Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 498 The Prince of Ruyang's Generous Gift: The Second Innate Dao Fruit!

Chen Jie kept muttering about his third brother, but he was too busy to leave. Otherwise, he would definitely have gone to find his third brother and see what had happened.

However, it shouldn't be a big deal. After all, his third brother is also a figure on the Heavenly Ranking, with amazing strength. There aren't many people in this world who can kill him, and they are all on the Heavenly Ranking.

However, none of the top experts on the Heavenly Ranking have left Chen Jie's sights and ears.

The two are both top-tier experts, each confining themselves to their own territory. One doesn't leave the capital city, and the other doesn't leave Wudang Mountain. Therefore, it can be directly ruled out that these two people might pose a danger to his third brother.

Following closely behind is the second-ranked person on the Heavenly Ranking. Han Shantong is dead. A dead person cannot pose a danger to my third brother. Besides, Han Shantong was my third brother Fang Guozhen's original elder brother. Even if he were alive, he could not possibly harm my third brother.

Then there's the third-ranked one in the world, Yuan Sanjia. Although Yuan Sanjia gives people a mysterious feeling, he has never really killed anyone so far. In addition, these two don't have any conflict of interest at the moment, so it's impossible for them to kill each other.

Who else is there besides them? The fourth on the Heavenly Ranking is Bolotemur, the commander of the Treasure Elephant Army, who is currently in Dadu. The fifth is Master Kudu of Shaolin Temple.

Sixth, seventh, Peng Yingyu, and Liu Futong are all in their respective Huangzhou Prefectures.

The eighth King of Qi is currently in the northwest preparing his army and horses. It is unknown what major event he is planning, and it is unlikely that he will pose any threat to Fang Guozhen on Shenlong Island overseas.

The ninth is his own third brother, and the tenth is the Prince of Ruyang, who is also in Huangzhou Prefecture.

Therefore, almost all the top experts on the Heavenly Ranking were within his sight, and none of them targeted his third brother. As a result, Chen Jie did not know who could threaten his third brother's safety.

Having figured these things out, Chen Jie felt much more at ease.

As long as he doesn't encounter someone on the Heavenly Ranking, his third brother shouldn't be in too much danger.

Having figured this out, Chen Jie mounted his horse. Zhao Ya originally wanted to ride alongside Chen Jie, but when she mounted, she felt pain in her lower body, which reminded her of yesterday's madness.

So they had to change to a horse-drawn carriage and head to the guesthouse.

Thus, the group proceeded with Chen Jie leading the way on horseback, followed by Zhao Ya in a carriage. Behind them was another carriage containing the return gifts that Su Yunjin had prepared for Chen Jie.

The group headed straight for the guesthouse and soon arrived. Upon arrival, Chen Jie saw the fully armed White Deer Army outside. Chen Jie was taken aback and looked at Zhao Ya.

Zhao Ya was also taken aback, looking at the fully armed White Deer Army, who were clearly about to embark on a forced march.

Just as Chen Jie and Zhao Ya were wondering what was going on, Wang Baobao came out. Zhao Ya saw Wang Baobao and said, "Third Brother."

Wang Baobao was taken aback and looked at Zhao Ya, especially noticing the blush on Zhao Ya's face, and said, "You're here quite early."

Chen Jie then stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Third Brother-in-law."

Wang Baobao replied, "Mm."

This was tantamount to tacitly acknowledging the relationship. Zhao Ya then asked from the side, "Third Brother, what are you doing?"

Wang Baobao said, "Oh, Father said that the marriage is over, so we won't stay in Huangzhou Prefecture any longer. We'll leave today."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya was taken aback: "Why the rush?"

Wang Baobao said, "There are really things going on at home. Jiangnan has just been pacified, and there are still many trivial matters that we need to go back to handle. We can't be away for too long."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya said, "Can't we stay one more night?"

"no!"

