Chapter 236: Chapter 235: Unworthy

Sun Yuting looked at the two lifeless bodies on the ground. Though she struggled to appear unfazed, the flicker in her eyes betrayed the shock she felt inside.

After all, the two assassins who had blocked their path were bona fide Leakless Realm experts.

From a distance, it hadn’t seemed like much. But once they were up close, the three Leakless Realm experts had clashed with just a few simple moves. If Wu Chen hadn’t been protecting her, she felt the assassins’ powerful auras would have torn her to shreds in an instant.

’One moment, I was being tossed about in a raging tempest; the next, I was safe in his arms. It felt like as long as he was here, he could hold back the heavens themselves.’

Savoring the memory, her gaze unconsciously fell upon his tall, slender figure. Her eyes misted over, and her breath grew hot.

"There’s no need to be afraid of cultivators at this realm. Once you reach the Leakless Realm yourself, you’ll see they’re not all that special."

Wu Chen sensed something was off with the young woman’s mood. He just assumed she was experiencing a delayed sense of fear after facing the Leakless Realm experts, and offered a word of comfort.

His eyes remained fixed on the two bodies. When he was certain they were no longer moving, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings.

He confirmed there were no other ambushes.

Only then did Wu Chen walk over to the bodies and remove their storage bags.

THUD! THUD!

He then kicked the corpses to the side of the road. From his own storage bag, he retrieved a red gourd he had prepared long ago but had never used.

GLUG! GLUG!

He uncorked it, releasing a pungent odor.

Wu Chen tilted the gourd, and a viscous, grayish-brown liquid gushed out, splashing over the bodies.

Once he had coated the bodies evenly, he took out a flint and steel, the kind used for starting a cooking fire.

With a gentle strike of the flint, sparks scattered onto the bodies. The oil instantly burst into flames.

The entire fight, from start to finish, had taken only a few breaths. It was over so quickly that any distant onlookers wouldn’t have even been able to see what had happened.

But he couldn’t just leave the bodies lying around. Disposing of them was necessary.

Within a few breaths, raging flames engulfed the bodies, the fierce blaze raising the temperature within a ten-foot radius.

The fire burned fiercely, showing no signs of dying down anytime soon.

’Looks like it’ll take a good half hour to burn them completely to ash.’

’The bodies of Leakless Realm martial artists are tough.’

Wu Chen watched the rising flames and grumbled to himself.

About fifteen minutes later, a merchant caravan approached from the distance. As they passed by, one busybody saw the roaring fire and called out with a laugh:

"Hey, young man! What are you burning there? It sure has a strong smell!"

Wu Chen glanced at the man from the caravan and replied with an amiable smile:

"A seven-foot-tall wild boar, weighing about two hundred pounds."

"Haha, you must be joking, young man. A seven-foot boar would weigh a lot more than that."

The man laughed, smacking his lips. "Seven feet long, two hundred pounds, a boar... wait, that sounds more like a person... Hiss! Er..."

The man looked as though he’d realized something. He flinched, his smile freezing on his face. All the color drained from his complexion, leaving it a deathly gray.

The entire caravan’s entourage now wore grim expressions.

Wu Chen’s smile didn’t falter. He waved a hand. "This has nothing to do with you."

"My apologies for the disturbance, Young Master."

The man looked like he wanted to slap himself twice, cursing himself for ever opening his mouth!

Seeing that the young man wasn’t holding it against him, he clasped his hands in salute again and again, then quickly urged the caravan forward. Frantically cracking his whip, he led his people away in a cloud of dust.

Of course, Wu Chen wasn’t about to pick a fight with a random passerby. His gaze returned to the burning bodies on the side of the road.

He waited until the flames died out and the bodies had been reduced to ash. Only a wisp of smoke now curled into the air, with no risk of starting a forest fire. Only then did he return to his horse and swing himself into the saddle.

"Captain Sun, is the Zhao family really that powerful?"

As they rode along at a slow pace, Wu Chen looked at the young woman beside him with some curiosity and voiced the question on his mind:

"They can plant their own people in the Demon Suppression Bureau at will, and on top of that, they can casually dispatch two Leakless Realm experts just to save face for some worthless scion. What an extravagant display of power!"

"That’s not something an ordinary faction could pull off."

"While we’re on a field investigation, you don’t need to call me Captain. Just Yuting is fine."

