Chapter 161: Final Coercion (2)

The one to send the notice was Lu Yiyang.

He was still alive, but his whole body was trembling with fear. His face was white and his lips were purple, and even his words were incoherent. He had to repeat himself three times before he could make himself clear.

“So he used a single blade strike to kill Lu Qingguang?” An Siyuan asked, his eyebrows raised.

He didn’t care why Su Chen had killed him or how he had dared to kill him. He only cared about what methods Su Chen had used.

A single blade strike!

A single blade strike was enough to kill Lu Qingguang.

Even if this strike contained all of Su Chen’s strength and his consciousness power, that was still quite frightening.

No wonder he had been able to kill Shen Yuanhong.

An Siyuan asked, “What else did he say?”

“He said...... he would...... personally...... personally come...... and give City Lord...... an explanation,” Lu Yiyang stammered.

An Siyuan felt a sudden surge of anger when he saw him like this.

He stroked Lu Yiyang’s face and gently said, “Did a single Su Chen scare you that badly? You’re still my counselor and tactician. What kind of tactician can you be if you are scared stiff like this by someone?”

Lu Yiyang started to cry. “That guy is so loathsome...... He...... he scared me.”

His voice was already beginning to grow a bit thin.

An Siyuan sighed. “You shouldn’t put on this kind of expression at this moment. Even though I hate to do this to you, I have no other choice.”

“Sir......” Lu Yiyang stared at An Siyuan in shock. An Siyuan’s hand had wrapped around his neck.

Lu Yiyang furiously tried to pry his fingers open, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t escape from the grasp of that hand.

His eyes bulged before his arms finally collapsed at his sides, devoid of strength.

An Siyuan tossed him aside, then wiped his hands. “He’s personally coming to give me an explanation? That makes things a bit more difficult.”

No one had clearly seen this murder other than Wang Zhanyu.

However, he was not surprised. After all, he understood An Siyuan’s unique addiction quite well. There wasn’t much meaning to it.

However, for him to suddenly make a killing move now made it obvious that he was really angry in his heart.

Wang Zhanyu just didn’t know what the consequences would be.

As such, he was a bit worried.

This was because the negotiations they had just completed seemed like they were about to undergo another change.

An Siyuan fell into silence as he waited.

Not long afterwards, Su Chen arrived.

He had personally come to give An Siyuan an explanation.

And for that explanation, he had gathered everyone together.

The Long Clear Gang, Evil Tiger Gang, Third River Army, Long Clan, Lin Clan, Yu Clan, etc. — a large group of people had come.

Even the Wei Clan!

The Wei Clan had also surrendered.

An Siyuan felt quite shocked.

historical

He glanced at Su Chen. “How were you able to do it?”

Su Chen replied, “I promised Wei Pei that as long as he listened to me, I would help him refine a medicine that would enable him to reach the Light Shaking Realm within a year.”

An Siyuan asked, “Why would he believe that you have that ability, and why would you even be willing to do that?”

Su Chen replied, “Returning to the Light Shaking Realm not only requires medicine but also the right technique, and it demands certain amounts of consciousness power from an alchemist. I’m not just an alchemist but also a doctor with a decent understanding of the human body and the principle of circularity1. In addition, my consciousness energy levels are adequate, so in terms of ability I at least meet the basic requirements.”

Su Chen continued, “I’m in the Yang Opening Realm right now, and I will want to reach the Light Shaking Realm eventually. Breaking into the Yang Opening Realm is totally different from breaking into the Light Shaking realm. Even someone from a Bloodline Nobility Clans will try multiple times. Less than one in a hundred eventually succeed. To ensure success, I must have a few more Light Shaking Realm cultivators that I can study. Patriarch Wei was once in the Light Shaking Realm, but now he’s back in the Yang Opening Realm, making him a perfect experimental subject. This kind of opportunity is incredibly rare. I will refine medicine for him, and he will support my experiments. Both sides will benefit. These are the reasons why I am willing to do it.”

