Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Linglong’s expression flickered. With a sharp cry, she rapidly circulated the Celestial Fragrance Scripture. Her dancing sleeves traced whirlpools of soft, coiling Qi Strength in the air before her.

The fierce Finger Strength plunged into the vortexes of Qi Strength, vanishing without a trace as it was dispelled layer by layer.

However, the gap in their Power was simply too vast.

Although she had dissipated most of the Finger Force, the residual power still struck her, making her blood churn. With a muffled grunt, she staggered back two steps. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and a trickle of crimson blood slowly seeped from the corner of her mouth.

The effeminate man nodded slightly at the sight, the last trace of doubt in his eyes vanishing. "It is indeed the Celestial Fragrance Scripture, and your mastery is passable."

His tone was detached. "Speak. Why are you here? As I recall, you are not the one assigned to the Liu Family. And where are the members of the Liu Family?"

His gaze swept across the empty warehouse again. His meaning was clear: Li Lian and the Liu Family Guards were gone.

Linglong took out a silk handkerchief and delicately wiped the blood from her lips. "To answer the Holy Envoy, Jing Hong and two companions are standing guard here. As for the Liu Family, they are, of course, no longer here."

A fierce glint flashed in the effeminate man’s eyes. "You moved against the Liu Family?"

Linglong raised her head, meeting his gaze without flinching. "The two branches of the family, Liu Gongquan’s and Liu Gongchang’s, have all been exterminated. Could it be... that the Holy Envoy has not yet heard of this?"

"What?"

Shock appeared on the effeminate man’s face. He stared at Linglong, his gaze razor-sharp. "The Liu Family... was annihilated? Why have you appeared here today?"

Linglong’s tone was neither humble nor arrogant. "Jing Hong apologizes for her audacity, but may I ask the Holy Envoy if you are the garrison eunuch of the Textile Bureau, Eunuch Liu Futian?"

The moment she spoke, murderous intent flared in the effeminate man’s eyes. A frigid, sinister aura radiated from him as if it were tangible, and the temperature in the warehouse seemed to drop.

"What incredible nerve!"

Liu Futian’s voice was shrill and piercing. "Who is your superior? Under whose orders do you dare lay a trap for us?"

Linglong shook her head gently. "Holy Envoy, please calm your anger. Jing Hong came here without any orders from my superiors, nor am I acting on anyone’s command. I would never dare to lay a trap for the Holy Envoy."

"Oh?"

Liu Futian’s eyes narrowed. His murderous intent subsided slightly, but his wariness remained. "Then what did you come here for?"

"Jing Hong has come with a bold proposal."

Linglong raised her head. "I have come to discuss a business deal with the Holy Envoy."

"A business deal?"

Liu Futian’s brow furrowed slightly. He clearly hadn’t expected this answer. "What kind of deal?"

"The silk trade."

Linglong’s red lips parted, uttering three words.

Before Liu Futian could ask, she continued, "The Holy Envoy is a man of high status and power in the Textile Bureau, yet you still need to procure silk in secret. Your demand must be immense. The person backing Jing Hong has stable channels and can provide you with a steady, long-term, and discreet supply of high-quality silk. The prices are fair, the sources are clean, and it would save the Holy Envoy a great deal of trouble."

Liu Futian’s effeminate, handsome face betrayed no emotion.

He waited until Linglong had finished before letting out a soft, sinister laugh that was both shrill and cold. "That sounds like a fine deal indeed. It’s rare to find someone who can ease my burdens."

His tone shifted abruptly. His eyes turned sharp in an instant, and a wave of killing intent erupted from him.

"But..."

He stared hard at Linglong, enunciating each word. "We never do business with people of unknown origin—not even if you are truly a disciple of the sect."

He struck before the words had even left his mouth.

A flick of his finger shot out a blast of frigid Finger Strength several times more powerful than the last.

The Finger Strength tore through the air with a piercing shriek. The temperature in the warehouse plummeted, and faint ice crystals began to form in the air.

Linglong’s face fell. She hadn’t expected him to turn on her so fast.

