txolops Chapter 39 Do you want it?
Chapter 39 Do you want it?
"Look, this is Shi Lichou. She married into the Xu family and has utterly disgraced the Shi family!"
Today, the Xu family came to arrange a marriage. Looking at Shi Lichou leaving with the Xu family, all the members of the Shi family felt disgusted, even nauseous.
There was no reluctance to part, no long farewell; there was only a cold stare.
From the moment Shi Lichou agreed, everything was kept simple, and the entire process was completed in just three days.
Shi Lichou made only one request: to leave the Shi family with his younger brother.
Living under someone else's roof isn't easy, but it's better than being at risk of being forcibly taken from the Shi family at any moment.
The Shi family agreed, and the Xu family agreed; everything proceeded so smoothly.
Nowadays, rumors are circulating throughout the Shi family that Shi Lichou has climbed the social ladder by marrying into the Xu family.
Both the direct descendants and collateral branches felt deeply ashamed, believing that he had completely disgraced the aristocratic family.
It was only then that Shi Lichou realized that he and his brother didn't have a single friend in the Shi family.
Second Uncle Shi Xiangsheng used the excuse of keeping them in the inner courtyard for instruction. He had previously thought it was because Second Uncle was kind to them, but now he realized that this made their position extremely awkward.
The direct descendants look down on them, while the collateral branches are filled with envy and jealousy.
Now that they're in trouble, it's already a good thing that those people aren't kicking them while they're down.
So when a rumor first appears, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not, because everyone wants to believe it's true.
On the other side, Shen Che quietly watched as Shi Lichou was forced into the Xu family.
At this moment, Shi Lichou was at her most humiliated and resentful, which was also the perfect time to make a move.
It wasn't that he didn't want to make a move sooner, it was just that Shi Lichou's talent points were a bit off.
External martial arts training requires both talent and resources. If one trains intensively for a long time without nourishment, internal damage will inevitably occur, and the body will eventually become depleted.
If you don't master the skills by then, you might end up killing yourself from overworking.
Previously, Shi Lichou had nothing; if she stayed in the Shi family, she might not even be able to get a meal.
Shen Che could provide some assistance with medicinal resources and such.
But Shi Lichou's good second uncle doesn't seem like an easy person to get along with.
Based on previous observations, if he continues to loiter around his second uncle Shi Xiangsheng, Shi Xiangsheng probably won't be able to sleep peacefully unless he kills the two brothers.
Getting married is better than being caught in accidents every few days. The Xu family only wants to use someone else's seed; as long as Shi Lichou can still have children, he's safe.
If you perform well, there might be a reward.
You'll suffer hardship to ease your sorrow, but once you've achieved spiritual enlightenment, I'll help you enjoy blessings!
As night approached, Shi Lichou sat on the bed waiting for his bride—no, waiting for his mistress to favor him.
At this moment, he couldn't see what his mindset was, but Shen Che could understand that it must be one of heartache and despair.
Although his dantian was not completely shattered, it was already damaged. He could not master the secret techniques, and his martial arts achievements were destined to be limited. Now, he had even become a live-in son-in-law.
Life seems to have already reached its end.
"Do you feel like you have no hope?"
"Who?" The sudden voice in his mind startled Shi Lichou awake, but he was not too panicked.
There are many secret techniques in the world, so it's not surprising that there are some that can directly transmit sound into a person's mind.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I want to help you. I can give you a new way out, a path that will lead you to the top just like before!"
"Help me?" He understood that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
What do you want?
"What I want is very simple: I want all your strength in your final moments."
"I can give you the chance to reach the top, but I ask that you dedicate all your strength to me in your final moments. Is that too much to ask?"
"Is that all?" It's not just not excessive; the voice in my mind made it very clear that it wanted his power, but would only take it away when he was on his deathbed.
I've gotten everything I was meant to get, and it's not a loss for me to give up all my strength when I'm about to die.
