Deep within the Huang Mansion, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Huang Dongchun had just stepped through the mansion gates, not yet having changed out of his dust-stained robes, when he was struck by news like a bolt from the blue—the family’s heirloom treasure, the Spirit Marrow Gu, had been stolen!

"What did you say?! The Spirit Gu... how could it have been stolen?!"

His vision suddenly went black as a rush of hot blood surged to his head. He could no longer conceal the look of shock and fury on his face, and his voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.

What was the Spirit Marrow Gu?

It was the very foundation of the Huang Family’s legacy, cultivated through the blood, sweat, and immense resources of several generations!

With this Gu, the family could reliably produce a Marrow Transformation Realm Martial Master every ten or so years, ensuring their unshakeable top position in Changshan County. Its importance to the Huang Family couldn’t be measured in simple silver and gold.

Now, this ultimate treasure that maintained the family’s fortune had vanished without a trace from under their very own heavy guard!

Such an item was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Finding its larva back then had been an incredible stroke of luck. Now, even if the Huang Family was willing to exhaust all their resources, where would they ever find another?

"I just found out myself..."

A Huang Family elder who had hurried over had an equally ashen face, and his voice was hoarse.

As if by unspoken agreement, their gazes fell upon the Uncle-Grand Ancestor of the Huang Family, who sat silently in the master’s seat. The old man, with his white hair and beard, seemed to have aged even more in that moment, a cold, chilling light flickering in his cloudy eyes.

"Someone took advantage of an opening."

The Uncle-Grand Ancestor’s voice was hoarse and low, laced with suppressed fury. "By the time I received the alarm and rushed over, it was already too late. The two juniors guarding the secret location... had been murdered."

He spoke concisely, but every word carried immense weight.

"How is that possible?!"

Huang Dongchun’s brows furrowed in disbelief. "The location of the secret chamber beneath the ancestral hall is top secret; no more than ten people in the clan know of it! How could an infiltrator find it so precisely? Unless... we have a traitor in the Huang Family, colluding with an outside enemy?"

’And that’s not all. Those two guards were no amateurs; they were both experts at the Bone Forging realm. The Uncle-Grand Ancestor only called them ’juniors’ because of seniority.’

’Even if they faced a powerful foe, how could they have failed to make even the slightest sound to raise an alarm?’

"They were poisoned to death."

The Uncle-Grand Ancestor’s cane slammed heavily on the ground with a dull thud. "The perpetrator used an extremely sophisticated Poison Skill. They were likely killed in an instant, with no time to react at all."

"Poison?"

Huang Dongchun was stunned again. ’Since when was there such a poison expert within the borders of Changshan County?’ A few names flashed through his mind, but he dismissed them one by one.

"I suspect... it was Li Huai Sheng," the Uncle-Grand Ancestor said slowly, letting the name hang in the air.

"Li Huai Sheng?!"

Huang Dongchun whipped his head around to look at the other elder, his eyes filled with shock and questions.

The elder nodded with a grave expression, confirming the Uncle-Grand Ancestor’s suspicion:

"I infiltrated the North City Military Camp’s dungeons and searched thoroughly but found no trace of Li Huai Sheng. At the time, I thought he might have been secretly executed and that the chaos was just to vent anger and sow confusion. I never imagined... he had already defected to Chen Sheng!"

"That treacherous dog!" Huang Dongchun cursed through clenched teeth, killing intent flaring in his eyes.

As the three men spoke, one after another, the outline of the truth began to emerge clearly.

It must have been Li Huai Sheng who, during his years serving the Huang Family as a Tributor, had somehow discovered the secret of the Spirit Marrow Gu.

After being captured, desperate to save his own life, he had used this secret as a bargaining chip to win Chen Sheng’s favor.

Then, the two conspired. Chen Sheng, under the pretext of hunting down the remnants of the Seven Stars Gang and intimidating the Baisha Gang, drew the Huang Family’s main forces to the west side of the city with great fanfare. Seizing this opportunity, Li Huai Sheng, who knew the layout of the Huang Mansion like the back of his hand, silently infiltrated the estate and stole the Spirit Marrow Gu.

It all suddenly dawned on Huang Dongchun, and a wave of shame and indignation from being fooled washed over him.

’No wonder Chen Sheng had been so aggressive and arrogant in front of the Baisha Gang. It was all an act. His real target was never the Baisha Gang; it was a diversion to lure the tiger from the mountain, to buy time and ensure Li Huai Sheng could succeed.’

The Huang Family had been completely played by a mere youth!

"In the past... I truly underestimated this young man."

