Chapter 169: It Can’t Be to Wait for You

“As you command.”

Liu Chen put the Jade Token away. He had met Patriarch Ye of the Ye Family before. As for the Ji Family, he had heard of them back in his mortal days. After all, the Great Xia Royal Family was the Ji Family, and the current Emperor was their Patriarch.

“By the way, are you sure you don’t have a family backing you?”

Mo Xuan turned and couldn’t help but ask. If Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong could be raised as his own daughters, then Liu Chen could be treated as a son. And if Mo Xuan still had no heir of his own in the future, Liu Chen would be the perfect successor.

But the talent Liu Chen displayed was unlike that of any cultivator who could have appeared within the Great Xia Dynasty. If he truly had a background stronger than or equal to the Mo Family, things would get troublesome.

“I don’t. I am all alone.”

Liu Chen shook his head. ‘According to his predecessor’s memories, he lost both his parents at the age of ten. His relatives seized the family property, forcing him to live in a dilapidated courtyard. Under those circumstances, even if he did have family, there was no reason to acknowledge them.’

“I see. Tomorrow, take Suyao and Linglong to the front mountain plaza to assemble. A Steward will be there to take you to the Great Xia Dynasty.”

Mo Xuan nodded. This put him at ease. He hoped no accidents would happen later on.

“Understood.”

Liu Chen nodded. Then, at his master’s signal, he left the Bamboo Garden and returned to his own to continue cultivating.

The Purple Bamboo Scripture Meridian Passage Chapter circulated slowly. The Spirit Ghost carried Spiritual Qi to break open the Heart Meridian of Hand Shaoyin. The Spiritual Qi in his body cycled through, transforming this new meridian into a Spirit Vein and fully integrating it into the Great Cycle of Heaven.

‘Counting this Heart Meridian of Hand Shaoyin, I’ve now opened all of the Three Yin Meridians of the Hand. I’m a quarter of the way through the Twelve Main Meridians.’

Liu Chen was very satisfied as he felt the brand-new Great Cycle of Heaven circulating within him. He could basically open one of the Twelve Main Meridians for every seven hundred points of Meridian Passage Technique Proficiency.

So far, Liu Chen had opened the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, and the Heart Meridian of Hand Shaoyin—three of the Twelve Main Meridians.

At this rate, after he finished opening the Twelve Main Meridians, he could move on to the rest. By converting every meridian in his body into a Spirit Vein, both his Spiritual Power reserves and its quality would far surpass those of an ordinary cultivator at the Meridian Passage Peak.

October ninth passed without incident. During dinner, Liu Chen told his two junior sisters the news about heading to the Great Xia Imperial City tomorrow. The three of them agreed to go to the plaza after breakfast.

Liu Chen had already asked Senior Brother Yang about the time, so they wouldn’t be late for the assembly. In fact, they would even be a little early.

After settling on a specific time, the three of them parted ways.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Liu Chen and his two junior sisters headed for the front mountain plaza. Liu Chen had changed into the attire of an Inner Sect Disciple, and his two junior sisters had also dressed up.

“Why is Senior Brother Yang here?”

The three had just stepped out of the Bamboo Garden when Liu Chen saw Yang Haichen waiting up ahead, dressed in the robes of an Inner Sect Disciple. This area was already considered part of the rear mountains. ‘He can’t possibly just be out for a stroll,’ Liu Chen thought.

“I was waiting for you, of course.”

Yang Haichen glanced at Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong without paying them much mind, his gaze fixed squarely on Liu Chen.

“Let’s go.”

Liu Chen shrugged, took a step forward to leave his junior sisters’ side, and walked up to Yang Haichen. The two of them headed straight on.

Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong exchanged a look and slowed their pace, only returning to their normal speed after a suitable distance had formed between them and the two men.

