Chapter 227: Chapter 225: Breaking Down the Gate

Following Master Tian Mu’s directions.

Jiang Chen and Murong Xiangming followed the path, eventually finding a manor in a secluded area beyond the West Suburb.

If one weren’t deliberately looking for it, an ordinary person would never notice a place like this.

Besides, beyond Hanwu City lay the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, where Demon Beasts would occasionally appear. Most people didn’t dare to linger alone outside the city walls.

Fortunately, Elder Qi was a Martial Master Ninth Heaven expert, so ordinary Demon Beasts posed no threat to him.

Staring at the manor before them.

Murong Xiangming said to Jiang Chen, "According to the Pavilion Master, this must be the place."

She looked at Jiang Chen. Despite her Martial King Cultivation, she showed him no condescension.

Instead, she seemed to regard him as her pillar of support.

Jiang Chen stood outside the manor. To be honest, the place looked rather old and dilapidated.

It looked as if it hadn’t been maintained in a very long time.

The wooden gate before them was covered in cracks.

He paused, silently observing his surroundings.

The place could be described in one word: silent. It was utterly silent.

Not even a bird could be heard chirping nearby.

A murderous aura seemed to emanate from it at all times.

"I’ll knock on the door."

Seeing Jiang Chen remain silent, Murong Xiangming stepped forward, raising her hand to knock.

"Wait..."

Jiang Chen cried out, trying to stop her.

But it was too late.

Murong Xiangming’s hand struck the wooden gate.

In that instant, Jiang Chen’s heart sank. ’This is bad.’

The murderous aura here, however faint, could not escape the senses of his Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique.

Murong Xiangming was incapable of such subtle perception, even with her Martial King Cultivation.

"Look out! Get back!"

At the critical moment, Jiang Chen yelled at Murong Xiangming.

’What?’

Murong Xiangming froze, unable to react in time.

Seeing the dilapidated gate, she had let her guard down. Unlike Jiang Chen, she couldn’t sense the hidden killing intent.

Just then.

WHOOSH!

A nearly transparent thread shot out from a crack in the gate like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for Murong Xiangming.

Its speed was simply too great.

Even with her Martial King Cultivation, Murong Xiangming was caught completely off guard.

The thread was just too strange.

"Hah!"

At the last second, Murong Xiangming swiftly summoned a sword and slashed viciously at the nearly transparent filament.

CLANG!

A moment later, a jolt ran up Murong Xiangming’s arm. To her shock, she hadn’t managed to sever the thin thread.

A powerful recoil traveled up from the filament, leaving her arm slightly numb.

At the same time, several more threads shot out from the cracks in the gate.

Despite her formidable cultivation, Murong Xiangming was unable to defend against such a bizarre attack.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen’s expression shifted.

He hastily produced the Divine Wind Fan and swung it toward the wooden gate.

He shouted to Murong Xiangming, "Fall back! Now!"

’I can’t let Murong Xiangming die on this trip.’

Murong Xiangming was scrambling, her face pale. This was, without a doubt, a life-or-death moment for her.

A few thin threads had nearly cost her her life.

FWOOSH!

As Jiang Chen swung the Divine Wind Fan, a frigid wind roared forth.

It slammed directly into the wooden gate.

BOOM!

With a tremendous crash, the wooden gate shattered under the force of Jiang Chen’s Divine Wind Fan.

At the same moment, the attacking threads vanished without a trace.

Only then did Murong Xiangming narrowly escape disaster.

She stared at Jiang Chen in shock, her eyes fixed on the Divine Wind Fan in his hand.

’The power of that Divine Wind Fan is incredible.’

The two stood at the threshold, Jiang Chen still warily scanning their surroundings.

With the gate he had destroyed gone, they could see clearly into the courtyard. It was overgrown with weeds and had clearly been neglected for a long time.

But the murderous aura within had not dispersed.

"Bastards! Who dares trespass on my property?"

Just then, an extremely furious voice called out from within.

It was the hoarse voice of an old man.

It was clear how enraged the owner was that Jiang Chen had just shattered his gate with a single swing of the fan.

Jiang Chen was taken aback. ’So someone really does live here.’

"Perhaps it’s Elder Qi," Murong Xiangming said, her face still pale. The attack just now had been terrifyingly potent.

’If it weren’t for Jiang Chen, my life truly would have been in danger.’

Still, this was the residence Master Tian Mu had described.

The voice from inside was likely Elder Qi’s.

It was just a guess on Murong Xiangming’s part.

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement.

’This is awkward,’ he thought. ’We’ve come to ask for a favor, and the first thing I do is demolish his gate.’

He cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward the courtyard and called out, "Senior, we have come to ask for your help. We humbly request an audience."

He had no choice but to adopt a humble posture; after all, they were the ones asking for a favor.

’I just hope he doesn’t care too much about a pair of wooden gates.’

Otherwise, this could get very complicated.

If they couldn’t find the Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Silkworm, the Jiang Family would continue to be suppressed by the City Lord’s Mansion back in Hanwu City.

That was another problem entirely.

If he didn’t deal with the City Lord’s Mansion, the Jiang Family would remain under constant threat.

And to be safe, the only sure way was to use an Elixir that he could refine.

"Hmph. You come asking for a favor, but you smash my gate down? Is this how you ask for help?"

A cold snort came from within.

Jiang Chen felt a bit helpless. ’This isn’t entirely my fault.’

"Senior, your Cyan Silk was simply too powerful. I was afraid it would injure the young lady beside me, so I was forced to act."

"Please, I hope you can understand."

He had recognized it immediately—the threads were Cyan Silk.

This made him even more excited. The fact that his opponent was using Cyan Silk meant he must have a lead on a Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Silkworm.

He even had a faint suspicion that the man possessed a Cyan Silkworm himself.

The Elixir he needed to refine required a Cyan Silkworm of at least one hundred years. Of course, the older, the better.

At that, understanding dawned on Murong Xiangming.

’It was Cyan Silk... In that case, this senior must have a Cyan Silkworm.’

She was once again astonished by Jiang Chen. He had actually recognized the Cyan Silk, while she, the young lady of the Treasure Elephant Pavilion, hadn’t even known what was attacking her.

’Now that I think about it, it must have been the Cyan Silk he mentioned.’

Murong Xiangming was now thoroughly impressed by the breadth of Jiang Chen’s knowledge.

"Oh?"

"You were actually able to recognize my Cyan Silk?"

The old man inside seemed surprised that Jiang Chen had identified the Cyan Silk.

After all, no one had ever seen his Cyan Silk before, yet Jiang Chen had recognized it at a single glance.

Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "I once heard about it from my master."

"Cyan Silk is nearly transparent and as fine as gossamer. The silk from a hundred-year-old specimen has a toughness comparable to an ordinary Treasure Artifact."

"And the silk from a thousand-year-old one can rival a powerful High-Grade Treasure Artifact."

’What?’

Jiang Chen’s words shocked the old man in the courtyard once more.

"Kid, you really know your stuff."

"Since you know so much, I won’t hold breaking my gate against you. You and the girl, come on in."

It seemed Jiang Chen’s extensive knowledge had piqued Elder Qi’s interest.

For a researcher passionate about silkworms, it was rare to find someone with whom he could discuss his area of expertise.

Elder Qi seemed to feel that Jiang Chen was someone worth meeting.

Anyone else would have been driven away long ago.