Chapter 273: What Happened Back Then
After hanging up, Cheng Yuan asked gently, "Ruoxi, the car is undrivable. Shall we get a cab home?"
"Okay."
Cheng Yuan and Lin Ruoxi took the elevator to the ground floor, walked out the hotel’s main entrance, and hailed a cab home.
Perhaps from the shock, Lin Ruoxi slept restlessly, waking up several times during the night.
Each time she woke, Cheng Yuan would hold her gently and pat her back to comfort her.
Like a frightened kitten, Lin Ruoxi snuggled into Cheng Yuan’s arms, nuzzling against him.
Cheng Yuan desperately wanted to devour his wife, but her "time of the month" hadn’t passed, so he had no choice but to hold back.
* * *
「The Yingtian He Family.」
The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
All the leaders of the He Family were gathered, their grief-stricken eyes fixed on He Tianci’s body lying motionless on the floor.
Several of the He Family’s guards knelt on the floor, trembling uncontrollably. ’We failed to protect the Young Master. We deserve death by a thousand cuts!’
A noblewoman in a lavish, traditional gown had cried her eyes swollen and red.
"My son! Oh, my son! You were only twenty-six! How could you have died so horribly?"
He Zhiqiang knelt on the floor, examining He Tianci’s condition, his expression incredibly grim.
"Tianci’s death was horrific. His internal organs were all pulverized. The killer was utterly ruthless! They didn’t leave him even a sliver of a chance."
The noblewoman was He Tianci’s mother, He Hailian. She suddenly lunged at the guards and began to beat them furiously.
"Who was it? Who killed my son?"
"To answer you, my lady, it was a man from Luocheng named Cheng Yuan."
"What’s this Cheng Yuan’s background? What kind of grudge did he have against Tianci?"
"We don’t know, my lady."
He Hailian shrieked madly, "Investigate! Investigate him for me right now! Dig up eighteen generations of Cheng Yuan’s family history! I want his entire clan to pay for Tianci’s life with their own!"
Everyone was deeply pained by He Tianci’s death.
He Tianci had been the crucial link between the He Family and the Xuanyuan War God.
It was solely because of He Tianci that the Xuanyuan War God had favored the He Family, allowing them to skyrocket from a second-rate family to a super Martial Dao Clan in just twenty short years, becoming a titan of West Mountain Province!
Now that He Tianci was dead, would the Xuanyuan War God continue to support the He Family?
A dark cloud of uncertainty instantly hung over everyone in the He Family.
Just as a heavy gloom settled over the room, a commanding voice echoed from outside the main hall.
"Hailian."
WHOOSH!
Everyone’s head whipped toward the entrance to see a man as powerful and imposing as a lion.
The man was clad in battle armor, his hand resting on the hilt of his Treasure Sword. He strode into the hall with a dark expression, his gaze falling on He Tianci’s body with immense sorrow.
Everyone from the He Family fell silent, too frightened to even breathe. This man clearly exerted an immense pressure on them.
Only He Hailian remained unaffected. She strode towards the man, raised her hand high, and viciously slapped him across the face, again and again!
The Guard Team behind the man immediately lowered their heads, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.
The man didn’t flinch, letting He Hailian unleash her fury.
When He Hailian’s arms finally fell, exhausted, the man pulled her into his embrace and said in a choked voice, "Hailian, I’ve wronged you. I failed to protect Tianci."
He Hailian pounded on the Xuanyuan War God’s chest with her fists, sobbing hysterically. "What’s the point of being a damn War God if you can’t even protect our son?! I want you to avenge him! I’m ordering you! You must tear Cheng Yuan limb from limb!"
The Xuanyuan War God’s gaze turned chillingly cold. "Hailian, don’t worry. No matter who this Cheng Yuan is, or who’s behind him, I will kill him!"
* * *
Cheng Yuan had no idea he was now on the Xuanyuan War God’s kill list. Not that he would have cared even if he did.
