Chapter 442: Using People (3)
Chapter 442: Chapter 390: Using People (3)
As if hearing the door open, Hua Wuxin’s eyelids trembled before he managed to struggle them open.
When he saw Chen Li enter, a flash of urgency crossed his dim eyes. He tried to prop himself up on his arms, struggling to sit, but the movement pulled at his wounds. He let out a muffled groan of pain as a cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Stay down.”
Chen Li’s gaze swept over Hua Wuxin.
At the same time, he extended his Divine Sense.
The external injuries were indeed severe, and his Inner Qi was in chaos. However, his core wasn’t damaged, and his meridians and Acupoints were largely unharmed.
The injuries looked frightening, but with his physique and regenerative abilities, aided by medicine, a period of quiet rest should ensure he was in no mortal danger.
A flicker of confusion crossed Chen Li’s eyes. “What happened?” he asked. “And where is Feng Suiyun?”
Hua Wuxin took several gasping breaths, each one sending a jolt of intense pain through his wounds. “Senior… Suiyun and I… we were hunted by the Celestial Sword Sect and the Su Family. We fled all the way to the vicinity of Kao Mountain…”
Haltingly, he recounted their story: how they had been cornered by Elder Jian You of the Celestial Sword Sect and Imperial Physician Su, hunted relentlessly, and finally forced to escape into the Little World behind the Kao Mountain Wall.
He also explained that Feng Suiyun had deliberately drawn the enemy away to cover his escape, allowing him to flee through the exit and bring word of what happened.
“…I’m afraid by now, Suiyun has already been captured by the Celestial Sword Sect or the Su Family.”
At this, Hua Wuxin ignored his injuries and spoke with urgency. “Senior, the masters from the Celestial Sword Sect and the Su Family are still trapped in that Little World, and Suiyun’s fate is uncertain. I implore you to take action! Rescue him and wipe out the Celestial Sword Sect and Su Family in one fell swoop. Avenge our fallen brothers!”
His tone was wretched and his expression frantic. Beside them, Peng Anmin and Gossip listened with somber faces, a sense of pity stirring within them.
Although they hadn’t known Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin for long, they had shared hardship on the run. The thought of being hunted by the Celestial Sword Sect and the Su Family made them empathize deeply, filling them with a shared hatred for the enemy.
Peng Anmin couldn’t help but speak up. “Sir, Hall Master Hua is right. The Celestial Sword Sect and the Su Family have gone too far. This is the perfect chance to go in there and teach them a harsh lesson.”
Gossip chimed in. “That’s right, Sir. The Celestial Sword Sect and Su Family are despicable. They’re inside the Kao Mountain Wall now. If we let them get out, there will be endless trouble. We need to eliminate the problem completely, and quickly.”
One after the other, they pleaded on Hua Wuxin’s behalf, urging Chen Li to take action.
Chen Li ignored them, his brow furrowed. “What is their strength?” he asked. “Who is leading them, and what are their Cultivation levels?”
Hua Wuxin gathered his breath and replied, “The ones hunting us are two Elders from the Celestial Sword Sect, Jian You and Jian Qie, as well as that old fox from the Su Family, Imperial Physician Su. Two are Void Transformation Grandmasters and one is a Divine Hall Grandmaster. Besides them, there are over thirty experts at the Spirit Realm.”
After listening, Chen Li nodded, his expression unreadable. “I see. Your injuries are not light. For now, focus on recovering here. In a few days, once your condition has stabilized, I’ll make a trip to the Kao Mountain Wall.”
The phrase “in a few days” sent Hua Wuxin into a panic.
He struggled to sit up, the sharp pain of his wounds reopening causing cold sweat to pour down his forehead. “Senior, you can’t delay! Suiyun is trapped and surrounded! Every moment we wait puts him in greater danger!”
He gasped for air, his eyes shot with blood. “What’s more, the Celestial Sword Sect brought along disciples from the former Kao Mountain Sect this time. They’re bound to know some of its secrets. If they find the exit, it’ll all be over!”
He grew more agitated as he spoke, coughing up bloody spittle. “The Kao Mountain Wall is cut off from the world—it’s the perfect place to strike. We can kill them all inside, and no one will ever know. If we wait until they escape, trying to kill them then would mean open war with two major powers. It would be nearly impossible! This opportunity is fleeting, Senior!”
Chen Li listened quietly, his expression unchanging.
“Relax.”
Only when Hua Wuxin finished and collapsed into a fit of coughing from exhaustion did Chen Li give him a cool glance. The look sent an inexplicable chill through the frantic man. “I have my own plans for this matter. I know how to proceed and when. Your only task right now is to recover. Don’t let your imagination run wild.”
