Chapter 348 - 334: Decision 2

Chapter 348: Chapter 334: Decision 2

Cao Wenxuan’s remark at this moment was likely motivated by something more than simple envy.

Both of them knew very well that if even a whisper about the secret behind their breakthrough got out, it wouldn’t just be the powers in Jiangzhou—forces from all over would descend upon the Chen Family like sharks drawn to blood.

At that point, the Chen Family would face annihilation in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Shuwei glanced at Chen Shouheng, who shook his head slightly, signaling for her to handle it.

Zhou Shuwei smiled. "Little Sister Wenxuan, please don’t tease us. We don’t have any special insights; we just got lucky. We were a bit muddled, and then we somehow broke through. You’ll probably laugh, but even we feel like it was all a dream."

Cao Wenxuan blinked her bright eyes, the smile on her face unwavering, though inwardly, she didn’t believe it at all.

’A year ago at the He Niu Martial Arts Academy, those two were clearly only at the Spirit Realm Second Level. In just one short year, they broke through two consecutive levels to become Grandmasters?’

’If that’s just luck, then every other Martial Artist in the world might as well go bang their head against a wall.’

She probed with a few more questions, but Zhou Shuwei’s answers were watertight. She either feigned ignorance or gave vague replies, attributing everything to a natural course of events.

Seeing that she wouldn’t get anything more, Cao Wenxuan dropped the subject and smoothly changed tack. "If you ask me, Sister, it’s because you married into a good family. A harmonious marriage puts the mind at ease, which naturally makes Cultivation twice as effective with half the effort."

As she spoke, her tone took on a hint of maidenly melancholy. "It’s not like that for me. There’s still no prospect of marriage, and while my family elders are anxious, I haven’t even met anyone who catches my eye."

The topic shifted naturally from matters of Cultivation to the intimate conversations of young women.

Zhou Shuwei went along with it, offering a few words of comfort.

The two exchanged some more lighthearted stories, and the atmosphere in the private room gradually grew warmer, as if the earlier verbal sparring and probing had never occurred.

After another cup of tea, Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei rose to take their leave.

After watching the pair disappear from sight, Cao Wenxuan did not linger at the Drunken Creek Pavilion.

With her personal maid in tow, she boarded a carriage waiting at the corner and drove straight to a rather secluded district in the western part of the city.

Here stood several exclusive inns that didn’t accept individual travelers. Most were designed with private, self-contained courtyards, reserved for distinguished guests who valued their privacy.

Cao Wenxuan’s carriage stopped discreetly at the back entrance of one such inn.

A servant was already waiting and led them through winding corridors to a small building with a private courtyard, deep within the inn’s grounds.

The courtyard gate was ajar. By the entrance stood two sturdy-looking women with composed auras. Upon seeing Cao Wenxuan, they bowed silently and stepped aside.

The small courtyard was serene, with several clumps of green bamboo that rustled in the night wind.

In the center was a small lotus pond. The sight of the withered lotuses evoked a distinct, quiet beauty.

Warm light spilled from the window of the east-wing room upstairs.

Cao Wenxuan gestured for her maid to wait downstairs, then gathered her skirts and ascended the stairs lightly, stopping outside the door to the east-wing room.

She paused briefly before raising her hand and tapping very lightly on the door.

"Come in."

A somewhat chilly female voice answered from within.

Cao Wenxuan pushed the door open and entered.

The room was elegantly furnished. Behind a desk near the window, a beautiful, middle-aged woman of about forty was poring over a thick stack of documents and ledgers by bright candlelight.

Hearing the footsteps, the middle-aged woman didn’t look up, merely asking coolly, "You’re back? Did you see them?"

"Yes, Second Aunt."

Cao Wenxuan approached and answered in a low voice.

The middle-aged woman set down the ledger, raised her eyes, and looked at Cao Wenxuan. "How did the talk go? What did they say?"

Cao Wenxuan sat on a nearby embroidered stool and shook her head slightly. "They... said they need to go home and consider it."

"Consider it?"

The middle-aged woman smirked. "For two so young, your former classmates are certainly composed. If an ordinary person heard of such a once-in-a-lifetime offer—a virtual handout—they would have been unable to hide their delight and would have agreed immediately. Who would say they need to ’consider it’?"

Cao Wenxuan sighed, her fine brows furrowing slightly. "Second Aunt, what if they see the catch and refuse?"

"See the catch?"

The middle-aged woman sneered. "It doesn’t matter if they see it. They won’t refuse. The Chen Family seems to have found its footing in Liyang, but that foundation is as thin as a cicada’s wing."

"If they want to survive, to grow, to establish a true foundation, they are in no position to refuse. For the Chen Family, it doesn’t matter if this deal is poison coated in honey or an olive branch wrapped in thorns—they have to swallow it."

By cooperating with our Cao Family, they’ll get at least three years of breathing room. With the Sun Family’s assets and the Official Tribute Contract, they can build a real foundation.

After three years, if they know what’s good for them and are willing to genuinely pledge allegiance to the Cao Family, we can spare them a piece of the pie from the silk trade. But if they’re not..."

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and her voice turned icy. "Then they can just be swept away by the tides of Jiangzhou and vanish like smoke."

Cao Wenxuan remained silent, not saying a word.

The middle-aged woman changed the subject. "As for their incredibly rapid breakthrough in Cultivation—did you manage to get anything out of them?"

Cao Wenxuan shook her head, a note of frustration in her voice. "I tried. I asked if they had any special Cultivation insights. Their lips are sealed. They claimed it was just normal Cultivation and a lucky breakthrough, attributing it all to luck. Their story was watertight; I couldn’t get anything out of them."

"Luck? A fluke?"

The middle-aged woman sneered. "The tighter their lips, the bigger the secret they’re hiding."

Cao Wenxuan hesitated before saying quietly, "But maybe it really was just a fluke?"

"A fluke?"

The middle-aged woman snorted. "A fluke? Is the Grandmaster Realm so easy to reach? The path to the Divine Hall is illusory and hard to find; countless people get stuck. Think of your seven aunts. The family scoured the world for Cultivation Techniques and resources for them, even paying exorbitant prices for Divine Sense Treasures. After all these years, only three of them managed to break through."