I Collect Skill Fragments in the Demon World

Chapter 963 - 591: Liu Ji’s Miserable Predicament

The commotion of the search died down and calm returned once the last person had been checked.

There was nothing unusual within the Shen Family, so the suspect was not among them.

Since Zhang Chen’s family of three had been cleared, they naturally returned to their own courtyard. Yet Zhang Chen had only just stepped back in when he saw Shen Ling, dressed in a bright red robe, hurrying over. She came up to him with a face full of concern: "Zhang, the Shen estate was just set on fire by some villain—are you all right? Were you burned at all?"

Her words overflowed with concern, and paired with that soft Wu dialect, they could stir a man’s heart, making it sound as though she were worrying over her lover.

If Zhang Chen had not previously seen Shen Ling and Zhang Gaoqiu clinging to each other in the blaze, he might really have believed her act. After all, that scene of Zhang Gaoqiu "examining" Shen Ling’s body, his hands roaming all over her, had been truly eye-searing.

Zhang Chen gave Shen Ling a glance, a hint of concern in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms and began to let his hands wander. His big hands turned into Lu Shan’s claws, imitating Zhang Gaoqiu as he groped about: "Miss Shen, thank you for worrying about me. Are you okay? I was worried about you before, afraid the flames might have burned you. Let me check you over..."

Zhang Chen’s palms were like a Spiritual Snake, gliding over Shen Ling’s curves. Shen Ling’s expression froze; she had the urge to yank out her hand and slap him hard, but she forced herself to endure it. A little impatience would spoil a grand plan.

Then Shen Ling suddenly bolted from his arms like a frightened rabbit. She turned back to look at Zhang Chen with a face full of shy embarrassment, then stomped her foot and said, "All you ever do is fool around! Seeing you like this, I know you’re fine, so I can be at ease."

With that, Shen Ling ran out, all coy and bashful. Once she left Zhang Chen’s courtyard, however, her face instantly darkened. A cold, murderous light flickered in her eyes. Everywhere Zhang Chen had touched felt filthy beyond measure, as if disgusting little bugs were crawling all over her.

She rushed straight to Zhang Gaoqiu’s quarters, her eyes red and brimming with killing intent, her voice thick with barely contained fury: "I can’t take it anymore! I want to tear him to pieces! If this keeps up, I’m going to lose my mind!"

Shen Ling grabbed something from the table and smashed it hard against the floor. In an instant, every ornament in Zhang Gaoqiu’s room was reduced to fragments.

Zhang Gaoqiu simply watched her vent in silence, not stopping her. Only after a long time, when Shen Ling was done, did she turn her head to look at him. "Do I even matter to you? You know that brat keeps trying to take advantage of me, yet you insist on making me get close to him. I want a clear answer right now: when exactly is that brat going to die?"

"The inheritance your little aunt left behind is gone. That brat has no reason to stay. Once he disappears, your engagement to him will naturally be void, and our engagement will just be a matter of course." A cold gleam flashed in Zhang Gaoqiu’s eyes. "He actually dared to be rude to you. I’ll chop off his dog paws and lock him in the Celestial Prison to rot there. That’ll still count as honoring our kinship."

"Good! Whatever plan you have, I’ll help you carry it out!" Shen Ling’s face lit up with joy.

Zhang Gaoqiu walked forward and pulled Shen Ling into his arms. Shen Ling gradually calmed down. Zhang Gaoqiu stroked her belly, as if he could feel faint stirrings of life. After a long moment, he said, "Don’t worry. Before you start to show, I’ll definitely get rid of him, so our marriage can go through."

Shen Ling nodded obediently and nestled quietly in Zhang Gaoqiu’s embrace.

In Lixiang Garden

Zhang Chen stood where he was, watching Shen Ling’s retreating figure disappear, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Why are there two fetal Qi Mechanisms in Shen Ling’s body?"

Zhang Chen had mastered the Blood Control Technique and was extremely sensitive to blood. Naturally, the blood aura within Shen Ling’s body could not escape him.

"Unless she was born extraordinary and has two hearts. Only...the position of those ’hearts’ is strange—they’re actually forming in her abdomen... in her abdomen..." Zhang Chen’s pupils shrank. "She’s pregnant? She and Zhang Gaoqiu have already been secretly sleeping together?"

A thoughtful look flashed in Zhang Chen’s eyes, and after a moment he chuckled inwardly. "I never had anything to do with Shen Ling in the first place, so letting them be isn’t a problem. They’ve been plotting against me in the dark, but they haven’t acted yet, have they? But if they dare to make a move on me... they can’t blame me for flipping the table."

All sorts of thoughts flitted through Zhang Chen’s mind. He was not the stubborn sort.

"Boss, there’s something I’m not sure I should say..." While Zhang Chen was lost in thought, Mrs. Zhang walked out from the house, looking at him with a hesitant expression.

"You may not be my birth mother, but you’re no different from one. Whatever you have to say, just say it. The three of us rely on each other—we’ve nothing we can’t talk about," Zhang Chen said.

Hearing his words, Mrs. Zhang pondered briefly before speaking. "Zhang Chen, your marriage was originally arranged by your mother, so I shouldn’t meddle. But... I can’t shake the feeling that this Miss Shen isn’t right. She’s not someone you can live a peaceful lifetime with. You need to think carefully about this marriage. The Shen Family may be powerful, able to help and shelter us, give us a comfortable life, but compared to your lifelong happiness, all of that is just smoke."

Hearing her, Zhang Chen smiled. "Don’t worry. I know what matters. Once I find a suitable opportunity, I’ll break off the engagement."

