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

"My lord, Zhu Chongba has sent someone."

Chen Chun entered Chen Jie's room and said, "Who's here? Tang He?" Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Chen Chun and asked, "Who's here? Tang He?"

Chen Chun said, "There's also Tang He and Liu Bowen."

"Liu Bowen?"

Chen Jie was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily, "Hahaha, interesting. It seems that our King of Wu has indeed developed some resentment."

"By the way, how's the investigation I asked you to do going?"

Chen Jie looked at Chen Chun and asked, "Reporting to my lord, we have found no record of Zhu Chongba obtaining the Xuanyuan Sword. However, regarding the part you mentioned, after Zhu Chongba returned from Tianchi, he has been in seclusion and has not come out. We have also not found any record of him obtaining the Dao Fruit. The origin of this Dao Fruit remains a mystery."

Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "Hehe, staying at home and not going out, yet the Dao fruit is naturally formed. If I hadn't been to Kunlun, I really wouldn't have thought of this. It seems that Zhu Chongba has really prepared a great gift for me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chun asked, "My lord, what do you mean?"

Chen Jie chuckled and said, "It's better to wipe them all out in one fell swoop than to defeat them one by one. Zhu Chongba is quite the schemer."

Chen Chun exclaimed in surprise, "My lord, you're saying this could very well be a scam, designed to lure you into a trap so that Zhu Chongba can wipe you out in one fell swoop?"

"Ah, my lord, we mustn't let ourselves fall into the trap and become fish to be slaughtered!"

Chen Chun said.

Chen Jie said, "Zhu Chongba is scheming against me, but I am also scheming against him. Everyone thinks they are the hunter, but only the one who laughs last is the hunter."

Chen Chun looked confused and said, "Alright, call Liu Bowen and Tang He in."

Chen Chun looked at Chen Jie, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

Seeing that Chen Chun had left, Chen Jie thought to himself, "If I hadn't been to Kunlun and seen the descriptions of the three divine artifacts in the fairyland, I probably would have been fooled by Zhu Chongba."

Besides being three powerful artifacts, the Human Emperor's Three Divine Artifacts also have another advantage: they all possess extremely powerful special effects.

For example, the Tiger Soul Blade, when combined with the Chi You Demon Art, can absorb other people's Dao Fruits, just like Zhang Shicheng, who used the Nine Li Demon Art to devour the power of the Wind Demon (Holy Lord) and the Golden Demon (Grand Elder). Along with the power being absorbed, their Melting God Fourth-Rank Dao Fruits were also absorbed, which is why he was able to improve so rapidly.

The magical function of the Xuanyuan Sword is that, in conjunction with the Xuanyuan Technique, it can intercept the Dao Fruits of Heaven and Earth, creating something from nothing, thus allowing one to concentrate on seclusion without worrying about the Dao Fruits.

Besides these, there's one last one: Shennong's Staff.

The Shennong Staff has a similar function to the Xuanyuan Sword: to create something from nothing and extract the Dao Fruits of Heaven and Earth. However, the difference is that the Xuanyuan Sword can only help absorb Dao Fruits if a powerful cultivator at the Fusion God Realm dies and the Dao Fruits return to nature.

However, it is impossible to create something from nothing.

However, the Shennong Staff can create something from nothing; it can forcibly generate new Dao Fruits even when all other Dao Fruits have been used.

If the Dao Fruit is a gift from Heaven, then the Shennong Staff can harvest new Dao Fruits beyond what Heaven has bestowed, thus expanding the breadth of the world.

From this information, Chen Jie could deduce that Zhu Chongba was probably up to no good, but there was nothing Chen Jie could do. He could only knowingly walk into the tiger's den!

He now wants to find the Shennong Staff, and he can only rely on Yuan Sanjia's divination. The most accurate divination is that when the Three Sovereigns gather, the heavenly secrets will be revealed, and that will be the best time to calculate the location of the Shennong Staff. So!

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." If Chen Jie wants to achieve something, he can't be afraid of everything. Even if he knows that the other party is setting a trap, Chen Jie still needs to have the courage to break the trap. That's what he should do now.

"Greetings, Lord Chen!"

Liu Bowen and Tang He entered the room and bowed directly to Chen Jie. Chen Jie looked at the two of them and chuckled, saying, "Hehe, you two, you look quite haggard after not seeing each other for a few days."

This is no exaggeration; having suffered a defeat at the front, the two had no choice but to come here in a pitiful state to sue for peace.

The two men then looked at Chen Jie and said, "Lord Chen, we are ashamed, we are ashamed."

Seeing their expressions, Chen Jie chuckled and said, "What's wrong? Did you come here on business?"

