txolops Chapter 69 Changes
Chapter 69 Changes
On the tenth day, the Five Refinements of Thunder Bone were completed!
Zhou Qiuyuan left his residence and went to the Ji family's house.
White banners and lanterns were hung inside and outside the Ji family mansion, and white paper was pasted on the gate.
Has someone in the Ji family passed away?
Zhou Qiuyuan's activities were limited in scope; he did not go to the Ji family mansion in his future dream, and therefore was unaware of this matter.
He stepped forward and knocked on the side door of the Ji family's house.
"Young Master Zhou, please come in..."
The gatekeeper, dressed in plain clothes, respectfully invited Zhou Qiuyuan into the main hall. Zhou Qiuyuan saw that all the servants were dressed in plain clothes, and there were five coffins in the main hall.
The direct descendants of the Ji family, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt and bowed before the coffin.
One of the memorial tablets bears the name Ji Shouyi, the head of the Ji family.
Ji Xiuyuan greeted him wearily, forcing a smile as he said, "Brother Zhou, you've arrived."
Zhou Qiuyuan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Please accept my condolences."
"Brother Zhou's monthly allowance will continue as usual, however, the Ji family will have to suspend the supply of the secret medicine for a period of time."
"The Dong family of Tianqiao City is purging the smaller families in the outer city. In order to force the Ji family to pledge allegiance, they have cut off the supply of medicine, and all of the Ji family's pharmacies have been closed..."
"My father refused to submit and was killed by the bandits, resulting in heavy casualties among the body-refining practitioners in the clan..."
"If the Dong family hadn't been short-handed when they first arrived in Black Swamp City and needed a pharmacist to concoct medicine for them, the Ji family would probably have been wiped out long ago."
Ji Xiuyuan's eyes shone with anticipation as he said, "The Ji family is looking for a master to help us. I wonder if Lord Wei would be willing to step forward?"
The Dong family originated from the inner city of Tianqiao and possessed several Vajra Realm body refiners. Even the Ji family and several other families, united in mutual support, could not contend with them.
The Ji family can only seek powerful external assistance from those at the late stage of the Vajra Realm.
Those who cultivate their bodies in the late Vajra Realm are not unknown figures; they are either patriarchs of families in the outer city or have entered the inner city in pursuit of immortality.
It's not easy to invite a strong person of this level.
When Ji Xiuyuan saw Zhou Qiuyuan arrive, he turned to him for help.
Zhou Qiuyuan looked troubled and shook his head, saying, "Brother Ji knows that my master is unwell and has been recuperating at home, so he is unable to get involved in such an important matter."
Although he had a good impression of the Ji family, he could not let his master get involved in a life-or-death vortex just because of the Ji family's secret medicine.
Although Ji Xiuyuan had expected this, he still couldn't help but sigh.
After paying his respects, Zhou Qiuyuan declined the Ji family's invitation to a banquet and hurriedly went to his master's residence.
Paper money was scattered everywhere on the streets, and many shops were closed, creating a desolate scene.
There were nearly half fewer pedestrians on the street, and most of them looked pale and thin. There were also more beggars along the street.
The master's residence.
Luo Tong was seen meditating cross-legged, while Lu Chengping was nowhere to be found.
To be precise, he had not seen Lu Chengping for several days.
The conflict between the forces of Tianqiao City and Black Swamp City has intensified. Over the past ten days, numerous open and covert battles have broken out both inside and outside the city, resulting in casualties on both sides.
When he went to the city for trials in his future dream, he almost got caught in the crossfire.
Zhou Qiuyuan found his master Wei Jin and told him about Ji Shouyi's death.
Wei Jin sighed and coughed violently, "These are truly turbulent times."
"The situation in Black Swamp City is getting increasingly chaotic. If the city falls out of control, you can bring your family here for refuge."
Wei Jin is a body refiner in the late stage of the Vajra Realm, and his daughter is a prodigy who joined the Blackwater Sect. Neither the forces of Black Swamp City nor the people who migrated from Tianqiao City dared to provoke him.
