Translator: I updated “wood fire” in Chapter 8 to Mu Huo
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On that day, Wu Shaoqian went deep into the dense forest as usual for hunting. Because the place he was heading to was relatively dangerous, he did not invite Zhong Cai to accompany him, but only took Xiang Lin along.
After a round of hunting in the forest, Wu Shaoqian discovered other cultivators nearby.
Encountering other cultivators during forest training was quite common, and since they didn’t approach, Wu Shaoqian just regarded them as passersby.
But what he didn’t expect was that the person suddenly self-immolated, and in the next moment, an old man with a terrifying aura appeared and struck out with two consecutive palms!
The first palm shattered his defensive treasure garment, and the second palm, with a hidden force, directly penetrated his soul artifact palace, destroying his Sun-shooting Bow.
His spiritual consciousness was shaken and damaged, and he immediately fell unconscious. Xiang Lin carried him back.
At the moment the soul artifact was destroyed, the defensive array above was activated, and Ancestor Wu Baifeng immediately sensed it and hurried over, but the terrifying old man had already left.
Wu Baifeng chased after him all the way.
Wu Shaoqian said, “At that time, I didn’t recognize that cultivator as someone from the Meng family, but I have seen other members of the Meng family before. Looking back later, their appearances had some similarities. Moreover, with the incidents of self-immolation and substitution later on, naturally there were speculations.”
“After I woke up, I asked Steward He, and he confirmed it.”
Zhong Cai hesitated. “Did Steward He already know at that time?”
Wu Shaoqian nodded. “Ancestor Wu Baifeng couldn’t catch up with Ancestor Meng from the Meng family, but he did manage to find some clues. Just as she was about to go to the Meng family to seek an explanation, they didn’t directly say anything, but implied that one of the Meng family ancestors had died.”
“If the Meng family ancestor didn’t kill me, and that ancestor even lost his life, although I am considered a top-tier genius, I haven’t fully matured. This exchange of life for a waste seems to be enough explanation for the Wu family.”
Zhong Cai held his breath, clearly not believing the Meng family’s explanation.
“There must be something fishy about the death of that Meng family ancestor. Maybe he was already close to death, and when he was transported over, he burned up what little life he had left? And they have the nerve to call it ‘losing a life’!”
Wu Shaoqian nodded again. “A Cai is smart. If it were a promising Meng family ancestor, every year of extended lifespan would mean a greater chance of breakthrough. How could the Meng family bear to waste that? Of the three Meng Family Ancestors, there is indeed one whose lifespan is nearing its end, with only a few short years left to live. Moreover, he is only at the mid-Fusion Realm and has no hope of further advancement.”
Zhong Cai let out a sigh of frustration and said, “But this doesn’t make sense! The Meng family only has two Fusion Realm cultivators left, just like the Wu family. It’s not like they have a guaranteed win with a three against two advantage. And can the nonsense explanation from the Meng family really count as an explanation? They’ve crippled the Wu family’s top genius! If the Wu family just tolerates this, they’d be spineless. How will they continue to thrive in the aristocratic circle in the future? Even if the two families don’t go to war, the Wu family should still extract some payment from the Meng family, right?!”
“And what about that Meng family? Are all of them so short-sighted? It doesn’t make sense! That Fusion Realm cultivator who wasn’t going to live long could have gone to a dangerous place to gather more resources for the family. Was it worth sacrificing his life to deal with you? The conflicts of interest are far from resolved. With such stupidity, can the Meng family develop into the top power in Jinchang City?”
Seeing Zhong Cai so upset, Wu Shaoqian pulled him close, patting his back and chest, and said, “Calm down, calm down.” Then he sighed again, “Yeah, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Both the Meng and Wu families are large and powerful. Instead of possibly becoming mortal enemies and consuming each other, it would be more appropriate for a Meng family descendant to marry a woman close to me or for an outstanding Meng family woman to marry me. By forming these marital alliances, I would have a future, and the Meng family would benefit as well. In the long run, it’s more advantageous.”
