The bright moon dominated the sky.

During the day, the fine white lines cast by the fierce sun faded until they seemed like dilute ink flowing across the vault of heaven.

Blind Song glanced at the sky and then entered Miss An's room.

Ever since he had three women in his life, Song Cheng was basically alone with Madam Tong on odd-numbered months, and on even-numbered months, he sought out Miss An and Ying. As for whether he would be with Miss An or Ying, he would leave that to Miss An's arrangement.

As to whether the three women or two would band together against him, that wasn't for him to decide, and it hadn't happened yet.

When he visited Miss An, if she was too tired, then Ying would step in. Otherwise, it was always Miss An who took the initiative.

Tonight was just like that.

In the room, Miss An was as exquisite as ever.

Song Cheng approached.

In a moment...

They entwined.

The bedclothes tossed about.

That cold and stunning body, similar to a sculpture of frost and snow, was like a delicate work of art and mingled with worldly desires that stirred the heart.

Although Madam Tong was fierce, she was not fond of novelty and always preferred the same method of attack.

Miss An, though cold, could come up with many different ideas.

After a while, the grand battle gradually came to an end.

The only thing left was a weary person lying on his back, looking at the white muslin canopy that billowed like waves in the dim light of the red candle.

"Are you satisfied, Song?"

In the darkness came the cold voice of An Chenyu.

Song Cheng said, "And you, Sister An?"

Miss An did not reply but the arm of the young man felt a light tapping—that was Miss An's chin resting on his arm.

It meant she was nodding.

That slight movement filled the young man's heart with joy.

The joys of human life, mutual contentment—nothing was better than this.

This made the young man even more certain that what he sought in a long life was the simple joys of living. He aspired for both spiritual fulfillment and sensual pleasures, but not for the elusive and unheard Great Dao.

With Madam Tong, they would talk about clothing, food, housing, and other domestic matters, sometimes even flirting and teasing each other.

But with Miss An, Song Cheng felt that he could completely discuss the future and his plans.

Because Miss An had far-reaching vision and profound thoughts, an ocean in her heart.

With her, there was never flirting or teasing—she would talk to you rationally, albeit coldly.

Perhaps she was not even sure whether such a woman as herself had any feminine charm, which might be why she would always ask "Are you satisfied?" after each encounter.

She believed more in black and white—the written word—and in what the other person said out loud rather than uncertain feelings.

So, Song Cheng added, "Me too, very satisfied."

"Good as long as you are satisfied," replied Miss An nonchalantly, then took a slightly deeper breath.

This was a small detail signaling a change of topic, and Song Cheng was well aware of it.

Indeed, An Chenyu abruptly asked, "Song, have you thought it through about that matter?"

Song Cheng actually continued, "Sister An, you are right about the canal matter—we should prepare for a rainy day. Whether Yune gets devoured or not, we can discuss taking the final step later."

Miss An nodded and said, "The Wang brothers are fiercely loyal to my An Family, and Gao Lin has also settled his family in my An Family's territory. They are not a problem. Now that you are willing to teach them martial arts and help them become stronger, that is the best thing we can hope for."

Song Cheng said, "Extreme Force..."

Miss An said, "What's mine is yours, it's up to you how to handle it.

As for the so-called 'family secret Cultivation Technique,' that phrase has ceased to matter to me.

I, An Chenyu, don't aim to keep some top-secret Cultivation Technique; I want to change the status of the entire An Family."

Leaning on the young man's arm, she continued, "The scale and duration of this Ghost Tide are unprecedented, Song. I think the heavens are going to change.

To have peace of mind, one must think of danger in times of safety. With change comes unrest."

Song Cheng said, "People, especially women, as well as food. Those two will become incredibly important."

An Chenyu said, "Wild beasts and Demon Beasts also count towards the population. I have read ancient texts and consulted with scholars. The conclusion I've reached is that there have always been groups of wild animals surviving the Ghost Tide, as well as groups of people."

Song Cheng said, "In that case, Beast-Taming might be more suitable for this era than farming. Fields can't move, but wild animals and Demon Beasts can."

Miss An said, "My An Family's main business is in grains, relying on warehouses in various places to stockpile and then resell.

But recently I've been thinking that perhaps... my An Family needs to transform.

Ranches, stud farms, and then heading south."

She pondered for a moment, then continued, "I've always liked to prepare for the worst-case scenario. If this Ghost Tide is not just State-level but also spreads to the north, then... a thorough Chaotic World might descend upon us."

Immediately, she uttered four words deliberately: "Northern Barbarians moving south."

Having said this, she considered for a moment and then continued, "So, after this Ghost Tide passes, I plan to trade the An Family's land, grains, and warehouses for horses, cattle, sheep, and even tamed Demon Beasts, and then move south.

At the same time, I intend to insert the Wang brothers and Gao Lin into the canal project, give them some overseer-type positions.

But there will still be many issues.

First, within the family.

My father is a philandering playboy, much like my elder brother; neither of them wants to manage the family business and both are wasteful prodigals.

My father is not too bad, just spending some money. He knows I am capable, so he wants to hand the family business over to me and spend the money I earn.

But my brother, heh, in order to take over the family business for his own expenses, he's even gone so far as to collude with bandits.

Second, the trade.

Selling off An Family assets in exchange for cattle and horses.

I already have several families in mind for this purchase. I plan to buy out their assets and then reorganize them into An Family assets, and then head south.

As for the south, I've already had people go ahead and develop it. Connections should have been established there.

