In the depths of the North City Military Camp Office, Chen Sheng stood with a steady posture, practicing the Pile Skill of the Golden Bell Body Refining Technique.

His eyes were slightly closed. The qi and blood throughout his body surged like a rushing stream, and his Inner Breath circulated endlessly. With every breath, his muscles and bones emitted a faint hum.

[Basic Saber Skill: Perfection (125/2000)]

[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Great Success (273/1000)]

[Fishing Toad Force: Minor Achievement (14/500)]

[Demon-Suppressing Triple Extremes Saber: Minor Achievement (106/500)] 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

As he reviewed the clearly displayed progress in his mind, Chen Sheng found his state of mind to be vastly different from before.

Before, his arduous training was fueled by the joy of clearly perceiving every inch of his own progress. But now, after beginning to refine that drop of Earth Core Spirit Milk, what surged within him was genuine excitement and astonishment.

In just two short days, the pure energy from the Spiritual Milk had surged through him like a bursting river, integrating into every part of his body.

He could clearly feel his qi and blood strengthening at an astonishing rate. His Inner Breath grew more robust and powerful, and his cultivation was advancing by leaps and bounds.

"The Earth Core Spirit Milk truly lives up to its reputation..."

Chen Sheng concluded his practice and stood, a sharp glint hidden in his eyes.

By his estimation, he had yet to refine even a fifth of the drop of Spiritual Milk. If he could absorb it completely, it would likely be enough to push his cultivation to the peak of the Bone Forging Realm.

And this was just an ordinary vintage of Spiritual Milk. He had heard that a specimen aged thirty years or more would not only boost one’s cultivation but also have the divine effect of Bone Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Cutting. Of course, such a heaven-and-earth treasure was far beyond his reach to covet at present.

Despite his joy at his advancing cultivation, Chen Sheng was also keenly aware of the increasingly treacherous situation in Changshan County.

The annihilation of the Seven Stars Gang was like a boulder dropped into still water, and the ripples were still expanding. The various powers were silent on the surface, but treacherous undercurrents were surging in the dark. The Gao Family, especially, would not let the matter rest.

To prevent the local powers from banding together against them, he and Wu Kuang had carefully discussed and decided on a two-pronged strategy.

The first prong was to proactively spread the "true reason" for Chen Sheng’s annihilation of the Seven Stars Gang: "avenging his father’s death." This was intended to frame the Government Office’s strike as being aimed specifically at the Gao Family and its affiliate, the Seven Stars Gang. It implied the matter stemmed from a personal vendetta, not a campaign by the government to eliminate all local powers.

While the ploy wasn’t perfect, it did manage to destabilize the already loose alliance. Many factions began to wonder: ’Since the government’s spear is pointed mainly at the Gao Family, why should we stick our necks out and clash with them head-on?’

In fact, they stood to benefit even more if the Gao Family fell.

When the Gao Family heard this, they were furious. They never expected Chen Sheng to reveal his personal motive, and they had to scramble to stress the high stakes, emphasizing the principle of mutual dependency to barely keep the alliance from collapsing on the spot.

But cracks had already formed in their trust, as many factions were more than happy to see the Gao Family take a hit.

The three great families seemed to be united, but in reality, they were competitors. After all, Changshan’s resources were finite; if one took a bigger piece of the pie, the others had to settle for less.

Unless faced with a true crisis, even the local powers were prone to endless infighting.

The second prong was to divide and conquer. Wu Kuang took the initiative to make overtures to the County Magistrate, Lin Shou. After all, Lin Shou was the highest authority in the county and was rumored to have connections in the Prefecture City. His cooperation with the local magnates was a matter of mutual use; he was by no means willing to be their puppet.

Faced with Wu Kuang’s olive branch, Lin Shou weighed the pros and cons and chose to accept. However, he threw back a "sugar-coated cannonball" of his own: a marriage alliance.

A marriage alliance was undoubtedly one of the most direct and effective ways to declare a stance and build a coalition.

Wu Kuang himself was already married and had no interest in taking a concubine, so the young and promising Chen Sheng, as Wu Kuang’s trusted subordinate, became the most suitable candidate.

A North City Commander who was already a Standard Ninth Grade official at such a young age was, without a doubt, a marriage candidate with immense potential.

Without much hesitation, Lin Shou designated the Yang Family, one of the three great families, for the alliance.

The reason was simple: Lin Shou’s wife was the legitimate daughter of the Yang Family, making them relatives by marriage and their ties that much closer. At the same time, the Yang Family was known for being the most low-key of the three great families, which he could use to exert his influence.

Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang had a tacit understanding about this.

The marriage alliance was merely a matter of expediency, nothing more than a title. The marriage process for great families was complicated and drawn-out, which was perfect for stalling for time.

Their objective was clear: first, focus all their energy on dealing with the Gao Family. Once the Gao Family fell, whether or not to fulfill the marriage contract would be a decision where they, not the other party, held the upper hand.

Today was the day they had agreed upon for the initial meeting with the women of the Yang Family.

However, Chen Sheng’s mind wasn’t entirely on this politically charged meeting.

Because earlier that morning, the [Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil] Celestial Book in his mind had once again revealed a passage, delivering a heart-stopping warning:

"My name is Chen Sheng. By the time you read these words, I am filled with regret. Because I annihilated the Seven Stars Gang, the Gao Family finally deduced my identity after our meeting and resolved to kill me. They are still hesitant to move against Wu Kuang, so they have locked their target onto me. The three great families conspired together. This time, they’re not resorting to schemes but aiming for a quick kill to intimidate Wu Kuang.

On the evening of the sixteenth day of the tenth month, I was training in the Government Office as usual. Unexpectedly, someone took advantage of a shift change at the Military Camp when the defenses were weak to sneak in for an assassination! The assailant was a Martial Master of the Marrow Transformation Realm who also cultivated a terrifying Poison Skill. Though I fought desperately until reinforcements arrived, I was still wounded by his poison gas... In the end, the deadly poison eroded my body and damaged part of my Martial Dao foundation. Every time I think of it, I am filled with endless regret. If only I had known..."

The cold words seemed to carry with them lingering blood and hatred.

Chen Sheng expressionlessly withdrew from his thoughts, but a chilling glint now shone in the depths of his eyes.

’Truly vicious methods...’

He sneered internally. ’So the three great families aren’t like the fools in stories who send wave after wave of minions to ’grant experience.’ They go for the killing blow right from the start.’

To deal with a single practitioner in the Bone Forging Realm, they were dispatching a Martial Master of the Marrow Transformation Realm—and a specialist in Poison Skills who aimed for a one-hit kill, at that. This was clearly meant to leave him no chance of survival, and also to use such a ruthless display of force to intimidate Wu Kuang.

Unfortunately for them, they had overlooked one thing.

Chen Sheng clenched his fist, feeling the qi and blood, stirred by the Spiritual Milk, surging restlessly within him. Now that he knew of the plot in advance, there was no way he would fall for their trap.

This time, not only would he ensure their plot ended in failure, but perhaps... he could even use this opportunity to turn the tables and sow further discord within the already distrustful three-family alliance.

At this thought, Chen Sheng suppressed the surging killing intent within him and straightened his slightly wrinkled robes. His expression returning to calm, he strode out of the Government Office and boarded the waiting carriage.

The carriage wheels began to turn, heading slowly in the direction of the Lin Mansion.

This meeting was not taking place at the Yang Family residence, nor on his own territory, but at the mansion of County Magistrate Lin Shou, with the magistrate’s wife presiding to move the marriage alliance forward.

————