As long as the Wei and Jin dynasties didn't meddle in other people's business, no fools would come to provoke them.
"Thank you, Master."
Zhou Qiuyuan cupped his hands in greeting and began his cultivation.
He adjusted his cultivation time with Luo Tong and returned to the residence at 1-3 PM.
Inside the courtyard, Zhou Chengwu and Shen Wan were at home, while Liu Mei's father was a guest.
"Xiao Mei and Qiu Yuan grew up together, and the two can be described as a match made in heaven."
Since Liu Mei left the Ji family, her family has had no second courtyard to live in.
The Ji family gave them ten taels of gold as a leave fee, but prices in the city were high, and ten taels of gold would not last long.
In recent days, Black Swamp City has become increasingly unsafe, with more and more robberies, thefts, and murders, causing widespread fear among the residents.
When Liu Mei's father learned that Zhou Qiuyuan had become successful, he even thought about arranging a marriage between their families and finding a powerful backer in the city.
Liu Mei, who had previously been quite resistant to this matter, agreed to it contrary to her usual behavior, which led to her father's visit.
Shen Wan politely declined, saying, "I am focused on cultivation and have no plans to marry for the time being."
News of Black Swamp City spread extremely quickly. The fact that Zhou Qiuyuan's family had left the tenement did not mean they had become completely deaf. How could they not know that Liu Mei had become the mistress of a rich young master?
Shen Wan, eager to have a grandson and with a promising future for her son, didn't want him to settle for a stale relationship.
"Son, why are you back?" Zhou Chengwu was slightly surprised to see Zhou Qiuyuan return early, as he usually came home in the evening.
Zhou Qiuyuan replied with a smile, "The city has been rather unsettled lately, so it's safer to stay at home."
When Liu Mei's father saw Zhou Qiuyuan, he immediately became polite, showing a bit of restraint in front of the younger man.
It's almost time!
Zhou Qiuyuan didn't chat much. When he returned to the east wing, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashed in his eyes.
At the same time, four masked men stood outside the courtyard wall, holding long knives and exuding a murderous aura.
"This family has a body cultivator, should we give up?" a voice asked hesitantly.
"Ordinary people in the city are all poor, there's no profit to be made. Once you pull off a big heist, you'll never have to risk robbing people in the city again."
"We spent seven or eight days scouting the place and figuring out that person's habits."
"I just confirmed today, that person isn't home."
"Hurry up and don't alert the neighbors or the authorities."
"Take the money and food and leave immediately."
The four men had just climbed over the courtyard wall when they startled Zhou Chengwu, Shen Wan, and Liu Mei's father, who had not yet left. As they looked into the inner courtyard, they saw four masked men with knives heading straight for the main room.
Zhou Chengwu immediately recognized these as uninvited guests. He grabbed an iron rod hidden in the main room and demanded, "Who are you?"
"Blame this damn world!"
The four men quickly caught up, raising their knives high and launching a fierce attack.
"court death!"
The door to the east wing opened, and Zhou Qiuyuan had barely finished speaking when he suddenly appeared in front of a masked man holding a knife.
A flash of purple light disappeared in an instant, and the masked man who had just spoken had a gaping hole in his throat, and he collapsed with a thud.
"Why are you home?"
The three men in black stared in disbelief at the figure that had appeared before them as if teleported. "Wasn't this person a newly appointed body cultivator?"
They naturally chose the weakest of the weak, and after searching for a long time in the city, they finally found a body cultivator who was not very strong but had money.
They had scouted the location beforehand, and there were lookouts and backup outside; they were well-prepared.
How did the person who left manage to get home?
Are the people keeping watch blind?
They tried to escape, but it was too late.
Zhou Qiuyuan appeared like a ghost behind a man in black. His fingers, glowing with purple light, were like indestructible divine weapons, each strike taking a life.
Some even tried to use knives to block the purple sword pointing at them.
But... a hundred-forged knife is as fragile as paper; it breaks with a single puncture, and the knife is destroyed, the person dies.
The purple light faded, and all four masked men fell to the ground, none of them alive.