Sun Yuting discreetly rubbed her side as she corrected his form of address. Then, with a rather grim expression, she began to speak of the Zhao family.

"’Not small’ doesn’t even begin to cover it."

"The Great Yun nation is made up of five provinces, and the Zhao family controls Yangzhou, the province with the most fertile land."

"Their ancestors were merchants who made their fortune in Yangzhou. Over hundreds of years and more than a dozen generations, their influence has grown immensely. In addition to their countless treasures, the family is also overseen by a Grandmaster."

"The annual expenses of the Imperial Court, the salaries of the Demon Suppression Bureau’s Demon Suppression Guards, the provisions for the army’s soldiers and horses... none of it would be possible without the Zhao family’s silver coins."

"That’s why it’s no surprise they have people in the court’s Demon Suppression Bureau. They even have their people among the Black Armored Army, all the way in Qingzhou."

Wu Chen nodded in understanding. He had, of course, heard of Yangzhou and its famed wealth.

He just never imagined that the entire province was under the Zhao family’s control.

But on second thought, it made sense. These days, with the Northern Barbarians running rampant on the borders and the Blood Slaughter Sect causing chaos within, the Imperial Court hardly had the resources to deal with the Zhao family.

All they could do was watch the Zhao family grow stronger year by year, powerless to stop them.

Wu Chen looked at the young woman beside him and smiled. "You’ve got the Northern Barbarians, the Blood Slaughter Sect, and now the Demon Race has appeared."

"The Zhao family has its people planted everywhere, and in high-ranking positions, no less."

"I’m afraid they’re just biding their time. Let the Northern Barbarians stir up a bit more trouble, and before you know it, the Zhao family might just try to take over the empire!"

Having said his piece, he watched the young woman, waiting for her reaction.

SIGH...

At his words, the young woman let out a long, internal sigh. She didn’t respond, but the storm clouds gathered on her brow refused to dissipate.

A thought struck Wu Chen. Even though she hadn’t said a word, he now had a guess as to her identity.

’The Royal family!’

’If the Zhao family’s business was none of her concern, wouldn’t an outsider be thinking of how to carve out a slice of the pie in these chaotic times? Why else would she wear such a pained and bitter expression?’

’You only look that bitter when you’re the one about to be carved up.’

’Heh, so she’s a rich girl after all.’

Wu Chen griped internally. No wonder Sun Yuting could switch between the inner and outer divisions so easily, and take whatever she wanted from the inner vaults.

’Turns out, she was just taking things from her own family’s stash.’

But Wu Chen didn’t press for details. Learning her stunning identity didn’t give him any inclination to throw his lot in with her faction.

The reason was simple.

The Great Yun nation might look powerful, but in reality, it was teetering on the brink of collapse.

The Northern Barbarians had been biding their time for ages, plotting to break through the passes and sweep southward.

Within its borders, the Blood Slaughter Sect and the Demon Race roamed free, ready to wreak havoc at a moment’s notice.

And now, you had the immensely powerful Zhao family, who looked for all the world like they intended to usurp the throne and become the new masters of this land.

Furthermore, a faction like that would typically advertise having a Grandmaster as its public face.

’Which means they probably have someone even stronger than a Grandmaster hidden as their true foundation.’

’One in the light, one in the shadows. The perfect setup for plotting something big!’

And yet, after all these years, despite facing threats from both within and without, the Great Yun nation had yet to fall. Wu Chen guessed they must possess some kind of national treasure or protector that made these factions hesitate to act rashly.

Facing innumerable enemies, each with unfathomable power, Wu Chen didn’t dare to bet on any single side.

Nor did he dare make any grand pronouncements about the future of the realm.

The only thing he could do was make himself as strong as possible before the major powers made their moves.

That way, he wouldn’t be swept away by the chaotic tides of the era, forced along a path not of his own choosing.

Seeing the young woman’s downcast, silent mood, Wu Chen could only fall silent as well, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

’She’s a good person. She’s helped me out quite a bit at the Demon Suppression Bureau.’

’I’ll complete this Level A mission for the Bureau as a way to repay her, and to do right by the Bureau and the common people.’

’As for anything else... I wouldn’t dare make some grand claim about saving the world on a whim.’

’I’m really not worthy.’

’And I don’t have the strength for it.’

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