There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 49 I was captivated

A gentle evening breeze swept by, and the long street was deserted.

Chen Qing suddenly came to his senses, but the moon-white figure had already vanished without a trace.

"Five days later, at midnight on the last day of the month, at the Heavenly Evolution Platform..."

He looked up into the heavily guarded depths of the celestial palace, his mind racing: "With Xu Qingfeng's cultivation level, it's pointless for him to deceive me. I've been in this dream for four days now, and I'll have to wake up in three more days. To meet the five-day deadline, I'll need to expend a trace of energy to continue the dream. There's much to be done between waking and dreaming!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Qing saw no sign of Lü Feng and did not linger. He quickly moved away, but not to return to Qinlu. He had made an agreement with Lü Feng before leaving that if this trip was exposed, they would meet in the secret passage behind the dry well in the "Old Agarwood Workshop" in the south of the city.

"But then again, what real hidden places are there in Yujing City? It's just a gamble on timing, betting that those big shots don't care about a nobody like me yet."

At the end of the narrow alley, amidst the overgrown weeds, a dry well lay half-hidden. Without stopping, Chen Qing leaped down into it.

The underground mechanism was activated, revealing a deep and damp tunnel. At the end, in a small stone chamber, Lü Feng sat cross-legged on a futon, with a Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither) lying across his lap. Yin Lin'er stood by his side, looking tense.

"How is it?" Lu Feng's empty eye sockets "stared" at the entrance, his face full of solemnity. "When I saw you being surrounded earlier, I was about to take action, but a gust of wind blew by, and when I came to my senses, I was already here."

"That's normal. The person who made the move is no ordinary person."

As Chen Qing spoke, he briefly recounted what he had seen and heard at Lan Yue Villa. When he mentioned that the other party was determined to recruit him, Lü sneered, "The Donghai Marquis's lineage has always been two-faced. It's easy for them to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. That's only to be expected."

But when Chen Qing mentioned the attack on the long street, Xu Qingfeng's appearance, and the revelation of the Empress's conspiracy to steal the heavens and the five-day deadline, the air in the stone chamber suddenly froze!
"The Seventh Prince actually possesses such cultivation? He can see through the Empress's schemes?" Lu Feng was shocked and couldn't believe that the legendary carefree prince was such a hidden talent.
"He claims to be caught in the middle of the situation and unable to intervene personally, but he is willing to tear a crack in the Star Forbidden Zone for me. Otherwise, if the Empress succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable," Chen Qing said in a deep voice. "It's hard to tell whether his words are true or false, but things have come to this point, so we have no choice but to take a gamble!"

"The Way of Heaven is like a net, binding all living beings! How could such a momentous event fall upon us? What he said may not even be true!" Lu Feng remained silent for a long time before letting out a deep sigh: "That Heavenly Evolution Platform is a forbidden area within a forbidden area of ​​the Immortal Palace, protected by the core array pattern of the 'Zhou Tian Xing Dou Forbidden Formation.' Even if there is a gap, it is a certain death! Do you really want to go?"

Chen Qing stated frankly, "This trip is not for others, but for myself."

The words just fell!

"Om-"

The strings of the Jiaowei Qin vibrated violently!

Lu Feng's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up: "Not good! Someone is approaching!"

"If you really want to figure it out, how could you not know where I am?" Chen Qing's expression remained unchanged. The blue lotus platform in his sleeve gleamed faintly, and a bronze wine cup floated in his palm, its rich aroma emanating a hidden killing intent!
Silver Scales flared slightly around Silver Scale, and its aura became dangerous and violent!
boom!
The stone gate is open!

The intruders were not pursuers.

A blood-red figure staggered in! He was barely breathing, his clothes were completely red, and a strange gray aura, like a living thing, was crawling and corroding his wounds!

Bloodstains could not conceal his appearance.

"Chen Yu?" Fragments of memories surged through Chen Qing's mind, and he recognized the person as none other than Chen Yu, the fifth son of the Chen family who had sided with the sixth prince!

