Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 39 Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
Li Huaisheng took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. After a moment, a thumb-sized blood blister slowly swelled up under the skin of his withered left forearm and began to wriggle slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a small opening appeared in the skin, and a small, blood-red insect, resembling a silkworm but covered with strange dark patterns, slowly emerged.

With sharp eyes, Chen Sheng carefully examined the venomous insect that had been bound to him by blood. After confirming that its form was exactly the same as the description on the fragment of the "Hundred Poisons True Skill" and that it was closely connected with Li Huaisheng's aura, he took out a jade porcelain bottle that he had prepared beforehand and carefully guided the lazy, blood-red venomous insect into the bottle and sealed it.

"You made a wise choice."

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, his tone revealing a hint of satisfaction.

Controlling this venomous insect is tantamount to holding Li Huaisheng's life in check.

The fact that a master at the Marrow Transformation Realm bowed his head undoubtedly gave him a lot of help.

A bitter smile forced a smile across Li Huaisheng's face. His breath was slightly weak from the removal of the poisonous insects from his body. He asked in a hoarse voice:

"My lord, what kind of pledge of loyalty do you require of me?"

Having already been placed under someone else's control, Chen Sheng stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point:
"Do you know about the Spirit Essence Gu that the Huang family keeps hidden?"

Li Huaisheng nodded, but a chill ran through him.

The Spirit Marrow Gu is one of the Huang family's top secrets. He only discovered some clues by chance, thanks to his status as a retainer. Within the Huang family, only a few core members knew about it.

How did Chen Sheng find out? Could it be that he really has informants within the core of the Huang family?

"Bring me this, and it will be your pledge of allegiance."

Chen Sheng's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Upon hearing this, Li Huaisheng raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, hesitated for a moment, and tentatively asked, "Does Your Excellency wish to use that Spirit Marrow Liquid to break through to the Marrow Transformation Realm?"

"That's right," Chen Sheng readily admitted.

"This...forgive my bluntness,"

Li Huaisheng carefully organized his thoughts, observing Chen Sheng's expression: "As far as I know, the spiritual essence of the Huang family's spiritual essence Gu was taken six years ago. It will take at least five or six years for the spiritual essence to be formed again."

Chen Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Could it be that the prophecy in the "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune" celestial book was wrong?

But this thing is miraculous and has never made a mistake.

So where is the problem?
His expression darkened, and he looked sharply at Li Huaisheng with a scrutinizing gaze.

Li Huaisheng had been watching Chen Sheng's expression closely. Seeing his gaze turn cold, indicating displeasure, Li Huaisheng's heart tightened. He quickly changed the subject and said urgently:
"My lord, please do not worry. I know another method that can help you break through to the Marrow Transformation Realm even without readily available Spirit Marrow Liquid, and its effect is even far superior to Spirit Marrow Liquid."

Chen Sheng narrowed his eyes, his fingertips tapping lightly on the wooden table beside him, producing a soft, rhythmic sound.

"Go on."

Li Huaisheng dared not keep them in suspense and quickened his pace to explain:

“My lord, you are wise. The essence of the Spirit Marrow Liquid is simply a kind of essence that the Spirit Marrow Gu absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and combines it with itself to slowly cultivate. It is certainly safe to use the Spirit Marrow Liquid to break through, but it requires time and patience. The method I know is... a method of draining the pond to catch all the fish.”

He paused, a strange light flashing in his eyes:
"If we can manage to seize the Spirit Essence Gu, we can kill it directly without waiting for it to generate spiritual liquid, take its blood and flesh essence, apply it to the vital acupoints all over the body, and then absorb it with our internal energy."

Its profound effects far surpass those of the Spirit Marrow Liquid. It not only greatly increases the success rate of breaking through to the Marrow Transformation stage, but also nourishes and refines the body's Qi and blood, solidifying its foundation. Its effects are truly wondrous.

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.

So this is what the "Spiritual Marrow Gu" referred to in the Heavenly Book meant. It did not refer to the spiritual marrow liquid that could only be obtained once every twelve years, but rather to the Gu worm itself. The Heavenly Book was indeed as accurate as ever.

“I am familiar with its habits and am confident that I can find it and bring it out to present to you, sir.”

