Chapter 18: Ready To Try

“Uh?”

This feeling of hunger was something Su Jingzhen hadn’t experienced in a long time.

In the cultivation world, even Qi-refining Stage cultivators didn’t need food, and eating was mainly to satisfy their appetite or because the food itself had benefits for their cultivation.

But this hunger he was feeling now, Su Jingzhen could understand.

Cultivating Qi was about refining the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, while cultivating the body was about developing oneself, and the consumption was also internal.

“I need to prepare some food to support my Body Cultivation.”

Su Jingzhen went to the kitchen, which he hadn’t used in a long time, except for the two days he had taken a break.

He hadn’t eaten at all.

After thinking about it, he still didn’t choose to go out.

Nighttime in Linjiang City was undoubtedly more dangerous than daytime, and it wasn’t worth risking his life for a meal.

It was a critical period for his development, and Su Jingzhen wouldn’t put himself in danger.

Moreover, Zhang Xiu had said she would come later, and he didn’t know if she would come tonight. If she found out he wasn’t there, it would be troublesome.

So, Su Jingzhen took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and poured out a Qi-replenishing pill.

Although the Qi-replenishing pill was only a low-grade elixir, it could quickly restore physical strength.

It had the greatest effect on Qi cultivators, but for Body Cultivators, it was only slightly effective.

He swallowed the pill, and the elixir immediately dissolved into a warm flow that coursed through his body, dispelling the hunger he had felt earlier.

The effect was good, but Su Jingzhen felt a slight pang of regret, as this had cost him ten lower-grade spirit stones.

Deciding to buy some meat tomorrow, Su Jingzhen went back to his room, just like the previous night.

Although he knew it was unlikely that anything would happen tonight, it was always better to be cautious.

……

At the Flower Moon Pavilion, in a private room.

Chen Chong and Lin Ping sat facing each other.

At this time, there were only the two of them in the room.

Chen Chong poured himself a cup of wine and said slowly, “Daoist Lin, you’re taking too long to get things done.”

Although his tone was calm, the implication of criticism was clear.

Lin Ping’s expression was slightly unpleasant: “Daoist Chen, it’s just that the people I found were too cautious.”

“They said they wouldn’t do anything without a guarantee of success, and now I’m going to find another group, but Huayang Sect has caused a stir.”

As he spoke, Lin Ping was also angry and frustrated.

Initially, he had thought that quietly getting rid of Su Jingzhen would be a simple matter, but who would have thought it would lead to this mess?

In response to Lin Ping’s words, Chen Chong only smiled faintly: “I can understand, but my nephew is about to break through…”

“If you can’t even handle this, it’s possible that we can only wait until the Spirit Awakening Ceremony to compare results.”

“And as for Lin Feng’s matter, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”

Chen Chong shook his head slightly and nodded at Lin Ping.

The latter’s expression was uncertain.

After a moment of thought, Lin Ping downed the wine in his cup and stood up, bowing to Chen Chong.

“I, Lin Ping, am willing to try again. I’ll take care of this matter personally, so you don’t have to worry, Daoist Chen!”

With that, he walked out of the private room.

Chen Chong looked at Lin Ping’s back and smiled faintly.

The future of his descendants, combined with his own future, was too enticing for Lin Ping to resist.

Although Huayang Sect had caused a stir in the past two days, it was also a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

He had intentionally urged Lin Ping on.

He knew that Su Jingzhen’s small academy had achieved remarkable results in the past two years, and Chen Chong didn’t want to wait until the Spirit Awakening Ceremony to compare results, as that would be too risky.

What if the Cuiliu School children’s Spirit Awakening results were not as good as Su Jingzhen’s students? Wouldn’t that have the opposite effect?

“It’s best to eliminate him completely… That’s the most stable option.”

Chen Chong sighed.

“If it weren’t for Peach Blossom Alley being under Huayang Sect’s protection, a Qi-refining beginner like him wouldn’t need to be so troublesome.”

……

Su Jingzhen was quietly cultivating and waiting for Zhang Xiu to arrive.

However, even until midnight, Zhang Xiu didn’t show up.

Just like the previous night, Su Jingzhen was subconsciously on guard as he rested on the roof.

But at the deepest part of the night, a faint rustling sound came from not far away.

Su Jingzhen immediately became alert.

He didn’t dare to move, and his gaze quietly turned towards the sound, and indeed, he saw a black-clad figure jumping down from the roof of the quiet room.

Su Jingzhen’s eyelids twitched.

Damn it, someone had actually come at the time he thought was the safest.

Luckily, he had been cautious, or he would have been caught off guard in the quiet room, which would have been very dangerous.

He only caught a glimpse, and Su Jingzhen didn’t know the opponent’s strength.

He didn’t dare to act rashly.

But as he looked at his right hand, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement.

If he hadn’t developed the Labor Palace’s secrets before, he might have already quietly escaped, even hiding at sister-in-law Zhang Xiu house, and wouldn’t have had such thoughts.

Su Jingzhen tightened his black robe and finally climbed down from the eaves.

He had already seen the black-clothed person push open the door of the quiet room.

No matter what, he couldn’t stay in this position, as it was too easy to be seen if the other person came out of the quiet room.

Moreover, Su Jingzhen was not a true coward.

In the past, his strength was really not good, and there was no way to change that.

But now, there were some things that had to be tried.

Those who knew him knew that his strength was at the initial stage of Qi refinement, and he was extremely weak.

Even if they sent an assassin, it wouldn’t be stronger than him.

After all, the stronger one’s strength, the more valuable it is!

So this decision was made after careful consideration.

Su Jingzhen quietly arrived at the courtyard.

He picked up a brick from the edge of the eaves and didn’t choose to hide.

He stood directly under the peach tree in the courtyard, quietly watching the door of the quiet room that had been opened.

At this moment, his appearance was that of a ruthless assassin.

The black-clothed person who had entered the quiet room quickly came out, facing Su Jingzhen under the peach tree.

Su Jingzhen’s heart was extremely tense, but he appeared extremely calm.

On the other hand, the other person was almost scared out of their wits.

“Have you gotten your hands on it?” Su Jingzhen’s voice was hoarse and aged.

The other person was taken aback, and then relaxed slightly.

It was normal for several assassins to be sent to the same target, and some employers didn’t trust each other, using each other to supervise.

“The target is not here, you can speak!” The black-clothed person’s voice was hoarse and sharp.

Changing one’s voice was a common tactic used by assassins to prevent their true identity from being exposed.

As a fellow assassin, the black-clothed person didn’t hesitate to remind him.

“Are you thinking of eating alone?” Su Jingzhen’s voice sounded again.

The black-clothed person let out a cold snort. “You can go check for yourself, goodbye!”

At this critical moment, the tension was already high, and the black-clothed person didn’t want to get entangled with Su Jingzhen.

“I’ll go check,” Su Jingzhen responded, and then headed towards the quiet room.

The black-clothed person let out another cold snort and prepared to leave.

Since Su Jingzhe was ‘not here’, he didn’t want to cause trouble.

Moreover, he also couldn’t gauge Su Jingzhen’s strength at this moment.

However, just as Su Jingzhen stepped onto the eaves, the two figures crossed paths.

Su Jingzhen’s right hand, which had been behind his back, suddenly moved.

The brick in his hand swiftly covered the back of the black-clothed person’s head!