C38 Chu Family.
A quarter of an hour later, Min Zhenkang retrieved a perfectly crafted Pill from the Nine Dragons Cauldron.
Elder Zhou had anticipated the outcome, but the sight of such a flawless Pill, crafted by a mere fourteen-year-old, left him in disbelief.
Chu Le was equally astonished by the Pill's quality, never having imagined Min Zhenkang's alchemical prowess to be so extraordinary.
This was beyond heaven-defying. In just one month, he had gone from a complete novice in alchemy to effortlessly producing a second-grade Pill of the highest quality.
He was truly the first of his kind that Chu Le had ever encountered!
The alchemical talents within his own family paled in comparison to Min Zhenkang—they were nothing short of insignificant.
Min Hanshi was at a loss for words upon witnessing Min Zhenkang's ability to concoct such a Pill.
With Min Zhenkang in the Min's mansion, prosperity was all but guaranteed!
Before Min Zhenkang began the pill refinement, Min Huiyu had already passed out. Min Zhenkang had administered a Healing Pill from his Bag of Heaven and Earth to treat her injuries.
Otherwise, it was questionable whether Min Huiyu would have survived.
"Keke, quickly take this Pill," Min Zhenkang urged, his heart wrenching at the sight of Chu Keke's condition.
Her eyes were lifeless, her lips turned black, and dark blood seeped from the corners of her mouth.
Despite Chu Le's previous life-saving efforts, Chu Keke's situation remained dire.
"Mhm," Chu Keke responded, opening her mouth obediently.
Min Zhenkang gently placed the antidote Pill on her tongue.
Relief washed over him as Chu Keke swallowed the antidote. He had great faith in his own concoction.
"Grandpa Chu, Keke will be alright now. With a few days of rest and once the poison is fully purged, she'll make a full recovery," Min Zhenkang reassured Chu Le.
Upon hearing Min Zhenkang's words, Chu Le's anxious heart finally settled. If anything had happened to Chu Keke, Chu Le would have been haunted by guilt for the rest of his life, unable to escape responsibility for her fate.
He was at a loss for how he would even begin to explain such a failure to the clan leader.
"Now that Keke's issue has been taken care of, let's address the remaining concerns," Chu Le said, turning his attention to Guo Yong.
Guo Yong felt a chill as Chu Le's gaze fell upon him, realizing his chances of escaping today's predicament were slim. In desperation, he scurried over and clung to Chu Le's legs.
"Lord Shangguan, I was coerced by that man—it wasn't my doing! Please, I beg you to spare me!" Guo Yong pleaded, pointing to the corpse of the mysterious man.
"Zhenkang, how should we handle him?" Chu Le asked, disregarding Guo Yong's pleas and looking to Min Zhenkang for a decision.
"First, tell me where my father is," Min Zhenkang demanded, concerned for his father's safety.
"Min Qi is locked up in the Guo family's dungeon. That was the other man's doing. With my level of power, I couldn't possibly have detained your father," Guo Yong replied.
"Enough talk—show me the way!" Min Zhenkang cut him off, uninterested in excuses.
"Yes, of course, please follow me," Guo Yong acquiesced.
Min Zhenkang followed Guo Yong down to the dungeon, while Chu Le and the others remained behind.
Upon arriving, Min Zhenkang's eyes reddened at the sight of his father, Min Qi, who appeared unharmed, though his meridians were sealed. Min Qi, seated within the iron bars of his cell, mistook Min Zhenkang for another prisoner.
"Zhenkang, have you been captured too?" Min Qi asked urgently.
"Father, I'm not a captive. I've come to take you home," Min Zhenkang said, his eyes brimming with emotion.
"Home? What do you mean?" Min Qi asked, bewildered.
"Min, there's been a huge misunderstanding. Now that it's cleared up, your nephew is here to escort you back to the Min's mansion," Guo Yong interjected before Min Zhenkang could respond.