Suddenly understanding, Zhong Cai exclaimed, “So, there are people behind the Meng family?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Zhong Cai finally understood completely.
“Steward He told you, I’m afraid it’s also an order from the Wu family above. At the same time, it’s also a warning to you: don’t dig too deep. Is this where it ends?”
Wu Shaoqian nodded.
Zhong Cai’s voice was heavy, “Who is behind the Meng family?”
A hint of mockery appeared at the corner of Wu Shaoqian’s lips. “It’s Dai Rong, the pride of the Dai family in Beitong City. Beitong City is a fourth-level city, and the Dai family is a top-tier clan with a Palace Construction Realm powerhouse.”
“Dai Rong has inferior Tian-rank aptitude, but the Dai family has high hopes for him. A proud Meng family woman married Dai Rong’s brother, Dai Zheng, so naturally, the Meng family stands with Dai Rong. Dai Zheng dotes on his talented younger brother, and the Meng family woman naturally follows his lead, cooperating with him.”
Zhong Cai fell silent, his face grim. “Then why did Dai Rong—could it also be jealousy?”
Wu Shaoqian lowered his eyes, nodding slightly, then shook his head faintly.
“Perhaps there is jealousy, but it’s not just because of my talent.”
Zhong Cai looked at Wu Shaoqian.
Wu Shaoqian smirked sarcastically, “Because of Hua Siyue.”
Zhong Cai couldn’t help but pause. “Hua Siyue… Who is that?” His expression suddenly became somewhat awkward. “Could it be some jealousy and love triangle drama?”
Wu Shaoqian said, “It’s not entirely that.” He explained succinctly, “Dai Rong wants to marry Hua Siyue, but Hua Siyue intends to marry me.”
There was a twitch at the corner of Zhong Cai’s mouth. “Well, that’s a level up from mere jealousy. But I’ve never heard you mention this before?”
Wu Shaoqian’s mouth twitched as well. “I declined her, so there’s nothing much to say.” He further clarified, “Hua Siyue is the only daughter of the Lord of Raoyu City. Dai Rong’s desire to marry her is more about the benefits the Lord’s Manor can offer him.”
So beauty is secondary; it’s more about the struggle for interests.
On the Feixing Continent, cities in each state and county govern themselves independently. Affairs are handled by numerous top powers within these cities through consultation. In each state where there is a Heavenly Connection Realm expert serving as the state lord, they can appoint a county prince as their assistant. The state lord or the county prince will also appoint subordinates as city lords in various cities to manage tax collection.
Any power with experts above the Fusion Realm must register at the City Lord’s Mansion and pay taxes annually based on the number and strength of their experts. At the same time, they can establish some relations with the City Lord’s Mansion. Compared to those powers that are not qualified to register or do not register themselves, they have more opportunities to rise and obtain more resources — for example, if a county prince learns of a certain area with a secret realm or relic, they often issue a certain number of entries based on the registration and tax payment situation.
Therefore, the personal strength of the city lords varies, and although they do not participate in local affairs, they still hold high positions.
Raoyu City is also a fourth-level city.
Decades ago, Hua Qingfeng was assigned to Raoyu City. His main residence only had one main wife, Yu Xiaoxiao.
The couple were both cultivators in the Suspended Illumination Realm, with mediocre aptitude. Even now, they were only in their early hundreds — being so young and responsible for tax duties, they must have had a strong backing, perhaps relatives of a county prince or even a state lord.
The higher the realm, the harder it is to have offspring, and it is extremely difficult after reaching the Enlightenment Realm.
So, it wasn’t until over twenty years ago that the couple gave birth to a daughter. Hua Siyue did not disappoint her parents either. With the help of a large amount of resources, her cultivation speed was extremely fast. She broke through the Palace Aperture Realm at the age of twelve or thirteen, and by the age of fifteen, she was already the well-known Siyue Fairy, with a strength of the second level of the Palace Aperture Realm and an extremely beautiful appearance.
