Chapter 458 - 400: Lodging

Chapter 458: Chapter 400: Lodging

As for Luo Pingyuan, the man came from humble beginnings, yet he had managed to carve out a path for himself through sheer skill and intellect. His vision, cunning, decisiveness—not to mention his forbearance and ruthlessness—were far beyond those of an ordinary person.

His conduct had all the hallmarks of a ruthless leader.

A person like that could be used, but never trusted, and certainly never be given true power.

Chen Li had never once considered trusting Luo Pingyuan.

Control was the key to handling a subordinate as ambitious as him.

And the Righteous Wealth Cultivation Method offered the perfect means of control.

Once Luo Pingyuan practiced this Cultivation Technique, he would essentially be placing the lifeblood of his Cultivation in Chen Li’s hands.

Without the Wealth Qi provided by Chen Li, this Cultivation Technique would be like water without a source or a tree without roots.

No matter how talented or perceptive he was, without an infusion of Wealth Qi, it was all for naught.

To use an analogy from Chen Li’s past life, Luo Pingyuan practicing the Righteous Wealth Cultivation Method was like a robot, and Wealth Qi was its electricity. No matter how powerful the robot, without power, it could only stand by helplessly.

And Chen Li was the one who controlled the power.

As long as Luo Pingyuan remained loyal and served the Chen Family wholeheartedly, Chen Li wouldn’t mind "recharging" him periodically. He might even provide more, purer Wealth Qi to help him break through to a higher Realm.

After all, a powerful official with a stable position could shield the Chen Family from countless problems and handle many trivial matters they couldn’t deal with directly. He would be of immense value.

But if he ever developed any ambitions of his own, Chen Li only needed to cut off the supply of Wealth Qi. Without Chen Li even having to lift a finger, Luo Pingyuan’s Cultivation would dry up like a river without a source. He might even suffer a severe backlash from the Cultivation Technique.

As long as Luo Pingyuan didn’t want to revert to being a helpless cripple at everyone’s mercy, he would have no choice but to rely on Chen Li and obey his commands.

’This saves me a lot of trouble.’

Chen Li mused.

Over the next few days, he spent most of his time in the study, continuously drawing pure Righteous Wealth Qi from the Treasure Basin. He transferred it into Luo Pingyuan’s body, helping him refine it and rapidly recover his Cultivation.

The process was much smoother and more efficient than when he had helped Qin Yirong restore her Cultivation.

For one, both Luo Pingyuan and Qin Yirong had previously reached the Spirit Realm, making them far different from his wives and concubines.

They didn’t lack comprehension of the Realm. Restoring their strength was essentially a matter of refilling power on a path they had already forged, which was far easier than starting from scratch.

For another, back when he was helping Qin Yirong recover, he first had to gather a massive number of copper coins. Then, he had to expend his Heart Spirit to painstakingly extract and convert usable Wealth Qi from them, a tedious and inefficient process.

As a result, it had taken Qin Yirong a considerable amount of time to restore her Spirit Realm Cultivation.

Now, however, the amount of Wealth Qi gathered in the Treasure Basin was quite substantial.

Even better, the space within the basin had already automatically sorted the absorbed Wealth Qi.

True Wealth, Side Fortune, and Looted Wealth were all clearly demarcated, each occupying its own space without interfering with the others.

With just a thought, Chen Li could now draw out the required type of Wealth Qi. He no longer had to go through the tedious steps of extraction, conversion, and purification, as it was already in its most easily absorbable state.

This increased the efficiency of his Qi transfer by more than tenfold.

The lingering aura of decay that clung to Luo Pingyuan from his severe injuries and destroyed Cultivation was quickly swept away.

His complexion grew ruddier by the day. His breathing, once a weak, thin thread, became long and vigorous, and the fluctuations of Qi within his body grew increasingly distinct and powerful.

His Cultivation at the Spirit Realm Seventh Level: Inner Mansion Pass was gradually being restored.

「The next day, late at night.」

Gao Changhe, the Governor of Liyang, paid a sudden visit.

Chen Li’s focus shifted. He withdrew the hand resting on the crown of Luo Pingyuan’s head and rose to greet his visitor.

"My apologies for the late-night disturbance, Patriarch Chen."

Governor Gao stood quietly in the shadows of the courtyard.

"Forgive me for not meeting you sooner. Please, come in."

Chen Li didn’t know the purpose of his visit, but he led Gao Changhe into the study nonetheless. After pouring him some tea, he asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night visit, Lord Gao?"

Gao Changhe gave a dry laugh. "I’ve heard a certain rumor recently," he said. "Is it true that your daughter was abducted a few days ago, and the perpetrators extorted a full thirty thousand bolts of silk?"

"That is indeed what happened," Chen Li affirmed with a nod.

Gao Changhe said with righteous indignation, "To think that such heinous acts of kidnapping, extortion, and robbery could occur within my Liyang County! It’s utterly lawless, absolutely rampant! Does Patriarch Chen require the Commandery Magistrate’s Office to open a case? We can devote all our resources to apprehending the criminals and recovering your losses. Whatever you need, Patriarch Chen, I will fully cooperate."

His tone was sincere and his gaze was fervent, as if he were a true public servant who championed the people and loathed evil. Inwardly, however, he was skeptical.

After all, he was well aware of how high Chen Li’s Cultivation was. Anyone capable of defeating the Water-Participating Ape, an almost invincible foe of the same Realm, had to possess unfathomable strength.

’Would such a powerful expert really have his daughter kidnapped and his goods stolen?’

Gao Changhe didn’t believe it for a second.

But to his surprise, his offer played right into Chen Li’s hands. Chen Li nodded and sighed. "You see things clearly, Lord Gao. It’s true. I was desperate to save my daughter, so I had no choice but to pay the full amount to get her back. The thought of it still fills me with fear and anger."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Gao Changhe as his tone grew serious. "If the Commandery Magistrate’s Office could investigate the culprits and recover the stolen goods, I would be eternally grateful. Those criminals are truly audacious!"

With that, he proceeded to describe the general appearance and attire of the Dust-Cleaning Slave and the Silk Lady, omitting only their names and their connection to the Xiang Sect.

Gao Changhe listened, stunned. His surprise grew.

His earlier words had just been pleasantries, a way to probe for information and show goodwill after hearing some rumors.

But from the earnest way Chen Li described the culprits’ features in such detail, it seemed the event had truly occurred. He looked as if he genuinely expected an investigation, and his expression showed no signs of deceit.