Tang He looked at Liu Bowen, as if to say, "Why don't you speak?" Liu Bowen waved his hand, indicating that Tang He should speak first.

Tang He clasped his hands and said, "Lord Chen, we have come here today to request that you send troops to attack Zhang Shicheng."

"Brother Chongba can't hold on any longer?"

Chen Jie asked directly. Upon hearing Chen Jie's words, Tang He's expression changed slightly, while Liu Bowen remained silent, only looking to his left and right.

"Yes, the situation at the front is critical. My husband was injured in a battle with Zhang Shicheng, so I came to ask Lord Chen for help."

"After all, Zhang Shicheng colluded with Japanese bandits to massacre our Han compatriots, and he deserves to be executed."

“Lord Chen is a man of great righteousness, and he certainly cannot sit idly by.”

Chen Jie listened to Tang He's words and said, "Tang He, you're such a roughneck, yet you speak in such a refined and literary way. What you're saying doesn't sound like yours at all; it sounds more like the words of our refined Mr. Bowen."

Tang He blushed. Indeed, these were words he had discussed with Liu Bowen, intended to put pressure on Chen Jie so that he could not disregard the greater good.

Chen Jie looked at Tang He and said, "Don't be nervous. I am also a man of national integrity, and I will naturally do my part to fight against foreign enemies."

"In that case, you all go and rest for a while. I'll arrange things at home, and tomorrow I'll go east to Hangzhou with you, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Tang He immediately clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Lord Chen."

Liu Bowen also clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Lord Chen."

Chen Jie chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright."

Chen Jie waved his hand, and the two turned to leave, but just then, Chen Jie said, "Bowen, you stay."

Ah!
Liu Bowen's face fell, and he stood there motionless. Tang He looked at Chen Jie with surprise, then at Liu Bowen.

At this moment, Chen Jie said to Tang He, "General Tang, I have a few private words with Bowen, so you don't need to listen."

Tang He paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "Okay."

After saying this, he looked at Liu Bowen one last time and then turned to leave. Seeing him like this, Liu Bowen looked bitter.

Seeing that Tang He had left, Chen Jie waved his hand, and Chen Chun closed the door, leaving only Chen Jie and Liu Bowen.

Tang He saw this scene from outside and frowned, but for a moment he had nothing to say.

Inside the room, Chen Jie smiled and said to Liu Bowen, "Bowen, when we went back last time, Brother Chongba didn't misunderstand, did he?"

Liu Bowen's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at Chen Jie, who continued, "I regretted what I said last time. How could I have spoken to you like that!"

“If you go back like this, and Brother Chongba misunderstands, that would be really bad for you, Bowen. By the way, he didn't misunderstand you, did he?”

Chen Jie looked at Liu Bowen with a smile. Liu Bowen was almost grinding his teeth to powder, but he still smiled and said, "Hehe, how could that be? How could my master do something like this?"

"That's fine, that's fine."

Chen Jie smiled and said, "Ever since you left last time, I have been very uneasy. Hearing your words has put my mind at ease. If my good intentions have caused your monarch to become suspicious, then that would be my fault."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen said, "No, Your Excellency is overthinking it."

Chen Jie said, "That's good, that's good." "Since that's the case, I won't keep Bowen any longer, otherwise your lord might become suspicious!"

After saying this, Chen Jie looked at Liu Bowen, then patted Liu Bowen on the shoulder and said, "If you are not comfortable sitting at Brother Chongba's place, come here."

After saying this, Chen Jie gestured to Liu Bowen to invite him to leave.

Seeing this, Liu Bowen's face turned ugly. He thought to himself with a bitter smile, "If you do this again today, I'm afraid my rift with Zhu Chongba will only widen."

Liu Bowen walked out of the main hall and saw Tang He standing at the door waiting for him.

When Tang He saw Liu Bowen come out, he immediately rushed over and asked, "What did Chen Jiu Si say to you?"

Liu Bowen said, "He didn't say anything, he just asked how the superior treated me when I went back last time?"

Tang He said, "Why is he asking this?"

"They probably want to sow discord between me and my superiors."

Tang frowned and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Liu Bowen said, "That's all."

Tang He, still somewhat skeptical, said, "Then let's go."

Liu Bowen followed behind, and just then Chen Chun walked over quickly: "Mr. Liu."

Liu Bowen had a bad feeling, but before he could say anything, Chen Chun arrived. Upon seeing Tang He, Chen Chun hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"May I excuse myself?"

Tang He looked at Chen Chun and asked, and Chen Chun replied shyly, "Thank you, General Tang."

Liu Bowen then said, "No need, General Tang, this is fine."

