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"Prince Fu, what are you waiting for?"
Just as Chen Shihu turned around, Lu Chen suddenly erupted, extending his long arm with five fingers spread wide, covering Chen Shihu's head. At the same time, the Yin Spirit Disembodiment and Xuan Yin Flying Sword shot out from his fingertips like a venomous snake, plunging into Chen Shihu's brain, swirling inside for a moment before wrapping back around Lu Chen's fingers.
Chen Shihu's eyes widened in anger as his folding fan fell to the ground; Flesh twitched a few times before dying.
"Ah?" Prince Fu's eyes widened as he looked at Lu Chen.
The scene unfolded too quickly; the entire process took less than a breath, so fast that even Chen Shihu, a Qi Master of the Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm, had no time to react.
"This person has long colluded with the Crimson Lotus Princess. If it weren't for your quick escape that day, Prince Fu, even your Cottage might have been overturned," Lu Chen said, clapping his hands nonchalantly.
Huangfu Qi's face flashed with sorrow as he shook his head and sighed, "Brother Lu Chen has saved my life again. I suspected this person's ill intentions but lacked evidence to distance myself from him. I couldn't get too close either; truly, people’s hearts are not what they used to be. It seems I have underestimated the power of the King of Qi."
Lu Chen kicked Chen Shihu's corpse off the cliff and said, "Prince Fu, we should leave quickly. This place is not suitable for lingering. This matter must not be known to outsiders; otherwise, the Black Fist Sect and the Governor of Luzhou will not let it go easily."
Killing the Governor of Luzhou's son would likely bring down his wrath on Prince Fu as well.
"I understand. Alright, let's go," Huangfu Qi said, recognizing the gravity of the situation and immediately followed Lu Chen down the mountain.
"This mountain is your Cave, Prince Fu. If I leave, who will protect your safety?" Lu Chen asked Huangfu Qi during their descent.
"Brother Lu Chen need not worry; I have my ways," Huangfu Qi replied calmly.
Seeing Huangfu Qi's confidence, Lu Chen thought that as a royal relative, he must have means to handle things. Thus, he left alone.
Having killed two people today, Lu Chen not only gained practical experience but also trained his Mindset. While the Five Animal Vitality Magic Technique could strengthen one's Mindset, nothing felt as liberating as taking a life.
What worried him now was confidentiality; both the Governor of the Seven Provinces of Luzhou and the Black Fist Sect were formidable foes. If news got out, they would undoubtedly face attacks from both sides.
Upon returning to the Cave, Lian Dashuang came to find Lu Chen and asked him to check on the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad.
Since consuming the Seven-Linked Serpent, the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad had fallen into hibernation, lying motionless on the ground. Lu Chen had casually placed it in the Cave and hadn’t bothered with it since.
Following Lian Dashuang over to take a look, he saw that the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad was leaning against the bedpost, continuously secreting a viscous liquid that accumulated on the ground into hard lumps that were difficult to dissolve.
Looking at the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad, its poison glands were swollen and still secreting venom.
"Heart, deadly poison," Lu Chen thought of how the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad sprayed liquid to kill its prey, even scorching the surrounding plants until they smoked, demonstrating its potent toxicity.
Cautiously, he used Yin Spirit to offer the hard lump on the ground, placing it into a mortar to grind it into powder, then stored it in a jade vial.
"Corpse Destroying Powder!"
Lu Chen wanted to test its power, so he took the jade vial containing the Corpse Destroying Powder to the foot of Prince Fu's mountain peak. He intended to destroy the bodies of He Zai Jin and Chen Shihu, eliminating any potential threats.
However, after searching for some time, he found no traces; both bodies had vanished. Lu Chen was startled and thought to himself that this was disastrous. If news got out, the Black Fist Sect and the Governor of Luzhou would surely retaliate.
Unable to find the corpses, Lu Chen returned to the Cave and set aside his concerns. He felt he had grasped some mysteries of the Unity of Man.
The next day, Lu Chen went back up the mountain to practice Qigong, running through the perfectly integrated Five Animal Vitality Magic Technique and Crazy Serpent Seven Star Classic. Then he stood quietly with his eyes closed, trying to sense the Unity of Man.
He waited until afternoon before opening his eyes and letting out a long sigh. "Still a bit lacking."
The Unity of Man was not something easily broken through. Moreover, during practice, one must keep their eyes closed because the eyes send out signals that can emit false energy. Last night, He Zai Jin hid in the tree trunk with his eyes closed; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to conceal himself.
Yet ultimately, Lu Chen's Yin Spirit and Disembodiment allowed him to discover He Zai Jin's hiding place using temporal balance and then kill him with the Xuan Yin Flying Sword.
After several more attempts without breaking through to Unity of Man, Lu Chen returned to Empty Mountain Cave as evening approached and found Huangfu Qi waiting for him.
"Brother Chen, I've made two new allies. Let me introduce you," Huangfu Qi said as he led in a man and a woman.
"This is Yushan Orchid Princess, and this is Tu Youdong," Huangfu Qi introduced.
"This is my brother Chen whom I mentioned before, Lu Chen," Huangfu Qi added to the two behind him.
Lu Chen recognized both individuals; they seemed to be from the Yushan Royal Family—one was the girl in green with a high nose bridge, and the other was a boy wielding a staff. They had both passed the Inner Sect Disciple assessment; it appeared they were protecting Huangfu Qi. However, Lu Chen wondered how Huangfu Qi had met them.
