Chapter 156 – 138: Reaction
He Family.
The main courtyard located in the very center of the residence.
In the rich and luxurious hall, adorned with jade and gold, He Zhengya leaned on his cane, watching He Guangxun walk in. He slowly asked, “What does the Blood Hidden Pavilion have to say?”
Nine hundred thousand silver taels was not a small amount. With the Blood Hidden Pavilion suddenly halting the mission and demanding to increase the price to thirty million taels to continue, it was an unbearable burden for the He Family.
Although the He Family was one of the four great families of Yu County, governing tens of millions of people and developing their base in Yu County for nearly a hundred years with assets amounting to more than a hundred million silver taels, the problem was that most of the silver was invested in assets, such as the vast estates outside the county and various business operations.
On top of that were the thousands of elite Blade Guests trained as Protectors and some Blade Masters in the Tendon Changing Realm.
Coming up with thirty million in one lump sum was basically impossible.
Moreover, the most crucial issue was, why was Chen Mu worth thirty million silver taels? Even the nine hundred thousand seemed somewhat overpriced to He Zhengya, and if it weren’t for the reputation of the Blood Hidden Pavilion, it would be better to have their own people make an attempt.
He Guangxun’s face looked ugly as he walked into the hall.
“The Blood Hidden Pavilion said that the information regarding Chen Mu is worth nine hundred thousand taels. If you want to know why, the silver previously given is non-refundable… I found this matter suspicious, but trusting the reputation of the Blood Hidden Pavilion, I took the initiative to exchange the silver for the information,” he said.
Upon hearing this, He Zhengya’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. “So what is so unusual about this matter?”
He Guangxun took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with solemnity. He said in a grave voice, “Father, we all underestimated Chen Mu.
Everyone thought he grasped the Xun Wind Artistic Conception just before the chaos of the demon uprising, but in fact, he’s not limited to just one Artistic Conception; he also controls the Thunderclap Artistic Conception, and he might have mastered it even earlier than the Xun Wind.”
“Thunderclap?”
He Zhengya appeared startled.
In the past, Chen Mu’s name wouldn���t have caught his attention, but ever since Chen Mu revealed his Artistic Conception during the demon chaos, the He Family had collected all sorts of information about him and delivered it to He Zhengya.
Chen Mu’s previous information was easy to gather; he had been a lowly servant who, by chance, picked up a Blade Technique, and managed to develop a Blade Momentum, eventually catching Xu Hongyu’s attention.
Moreover, the Blade Technique that Chen Mu exhibited all this time belonged to the Xun Wind lineage. If he had contemplated the Xun Wind Artistic Conception Map in the Yu Family, and his talent and understanding were high enough, it wouldn’t be strange for him to grasp the Xun Wind Artistic Conception. But where did the Thunderbolt come from?
“Not only that, but as it appears now, Mingxuan might have died at his hands, and at that time, Chen Mu had already almost reached Tendon Changing Perfection. Now, he has stepped into Bone Tempering!”
He Guangxun’s complexion was very grim.
He Zhengya’s expression changed upon hearing this. “Bone Tempering? Are you telling the truth?”
“The information from the Blood Hidden Pavilion should not be fake.”
He Guangxun’s voice was a bit hoarse.
Being masterful in both the wind and thunder Artistic Conceptions only meant that Chen Mu had an extremely high comprehension.
Yet, since he started the Body Refining cultivation late and was almost twenty-six years old, if he had entered the Tendon Changing Realm just recently, there was a good chance he could reach Tendon Changing Perfection before thirty, with a possibility of breaking into the Bone Tempering realm. However, the chances of hitting the Five Viscera Realm might be small due to his age.
An individual at the peak of Bone Tempering with mastery of two Artistic Conceptions, although very strong and difficult for the He Family to deal with, would not overturn the fundamental situation between the He and Yu Families.
But now.
Chen Mu had already stepped into Bone Tempering!
Estimating from the time Chen Mu had been practicing his Body Tempering Method, it probably hadn’t been over four years. In such a short span of time, he had crossed the Skin Toughening, Body Refinement, and Tendon Changing Realms, stepping into Bone Tempering. What a terrifying pace of progress!
It’s said that there are some born with Copper Skin and iron bones, but at less than twenty-six years of age, Chen Mu’s entry into Bone Tempering, with a high likelihood of reaching Bone Tempering Perfection before thirty, along with his Horizontally Trained Body and Qi-Blood far more vigorous than an ordinary person, had the potential to challenge the Five Viscera Realm.
Once Chen Mu enters the Five Viscera Realm, the situation for the He and Yu Families would indeed be overturned!
By then, it would no longer be about the He Family waiting for that elderly member of the Yu Family to age and die, but rather the Yu Family slowly waiting for their member to decay… Mainly because He Mingzhen, the most outstanding of the He Family’s four generations, also perished in the Wasteland Mountains.
At this thought.
He Zhengya’s face looked even uglier as he said, “Wind Thunder Artistic Conception, Bone Tempering Realm, it is likely that MingZhen died at his hands. It’s probable that during the quake in the Wilderness Mountains, a fight broke out over a rare treasure, and not knowing his strength, he was caught off guard and killed.”
He Guangxun’s clenched fist tightened as he said, “We have always underestimated this man. Now it seems that his talent surpasses even Xu Yichuan’s. Furthermore, he’s cunning and deceitful, and at such a young age, he can be so forbearing. No matter what, we must eradicate him as soon as possible to avoid future trouble for the He Family.”
“Difficult.”
He Zhengya said with a grim face, “The man has already become influential, and common methods are no longer effective against him. The Blood Hidden Pavilion’s price is too steep; thirty million taels, even if we could afford it, it would certainly cause significant harm, self-inflicting major damage. Moreover, such a large sum of money cannot be moved without alerting the Yu Family and their spies.
If the Inspector gets involved, the situation will become even more unfavorable.”
Bone Tempering Realm, Horizontally Trained Body, Wind Thunder Artistic Conception.
When all these factors are combined, there is almost no one in the Bone Tempering Realm who could kill Chen Mu, except for those in the Five Viscera Realm.
“Then…”
He Guangxun looked towards He Zhengya without speaking, but He Zhengya understood what He Guangxun meant.