Zhang Gaoqiu’s manor’s servants along the way, and noticing smoke rising in the backyard, he feared a fire. The previously terrifying blaze at the Shen Family Mansion was still fresh in memory, so when he saw smoke in Zhang Gaoqiu’s courtyard, Jiang Nan panicked and rushed inside.
But as Jiang Nan dashed into the smoke’s range, inhaling its fumes, his face immediately flushed, his body softening noticeably.
"So it’s Cousin Jiang Nan who has come." Zhang Chen stood up in the room and called out to Jiang Nan.
But as Jiang Nan gradually approached, a waft of feminine fragrance filled the air, making Zhang Chen’s heart race uncontrollably. His mind became a blur of chaos, and an inexplicable desire surged in his heart.
Inside the room
The tables and chairs were in disarray, dishes scattered all over the floor, and two figures were entangled together. By the time Wang Xifeng arrived, the green smoke in the yard had dissipated, and through the door, she could hear a seductive melody. The woman’s voice made her cheeks blush red, and she felt a surge of doubt in her heart: "Something’s not right! This isn’t what Zhang Gaoqiu had planned. Why is there a woman here? And why is such a seductive sound emanating? Could some unforeseen accident have occurred, and a female member of the household accidentally wandered in and fell victim to Zhang Chen’s schemes?"
At this moment, Wang Xifeng was taken aback and thought she should stop Zhang Chen and minimize the loss, so she hurried towards the room. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw the two bodies entangled on the table, which shocked her heart: "Jiang Nan!!!"
Wang Xifeng’s mind went blank, and her blood surged to her heart: "What’s this girl doing here?"
Jiang Nan was someone Shen Qiu liked, the intended daughter-in-law, and even the old lady’s beloved treasure. Now that this has happened, it seems like the sky is about to fall.
At this moment, Wang Xifeng’s mind was in a haze, the only thought being to separate the two immediately. With a furious expression, she rushed up and slapped Zhang Chen across the face: "You wretched creature! Look at the mess you’ve created!"
Wang Xifeng, being a sixth-tier Bloodline Practitioner, struck with hatred. Even though Zhang Chen was in a state of chaos, he instinctively reacted in the face of life and death.
His hand flipped, and a Body-Stabilizing Rune appeared. Before Wang Xifeng could react, the golden rune had already flown directly into Wang Xifeng’s body, fixing her in place like a puppet.
Then Zhang Chen casually pulled, and Wang Xifeng fell onto the Eight Immortals Table, being entangled by Jiang Nan and Zhang Chen. Soon enough, their clothes were scattered all over the floor. Although Wang Xifeng was immobilized, her mind remained clear. Realizing she was pinned to the table, her mind went blank: "It’s over! I just hope Zhang Gaoqiu gets here quickly, or there’s going to be big trouble."
Meanwhile, Zhang Gaoqiu and Shen Ling stood outside the courtyard, quietly calculating the time. After approximately a moment of tea’s time, Zhang Gaoqiu said, "Time’s about up, let’s go fetch the old lady and the head elder to witness this spectacle."
The two hurried towards the old lady’s direction, knowing that if they wanted to entrap Zhang Chen, they needed to cover every detail. They intended to leave from Zhang Gaoqiu’s courtyard, making sure many servants saw them along the way to make it appear more genuine.
In the ancestral shrine
Shen Family’s tenth-tier divine being stood before the ancestral shrine, with a dozen Shen Family deities standing behind him, looking at the empty objects on the altar. That tenth-tier divine being took a fractured lens from his sleeve: "Bring Zhang Gaoqiu here. I want to trace back to the source in the ancestral shrine, reflecting his time traces. This Divine Artifact cost me dearly to borrow from the Zhuge Family. It can trace past time."
"Zhang Gaoqiu is from Zhang Family’s Direct Lineage, and summoning him based only on suspicion might be inappropriate. If we see something we shouldn’t..." A ninth-tier divine being from the Shen Family showed a hint of hesitation.
"Can’t you use some means to make him ’unaware’ as he cooperates here?" the tenth-tier divine being said meaningfully.
Upon hearing these words, the ninth-tier divine being had a thought and understood the patriarch’s idea, then disappeared from the spot in a flash.
While Zhang Gaoqiu and Shen Ling were rushing towards the old lady’s residence, before they could arrive, a divine light flickered in the void. Caught off guard, the two immediately fainted on the spot.
With their unconsciousness, the ninth-tier divine being revealed his presence. Seeing Shen Ling fainted, the ninth-tier divine being shook his head: "While catching one, grab the other as well. Although Shen Ling is a member of the Shen Family, she is too close to Zhang Gaoqiu. If word gets out, it could cause big trouble."
Then he seized the two, disappearing from the spot.
A group arrived at the ancestral temple, where the tenth-tier divine being manipulated the fractured lens, capturing the Qi Mechanism in the void. The lens began to reveal an image, akin to a film playing in reverse, countless images appearing before his eyes.
Returning to that night, the tenth-tier divine being focused intently on the lens, staring firmly: "I must see which audacious being dared to meddle with my Shen Family."
As the words faded, the scene on the mirror depicted Zhang Chen’s theft of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
However, since Zhang Chen possessed the Power of Time, it interfered with the time force. Thus, the image on the mirror showed Zhang Chen enveloped in a divine light, completely obscuring him, with his silhouette and Qi Mechanism appearing hazy and indistinct.
"Hmm? Can’t see clearly? The old folks from the Zhuge Family said if you activate this treasure, you can see the image in the mirror clearly, but they didn’t mention such a situation!" The tenth-tier divine being furrowed his brows.
Even though it was unclear, he still refused to give up, replaying that night’s scenes repeatedly, trying to discern something from the opponent’s actions and the details in the imagery.
After five hours of verification, the tenth-tier divine being set down the lens, furrowing his brows: "It’s not Zhang Gaoqiu! That figure is shrouded in a veil of mysterious light, even the mirror can’t reveal the form clearly."
"Send them back!" the tenth-tier divine being said.