He needs to have power, but he has nothing right now, so the other party is gambling with his future.
"The future? Do I even have a future now?" After only a moment of silence, Shi Lichou had already made her decision.
He's already in the dust, with no hope of turning things around.
The other party, however, wants his future power, or rather, the ability to help him have a good future so that he can reap the rewards in the end; that's enough for them.
Even if I wanted everything from him, that would be the last thing I would do.
"I agree. Now tell me what to do!"
"Very good!" Shen Che nodded, never expecting things to go so smoothly.
"Have you ever considered another path: training your external martial arts skills?"
"External training? External martial arts? If you can't even cultivate internal energy, then your skills are only good for performance."
"You don't know about external martial arts?" Shen Che's voice paused slightly, and he immediately grasped the key point.
"I have a cultivation technique here that would be very suitable for you, called 'Armor Shattering.' You can give it a try. Trust me, you'll definitely have a different experience."
"Shatter Armor!" This external martial arts technique is among the top-tier techniques in the entire Hidden Sword Manor, and it is the only external martial arts technique in the manor that can be called superior.
Upon initial success in cultivation, one's body becomes like a silver armor, impervious to swords and spears, possessing unparalleled strength, and an inexhaustible and continuous source of power.
It can easily take on ten opponents of the same level, and its power is immense.
Of course, it has many advantages, but also many disadvantages.
Not to mention the resources this thing consumes, ordinary small households simply can't afford it.
Its cultivation process is extremely harsh and painful; it is essentially a self-harming cultivation method.
The first step is to shatter one's own Qi Sea and merge it into one's flesh and blood.
In addition to strengthening the skin, muscles, and bones, one must continuously extend the Qi Sea to dissolve the Qi into the flesh and blood, which means enduring the pain of the Qi Sea breaking every day.
Of course, that's in comparison to the aforementioned drawbacks. The last drawback is the most fatal: this technique consumes one's life force!
Practicing internal cultivation techniques, even ordinary internal cultivation methods, can result in long and abundant breaths and nourished vitality for those who achieve mastery. The higher the level of cultivation, the longer one can live.
This method is different; it strengthens muscles, bones, and flesh, but its nourishing effect on the body is not obvious. On the contrary, long-term practice can easily harm oneself.
The older one gets, the stronger one becomes, but the greater the physical burden is, making one appear weaker on the surface.
There are rumors that if you encounter someone who cultivates the Shattered Armor technique, but their face looks like gold paper and their complexion is sallow, it is a bad omen.
Then don't hesitate, just run. There's a good chance you can't win.
Some have suggested that if one can cultivate an internal skill simultaneously, the combined internal and external nourishment will undoubtedly increase its power, and its shortcomings can also be eliminated.
Unfortunately, the first step in breaking the armor requires shattering the Qi Sea, making it impossible to cultivate internal energy, so the suggestion could only remain on paper.
Someone once possessed this martial arts manual and traded it for a famous sword from Hidden Sword Manor.
If it weren't for so many flaws, this skill wouldn't be something that could be obtained with just a good sword.
This is also why Shen Che chose to reap the rewards when the other party was on their deathbed—this was the easiest condition to be agreed to. Besides, the other party certainly wouldn't live that long anyway, so he could afford to wait.
At this moment, Shi Lichou was carefully trying to understand the "Armor Shattering" technique. The various harsh conditions for cultivation made him hesitate for a moment.
But in the end, he suddenly smiled and thought that he had nothing left to lose, so what was the harm in giving it a try?
"Horizontal Strength? I've never heard of that before. Who are you? Are you really a member of the martial arts world?"
Shi Lichou's questioning voice rang out, seemingly talking to herself, yet also seemingly addressing Shen Che.
"You gave me this skill, so I must reciprocate!"
Just as Shen Che was about to call it quits, Shi Lichou spoke up again, "You're probably not from around here, are you? In that case, would you like some of the Shi family's secret techniques?"