Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

Monk Qingyuan's body swelled up like an inflated balloon, his eyeballs bulging as the skin on his face trembled.

In less than a breath, a tremendous explosion rang out.

“Boom!”

Monk Qingyuan exploded suddenly, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

Chen Ye's protective aura instinctively blocked the blood and flesh, and his yellow robe remained clean and neat.

Even Xiao Lian and the others standing beside him were untouched by a single drop of blood.

Looking at the splattered pieces of flesh, Chen Ye fell into silence.

He only wanted to test the innate Qi in his body.

He never expected that just a few moments after the transfer, he would have exploded Monk Qingyuan.

The newly drawn skill was too powerful!

It wasn’t just Chen Ye who was silent.

The remaining seven hall masters of Wan Jin Hall, as well as the five elders and three direct disciples of the Tang Sect, were all stunned.

Exploded...?

Everyone present was frozen in shock.

Monk Qingyuan came from the Shaolin Temple and possessed the deepest inner power, known for its extreme yang and unyielding strength.

He was a late-stage first-grade master.

And yet, he had been blown apart by Dong Hua in just a few breaths?

The Hall Master of Jinchan Hall, a middle-aged merchant with a ruby ring on his thumb, swallowed hard, his eyes glazed, lips trembling.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Usually, when martial artists compete in internal strength, the worst that could happen is that one suffers from the backlash, severely damaging their vitality.

But this... How could anyone explode a person like this?

The level of inner strength required for this was unimaginable!

Is this even something a human can do?

Fire Dragon King stood frozen, no longer the calm, indifferent figure who once looked down on the world.

He stared at the exploded pieces of Monk Qingyuan, feeling his mouth dry.

The remaining two first-grade masters in the room didn’t dare to move either.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like a spectacle, but to an insider, they saw the profound terror.

Dong Hua had used his internal strength to literally explode a late-stage first-grade master known for his internal power!

The two first-grade martial artists shared the same thought at that moment.

Dong Hua is a Grandmaster!!!

The remaining second-grade hall masters, Tang Sect elders, and disciples all looked at Chen Ye with fear and awe.

The scene just now had been too shocking for them to process.

Monk Qingyuan killed second-grade assassins like killing dogs.

Yet, this mysterious Dong Hua had wiped him out in two moves, leaving nothing, not even bones!

Tie Ying's gaze fell on the blood and flesh strewn across the ground, his mouth twitching.

Didn’t he just call Dong Hua "bro" earlier?

Tie Ying's expression suddenly turned into a complex one.

Xu Xiaolin, too, wore an expression of horror, not expecting Dong Hua to possess such power!

He couldn’t help but feel incredibly relieved that he hadn’t clashed with Dong Hua that day.

If he had, he might be dead by now.

“Director...”

Xiao Lian stared dazedly at the figure before her, dressed in yellow with a silver mask.

No one was more shocked than her.

Xiao Lian had fought with Monk Qingyuan before, and to her, he seemed like an unbeatable demon.

Yet, he had been easily killed by Chen Ye!

Was this still the same Chen Ye who had lived with her for two months, always basking in the sun, reading books with a gentle smile on his face?

Xiao Lian gazed at Chen Ye’s figure, which seemed as deep as a vast abyss, filled with admiration in her eyes.

Director...

He’s amazing!

The assassins of Fengyu Tower behind Chen Ye gaped in disbelief.

They had thought they were doomed, but suddenly, a miracle appeared!

For a moment, the whole place fell silent.

Chen Ye shook off his surprise from the earlier moment.

His eyes swept over the Wan Jin Hall group with indifference.

“Whoosh…”

Chen Ye casually waved his sleeve.

A formless wave of force followed the motion of his sleeve, stirring the air.

A gust of wind erupted, causing sand and stones to fly.

The Wan Jin Hall members instinctively squinted and covered their faces with their sleeves to shield themselves from the dust.

They were filled with dread, unsure of what Dong Hua intended to do next.

When the wind settled, a horizontal line about two yards long appeared on the ground.

The line dug deep into the earth, revealing moist soil beneath.

Chen Ye observed the result of his movement and furrowed his brow.

There was too much innate Qi in his body; he still couldn’t control it freely.

He had only intended to draw a line on the ground with his internal strength, but instead, it had stirred up a wild gust of wind.

It could only be said that the skills the system gave were too strong.

Chen Ye’s gaze remained calm as he looked toward the Wan Jin Hall group, speaking softly.

“Those who cross the line.”

“Die.”

…

East of Xiaofeng Village, in the Forest

Tian Jizi leaned against a tree, pulling three copper coins from his chest. He held them in his hands and gently shook them a few times.

