knife

Chapter 713 Taking the bait
Outside the heavily guarded courtyard, Cui Shu hesitated for a long time before finally going inside.

Pushing open the door, my gaze fell upon the back of a person who was drinking tea and admiring plum blossoms by the window. The person's expression was extremely conflicted, and I couldn't tell whether it was hatred or awe.

The man turned around; it was Li Dachui. He looked at Cui Shu and smiled slightly: "You're back? Have a seat!"

Cui Shu walked over and sat down opposite Li Dachui. Watching Li Dachui take the initiative to pour tea for him, Cui Shu said with a bitter expression, "The Protector's plans are truly divine. My father really needs to prepare to practice the Blood Jade Technique!"

Li Dachui raised an eyebrow and said, "He agreed as soon as you asked?"

"He said he wanted me to take it to him for a look, but I know him, that means he's preparing to practice!" Cui Shu lowered her head.

"Didn't he ask where you got your Blood Jade Technique from?"

“I told him that because I was injured and couldn’t recover, I was prepared to completely give up what I had learned before and start practicing the Blood Jade Skill from scratch. So I had previously sought out Li Zhengtai and paid a great price to obtain the complete Blood Jade Skill from him!” Cui Shu said.

"Perfect!" Li Dachui laughed. "Now that you mention it, it's indeed flawless."

He gently pushed a box in front of Cui Shu and said, "This is the complete inheritance of the Blood Jade Technique! Give it to your father. With his abilities, he will be able to master it quickly. In less than a month, he will be able to absorb the Long River True Qi of your clan's disciples. The effect will definitely be very good. However, he will also find that the pitiful True Qi of some fifth or sixth-grade rabble is far from enough to meet his needs for rapid recovery. He needs better bait."

Cui Shu took a deep breath, sat up straight, her face tense and expressionless. After a long while, she said, "Perhaps it won't be as bad as you expect."

Li Dachui burst into laughter, "Have you ever heard of the 'Insufficient Song'?"

Cui Shu shook her head.

Li Dachui tapped the armrest of the chair with his hand and began to sing in a rhythmic and melodious voice.

They toil all day for hunger, and once they've had a full meal, they crave clothes.

With both food and clothing in abundance, he also longs for his beautiful wife.

He married a beautiful wife and had children, but lamented that he had no land and little foundation.

The fertile fields are vast, yet there are too few horses to ride when going out.

If the stable master has mules and horses, he fears he will be bullied if he has no official position.

He thought being a seventh-rank county official was too lowly, and he wanted to wear purple robes in the imperial court.

He was a first-rank official and prime minister, yet he still coveted the throne.

He was content to be the emperor, yet he also desired immortality.

Once you obtain the elixir of immortality, then you can challenge God to a duel.

Not content with what one has, what can one do about life?
If you want to satisfy the people's desires, it's like living in a dream!

Cui Shu glared angrily at Li Dachui, her face full of displeasure and rage.

"Your father will find many reasons for himself, such as that you are no longer capable of shouldering the responsibilities and cannot support the Cui family, while the other Cui family members are even less capable than you. Given the current situation, it can be said that a family without an innate foundation can only become a tool for others. So he does all this for the sake of the Cui family's thousand-year foundation! Look, what a good excuse!"

Cui Shu closed his eyes. He knew Li Dachui was right, because if it were him, he would definitely do the same. After all, his father was the same kind of person as him.

“Once your father starts doing this, he will embark on a path of no return. You will gain more supporters within the clan, because which of the Cui family experts who have painstakingly cultivated the Long River True Qi to the eighth or ninth grade of the Profound Origin Realm would be willing to be turned into a dried corpse by your father?”

At this point, Li Dachui paused, looked at Cui Shu, and asked, "Have you ever seen someone whose entire body's power has been absorbed by the Blood Jade Technique?" "I've read about it in books!"

“Once your father gets the hang of it, you can admire it for yourself and then show it to your clansmen!” Li Dachui said, “The reason why the Blood Jade Technique is so evil is that it not only absorbs internal energy, but also blood and flesh, and essence. Anything useful in a person’s body will be absorbed by it. After being absorbed by the Blood Jade Technique, a person is left with only a skin, which is indeed a bit of a gruesome sight!”

Cui Shu's hands trembled slightly: "Li Dachui, you, you are a devil!"

Li Dachui shrugged: "Cui Shu, you chose this path yourself. I just gave you the right to choose. If you regret it now, I'll leave immediately! I'll take the Blood Jade Technique with me and pretend this never happened."

Cui Shu looked at Li Dachui, but slowly placed her hand on the Blood Jade Technique rubbing and put it away.

Li Dachui chuckled: "At this point, as long as you make your stance clear, you'll definitely gain more support within the family. After all, no one wants to be someone else's sustenance. Now, the medicine I gave you can finally make its appearance!"

Cui Shu's hand trembled, and her head drooped.

"At this point, regardless of whether your clansmen discover it or not, they will remain silent because you have solved their major problem!" Li Dachui said, "When that time comes, I can completely resolve the issue of the Qi within your body. You will not fall from your cultivation level; you will become the only Xiantian cultivator in the Cui family! This family will be yours!"

“By then, won’t I still become your puppet?” Cui Shu sighed. “Because I’ll have no other choice.”

“We’re partners!” Li Dachui smiled. “Cui Shu, you know very well that the Cui family may still have a choice, and may be able to hold on for a few more years, but you won’t. Your martial arts cultivation, your status, your wealth will all vanish. If the Southern Cui family really goes to Nanyang, will you still have a place to stand? A true man cannot be without power for a single day.”

"After I cooperate with you, will Boling still belong to the Cui family?"

Li Dachui picked up his teacup, took a sip, and laughed, "The Cui family's old residence is here, and no one can take it away. But I think the Cui family should split up, just like the Chang family. You know the Chang family outside the pass, right? Also, I can tell you something else. Jiang Chong of Jiangling in Southern Chu has already sent people to start acquiring land outside the pass. The first wave of investment was over a million taels of silver. The Cui family has a longer history than the Jiang family."

Cui Shu didn't say anything more. He put the Blood Jade Skill into his pocket, stood up, turned around and walked out the door.

Behind him, Li Dachui leisurely sipped his tea.

A breeze blew in from outside the window, and a few red plum blossoms detached from their branches, fluttering gently into the window and landing on the table.

Li Dachui reached out and picked up a plum blossom, brought it to his nose, and took a deep sniff.

Fragrant!
Several days later, Cui Shu brought an armored man who had lost an arm and had escaped from the battlefield to Cui Ming's quiet room where he was recuperating.

Standing outside the quiet room, Cui Shu suddenly heard several short, low, inhuman growls coming from inside, and her eyelids twitched involuntarily.

After a long while, Cui Shu pushed open the door and entered at Cui Ming's call from inside the house.

The situation inside the room made Cui Shu's whole body stiffen.

Just as Li Dachui said, the person he brought in was now nothing more than a human skin, lying loosely on the ground.

He swallowed hard.

"It really works!" Cui Ming's somewhat pleased voice came from the bed. "It's just that this person's cultivation level is too low. If I had enough true energy, I could recover in three months at most!"

"Father, I will make the arrangements!" Cui Shu bowed, his voice trembling slightly.

"However, the side effects are extremely obvious!" Cui Ming exhaled, and Cui Shu could see that the breath her father exhaled was red. "Don't get involved unless absolutely necessary!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)