"Second...Second Brother..." Chen Yu's eyes focused with difficulty on Chen Qing's face, "Save...save Xuan'er! I overheard Zhao Yuanji's words, he said that the Empress wants to use your spirit bone to refine the 'Nine Tribulations Substitute'! Cough!" He coughed up fragments of black blood and hissed, "They locked Xuan'er next to your spirit bone and used her Chen family bloodline to nourish the spirit bone and reduce rejection! Xuan'er can't hold on much longer!"

That's it!

The Sixth Prince, a man of such stature, actually schemed against a mere girl from the Chen family; it turns out it was all for this reason!
With the clues connected, Chen Qing understood. He pressed Chen Yu down and said, "Don't rush to talk. Let's heal our injuries first. Elder Lü, it may not be safe here."

“I’ve hidden a carriage behind the courtyard.” Lü Feng nodded. “Yinlin’er, go and drive the carriage.”

"it is good!"

After calming his injuries, Chen Yu caught his breath and explained the situation in the carriage—

This time, he escaped at great personal risk and used his bloodline secret technique to track them down here.

"The Sixth Prince lied to me! The Marrow Cleansing Pill is actually a Mind-Controlling Gu! Once the Empress's ceremony is complete, we will all be refined into the Soul-Devouring Banner, our souls scattered! Second Brother, do you have any way to deal with this...?"

Hearing these words, fragments of Chen Qing's memories surged, and the anger belonging to "Chen Xu" burst forth. However, his will was as firm as a rock, and he remained calm. Without the blessing of the Samadhi True Fire Talisman, he suppressed his distracting thoughts.

"Fifth Brother," Chen Qing's voice was low and calm, "my meager skills would only result in another life being lost if I went to fight, which would be of no use."

The last glimmer of hope was extinguished. Chen Yu's lips trembled as he sobbed, "It was my stupidity. I was too clever for my own good and ended up harming Xuan'er and the Chen family. No wonder you treated the Sixth Prince that way, Second Brother. I regret it!"

Chen Qing shook his head and called to Lü Feng, "Old Lü, please take a look at him."

Lu Feng squatted down, his fingertips probing the blue light into Chen Yu's wrist pulse, then instantly withdrew: "His heart meridian was injured by Yin Sha, and his dantian and qi sea were eroded by the Erosion Powder, his foundation is destroyed." He said with regret, "If we immediately use the Tai Su Nine Needles to seal his remaining qi, and supplement it with the Meridian Interception and Qi Locking Technique, he may be able to extend his life by ten years, but his cultivation will definitely be lost."

"Ten years?" Chen Yu's eyes showed no sorrow, only numbness. To him, having lost all his cultivation, ten years was tantamount to merely surviving.

Chen Qing leaned down and said, "Since you still have ten years, use these ten years to see this land and do all the things you wanted to do but dared not or could not do in the past! The waters here are too deep; leaving may not be a bad thing."

Chen Yu stared blankly at Chen Qing.

These words were somewhat unfamiliar to him, a man who was eager to make a name for himself and whose only thought was to bring glory to his family.

He was momentarily dazed.

Chen Qing nodded to Lü Feng without waiting for his response.

Lu Feng immediately pointed his fingers like the wind, striking nine major acupoints on Chen Yu's body with lightning speed! With each finger strike, a fine, hair-like blue needle disappeared into the acupoint.

"Tai Su Feng Yuan, lock!"

The needles hummed, intertwining into a net, forcibly locking in the dissipated vital energy!

The deathly pallor on Chen Yu's face faded slightly, and her breathing became much more steady. Although she was still extremely weak, she finally showed some signs of life.

"Thank you, senior..." He struggled to bow.

"No need." Lü Feng waved his hand, turned to Chen Qing, and said meaningfully, "He needs to find a secluded place to consolidate his strength." His doubts had not disappeared. He was still worried that Chen Yu's matter was just a ruse or bait. After all, with Chen Yu's cultivation level, how could he easily escape the control of the Sixth Prince?

Chen Qing nodded and said to Yin Lin'er, "Yin Lin'er, help him walk and find another place!"

"Yes!" Yin Lin'er immediately helped Chen Yu up.

The group left quickly.

Next, Lü Feng found someone to settle Chen Yu in a separate place.

After arriving at their newest hiding place, Chen Qing adjusted his breathing and borrowed a weapon-refining technique from Lü Feng.

The stone chamber was dimly lit, with only a dim oil lamp.