She pushed the Celestial Fragrance Scripture to its absolute limit, trying to neutralize the fatal attack.

But the difference in their strength was insurmountable.

Just as the Finger Strength was about to pierce through her...

VMMM!

A black shadow tore through the air. A presence as immense as a mountain and as solid as steel shattered the Finger Strength.

Chen Li stood there, holding the Qiankun Ruyi Staff. With no flashy moves, he brought it down in a simple, direct strike. The staff carried a terrifying, overwhelming pressure as it cleaved straight toward Liu Futian’s face.

The wind from the staff was so fierce it made the air crackle.

"A Void Transformation Grandmaster?!"

The smile on Liu Futian’s face froze instantly.

He never imagined a Grandmaster Level expert was hiding in the warehouse.

An expert who would unleash such a killing blow right from the start.

At this life-or-death moment, Liu Futian shrieked as a cold glint flashed at his waist.

A Rapier, thin as a cicada’s wing and flexible as a silk ribbon, was now in his hand.

The blade vibrated, creating countless strange sword images to meet the descending blow.

CLANG!

CRACK!

The tremendous clash of metal was accompanied by a distinct shattering sound.

The Soft Sword, clearly no ordinary weapon, was no match for the irresistible force of the Qiankun Ruyi Staff.

The sword images disintegrated wherever the staff passed.

The Soft Sword shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions.

"Pfft!"

As if struck by lightning, Liu Futian coughed up a torrent of blood.

His entire body was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string. His face turned ashen in an instant, and his aura rapidly diminished.

A single move was all it took to decide the victor.

"Eunuch Liu!"

Seeing this, the two Guards who had accompanied Liu Futian charged recklessly at Chen Li, trying to buy their master some time.

Chen Li’s eyes were cold. Without even looking at them, he swept his staff horizontally.

BANG!

The staff’s shadow was like a mountain. The blade of the Guard on the left shattered instantly. His chest visibly caved in, and he died on the spot, spraying a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments.

"Pfft!"

Another flicker of the staff’s shadow tapped the Guard on the right. A crack echoed from his throat. His eyes bulged as his body fell limply to the ground, lifeless.

In the blink of an eye, two Spirit Realm experts were dead.

Liu Futian gritted his teeth against the searing pain and used the momentum of his retreat to try and escape.

But Chen Li had no intention of letting him.

With a single flicker of movement, he caught up to Liu Futian and blocked his path.

The speed was far beyond anything Liu Futian could have imagined.

A crazed light flashed in Liu Futian’s eyes.

He shrieked and waved his wide sleeves. Countless Embroidery Needles, fine as hairs and glinting with a cold, blue light, shot toward Chen Li like a sudden squall, enveloping him completely.

Chen Li snorted. A pale golden Gang Qi erupted from his body, forming a solid wall.

The Embroidery Needles rattled against it with a crisp TING-TING-TING, all of them deflected away.

Not a single one came within three feet of Chen Li.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Futian gritted his teeth and spun around, thrusting both palms forward. A frigid Palm Force surged toward Chen Li like a tidal wave in a final, desperate gamble.

The Qiankun Ruyi Staff thrust out again, moving so fast it was just a blur of afterimages, and precisely broke through Liu Futian’s palm strike.

"Pfft!"

The final blow struck Liu Futian squarely in the abdomen.

Liu Futian sprayed another mouthful of blood as he was slammed to the ground like a broken sack.

Countless bones in his body must have been broken. He lay paralyzed on the ground, unable to rise, his eyes filled with terror.

Liu Futian struggled to lift his head, his earlier vicious arrogance gone. He begged for mercy in a shrill voice, "Senior... spare me! It was I who was blind... I have greatly offended you!"

"The deal! Yes, the deal. We’ll do it however you say. We... no, this slave will obey. I only beg you, Senior, to spare this worthless dog’s life."

Chen Li remained expressionless, ignoring his pleas.

With a mere thought, the soybean-sized manifestation of his Divine Soul leaped from his Divine Hall Acupoint.

Its hands formed a complex, profound Hand Seal imbued with a suppressive power. Then, with a point of its finger, it transformed into a streak of light and shot into the space between Liu Futian’s eyebrows.