An Siyuan was stunned when he heard this. “Are you not afraid of him making trouble for you once he returns to the Light Shaking Realm?”

Su Chen laughed and replied, “I’m more afraid of City Lord letting Patriarch Wang go. All of us here will be tormented by that kind of a decision.”

An Siyuan’s expression sank. “Su Chen, are you trying to tell me what I should do?”

Su Chen laughed, “I wouldn’t dare. I just don’t want to raise a tiger just to get bitten. Actually, I only want to do two things.”

“Oh? What two things?”

“The first is to do my duty. My time in office in Clear River City will only be ten years. After ten years, I will be free to do as I please. However, within these ten years, I would like to do my job well. As of today, only four years remain.”

“Then what about the second?”

“I want to quietly and peacefully do my own experiments. Under normal circumstances, as long as you don’t provoke me, I won’t go around provoking others either.”

“What if they’ve already provoked you?” An Siyuan asked.

Su Chen replied, “As long as it’s not a grudge that can’t be dissolved, I don’t feel a need to bicker excessively over it. For instance, someone schemed against me five years ago, but I didn’t become confrontational because of it.”

An Siyuan knew that he was referring to Lu Qingguang’s secret diversion of the Blood-Robed Guards all those years ago.

He said, “But you’ve taken care of him now.”

“That’s because he provoked me again,” Su Chen replied. “Actually, all I want is to be able to pass my days peacefully while doing research.”

“Why?” An Siyuan asked. “Why do you insist on throwing away your career prospects and instead focus so much on burying your head in your research?”

“Every person has their own reasons,” Su Chen replied. “My reason is that I want to reach the peak of Origin Energy mastery as someone without a bloodline. Right now, I haven’t even reached the halfway mark yet. How could I have any heart to fight for position or status at this moment?”

“Unfortunately, the world is like a constant game of chess, and conflicts are happening everywhere. It won’t be easy for you to sit outside of it.”

“I still need to do my best. No matter what happens in the future, at the very least I will know that I tried.”

An Siyuan sighed deeply. “So if this matter gets taken care of today, you’ll bury your head in your research and not care about anything going on outside?”

“I will still need to take care of my duties at the Origin Bureau, and I will still be keeping tabs on my friends’ situations.”

“If nothing happens to anyone else?”

“Then it may stay that way forever,” Su Chen replied definitively.

Once the discussion had reached this point, everyone understood.

An Siyuan did have his schemes, but Su Chen wouldn’t confront him about them because he didn’t care.

He just wanted everything to be put back on the right track. Small schemes, as long as they didn’t result in much damage, were tolerable.

He would still respect An Siyuan and listen to his orders.

This would continue for four years, when his ten-year period of service would conclude.

This was an extended olive branch.

Some people might accept it.

Some people might refuse it.

An Siyuan chose to accept it.

Even though there was some hostility and suspicion from before, Su Chen’s words were so transparent and clear that An Siyuan was willing to believe him for once.

Not every bit of disharmony and enmity needed to be resolved through dying the streets red with blood.

As such, An Siyuan nodded and said, “Fine. As you please.”

He turned around and said, “It seems that I cannot accept your treasures anymore.”

Wang Zhanyu’s face was deathly pale. “If I hand over everything and commit suicide, will that ensure the safety of my Wang Clan?”

An Siyuan watched Su Chen.

Su Chen replied, “I am only a guest here, and soon I will be like the geese flying above the clouds. Even if some people here hold a grudge against me, I’m not worried about them being able to do anything to me. If City Lord An doesn’t mind, then I don’t mind either.”

An Siyuan nodded.

Wang Zhanyu let out a long sigh. “If that’s the case, then many thanks.”

He launched a palm strike at the center of his forehead.

1. Chinese society heavily emphasizes balance, especially when it comes to human health. Imbalances in the body’s circulation are commonly associated with diseases.