Once the partner for the "marriage alliance" was decided, Madam Yang’s smile grew even warmer. She enthusiastically urged Chen Sheng to stay and dine with them.

However, Chen Sheng keenly perceived a subtle anomaly in her eyes. It wasn’t merely the concern of an elder; it was mixed with scrutiny, wariness, and even a hint of... hidden anticipation?

A chill went through him, and he politely declined the invitation.

Both Lin Shou and his wife were acting strangely, in a way he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Until he understood the situation, he preferred to keep his distance and minimize contact.

’Although Madam Yang is very much my type—slim waist, long legs, and exceptionally voluptuous.’

’But I also know that some people are off-limits.’

’I can’t let my little head control my big one.’

Now that the marriage candidate had been chosen and his objective met, it was better to return to the Military Camp and focus on cultivation than to stay here exchanging false pleasantries.

Despite Chen Sheng’s refusal, Madam Yang maintained a decorous smile, though she couldn’t help a flicker of disappointment in her heart.

It wasn’t that she had any improper intentions. It was simply that in this deep, secluded manor, she harbored an unspeakable loneliness and sorrow that she had no one to share with.

Upon seeing such a young and heroic man as Chen Sheng, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope for some solace. She just hadn’t expected him to be so cautious. ’Or perhaps,’ she mused, ’I’ve simply grown old and lost the beauty I once had.’

Of course, this thought was fleeting for Madam Yang. She quickly composed herself, not daring to delay official business.

After Chen Sheng departed, she immediately dispatched a trusted servant to the Government Office. The message was for Lin Shou: Chen Sheng had chosen Yang Xueyao. As for how to convince her brother, Yang Yi—that was now Lin Shou’s problem.

...

For the next few days, Changshan County appeared calm on the surface.

The uproar from the Seven Stars Gang’s annihilation gradually faded from street-corner gossip, as the Gao Family delayed any further, more drastic response.

To many uninformed onlookers, this seemed to be a sign that the Gao Family was backing down and yielding to the Government Office.

However, those who truly understood the Gao Family’s methods and resources knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

The Gao Family was not the type to suffer humiliation in silence. Their current quiet was more like the brewing of a ferocious counterattack.

Chen Sheng was perfectly aware of this, but he didn’t let it distract him.

He channeled all the external turmoil into motivation for his arduous cultivation.

Nourished by a constant supply of pure energy from the Earth Core Spirit Milk, and aided by the high-grade Tiger Bone Pills that Wu Kuang procured through special channels, his cultivation was advancing at a visibly rapid pace.

[Basic Saber Skill (Perfection) (196/2000)]

[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique (Great Success) (691/1000)]

[Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique (Minor Achievement) (28/500)]

[Demon-Suppressing Triple Extremes Saber (Minor Achievement) (235/500)]

As his consciousness swept over the progress displayed clearly in his mind, Chen Sheng’s gaze remained tranquil.

He had always firmly believed that in a world where power belonged to the individual, might made right.

’If one day I have the power to crush everything, why would I need to engage in false pleasantries and political games with these local tyrants? I could just shatter all their schemes with brute force and steamroll over them!’

And so, he poured the vast majority of his energy into cultivation.

With abundant resources and the divine efficacy of the Spiritual Milk, he lived the life of an ascetic monk. He spent his days in the Government Office, frantically pushing his own limits and packing his schedule to the brim.

Meanwhile, the integration of the Seven Stars Gang proceeded in an orderly fashion under Yang Hu’s supervision.

Although Yang Hu’s own cultivation had yet to reach the Bone Forging realm, he had Chen Sheng’s reputation to back him, as well as the covert support of the North City Military Camp. The surrendering elders of the Seven Stars Gang didn’t dare cause trouble and could only obey for the time being.

The Seven Stars Gang was far from its former glory, but it had at least been preliminarily consolidated into a usable force.

Of course, having thoroughly offended the three great families, the Seven Stars Gang’s former businesses suffered considerable losses as the families joined forces to ostracize and suppress them.

In response, Chen Sheng’s instructions to Yang Hu were captured in a single word: "Endure."