The coins fell to the ground, and he reached down to trace the patterns on them.

As the six lines completed, Tian Jizi interpreted the divination and murmured, “As expected, the second opportunity is here.”

A complex expression appeared on his face.

It seemed that the next thing he had to face would be something quite difficult for him.

“Ah…”

Tian Jizi sighed deeply, then slowly rose, holding a bamboo staff, and began walking westward.

“I missed the first opportunity; I can’t miss this one.”

He sighed again.

His fate was different from that of ordinary people. Ordinary people had three chances in life.

He only had two.

But if he grasped even one of them, the second half of his life would be as glorious as the fifth line of the Hexagram—“The Flying Dragon in the Sky.”

Wide and vast, free to roam!

It couldn’t get any better than that.

He had missed the opportunity on July 4th.

This time, he couldn’t afford to miss it.

However, the second opportunity…

The mere thought of what he was about to face made Tian Jizi’s lips curl into a bitter smile.

Some things had to have a result.

Some people had to face their fate.

Tian Jizi held his bamboo staff and continued walking slowly.

After a while, he suddenly stopped, sensing something.

He tilted his head, listening to the crackling sounds of firewood breaking.

Quickly, he performed a divination and reached a conclusion.

“A fork in the road?”

After interpreting the divination, Tian Jizi hesitated.

Ahead of him was a fork in the road.

One path led west, toward the eastern entrance of Xiaofeng Village.

The other path led north, toward the bamboo forest in the back mountains.

He stood in the middle of the fork.

“Strange, why do I have this feeling?” Tian Jizi murmured softly.

After a moment of thought, he couldn’t figure it out.

He shook his head and continued walking north.

His slender figure moved steadily along the country path, his steps unhurried but firm.

“Rustle…”

After walking for a bit, Tian Jizi stepped on some dry bamboo leaves.

He entered a bamboo forest.

Just then, someone grabbed his hand.

Tian Jizi’s body trembled, and he was about to make a move.

The hand that grabbed him opened up, writing a few strokes in the palm of his hand.

Tian Jizi took a deep breath, his face showing a complex expression.

He nodded and said, "Take me to see him..."

The hand lightly patted Tian Jizi’s shoulder, lifting his bamboo staff and leading him in a direction.

…

Second Floor of the Bamboo Pavilion

Eunuch Wang sat in a bamboo chair, looking relaxed.

This was the first time in the fourteen days since he had arrived at the Bamboo Loft that he had sat in the bamboo chair.

Not only was he sitting in the chair, but there was also a cup of tea in front of him.

It was a cup of tea with a bright green color, giving off a faint fragrance—high-quality tea.

Anyone who knew their tea would recognize it as the valuable pre-Qingming Longjing, the finest of West Lake Longjing.

Eunuch Wang picked up the cup, took a sip, closed his eyes, and carefully savored the pre-Qingming Longjing that the Marquis of Su had mentioned.

The warm tea entered his mouth, its taste sweet, smooth, and fragrant.

He opened his eyes and a faint smile appeared on his smooth, beardless face.

"Good tea, indeed, it’s really good tea!"

The Master of Fengyu Tower sat across from Eunuch Wang, his stern face expressionless.

Behind Eunuch Wang, there stood twelve people.

There were both men and women, old and young.

They stood respectfully, as though waiting for something.

"Lord Marquis of Su, you should drink as well," Grand Eunuch Wang said, his voice sharp and thin, holding the tea cup.

The Master of Fengyu Tower smiled faintly but did not speak.

"Click clack..."

Footsteps sounded from the stairs.

Eunuch Wang turned his head.

He saw the mute old man from earlier, leading a young blind boy up the stairs.

The mute old man had graying hair and a cheerful smile on his face.

Behind the old man, the blind boy had a black cloth wrapped around his eyes, and he too was smiling, but his smile was forced, stiff.

It was as if the smile didn’t come naturally to him.

He was smiling under duress.

When the two of them arrived at the top, the Master of Fengyu Tower suddenly looked at the blind boy.

He stared at the boy’s face, looking and looking again.

Slowly, the Master of Fengyu Tower’s gaze softened, became approving, and then turned relaxed.

In just a few moments, his expression shifted several times.

Eunuch Wang’s expression changed.

He solemnly set down his tea cup, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes.

He had seen the change in the Marquis of Su’s gaze, every shift, clearly.

That kind of look, he had seen it before.

Eunuch Wang knew what that look meant.

His body suddenly shuddered, and he felt a chill run through his limbs.

A deep sense of horror filled his heart!

Because that gaze...

It was the kind of gaze a father gives to his son.

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