"Brother Lu Chen, greetings," Yushan Orchid Princess said with a glance at Lu Chen and a slight nod. Behind her, Tu Youdong wore an arrogant expression and said nothing.
"Nice to meet you!" Lu Chen clasped his hands together. To be honest, he didn't really like Tu Youdong; he was too arrogant.
"Our matter?" Lu Chen asked Huangfu Qi, directly referring to the slain He Zai Jin and Chen Shihu.
"Brother Lu Chen, you worry too much. I only have an alliance with them; I haven't informed them of anything, and they have no interest in this matter," Huangfu Qi replied.
Lu Chen glanced at Princess Zhulan and Tu Youdong, who were sitting calmly in their chairs, clearly indifferent to the conversation between Lu Chen and Huangfu Qi.
The Yushan Royal Family had formed an alliance with Prince Fu. Besides financial transactions, there might be some hidden agendas, but Lu Chen felt it was inappropriate to inquire further.
Furrowing his brow, Lu Chen said, "This won't do; the matter will eventually be exposed. What does Prince Fu plan to do?"
"I came to find you precisely because of this; I wanted to seek your opinion," Huangfu Qi said.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen frowned and replied, "Leaving the Five Element Sect is the only way. Those people won't let it go easily."
"I think so too," Huangfu Qi sighed. "It seems there's no other way. They will eventually come after me publicly. Instead of waiting for death, it's better to take precautions early. However, the situation in the palace is also grim; various princes and dukes are secretly scheming against each other in the struggle for succession. Returning now will only lead to more chaos."
"Is that so? Is there any way to deal with it?" Lu Chen asked, slightly surprised. It seemed that internal strife and external threats in the Great Zhou Dynasty had reached a rotten state; perhaps its collapse would come sooner than expected.
"In such matters, how can there be a solution? We can only take it one step at a time. I still have a few hidden moves in the palace; Grand Historian Zhang Yan is my father-in-law. As long as I can maintain my safety, I should be fine," Huangfu Qi said confidently.
It turned out that Zhang Yan Yushi, who held a position equivalent to one of the Three Dukes and was also the Minister of Justice, was Huangfu Qi's father-in-law.
"When does Prince Fu plan to leave? Is there anyone looking after you on the way?" Lu Chen asked with concern.
The journey from the Five Element Sect to the Central Plains capital spanned thousands of miles, passing through all of Northern Nine Provinces along the way. The Western Four Provinces were under Prairie King Murzaha's territory. This wasn't crucial; what mattered was that Eastern Five States were under King of Qi's domain. If King of Qi learned about Huangfu Qi's whereabouts, he would definitely send people to ambush him on the road.
With Li Gonggong's message not reaching its destination due to his death, even if it had made it to the capital, the current Great Zhou Dynasty lacked the capacity to divert attention towards Qi Kingdom. There was a fear that any attempt would backfire and provoke Qi Kingdom's wrath. King of Qi had allied with Black Fist Sect and Eastern Giant Barbarian Island, as well as Sui Mo Di Family. Coupled with Lu Prefecture's seven provinces providing substantial financial support, it wouldn't be surprising if he found an excuse to march southward and overthrow Great Zhou to establish himself as king.
The Sui Mo Di Family was not to be trifled with; Lu Chen had heard from Su Wutong that among the Seven Families of Demon-Summoning, Su Family was merely the weakest. The Di Family ranked higher than them and was at least more formidable than Su Family.
"I plan to leave tonight; any delay will surely lead to changes," Prince Fu said while gesturing toward the two individuals behind him, indicating that he had invited them for protection.
Passing the Inner Sect Disciple assessment requires at least a Qigong cultivation level above Body Refinement Explosion, and even Unity of Man is not allowed. Protecting Prince Fu while he leaves should not pose any problems. With this thought, Lu Chen felt reassured.
"Ah, now that we part ways, when will we meet again?" Lu Chen sighed and murmured. He did not dislike Huangfu Qi; although his goal was to overthrow the Great Zhou Dynasty, Huangfu Qi was merely a prince with little real power, having minimal impact on the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Currently, Huangfu Qi regarded Lu Chen as a close friend and comrade, and he would certainly value Lu Chen's words.
Huangfu Qi licked his lips and said, "I don't know about that. Brother Lu Chen saved my life, and I cannot thank you enough. A while ago, I buried several boxes of jewels beneath the Cottage where I was staying. Those were brought out from the palace; I originally intended to use them to win people's hearts. However, given how things have turned out, I can no longer take those jewels with me. So, I’ll leave them for you to manage well. I'm leaving now!"
Huangfu Qi, along with Yushan Orchid and Tu Youdong, exited the Empty Mountain Cave and headed towards the mountain's edge.
"If Prince Fu arrives safely in the capital, have someone send me a message," Lu Chen called out from behind, unsure if Prince Fu heard him.
"Now that I have money, I can slowly start building my own influence," Lu Chen returned to the Cave and began to plan.
Prince Fu left behind several boxes of jewels, but it was not wise to open them recklessly just yet; it would be best to wait until things settled down.
Afterward, Lu Chen went to the top of the empty mountain to practice Qigong, performing several rounds of the integrated Five Animal Vitality Magic Technique and Crazy Serpent Seven Star Classic. Then he stood still, feeling the Unity of Man.
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