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

Chapter 43 The Huang Family's Shock and Fury

Deep within the Huang residence, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Huang Dongchun had just stepped into the mansion and hadn't even changed out of his dust-covered robes when he was struck by a bolt from the blue—the family's heirloom, the Spirit Marrow Gu, had been stolen!
"What did you say?! The spirit gu... how could it have been stolen?!"

He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, a surge of hot blood rushing to his head, and he could no longer hide his shock and anger; his voice trembled slightly.

What kind of existence is the Spirit Marrow Gu?

That is the foundation of the Huang family's legacy, which they have cultivated over generations with painstaking efforts and massive resources!
With this Gu, the family can reliably produce a martial artist at the Marrow Transformation Realm every ten years or so, ensuring that the family's top position in Changshan County remains unshaken. Its importance to the Huang family cannot even be simply measured in gold and silver.

Now, this treasure that sustains the family's fortune has vanished despite the family's heavy guard!

This is a rare find. It was an incredible stroke of luck to obtain that larva back then. Now, even if the Huang family were willing to give up everything, where could they possibly find another one?
"I just found out too..."

The Huang family elder who arrived from the side also had a livid face and a hoarse voice.

Their gazes simultaneously fell upon Huang's great-uncle, who sat silently in the main seat. This white-haired old man seemed to have aged even more, and a cold glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"Someone took advantage of the situation."

Huang's great-uncle's voice was hoarse and low, filled with suppressed anger, "By the time I received the alarm and rushed there, it was too late. The two juniors guarding the secret place... had already been murdered."

His words were concise yet carried immense weight.

"How can this be?!"

Huang Dongchun frowned, incredulous. "The location of the secret room under the ancestral hall is extremely secret, known to no more than ten people in the clan! How could the infiltrator have found it so accurately? Could it be... that there is a traitor within my Huang family, secretly colluding with the enemy?"

Moreover, the two guards were no ordinary people either; they were both experts in the Bone Forging Realm. The fact that the patriarch called them "juniors" was simply due to their seniority.

Even when faced with a formidable enemy, how could they have failed to send out even the slightest warning signal?
"They died of poisoning."

The Huang family's great-uncle slammed his cane heavily on the ground, making a dull thud. "The other party used extremely sophisticated poison techniques. They may have been poisoned in an instant, without even having time to react."

"Poison?"

Huang Dongchun was stunned again. When did such a master of poison appear in Changshan County? Several names flashed through his mind, but he quickly ruled them out one by one.

“I suspect… it’s Li Huaisheng,” the Huang family uncle slowly uttered the name.

"Li Huaisheng?!"

Huang Dongchun suddenly turned his head to look at another elder, his eyes filled with astonishment and questioning.

The elder nodded solemnly, confirming his great-uncle's guess:
“I infiltrated the North City Military Camp prison and searched it carefully, but I didn’t find any trace of Li Huaisheng. At the time, I thought he might have been secretly executed. I created that chaos to vent my anger and confuse the public. I never expected that he had already defected to Chen Sheng!”

"That treacherous bastard!" Huang Dongchun's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he gritted his teeth and cursed.

At this moment, as the three of them spoke one after another, the outline of the truth became clearly emerging.

It must be that Li Huaisheng, during his years as a retainer in the Huang family, somehow discovered the secret of the Spirit Essence Gu.

After being captured, in order to save his life, he used this secret as a stepping stone to join Chen Sheng's side and advance his career.

The two then conspired to set a trap. Chen Sheng used the pretext of pursuing the remnants of the Seven Star Gang and coercing the White Sand Gang to lure the main force of the Huang family to the west of the city. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Huaisheng, who was fully aware of the Huang family's internal arrangements, quietly sneaked into the mansion and stole the Spirit Marrow Gu.

Huang Dongchun suddenly realized what had happened, and a feeling of shame and indignation at being fooled welled up in his heart.

No wonder Chen Sheng acted so aggressively and arrogantly in front of the Baisha Gang. It turns out that it was all an act. His real purpose was not to target the Baisha Gang, but to lure them away and buy time so that Li Huaisheng could succeed.

The Huang family was actually manipulated by this young man!
"In the past... I really underestimated this kid."

The Huang family's great-uncle sighed deeply, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity.

