Chapter 505: Chapter 420: Return (2)

He didn’t dare to bet on whether his opponent had any unknown tricks up their sleeve, or if there was some connection to the Celestial Sword Sect.

Bi He took nine people to the South City Villa.

Chen Li was just about to rest when a steward hurried over, bowing in the corridor to report, "Patriarch, of the two being held in the cellar... the woman has awoken. I’ve come to ask for your instructions on how to handle her."

He knew, of course, who the steward was talking about.

Silk Lady and Dust-Cleaning Slave.

That day, he had severely wounded and captured them, ordering eight men to watch over them in shifts, day and night, just to keep them alive.

Both were Grandmaster Guiyuans. Their Inner Mansion Little Worlds were already self-sustaining, brimming with vitality, and their regenerative abilities were astounding.

Even though he had sealed their Primordial Spirits, meridians, and Acupoints with a Heavy Hand Technique, their physical bodies were still slowly healing themselves day by day.

Dust-Cleaning Slave was the most grievously injured. His body had been beaten to a pulp, and he was clinging to his last breath, kept alive only by servants force-feeding him Ginseng Soup and Rice Porridge three times a day.

Silk Lady’s injuries were lighter, so she was the first to wake.

"Let’s go." Chen Li started toward the cellar.

As soon as he reached the cellar entrance, he heard a woman’s high-pitched, nitpicking voice from within.

"I’ve told you before, for this Wenshi Tofu, you must remove the raw bean taste before shredding it. You haven’t even gotten rid of the smell properly, and the broth is bland. How is anyone supposed to eat this?!"

This was followed by the crisp sound of porcelain clinking gently and a faint apology.

Chen Li’s steps faltered slightly, his expression darkening.

He turned his head, his gaze as cold as ice, and looked at the steward following at his heels.

The steward’s name was Zhou Quan, an old hand from the Zhou Family.

After Zhou Shuwei married into the Chen Family, Chen Li hadn’t made any major changes to the management of the Liyang estate, leaving it in the hands of the old staff led by Zhou Quan.

From his interactions with him, the man seemed reliable and knew his place.

’How could he be so outrageous in such a crucial matter?’

Struck by Chen Li’s gaze, beads of cold sweat instantly broke out on Zhou Quan’s forehead, and the back of his robe grew damp.

With a pained expression, he lowered his voice and explained, "Patriarch, please calm your anger. It’s not that I was being audacious, but... after the woman woke up, she threatened to take her own life. She said if she wasn’t made comfortable, she would immediately end her own life. I thought that if she were to die just like that, it might hinder your important affairs... so I boldly acquiesced to her demands. Please punish me, Patriarch."

Chen Li said no more and strode down into the cellar.

The cellar had been tidied up spotlessly. They had even lit some elegant incense to dispel the musty smell.

Against the wall was a bed covered with a brocade mattress, a mahogany table, and two Grandmaster’s Chairs. A tea set and several plates of pastries and fruit were also on the table.

There were even two lush, green potted plants in the corner.

And there sat Silk Lady on one of the Grandmaster’s Chairs, a look of disdain on her face.

The tattered palace gown she had worn was long gone, replaced by a bright yellow, embroidered skirt and blouse.

Her face was lightly powdered, her lips painted vermilion, and her hair was impeccably combed, with a Jian Yuzan hairpin inserted at an angle.

Aside from the shackles on her hands and feet and her slightly pale complexion, she looked nothing like a prisoner. Instead, she resembled a noble lady resting at her private villa, fussing over her afternoon tea.

A maidservant stood trembling to the side, holding a small celadon bowl filled with tender white tofu.

Hearing footsteps, Silk Lady casually glanced up.

When she saw clearly who had arrived, her eyes, originally filled with pickiness and impatience, suddenly lit up.

"So the man in charge finally shows up? I thought you were going to lock me in this sunless place until I died."

Silk Lady’s voice was delicate, but every word was barbed.

Chen Li waved a hand, his voice cold. "All of you, leave."

"Yes, Patriarch."

The two bowed and retreated from the cellar.

Silk Lady demanded impatiently, "When are you going to let me out? This place is so stuffy and damp, it’s making my whole body uncomfortable."

Chen Li acted as if he hadn’t heard her, walked over to the bed with the brocade mattress, and sat down without ceremony.

"Hey!"

Seeing this, Silk Lady’s brow furrowed at once. Her voice rose a few notches, thick with displeasure. "I’m talking to you! How can you be so rude? You come in and just sit on a lady’s bed. If you sit there, how am I supposed to sleep!"

Chen Li still paid her no mind. His gaze swept over to the corner of the tidied cellar where Dust-Cleaning Slave still lay like a corpse, and he asked directly, "Who is the Sect Leader of the Xiang Sect?"

