knife

Chapter 715 Killing the Father

Holding a bowl of freshly brewed medicinal soup, Cui Ming gently pushed open the door. Sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, Cui Ming opened his eyes, glanced at him, and then slowly closed them again. A trace of color finally appeared on his previously pale face.

Setting down the soup bowl, Cui Shu said in a low voice, "The Blood Jade Technique is indeed extraordinary. In just over ten days, you've already recovered!"

"It's just repairing the meridians. Li Dachui's Qiankun Qi and Xiao Changche's Fatian are both domineering and vicious true qi!" Cui Ming gasped for breath and said, "Their combined attack almost shattered all the true qi in my body. But it's thanks to that that I didn't end up like you. Now, with the Blood Jade Technique as a foundation and absorbing enough true qi from the Long River Technique, theoretically I can recover to my peak condition!"

Cui Shu sighed, didn't reply, picked up the medicine soup, and handed it to Cui Ming.

Looking at the other person's expression, Cui Ming raised an eyebrow: "Is there a lot of opposition from your family?"

"I have ordered all routes out of the Cui family's old residence to be sealed off!" Cui Shu said. "No one can leave easily."

Cui Ming snorted and said coldly, "They enjoy wealth and luxury in their daily lives, but when it comes to sacrificing for the family, none of them are willing. They can only share wealth and luxury, not hardship. What use are such family members?"

“Yes! So those people will appear here soon!” Cui Shu said.

"Hmm! I estimate that in another three to five days, I will be able to fully repair the injuries to my meridians, and then the Long River True Qi I absorb will help me recover!"

"What percentage can be utilized?"

"Because they are of the same kind and origin, the utilization rate is still very high. I estimate it to be around 70% or 80%!" Cui Ming laughed. "In that case, as long as I have three or five Xuan Yuan Ninth Grade cultivators, I can almost replenish my cultivation and return to my pre-battle level. In the next few days, I will also carefully study this Blood Jade Technique and see how to discard its dross and extract its essence!"

"I'm afraid it's difficult, otherwise Li Zhengtai would have achieved so little despite cultivating for so long!"

"That's because they're unwilling to use people within their clan who practice the same cultivation method!" Cui Ming picked up the medicine, drank it all in one gulp, and laughed, "Li Zhengtai inhaled all sorts of things and ended up looking like this. I only inhaled the Long River True Qi, so the side effects were naturally minimal."

“Only our Cui family has the courage, and of course, only we have the strength!” Cui Shu said.

"If you're going to do something big, how can you hold back! Innate cultivation is rare, but as long as the base is large enough and there are enough people with cultivation, we can make up for it sooner or later! Although there are some unpleasant side effects, I'm old enough to have nothing to worry about."

"Yes, Father is the pillar of the clan. With Father here, the clan will naturally exist!"

Cui Ming chuckled and looked at Cui Shu, saying, "Why is your breathing a little unstable?"

Cui Shu was startled and covered up, saying, "Father knows. I was ambushed by that Li Dachui. The poison of my true qi will flare up from time to time."

“Boling County is probably beyond our control. We’ll be moving to Nanyang next. You’ll stay in Chang’an. The Black Ice Platform there will be quite beneficial to your injuries, at least it can suppress the fire poison when it flares up!” Cui Ming said. “You’ve only recently entered the Innate Realm, and your cultivation is unstable. If you can use the power of the Black Ice Platform to maintain your Innate Realm, it will be a great help to the Cui family!”

“Son will try his best! But Father, there’s something I don’t understand. Must we support Linghu Ye?” Cui Shu asked. “Is there any possibility that we can make peace with Li Dachui? For our Cui family, we’ve never even thought about the throne. So, isn’t supporting someone the same as supporting someone else?”

Cui Ming snorted and said, "I have a blood feud with Li Dachui for killing my father and mother. Do you think he would let our Cui family go?" "But this time on Tiger Roar Plain, he cooperated with the Lu family of Fanyang. Lu Xin's father even personally participated in the battle to kill He Qingqiu! Li Dachui values ​​practicality more than these empty words."

"You're overthinking it!" Cui Ming shook his head. "Lu Xin's father died on the spot, and the hatred has dissipated with his death. My unwillingness to negotiate with Li Dachui is not only because of the feud between our generations, but more so because if we become allied with Li Dachui, at some point in the future, the Cui family will no longer be the Cui family!"

"What could that be?" Cui Shu asked curiously.

"If we cooperate with Linghu Ye, the emperor will forever remain just one of our representatives. When he works for our interests, we'll elevate him to the status of a wise and virtuous ruler, ensuring his place in history. If he no longer represents our interests, or if the world descends into chaos, we'll throw him out to take the blame, leaving him infamous for eternity. But if we cooperate with Li Dachui, the Cui family will inevitably become vassals of imperial power, his white gloves, accomplices, and henchmen. When problems arise, we'll be the ones abandoned. Therefore, for the sake of our family's long-term survival, we absolutely cannot allow someone like Li Dachui to win this grand drama of vying for supremacy!"

Cui Shu remained silent.

Cui Ming continued, "What Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao did in their last few years was to sacrifice families like ours to protect the interests of the imperial power, but they failed. But Li Dachui has been planning ahead for this from now on, starting from Beiting. The Chang family outside the pass is powerful, right? Their wealth and military strength are comparable to our Cui family, but now, does the Chang family still have the resources to challenge Li Dachui?"

“I understand, son!” Cui Shu stood up, bowed, and said, “You should rest well. I will go and find a good fighter for you to bring over.”

“Go ahead. There are some things you need to think about carefully, think them deeply. Do you think I’m making an enemy of Li Dachui just to protect myself?” Cui Ming snorted coldly. “I know that I arranged for the third and fifth brothers to go to Nanyang a few days ago, and shifted the family resources to Nanyang, which made you unhappy. But wasn’t that because you were seriously injured and hadn’t recovered?”

Cui Shu turned and walked out of the quiet room, gently closing the door behind him. But he didn't leave; instead, he stood quietly at the doorway.

To heal your injuries, you sacrificed countless skilled members of your clan, all for the sake of the clan's long-term plan.

Wasn't healing my injuries also for the continuation of the family line?
The tide of the world has clearly turned in Li Dachui's favor, so why can't you see it?
The Chang family members now hold high positions and wield great power in the Beiting Protectorate. If Li Dachui succeeds, they will be even more powerful than before.
Father, please don't blame me!

I believe my choice was the right one.

Cui Shu clenched her fists.

Behind me, the breathing in the quiet room was steady and long.

Gradually, the sound grew softer and softer, the intervals between breaths grew longer and longer, and finally, there was no sound at all.

Even the sound of a heartbeat has disappeared.

Cui Shu took a deep breath and strode into the distance.

Soon, people will discover that the old patriarch has passed away, and he, from now on, has truly become the patriarch of the Cui family.

(End of this chapter)