Chapter 470 - 404: Selling Fields (3)

Chapter 470: Chapter 404: Selling Fields (3)

A mere chess piece, yet he was always trying to leap off the board, even attempting to manipulate the player.

Such scheming and audacity, coupled with the discontent and ambition hidden beneath his deference, intensified the cold glint in Chen Li’s eyes.

’So restless.’

Chen Li sneered inwardly.

However, he didn’t act on it immediately.

After all, the idea of eliminating the Jiang Family wasn’t entirely unacceptable to him at this moment. In fact... it was exactly what he wanted.

Rebuilding the river dikes required a massive amount of sturdy stone for key sections like the levee and weir openings.

Procuring and transporting the stone from distant Xiangzhou or Wuzhou would be expensive and time-consuming.

And Mirror Mountain was, in essence, a mountain of stone.

If he could seize Mirror Mountain from the Jiang Family and quarry the stone locally, the costs would plummet and the construction timeline would be drastically shortened.

Besides, he was curious about the secrets buried beneath Mirror Mountain.

Of course, even if he decided to move against the Jiang Family, Chen Li would never do it himself. And he certainly wouldn’t let Luo Pingyuan get his way so easily.

Killing with a borrowed knife—that was the best strategy.

’Should I use Gao Changhe? Or maybe Li Sanli’s Black Market? Or perhaps... go through the Seven Kills Association?’

Chen Li’s mind raced, several plans flashing through it in an instant.

As he was mulling things over, a soft knock came from outside the study. A maid’s voice followed, "Master, the Young Miss is awake."

A smile instantly spread across Chen Li’s face.

He looked at Luo Pingyuan, his tone even. "Regarding the Jiang Family, I want you to draft a detailed plan as soon as possible. It must make the entire family disappear, making it look as if they either fled to escape justice or met with an accident. Once you’ve prepared it, report back to me."

Seeing Chen Li relent, Luo Pingyuan was secretly overjoyed. He knew his risky gambit had paid off. He quickly bowed and said, "Yes! I understand. I will ensure the plan is meticulously prepared."

Chen Li waved a dismissive hand. "If there’s nothing else, you can return to Mirror Mountain. You’ve been away for some time, and there are official duties at the County Magistrate’s Office that require your attention."

"I will take my leave." Luo Pingyuan bowed once more, then turned and left the study.

Chen Li watched his retreating back, his gaze turning cold.

But he quickly reined in his thoughts, pushing the matter aside. He stood up and walked toward the small courtyard in the inner residence where his daughter, Shouyue, lived.

Pushing the door open, he saw Chen Shouyue propped up in bed, leaning against the headboard. Her face was still pale.

"Father!"

Chen Shouyue’s eyes lit up at the sight of him, and a smile bloomed on her face as she moved to throw back the covers and get out of bed.

"Stay in bed. Don’t move."

Chen Li stepped forward. "How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable anywhere else?"

Chen Shouyue obediently lay back down, her brow furrowing slightly. "My head just feels a bit groggy, and I’m always so tired. I just want to sleep. And..."

...her voice tinged with frustration. "The Divine Sense Illusion I formed in my Dantian... it’s shattered. Other than that, I’m fine."

Chen Li nodded. Grogginess and drowsiness were normal symptoms of a damaged Divine Sense. It could only be slowly nurtured back to health over time; it couldn’t be rushed.

As for the Divine Sense Illusion, what’s shattered is shattered. Once her Divine Soul stabilized, she could simply cultivate a new one.

He did have a way for a faster recovery: the Soul-Stabilizing Pill.

This elixir was a Healing Elixir that nourished the Divine Soul and stabilized the Spirit Platform.

Years ago, when his eldest son, Shouheng, was at the Martial Arts Academy, his Divine Sense Illusion had been destroyed by Duan Mengjing. He had relied on a Soul-Stabilizing Pill to quickly stabilize his Divine Soul and re-cultivate his Divine Sense.

But Chen Li hesitated.

He only had two Soul-Stabilizing Pills left.

Shouyue had only recently broken through to the Spirit Realm First Level, the Meridian Passage. She still had a long way to go before she would need to condense and stabilize her Divine Sense to assail the Divine Hall.

’Is it worth using an elixir on her now?’

Of course, another thought had crossed his mind before.

His daughter also practiced the Five Grains Spirit Nurturing Technique, which shared the same origin as his.

If he transferred his power to help her raise her cultivation to the Spirit Realm Seventh Level: Inner Mansion Pass, and then gave her a Soul-Stabilizing Pill, he could help her become a Divine Hall Grandmaster in a single stroke.

That way, the Chen Family would gain another high-level combatant, and his daughter would be much better able to protect herself.

And he, in turn, would receive another reward from the system.

However, reality quickly threw cold water on that idea.

Chen Li discovered to his dismay that he had underestimated the difficulty of transferring power.

He had previously helped Qin Yirong and Luo Pingyuan rapidly recover their cultivation by providing them with a massive amount of Wealth Qi to refine and absorb.

In essence, this was merely providing a resource.

The method was so effective because both Qin Yirong and Luo Pingyuan had previously reached those realms; for them, re-cultivating was much easier and faster.

Even then, once Qin Yirong had recovered to the Spirit Realm First Level, the speed of her progress using Wealth Qi had already slowed considerably.

As for rapidly increasing the cultivation of his wife, Song Ying, and his concubine, Liu Yun, that had relied on the Dragon Phoenix Harmony Celestial True Skill.

The technique was originally a Mysterious Dual Cultivation Method. He had simply modified it, changing the dual cultivation into a one-way process of Absorption and Replenishment to achieve the power-transfer effect.

’A technique like that involves the mingling of flesh and Divine Soul. How could he possibly use it on his own daughter?’

That path was closed to him. He had to abandon the idea.

"What’s shattered is shattered," Chen Li said, his voice gentle and comforting. "Once you’re feeling better, you can just form a new illusion."

Chen Shouyue nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Father, how was I rescued?"

Chen Li gave her a brief account of what had happened, omitting many of the perilous details and strategic calculations.

As he was speaking, a maid’s voice came from outside the door. "Master, Honored Guest Qian Laibao is here to see you. He says he has an urgent matter to report."

Chen Li said to his daughter, "Get some rest."

He instructed the maid to take good care of her, then stood up and left.

When he arrived at the study, Qian Laibao was already waiting. He bowed hurriedly as Chen Li entered.

"What is it?"

Chen Li asked as he sat down.

A hint of excitement touched Qian Laibao’s face. "Patriarch, I’ve just received word. The Cao Family is secretly putting out feelers. They’re preparing to sell their thirty thousand mu of Sang Tian in Lishui County."