Silk Lady faltered for a moment, then pursed her lips, her chin lifting slightly. "You ask, and I’m just supposed to tell you? Why should I?"

Chen Li looked at her impervious and rather spoiled demeanor, momentarily at a loss for words.

’It’s hard to understand,’ he thought, ’how someone with a temperament like this managed to cultivate to the Guiyuan Realm.’

The only reason he’d kept her alive was to interrogate her and her partner for secrets about the Xiang Sect’s upper echelons.

’The Xiang Sect’s organizational structure has always struck me as very strange, even contradictory. On one hand, it seems loose. Even Jiang Nanyue, whom I now control, has extremely limited knowledge of the sect’s upper echelons. All Jiang Nanyue knew about were the Twelve Celestial Fragrances: Master Chang Xiang, Linglong Courtesan, Miao Yinniang, Hundred-Change Immortal, Pan Xianggu, Silk Lady, Dust-Cleaning Slave, Du’e Po, Passing Wind, Lookout, Hidden Lamp Guest, and Buried Bone Fragrance. Beyond that, she knew nothing. The Twelve Celestial Fragrances each managed their own affairs, such as brothels, gambling dens, intelligence, assassinations, and so on. They were relatively independent of one another, each having their own direct envoys for communication. They didn’t command each other and operated autonomously. But on the other hand, it seems strict. When Jiang Nanyue took over the sect’s affairs in Jiangzhou, the one overseeing all sect business, Master Ci Xiang, merely sent an envoy to casually announce the appointment, as if the entire Jiangzhou operation was insignificant to the sect. Qin Yirong once mentioned that the highest level of the Xiang Sect was the Incense Master. But as for the relationship between this Incense Master and Master Ci Xiang, I have no clue. I instinctively feel, however, that it couldn’t be that simple. Having comprehended the Righteous Wealth Law, I naturally understand the nature of cultivation techniques like the Celestial Fragrance Scripture. It’s extremely similar to my own Righteous Wealth Cultivation Method and the Seven Kills Heart Method. Its Law Creator could use the spread of the technique to continuously draw power from countless practitioners, strengthening their own Law. The Xiang Sect’s enterprises are spread throughout the world. In Jiangzhou alone, there are no fewer than ten thousand people practicing the Celestial Fragrance Scripture. Across The Nineteen States of the World, the total number of cultivators probably reaches the hundreds of thousands. With such a vast supply, even if the Law Creator were a pig, they would have been piled all the way up to the Dharma Realm by now. Besides, how could the person who created such a cultivation technique be a mediocre individual?’

"In that case... it seems there’s no use in keeping you around."

Chen Li said coldly, "Then please, enjoy your fine dining on the Path to the Underworld."

His right hand formed a sword-finger, a wisp of Primordial Qi pulsing at his fingertip as he aimed for the spot between Silk Lady’s brows.

’Her Cultivation is not far from mine. Using A Dream of Millet Porridge to forcibly search her soul would be risky, and it might not even unearth the core secrets. Since she refuses to cooperate, keeping her alive is a liability. It’s cleaner to just kill her.’

"Wait!"

Silk Lady’s expression changed drastically. She recoiled, the proud look on her face vanishing completely, replaced by shock, anger, and a hint of panic.

"Do you men have any patience at all?!"

Her voice rose, thick with dissatisfaction. "If I don’t talk, can’t you try persuading me nicely? Offer me some benefits? You just jump straight to killing. Don’t you know how to cherish a fair lady at all?!"

Chen Li’s finger paused in mid-air. "I’ll ask one last time. Who is the Sect Leader of your Xiang Sect? Don’t answer, and you die immediately."

Feeling the genuine, chilling killing intent, Silk Lady’s bravado instantly deflated.

She mumbled reluctantly, "Only Master Chang Xiang knows the Sect Leader’s identity. The rest of us don’t."

Chen Li’s brow furrowed slightly as he pressed, "Male or female?"

"I already said I don’t know! Are you deaf?" Silk Lady retorted irritably.

Chen Li’s gaze grew even colder. "You’re one of the Twelve Celestial Fragrances, a core member of the sect’s upper echelon, yet you’ve never even seen the Sect Leader? Do you take me for a fool?"

"Why would I lie to you?!"

Silk Lady grew agitated, her voice tinged with vexation. "The Sect Leader rarely summons us. In all these years, we’ve only been summoned twice at the Kyoto Imperial School. Each time, they didn’t show their true face, wearing a Human Skin Mask made by Buddha’s Heart Ghost Hand and using Faceless Guest’s thousand-faced illusions. We couldn’t possibly tell who they were."

’The Imperial School?’ Chen Li’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why does the Xiang Sect want a hundred thousand bolts of silk?"

Chen Li changed the subject.

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