They hadn’t walked for long when Liu Chen spotted Ren Xunchun leaning against a bamboo stalk in the forest. The poison in his senior brother’s body had completely vanished, and his cultivation was more profound than ever. If he wasn’t so set on challenging himself on the Peak Path, he could probably break through to the Meridian Passage Realm very soon.

“What are you doing here?”

Yang Haichen narrowed his eyes at Ren Xunchun. He didn’t need to guess to know the guy was waiting here on purpose—obviously for Liu Chen—but he couldn’t resist asking anyway.

“Don’t play dumb. I couldn’t possibly be waiting for you.”

Ren Xunchun waved a hand dismissively. Yang Haichen had saved his life when he was injured back in Fire Dragon Valley, making him a benefactor. Ren Xunchun was willing to play the part of a grateful patient, but if Yang Haichen was going to completely cut off his access to Liu Chen, he wouldn’t hesitate to set that debt aside.

‘Repaying a debt of gratitude is one thing, but I definitely can’t give up my friendship with Junior Brother Liu for it.’

“It’s been a few days, Senior Brother Ren. You look even more dashing than before.”

Liu Chen greeted Ren Xunchun with a smile. ‘This guy still owes me two hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Stones,’ he thought. ‘That’s enough to fill a Second Grade Storage Ring, with some left over.’

‘Besides, with me leaving Purple Cloud Valley, someone will need to keep an eye on my two junior sisters and the messy affairs of their families. Senior Brother Ren here is a good candidate for the job.’

“You flatter me, Junior Brother. Let’s go.”

Ren Xunchun nodded in satisfaction and slowly joined the group. Out of Liu Chen’s sight, Ren Xunchun and Yang Haichen exchanged a look, as if they had reached some sort of shady agreement.

This time, they made it all the way to the plaza without running into any other familiar faces. Upon arriving, they saw several senior brothers and sisters already milling about.

Upon seeing Liu Chen, they all tried to approach, but aside from two or three senior sisters who managed to get close to Ye Linglong and Ji Suyao, the rest returned empty-handed.

Liu Chen watched this scene quietly and shook his head with a helpless sigh.

After a short wait, Steward Lin appeared on the plaza, accompanied by two disciples. He scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering for a moment when it fell upon Liu Chen’s group.

“Seventeen people. Fewer than I expected.”

Steward Lin nodded and formed a hand seal for a spell. A Flying Ship emerged from the bamboo forest and slowly descended onto the Purple Bamboo Peak plaza.

This Flying Ship was different from the steel behemoth he’d seen before. It more closely resembled a multi-decked vessel, the kind Liu Chen was familiar with. This was the more common type of Flying Spiritual Artifact in the Great Xia Dynasty; Qingxu Hall, Thunder Mountain, and the various major families had all used similar ones last time.

“All aboard.”

Steward Lin’s voice echoed through the bamboo forest. With the other senior brothers and sisters politely making way for them, Liu Chen and his companions had the honor of being the first to board the vessel. An Inner Sect Disciple accompanying Steward Lin then led them away and assigned each a room.

Ren Xunchun and Yang Haichen gave their rooms a quick look before hurrying out onto the deck.

They scanned the deck but were stunned to find no sign of Liu Chen. Confused, the two of them exchanged glances with several equally bewildered senior sisters nearby.

“Junior Brother Liu and those two junior sisters are most likely in their rooms.”

In the end, Ren Xunchun announced this conclusion with a helpless air. Instantly, more than half of the Purple Bamboo Peak disciples who had been on deck returned to their rooms.

In truth, you couldn’t blame the three of them. Liu Chen had to complete his daily cultivation technique practice. He could afford to delay his Magic and Swordsmanship training, but even the slightest pause in his Cultivation Technique practice meant he would be one step slower in reaching the next Realm—an outcome Liu Chen refused to accept.

As for his two junior sisters, although the Spirit Ghost’s help in refining the Spiritual Power from their Spiritual Cuisine didn’t restrict their movements, they disliked the inquisitive, prying nature of the other senior sisters.