As Zhao Ya was speaking, a majestic voice rang out. Zhao Ya looked up and saw the Prince of Ruyang, who was standing on the steps. He said, "Kuo Kuo, continue to organize the army. Zhao Ya, come here."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya immediately followed Chen Jie toward the Prince of Ruyang. At this moment, Zhao Ya rushed up to him, took her father's arm, and said, "Father, why don't you stay one more day? There are many delicious foods in Huangzhou Prefecture. Shall we go and eat together?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang said, "Ya Ya, don't be ridiculous. You know that military orders are absolute. I have already issued the order to set off. Do you want me to break my promise to the army?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya immediately fell silent, because breaking faith with the army was a red line. If military orders could not be fully implemented, the army would completely lose its fighting capacity.

Therefore, Zhao Ya, who was knowledgeable about military affairs, dared not try to persuade him to stay any longer.

Chen Jie followed behind, step by step, without offering any opinions or showing any resistance. After all, he had already gotten all the benefits, and he had even married the daughter of the Prince of Ruyang. What did it matter if he acted like a grandson for a while?

Therefore, Chen Jie followed behind with a smile on his face.

Upon entering the inner hall, the Prince of Ruyang sat in the main seat and looked at Chen Jie and the other man, saying, "Sit."

Chen Jie and Zhao Ya dared not have any objections and sat down directly. They then looked at the Prince of Ruyang, who then looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Ya Ya, and you, Chen Jiu Si."

"I don't think your marriage will last, but since it's come to this, there's no point in saying anything else. I hope you cherish each other."

"Especially you, Chen Jiu Si, if I find out that you treat Ya Ya badly, even if your Huangzhou Prefecture is impregnable, I will definitely lead the White Deer Army to bring you to justice!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the Prince of Ruyang and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured, even if I, Chen Jiu Si, fail myself, I will never fail Ya Ya."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang said, "That's good. Although I don't think highly of you, you are still my son-in-law. I know you are very dissatisfied with the imperial edict issued by the court yesterday. However, I hope you will not act rashly. As long as I am the Prince of Ruyang, I do not want my son-in-law to be a traitor."

Chen Jie remained silent upon hearing this, and the Prince of Ruyang did not press Chen Jie further. He knew that such a man could not be forced. If he could easily compromise, he would not have ended up in this situation. However, there were some things he knew Chen Jiu Si should not listen to, but he absolutely could not remain inactive.

So after saying this, the Prince of Ruyang didn't wait for Chen Jie's reaction and immediately said, "Chen Jiu Si."

"Hey!"

Chen Jie looked at the Prince of Ruyang, who said, "Do you know why I summoned you here today?"

Chen Jie looked at the Prince of Ruyang and shook his head.

Prince Ruyang said, “When I, Chahan, marry off my daughter, I am not selling her. You have given our Yaya a generous gift, which will allow my Yaya to earn millions of taels of silver every year. My Ruyang Prince’s Mansion is not as wealthy as you. We have only given Yaya a dowry of 800,000 taels.”

Chen Jie said, "Your Highness is so kind; I thank you in advance!"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang said, "Heh, are you mocking me? Let me tell you, I am not inferior to you in the slightest. If my dowry is not as good as yours, would I still marry off my daughter?"

"That's selling your daughter. Let me tell you, I won't shortchange you in the slightest."

As he spoke, the Prince of Ruyang took out a sandalwood box from the table beside him and handed it to Chen Jie with one hand, saying, "Open it and see if it's worth your betrothal gifts."

Chen Jie frowned slightly as he looked at the box handed over by the Prince of Ruyang. What exactly was in this box that made the Prince of Ruyang so confident that it was equivalent to his own heavy assets that could generate a million taels of silver every year?

Chen Jie looked at the Prince of Ruyang.

The Prince of Ruyang said, "Open it."

Chen Jie slowly opened the sandalwood box, and a golden light shot out the next moment. Upon seeing the golden light, Chen Jie's eyes narrowed instantly, and his face was filled with shock.

Looking at Chen Jie's expression, the Prince of Ruyang smiled with satisfaction and said, "You recognize this item, don't you?"

Chen Jie didn't speak, but Zhao Ya walked over curiously and looked at the contents of the box. It was an oval-shaped object about the size of an apricot, radiating golden light and looking dazzling.