“But Senior! Suiyun is…”
Seeing that Chen Li still had no intention of acting immediately, how could Hua Wuxin possibly rest easy?
His heart was burning with anxiety, and he opened his mouth to protest again.
But Chen Li suddenly moved.
He simply raised his right hand and pointed a finger forward.
A faint golden halo flashed at his fingertip.
Hua Wuxin’s body went limp. The light in his eyes faded, his head lolled to the side, and he fell unconscious.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for anyone to react.
“Sir, what did you…?”
Peng Anmin stared, dumbfounded.
Gossip’s face was a mask of shocked disbelief.
Chen Li moved like the wind, his hand a blur as he struck several of Hua Wuxin’s major acupoints, sealing his meridians and vital Acupoints completely.
Only after doing this did Chen Li withdraw his hand. He looked at the stunned Peng Anmin and commanded, “You will stay here and take care of him. Make sure he rests quietly. Do not let him take a single step out of this room.”
Though his mind was full of questions, Peng Anmin didn’t dare defy Chen Li’s order. He bowed quickly. “Yes, sir.”
Chen Li nodded, then took a small, black token from his robes and tossed it to Gossip.
“You will also stay here. If I haven’t returned in seven days, take this Token to the Netherworld Ship and find the iron-masked man in the third-floor private room. Tell him I’ve agreed to his deal and we can discuss it. As for the details, use your judgment.”
Gossip caught the Token and put it away carefully. “Don’t worry, Sir. Old Bao knows what’s at stake.”
Finally, Chen Li turned to Bai San, his words concise. “Prepare two fast horses. We’re going back.”
Go back?
Bai San and Gossip exchanged a look of utter confusion.
The Black Market business wasn’t settled, and a new crisis at the Kao Mountain Wall had just erupted, yet the Sir wanted to… return to Lingxi?
What was he thinking?
But they had followed Chen Li long enough to know he always had his reasons. Though they didn’t understand, they didn’t dare question him. “Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.
Bai San went to arrange for the horses, and Gossip went to prepare rations and water for the road.
Chen Li glanced at the unconscious Hua Wuxin one last time, then turned and walked out of the hut.
His reasons for this decision were actually quite simple.
‘The main objectives for leaving Lingxi have already been accomplished.’
‘I’ve recovered the four million five hundred thousand taels of silver buried beneath Hidden Emperor Castle and procured all the necessary medicinal herbs.’
‘Although everything is stored in the Treasure Basin’s spatial storage, making it safe and convenient to carry, I won’t be at ease until it’s all safely back with the Chen Family.’
‘Furthermore, I didn’t bring the Divine Sense-related item required for the True Intent of Martial Dao trade. I have to go home to retrieve it.’
‘As for the rescue?’
Chen Li’s eyes grew cold.
‘A rescue may be necessary, but definitely not now.’
‘It’s true that both Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin have my Evil Suppressing Seal planted on them, placing them nominally under my control.’
‘But control doesn’t equal loyalty, and it certainly doesn’t prevent betrayal.’
‘Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin hail from the Seven Kills Association. They’re both ruthless, treacherous men who’ve lived by the sword.’
‘Expecting them to become genuinely loyal after such a short time is a fool’s dream.’
‘Besides, the desperation Hua Wuxin just displayed was too intense. It even seemed a little staged.’
‘I’ve always been cautious about whom I trust. The servants and maids in my household are mostly old retainers who have served for years, even decades. I know them inside and out.’
‘And yet, even then, the incidents with Chen Pi and Cai Shangzhuo still occurred.’
‘Trust must be earned over time and through trials.’
‘I must be even more cautious with recently subjugated experts like Feng and Hua, who have such complicated pasts.’
‘Moreover, I know full well the value of the Little World within the Kao Mountain Wall.’
‘It’s a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land of a full three hundred thousand mu!’
‘The resources it contains are of incalculable value.’
‘There may be more to the story of how the Su Family colluded with the Seven Kills Ancestor to destroy the Kao Mountain Sect.’
‘And the Celestial Sword Sect taking in former members of the Kao Mountain Sect… their motives are likely impure as well.’
‘These waters run deep.’
‘After I killed the Seven Kills Ancestor, I didn’t rush to take control of the Kao Mountain Wall precisely because I wanted to lure the other snakes out of their holes.’
‘I wanted to see which other powers had their eyes on this secret realm.’
‘And now, the fish have eagerly leaped from the water.’
‘That gives me even less reason to rush.’
‘Acting rashly will only make it easier to fall into someone else’s trap.’
‘Besides, there’s one more thing I need to go back and confirm.’
‘My second son, Chen Shouye’s, father-in-law, Li Weikun, is from the Kao Mountain Sect. I need to find out more about the inside story of the Sect’s destruction.’
‘I have… other plans.’