Chapter 221: Chapter 132: Don’t Provoke the Evil God
’I managed to eliminate my pursuer without revealing my true strength. This should be enough to deter my enemies. At the very least, any future trackers won’t dare to be so blatant.’
’As for whether the Zhou Family or the Wang Family would send someone stronger, that wasn’t something Chen Cheng needed to worry about for now.’
’The power I displayed was only slightly stronger than a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm, roughly equivalent to a Small Success in Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist. Surely they wouldn’t go so far as to send a Bone Forger Realm Martial Artist to deal with me personally, would they?’
’The Zhou Family only had one Bone Forger Realm Martial Artist. And while the Wang Family had many experts, they wouldn’t dispatch a Bone Forger lightly either.’
’Once it reached the point of deploying Bone Forger Realm Martial Artists, the Wang and Shen Families would have to tear away all pretense and declare open war.’
’They were all part of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City. If the Wang Family sent a Bone Forger to assassinate a talented young prodigy nurtured by the Shen Family, wouldn’t the Shen Family do the same to one of the Wang Family’s own?’
’This was simply an unwritten rule of the conflict between the Four Great Clans.’
’Besides, even in the worst-case scenario, with my strength being equivalent to a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm and having cultivated two types of Momentum, I could still escape even if I couldn’t defeat a Small Success in Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist.’
’But that was just the worst-case scenario. I still needed to be cautious and cultivate the Great Power Realm as soon as possible. Only then would I have no fear of Bone Forger Realm Martial Artists.’
’After all, in Linji City, even among Bone Forger Realm Martial Artists, those who had cultivated a higher Realm were as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin’s horn—exceedingly few and far between.’
...
By the time the carriage arrived at Red Leaf Lane in the Inner City, the sky had already grown completely dark.
Yan Jian’s residence in the Inner City was a grand, three-courtyard estate. The entrance was covered in "double happiness" characters, and large red lanterns hung everywhere, creating a very festive atmosphere.
It added a touch of warmth to the cold winter night.
Chen Cheng was one of the last guests to arrive. The main ceremonies, like the ceremonial bows, were already over, and even the bride and groom were no longer at the entrance to greet people.
After giving a wedding gift of five taels of silver at the entrance, a servant led Chen Cheng into the courtyard.
The front courtyard was filled with banquet tables, where many women and children were already busy eating.
Given Chen Cheng’s status, he was not seated there but was led directly to the central courtyard.
"Chief Chen, what took you so long? Hurry and come with me, the young miss is waiting."
Su Zhiqing had been waiting in a passageway of the central courtyard. Seeing Chen Cheng, she wasted no time in leading him toward a side room.
Inside the side room, three banquet tables were set, occupied mostly by young people.
At one table sat several people Chen Cheng knew: Shen Qingshuang; Shen Junmo, who was dressed as a young master in a white long-robe; and the dandy, Shen Qingpeng.
There were also three other young women. Two of them were sixteen or seventeen, with lovely faces, and dressed like young ladies from the great clans of the Inner City.
Next to Shen Qingshuang sat a woman in her early twenties wearing the purple uniform of the Demon Suppression Department. She had a valiant and heroic air about her. The seat beside this woman was empty, clearly reserved for Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng rarely interacted with the scions of the great clans, and to be at a table full of young women on top of that made him feel rather out of place.
"The roads were slippery and the carriage was slow. My apologies for being late and keeping you all waiting." Seeing everyone turn to look at him in unison, Chen Cheng cupped his hands and smiled.
Shen Qingshuang nodded, showing no sign of blame. She gestured to the empty seat and said, "It’s fine. Please, have a seat, Junior Brother Chen."
"Yes," Chen Cheng replied, then sat down without any fuss.
Once Chen Cheng was seated, Shen Junmo smiled, cupped his hands, and said, "Chief Chen, it’s good to see you’ve been well."
"Brother Junmo, a pleasure." Seeing that everyone’s expressions were normal, Chen Cheng decided to play dumb as well and returned the courtesy.
The atmosphere at the table was strange, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Shen Qingpeng quickly broke the silence with an enthusiastic introduction. "Chief Chen, let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Shen Qingxuan. Don’t be fooled by her youth; she’s incredibly strong. She’s already a Purple-clothed Guard in the Demon Suppression Department, a high-ranking official of the Eighth Grade. That’s one rank higher than you as a Chief Constable."
Chen Cheng hurriedly cupped his hands in salute. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Qingxuan."
Shen Qingxuan was the woman in the purple uniform. Her demeanor was quite arrogant; she merely nodded at Chen Cheng without a word.
In his experience, most people from the Demon Suppression Department acted this way, so Chen Cheng was used to it and paid it no mind.
Shen Qingpeng went on to introduce the other two women: seventeen-year-old Shen Qinghui and eighteen-year-old Shen Qinghan. They were also his cousins.