Chen Chun looked at Liu Bowen and said, "Could it be that General Tang also has his mind on this...?"

"Oh, I understand, we're on the same side, we're on the same side."

Tang He frowned at Chen Chun's words, wondering what he was talking about.

Tang He glanced at Liu Bowen, thinking to himself, "Could it be? Could it be that they have already made some kind of deal?"

Liu Bowen felt even more bitter at this moment, and looked at Chen Chun, asking, "What exactly is the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that the lord told you to do everything exactly as you told him."

"what?"

Liu Bowen looked puzzled, then instantly realized what was happening. His face turned extremely ugly, and he cursed inwardly: "They're messing with me!"
Chen Chun said, "Mr. Liu, I don't know anything else. I'm just a messenger for General Tang."

Chen Chun gestured, then turned and left.

Seeing Chen Chun leave, Tang He looked at Liu Bowen, who said, "General Tang, I have nothing to do with Chen Jiu Si. This is a complete frame-up."

Tang He said, "Yes, Mr. Liu, don't panic, I trust you."

"Let's go back first."

Liu Bowen followed Tang He outside. Halfway there, Tang He asked, "Mr. Liu, what exactly did you talk about with Chen Jiu Si?"

Liu Bowen: (⊙o⊙)…?
Once a chain of suspicion is formed, it has no end. Now that the chain of suspicion has been formed, that's fine, it can only continue indefinitely. Even if Liu Bowen were to utter some brilliant words, no one would believe him now.

The better he speaks, the more suspicious others may become of him; there's nothing that can be done about it.

Suspicion can only arise from nothing; once it arises, it can never be eliminated.

Unless Chen Jiu Si is gone, or even if Chen Jiu Si is gone, it is not certain that this suspicion can be eliminated.

Watching Liu Bowen's bitter figure, Chen Chun couldn't help but mutter, "That's pretty tragic. Once the lord has his eye on you, what good can come of it?"

Chen Chun shook his head.

Chen Jie finished work early today and returned home. He looked at his three wives, then played with his eldest daughter Chen Luoning, who could already walk, Chen Li, who had just learned to call him "Dad," and Zhao Ya, who was eight months pregnant and about to give birth.

I had a meal with them, spent some time with them, and then told them that I was going to Hangzhou to fight Zhang Shicheng with Zhu Chongba.

Hearing this, the three women were very worried about Chen Jie.

Chen Jie looked at them and said, "Now that the world is in such a state, only I, Zhu Chongba, and Zhang Shicheng can become the common rulers of this world."

"But Zhang Shicheng's methods are too unscrupulous. He actually let the Japanese invaders into our China. If he gains control of the country, won't the Han people suffer again?"

"So he was eliminated, and after that, it was me and Zhu Chongba."

"No matter who wins, we are all of Han Chinese orthodoxy. No matter who wins, the world can be restored to the Han dynasty."

"Since the Tang Dynasty, through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and up to the Great Qian Dynasty, the world has never been truly unified for hundreds of years. This time, no matter who wins between me and Zhu Chongba, we will surely lead China to restore the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties."

"This battle is inevitable!"

Hearing Chen Jie speak so passionately, the three women fell silent. They were not ignorant vases; they also understood the significance of Chen Jie's battle.

Now that things have come to this point, unification is inevitable, and they have no other way to go but towards unification.

Su Yunjin then brought Chen Jie a cup of wine and said, "Husband, you should go now. All matters at home will be handled by me and my two sisters, so don't worry. Just be careful out there and don't hurt yourself. Remember, we'll be waiting for you at home."

After saying that, Su Yunjin picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

Huang Wan'er stepped forward and said, "Husband, don't worry, I'll be waiting for you to come home."

Zhao Ya touched her big belly and said, "I won't go with you today. Come back safely. The baby and I are waiting for you to come back."

Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya and nodded.

At this moment, Zhao Ya said, "I heard that our shipyard is now able to build multi-story ships. This time when we go to Hangzhou, we will bring more people with us."

"After all, Zhu Chongba has already declared himself king, while you haven't. You can't be weaker than him in terms of momentum."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Okay, whatever you say. I'll bring more people this time."

That night, Chen Jie did nothing else but stay with the three ladies.

The next morning, a giant multi-story ship arrived at Hankou Wharf. The ship was as tall as a city gate tower, with two floors and could carry two thousand people. Chen Jie mobilized the Qihuo Army as guards, and General Zhang Dingbian and Yuan Sanjia accompanied the army.

In addition, the Qihuo Army has 20,000 naval troops ready to provide support at any time.

At a single command, the army set off, heading straight for Hangzhou! (End of Chapter)