After a wonderful night’s sleep holding his wife, Cheng Yuan felt completely refreshed.
"Honey, are you sure everything from last night is fine?"
"It’s really fine. The scene has been cleared, and it’s been officially ruled as self-defense."
"That’s good. Do you want to come to work with me today?"
Cheng Yuan shook his head. "I want to visit the old director at the welfare institute. Let’s do it tomorrow. If I’m free, I’ll go to work with you then."
"Honey, I wanted to talk to you about something. The Yuanxi Auction House is on the right track, so I’m thinking of hiring a professional manager or just letting Mom and Dad run it. I’d like to go back to the Provincial City and take full control of Bauhinia Pharmaceutical, the company you gave me."
Cheng Yuan thought for a moment. "Alright. We can go tomorrow. I’ll accompany you to the Provincial City. We’ll find a place to live and get you a car first."
"Okay, thank you, honey."
Lin Ruoxi pecked Cheng Yuan on the cheek and then fluttered into the bathroom like a happy little bird.
’Lin Ruoxi was frustrated. Why hasn’t my period ended yet?’
’She couldn’t wait to become a true husband and wife with Cheng Yuan.’
After Lin Ruoxi left, Cheng Yuan took a cab back to Villa #1 in the Long Lake District.
Shen Youchu was still in the middle of her Cultivation, so Cheng Yuan didn’t disturb her. He slipped into the Alchemy Room and refined two cauldrons of Pills.
Cheng Yuan had been practicing Alchemy diligently lately, and the medicinal herbs he had scrounged up were nearly gone. He was truly starting to understand what an expensive profession being an Alchemist was.
Of course, the rewards were enormous as well!
If Cheng Yuan were willing to sell his Elixirs, the dozens of Qi Enhancement Pills and over ten Bursting Pills he had would be worth tens, or even hundreds, of billions.
When Cheng Yuan emerged from the Alchemy Room, Shen Youchu had already completed her Cultivation and was waiting for him by the door.
Cheng Yuan ruffled Shen Youchu’s hair and asked, "Youchu, how much of the Qi Enhancement Pill’s Medicinal Power have you absorbed? About twenty percent?"
"I absorbed all of it last night! Big Brother, do you have any more Qi Enhancement Pills?"
Shen Youchu held out her small, fair hand to Cheng Yuan.
Cheng Yuan nearly choked.
’Heavens, what kind of aptitude does Youchu possess?’
’This is terrifying, isn’t it?’
’Even my senior brothers couldn’t absorb all the Medicinal Power from a single Three Patterns Qi Enhancement Pill in one night! And Youchu took *two* Qi Enhancement Pills yesterday...’
Cheng Yuan placed his hand on Shen Youchu’s wrist to check her pulse, and was left speechless.
After a single night of Cultivation, Shen Youchu had broken through to the realm of Grandmaster!
In terms of realm alone, Shen Youchu had already surpassed him!
Of course, thanks to the superiority of his Cultivation Technique, Cheng Yuan could still overpower her for now.
But if she continued at this pace, once Shen Youchu reached the level of a Martial King or even a Martial Emperor, he wouldn’t be able to suppress her anymore!
"Youchu, your realm is advancing too quickly, and your foundation is unstable. Here are two Essence Pills. For the next week, your top priority is to stabilize your current realm."
"Okay, Big Brother."
"Come on, let’s go to the Hope Welfare Institute and see the director."
"Okay."
Cheng Yuan and Shen Youchu hailed a cab and headed straight for the Hope Welfare Institute.
The security guard at the Hope Welfare Institute recognized Cheng Yuan and waved them through without hesitation. Cheng Yuan made a beeline for the director’s office.
After a period of rest, the old director’s complexion had improved considerably. Her face broke into a wide smile when she saw Cheng Yuan and Shen Youchu.
"Xiaoyuan, Youchu, you’re here!"
Cheng Yuan said gently, "Director, Youchu and I now both have the strength to defeat a Martial King. Can you tell us what happened all those years ago now?"