Chapter 106: Uncle and Aunt
Cheng Yuan grinned. "In that case, I’ll be so bold as to accept Zhu Yuncang as my grand-nephew!"
"You!!"
Zhu Yuncang’s face was ashen with rage.
Cheng Yuan paid no mind to whether Zhu Yuncang was happy or angry. He stepped up to him and placed a hand on his wrist. A relaxed expression then appeared on his face.
’Fortunately, those so-called Divine Doctors didn’t try any reckless treatments. Otherwise, restoring Zhu Yuncang’s Dantian would have been a bit more troublesome.’
Cheng Yuan silently circulated the Celestial Witch Heart Method, gathering his Celestial Witch True Essence. He then raised his hand and struck Zhu Yuncang’s Dantian!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A surging torrent of Celestial Witch True Essence flooded into Zhu Yuncang’s body, and he shivered involuntarily.
’This energy inside me is so cold! And... a little evil and terrifying!’
The onlookers instantly grew tense, but Zhu Song’s eyes lit up!
’There’s a reaction!’
’My son’s Dantian is reacting!’
Drawn by the Celestial Witch True Essence, the fragments of the shattered Dantian gradually coalesced. The essence then acted as a bond, sealing them tightly together without the slightest gap.
When Zhu Yuncang had come looking for trouble, Cheng Yuan had already sensed that something was amiss.
He didn’t even know Zhu Yuncang, so for Zhu Yuncang to suddenly show up looking for a fight, it was obvious he’d been put up to it.
Cheng Yuan wasn’t one to make enemies for no reason. So, when he crippled Zhu Yuncang, he had left a contingency in place, infusing a trace of his Celestial Witch True Essence into the shattered Dantian.
If he ever found himself in a desperate situation, he could use that contingency to heal Zhu Yuncang’s Dantian and smoothly resolve the crisis.
Wasn’t Cheng Yuan afraid that Zhu Song would betray him once the deed was done? That Zhu Song would cripple him after he had healed Zhu Yuncang?
Of course not!
Because Zhu Yuncang’s newly formed Dantian was infused with Celestial Witch True Essence. With just a single thought, Cheng Yuan could trigger it, causing the Dantian to shatter once more and turn him back into a cripple!
Zhu Song would never do something so self-destructive.
A quarter of an hour later, all the fragments of the shattered Dantian had bonded together, forming a brand-new Dantian!
Because it had been rebuilt from ruin, and because of the addition of the Celestial Witch True Essence, Zhu Yuncang’s Dantian had expanded by a full thirty percent. It could be considered a blessing in disguise.
Cheng Yuan slowly withdrew his power and said amiably, "Alright, my grand-nephew’s Dantian has been restored!"
SWOOSH!
Everyone’s gaze fell on Zhu Yuncang. "Yuncang, is your Dantian restored? Try circulating your Cultivation Technique!"
Zhu Yuncang subconsciously circulated his Cultivation Technique, and his eyes widened in utter shock. Not only had his Dantian been restored, but it had also expanded by more than thirty percent, doubling his Cultivation efficiency!
Zhu Yuncang exclaimed, "My Dantian is really restored! I can cultivate again!"
For a moment, everyone from the Zhu Family looked at Cheng Yuan with complicated expressions. Why did such an outstanding young man have to be the Hu Family’s son-in-law?
’How great would it be if he were the Zhu Family’s son-in-law?’
’Sigh, the girls of the Zhu Family are just too disappointing!’
Hu Shishi finally let out a breath she had been holding. Her beautiful eyes sparkled. ’Cheng Yuan truly is worthy of being the man my father and grandfather chose, the man *I* chose. He’s simply incredible!’
’To turn such a hopeless situation around!’
’It’s clear Cheng Yuan had prepared this contingency long ago!’
Zhu Song placed his hand on Zhu Yuncang’s wrist. As an Innate Grandmaster, his insight surpassed his son’s by countless levels, and he instantly understood Zhu Yuncang’s condition.
’Logically, my son’s aptitude has improved dramatically, giving him a chance to become a Grandmaster in the future. This should be a joyous occasion.’
And yet, Zhu Song couldn’t feel happy at all.
’Because my son’s life is now held firmly in Cheng Yuan’s hands. From now on, my branch of the family must be tied to him!’