She traveled extensively and often appeared in quite dangerous places for trials, demonstrating remarkable abilities. At her age, she naturally attracted the pursuit and flattery of many outstanding men, but given her identity and aptitude, ordinary men dare not approach her.
Looking at the more than ten fourth- and fifth-tier cities within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles, with a total population of hundreds of millions, there were very few cultivators with Tian-rank aptitude, and the older ones had long since gone to more distant places. The relatively suitable ones were only a few, and they had to be unmarried, which further reduced the number.
At that time, there were only two who matched the age of Hua Siyue: Dai Rong from the Dai family in Beitong City, who was nineteen, and Li Yujiang from the Li family in Huyue City, who was seventeen. Both had inferior Tian-rank aptitudes, just like Hua Siyue — at that time, Wu Shaoqian was only eight years old, and had been silent for many years.
Li Yujiang had just broken through the Palace Aperture Realm, focusing solely on cultivation and showing no signs of favoring Hua Siyue. On the other hand, during a training session, Dai Rong fell in love with Hua Siyue at first sight. Learning about her background only made him more determined.
Unfortunately, although Hua Siyue became friends with him, she did not respond to his affection.
In the blink of an eye, several years passed, and Wu Shaoqian’s reputation soared.
When he appeared in public at the age of twelve, he already had the cultivation of the ninth level of the Palace Aperture Realm, but he was still accumulating strength and not rushing into the Enlightenment Realm. Moreover, he was extraordinarily handsome and had an impressive demeanor. As he grew older, his imposing manner became even more intimidating, becoming the object of admiration for many of the city’s proud women.
After Wu Shaoqian turned seventeen, his foundation was already quite strong, and he could break through to the Enlightenment Realm at any time.
It was also at this time that Hua Siyue actively showed her affection towards him, inviting him to become her husband and accompany her in cultivation. At the same time, her husband could benefit from the resources of the city lord’s mansion, having more ways to enhance his strength.
For cultivators, a mere seven-year age difference is not a big deal, but Wu Shaoqian showed no interest in Hua Siyue’s proposal.
Hua Siyue was not angered by this and did not pursue further.
However, Dai Rong still saw Wu Shaoqian as a stumbling block. Every time he saw Wu Shaoqian, he had a displeased expression.
Wu Shaoqian said, “Conflict of interests, relationship with the Meng family… all these can be linked to Dai Rong. Therefore, the one plotting against me behind the scenes must be him. But Meng’s family is not yet under Dai Rong’s command after all, and he probably paid a lot of compensation to make Meng’s family do this. Ah, I knew he had a narrow mind, and I had no intention of getting involved in this kind of entanglement. Seeing him hostile toward me, I haven’t been to Ruoyu City since then. Instead, I focused all my efforts on breaking through in the family and achieving the Enlightenment Realm.”
“But obviously, avoiding him was useless.”
Or rather, after Wu Shaoqian successfully broke through, Dai Rong couldn’t tolerate it even more.
Zhong Cai took a deep breath and suppressed the anger that surged up.
“I’m still a bit puzzled. Can such a despicable person still have any scruples? Why did he just cripple you, instead of—”
He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest.
Wu Shaoqian pondered for a moment and said, “I have thought about it carefully, and I have a few guesses.”
Zhong Cai looked at him.
Wu Shaoqian continued, “Firstly, by merely crippling and not killing, there is a possibility of recovery. With Meng’s family paying the price of a Fusion Realm cultivator, it would be justifiable for the Wu family to stop there. But once he kills, there will be no room for maneuvering. No matter what excuse he uses, it will be unconvincing, and the Wu family will have to fight to the death with Meng’s family, otherwise they will lose all face.”
“Even if Meng’s family is willing to help Dai’s family, their goal is still the growth of Meng’s family. If the Wu family fights to the death with Meng’s family, would Meng’s family keep their talents alive? It wouldn’t be profitable for Meng’s family.”
Zhong Cai sneered sarcastically, “Even if Meng’s family cooperates but not entirely, aren’t they afraid that the Dai family will be dissatisfied?”
