Chapter 3: Ten Years of Qi Refinement

[“Young Master, I’ve fully mastered Iron Shirt. Ordinary blades can’t hurt me anymore.”]

[Dachun explained in his usual straightforward way.]

[“I see.”]

[You finally noticed that beneath Dachun’s tattered clothes, patches of bronze-colored skin were exposed, tough and almost metallic in appearance.]

[Iron Shirt was one of the most powerful external martial arts techniques in the martial world. Once mastered, it made its practitioner extremely resistant to swords and knives.]

[Of course, “resistant” was a relative term. It didn’t make someone truly invincible. Even a master of Iron Shirt would eventually be worn down if thousands of soldiers surrounded and attacked him.]

[“How did you find this place?”]

[You continued questioning him.]

[This was a secret hideout you had prepared in private. No one in the Zhou household knew about it, not even Dachun, your most trusted attendant.]

[“Young Master, I can remember your scent.”]

[Dachun pointed to his nose.]

[It turned out that Dachun possessed an unusual ability. He could track people by their scent.]

[Finding this hideout was simply the result of following the trail you had left behind.]

[You looked Dachun up and down several times.]

[This guy was truly gifted.]

[“Young Master, what exactly happened back at the estate?”]

[For someone as simple-minded as Dachun, the worry in his voice was unusually obvious.]

[While covering your retreat, he had sensed dozens of terrifying presences.]

[The owners of those overwhelming auras had been fighting the true experts of the Zhou family.]

[That was the only reason Dachun had been able to escape the Zhou estate after holding off the dozens of armored figures pursuing him.]

[“We probably won’t know the full story until later…”]

[You let out a sigh.]

[Even without knowing all the details, you already had a pretty good idea of what had happened.]

[The Zhou family had been a powerful noble house for generations. In the capital, there was only one person with enough authority to move against them: the Emperor.]

[But under normal circumstances, the old Emperor would never target the Zhou family.]

[Which meant someone had acted in his name and used his authority as a pretext to strike against the Zhous.]

[And that person’s real objective was the imperial throne.]

[The Zhou family wielded enormous influence in the capital. Zhou Shizhong, the head of the family, was also the commander of the Imperial Guard and held military authority in his hands.]

[Now that the First Prince was far away on the northern frontier, any member of the royal family with ambitions for the throne would first have to deal with Zhou Shizhong and the Zhou family.]

[“Master won’t let them get away with this!”]

[Dachun blurted out.]

[“Master?”]

[Your expression remained unchanged.]

[If they had dared to launch such a massive attack on the Zhou estate, it could only mean one thing.]

[Zhou Shizhong was finished. Whether he was dead or alive, he had already lost the ability to fight back.]

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing’s face darkened.

The moment he learned that the First Prince intended to leave for the northern frontier, he had already begun worrying about this possibility.

He never expected those fears to become reality.

Who could it be? Zhou Qing frowned deeply.

The bad news was that his suspicions had proven correct.

The good news was that everything had happened only within the simulation.

In reality, Zhou Qing still had plenty of time to avoid the disaster.

What puzzled him was which member of the royal family could possibly command such resources and influence.

Since the First Prince had confidently left for the northern frontier, he must have been certain that the capital would remain under control in his absence.

And for the most part, that confidence was justified.

Favored by the old Emperor and groomed from childhood as the heir apparent, the First Prince was widely regarded throughout the Qian Kingdom as the future Emperor.

To challenge the First Prince’s claim to the throne, let alone seize it…

Outside forces would almost certainly have to be involved.

The barbarians? Zhou Qing’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Let’s continue the simulation…

Steadying himself, Zhou Qing turned his attention back to the floating text.

There was no point in making endless guesses.

The answers would reveal themselves soon enough in the simulation’s future events.

[For the next two weeks, you and Dachun remained hidden inside your secret hideout.]

[Thanks to the forged identity documents you had prepared long ago, you managed to get through several rounds of inspections without raising suspicion.]

[A month later, news finally reached you.]

[The official accusation was that the Zhou family had conspired with the State of Lie and plotted rebellion.]

[Fortunately, according to the announcement, the Fourth Prince had uncovered the scheme in time and prevented a catastrophe by immediately taking control of Zhou Shizhong.]

[Now that the investigation was supposedly complete, the Emperor had issued a decree: all 106 members of the Zhou family were to be executed at the marketplace without delay.]

[“The Fourth Prince?”]

[A chill settled in your heart. At last, the mastermind behind everything had stepped into the light.]

[As for the claim that the Zhou family had plotted rebellion, it was laughable.]

[The Zhou family had already risen to the very peak of power and influence. Why would they need to rebel?]

[After a moment of thought, you immediately left with Dachun and headed to Autumn Moon Pavilion, reserving a private room on the third floor.]

[Located along Vermilion Bird Avenue, Autumn Moon Pavilion was one of the capital’s most famous pleasure houses.]

[And Vermilion Bird Avenue just happened to be the mandatory route leading to the execution grounds.]

[That night, you and Dachun stayed in the third-floor room.]

[The following morning, you stood by the window and looked out toward Vermilion Bird Avenue in the distance.]

[The street was packed with spectators from across the capital.]

[One prison wagon after another rolled toward the execution grounds, carrying members of the Zhou family.]

[You saw your mother.]

[You saw your eldest brother, Zhou Wen.]

[You saw your second brother, Zhou Wu.]