Zhao Ya curiously reached out and took it in her hand, her expression turning serious, because she could sense an aura from this item that was different from ordinary jewelry.

Zhao Ya was stunned and looked at Chen Jie, asking, "What, what is this?"

Jewelry?

Chen Jie took a deep breath, regained his composure, and said, "Dao Fruit!"

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya was completely shocked, and her hand trembled so much that the fruit suddenly fell to the ground.

However, she still managed to hold on tightly.

Dao Fruit, is this the Dao Fruit? Is this the Dao Fruit that all martial artists in the world, from the top-ranked experts on the Heavenly Ranking to even the two supreme-level terrestrial immortals, are fighting over?

Is this the innate Dao Fruit that can help martial artists improve their strength?
Thinking of this, Zhao Ya looked at her father in surprise and said, "This, this is for my husband?"

The Prince of Ruyang said, "Now that you've taken it out, can you expect me to take it back?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya immediately said, "Thank you, Father."

"Husband, quickly thank Father!"

Zhao Ya really is a woman who follows her husband wherever he goes, even if he's just married. She's only been married for a short time, but she's already siding with her own family and has no qualms about betraying her own father.

Prince Ruyang glanced at her and shook his head helplessly: "She really is like water spilled from a cup—once she's married, she's gone!"

However, Chen Jie then took the Dao Fruit, which was enough to move everyone in the world, from Zhao Ya's hand and put it into a box, then placed it in front of the Prince of Ruyang.

Prince Ruyang stared at him in surprise and said, "What do you mean? You don't like my gift?"

Chen Jie said, "Your Highness, the value of this item far exceeds the betrothal gift I gave. Although Jiu Si likes this treasure, he cannot accept such a generous gift from Your Highness without having done anything for it. He would feel uneasy accepting it for no reason."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang said coldly, "Hmph, you still feel uneasy? You stole my daughter, who is a hundred times more precious than this thing, and now you think a mere Dao Fruit is valuable? If you really care about your reputation, then don't pursue my daughter!"

"Now that you've won my girl's heart, you're telling me you're sorry? This really infuriates me!"

The Prince of Ruyang was furious, and his gaze toward Chen Jie was quite cold. "You've already taken my most precious daughter, and now you're telling me how valuable a Dao Fruit is?"

The fruit of the Dao is precious, but it is worthless in front of my daughter!
Thinking of this, the Prince of Ruyang looked at Chen Jiu Si and said, "If Ya Ya weren't here, I really would want to slap you!" Then, the Prince of Ruyang looked at Chen Jie and said, "Alright, this Dao Fruit is yours. Keep it for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the Prince of Ruyang and said, "Your Highness, this..."

The Prince of Ruyang said, "You're lucky, kid. I risked my life to get this Dao Fruit. If it were a pair, I would have directly advanced to the second stage. Unfortunately, I only got one, so I can't upgrade. You can keep it."

Chen Jie was still a little dazed when Zhao Ya came up to him and nudged him, saying, "Hurry up and accept it."

Chen Jie did not move, but Zhao Ya couldn't wait any longer and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Father. I will accept it on behalf of my husband."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya, who then looked at him and said, "Why are you looking at me? Don't you want to accept my father's favor?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie immediately replied, "How could I possibly do that!"

Chen Jie then realized what was happening and said, "Thank you, Father-in-law."

The Prince of Ruyang didn't say much, but said, "Alright, do you have anything else? If not, you can leave."

Zhao Ya said, "Father, are you in such a hurry to get rid of Ya Ya? Ya Ya won't leave."

Prince Ruyang looked at her and said, "You silly girl, why are you acting like a rogue?"

Zhao Ya said, "I'm not being unreasonable, I really do have something I don't understand and need to ask my father for advice!"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Is there anything you don't understand? You've almost read through my entire library!"

Zhao Ya said, "Hehe, I'm still young, so there are bound to be things I don't understand. By the way, Father, you just said that this Dao Fruit is obtained through 'receiving'. Where can we get this?"