The Evil Suppressing Seal.

"AHHH..."

Liu Futian let out a bloodcurdling scream.

He felt his Divine Soul shudder violently, as if countless chains of golden, glowing runes were emerging from the void, coiling around it and tightening their grip.

"You... what did you do to me?"

Terrified, his Divine Sense struggled frantically, trying to break through the bonds.

The golden Divine Soul Chain shook violently with his struggles, emitting a low hum.

Chen Li stabilized his Spirit Platform and focused on circulating the Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing. The chains tightened further.

Every time Liu Futian struggled, he felt his Divine Soul being torn apart, the sense of suffocation growing stronger.

With each struggle, the chains contracted, binding him even tighter.

Liu Futian’s Divine Soul felt like it was being scorched in a blazing fire, the pain was immense.

At the same time, the Inner Qi in his body roiled and rampaged out of control. He vomited blood repeatedly as his aura grew weaker and weaker.

A sense of imprisonment and terror originating from the depths of his soul overwhelmed him.

After struggling like this seven or eight times, the light of Liu Futian’s Divine Soul grew increasingly dim until he could no longer muster any strength to resist.

His eyes became vacant and numb. He was completely subjugated by the Evil Suppressing Seal, his body limp as clay, leaving him with only the faintest of breaths.

Only then did Linglong walk gracefully to Liu Futian’s side. Looking down at his pathetic state, she smiled faintly. "Eunuch Liu, there’s no need to waste your strength. The master’s restriction is profoundly powerful; no one can break it. If you behave, you’ll be spared some of the suffering."

Upon hearing this, Liu Futian’s last glimmer of hope was completely extinguished.

He struggled to turn over. Ignoring his grievous wounds, he laboriously knelt on the ground and began kowtowing to Chen Li. THUD! THUD! THUD! His voice was hoarse and wretched. "

Godfather, this humble one was blind! I beg you, in your great magnanimity, to spare this humble one just this once. This humble one is willing to be your beast of burden to repay your mercy in sparing my life!"

Chen Li spoke flatly, "Name. Identity."

As if granted a great amnesty, Liu Futian hastily replied, "This humble one is Liu Futian, the garrison eunuch of the Jiangzhou Textile Bureau."

"What is your position in the Xiang Sect?"

"This humble one... is an Incense Attendant."

Liu Futian didn’t dare to hide it.

"Why try to seize these thirty thousand bolts of silk?"

"To answer Godfather,"

Liu Futian gasped for breath. "The sect... demanded that we gather fifty thousand bolts of silk as quickly as possible this year. In past years... this humble one could use his position to divert about thirty thousand bolts from the Textile Bureau’s accounts."

"But this year... the Court is increasing Jiangzhou’s tribute silk quota, making it very difficult to tamper with the books. So... when that bitch Yun Ya brought this up, this humble one became tempted and agreed to their plan."

Chen Li’s eyes narrowed. "Why does the Xiang Sect need more silk?"

Liu Futian shook his head. "This humble one... doesn’t know the specific reason. Perhaps they want to reduce their purchases from other regions. I don’t know the real reason. This humble one... was just following orders."

"Why did you join the Xiang Sect?"

Chen Li changed the subject.

A bitter expression appeared on Liu Futian’s face. "This humble one... was born into a poor family. I couldn’t survive, so I steeled my heart and entered the palace. I thought I could live a good life there, but who knew... life in the palace is even more difficult. Without a backer, it’s even harder than on the outside."

"Later... I was fortunate enough to be taken in by a godfather. He taught me Martial Arts and promoted me at every turn, which is how I got to where I am today. It was also my godfather who inducted me into the Xiang Sect. This post at the Jiangzhou Textile Bureau... was also an assignment from him."

Chen Li’s heart skipped a beat. He pressed, "Who is your godfather?"

Liu Futian lowered his voice. "He is... the Chief Eunuch of the Ritual Department, Eunuch Feng Jin."

’The Ritual Department... a Chief Eunuch?’

Chen Li was inwardly shaken.