But time is tight, and the depth of those connections may not be sufficient.

All of these are issues."

Miss An lay in the man's arms, as if speaking to herself, yet also sharing information with her ally, or perhaps using the outpouring to organize her thoughts once more, to check for any leaks or gaps...

Yet, from beginning to end, she hadn't asked Song Cheng to do anything.

Because his duties had already been set before their marriage: to protect her, to look after Ruyi Commerce Chamber, and to help her avoid the troubles of marriage.

Of course, the third item had already been out of consideration.

Miss An muttered to herself about her arrangements, answering her own questions as she spoke.

Song Cheng simply listened quietly, his eyes occasionally narrowing as he pondered something.

After a while, Miss An suddenly stopped talking.

Looking down, Song Cheng noticed that the beauty, composed of a pure white outline, a soft touch, and a fragrant body, had actually fallen asleep in his arms.

With a slight chuckle, he pulled the covers tighter around them and began to consider which Martial Arts Hall in the South City district might offer him a supplementary Cultivation Technique.

...

...

The next day, early morning.

Before breakfast.

Tong Jia and Ying each practiced with their blades.

After breakfast, a little towards noon, the two women went out together to visit the centralized area for the injured in the city.

Meanwhile, the Wang brothers and Gao Lin arrived as promised.

All three were experts who had cultivated the "Willow Brushing Force" to Great Achievement. Song Cheng found it convenient to instruct them, starting with the Relaxing Force of Willow Brushing, preceding with the White Snake's Pounce, followed by the Absolute of the Blue Hawk.

After a full two hours of instruction, the three men, who had been somewhat apprehensive and unsure if Song Cheng would impart real knowledge, left gratefully and respectfully, performing the ceremony of a disciple despite not having officially taken him as their master. Their favorability toward him increased from 90 to 95.

At this level, with Song Cheng's experience, it had practically reached a very stable state.

Having done this, Song Cheng then called for Ling.

He could speak, but he knew only a few characters.

Although Madam Tong was somewhat better, able to recognize characters, she couldn't write many words.

Ying was similar to Madam Tong.

In this household, aside from Miss An, Ling was the only one "who could read and write."

Ling's favorability toward him had silently increased from 95 to 99, likely because his strength gave the security-craving Ling greater loyalty.

"Help me write a Cultivation Technique. I'll dictate, you write," Song Cheng instructed.

Ling obediently agreed and then prepared the ink and took up the brush.

Leaning back slightly in his chair, Song Cheng said, "The name of the Cultivation Technique, 'Mysterious Turtle Force.'"

Ling: ???

"Write," Song Cheng commanded.

Ling asked, astonished, "Master, you... you know a fourth Force?"

"Not exactly know, but I understand a bit," Song Cheng replied.

Ling nodded and began to write.

As Song Cheng spoke, she wrote.

Time passed little by little.

Tow two-hour periods quickly passed by.

Ling shook her wrist, which was sore from writing, and stopped.

After a few revisions with Song Cheng, ensuring the trap he had secretly set in the "Mysterious Turtle Force" was well-hidden, he pinched the manuscript's pages adding up to:

Five pages.

With few words and no illustrations, the number of pages was naturally limited.

The "Mysterious Turtle Force" was a type of Hard Force, described as "emanating from inside out, swelling at the surface of the body and somewhat overlapping with the function of Gang Qi." To put it plainly, Song Cheng had created "two layers of armor" for himself.

One layer of qi.

One layer of force.

And since he had created this Mysterious Turtle Force himself, although planting a concealed trap was not easy, it was still feasible.

"Thank you, Ling," he expressed his gratitude.

With that, Song Cheng picked up the "Mysterious Turtle Force" and, carrying the Fine Blade, headed towards the southern part of the city.

Ling called out, "Master, I swear I won't tell anyone."

Song Cheng turned back to smile and nodded his head.

...

...

In the evening, in the South City district.

The setting sun was blood-red.

The youth arrived at the entrance of a Martial Arts Hall called Flying Ring and knocked on the door.

The hall had been bustling with noise, but as the door opened and the arrival was recognized, everyone fell silent.

"Mr. Song," a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall hurriedly stepped out, respectful despite the young age of their visitor, asking, "Are you here to see our Master Chen?"

Song Cheng nodded amiably and said, "Is Master Chen available?"

"Yes, yes, I'll go get him right away," the disciple rushed off.

This was the advantage of having a good reputation.

If Song Cheng were unknown, his request to see the head of the Martial Arts Hall would likely be ignored. Then, he'd have to leave dejectedly or fight his way through, first offending the Flying Ring Martial Arts Hall, then the entire South City martial arts community, and escalating from there...

This was something Song Cheng could not accomplish.

Soon, an elderly man emerged, his gaze complex as he looked at the refined Blind Song.

He was well-acquainted with someone whom Old Master Zhao addressed as "little brother."

Song Cheng performed a polite bow and said, "Master Chen, may we have a private talk?"

The elder laughed, "Mr. Song honors us with your visit, please follow me. We've all heard about your situation in South City; you are a friend to our Martial Arts Halls."

Subsequently, the two entered a secluded room.

By the time they left, the "Mysterious Turtle Force" had disappeared from Song Cheng's possession, replaced by a copy of the "Flying Wheel Force."

...

...

Note: There was a small bug in the previous text—the protagonist recognized many characters (refer to "Willow Brushing Force," "Extreme Force," and "Grass Sea Astonished Snake Form"). This bug has been fixed to indicate that he read with the help of Ling and Madam Tong.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.