For some time, the local powerful families had focused their attention on Wu Kuang, regarding Chen Sheng as nothing more than a tool to be used. Even after he swiftly destroyed the Seven Star Gang, the three major families did not truly regard him as an opponent to be treated as an equal. They only felt that he was relying on Wu Kuang's power and were even confident that they could easily eliminate him in the upcoming Qinglinjiang plan.

Unexpectedly, this young man, though young, possessed such profound and cunning schemes, and his methods were so intricately linked that they were impossible to guard against.

"So what should we do now? Are we just going to sit idly by and watch the Spirit Essence Gu fall into this kid's hands?"

Huang Dongchun was extremely unwilling, his chest was filled with murderous intent, and he even had the impulse to immediately gather his troops, launch a strong attack on the North City Martial Camp, capture and kill Chen Sheng, and take back the treasure.

After pondering for a long time, Huang's great-uncle slowly shook his head, rejecting this rash idea:
"No, if we push him into a corner, he might destroy the Spirit Marrow Gu in a desperate situation. We will regret it. The Spirit Marrow Liquid we used six years ago has not yet been regenerated. Even if Chen Sheng obtains the Spirit Marrow Gu, he will not be able to use it to break through in a short period of time."

Perhaps... we could use this as a starting point to negotiate with him.

He paused, a shrewd calculation flashing in his cloudy old eyes: "We can tell him the truth that the Spirit Marrow Liquid is empty, and persuade him to hand over the Spirit Marrow Gu. As the price in exchange..."

His gaze swept over Huang Dongchun, and he slowly said, "My Huang family can send our eldest daughter to marry him, and offer three thousand taels of silver as a sign of our sincerity and our desire to turn hostility into friendship."

"Grand Uncle, haven't we already made an agreement with the Gao and Yang families to meet at Qinglin Waterway..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Dongchun looked anxious and hesitated to speak.

It was hard for him to accept bowing down and showing goodwill to Chen Sheng, who had just humiliated him.

"Confused!"

Huang's great-uncle interrupted sharply, his tone turning cold: "The matter of the Spirit Marrow Gu concerns the rise and fall of my Huang family for centuries. How can we treat it so lightly because of a moment of anger? Moreover, the Yang family's attitude is ambiguous, and they have long harbored the intention of playing both sides. Why can't my Huang family go with the flow?"

Ultimately, there's no blood feud between my Huang family and Chen Sheng like the Gao family's. The Gao family sees him as a thorn in their side, firstly because of the losses suffered by the Seven Star Gang, and secondly because of the rumored 'murder of their father.' If Chen Sheng is willing, accepting him as a son-in-law with such amazing potential might not be a bad thing for my Huang family's future."

Huang's great-uncle was clearly more far-sighted and calm, and was not blinded by momentary anger.

Huang Dongchun's expression shifted, but he remained silent. The thought of swallowing his pride and showing goodwill to Chen Sheng was a hurdle he simply couldn't overcome.

Seeing this, an elder standing nearby pressed for an answer:
"Grand Uncle, what if Chen Sheng... refuses?"

The last trace of warmth vanished from Huang's great-uncle's eyes, replaced by a chilling killing intent as cold as winter. He spoke indifferently, each word distinct:

"If he refuses to listen to reason and has to suffer the consequences... then let him disappear from this world completely."

……

Inside the military camp and government office in the northern city.

Chen Sheng had just finished a cycle of Qi circulation, and his blood and Qi were surging continuously throughout his body.

Yan Ming walked in quietly and bowed to report:
"Commander, there is a man outside the mansion who claims to be an elder of the Huang family. He says he has come to deliver the fine to the White Sand Gang and requests an audience with you, Commander."

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.

His mind raced, and he immediately realized that the Huang family must have discovered the theft of the Spirit Essence Gu and had accurately pinpointed him as the suspect.

He was not surprised by this. The timing of his mobilization of the Huang family's main force to the west of the city was too coincidental. If the other side reviewed the situation carefully, it would not be difficult to discover the trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

After a moment's thought, Chen Sheng's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

It would be good to meet them; it would be a good opportunity to see what tricks the Huang family could pull.

"Let him in."

"Yes, I obey."

Yan Ming accepted the order and bowed as he withdrew.

(End of this chapter)