The woman clutched her aching cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "Young Master Chen, what have I done wrong?"
Chen Jiuyang: "I told you to leave if you didn't need to serve me. Why are you still here? Are you looking for a beating?"
The woman's voice choked. "Young Master Chen, please don't send me away. Otherwise, the Holy Cult will punish me severely."
"What does that have to do with me?" Chen Jiuyang's heart had turned to stone, as if he had swallowed a lead weight. No matter what the alluring woman said, he remained unmoved.
"You have three seconds. If you don't leave my room, don't blame me for not being gentle with you." Chen Jiuyang slowly raised a hand, a terrifying surge of true qi condensing.
"I... I'll take my leave now." Seeing Chen Jiuyang was serious, the alluring woman's face turned pale. Gritting her teeth, she hurried out of Chen Jiuyang's room.
The next morning.
After washing up, Chen Jiuyang went to the small courtyard to begin his cultivation. With his cultivation reaching the eleventh acupoint of the Profound Realm, Chen Jiuyang had an excess of blood and true qi within him. If he didn't circulate it regularly, the true qi would cause his meridians to swell.
He assumed a stance and began practicing the twelve close-combat moves from the Yellow Realm of the Eight-Nine Profound Art.
"Sizzle!"
The crisp autumn air of the early morning sizzled as if burning when it came into contact with the true qi casually emanating from Chen Jiuyang.
"Young Master Chen has truly solid foundations."
Granny Gui's voice sounded from outside the door. Chen Jiuyang paid her little mind, continuing to circulate the twelve moves. After completing three full rounds, Chen Jiuyang slowly concluded his practice, closed his eyes, and felt the true qi within him.
These twelve moves were inscrutable to any observer. They had to be used in conjunction with the internal cultivation methods of the Eight-Nine Profound Art to achieve the miraculous effects of strengthening the body, nourishing the soul, and invigorating the blood.
He had opened eleven acupoints, with only the last acupoint in his head remaining unblocked. However, the true qi in other parts of his body could not break through this acupoint, causing a feeling of fullness and stagnation.
Chen Jiuyang knew this was a difficult hurdle. The last of the twelve major acupoints was extremely challenging, and he didn't know how many resources it would take to break through it.
He needed to push through this barrier as soon as possible.
With this thought in mind, Chen Jiuyang slowly opened his eyes. Granny Gui had brought a superior breakfast. The wooden tray held three small bowls, each containing a highly tonifying medicinal cuisine. Just looking at them made Chen Jiuyang's appetite surge.
Chen Jiuyang sat on a stone chair in the courtyard, took a sip from a bowl, and couldn't help but exclaim, "The True Demon Cult truly has grand gestures."
"Heh heh, Young Master Chen is the Holy Maiden's favored potential partner. Since Young Master Chen was brought back by the Holy Maiden, our Holy Cult naturally has to treat you well," Granny Gui said with a chuckle.
"Young Master Chen, how did you sleep last night?"
Chen Jiuyang replied indifferently, "If you hadn't sent a woman to warm my bed and poison me, I would have slept well."
The woman who had claimed to warm his bed last night was covered in potent poison. If he hadn't possessed the Pure Yang physique, he would have fallen victim to this insidious scheme, leading him to become consumed by desire, craving women uncontrollably, and consequently clouding his true qi, thus losing his foundation in the martial path.
Granny Gui's eyes narrowed, then she smiled amiably. "This is the territory of our Holy Cult's Suzhou and Hangzhou Han Clan. It seems some people have been meddling where they shouldn't. Young Master Chen, rest assured, I will discipline my subordinates properly."
"Heh heh..." Chen Jiuyang: "I thought you were the one who sent her."
Granny Gui smiled without speaking.
Chen Jiuyang asked, "What is Qiu Yihan doing?"
Granny Gui replied, "The Holy Maiden is currently receiving a 'Ti Hu Guan Ding' at our Suzhou and Hangzhou Han Clan to compensate for her martial cultivation over the past nineteen years."
Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly. "The True Demon Cult is indeed formidable."
Even with his inheritance as an Immortal Doctor, his lineage did not possess such a method as 'Ti Hu Guan Ding'.
Granny Gui explained, "Every Holy Maiden of our Suzhou and Hangzhou Han Clan possesses the Heavenly Charm physique. They need to experience the mortal world, and only after their souls and spirits have been enlightened and returned can they cultivate martial arts."
"I know, it's related to the cultivation inheritance she possesses," Chen Jiuyang said.
"It's good that Young Master Chen understands." Granny Gui saw that Chen Jiuyang had finished the three bowls of medicinal cuisine and took the wooden tray away.
Immediately after, the Eighth Elder entered. "Young Master, the Chen family of the Suzhou and Hangzhou branch is ready and waiting for you to visit."
Chen Jiuyang nodded. "Uncle Fang, bring my belongings. Let's go and see the Chen family of Suzhou and Hangzhou."
"Yes, Young Master." Fang Bahua carried Chen Jiuyang's two suitcases and got into the vehicle prepared by the Eighth Elder. The group drove off towards the Chen family of Suzhou and Hangzhou.
The location of the Chen family's Suzhou and Hangzhou branch is actually where the Misty Rain Sect is situated. The Chen family's main business is trade, while the Misty Rain Sect's influence is primarily focused on nurturing disciples and protecting the affiliated Chen family.
Therefore, it was initially Chen Gaoming, representing the Misty Rain Sect, who contacted Chen Jiuyang's branch. It wasn't until after the Feng Province Martial Rankings that the Shu Mountain Chen family was alerted, prompting Granny Zeng, a member of the clan, to personally invite him to acknowledge his ancestors.
Great sects and powerful families, every place is filled with rules.
The Chen family's Suzhou and Hangzhou branch is located by the sea and has a small harbor. This harbor is docked with over a dozen luxury yachts, and along the shore stand the Chen family's skyscrapers and villa residential areas.
...
Chen Zifeng is a woman five generations removed from the main Chen family. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance and is quite attractive. She put in considerable effort to get a job at the trade company of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Chen family.
However, she only has a bachelor's degree, and her parents, who are fifth-generation descendants, live a muddled life. Their family resides in an old house where mold has grown, and cockroaches and spiders crawl. Her parents pay no mind to it. Her father spends his days drinking at home, while her mother, having lived a comfortable life without ever working in the first half of her life, constantly asks Chen Zifeng for money.
If Chen Zifeng doesn't give them money, she is beaten. Her life is bleak, and it's like this every day.
One day, as she arrived at work, she saw the company's general manager walking anxiously towards the entrance. Several middle-aged men in expensive suits entered. She recognized these men; they were her parents' cousins. However, they were more capable and were not expelled from the five-generation lineage, continuing to live well within the Suzhou and Hangzhou Chen family.
These were influential figures worth hundreds of millions, who rarely visited the company. Today was a very ordinary day, so why would such important figures be coming to the company?
Just as she was about to bury her head in her work, she saw one of the middle-aged men command the manager, "Send the most attractive female employee to the entrance to act as a greeter. A distinguished figure from the company and the family will be arriving soon. They will inspect the company's assets first. If they are displeased, you and I will lose our jobs. Hurry up and arrange it!"
Chen Zifeng is quite attractive and was soon singled out by the company's general manager, then assigned to be a greeter at the company entrance.
What surprised her even more was that the influential figures from the Suzhou and Hangzhou Chen family, with whom she had lived during her childhood, were all standing in several rows at the company entrance, each with a solemn and respectful expression, waiting.
Chen Zifeng was curious. What kind of distinguished figure was coming that these important figures of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Chen family were standing there as respectfully as chicks?