After the candidate for the “marriage alliance” was settled, Madam Yang’s face filled with an even warmer smile as she enthusiastically urged Chen Sheng to stay and dine in the residence.
However, Chen Sheng keenly sensed the faint, almost imperceptible strangeness in her gaze—it was not purely the concern of an elder. Mixed within it were scrutiny, vigilance, and even a trace of… hidden anticipation?
This made his heart tighten slightly, and he tactfully declined the invitation.
There was an indescribable oddness in the attitudes of Lin Shou and his wife. Before he understood the full picture, he would rather keep his distance and reduce unnecessary contact.
Although Madam Yang was very much to his taste, with her slender waist, long legs, and exceptional fullness.
But he also knew that some people could not be touched.
He could not let the little head control the big head.
Since the marriage candidate had been decided and his goal achieved, instead of staying here and exchanging empty courtesies, it was better to return to the martial camp and seize the time to cultivate.
Faced with Chen Sheng’s refusal, Madam Yang still maintained a proper smile on the surface, but a faint sense of disappointment inevitably rose in her heart.
It was not that she harbored any improper thoughts. It was only that within this deep mansion compound, there were certain unspeakable loneliness and bitterness that she had long had no one to confide in.
Seeing such a young, valiant man like Chen Sheng, she could not help but develop a few thoughts of seeking some solace, only to find that the other party was so cautious. Or perhaps, in the end, she had grown old and faded, no longer possessing the beauty she once had.
Of course, such thoughts only flashed through Madam Yang’s mind for an instant. She quickly composed herself, not daring to delay the proper business.
After Chen Sheng left, she immediately sent a trusted servant to deliver the news to the county yamen, informing Lin Shou that Chen Sheng had chosen Yang Xueyao. As for how to persuade her elder brother Yang Yi, that would be Lin Shou’s headache.
……
Over the next several days, Changshan County appeared calm and peaceful on the surface.
The uproar caused by the Seven Stars Gang’s destruction gradually faded from the hottest topic of street gossip as the Gao family failed to make any further fierce response.
In the eyes of many who did not understand the inside story, this seemed to be a sign that the Gao family had admitted defeat and bowed their heads to the authorities.
However, those who deeply understood the Gao family’s style and foundation knew that this was merely the brief calm before the storm.
The Gao family was absolutely not the sort to swallow humiliation in silence. Their current silence seemed more like they were brewing an even more ferocious counterattack.
Chen Sheng understood this perfectly well, but he did not let it distract him.
All the disturbances of the outside world were transformed by him into motivation for bitter cultivation.
Nourished by the continuous stream of pure energy from the Earthcore Spirit Milk, and aided by the high-grade “Tiger Bone Pills” that Wu Kuang had obtained through special channels, his cultivation was advancing at a visibly rapid pace.
[Basic Saber Technique: Perfection (196/2000)]
[Golden Bell Body Tempering Art: Great Accomplishment (691/1000)]
[Toad-Fishing Force Secret Art: Lesser Accomplishment (28/500)]
[Demon-Subduing Three Ultimate Sabers: Lesser Accomplishment (235/500)]
As his consciousness swept over the progress clearly appearing in his mind, Chen Sheng’s gaze remained calm.
He had always firmly believed that in this world where great power belonged to oneself, a hard fist was the true principle.
If one day he could possess strength that crushed everything, why would he need to exchange empty courtesies and play political games with these local powerhouses? He could simply break all schemes with force and sweep straight through!
Therefore, he devoted the vast majority of his energy to cultivation.
With abundant resources and the miraculous effects of the spirit milk, he lived almost like an ascetic monk, madly squeezing out his own potential within the government office every day, arranging his time so tightly that not a gap remained.
As for the integration of the Seven Stars Gang, it proceeded in an orderly fashion under Yang Hu’s direction.
Although Yang Hu’s own cultivation had not yet broken through to the Bone Tempering Realm, with Chen Sheng as the banner and the covert support of the North City Martial Camp, the elders of the Seven Stars Gang who had submitted did not dare act rashly and could only obey orders for the time being.
The current Seven Stars Gang was still far from recovering its strength at its peak, but at least it had been preliminarily integrated, forming a usable force.
Of course, because they had thoroughly offended the three great families, many of the original businesses under the Seven Stars Gang’s name were jointly squeezed out and suppressed by the three families, resulting in considerable losses.
Regarding this, the instruction Chen Sheng gave Yang Hu consisted of only two short words—“Endure.”