The Uncle-Grand Ancestor heaved a long sigh, his tone filled with an ineffable complexity.

For some time now, the local powers had focused most of their attention on Wu Kuang, viewing Chen Sheng as nothing more than a blade that followed orders.

Even after he annihilated the Seven Stars Gang with lightning-fast methods, the three great families never truly saw him as an opponent to be treated as an equal. They simply thought he was relying on Wu Kuang’s power and were even confident they could easily eliminate him in the upcoming arrangements at the Qinglin River.

But who would have thought that despite his youth, his schemes and strategies were so deep and cunning, his methods so interlinked that they were impossible to guard against.

"Then what should we do now? Are we just going to sit by and watch the Spirit Marrow Gu fall into his hands?"

Huang Dongchun was utterly indignant. Killing intent churned within him, and he even had the impulse to immediately gather his men, storm the North City Military Camp, capture and kill Chen Sheng, and take back their treasure.

The Uncle-Grand Ancestor mused for a long time before slowly shaking his head, rejecting the reckless idea.

"No. If we force him into a corner, a desperate man will do desperate things. If he ruthlessly destroys the Spirit Marrow Gu, we will regret it forever. The Spirit Marrow Liquid that was extracted six years ago has not yet regenerated. Even if Chen Sheng has the Spirit Marrow Gu, he won’t be able to use it to break through any time soon.

Perhaps... we can use this as a starting point to negotiate with him."

He paused, a shrewd, calculating glint flashing in his cloudy old eyes. "We can tell him the truth that the Spirit Marrow Liquid is empty and persuade him to hand over the Spirit Marrow Gu. In exchange..."

His gaze swept over Huang Dongchun as he continued slowly, "My Huang Family can offer a legitimate daughter for a marriage alliance and present three thousand taels of Silver as a show of sincerity and our desire to make peace."

"Uncle-Grand Ancestor, didn’t we already agree with the Gao and Yang Families to act at the Qinglin Waterway..."

Huang Dongchun looked anxious upon hearing this, starting to speak but then stopping short.

’Bowing his head and showing goodwill to Chen Sheng, the man who had just humiliated him, was truly hard to accept.’

"Foolish!"

The Uncle-Grand Ancestor interrupted sharply, his tone turning cold. "The Spirit Marrow Gu concerns the rise and fall of our Huang Family for the next hundred years! How can we treat it lightly because of a momentary fit of pique? Besides, the Yang Family’s attitude is ambiguous; they’ve long had intentions of playing both sides. Why can’t our Huang Family act according to the situation?

At the end of the day, there is no irreconcilable blood feud between our Huang Family and Chen Sheng, unlike with the Gao Family. The Gao Family sees him as a thorn in their side, partly because of the losses to the Seven Stars Gang, and partly because of the rumored ’feud from killing a father.’ As long as Chen Sheng is willing, accepting a son-in-law with such astounding potential might not be a bad thing for the Huang Family’s future."

The Uncle-Grand Ancestor’s considerations were clearly more far-sighted and calm; his judgment wasn’t clouded by a moment’s anger.

Huang Dongchun’s expression shifted, but he remained silent. Swallowing his pride to show goodwill toward Chen Sheng was a hurdle he found truly difficult to overcome.

Seeing this, the elder at his side asked,

"Uncle-Grand Ancestor, what if that Chen Sheng... refuses?"

The last trace of warmth in the Uncle-Grand Ancestor’s eyes vanished, replaced by a killing intent as harsh as the dead of winter. His tone was indifferent as he said, word by word:

"If he refuses to do this the easy way... then we will make him disappear from this world for good."

...

「North City Military Camp, inside the Government Office.」

Chen Sheng had just finished a round of the Circulation of the Celestial Cycle, the blood and qi throughout his body surging endlessly.

Yan Ming entered with light steps, bowed, and reported:

"Commander, there is a man outside who claims to be an elder of the Huang Family. He says he is here to deliver the Baisha Gang’s Fine Silver and requests to see you."

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing deep within them. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’His thoughts raced. He immediately understood that the Huang Family must have discovered the theft of the Spirit Marrow Gu and had accurately pinned the suspicion on him.’

’He wasn’t surprised by this. The timing of his diversion of the Huang Family’s main force to the west side of the city was too coincidental. As long as they reviewed the events, it wouldn’t be difficult to uncover his diversion tactic.’

After a moment’s thought, the corners of Chen Sheng’s mouth curved into a faint, almost imperceptible arc.

’Might as well see them. I can see what tricks the Huang Family has up its sleeve.’

"Let him in."

"Yes, sir."

Yan Ming accepted the order, bowed, and withdrew.