He couldn’t withdraw now. The Shen Family was in the middle of tracking down the culprit who’d stolen the Secret Treasure. If he suddenly proposed breaking off the engagement, it would likely arouse their suspicion. The dissolution of the engagement would have to be delayed a while, until he could pick a proper excuse.

Mrs. Zhang’s brows immediately smoothed out at his answer, a trace of joy in her eyes. "Good! As long as you have it clear in your heart, I can rest easy."

The Shen Family suffered heavy damage, losing countless assets and stirring up endless turmoil, but because there was a Tenth Tier divine being suppressing the situation, everything was still within a controllable range.

Early the next morning, Zhang Chen thought of his deal with Liu Ji, so he got up and strolled toward the outside of the manor, intending to complete the final transaction.

Zhang Chen was someone who kept his word. Although that Ten Directions Defense looked tempting enough to make one’s mouth water, compared to obtaining the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Zhang Chen still felt he had earned big without losing out.

Besides, he had already attained Enlightenment; his "Dao" did not allow him to do anything that "ran counter to the Dao."

Zhang Chen drifted all the way out through the main gate, without any Shen Family guards stopping him. He made his way to the restaurant where he and Liu Ji had met the other day, and sure enough he saw the deathly-pale Liu Ji lying at the window, silently watching the passersby.

When he caught sight of Zhang Chen, the dullness in Liu Ji’s eyes instantly lit up. Then he pulled his head back, and before long the private room door was pushed open and Zhang Chen walked in.

Before he could even sit down, Liu Ji’s wailing voice already sounded: "Zhang Chen, you brat really did me in this time..."

Zhang Chen looked at Liu Ji with both eyes and saw that the other man’s Qi Mechanism was floating and weak, clearly having suffered an injury.

"Are you all right, elder?" Zhang Chen asked.

"A Tenth Tier divine being chasing me down—what do you think? If I didn’t have some unique life-saving methods, I’m afraid I really would’ve had to leave my life here this time." Liu Ji complained.

Hearing this, Zhang Chen smiled faintly and filled Liu Ji’s teacup. "Although you were injured, compared to obtaining the complete mnemonic to control a Secret Treasure, you’ve still earned big."

"Stop babbling and hurry up and pass me the mnemonic." Liu Ji grumbled, picking up the tea and taking a sip.

Zhang Chen didn’t waste words and passed the mnemonic to Liu Ji. Liu Ji listened with utmost care, and when Zhang Chen had finished imparting the entire mnemonic and he had verified that there was no error, he finally let out a breath of relief: "Not bad! Not bad! I’ll give it to you, brat—you kept your word."

"How were that Shen Family Tenth Tier divine being’s methods?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Uncommon! If I hadn’t had extra help last night, I’m afraid that old geezer would have entangled me and worn me to death alive. I may have the Ten Directions Defense, but I still underestimated the power of the Tenth Tier. That bastard couldn’t break my defense, but he could keep grinding me down until my life was exhausted." Speaking up to this point, a solemn look appeared in Liu Ji’s eyes:

"Zhang Xiaohua arrived last night. It was Zhang Xiaohua who struck and drove off the Shen Family’s Tenth Tier expert."

"Zhang Xiaohua came?" Zhang Chen’s expression turned grave. "How is Zhang Xiaohua’s strength?"

Liu Ji said, "Stronger than that Shen Family Tenth Tier divine being—and not just by a little!"

Zhang Chen fell silent at that. He hadn’t expected that in just a short time apart, Zhang Xiaohua would have obtained such Creation.

"You’d better get out of the Shen Family quickly. Once Yellow Heaven Dao makes a move on them, you, brat, will likely be hit by their thunder as well. The power of a Tenth Tier expert has already reached an unbelievable level, absolutely not something the likes of us can contend with. You’d better run in advance. Yellow Heaven Dao has already roped in Tenth Tier divine beings here in Jinling. Once Yellow Heaven Dao’s arrangements are complete, what awaits the Shen Family will be a thunderous blow." Liu Ji urged Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen tapped his finger on the table, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. After a while he said, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely pick the right moment to cut ties with the Shen Family."

He felt he could make an article out of the marriage contract and then use the momentum to leave the Shen Family.

"I’ve heard people say that Chongzheng Academy is a good place. If you want to avoid risk, you can go to Chongzheng Academy to dodge this calamity." Liu Ji added.

"Chongzheng Academy can stand against Zhang Xiaohua? Can it contend with Yellow Heaven Dao?" Zhang Chen showed a look of surprise.

"That Mr. Da in the Kyoto Academy wields one of the Great Victory Royal Family’s three Twelfth Tier Mysteriou s, and Chongzheng Academy is an academy under the Academy’s jurisdiction. Yellow Heaven Dao doesn’t have the guts to make a move against Chongzheng Academy—unless the Great Virtuous Master breaks through the Twelfth Tier and steps into that legendary unknown realm." A solemn light flickered in Liu Ji’s eyes. "Most importantly, there is an Eleventh Tier Mysterious suppressing fortune within Chongzheng Academy. As the number one academy under the Academy, Chongzheng Academy is not to be trifled with."

Zhang Chen nodded at that, committing Liu Ji’s words to memory.

His greatest purpose in coming to Jinling was the Mysterious Academy in Jinling City. Especially after his cheap uncle Zhang Gaqi had reminded him that there was a treasure in Chongzheng Academy he absolutely had to seize, Zhang Chen had even less reason to give up.

An opportunity for his physical body to enter the Thirty-Three Heavens—how could Zhang Chen possibly let it slip?