"Zhenkang, what's happening here?"
"Father, I'll fill you in later. For now, let's head outside—Grandfather and Second Uncle are waiting."
"Grandfather's out of seclusion? Wonderful." Min Qi, upon hearing his father was outside, hurried to join him.
Guo Yong quickly unlocked the cage for Min Qi.
Stepping out of the dungeon, Min Qi surveyed the scene and couldn't help but wonder if his father had dismantled the Guo family's estate.
His gaze shifted to Guo Yong, and the look on Guo Yong's face confirmed Min Qi's suspicions.
Yet, when Min Qi entered the front hall, the reality was not as he had imagined. Not only were his father and second brother present, but Chu Le was there as well.
It was clear that his father had sustained serious injuries, and his second brother lay unconscious.
"What exactly happened?" Min Qi turned to Min Zhenkang once more.
"Father, I'll explain everything once we're home. Right now, we need to deal with the situation at hand."
"Very well," Min Qi conceded, setting aside his questions for the moment.
"Grandpa Shangguan, my father's powers have been sealed. Can you undo it?" Min Zhenkang approached Chu Le with the question.
With a few effortless taps on Min Qi's body, Chu Le channeled his Profound Qi into Min Qi, tracing a specific path before retracting his energy.
The seal within Min Qi was lifted, restoring his cultivation to the third tier of the Martial Warrior realm.
"Thank you, Uncle Chu."
"Don't mention it. Zhenkang, what about these people?" Chu Le gestured towards the Jee family members and Guo Yong.
"Kill them," Min Zhenkang stated bluntly, causing the Jee family and Guo Yong to collapse in despair.
Chu Le acted decisively, swiftly dealing with the Jee family and Guo Yong before anyone could process what had happened.
With the matter resolved, Min Zhenkang and the group made their way back to Min's mansion.
Before departing, Elder Zhou extended an invitation to Min Zhenkang to join the Heaven and Earth Auction, mentioning that the auction's executives were eager to meet him.
Min Zhenkang graciously accepted Elder Zhou's invitation, acknowledging the significant assistance Elder Zhou had provided him.
After paying his respects to Chu Le and the rest of the group with a bow, Elder Zhou made his way back to the auction house.
The downfall of the Guo family became the talk of Whalespell within a single day, the news even reaching the neighboring towns.
Two months earlier, Min Zhenkang had promised Guo Tao a visit to the Guo family within six months. Little did he know that in just two months, the Guo family would be decimated.
From that day forward, the Guo family plummeted from a top-tier family to the lowest rung in Whalespell. All the Guo family's experts above the fifth level of the Martial Spirit Stage were slain, leaving only those below that level and some elderly, women, and children.
Chu Le and Chu Keke accompanied Min Zhenkang and the others back to the Min residence.
"What exactly happened?" Min Qi was still out of the loop, preoccupied with caring for his younger brother during their return.
"Father, here's what happened..." Min Zhenkang then proceeded to recount the day's events to Min Qi.
"And that's the outcome of it all!" After an hour, Min Zhenkang had finished telling the entire story.
In the council hall, Chu Le and Min Hanshi occupied the senior seats, while Min Qi and Min Zhenkang sat below.
Min Huiyu, who had sustained severe injuries and was unconscious, was taken to his own room.
Chu Keke was also given a guest room to rest in by the Min family.
"Zhenkang, where did you learn your alchemy?" inquired Min Qi.
Min Hanshi looked intently at Min Zhenkang, awaiting his response.
Min Zhenkang felt compelled to credit the incident with the Black Tiger Teeth for his alchemy skills. Regarding his further alchemy techniques, he modestly claimed to have learned through extensive reading and self-study.
The perfect quality of the second-grade pill he produced, Min Zhenkang humbly attributed to sheer luck.
"Grandfather Shangguan, I have a question for you," Min Zhenkang said, seizing the opportunity to inquire about Chu Le's cultivation level.
