Chapter 364: Chapter 210: Lifespan Increase

The Celestial Break Gang headquarters.

"Quick, find a Doctor to treat the wounded!"

"Zhao the Seventh, send men out and keep the rest of the gang in line. Anyone who dares to cause trouble right now gets killed on the spot!"

"Check the casualty count, record it, and wait for the Gang Leader to handle it!"

...

When Zhou Zhendong and the others brought Li Lu back, the gang was in a flurry of activity. Li Xian and his men were cleaning up the headquarters and arranging for people to handle the situation.

They were startled to see Li Lu brought back unconscious on someone’s back. Fortunately, Zhou Zhendong explained the situation, and they calmed down.

After handing Li Lu over to them, Zhou Zhendong left with He Shujun, who had been knocked out and had his head covered.

He first locked the man in his private dungeon. Then, Zhou Zhendong went back to find Cheng Zongyang to report on the incident.

「It was already past noon.」

Zhou Zhendong arrived alone at the door to the room. Seeing Xu Dong standing guard by himself, he couldn’t help but ask:

"Is the Young Master in seclusion inside?"

Xu Dong cupped his hands. "Yes, Steward Zhou. The Boss said he can be called if there’s an emergency."

Zhou Zhendong nodded slightly. "Then go in and tell him. Say there’s an urgent matter to report."

"Yes." Xu Dong immediately pushed the door open and went inside.

Soon, he saw Cheng Zongyang in the room, sitting cross-legged on the bed, motionless with his eyes closed.

"Boss, Steward Zhou is looking for you," Xu Dong called out softly.

At the same time, within the independent space on the third floor of the market cottage, Cheng Zongyang was swimming in his manor.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so comfortable.

Just then, a reminder in Xu Dong’s voice appeared in his mind:

"Boss, Steward Zhou is looking for you."

The call from the outside world synchronized with the Wilderness World. Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang’s expression faltered. He immediately climbed out of the water. As his blood and qi circulated, steam rose from his body in a thick mist, and he was instantly dry and clean.

With that, he vanished from the poolside.

「Outside.」

Cheng Zongyang slowly opened his eyes and saw Xu Dong waiting by his side.

"What is it?" Cheng Zongyang asked again.

"Steward Zhou is looking for you," Xu Dong replied again.

Cheng Zongyang got off the bed and walked outside. At the doorway, he saw Zhou Zhendong in the small courtyard’s pavilion.

"You can leave us," Cheng Zongyang said to Xu Dong before walking toward the pavilion.

"Yes, Boss." Xu Dong immediately cupped his hands and withdrew.

"Cousin, what happened?" Cheng Zongyang asked as he sat down in the pavilion.

Zhou Zhendong quickly said, "He Shujun took the initiative and attacked the Celestial Break Gang. The gang suffered considerable casualties."

Before Zhou Zhendong could finish, Cheng Zongyang’s expression hardened. Seeing this, Zhou Zhendong quickly added, "But the situation is already over..."

Zhou Zhendong then recounted the entire event, concluding with:

"Xiao Bing, the Hall Master of Zhenwu Hall, is dead. Gang Leader Li’s arms were both broken. Li Xian has already stabilized the gang’s members and affairs. He Shujun is now locked in the dungeon. But there’s one thing I’m worried about."

"What?" After hearing the report, Cheng Zongyang relaxed, his face filled with relief and surprise.

He was naturally pleased that the problem had been solved using the Geomagnetic Stone without him having to act personally.

Zhou Zhendong said with a worried look, "When we disabled He Shujun and captured him alive, two people from the Li Courtyard you mentioned were watching the whole time. I don’t know if one of them was the Li Mingxin you spoke of. I’m worried about what he might do."

After all, Li Mingxin was from the Li Family. If he became displeased and acted against them because of the He Shujun incident, it would be troublesome.

The Royal Family isn’t an ordinary family; you can’t just kill their people! And He Shujun was a Steward overseeing a territory. Killing an administrator is tantamount to provoking the Royal Family. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Though he was belligerent, it didn’t mean he didn’t know the stakes.

After listening, Cheng Zongyang wasn’t worried at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Don’t worry. Li Mingxin won’t interfere. It’s the rule, a rule he himself established. But you all did a good job—no, an excellent job."

Cheng Zongyang praised him, "You did exactly as I instructed. By working together, as things stand, no one in Jade Peak County is a match for you. You’ll have more experience with this sort of thing in the future. As for Li Lu, I’ll go check on him later."

"Alright. I’ll get back to my other tasks then."

Zhou Zhendong didn’t grow complacent from Cheng Zongyang’s praise. He knew full well that he hadn’t defeated He Shujun with his own strength, so there was nothing to brag about. But as long as it ensured Cheng Zongyang’s true power remained hidden, that was enough.

"Good," Cheng Zongyang nodded.

After Zhou Zhendong left, Cheng Zongyang thought for a moment, then called out to Xu Dong, "Xu Dong, prepare the carriage."

"Yes, Boss!" Xu Dong’s voice came from the front courtyard.

Cheng Zongyang returned to his room and entered the Wilderness World to check on his Lifespan.

According to Zhou Zhendong, the Celestial Break Gang had suffered many casualties, but he didn’t know how many of the dead had signed the contract.

He had added a clause to the contract’s content: even in the case of accidental death not involving a breach of contract, their Soul Returns to the Wilderness.

Therefore, even if they died without breaching the contract, the Wilderness World would still claim their souls. And his Lifespan would be returned with interest.

——

Name: Cheng Zongyang

Age: 16 (Years)

Lifespan: 16/101 (-318 days; +36 days)

Realm: Sixth Grade (Meridian Passage)

...

——

Looking at the change in his Lifespan, Cheng Zongyang’s eyes flickered with considerable surprise:

’When did my maximum Lifespan increase by a year?’

He remembered that his Lifespan hadn’t changed after his breakthrough from consuming the Nine Yang Pill. He just hadn’t paid attention for a while, and it had actually increased by a year.

But on second thought, it must be feedback from his Cultivation Technique after his meridians were tempered. Then, he looked at the increase/decrease notification behind it and understood.

’Thirty-six days... based on the calculation of principal and interest returned, that means six people died.’

With this in mind, Cheng Zongyang now had a clear picture. He went to the pharmacy to get a few things before returning to the outside world.

Xu Dong’s carriage was already prepared. He went to the back courtyard, got into the carriage, and headed for the gang’s headquarters.