Chapter 84: It Seems We Are Still Too Merciful

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: It Seems We Are Still Too Merciful

It was approaching noon when Liu Chen and Yang Haichen finally returned to Purple Bamboo Peak by carriage.

"Time to cook."

After leaving the Hundred Affairs Hall, Liu Chen glanced at the time with a helpless sigh. He was destined to be unable to complete his training for two forms of Magic today. Without a second thought, he decided they would be the Lamp Burning Technique and the Soul Crossing Technique. The other forms of Magic either didn’t require special practice, or they were Killing Skills he needed for the upcoming trial.

In the Bamboo Garden on the back of the mountain, Liu Chen took out some Spirit Beast Flesh, planning to improve their meals. He still needed Ye Linglong’s guidance, as he had never cooked stir-fried meat with Bamboo Shoots before.

[Spirit Chef Proficiency +15]

When the stir-fried meat with Bamboo Shoots was ready, Liu Chen saw, for the first time in a while, a Spirit Chef Proficiency increase that wasn’t the bare minimum of one point.

"Let’s taste it first."

Liu Chen glanced at Ji Suyao, whose eyes were filled with anticipation. He pointed a finger, and a piece of meat flew directly out of the wok, landing in front of her.

Ji Suyao didn’t bother with pretenses. She used the Artifact Manipulation Technique to guide the meat into her mouth, then closed her eyes to savor it.

"This is amazing! I haven’t eaten meat in so long. Thank you, Senior Brother."

Ji Suyao opened her eyes, her face beaming with joy. Beside her, Ye Linglong shook her head and placed two portions of Spiritual Cuisine into a food box.

"Take this to Master and Mistress."

After casting the Solid Spirit Technique on it, Liu Chen handed it to Ji Suyao, who took the food box and quickly walked away.

"Junior Sister, please wait a moment. I need to see Senior Brother Yang first."

After sealing the Spiritual Qi in another three portions of Spiritual Cuisine with the Solid Spirit Technique, Liu Chen glanced at Ye Linglong. She had been wanting to ask about the Ye Family, hesitating to speak ever since he returned. He shook his head helplessly.

’Explaining this will be a bit troublesome,’ he thought. ’And Senior Brother Yang is probably getting impatient. I should probably deliver his Spiritual Cuisine first.’

"Of course, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong shook her head. She brought her own portion of Spiritual Cuisine, its Spiritual Qi also sealed, to the outer table and began to serve the rice.

Watching this, Liu Chen shook his head, put away two food boxes, and headed toward the Bamboo Garden.

When Liu Chen returned, Ji Suyao was already back as well. His two junior sisters were waiting for him. Ji Suyao was waiting to eat the stir-fried meat and Bamboo Shoots, while Ye Linglong clearly wanted to ask about the Ye Family.

"I’ve become an Honored Guest Elder for the Ye Family, with a monthly stipend of six thousand Spirit Stones. This Jade Token might be useful to you, Junior Sister."

Liu Chen placed the Jade Token from the Spirit Contract on the table and pushed it toward Ye Linglong. The six thousand Spirit Stones were merely what he could earn from one day’s worth of Spiritual Cuisine sales, not to mention he didn’t have much use for so many Spirit Stones anyway.

His trip to the Black Market had only cost him a little over six thousand Spirit Stones. At this rate, he could afford to go to the Black Market every day.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong put the Jade Token away. She knew, of course, that the token was useless in her hands. The best way to use it was to send it directly home to her parents.

"Let’s eat."

Liu Chen shook his head and glanced at Ji Suyao, who was practically drooling. If they kept talking, his junior sister would most likely just start eating without them.

After lunch, Liu Chen returned to the Bamboo Garden and performed Blood Recognition on the Spirit Sword he had bought from the Black Market. Once the process was complete, Liu Chen used the Sword Control Technique to test his control over the Spirit Sword.

’It’s stronger than the Cyan Steel Sword. Not a bad deal.’