’From this day forward, I absolutely cannot let anything happen to Cheng Yuan. Otherwise, I can’t be sure if my son’s Dantian won’t just suddenly collapse.’
Zhu Song gave Cheng Yuan a deep look, then smacked the back of Zhu Yuncang’s head. "You silly kid, hurry up and thank your Uncle Cheng!"
PFFT...
Hu Shishi couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Zhu Yuncang, since you’re Cheng Yuan’s grand-nephew, you have to call me ’Auntie,’ too."
"I..."
Zhu Yuncang was about to go insane. ’How can I possibly say that out loud?’
’Once I call them ’Uncle’ and ’Auntie,’ how will I ever show my face again?’
Seeing his son hesitate, Zhu Song raised his hand and rapped him on the head. "Zhu Yuncang, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and call them Uncle and Auntie! Believe it or not, I’ll beat you ’til you’re looking for your teeth on the floor!"
"Un-Uncle... Auntie..."
Zhu Yuncang’s voice was barely a whisper. He hung his head like an ostrich, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
Pfft.
Hu Shishi couldn’t help but laugh again. "There, there, good grand-nephew! From now on, your Auntie will have your back."
The other members of the Hu Family were both annoyed and amused, but there was nothing they could do. After all, this was Fifth Master, the one who called the shots for the Zhu Family.
Cheng Yuan, however, didn’t actually accept the title. He smiled and said, "I was just joking, Fifth Master, please don’t take it seriously. Yuncang, if you respect me, just call me Brother Cheng."
Zhu Yuncang let out a long sigh of relief and quickly shouted, "Brother Cheng! From this day on, you’re my real brother!!"
Cheng Yuan smiled faintly. "Yuncang, now you can tell me, right? Who was it that put you up to this?"
Zhu Yuncang sold out Wang Shun without a moment’s hesitation. "It was Wang Shun! He said Brother Cheng stole Gu Chen’s fiancée and was also trying to steal Shen Manwen. He also said that Brother Cheng claimed everyone in the Provincial City’s younger generation was trash. I was definitely manipulated! Brother Cheng is Sister Shishi’s man, how could he possibly try to steal Manwen?"
Cheng Yuan’s eyes flickered. ’It wasn’t me trying to steal Manwen,’ he thought, ’it was Manwen trying to steal *me*!’
Cheng Yuan asked with a confused expression, "Who is Wang Shun? The one who came with you to cause trouble? I’ve never even met him. Why does he harbor such animosity toward me? Why would he scheme to frame me?"
Zhu Yuncang’s expression turned ugly. "At the time, I saw Manwen was really with Brother Cheng, and I just saw red. But thinking about it now, the mastermind must be Gu Chen. Wang Shun is one of Gu Chen’s most loyal lackeys!"
Gu Chen??
Him again?
Cheng Yuan’s expression was grim. "Yuncang, Gu Chen sowed discord and almost got you crippled! And I was nearly killed by Fifth Master! We absolutely cannot let him get away with this!"
"Brother Cheng is right! We have to cripple that bastard!!"
Cheng Yuan turned to Zhu Song. "Fifth Master, the Gu Family has several Divine Realm Grandmasters. If we go looking for trouble with Gu Chen, I’m worried that..."
Zhu Song snorted coldly. "I will personally pay the Gu Family a visit! I’d like to ask them just how they educate their juniors!"
Cheng Yuan grinned. "Thank you, Fifth Master."
Zhu Song waved his hand. "Xiaoyuan, if you think highly of me, call me Fifth Uncle. ’Fifth Master’ is too formal."
’Zhu Song was a powerful patron. Of course, Cheng Yuan wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by. At least until he became a Grandmaster himself, he would hold on tight to this powerful backer!’
"Fifth Uncle!"
Zhu Song laughed heartily. "Good! Good! Xiaoyuan is very good!"
Seizing the opportunity, Cheng Yuan smiled. "Fifth Uncle, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if it’s my place. I don’t know the history between the Hu and Zhu Families, but I know that the head of the Hu Family is a man of iron integrity, and Fifth Uncle is a true man who understands the bigger picture. If you two could bury the hatchet, the combined power of the Hu and Zhu families would be formidable!"