"Go ahead and ask, Zhenkang. I'll share everything I know," Chu Le responded warmly.
"Zhenkang, can you tell me about your level of cultivation? And I'm curious about your and Keke's origins."
Chu Le's arrival had the mysterious man so terrified that he was ready to turn tail and run. It wasn't just Chu Le's cultivation level that was intimidating, but his identity seemed to play an even larger role.
"I won't keep secrets from you any longer. The truth is, I'm not Keke's grandfather!"
"Ah?" The revelation left the other three dumbfounded, unsure of what to make of it.
"Are you familiar with the Divine Kingdom?" Chu Le inquired.
"No!" they answered in chorus.
"You're aware that the Suanikos Continent is divided into several large regions, right?"
"Yes, there are four main regions: the Eastern Flame Region, the Western Yu Region, the Southern Qing Region, and the Northern Desert Region! The Bacia Dynasty is part of the remote countries within the Western Yu Region," Min Hanshi explained.
"That's partially correct, yet not entirely accurate."
"What do you mean?"
"There's another place beyond those four regions."
"Another place?"
"Indeed, that place is the Divine Kingdom—a region encircled by the four large regions, yet its power far surpasses them."
"The Shangguan Family, to which I belong, is one of the forces within the Divine Kingdom, known as the Chu Family."
"Are you referring to the Chu Family, one of the five great ancient clans?" Min Hanshi asked upon hearing Chu Le's explanation.
"Exactly, the Chu Family is one of those prestigious ancient clans. Keke is the cherished daughter of our Patriarch, and his only daughter at that."
"I started out as a minor steward in our family, but was later honored with the Shangguan surname by the Patriarch, and took the name Chu Le!"
It was beyond anyone's imagination that Chu Keke hailed from such an illustrious lineage, belonging to one of the oldest families on the Suanikos Continent!
"So why are you and Keke here? And what brought about the decision to betroth Zhenkang to Keke upon your arrival in Whalespell?" Min Hanshi questioned.
"The Patriarch wished to keep the young miss away from the family's internal conflicts, so he entrusted me to take her out into the world, severing all ties with the family—unless, of course, our true identities were to be discovered."
"Before I departed, the clan chief entrusted me with a communication talisman. Should anyone who uncovers our true identities prove too formidable, I'm to shatter the talisman. No matter the distance, the chief will pinpoint our location and hasten to our aid," Chu Le explained, producing a talisman from his Storage Ring.
"The reason for my journey here, and for arranging the betrothal between Keke and Zhenkang, was all at the chief's behest."
Upon noticing the ring on Chu Le's finger, the trio realized it was no ordinary piece of jewelry, but a Storage Ring. Since Chu Le typically sported a Bag of Heaven and Earth at his hip, the ring had been mistaken for a mere accessory.
"Our cover has been blown, and for the sake of safety, I must escort the young miss back to our clan. But rest assured, the engagement between her and Zhenkang remains intact."
"Why is that?" Min Hanshi inquired, puzzled. It seemed illogical that Chu Le, a mere steward in the Chu family, could dictate the marriage of the patriarch's daughter, Chu Keke.
"The patriarch made it clear to me before we left that until I return to the Chu family due to the revelation of our identities, I am to handle all of the young miss's affairs. My decisions will be upheld by the patriarch even after we return to the clan."
"I've also mentioned that my coming here was under the patriarch's orders, which confirms his endorsement of the marriage."
"However, Zhenkang, you must be prepared. While your engagement to Miss Keke stands, making it official will be far from straightforward."
"What must I do?" Min Zhenkang asked.
"You need to demonstrate sufficient strength, a level of prowess that the Chu family acknowledges. Until then, you must keep the engagement under wraps."
"And you mustn't seek out Miss Keke within the Chu clan's domain. No matter how fond the chief is of her, without the requisite strength, he will not consent to the marriage."
"Min Zhenkang" becomes "Xiao Tian"