After the Blood Recognition, the Spirit Sword’s name was revealed: Snowflake Sword. Wounds inflicted by the Snowflake Sword would be covered in a layer of frost.

Liu Chen felt that under normal circumstances, this effect wouldn’t impact him much. However, against an evenly matched opponent, it could be the key to victory.

After his examination, Liu Chen put away the Snowflake Sword and took out the Swordsmanship manual he had bought to study it.

"Frosty Winter Seven Tribulation Sword?"

Liu Chen opened the manual to the first page and couldn’t help but frown. He then flipped through a few more pages. After briefly studying the descriptions, his eyes narrowed.

’The Black Market truly is a great place,’ he thought. ’The power of this Swordsmanship is enough to match a Meridian Passage Cultivator, and it’s even superior to the Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword Upper Chapter.’

In the end, Liu Chen decided to put the Swordsmanship manual away. He wouldn’t use a sword technique as a trump card until he had mastered it to the Perfection realm, and with only a few days left, he had no time to learn a completely new Swordsmanship. He’d wait until after the trial.

The same went for the Golden Sword Technique. He hadn’t even chosen to practice several of the Magic techniques he’d obtained earlier. With the trial just around the corner, rashly changing his already established system was too risky.

Finally, Liu Chen examined the bead he had bought for five hundred Spirit Stones. After attempting Blood Recognition, he discovered it wasn’t a Magical Artifact. On second thought, that made sense. If it could be claimed so easily with Blood Recognition, the Loose Cultivator in the Black Market would never have sold it.

’I’ll study it later when I have time.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes and began to cultivate according to his plan.

Inside a rather luxurious courtyard in the Marketplace, a middle-aged man glared viciously at the young man before him.

"You didn’t see the sword?"

"That’s right, Father. That guy played us. The former Patriarch’s token wasn’t in the Black Market at all, let alone the Swordsmanship manual."

Xiao Shaojie was in despair. He had circled the Black Market more than ten times but hadn’t seen the Spirit Sword seared into his memory, let alone the Swordsmanship manual the survivor from the former Patriarch’s side had promised to return.

"It seems we’ve been too merciful. The moment that bastard leaves the Purple Cloud Valley Marketplace, kill him."

The middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot. He hadn’t wanted to be so ruthless, especially since the person was hiding in the Purple Cloud Valley Marketplace. The Xiao Family might be powerful, but they were nothing more than ants before Purple Cloud Valley.

But since the other party had gone back on their word, he couldn’t be blamed for what came next.

The target wasn’t a disciple of Purple Cloud Valley. As long as he took one step out of the Marketplace, he didn’t need to live anymore.

"Yes, Father!"

Xiao Shaojie nodded in agreement. Although most of the family had accepted that the previous Patriarch died from cultivation deviation, as long as that survivor was still alive, his own position as Young Master would never be secure.

"Don’t do it near Purple Cloud Valley."

Patriarch Xiao gave the order and turned to leave. Matters in the Xiao Family were not yet settled, and he had to return to oversee the situation. Only then would those in the Xiao Family who still wanted the previous family’s heir to take over continue to lay low. And only then would he have time to win them over and divide them.

In another secret room, a middle-aged Loose Cultivator slowly walked into a residence. Passing through several gates, the Loose Cultivator finally entered the innermost room and saw a young man covered in bandages.

"Young Master, Xiao Shaojie really is a fat sheep. Five thousand Spirit Stones is enough for us to live in the Marketplace for a long time."

The middle-aged man spoke as he approached the youth. After just a few steps, he seemed to realize something. The Loose Cultivator took off the Storage Ring from his hand and lowered his head, offering it to the other.

"Well done. Of the dozen or so Meridian Passage Loose Cultivators my father trained, you are the only one willing to risk your life to protect me."

Xiao Chen took the Storage Ring. The scene from half a month ago flashed in his eyes. That was supposed to have been the day of his coming-of-age ceremony, but overnight, he had lost everything.