Chapter 154 - 113: Fused Iron Cloth Shirt, An Eye-Opener

Chapter 154: Chapter 113: Fused Iron Cloth Shirt, An Eye-Opener

While treating Cai Lihe earlier, Su Chen had found it strange. Cai Lihe’s injuries didn’t appear to be caused by herbal poison, but rather by internal martial force. That was why he had brought it up.

His question immediately piqued the curiosity of Cai Xiaoyue and Zhu Yan.

Cai Lihe didn’t hide the truth, simply explaining, "I accidentally contracted this poison during our previous siege on the Rebirth Sect rebels. The perpetrator practiced poison arts and was extremely sinister. I let my guard down and fell for his trick."

So that was it.

A wave of realization washed over Su Chen. Using poison arts to deliver toxins gave him a brand-new approach to improving his Mind Confusing Powder. As for the specifics, he would need to conduct further experiments once he returned.

After chatting with Cai Lihe for a bit longer, Su Chen stated his other purpose. "Gang Leader Cai, I have a presumptuous request. I wonder if I might be permitted to peruse your esteemed gang’s library?"

Cai Lihe paused upon hearing this, though he didn’t refuse. After a few seconds of thought, he replied, "Although you are not a disciple of the Lihexie Bang, since you have asked, I will make an exception this once."

Saying so, Cai Lihe retrieved a Token from his robes and handed it to Su Chen, instructing, "With this Token, you can enter the library as you please."

"Thank you, Gang Leader," Su Chen expressed his gratitude, his heart fluttering with excitement.

Cai Lihe waved his hand dismissively and suddenly asked with a smile, "You possess such great talent, sir. I wonder if you would be willing to join the Lihexie Bang?"

Su Chen had no intention of joining any gang for the time being, so he politely declined the offer. Cai Lihe didn’t take offense, merely sighing in mild regret.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Su Chen excused himself to visit the library. Since Cai Lihe was tied up with important matters, he asked Cai Xiaoyue to host their guest.

The three of them strolled over to the library together.

Su Chen took out the Token and presented it to the Guardian. The Guardian warned, "Although you hold the Gang Leader’s Token, because you are not a Lihexie Bang disciple, you are only permitted to stay on the first floor. Please keep this in mind."

"Understood." Su Chen nodded, then looked at the two beside him. "You guys head back first. I might be here for a while."

Hearing this, Zhu Yan and Cai Xiaoyue bid him farewell. However, before leaving, Cai Xiaoyue left a maid behind to wait upon Su Chen’s orders at any moment.

Su Chen entered the library. The space inside wasn’t particularly large, but it was packed with bookshelves. They were filled with all sorts of texts, including those related to medicine and martial arts. The martial arts books, however, were not secret technique manuals; they mostly contained basic knowledge and records of the Martial Artist factions that had emerged in Dafeng City in recent years.

After wandering around the shelves for a bit, Su Chen dove into the sea of knowledge, completely immersing himself in his reading.

He read all the way until evening. Only when the library was closing did Su Chen walk out, still craving more. He had benefited immensely from his day spent among the texts.

From these miscellaneous books, he had gained a preliminary understanding of the realms following force training, and he had deduced that his own cultivation should be at the great mastery of the Refining Internal Realm. At this stage, the impurities within the five internal organs were being gradually eliminated by internal force. Once this purification was complete, one could step into Perfect Internal Cultivation.

Perfect Internal Cultivation involved further, profound tempering. This stage allowed the practitioner to generate sweet nectar in the mouth, completely clear all impurities from the viscera, temper their organs to be as tough as iron, and sustain surging internal force without sustaining any bodily damage.

Additionally, Su Chen had learned about the overall layout of the Daqian Dynasty.

The Daqian Dynasty consisted of a total of five prefectures, encompassing twenty-four provinces. Qinzhou was situated in the northern reaches of Donglin Prefecture. It was separated from the Donglin Prefecture City by two other cities, yet the actual distance was barely a hundred miles. Furthermore, he learned about the numerous factions operating within Dafeng City, as well as the experts backing them. The Refining Internal Realm, although unranked among the absolute top experts in Dafeng City, was considered the robust backbone of many prominent factions.

As soon as he walked out of the library, he found Zhu Yan and Cai Xiaoyue waiting by the door. Upon learning that Su Chen hadn’t left all day, the two had specifically come to take him to dinner.

Su Chen didn’t refuse. Having had his fill of spiritual food, he needed to fill his stomach, too.

Cai Xiaoyue had the chef prepare a lavish feast, and the three of them ate and drank late into the night before finally calling it a day.

Before he left, Cai Xiaoyue handed Su Chen a porcelain bottle containing five Profound Essence Pills. She informed him that he could come to the Cai Mansion at the beginning of every month to collect more Profound Essence Pills from her. Su Chen wanted to pay, but Cai Xiaoyue sternly refused. He didn’t insist further and accepted the pills with thanks.

Shortly after Su Chen left, a sneaky figure slipped out of the Cai Mansion, traversed through the winding streets and alleys, arrived near a large estate, and entered through a side door.

"What did you say? Cai Lihe’s injuries have healed?"

A youthful voice rang out, his face bearing a mix of confusion and anxiety. After hastily inquiring about the details, he hurried toward the study in the backyard.

"Father, this is bad!" the young man shouted as he barged in.

"What are you shouting about?" The middle-aged man slightly raised his head from his desk to look at him.

The young man said anxiously, "Father, Cai Lihe’s injuries have fully recovered!"

"When did this happen?" The middle-aged man’s expression instantly hardened as he asked in a deep voice.

"Just today!"

The young man quickly relayed the information his spy had gathered. The older man’s expression shifted unpredictably upon hearing the news. He let out a heavy snort and demanded, "Do we know who cured his injuries?"

"It’s a friend of that bastard Zhu Yan!" the young man gritted out, his voice filled with malice. "Father, this guy has ruined our plans time and time again. Why don’t we just send someone to kill him directly?"

Although the middle-aged man was furious, he hadn’t lost his reason. He shook his head. "We can’t touch Zhu Yan right now. Cai Xiaoyue sticks to him all day long. Ever since her incident last time, Cai Lihe has heavily fortified her protection. Making a move on Zhu Yan will undoubtedly alert Cai Lihe. Besides, he stays safely tucked inside the Cai Mansion all day, making it far too difficult for us to strike."

"Father, are we just going to let this go? We finally waited until Cai Lihe got injured, only for our entire grand plan to be upended by Zhu Yan! If I don’t vent this frustration, I’m going to lose my mind!" The young man was practically vibrating with indignation.

"Hmph. If you spent less time in brothels and used your brain a bit more, you wouldn’t be saying such foolish things. We can’t touch Zhu Yan, but his friend... deserves to die!" Murderous intent oozed from the middle-aged man’s eyes.

The young man’s face lit up with vicious joy at those words. "Father, you’re absolutely right. I’ll go and kill this bastard right away."

"Come back!" The middle-aged man’s face darkened with exasperation. "Don’t embarrass me with your half-baked martial arts skills!"

He stood up, his posture rigid, and coldly declared, "To deal with this person, there’s no need for you to lift a finger. I will make the arrangements myself."