Chapter 364 - 347: Revitalization

Chapter 364: Chapter 347: Revitalization

Zhou Shuwei hurried back to the main hall along the path she came from.

She had been gone for no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Inside the main hall, Zhao Yuanhong was lifting his teacup, using the motion of drinking to hide his inner anxiety and anticipation.

Seeing Zhou Shuwei return so quickly, an unconcealable look of surprise flashed through his eyes, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

’That was far too fast.’

Zhou Shuwei walked back to Chen Shouheng’s side, nodded slightly, and said, "Husband, I have given the orders."

Receiving the signal from his wife, Chen Shouheng immediately turned to Zhao Yuanhong and cupped his hands. "Lord Zhao, it is nearly noon. Why not stay for a simple meal at our humble home? We can eat and talk, and plan for the long term."

Zhao Yuanhong’s mind was filled with suspicion. He replied helplessly, "Chen Jieyuan, Madam Chen, I appreciate your kind offer. However, there are many urgent matters to attend to at the Commandery Magistrate’s Office. Governor Zhou... sigh, the aftermath has left a thousand loose ends. I truly cannot stay long."

His tone shifted, his gaze burning as he looked at Chen Shouheng. "The matter of our cooperation concerns both our safety. I hope Chen Jieyuan can make a decision soon and give me a definite answer."

Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei exchanged a glance. Then, with a solemn expression, he nodded. "Lord Zhao has a point. We both stand to gain by cooperating and to lose by separating. The Chen Family is willing to work with Governor Zhao to overcome this crisis."

The tension in Zhao Yuanhong’s heart finally eased. The great weight that had been hanging over him seemed to have been lifted halfway, and a look of immense relief appeared on his face. "Good! With your words, Chen Jieyuan, I can rest easy. From now on, we are allies."

He stood up to leave. His gaze swept over the food box he had placed by his feet when he entered. After a moment’s hesitation, he bent down, picked it up, and handed it to Chen Shouheng.

"Chen Jieyuan, this is something that was left behind in the Sun Family Mansion. It was overlooked during the inventory transfer and left at the Commandery Magistrate’s Office. Since the Chen Family has now taken over the Sun Family’s assets, this item should be returned to you. Please accept it."

Chen Shouheng took it. The box was heavy in his hands, which surprised him, but he did not open it to inspect its contents on the spot. He simply said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Zhao, for making a special trip to return this."

"It is my duty. Nothing more."

Zhao Yuanhong waved his hand, said no more, and turned to walk out of the hall.

Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei saw him off together.

When they reached the side courtyard, Zhao Yuanhong stopped and cupped his hands. "Please, there is no need to see me out further. I did not use the main gate when I arrived, and it would be best not to draw attention to my departure. I will take my leave here."

With that, his body flashed, and he leaped over the ten-foot-high courtyard wall, disappearing from sight.

In the alley outside the wall, a plain, green-canopied carriage was still parked quietly.

The driver, who seemed to have been dozing against the shaft, was startled awake by the sound of someone landing and quickly jumped down.

Zhao Yuanhong reached out to lift the curtain, about to bend down and step into the carriage.

Suddenly, the unexpected happened!

A finger seemed to emerge from the void. It was silent, yet as fast as lightning, and it jabbed straight toward the spot between his eyebrows.

An extremely faint, almost imperceptible golden halo appeared, carrying a bizarre aura that seemed to pierce through the void and extinguish all life.

Every hair on Zhao Yuanhong’s body stood on end in an instant.

An unprecedented sense of mortal danger washed over him like a deluge of ice-cold water, completely submerging him.

He wanted to scream, to circulate his energy to resist, to retreat and dodge...

However, these thoughts had only just formed in his mind, not even having the time to reach his limbs.

The finger had already gently touched the spot between his eyebrows.

BUZZ...

Zhao Yuanhong felt as if thousands of thunderbolts had exploded simultaneously in his sea of consciousness, only to fall into dead silence an instant later.

His entire consciousness was extinguished in a flash, like a candle flame blown out by a gale.

He didn’t even have time to see his attacker’s face or react in any way before he lost all sensation.

His body went limp, and with a THUD, he collapsed onto the carriage shaft, completely unconscious.

The driver, however, seemed completely oblivious to what had just happened.

He stepped forward, helped the unconscious Zhao Yuanhong up, carefully placed him on the soft cushions inside the carriage, and covered him with a thin blanket.

After doing all this, the driver returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, gently flicked the reins, and let out a soft, "Giddy-up."

The carriage started to move slowly, making its way down the quiet alley toward the Governor’s Mansion at a leisurely pace, as if everything was normal.

......

Deep in the alley, a golden light flashed and vanished. The ripples in the air dissipated, leaving no trace.

In the small courtyard, Chen Li’s figure stirred slightly. His closed eyes slowly opened, a glint of gold in them fading away as his aura returned to a state of calm.

The one who had silently slipped into Zhao Yuanhong’s carriage and sealed his Divine Soul with a single finger was, of course, Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit.

He hadn’t killed Zhao Yuanhong, but had sealed his Divine Sense.

Once under the Seal, the target could not be interrogated by Divine Soul Secret Techniques like Heart Inquiry or soul-searching.

If anyone tried to forcefully break this restriction, it would trigger a backlash, causing Zhao Yuanhong’s Divine Soul to disintegrate and killing him instantly.

Ever since Zhou Chengkai was interrogated by the Garrison Command and forced to reveal key information, Chen Li had become wary. He had spent considerable effort studying the sealing Skill of the Silent Extinction Finger to develop a countermeasure.

