168: Chapter 168 The Wang Family

Zhou Xiao said nothing more, only giving Chen Zilong a deep look.

That gaze was as complex as a spilled palette, filled with disappointment, struggle, and a hint of resigned desolation.

She turned around, her simple dress making her figure look exceptionally frail in the dim light, like the last leaf of autumn clinging to a branch, ready to be swept away by the wind at any moment.

Chen Zilong stood where he was.

He watched her walk away step by step, her footsteps sounding light and slow in the empty corridor, each step carrying an indescribable sense of sorrow.

His ears were sharp, and he faintly caught her murmurs carried by the wind, words she almost kept swallowed in her throat, fragmented and incomplete:

"Forget it... What on earth... was I expecting..."

The voice was very faint, yet it felt like a fine needle, suddenly pricking him.

Her figure finally vanished behind the moon gate, leaving him alone under the corridor.

There was also the sound of intermittent coughing drifting from some distant room.

It was the family head, Zhou Yi; his health was likely failing more and more.

Chen Zilong did not chase after her.

He retreated to his small room and closed the door, shutting out the deepening night and that lingering sense of oppression.

No lamp was lit in the room; it was pitch black.

He didn't lie down either, simply leaning against the cold wall, listening to his own breathing.

In truth, even without Zhou Xiao saying anything, he had already guessed most of it.

During these ten years in the Zhou Family, he hadn't been blind or deaf.

The servants' private gossip, the Guards' complaints while drinking.

And the vague rumors circulating in the city's streets and alleys—when pieced together, they all pointed to the same name.

Wang Bufan of the Wang Family.

Chen Zilong had seen that kid a few times.

Whenever Wang Bufan came to "visit" the Zhou Family, his entourage was intimidatingly large, with people crowding around him.

When his gaze swept over, it carried a condescending scrutiny, as if he were looking at an item in his own warehouse.

His cultivation aptitude was indeed excellent.

He was said to possess "Gold-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots."

In less than a hundred years, he had reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

In the territory of Qingyan City, he was considered a top-tier figure.

His appearance was also decent.

But his air always made Chen Zilong feel uncomfortable, like a magnificent robe crawling with lice underneath.

Qingyan City wasn't large, but it wasn't a place where the Zhou Family could cover the sky with one hand.

The Wang Family was the one family capable of wrestling for power with the Zhou Family.

Previously, the two families were more or less evenly matched, minding their own business.

But the trouble was that Wang Bufan had struck it lucky, somehow managing to climb high enough to catch the eye of an elder from the Xuan Yin Sect and become his disciple.

The Xuan Yin Sect—that was a major sect that ranked well in the western part of the Middle Region; even the scraps falling through their fingers would be more than enough for the Wang Family to enjoy endlessly.

Ever since Wang Bufan became the personal disciple of a Xuan Yin Sect elder, the Wang Family's arrogance grew day by day, and their claws reached out to swallow the Zhou Family's properties ever more brazenly.

The most critical issue was Wang Bufan's intentions toward Zhou Xiao.

It wasn't affection; it was more like he had set his sights on a rare "furnace" that could aid his cultivation.

Zhou Xiao possessed the rare "Ice Marrow Spirit Body."

Though she was only at the Early Golden Core Stage.

But for cultivators who practiced certain yin-cold attribute techniques, this constitution made her an excellent Dao companion, or even...

A target for dual cultivation harvesting.

It was said that the technique Wang Bufan practiced was precisely a rather domineering Yin Fire cultivation method from the Xuan Yin Sect.

Every few years, the Wang Family would inevitably come to propose marriage with great fanfare.

The betrothal gifts grew heavier each time, and their attitude became increasingly forceful.

It was less of a marriage proposal and more of an ultimatum.

Each time, Zhou Xiao would use the excuse of escorting goods or going out for experience to barely avoid it.

But while one can hide for a while, they cannot hide forever.

This time was different.

Rumors had already spread that Wang Bufan's master, who had been in seclusion at the Xuan Yin Sect for many years, had emerged a few days ago.

It was said that this master was extremely protective and held his disciple, Wang Bufan, in high regard.

Wang Bufan was soon to follow his master back to the Xuan Yin Sect headquarters.

Once he left, who knew how many years it would be.

Before leaving, his master had spoken, saying he would help his disciple "sever worldly ties" and settle this "marriage."

Sever worldly ties?

Chen Zilong sneered inwardly.

He likely had his eyes on Zhou Xiao's Ice Marrow Spirit Body, wanting to use her as a stepping stone on Wang Bufan's cultivation path and take her back to the Xuan Yin Sect.

The Zhou Family was now in decline, with the family head Zhou Yi suffering from incurable injuries and no other Nascent Soul cultivators in the clan to hold the fort; how could they possibly contend with the Wang Family, who had the backing of the Xuan Yin Sect?

Zhou Xiao's bloodshot eyes and her desperate, resigned whispers—this was the root of it all.

"Sigh..."

Chen Zilong sighed silently and walked over to lie down on the bed.

The hard wooden boards pressed against his back as he stared into the blurry darkness above.

Did this matter have anything to do with him?

Strictly speaking, no.

He was just a Guard who did his job for money, having signed a ten-year contract that would expire in a few months.

Once the contract was up and all accounts were settled, he would immediately leave Qingyan City, find a remote mountain forest rich in spiritual energy, establish a cave dwelling, and enter secluded cultivation.

He had to repair the final crack in his primordial spirit as soon as possible to fully restore his Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation.

Then, he would head straight for the Pill Mansion.

Eighth-Grade Alchemist...

nirvana blood fusion pill...

Tu Shan Xiaoxiao was still waiting for him in the ice coffin.

This was the only eternal light in Chen Zilong's heart.

Zhou Xiao...

Over these ten years, she had treated him well.

She had no airs of a young mistress; pills and supplies were never lacking, and whenever they met occasionally, she would calmly ask about his injuries.

But that was all.

Between them was a clear boundary of master and servant, a cold ten-year employment contract.

She carried the heavy burden of her family's survival, while he shouldered the obsession of awakening his beloved.

Two lines had briefly intersected, only to be destined to go their separate ways.

As for that bit of affection she might have developed—perhaps due to the battle at Hugang Mountain—which she might not even be aware of herself, and her obvious helplessness now...

Chen Zilong closed his eyes, forcing himself to clear these stray thoughts from his mind.

He couldn't go soft; he couldn't let complications arise.

His path had long since been set in stone.

As he thought, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

The repair of his primordial spirit had reached a critical stage, which was exceptionally taxing on his mind.

His consciousness gradually blurred, sinking into a state of chaos.

...