Hearing this, Chen Jie was also curious: Could this thing really be obtained?

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang said, "This is a spoil of war from when we sent troops to besiege Han Shantong. Back then, in the Battle of Wending Mountain, I led 50,000 White Deer Army troops north to defend the king and made great contributions to the country."

Later, Han Shantong was defeated at Mount Wending and died. After his death, all thirty-one fruits on his body exploded out.

It flew away with his treasures and disappeared without a trace. However, at the last moment, the Living Buddha used his great power to grab a few more, and after the battle, he rewarded me and Li Siqi with one each.

Unfortunately, I need two to advance to the second job advancement, so I only have this one left.

After the Prince of Ruyang explained the whole story, Chen understood. It turned out that this Dao Fruit was the same as the one he had obtained, both being Dao Fruits that the Living Buddha had obtained from Han Shantong.

The unique characteristic of this fruit is that it can return to the world along with its owner's sacrifice. Han Shantong had already reached the fifth stage of cultivation and was about to break through to the realm of a terrestrial immortal.

In other words, at that time he had one Dao Fruit that had entered the first stage, two that had entered the second stage, four that had entered the third stage, eight that had entered the fourth stage, and sixteen that had entered the fifth stage, for a total of thirty-one Dao Fruits.

At that time, the Living Buddha captured a few pills. It was later discovered that the Living Buddha's eldest disciple, Damoba, was originally a zero-turn master, but by the time of the Battle of Dadu, he had become a second-turn master.

In other words, Damoba should have taken at least three pills, but definitely no more than seven, because if he had taken seven, he should have entered the third stage of enlightenment.

There was one hidden in the palace treasury, which he ate himself. Then, the Prince of Ruyang mentioned that he had one, and Li Siqi had one.

Based on this calculation, at most ten of Han Shantong's Dao Fruits were taken by Phagpa, and that was at full strength. If we calculate less, then Phagpa may have taken only six.

If we take away six of Han Shantong's thirty-one Dao Fruits, then there are likely around twenty-five Dao Fruits outside.

So, it seems my path to promotion isn't as difficult as I imagined.

Thinking of this, Chen Jie nodded slightly. Twenty-five Dao Fruits! How many Fusion God Realm experts could that create?

This truly is a case of one whale fall bringing forth life in all things!
Thinking about this, Chen Jie was quite emotional. He lamented the cruelty of the world, realizing that those who come after often have to step on the shoulders of those who came before them to make progress.

However, Chen Jie felt an unprecedented sense of gratitude for the gift from the Prince of Ruyang. It seemed that the old man wasn't so bad after all.

Thinking this, Chen Jie saw that Zhao Ya wanted to speak with the Prince of Ruyang alone, and since he was there, the Prince of Ruyang was clearly unwilling to talk to his daughter. Chen Jie tactfully stood up and said, "Well, I happen to have something to ask Elders Gui and He. You two talk first."

As he spoke, Chen Jie turned and left the room.

Seeing Chen Jie leave, Zhao Ya looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "Father, look how sensible my husband is, why can't you stand him?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang glanced at Zhao Ya and then said, "It's not that I look down on him, but the thought of him taking you away makes me feel terrible. How can I possibly give him a pleasant look?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "Father, I wasn't abducted by him. We were willing."

The Prince of Ruyang said, "Willingly, haha, still saying willingly? You're just trying to make your father angry."

"How could that be? Your daughter wishes for Father to live to be a hundred years old."

Prince Ruyang said, "With you here, I don't expect you to live to be a hundred. You are truly like water spilled from a cup after marriage. Just now, I gave Chen Jiu four kinds of fruit, and you insisted on accepting them. Do you think I'm not angry enough already?!"

Hearing this, Zhao Ya chuckled and said, "Hehe, Father, what are you saying? It's not that I'm afraid of my blockhead husband, that I don't understand your good intentions, that I would never accept your Dao Fruit."

"Think about it, how embarrassing would it be if no one wanted the things that you, the Prince of Ruyang, gave away?"

"Your daughter did this entirely out of consideration for Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ruyang said, "Me? Haha, you!"