Wu Shaoqian comfortingly patted his back and said, “Both of our families have registered in the city lord’s mansion. Even if Meng’s family does not cooperate, the Dai family cannot massacre Meng’s family; they can only suppress them in secret. Now that Meng’s family is taking action, it indeed prevents me from obstructing Dai Rong. If the Dai family continues to suppress Meng’s family, it will chill the hearts of other subordinates. Moreover, avoiding making this matter public is beneficial to the Dai family. It can avoid exposing Dai Rong.”
“Clearly he has Tian-rank aptitude, yet he dares not confront me himself but instead lets a stronger person harm me. This is not good for Dai Rong’s reputation either. The Dai family nurtures and indulges him for the sake of their family’s growth. If his reputation is damaged, it will not be good for his upward mobility outside and will not benefit the Dai family.”
Zhong Cai silently cursed a few swear words.
Wu Shaoqian continued, “Secondly, perhaps Dai Rong also wants to see me fall. Maybe he even wants me to witness him marrying Hua Siyue in glory, just to ease his jealousy.”
Zhong Cai cursed silently again.
Wu Shaoqian leaned against him shoulder to shoulder, in a rather good mood.
“Alright, alright, don’t be angry. We have a long way ahead of us. The strongest in the Dai family is only at the Palace Construction Realm. Youtian Qingpeng you gave me also has this potential, so let’s cultivate it well. If I’m still alive, I’ll take revenge personally. If I die, you’ll take revenge for me.”
Zhong Cai glared at him and said, “Stop talking about living or dying all the time, it’s not auspicious!” After a moment’s thought, he said indignantly, “I’ll refine more pills in the future, gather more spiritual aura, and maybe I’ll be able to directly kill that Palace Construction Realm guy in the Dai family, making things easier!”
Wu Shaoqian nodded, “You’re right.” Then he couldn’t help but make a joke, “When your alchemy skills improve in the future and the altar resources get better, maybe you can even draw out a treasure that can help me recover.”
Zhong Cai didn’t argue back but muttered, “I was still thinking about waiting until I surprise you. I didn’t dare tell you before, fearing bad luck and drawing only low-grade ones. But now it seems our luck isn’t bad, just like you said, we still have plenty of time… Anyway, there’s no harm in drawing more.”
Wu Shaoqian realized that Zhong Cai had been harboring this idea and couldn’t help but smile.
Hope is still slim, but… he is already quite happy.
Wu Shaoqian propped his chin up and looked at Zhong Cai, smiling, “A Cai, don’t work too hard for me.”
Zhong Cai glanced at him sideways, “Work hard for you? You wish.”
Qualifications can indeed be restored. Like the Zhong family’s Guhun Miracle Free, it was originally capable of repairing companion artifact, but it weakened with each successive generation after the ancestor’s death.
In the broader world, there are many methods to restore qualifications—such as high-grade pills, more peculiar treasures, or other items.
However, these treasures are extremely difficult to obtain.
Especially since Wu Shaoqian is a top-tier talent, even during its heyday, the Guhun Fruit couldn’t help him recover. The truly useful things are probably beyond the means of the Wu family.
So the Wu family simply gave up on Wu Shaoqian.
However, Zhong Cai will never give up on him.
These two are so cute and dedicated to each other 🥰
I live seeing their interaction just as buddies buddies too, I hope they still continue doing that once they get even closer
😇😇
Yeah, just instantly knowing what the other is thunking about, getting rightfully angry on their buddy’s behalf and always wanting to be of help to them…
I really hope this kind of complicity and understanding lasts once they become lovers, cause that’s really the most trustworthy and sweet relationship they could have!
😊
Thanks for the chapter! I really like these 2.
Healing reading
Thank you for your translation 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
They are just like old married couple. 😂 that guhun miracle free is wrong right it is tree.
That’s so sweet 🥰 Dai Rong go die
that dai rong guy sure is petty and jealous. he’s somehow worse than wsa. wsq already refused the beauty but he still wants wsq’s to live in misery. you’ve got talent! build on it!
aiii the two are so sugary sweet <3