On the streets of Xiangjiang.
He Chongxu was finally willing to tell Ying Chen about the so-called repair method.
"The miscellaneous notes on cultivation recorded that what the Five Peaks Wanderer sought his entire life was actually one thing."
"Earth Paste!"
Hearing this term, Ying Chen's brow furrowed slightly.
As learned as he was, he did not know what Earth Paste was.
It seemed reasonable that the Five Peaks Wanderer couldn't find it in his lifetime.
Seeing Ying Chen's confusion, He Chongxu quickly explained, "Actually, this Earth Paste sounds mysterious, but when you break it down, it's just made by boiling the blood and bones of an earth spirit."
"What is an earth spirit? Ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, and the like, on the surface, seem to grow with the earth's energy and can be called earth spirits. But this is not true."
"A true earth spirit should absorb and expel earth energy, consume earth fat, and merge with the earth's veins, unafraid of earth, water, fire, or wind. When it moves, the earth veins move; when it is still, the earth veins are still."
"It can overturn mountains and seas, and is capable of anything."
"Only then can it truly be called an earth spirit."
"Even one thing missing is not enough."
"Only by finding this earth spirit, then killing it, taking its scales, bones, and blood, and boiling it into a paste, then infusing it into the Sea-Holding Crimson Golden Beam, can the cracks generated inside the Sea-Holding Crimson Golden Beam be completely repaired, and the Sea-Holding Crimson Golden Beam can transform into a true top-tier magical artifact!"
After listening to He Chongxu's explanation, Ying Chen instantly understood what He Chongxu was planning.
No wonder He Chongxu said on Nine Dragon Mountain that he was inspired by Ying Chen to think of this method.
He had his eye on that thing!
However, Ying Chen immediately raised a question, "Do you know the specific location of that thing?"
He Chongxu replied, "The exact location is unknown, but the general area is known."
"Before, I didn't understand what my martial uncle had been doing all these years. Now, after your enlightenment, Ying Xian, I have suddenly realized it! After carefully recalling all of my martial uncle's actions and tracks over the years, it's not difficult to guess the general range of that thing."
"Well, if that's the case, we'll set off after midnight," Ying Chen nodded.
He Chongxu asked curiously, "Why only after midnight? That's still more than ten hours away!"
Ying Chen replied faintly, "Firstly, at midnight, the sun is hidden, and the cold moon hangs in the sky. The earth energy, suppressed all day, begins to surge from the ground. It is precisely when that thing is most active. We can take this opportunity to precisely locate it."
"Secondly, earthquake aftershocks are often more deadly than the main shock. You don't think that some people will stop immediately just because Li Fengcheng is dead, do you?"
"Historically, there have been cases of aftershocks lasting for three years without stopping, causing unimaginable destruction. We must learn from history and nip it in the bud!"
He Chongxu instantly understood.
"Understood. I am willing to be a small soldier under Ying Xian, to charge forward and quell the aftershocks for Ying Xian!"
Ying Chen looked deeply at He Chongxu, offering no comment.
...
Although the news of Li Fengcheng's death had not yet spread throughout Xiangjiang, a considerable number of people had already learned of it.
Most importantly, Li Fengcheng had opened a large gambling house earlier, attracting a massive amount of funds, all betting on the Hidden Dragon Daoist to win.
And all of this money had gone down the drain.
Conversely, the only mysterious client who had bet on Ying Chen to win, with a hundred billion wager, had suddenly won a hundred billion!
And this hundred billion became a heartache for all those who had followed Li Fengcheng in setting up the bank.
One hundred billion, that was an astronomical figure!
They really didn't want to pay.
What was even more fatal was that they seemed unable to pay!
Even if all the funds they had absorbed were added together, there was still a significant gap!
If they were forced to pay, it was highly likely that they would all go bankrupt because of it!
"Bastard, bastard! I've lived for so many years enduring others' strange glances, letting myself be cuckolded, what was it all for?"
"It was all to make some money from Li Fengcheng!"
"Now, I thought following Li Fengcheng to set up the bank would bring a big profit. But instead, I've lost all my assets!"
"Damn it, simply damn it!"
The banker, Zhuang Ruoting's father, roared in anger.
He wasn't living up to his surname for nothing; he had been secretly engaged in some "banking" businesses all along.
He just didn't expect that this time, which he thought was a sure thing, would result in a complete loss!
Facing her husband's roar, Zhuang Ruoting's mother remained expressionless and indifferent.
Seeing Zhuang Ruoting's mother's demeanor, Zhuang Ruoting's father finally couldn't stand it anymore. He grinned sinisterly, "Before, out of respect for Li Fengcheng, I didn't dare to touch you. Now that Li Fengcheng is dead, I can finally vent all these years of resentment!"
With that, Zhuang Ruoting's father raised his palm violently, and with a loud slap, he struck Zhuang Ruoting's mother.
He knocked Zhuang Ruoting's mother to the ground instantly, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
Zhuang Ruoting, seeing this, was stunned.
Was this still the gentle father she knew?
She rushed forward, trying to stop her father.
But she didn't expect her father to be like a madman, raising his palm again and knocking Zhuang Ruoting to the ground as well!
"You mother and daughter are both no good!"
"One is a slut, the other is a bastard! One cuckolds me, the other colludes with outsiders to ruin me!"
"Neither of you are any good! Neither of you are any good!"
"Get out! Get out of here! This is the Zhuang family, this is my home! It's not a place for you two outsiders to stay!"
Zhuang Ruoting's father roared madly, like a lunatic.
Zhuang Ruoting, her mouth agape in disbelief, felt an indescribable sadness surge into her heart.
She looked at her furious father, then at her expressionless mother.
Suddenly, she felt an unprecedented chill.
From head to toe, from inside to outside, a chill!
She staggered to her feet and walked out.
Yes, she was not her father's biological child. She was surnamed Li, not Zhuang. She was no longer qualified to stay here.
But where could she go?
To the Li family?
It was impossible!
Because as early as when she came down from the peak of Nine Dragon Mountain, the eldest son of the Li family had quietly warned her!
He warned her not to have any designs on the Li family.
When Li Fengcheng was alive, the Li family might have privately acknowledged her status; but now that Li Fengcheng was dead, the Li family would not acknowledge her status, whether publicly or privately!
In the words of the eldest son of the Li family: "Give up the idea! Even a dog raised by the Li family has more inheritance rights than you!"
Therefore, Zhuang Ruoting could not go to the Li family, nor could she possibly go to the Li family.
Zhuang Ruoting wandered the streets like a walking dead.
Little did she know that behind her, two young hoodlums had already set their sights on her.
The two exchanged glances, and one on each side, they began to surround Zhuang Ruoting.
The closer they got to Zhuang Ruoting, the clearer they could see her appearance, and the more their faces filled with excitement and lewdness!