Before possessing absolute certainty, they had to remain patient and avoid direct conflict. Everything was to focus on delaying for time and accumulating strength.
Fortunately, the three great families were also quite wary of Wu Kuang. Before they had absolute confidence, they did not dare easily launch a major campaign against the remnants of the Seven Stars Gang, lest they alert the enemy and affect their “sure-kill” plan targeting Chen Sheng.
On the other hand, the matter of Chen Sheng’s “marriage alliance” with the Yang family’s legitimate daughter, Yang Xueyao, was not progressing smoothly.
Since Yang Yi was able to establish himself in Changshan County and become a local power, he naturally was not a fool.
Although he did not wish to completely fall out with his brother-in-law Lin Shou, who was the county magistrate, he understood even more clearly where his own fundamental position lay.
Once the Yang family truly formed a marriage alliance with Chen Sheng, it would be no different from openly betraying their alliance with the Gao and Huang families. That already fragile alliance would instantly collapse.
Moreover, the person Chen Sheng had chosen was Gao Qiheng’s fiancée!
This was simply slapping the Gao family’s face in broad daylight. It was putting the Yang family over the fire to be roasted.
Yang Yi expressed firm resistance to this.
However, County Magistrate Lin Shou was exceptionally enthusiastic about the matter.
Although he had entanglements of interest with the three great families, he was absolutely unwilling to remain a puppet who was sidelined and used.
Only by bringing in Wu Kuang, this “fierce dragon crossing the river,” to stir up the situation and break the monolithic state of the local powerhouses could he profit from the chaos and regain the initiative.
On this point, his goal and Wu Kuang’s could be said to coincide perfectly.
Faced with Yang Yi’s refusal, Lin Shou was greatly enraged. He even did not hesitate to resort to methods, ordering people to deliberately spread the news that “Chen Sheng will become betrothed to Yang Xueyao.”
In just one or two days, this piece of news spread through the streets and alleys of Changshan County as though it had grown wings, causing an uproar throughout the city until everyone knew of it.
When Yang Yi learned of it, he was so furious he nearly vomited blood, yet there was nothing he could do about his brother-in-law, the county magistrate.
He had originally intended to immediately come forward and clarify the matter to set the record straight, but unexpectedly, Lin Shou directly issued a harsh threat: if the Yang family dared to publicly clarify, he would immediately divorce Madam Yang and completely draw a line between himself and the Yang family.
This move struck precisely at the Yang family’s weak point.
Without Lin Shou’s layer of official protection, the Yang family would find it impossible to make progress in many matters.
Left with no other choice, Yang Yi could only swallow his broken teeth along with blood and adopt an ostrich strategy—neither admitting nor denying the rumors flying everywhere, tacitly allowing them to ferment.
But this ambiguous attitude of his completely enraged the Gao family.
Gao Qiheng’s bones were not yet cold, and the vows of the three-family alliance still echoed in their ears, yet the Yang family had actually stabbed them in the back and wanted to form a marriage alliance with the enemy who had killed their nephew? This was simply a monstrous humiliation!
From top to bottom, the Gao family was filled with indignation. They regarded the Yang family as faithless traitors and felt ashamed to associate with them.
The family head, Gao Yuanfeng, even personally brought Huang Dongchun, the head of the Huang family, to the Yang family’s door to demand an explanation.
Yang Yi exhausted his tongue, repeatedly explaining that this was all orchestrated by Lin Shou and that the Yang family had absolutely no such intention. Only after making all sorts of guarantees did he barely manage to temporarily suppress the anger of the two men.
But after this incident, the already fragile trust between the three great families had been riddled with holes. The so-called “alliance” existed in name only, and the cracks between them deepened by the day.
Such a situation was naturally something Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang were happy to see.
The more the three great families became divided in heart and deed, the more chances they had to split them apart, disintegrate them, and defeat them one by one.
As long as they did not incite a large-scale popular uprising, Wu Kuang, who held the authority to “act at his own discretion,” would have sufficient room and means to deal with these local tyrants.
Chen Sheng, meanwhile, immersed his entire mind in cultivation, continuously strengthening his foundation and refining the spirit milk to raise his cultivation.
He clearly remembered the warning from the Heavenly Tome of “Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity”—that poison arts expert codenamed “Bone-Melting Hand” was about to attack.
Crisis was approaching, but within danger also lay opportunity. If handled properly, this might well be another excellent chance to stir up the winds and clouds, causing the three great families to suspect one another and even fall apart.
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