Chapter Forty-One: Chen Long's Overt Strategy

Chen Bo and his companions returned to Tianyang Academy. At the same time—

“Brother Chen Long, I really can’t stand the arrogant look on Chen Bo’s face. Should we secretly teach him a lesson? Put that useless guy in his place,” said Chen Yizhang, Chen Long’s number one lackey.

“Are you stupid? You want me to sweep the floor again, is that it?” Chen Long kicked him over with a curse, his anger showing; he still bore a shadow from last time.

He held Chen Yizhang’s sister, Chen Yue, in his arms. His right hand wandered to a certain prominent area, kneading hard, making Chen Yue cry out in pain, her voice tinged with flirtatious charm.

“Slut!” Chen Long cursed, but his hand didn’t stop. Chen Yizhang made no attempt to intervene; on the contrary, he seemed pleased by the scene.

“Tianyang Academy’s mentors barely show their faces all day, but I bet they’re hiding in the shadows. If we do anything over the line, they’ll jump out, just like that old man did last time. Damn it, my stomach still hurts,” Chen Long muttered, not too loudly, afraid the hidden mentors might hear. He had no money left for fines.

“So what should we do? Just letting him go seems too easy for him,” Chen Yizhang asked, his eyes flickering.

Chen Long glanced at him and said, “Let that trash go? You think I’ll let him off? Hmph! I don’t believe he can stay in Tianyang Academy forever. When he leaves, that’s my chance to strike. Tianyang Academy has no say outside its walls!”

“Brother Chen Long truly deserves to be the greatest genius in Flame Town, so wise!” Chen Yizhang raised his thumb in praise, sparing no flattery.

“But if that useless guy finds a way to repair his meridians, what then? He’ll be able to cultivate!” Chen Yizhang remarked.

“So what if he does? I’ve already broken through to the late stage of Body Tempering, and soon I’ll enter the Marrow Realm. Even if he repairs his meridians, how will he ever catch up to me?”

“If he can cultivate, so can I! The gap between us will only widen. No matter what, Chen Bo is just a clown, nothing worth worrying about right now.”

“The only people who matter to me are the talented prodigies from all over Tianyang Prefecture—they’re my true rivals!”

“The reason I’m only at the Body Tempering stage and not in Marrow Bone is because Chen Zhenhai, that old man, refuses to devote all the family’s resources to me. Otherwise, never mind the prodigies of Tianyang Academy—even Chen Jingjing, hailed as the greatest genius of the past centuries, wouldn’t be my match!”

“Sooner or later, I’ll turn the entire Chen clan into my plaything! Chen Bo? Chen Zhenhai? Hmph, they’ll be nothing but my errand boys!”

Chen Long glanced at Chen Yizhang and Chen Yue, continuing, “When that day comes, you two siblings will be the greatest contributors to the Chen clan. The positions of two elders are guaranteed for you. After all these years by my side, I won’t let you down.”

Chen Yizhang was about to offer more flattery when suddenly he saw a large group approaching. At their head was a youth in blue robes, dignified and imposing.

The blue-robed youth strode up and asked, “Which of you knows Chen Bo?”

Chen Long and his companions exchanged glances, frowning. “Who are you? What business is it of yours if I know that useless guy?”

“Hicks! How dare you speak to my young master like that?” came a barrage of curses from the blue-robed youth’s entourage, pointing at Chen Long’s group.

Chen Long’s anger flared, and he was about to act when the blue-robed youth spoke again, “You’d better be careful. My father is the Lord of Tianyang City! If you country bumpkins don’t want to die, answer my question.”

The City Lord! Chen Long froze. This guy was actually the city lord’s son!

Now Chen Long’s mood turned uncertain. The city lord’s son was someone he absolutely couldn’t afford to provoke. Who knew if these scions could kill inside Tianyang Academy without breaking rules? If the academy favored them because of their status, Chen Long wouldn’t even have a place to cry for justice.

Adaptability was his forte. If he couldn’t fight or flee, it was better to latch onto the blue-robed youth and use him against Chen Bo.

After all, judging from the youth’s tone, he seemed quite hostile to Chen Bo. Chen Long silently praised his own cunning, calculating how best to use the blue-robed youth to deal with Chen Bo.

“I’ll ask one last time. Do you know Chen Bo?” The blue-robed youth’s cold voice brimmed with superiority, making the others uncomfortable.

But Chen Long didn’t dare show displeasure. Now, his expression matched that of Chen Yizhang earlier, full of sycophancy. “Young Master Guo, we know Chen Bo—not only know him, but know him very well.”

Everyone in Tianyang Prefecture knew the city lord’s surname was Guo.

“Oh? Very well acquainted?” The blue-robed youth asked in surprise. “So you must know Chen Bo in detail?”

“Yes, Chen Bo is from the Chen clan in Flame Town. Coincidentally, the three of us are from the same clan. We know Chen Bo as well as anyone could.”

“That kid used to have decent talent, but a year ago he became a useless weakling. No idea how he got into Tianyang Academy,” Chen Long said, deliberately omitting Chen Jingjing. If he revealed that Chen Jingjing was Chen Bo’s sister, he feared Young Master Guo might hesitate to act.

“I’m not asking about his background! How did he get so close to Xin’er? Why did Xin’er call him a lecher? Tell me everything. If I catch you in a single lie, you won’t live to see tomorrow.”

A clichéd threat, but effective.

“Yu Xin’er? Who is that? The name sounds familiar…” Chen Long searched his memory but found nothing.

“Hmph! Yu Xin’er’s mentor is the famous witch Yu Shifei of Tianyang Academy—now do you remember?” the blue-robed youth said.

Yu Shifei!

That name was very familiar to Chen Long. Last time, Zhao Qing and the others had been deeply wary of her, leaving a strong impression. Now he remembered who Yu Xin’er was.

But he didn’t know how to respond, for he had no idea what connection Chen Bo had with Yu Xin’er. He couldn’t lie; if Young Master Guo forced him to swear, there’d be no way to fool him.

“Young Master Guo, honestly, we don’t know. But I do know that Chen Bo and Yu Xin’er seemed to have some kind of conflict,” Chen Long said, stopping short, as Young Master Guo’s face darkened completely.

“Hmph! Chen Bo!” Enraged, Young Master Guo in blue robes stomped the ground. With a thunderous crash, the earth trembled and a basin-sized pit appeared where his foot landed.