Chapter 41: The City in Turmoil

About two hours later, Jiang Chen emerged from the secret chamber.

In truth, the healing had taken only half an hour. The remaining hour and a half, Jiang Chen had spent transmitting the entire technique of the Nine Laughs of the Blue Sea to his father, Jiang Feng.

More than that, during this time, Jiang Chen also explained the mysteries of the Nine Laughs of the Blue Sea, the cultivation tips, and some detailed points.

Transitioning from the Waves of Blue Sea to the Nine Laughs of the Blue Sea was not particularly difficult, after all, the Waves of Blue Sea was itself a precursor technique passed down from the Nine Laughs of the Blue Sea.

The Nine Laughs was simply the advanced version.

Of course, the profundity of the Nine Laughs of the Blue Sea was more than ten times greater than that of the Waves of Blue Sea.

Jiang Feng, as a regional lord, possessed exceptional martial talent. Otherwise, he could not have cultivated the Waves of Blue Sea to its peak in his thirties.

If not for the limitations of the technique, his cultivation level would certainly be beyond the simple Nine-Meridian True Qi. With Jiang Feng's talent, reaching the True Qi Realm would have been certain.

As Jiang Chen walked out of the secret chamber, Jiang Ying and the others immediately approached.

"Young Marquis, the Marquis he..." Jiang Ying was most concerned about Jiang Feng's safety. He felt deeply responsible, believing the Marquis's injury was due to his own failure in protection.

"Father has gone into closed-door cultivation." Jiang Chen did not give a clear explanation.

Jiang Feng, having obtained the Nine Laughs of the Blue Sea, naturally seized this opportunity to attempt a breakthrough to Ten-Meridian True Qi. He had been at the peak of Nine-Meridian True Qi for a very long time.

Now, with the technique's transmission, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. By entering closed-door cultivation, he could both confuse the outside world and enhance his strength, killing two birds with one stone.

Qiao Baishi, who clearly already regarded Jiang Chen as an ally, approached with evident concern: "Young Marquis, how is your father's condition?"

"Third Hall Master, thank you for your concern. My father's injury is no longer a serious matter. For troubling you to come today, I will visit the Alchemist Hall in person in a few days to express my gratitude. However, I must ask Third Hall Master to keep today's events confidential."

"Naturally." Qiao Baishi understood Jiang Chen's intention.

In the current situation of the Royal Capital, keeping Jiang Feng's condition ambiguous might keep the outside world guessing and prevent them from making rash moves.

Seeing the look of eager curiosity on Qiao Baishi's face, Jiang Chen smiled: "This detoxification technique, we can discuss in detail when we have time later."

Qiao Baishi beamed with delight; this was exactly what he had been waiting for. As a Spirit Alchemist, Qiao Baishi's thirst for knowledge was something Jiang Chen naturally understood.

After seeing Qiao Baishi off, Jiang Chen gathered Jiang Ying and the others.

"Jiang Ying, during these days, strengthen the security of the manor. No carelessness is allowed."

"Jiang Fu, handle the Marquis's injury vaguely. Let the outside world speculate as much as possible. It's best if it becomes the talk of the town."

"Yes." Unbeknownst to them, everyone had grown accustomed to the Young Marquis giving orders.

...

The news that the Marquis of Jianghan had been attacked at the entrance of his own manor spread like wildfire.

In an instant, the city was filled with turmoil, and all kinds of speculations ran rampant.

A regional lord of such stature, a frontier official, was attacked at his own doorstep, and it was said his injuries were severe, his life hanging by a thread.

This gave every other regional lord a sudden sense of crisis.

Even though they all guessed that the Marquis of Jianghan had offended someone he shouldn't have, leading to this catastrophe, the fact that a frontier lord was assassinated in the Royal Capital still gave those lords a feeling of "the fox mourns the death of the hare" — a sense of shared vulnerability.

After all, today it was the Marquis of Jianghan's misfortune. Tomorrow? It could be anyone's turn.

Once such a precedent was set, there was no telling what might happen next.

Aside from those lords who were on bad terms with the Marquis of Jianghan, even some neutral lords felt sympathy for his plight in this matter.

Inside the Dragon Ascendancy Manor.

Within the Dragon Ascendancy Manor, the Dragon Ascendancy Lord was hosting a private banquet for his honored guests.

Those who could appear at such an exclusive, private banquet were all distinguished guests of the Dragon Ascendancy Lord, his die-hard allies and trusted confidants.

At the head of the table, seated beside the Dragon Ascendancy Lord, was a man in a silver robe embroidered with strange, demonic patterns.

This person exuded an air of the eerie and uncanny everywhere. His long hair was like the Yin-Yang Taiji fish, half black and half silver-gray, sharply dividing the left and right sides of his head.

His eyes, with pupils that shimmered with a faint blue glow, revealed an inscrutable and bizarre aura.