These two had also been Cultivating Martial Dao at the Shen Family Martial Arts Hall since childhood, but their strength was lower. Shen Qinghui was only at the Great Success in Skin Grinding Realm, while Shen Qinghan had reached Skin Grinding Realm Perfection.
Shen Qinghui and Shen Qinghan, however, were quite enthusiastic toward Chen Cheng. When they learned he was not yet nineteen and already possessed strength comparable to a Small Success in Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist, their faces showed open admiration, and they began asking him questions about Martial Arts Cultivation.
Chen Cheng answered their questions politely but casually.
After the introductions were complete, Chen Cheng didn’t bother starting any conversations. He simply focused on eating and drinking, only offering a casual reply when someone asked him a question.
’He’d come for a feast, after all. He couldn’t let his five-tael silver gift go to waste.’
Perhaps Yan Jian was just being extravagant, or perhaps this table was special, but the food and wine were exceptionally sumptuous. In front of Chen Cheng, in particular, was a large platter of Demon Beast Meat.
Chen Cheng had been spending a fortune lately on Demon Beast Meat to nourish his body, so he certainly wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.
Gradually, everyone else at the table stopped eating and simply stared at Chen Cheng.
Suddenly, the food didn’t taste quite as good anymore.
’Eating with strangers really is awkward!’
"Young Master Chen, why have you stopped? Don’t be polite. We all have small appetites, so please, just focus on eating.
Last time, you ate over ten pounds of Demon Beast Meat all by yourself, so most of this was prepared for you. Don’t let it go to waste."
Shen Qingpeng said with extreme enthusiasm as he moved the platters of Demon Beast Meat on the table closer to Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng finally understood why there was so much Demon Beast Meat at their table. ’So it was this guy, Shen Qingpeng, who spread my reputation for having a huge appetite.’
"Please, everyone eat. It’s no fun eating by myself," Chen Cheng could only say honestly.
His words made Shen Qinghui and Shen Qinghan burst out laughing.
They had heard rumors about Chen Cheng before and had always imagined this "ruthless Chief Constable" to be a fierce, cruel, and powerfully built man with formidable Martial Arts Power.
But seeing him in person, they realized this Chief Chen was actually handsome and quite witty. Where was the slightest trace of the ruthless chief from the legends who would supposedly lop off heads at a moment’s notice?
Shen Qingpeng quickly chimed in, "Right, right! Everyone, eat up!"
As the others resumed eating and drinking, Chen Cheng no longer felt awkward and continued with his meal.
Over the course of the meal, Chen Cheng devoured about ten pounds of Demon Beast Meat, his expression remaining perfectly calm and unchanged, leaving everyone at the table staring in stunned silence.
Even people from the two adjacent tables kept glancing over, their faces filled with curiosity.
"It’s a waste for Young Master Chen to be a Chief Constable in the City Guard Department," Shen Qingxuan, who had been silent until now, finally said.
Chen Cheng asked, surprised, "What do you mean, Miss Qingxuan?"
Shen Qingxuan said, "Since Young Master Chen likes Demon Beast Meat so much, a position in the Demon Suppression Department would suit you better. You’d be hunting Demon Beasts often, so you could eat as much as you want—and it would be fresh."
Chen Cheng’s Qi Blood Power was indeed in constant need of replenishment. He was immediately tempted, and said, "I imagine fresh Demon Beast Meat is even more delicious."
Shen Qingxuan suddenly studied Chen Cheng carefully and said in a serious tone, "Does this mean you’re interested in joining the Demon Suppression Department, Young Master Chen?
If so, you could join me on hunts outside the city. There would be plenty of Demon Beast Meat, and you could also earn Merit from the Demon Suppression Department to exchange for Martial Arts Resources. It would kill two birds with one stone.
After all, since you were nurtured by the Shen Family, it’s about time you contributed something to the family."
Without waiting for Chen Cheng to reply, Shen Qingxuan turned to Shen Qingshuang. "I’ll leave the matter of Young Master Chen joining the Demon Suppression Department in your hands, Cousin Qingshuang."
Shen Qingshuang fell into thought, then glanced at Shen Qingyao, who was disguised as Shen Junmo. The latter also adopted a pensive expression.
Reading their expressions, Chen Cheng suddenly had a bad feeling. ’Don’t tell me I’ve been sold out in the span of a few sentences?’
Finally, Shen Qingyao spread her hands at Shen Qingshuang, giving her a look that said, ’It’s your call.’
"Junior Brother Chen, come with me for a moment." Understanding the gesture, Shen Qingshuang called out to him and rose to walk out the door.
Chen Cheng followed her to a quiet, secluded corner of the courtyard.
"Junior Brother Chen, what do you think of my cousin, Qingxuan?" Shen Qingshuang asked, looking Chen Cheng straight in the eye with utmost seriousness.
