knife

Chapter 712 Digging a hole
Cui Ming was seriously injured.

In order to extricate himself from the fight with Zhou Zhi, he had to trade injury for Zhou Zhi's retreat. If Zhou Zhi did not retreat, it would inevitably result in mutual destruction. For Zhou Zhi, who had the victory in his grasp, this was naturally not a worthwhile trade.

But what Cui Ming didn't expect was that he would run into Li Dachui and his wife during his escape.

So when bad luck strikes, even drinking cold water can cause problems.

Cui Ming felt it was just bad luck that he had run into the other person by sheer coincidence.
But for Li Dachui, everything was part of the design.

If it were just Li Dachui alone, it wouldn't be possible to precisely strike Cui Ming to the point where he couldn't manage affairs, yet he couldn't be killed, and he still had to make Cui Ming feel that he had a real chance of recovery. But if the couple worked together, they could handle it with ease.

In fact, at that moment, Cui Ming was essentially facing three innate masters: Li Dachui, Xiao Changche, and Jiang Qian.

Although Jiang Qian's cultivation was diminished after being absorbed by Li Dachui, it was still the full cultivation of a Xiantian master.

Cui Ming went straight back to the Cui family's old house, refusing to let Li Guohua and the others visit him.

The reason, of course, is to heal the wound.

Sitting cross-legged with his palms facing upwards, he carefully felt the many holes in his meridians and the dantian, and his face twitched involuntarily.

He finally managed to gather a wisp of true energy and slowly circulate it within his body, but it was like earth cracked from the sun; the moment this small stream of water flowed in, it vanished without a trace. And the parched earth didn't improve much at all.

Cui Ming's expression improved slightly; after all, it had been useful.

It may take a while.

Cui Shu walked in.

"Father, are you feeling better?"

Cui Ming nodded: "Is Li Guohua up to something again?"

Cui Shu recounted Li Guohua's apportionment of supplies to Cui Ming, saying, "These money, grain, and supplies are nothing, and our Cui family isn't unable to afford them. However, we absolutely cannot give them in this way. Li Guohua is testing us, but given our current situation, we can't refuse outright. So, my son gave 30%! He only said we'd gather the rest gradually. This way, we save face for both sides, make our stance clear, and subtly tell him not to think that just because we no longer have armored men, he can bully us at will!"

Cui Ming nodded slightly: "You handled this matter well. I understand Li Guohua's thoughts. He wants to complete the integration of the powerful families and take away the military power from us."

"He thinks beautifully!"

“Yes, without the sword handle, won’t they be free to do whatever they want? The armored men need to be rebuilt quickly!” Cui Ming said, “It’s not a big problem to gather another five thousand armored men from the old Cui family mansion. Although their combat strength is a bit weaker, with more training, they can still be quite satisfactory!”

“Your son has already arranged for someone to handle this matter again!” Cui Shu said, “But Father, we’ve lost Huxiaoyuan, and Lu Xin of Fanyang has colluded with Li Dachui again. I think Li Guohua’s intention is not to fight Li Dachui and his men to the death in Boling County. What should we do if Li Guohua abandons Boling County?” Cui Ming sighed, “If it really comes to that, then we can only withdraw from Boling County. We need to make two preparations. First, we need to rebuild the Armored Men. A strong armed force is the fundamental guarantee for us to defend our interests in the future. Second, we also need to prepare a retreat route in the rear. Nanyang is a good place. I have already sent the third and fifth brothers to Nanyang in advance.”

“Give up Boling County?” Cui Shu was taken aback.

“Otherwise what!” Cui Ming glanced at Cui Shu. “If you had held Huxiaoyuan, even if we had failed at Yangguan, we would still have had a fighting chance. But now that we’ve failed on both fronts, Boling County is no longer defensible. Li Guohua won’t fight to the death in Boling County. Retreating to places like Yuyang and Shanggu is the best strategy. For them, Boling is just a defensive line; once it’s lost, it’s lost. Your elder brother is doing well in Dongdu. In Nanyang, He Zudao has slaughtered many people, and large families have suffered heavy casualties. Now, bandits are rampant, and it’s difficult for ordinary people to survive there. But we are different. We have people, soldiers, money, and supplies. We can still live well there!”

Cui Shu took a deep breath. No wonder the third and fifth brothers were so bold; it turned out that their father gave them the confidence. They were clearly going to support their eldest brother and abandon themselves again!

Isn't it just that you feel you will inevitably fall in level in the future and never have the chance to enter the Innate Realm again, while your elder brother is only at the ninth rank of the Profound Origin Realm now, but he may still have a chance in the future, and now the Eastern Capital is stable, and Nanyang is without a master?
But what am I?
Once the entire Cui family moves to Nanyang, will they have a place to stand there?
"I understand, Father! I will do my best to fulfill your instructions!" Cui Shu asked, "Does Father need any assistance with his healing?"

“If you weren’t injured, you might still be able to help me. Now I can only rely on myself, but it will take a while!” Cui Ming said, “There’s a prescription I wrote on the table. Take it to the storeroom, prepare the medicine according to the prescription, and then bring it to me!”

"The family storeroom is full of rare medicinal herbs, which should help Father recover as soon as possible!"

"It's not that easy. I can only use the true qi of the Long River Technique to slowly nourish my meridians. If you hadn't fallen victim to that scoundrel Li Dachui's scheme, you could have helped me. Now I can only rely on myself!" Cui Ming sighed.

"Is it just a matter of needing clean Long River Technique true energy?" Cui Shu's eyes flickered.

Cui Ming nodded.

“Father, there is still a way!” Cui Shu walked to the bedside and lowered his voice.

"any solution?"

“Father, Li Zhengtai cultivates the Blood Jade Technique!” Cui Shu whispered, “Some time ago, I thought of a way to get a copy from him.”

Cui Ming sat up straight immediately: "You're planning to refine the Blood Jade Technique?"

“If we can’t completely get rid of the poison of the Qiankun Qi, I’m prepared to try the Blood Jade Technique!” Cui Shu said, “I have studied the Blood Jade Technique carefully and think you can give it a try. There are so many people in our family who practice the Long River Technique. As long as you use the Blood Jade Technique’s ability to absorb true qi, you can absorb the true qi of the Long River Technique and minimize the harm. After all, they are of the same kind and origin!”

"This kind of unorthodox skill?"

“Father, we must act quickly in this urgent situation. The Cui family needs you to recover as soon as possible!” Cui Shu said, “So many clansmen have cultivated and cultivated, but they only reach the fifth or sixth level of Qi Control. At best, they can only become armored warriors. But Father, you are the pillar of the Cui family!”

Cui Ming fell silent for a long while before finally saying, "Bring it here so I can take a look!"

"Okay!" Cui Shu nodded with a happy expression.

(End of this chapter)