Until they were absolutely certain of victory, they were to lie low, avoid direct confrontation, and focus entirely on biding their time and building their strength.

Fortunately, the three great families were also quite wary of Wu Kuang. Without absolute certainty of success, they dared not move rashly against the remnants of the Seven Stars Gang, lest they tip their hand and jeopardize their "master stroke" plan to eliminate Chen Sheng.

Meanwhile, the "marriage alliance" between Chen Sheng and the Yang Family’s legitimate daughter, Yang Xueyao, was not going smoothly.

Yang Yi hadn’t become a powerful figure in Changshan County by being a fool.

While he was reluctant to completely sever ties with his brother-in-law, County Magistrate Lin Shou, he knew where his family’s true interests lay.

If the Yang Family were to actually form a marriage alliance with Chen Sheng, it would be tantamount to openly betraying their pact with the Gao and Huang Families. That already fragile alliance would shatter in an instant.

What’s more, Chen Sheng had chosen Gao Qiheng’s former fiancée!

This was a blatant slap in the face to the Gao Family, and it put the Yang Family in an impossible position—roasting them over an open flame.

Yang Yi was vehemently opposed.

County Magistrate Lin Shou, however, was exceptionally keen on the matter.

He may have had dealings with the three great families, but he had no intention of being a marginalized puppet they could manipulate.

By introducing an outsider as formidable as Wu Kuang—a "fierce dragon crossing the river"—he could stir up trouble and shatter the monolithic unity of the local powers. Only then could he fish in troubled waters and seize the initiative.

In this, his goals and Wu Kuang’s were perfectly aligned.

Furious at Yang Yi’s refusal, Lin Shou resorted to drastic measures. He ordered his men to deliberately spread the news that "Chen Sheng is to be engaged to Yang Xueyao."

In just a day or two, the news grew wings and spread through every street and alley in Changshan County, causing a city-wide scandal that everyone was talking about.

When Yang Yi learned of this, he was so furious he nearly coughed up blood, but he was powerless against his brother-in-law, the County Magistrate.

He wanted to issue an immediate public clarification to set the record straight, but Lin Shou delivered a ruthless ultimatum: if the Yang Family dared to make any such announcement, he would immediately divorce Madam Yang and sever all ties with them.

This move struck precisely at the Yang Family’s weak spot.

Without the official protection that Lin Shou provided, the Yang Family would find itself obstructed at every turn.

Left with no other choice, Yang Yi could only swallow his pride and endure the humiliation. He adopted the "ostrich" strategy: he neither confirmed nor denied the rampant rumors, tacitly allowing them to ferment.

But his ambiguous stance utterly enraged the Gao Family.

’Gao Qiheng’s body is barely cold, and the vows of our three-family alliance are still fresh. And now the Yang Family is stabbing us in the back to form an alliance with his killer? This is an unbearable humiliation!’

The entire Gao Family was seething with indignation. They saw the Yang Family as perfidious traitors and were ashamed to be associated with them.

Patriarch Gao Yuanfeng personally dragged Patriarch Huang Dongchun of the Huang Family with him to the Yang Family’s estate to demand an accounting.

Yang Yi had to exhaust every explanation, insisting repeatedly that this was all Lin Shou’s plot and the Yang Family had no part in it. Only after making numerous guarantees did he manage to temporarily appease their fury.

But after this incident, the already fragile trust between the three great families was in tatters. Their so-called "alliance" now existed in name only, the cracks between them widening by the day.

This was a development that Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang were, of course, delighted to see.

The more discord festered among the three families, the easier it would be for them to divide and conquer, picking them off one by one.

As long as they didn’t provoke a mass uprising, Wu Kuang, who held the authority to "act as he saw fit," had plenty of room to maneuver and deal with these local despots.

Chen Sheng, for his part, immersed himself completely in his training, constantly solidifying his foundation and refining the Spiritual Milk to advance his cultivation.

He vividly remembered the warning from the Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil Celestial Book: the Poison Skill master codenamed "Bone-Melting Hand" was on his way.

Crisis was looming, but danger also concealed opportunity. If he handled this correctly, it could be another perfect chance to stir the pot, sow suspicion among the three great families, and perhaps even cause them to disintegrate completely.

***