When the Prince of Ruyang smiled, Zhao Ya knew she had appeased the old man, so she immediately said with a smile, "Father, now that we've smiled, you can't be angry anymore!"

The Prince of Ruyang said with a sigh, "You really are Father's nemesis."

After saying this, the Prince of Ruyang laughed heartily, instantly filling the room with a warm atmosphere.

Chen Jie came out at this moment and ran into Wang Baobao. When the two met, Chen Jie looked at him and said, "Third brother-in-law, do you know where Master Guihe is?"

Wang Baobao asked, "Have you finished your conversation?"

Chen Jie said, "Alas, you know that the prince dislikes me. If I leave them, I can have a proper conversation with them."

After saying this, Wang Baobao replied, "That's true. You should go find Elders Gui and He."

Chen Jie said, "Yes, I have something I'd like to ask the two elders."

“Perfect timing, I’ll look for them too, let’s go together.”

After saying this, Wang Baobao led Chen Jiewan to the rooms of Elders Guihe and Chen Jie, and soon arrived at their courtyard. By then, the two elders had already prepared their luggage.

Chen Jie then looked at the two of them and said, "Elders."

The two elders, Gui and He, were somewhat surprised to see Chen Jie and asked, "Young Master, what brings you here?"

Chen Jie said, "I have something to ask the two elders."

The two men, Gui and He, said, "What is it? Tell us, and we will tell you everything we know."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie asked, "Elders, I would like to ask you, do you know where your mentor, Daoist Baisun, is?"

"Ok?"

Elder He was taken aback and asked, "Why are you asking about our master?"

Elder Turtle also frowned.

Chen Jie said, "As you two elders should know, I cultivate the Four Seasons Celestial Phenomenon Technique, while the Profound Ice Divine Art that your two masters learned is derived from the Winter God's Wrath of the Four Seasons Celestial Phenomenon Technique!"

"However, what you two have learned is not the complete version of Winter God's Wrath, so my version of Winter God's Wrath is also incomplete."

"Now you know that the situation in Tainan is unpredictable. Under the general trend, everyone is constantly improving. If I stop moving forward, I may not be able to protect the foundation of Huangzhou Prefecture. At that time, the princess will also suffer and be in danger if she follows me. So I want to complete the Four Seasons Celestial Phenomena Technique so that I can increase my strength and protect the princess!"

Upon hearing this, Elder Turtle looked at Elder Crane, and the two exchanged a glance, agreeing with Chen Jie's statement.

At this moment, Elder Turtle nodded to Elder Crane, who said, "Alright, for the sake of the princess, I'll tell you that the last time we saw our master was twenty years ago."

"At that time, my master was troubled by his inability to improve his skills. Later, he seemed to hear a message that a master who could freeze water into ice had appeared in Siam in Southeast Asia. My master felt that this person was likely to have mastered the Winter Character Technique of the Four Seasons Celestial Phenomena Technique."

"So he went south to Siam to seek an opportunity for breakthrough. Now, twenty years have passed, and we have no idea where he went!"

"Whether I stay in Siam, travel the world, or perish at sea, it is all uncertain."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Siam."

"Yes, that's right, it's Siam."

The two confirmed again, and Chen Jie replied, "Thank you both, elders. I understand."

As they were talking, Chen Jie got up to leave. The two elders didn't try to stop him, nor did they have any intention of asking him to find their mentor. After all, Bai Sun Dao Ren had only taught them as a matter of convenience, and their relationship wasn't deep.

Chen Jie waited at the Yingbin Building for a while before he saw Zhao Ya and the Prince of Ruyang come out. The Prince of Ruyang did not linger and left with his army. Chen Jie and Zhao Ya watched the Prince of Ruyang leave.

Zhao Ya was feeling down, and Chen Jie was just about to say a few words of comfort to her when Chen Xiaohu rushed over. He jumped off his horse and said, "Brother, people from Shenlong Island overseas have arrived. They say they must see you. You look pretty miserable."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie was taken aback. Overseas Shenlong Island, the man of Third Brother!

(End of this chapter)