He had even tested it when Li Yuniang went to join the Sun Family.

Unfortunately, He Zhanglin’s Cultivation was too low. He couldn’t even touch the core of the restriction, so the true effectiveness of the technique was never tested.

Of course, this Skill had its drawbacks.

With the Seal planted on him, Zhao Yuanhong would no longer be able to use his Power of Divine Sense. As a Divine Hall Grandmaster, more than half of his strength would be nullified, making him no different from an ordinary Inner Mansion Martial Artist of the Spirit Realm.

However, that was no longer Chen Li’s concern.

Just then, the faint sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei walked up to Chen Li.

Chen Shouheng gently placed the food box on a nearby stone table and said in a low voice, "Father, Zhao Yuanhong returned the one thousand gold leaves, untouched."

Chen Li nodded slightly. "He knows how to read the situation and when to advance or retreat. This Zhao Yuanhong is a clever man."

His ability to quickly assess the situation and decisively seek cooperation in such a crisis already put him above many others.

Confusion filled Chen Shouheng’s heart. He frowned and asked, "Father, I may be slow, but while Zhao Yuanhong’s plan seems feasible, the risks are enormous. It’s like striking a deal with a tiger. Why did we agree to it?"

Chen Li glanced at his eldest son but did not answer directly.

He couldn’t let the Shouheng couple know that he had killed Zhou Bo’an just yet. It would put too much pressure on them, and they might act carelessly.

’As for why I killed Zhou Bo’an?’

Chen Li had his own considerations.

If the old man with the abacus hadn’t suddenly appeared last night and muddied the waters, he might have chosen to lie low and avoid the conflict, as long as he wasn’t caught red-handed.

Zhou Bo’an’s intent to kill the Chen Family had already been born. Once such a thought takes root, it is difficult to dispel.

Even though he had been temporarily thwarted by the appearance of the old man with the abacus, he would never have given up.

If they took one step back today, Zhou Bo’an would take ten steps forward tomorrow. By then, the Chen Family would be unable to defend itself, and their situation would become even more perilous.

All things considered, taking advantage of the opportunity created by the old man with the abacus to decisively eliminate him undoubtedly had more pros than cons.

As for the subsequent fallout, he would find a way to deal with it.

Now, with He Mingyun, Yan Wenlu, the three from the Garrison Command, and now Zhou Bo’an, the Jiangzhou Governor, all dead in succession, one could only imagine the Court’s fury over this series of high-profile deaths of its officials.

To save face, they would certainly dispatch a heavyweight figure to investigate thoroughly.

Although the Court would still need evidence, who could guarantee that the incoming Imperial Envoy would play by the rules?

However, Zhao Yuanhong’s strategy of diverting the disaster elsewhere did indeed provide an excellent solution.

Linking Zhou Bo’an’s death to the previous murders, the appearance of the old man with the abacus, and even the remnants of the Opium case could indeed greatly clear the Chen Family of suspicion and divert the Court’s investigation.

This was far more clever and reliable than any of the cleanup plans Chen Li had devised himself.

Chen Li looked at his eldest son and daughter-in-law and said, "Liyang has become a place of turmoil, and a storm is coming. You two should wrap up the affairs of the Sun Family’s assets as quickly as possible and return to Lingxi to lie low for a while. All matters here will be handled by Elder Zhan. As for the Cao Family, just play along with them for now. There’s no need to offend them. We will deal with it after this blows over."

Although Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei still had a thousand questions in their hearts, they saw the resolute look on their father’s face and said no more, agreeing in unison.

Chen Li added a few more detailed instructions, then waved his hand, dismissing them to get back to work.

Carrying the food box full of gold leaves, the two left the small courtyard.

......

Meanwhile, in front of the Governor’s Mansion.

"My lord? My lord! Wake up!"

A few urgent calls pulled Zhao Yuanhong from the darkness.

He struggled to open his heavy eyelids. The glaring light of the setting sun made him instinctively narrow his eyes.

The worried and terrified faces of government constables came into view.

A strong sense of disorientation washed over him, as if everything he had just experienced was merely a nightmare.

But in the next moment, his consciousness cleared, and his memories came flooding back.

’The golden finger that appeared out of thin air inside the carriage, pointing at my brow.’

’I... I’m not dead?’

The thought flashed through his mind like lightning, instantly dispelling all confusion and haze.

A tide of relief washed over him, so overwhelming that he almost cried with joy.

’The plan worked! I actually managed to bring this hopeless game back from the brink!’

But the euphoria of surviving a near-death experience lasted only a moment before his expression suddenly froze.

When he tried to check himself for injuries, he discovered an invisible shackle tightly locking down his Divine Soul.

’My Divine Soul has been sealed!’

A chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, instantly extinguishing the joy that had just bloomed within him.

Without the Power of Divine Sense, seventy to eighty percent of his strength as a Divine Hall Grandmaster was gone!

But he quickly calmed down again.

’As long as I remain in my position as Governor, and as long as I don’t fight anyone, who would know that I’m now a half-crippled Grandmaster?’

’It was the Chen Family! It must have been the Chen Family.’

’They possess such unfathomable, ghostly methods. Was it that old man with the abacus, or is there another, even more terrifying Grandmaster hidden behind the Chen Family?’

Zhao Yuanhong’s heart went cold.

The thought of the latter possibility brought an indescribable bitterness to his lips.

’This cooperation... I don’t know if it was the right decision or the wrong one.’

He suppressed the tempest raging in his heart and waved his hand. "I am fine, just a little tired. I will be alright after a short rest. You are all dismissed."