Li Huaisheng promptly revealed his value, but then looked troubled. "However... this matter still requires your strong assistance, sir, to succeed." "How can we cooperate?" Chen Sheng asked.

"The Huang family has a deep foundation, far surpassing the Seven Star Gang. As far as I know, there are three martial arts masters at the Marrow Transformation Realm in their clan. My strengths lie in using poison and stealth. If I am discovered while stealing the Spirit Marrow Gu, I will be surrounded and attacked, and it will be difficult for me to escape."

Therefore… I humbly request that you, sir, create a sufficiently large disturbance outside the Huang family before I take action, preferably drawing away some people to create an opportunity for me.”

"can."

After a moment's thought, Chen Sheng agreed.

The Huang family is indeed the most powerful of the three major families. Sending Li Huaisheng alone would be tantamount to sending him to his death. Since we need to use people, we should naturally provide them with the necessary support.

"Thank you, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaisheng felt a great weight lifted from his heart and let out a long sigh of relief. He was most afraid that Chen Sheng would send him alone into the lion's den, which would be tantamount to sending him to his death.

……

Just as Chen Sheng and Li Huaisheng were plotting in the dungeon, setting their sights on the Huang family's treasured Spirit Marrow Gu, the undercurrents in Changshan County did not stop, but instead became even more turbulent.

The three major families have already quietly begun their revenge against Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang.

After a secret meeting with the bandits of Qinglin River outside the city, the two sides reached an agreement: Gao Yuanfeng would not only eliminate Chen Sheng, a major threat, but also take the opportunity to kill Wu Kuang's elite confidants brought from the border army, thus completely severing his military foundation in Changshan County.

The Qinglin River bandits moved extremely quickly.

They frequently set out to stir up trouble on the busy Qinglinjiang waterway, robbing any passing merchant ships regardless of whether they had paid "peace money" or not. Their ruthless methods quickly created a climate of fear among the people on the waterway.

The Qinglin Waterway is a vital trade route connecting several counties and leading to the prefectural city; any disruption to it would have a significant impact.

If they abandoned the waterway and took the land route, not only would the transportation costs increase dramatically, but the various bandits entrenched in the rugged mountain roads would also pose a great threat. For a time, the merchants in Changshan County who relied on waterway transportation suffered heavy losses and were in dire straits.

Left with no other option, the merchants joined forces to seek an audience with the heads of the three major families, pleading with them to uphold justice, put pressure on the river bandits, and reclaim the stolen goods.

However, this was a scheme orchestrated by the three major families, so why would they genuinely try to mediate for them?

On the surface, Gao Yuanfeng, Huang Dongchun, and others appeased the merchants, expressing sympathy and concern, but secretly they cleverly directed their anger at the government.

They earnestly stated that only by dispatching a large army from the government could such rampant river bandits be completely eradicated and the trade routes restored to peace. They "suggested" that the merchants unite and go to the county government to petition and urge the government to send troops.

Under the covert instigation and guidance of the three powerful families, the merchants quickly reached a consensus and decided to gather at the county government office the next day to formally report the case and request the government to send troops to suppress the bandits.

Just as these various forces were stirring up trouble and a storm was brewing, Chen Sheng, after careful planning, finally decided to take action.

It is by no means easy to lure the Huang family's experts, especially those martial artists at the Marrow Transformation Realm, away from their lair.

They must create a crisis that will cause the Huang family immense pain and force them to take drastic measures. Just like the last time they wiped out the Seven Star Gang with lightning speed, this time, Chen Sheng is prepared to take another risky move and play a "feint attack."

His target was the west side of the city.

After the Seven Stars Gang was destroyed, its remaining forces disintegrated.

Some chose to submit to Yang Hu, while others fled to the west of the city seeking protection from the White Sand Gang.

The White Sand Gang was an important force secretly supported by the Huang family to control the western part of the city.

Given the precedent set by the Seven Star Gang, if any action is taken against the White Sand Gang, the Huang family will certainly not stand idly by and will send experts to rescue or suppress them.

Chen Sheng's plan was to use the pretext of pursuing the remaining rebels to lure out the Huang family's experts.

(End of this chapter)