Chapter 100

"Absolutely outrageous!" Yang Chen returned from Kang Le Farm in a bad mood, and the Mad Taoist also had a gloomy expression as if he had lost his parents. He was gulping down Maotai wine in large mouthfuls and grumbling, "There isn't a single good thing in the Quanzhen Sect! They can change their minds about what they agreed on, and they do it so quickly... Why doesn't heaven send a bolt of lightning to strike these bastards dead!"

Hearing the Mad Taoist's curses, Yang Chen didn't react much. He smiled slightly and pushed a plate of fried chicken in front of the Mad Taoist, then said, "You can't generalize and blame everyone. This time it was clearly the seven major lineages of the Quanzhen Sect who were behind it. But what can we do? They have a legitimate and pure lineage, unlike us mountain cultivators."

"Mountain cultivators my ass! Legitimate lineage my ass!!" The Mad Taoist, with a mouth full of alcohol, stuffed a piece of crispy fried chicken into his mouth and mumbled, "But at least Chongyang Palace was reasonable this time..."

It turned out that when the elder of Chongyang Palace brought the group of cultivators back to Zhongnan Mountain that day, he also brought the Mad Taoist back with them.

At that moment, the Mad Taoist was stunned, thinking that even if he didn't die, he would at least lose a layer of skin. After all, he had stolen the seeds of spiritual plants from Chongyang Palace's thatched cottage years ago, and after hiding for so many years, he had fallen into the hands of Chongyang Palace. This time, they would surely settle all old and new grudges.

But when he was brought to Chongyang Palace with a heart full of worries, he received treatment that was completely different from the cultivators who had come to confront Yang Chen. Not only was he given a separate small courtyard, but he was also treated to good food and drink every day.

The elders of Chongyang Palace's Elder Council visited him one after another, but they never mentioned the wrongdoings he had committed in Zhongnan Mountain years ago.

By the time the cultivation of Xuan Hong Zhenren advanced and he returned to Chongyang Palace, the Mad Taoist had already noticeably gained some weight.

Xuan Hong Zhenren hosted a banquet for the Mad Taoist in the inner courtyard of Chongyang Palace with a gentle and pleasant demeanor. He announced that the arrest warrant issued by Chongyang Palace against him was officially lifted from that day on, and Chongyang Palace warmly welcomed the Mad Taoist to return to Zhongnan Mountain to visit his family.

The entire process was very courteous, without any hint of hostility.

Talking about this, the Mad Taoist still felt a bit dazed. He never thought that he could ever shake off the title of the chief discarded disciple of Zhongnan Mountain in his lifetime. This made him feel quite unbelievable!

"Hey, Yang Chen, help me figure this out. What's this Xuan Hong old... uh, Xuan Hong Sect Leader up to?" After telling Yang Chen about his experience at Chongyang Palace, the Mad Taoist said with a puzzled look, "You might not know, but when I escaped from Zhongnan Mountain years ago, the group of Taoists at Chongyang Palace swore to tear me to pieces..."

"Do we even need to think about it?" Yang Chen gave the Mad Taoist a disdainful look and pointed at his own nose, declaring, "Who asked you to team up with me now? Isn't it natural to receive such treatment?"

"Uh..." The Mad Taoist was taken aback, instinctively wanting to argue, but the words died in his throat.

Indeed, if Yang Chen insisted on saying it this way, it did make some sense...

"So now that the Spirit Martial Journal has been messed up, what are your plans next?" The Mad Taoist fell silent for a while and had to change the topic.

"Let's just wait and see for now." Yang Chen stroked his chin and said, "Although the first issue of the Spirit Martial Journal caused a big stir, the metaphysical community isn't entirely condemning it. There are still some voices of praise... Any reform won't be smooth at the beginning. Since these brainless fools want to turn the Spirit Martial Journal into an internal publication of the Quanzhen Sect, we might as well fan the flames."

"What do you mean?" The Mad Taoist asked curiously, "Do you have some evil plan?"

"When I started the Spirit Martial Journal, my intention was never to limit it to the Quanzhen Sect." Yang Chen said, "The Spirit Martial Journal should be an authoritative publication for the global metaphysical community, not just a small magazine circulating within a sect! If they want to play, we'll play along... We'll strike hard at every opportunity. After a few rounds, they won't be able to hold out!"

"How will we strike?" The Mad Taoist's eyes lit up.

"That depends on how they screw up..." Yang Chen smiled slightly, with a hint of conspiracy...

After being humiliated at Kang Le Farm, Yang Chen didn't react much, but Zhang Bingyu couldn't swallow her anger. So that afternoon, she drove back to her hometown of Longhu Mountain in Xijiang Province alone, saying she would help Yang Chen find a way to get back at them.

It was as if she had been the one humiliated, not Yang Chen...

However, after Zhang Bingyu left, Yang Chen had some free time.

The issue with the Spirit Martial Journal couldn't be resolved in a short time and required careful planning. The best approach would be to strike hard and make the seven major lineages of the Quanzhen Sect feel the pain. Otherwise, just scratching the surface would be meaningless and not in line with Yang Chen's style.

So, after sending off the Mad Taoist, who had come to freeload, at around three in the afternoon, the idle Yang Chen drove to the Yanbian Lake area in the suburbs of Jinzhou City. He originally just wanted to clear his mind, but he didn't expect the scenery to have changed so much...

Large trucks loaded with mud were coming and going on the gravel road.

The originally flat road had been completely destroyed by these engineering vehicles, with potholes and bumps everywhere. The gravel on the road was no longer visible, and the entire road was covered with a thick layer of mud.

Fortunately, the X6 Yang Chen was driving had a high ground clearance, allowing it to bump along the road. If it were a sedan, it would have been making loud noises from the bottom of the car hitting the road bumps...

Seven or eight excavators were working on the empty land by the shore of Yanbian Lake, and a large amount of rebar and cement were piled on the ground that had been roughly leveled, presenting a scene of bustling activity.

Suppressing his curiosity, Yang Chen parked his car on a relatively dry patch of land by the construction site.

As soon as the car stopped, two middle-aged men dressed as security guards, leading a large and muscular German Shepherd, walked over from nearby. Their demeanor made them seem more like police officers than security guards...

"Who are you looking for?" Yang Chen pushed open the car door and got out. The two security guards also came over to question him.

What surprised them a bit was that the German Shepherd, which would usually bark wildly at strangers, suddenly went limp and lay on the ground, making low whining sounds.

Yang Chen glanced at the German Shepherd and pointed to the construction site, asking, "Which company is in charge of this construction?"

"We are from Jinzhou Deno Construction Co., Ltd. Who are you?" The luxury car worth over two million yuan had a strong deterrent effect, and the two security guards with the dog were very friendly.

"This land belongs to my family. I have some free time today and came to check on the progress." Yang Chen smiled faintly, inwardly praising his parents' efficiency. It had only been a few days, and construction had already begun.

"Are you from Hengyang Group?" After Yang Chen revealed his identity, the two security guards smiled obsequiously, "Hello, hello, our manager is in the office over there... We'll take you there!"

"Alright." Yang Chen nodded and followed the two of them toward the offices made from shipping containers in the distance. Although the construction had only started a few days ago, the basic living facilities were already in place.