Chen Qing had a book titled "The Secret of Qi Condensation" open on his lap.

This technique emphasizes the "cultivation" method of repeatedly cleansing the magical artifact with one's own harmonious energy and spiritual thoughts until the mind and spirit are in harmony.

"Divine thought is the blade, and vital essence is the whetstone; proceed slowly and deliberately, and you will attain the true meaning..."

Looking at the contents, Chen Qing frowned slightly.

This method emphasizes the word "cultivation" and should be approached with carelessness. Even with the blessing of a dream, it is difficult to go against the fundamental principle. Even with additional settings in the dream, it is unlikely to be achieved in one fell swoop.

"That's enough." He closed the book decisively. "After I wake up, I will seek another method of weapon crafting. My master's notes may contain some information, but the lineage of Hidden Star is shallow and I'm afraid it can hardly be considered excellent."

His current pursuit is to further refine the Ninth-Rank Azure Lotus Platform and the Bronze Wine Cup.

The two treasures possess profound spiritual power and immense might. However, with only a rudimentary understanding of them through divine sense, it's like a child wielding a heavy axe—their sharpness is difficult to unleash! If one could cultivate both body and soul, although the realm would remain unchanged, the power to kill in battle might double! In the challenge of the Heavenly Evolution Platform, every extra bit of strength brings a greater chance of survival!
Chen Qing glanced at Lü Feng, who had his eyes closed, and suddenly asked, "Elder Lü, is the Buddhist lineage in the Western Wilderness truly so hard to find?"

Lu Feng's eyes twitched slightly as he replied, "The Buddhist sects in Zhongling Continent are in decline, and their true teachings are mostly hidden in ancient temples in the Western Wilderness. They are almost extinct within the Immortal Dynasty's territory, unless one goes to the Western Wilderness in person..."

Chen Qing remained silent.

"It seems I'll have to wait until I wake up from this dream before searching for information," he thought to himself. "Bai Shaoyou has accumulated a vast amount of knowledge; perhaps he knows the method to replace the calamity with an array? And that bookstall..."

Just as they were pondering this, the hidden door to the stone chamber clicked softly.

Yin Lin'er darted in, her hair disheveled, her clothes dusty, clutching a coarse cloth bundle tightly to her chest. She was slightly out of breath but couldn't hide her excitement: "Young Master! Come and see!"

He unfolded the package, and three pieces of "Shattered Star Iron" containing starlight were clearly visible!
Although this item is not a rare treasure, it is an excellent spiritual material for nurturing spiritual energy and aiding in weapon crafting! It perfectly suits the needs of the "Qi Cultivation Technique" and can save you a lot of time and effort!

“I can’t be of much help,” Yin Lin’er said cautiously, panting. “Seeing that you were asking for advice on weapon crafting, I thought I’d find some minerals that could save you some effort.”

"You've come at just the right time." Chen Qing said gently after hearing this, "Thank you for your hard work."

The weariness on the boy's face vanished, and a smile bloomed on his face.

Chen Qing then asked, "Where do these things come from?"

The boy's smile froze instantly. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "These things, naturally, come from..."

Just in time!

"call out--"

A streak of crimson light pierced through the barrier and hovered in front of Chen Qing; it was a small crimson sword!
Lu Feng and Yin Lin'er instantly went on high alert!

But from within the sword came Lu Qiyuan's heroic voice: "Chen Xu! Don't be alarmed! It's me, the young master! Donghai Prefecture has its own methods for finding people, and I'll erase your traces as well!"

“It’s Young Master Lu.” Chen Qing raised his hand to signal Lü Feng not to move, his gaze calm. “Let’s hear what he has to say.”

A voice came from the small sword: "I heard you were looking for a treasure for refining weapons, and I have prepared one for you! It will be delivered later! Rest assured, I always act according to my heart! This time, I am impressed by your magnanimity and am willing to help you!"

"Impressed by my magnanimity?" Chen Qing chuckled upon hearing this. "This young marquis is indeed a generous and forthright man!"

Lü Feng hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

　Two chapters delivered! This newbie humbly requests your attention and support, and hopes you'll read on! If you happen to be passing by, please consider adding it to your favorites! Thank you...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)