[You saw countless other members of the Zhou family.]

[Every one of them wore the same vacant, lifeless expression. It was obvious they had endured unimaginable torture.]

[“Madam! Young Masters!”]

[Dachun’s eyes turned bloodshot.]

[Having grown up in the Zhou household and benefited from its care and training since childhood, he had long considered himself one of the family.]

[How could he possibly tolerate seeing them humiliated like this?]

[“Young Master, let me save Madam and the young masters!”]

[Dachun turned toward you, his voice filled with urgency.]

[You were just as furious.]

[But the last traces of reason still lingering in your mind kept you from making an immediate decision.]

Right then, line after line of glowing text began to form.

[Please make a choice:]

[1. Have Dachun take action immediately, rescue your mother and two brothers, then escape the capital using the route you had prepared in advance.]

[2. Stand by and watch.]

[3. Unable to bear watching your mother and brothers be executed, you immediately leave with Da Chun.]

The Zhou Qing inside the simulation was influenced by his emotions. After all, two years had passed within the simulation before this event occurred.

Two years of living alongside his mother and his two brothers naturally created bonds and attachments.

But outside the simulation, Zhou Qing remained completely rational.

After a brief moment of consideration, he made his decision, “I choose Option Two.”

Option One was out of the question.

More than a hundred members of the Zhou family were being marched to their execution in broad daylight.

How could the people behind all this possibly have made no preparations?

It was probably a trap.

A trap designed to lure out any surviving members or allies of the Zhou family who were still hiding.

As for Option Three, if this really was a trap, then everyone in the area was likely under surveillance.

If Zhou Qing chose to leave with Da Chun right now, they would almost certainly attract attention.

So the best choice was to remain where they were and watch coldly.

[You stopped Dachun from acting.]

[Though he was burning with anger, Dachun still obeyed your orders.]

[Soon, all one hundred and six members of the Zhou family were brought to the execution grounds.]

[Just before the executions began, dozens of figures suddenly burst out from the crowd.]

[“Madam! Young Masters! Don’t be afraid!”]

[The leader let out a furious roar as scorching energy radiated from his body.]

[But in the very next moment, a rain of arrows descended from above.]

[More than half of the rescuers were cut down instantly.]

[The survivors were immediately surrounded and swiftly eliminated.]

[“So it really was a trap…”]

[Watching the one-sided slaughter at the execution grounds, you sighed inwardly.]

[“And that fluctuation just now… was that qi?”]

[“Did a cultivator make a move?”]

[You fell into thought.]

[After two years of cultivating the Qi-Guiding Art, you still hadn’t managed to condense a complete strand of qi within your body.]

[Even so, you had become highly sensitive to the presence of qi.]

[Just moments ago, you had vaguely sensed a fleeting ripple of spiritual energy.]

[It had appeared and vanished in an instant.]

[You couldn’t help feeling relieved. If you had let Dachun make a move earlier, he would have ended up no differently from those who had rushed out to save the Zhou family.]

[You remained at Autumn Moon Pavilion for another three days.]

[Only after confirming that everything was safe did you leave with Dachun.]

[“Young Master, where are we going now?”]

[After following you out of the capital, Dachun lowered his voice and asked.]

[“Anywhere will do.”]

[You cast one final glance back at the capital before turning away and leaving without a second look.]

[You and Dachun eventually settled in a small town far from the capital and lived in seclusion.]

[As for your goal…]

[It was naturally to cultivate the Qi-Guiding Art.]

[Only by mastering it and becoming a cultivator could you ever hope to avenge your parents and brothers.]

[Year Three. You turned eighteen.]

[News arrived that the old Emperor had fallen gravely ill.]

[The Fourth Prince had taken control of the government and issued an imperial decree ordering the First Prince, who was still stationed on the northern frontier, to return to the capital.]

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing fell silent.

After everything that had happened in the capital, he found it impossible to believe that the First Prince was completely unaware of the situation.

But even if he knew, what could he do?

Now the order had come from the man effectively running the empire.

Should he return?

Or refuse?

[The First Prince chose not to return. Instead, he raised the banner of “purging the corrupt from the Emperor’s side,” gathered an army in the north, and marched south.]

[Year Four. You turned nineteen.]

[The Fourth Prince mobilized the empire’s elite forces to suppress the First Prince’s rebellion.]

[The barbarian tribes seized the opportunity to invade.]

[Caught between the imperial army and the barbarians, the First Prince found himself attacked from both front and rear.]

[Year Five. You turned twenty.]

[The First Prince was defeated and took his own life.]

[Year Six. You turned twenty-one.]

[You continued your relentless cultivation of the Qi-Guiding Art.]

[That same year, news arrived that the old Emperor had passed away.]

[The Fourth Prince ascended the throne as Emperor of the Qian Kingdom.]

[Year Seven. You turned twenty-two.]

[You continued drawing the invisible qi that permeated heaven and earth into your dantian.]

[Within it, a complete strand of qi was gradually beginning to take shape.]

[Year Eight. You turned twenty-three.]

[You remained wholly devoted to cultivating the Qi-Guiding Art.]

[Year Nine. You turned twenty-four.]

[The qi within your dantian felt increasingly complete.]

[Year Ten. You turned twenty-five.]

[At last, you successfully condensed a complete strand of qi within your dantian.]

[You officially stepped into the Qi Refinement Stage.]