This woman is very smart; she knows that once a choice is made, once a commitment is given, she cannot afford to show any indecision or ambivalence.
If she hesitated or showed doubt, she would certainly displease Chu Feng, and eventually, he would become wary of her. It would be difficult to trust her completely.
Just like when people interact with each other, the first impression is especially critical.
Watching Li Shishi resolutely swallow the Poison Pill he had given her, a look of satisfaction appeared on Chu Feng’s face.
"Save the person! Make it clean!"
Chu Feng ordered the coachman, Bloody Beard.
Upon receiving Chu Feng’s command, Bloody Beard fiercely launched into action, swiftly slaughtering all those who targeted Li Chuang. It was done with extreme brutality and iron resolve.
These were all part of the plans they had discussed earlier.
Only by killing all these people would it be possible to avoid any trace or suspicion from Li Shishi afterwards.
If Li Shishi were to find out after the fact that everything was orchestrated by Chu Feng to win her over, then she would likely harbor enmity against him. Chu Feng, having lived two lives, will never be soft-hearted when he needs to be ruthless.
By wiping out all those who targeted Li Chuang, even if Li Shishi had great abilities, she would not be able to trace anything back to Chu Feng, the mastermind behind the scenes.
Now that the objective has been achieved, having secured both the thousand-year-old Jiao tendon and Li Shishi, Chu Feng left with her feeling content and satisfied.
Li Chuang and Li Shishi were then arranged by Chu Feng to live in a residence provided by the Han Family Master.
This place was right next to the Sword Pavilion set up by the Han Family, so there were absolutely no problems concerning safety. Li Shishi herself was not weak, already possessing the cultivation of a Sword Master Peak.
However, her sword meridians were merely the lowest-ranked Three Talents Sword Vein.
Her potential achievements in the Sword Dao were quite limited. Reaching the Great Sword Master Realm was very likely her peak.
No one is perfect. Li Shishi possesses exceptional abilities in intelligence gathering, management, and analysis. Yet her talent in the Sword Dao was only average. This, in turn, reflects the fairness of the heavens.
After dealing with all the affairs, Chu Feng had even more important tasks to attend to. That was the crafting of the Solid Vein Elixir.
With the thousand-year-old Jiao tendon in hand and having raided the Qiao Family’s medicinal store for a large batch of precious medicinal materials, Chu Feng needed only to spend a minimal amount of Silver to purchase some auxiliary medicines and he would be able to craft the Elixir needed for an assault on the Sword Master Realm.
Moreover, he could use the best of the medicinal ingredients for every type of Elixir.
The Qiao Family Master, not sticking to rules, received his just deserts. By now, he is most likely bawling in the restroom.
Meanwhile, Chu Feng made a killing.
Taking the medicinal materials with him, he went to the Golden Talisman Sect Store, to the Alchemy Room reserved specifically for him, to craft the Elixirs he needed, with no mention of it.
In the blink of an eye, a day had passed.
Despite suffering heavy losses from the robbery at the Qiao Family’s medicinal store the previous day, along with the deaths of many,
early this morning, right in front of the Xie Family’s doors in the Royal Capital, the place was already festooned with decorations, bustling with streams of people, and extraordinarily lively.
Some guests had arrived early to offer congratulatory gifts to Old Master Xie.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue holds tremendous power, and Elder Xie, serving as the Vice Minister, oversees the treasury, the Gold Department, and the pricing of essential commodities such as cloth, salt, grains, oil, medicinal materials, and so forth.
Therefore, there were many who came to ingratiate themselves with Old Master Xie.
And they were all wealthy and influential merchants, nobles, and other important figures.
The eight branches of the Xie Family also came one by one, vying to show their loyalty. They came early to lend support and make arrangements.
Xie Bing followed her elders and arrived at the main house early in the morning. Her branch was at the bottom of the family. Her position as a First-grade Alchemist already made her the most outstanding of the younger generation.
Even though they were all from the Xie Family, there was constant intrigue and covert competition between the different branches.
They all wanted to gain the favor and care of Old Master Xie, to make their own branch stronger and more prosperous.
Under the guidance of their elders, the young descendants of each branch meticulously dressed, wearing their festive best usually reserved for the New Year. They waited respectfully with smiling faces in the back garden of the Vice Minister Mansion.
According to Old Master Xie’s habit, he would come to the back garden to admire the flowers and take a walk every morning, and also to practice his swordsmanship.
When adding up the outstanding younger members from all eight branches, there were about a hundred people. There were both men and women, all of whom were the most talented descendants of their respective branches.
Their ages were all below thirty.
Although they addressed each other as cousins, the blood relationships between many of them had already spanned five or even six generations.
For this reason, intermarriage within the clan was quite common.
For example, two branches that could only be considered of medium strength did not have much say in the clan.
If the talented youths from these two branches were to marry, the relationship between the two branches would immediately become very close. At that point, they would act like allies, advancing and retreating together for their common interests.
Their say within the clan would naturally become much stronger.
They might even overtake other branches that were stronger than them.
It was like two weak countries forming an alliance through marriage to jointly deal with a powerful enemy nation.
Although Xie Bing’s branch was weak, she was exceptionally beautiful and performed exceptionally well in all aspects. Therefore, there were many outstanding young men who had set their sights on her in secret.
Among the hundred or so outstanding descendants of the Xie Family, there was a tall young man who stood out from the crowd, appearing quite distinguished.
This person was named Xie Baogui, and he was already a Second Grade Alchemist. Not only could he refine two types of Talismanic Elixirs, but he had also successfully concocted a batch of Third Grade Elixirs. He was quite famous throughout the Jianyun Dynasty.
Even Ge Wanfu, the head of the Royal Capital Alchemy Academy, and Chairman Bao’en of the Alchemy Master Guild, had high praise for Xie Baogui.
Xie Baogui wore an aloof expression, his gaze sweeping over the talented descendants of the Xie Family, with a touch of regal inspection.
Ultimately, his eyes fell on Xie Bing’s pretty face.
Today’s Longevity Banquet was specially organized by Old Master Xie after his recovery from illness; on one hand, it was to celebrate the good fortune, and on the other, it was to seek an elixir that could prolong life.
Xie Baogui had long harbored the intention to pursue Xie Bing and had even communicated multiple times with the elders of Xie Bing’s branch.
Because Xie Baogui was exceptional and had limitless potential, the elders from Xie Bing’s side were also very willing to marry her to Xie Baogui, achieving the goal of an alliance through marriage between the two branches.
Today, by taking the opportunity of the Longevity Banquet, Xie Baogui planned to perform exceptionally, to stand out, and then to capture Xie Bing’s heart.
Besides him, there were many other talented young men in the clan who also had intentions of pursuing Xie Bing.
They buzzed around her like flies, chaotically hovering.
Xie Bing was annoyed to death by these people, but due to saving face, she did not want to outright drive them away. She could only politely respond.
Fortunately, it was not long before Old Master Xie’s figure appeared.
Old Master Xie, who was leaning on a dragon-headed cane, had just recovered from a serious illness. He looked pale, and his face was quite gaunt. However, his spirits were decently good, and he emanated a strong presence. Today was his Longevity Banquet, a happy occasion, and Old Master had a smile on his face.