Chương 75: The Tesseract Advances

Lingjiang Commandery, Sea of Clouds Pavilion. When the final finale treasure found its owner, today's auction officially came to a successful close. In the hall, many people crowded forward to congratulate the Chen Family Patriarch. He was in excellent spirits today; refusing no one, he happily nodded and chatted with everyone who approached. It had been too long since the Chen Family had produced a First-Tier expert.

Today, in his generation, there was hope to break this stagnation and bring glory to their ancestors! Although it was only a chance, it was enough to make everyone thrilled. In another private box, having wasted an entire afternoon, Du Ruhui's expression was currently far from pleasant. Although he didn't absolutely have to acquire the item, being publicly slapped in the face both times he spoke up felt like a profound humiliation, especially given his recently soaring prestige.

Looking coldly at the bustling crowd, Old Du stood up with a dark expression and left without greeting anyone. Those who knew him well understood that this matter wouldn't be brushed off so lightly. Several people even cast amused glances toward the jubilantly celebrating Chen Family, and toward the private box where Song Que's group had yet to show their faces.... Unaware of all this, Grandee Song, having successfully auctioned for his deeply desired item, felt there was nothing left to see.

He had already left via a side passage with Yun Shan.

"Chief Manager Yun, thank you for your trouble today. This junior has other matters to attend to and must take my leave first. Please notify me beforehand when you are ready to depart so my brother and I can prepare." Stroking his chin, Old Yun nodded and smiled:"Young Master Song is too polite. I should be thanking you for supporting our business today! We will be returning to Qinghe early tomorrow morning. Please be here at that time; we will be taking the mountain road through Eagle's Sorrow Ravine to return."

"Then this junior will take his leave. I will be here on time tomorrow morning."

"Take care, Young Master Song." After cupping his hands in farewell to Yun Shan, Song Que hurriedly returned to the inn to immediately enter closed-door cultivation. On the way back, Zhong Hong finally voiced his worries:"A'Que, you were too reckless today! Didn't you see that no one dared to bid against Du Ruhui? And you just had to stubbornly charge right in!" The world is vast, but the Tesseract is paramount!

No matter how many times it happened, if there was an item that could help it advance, he would risk his life for it! He smiled to comfort Brother Hong:"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water rises, earth will dam it. There's no need to worry, Brother Hong. Besides, with Du Ruhui's status, he might not even bother stooping to the level of insignificant shrimp like us." What's done is done; now they could only heighten their vigilance.

The two, each with their own thoughts, hurried back to the inn.... Song Que assumed Old Du wasn't that petty, but he was actually mistaken. The moment he stepped out of the Sea of Clouds Pavilion, Du Ruhui, his eyes cold, immediately ordered his men to investigate him. Not long after, upon returning to headquarters, the person dispatched came before him to report.

"Reporting to the Gang Master: VIP Box Number 7 is exclusively reserved by Pavilion Master Yun Xi for receiving important guests. Today, we only heard that her trusted aide, Yun Shan, personally received two young men. Their identities remain a mystery. We only managed to glean that these two came from the Prefecture Capital." The cold-faced Du Ruhui pondered for a long time before sneering:"Hmph, it seems they are scions of some noble family from Yangnan Prefecture. There's no need to act rashly for now.

It's not an item worth starting a war over anyway. Have our people pull back."

"Understood, Gang Master. As for the Chen Family, should we..." A cruel glint flashed in the man's eyes as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Hehe, the Chen Family dares to fight with me? They will certainly pay the price! But there's no rush. Isn't the Liu Family secretly fighting a bitter struggle against them? The most anxious ones right now should be the Liu Family! As long as I light a small fire, I guarantee the Chen Family will suffer!" Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Du Ruhui replied with a cold laugh. The man opposite him immediately offered flattering praise.

But ultimately, he couldn't help but voice his concern:"Gang Master, what if that old thief from the Chen Family swallows the Qi-Gathering Pill and successfully breaks through to the First Tier? Would they still fear the Liu Family then?"

"Hah! Break through? If their family's inherited Five Qi Toward the Origin Formula was that easy to break through with, the Chen Family would have dominated Lingjiang long ago, leaving no room for anyone else!"

"Relax. Let's just watch the show. Prepare ourselves, and when the time comes, we'll swoop in and reap the benefits! The Chen Family has a legacy of hundreds of years; they must have plenty of treasures hidden away."

"Haha, when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits! It is Gang Master whose schemes as the fisherman are truly profound! I will have someone secretly assist the Liu Family."

"No need, we just need to move our mouths. Don't underestimate the Liu Family. Although I haven't fully investigated them, they've done plenty of shady things and are hiding quite a bit of strength. None of them are simpletons."

"Understood! Then this subordinate takes his leave." Unaware that he had been targeted by a vicious wolf—and only saved from exposing his identity thanks to Yun Xi's foresight and secret arrangements—Song Que was currently sitting in his room with the door locked tight, his entire mind focused on the Jade Spirit Ginseng in front of him. Do I eat it whole, or divide it into smaller portions and eat it gradually? Grandee Song was genuinely torn.

Based on his past experiences, he had always swallowed massive amounts of energy in one breath to trigger the Tesseract's mutation. Eating it bit by bit might not be effective. Go big or go home! With the Tesseract, I don't have to worry about being blown up by excess energy anyway! Placing his complete trust in the Tesseract, Song Que gritted his teeth, brought the Jade Spirit Ginseng to his mouth, and began to devour it in large bites. The wrist-thick ginseng vanished into his stomach in just a few breaths.

Not long after, a feeling of bloating and intense heat spread from below. The Tesseract in his mind began to spin violently, greedily absorbing the medicinal power. Song Que felt as if someone had lit a fire in his stomach, while the entity in his head continuously pulled those flames upwards. His entire body burned with agonizing pain! He gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound, deliberately ignoring his body to forget the pain.

He didn't know how much time passed, but when he saw the Tesseract in his mind had completely transformed into a pale orange color and its spinning gradually slowed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and tried to move his body. At some point, his body had expelled a layer of sticky, pale yellow sweat. The foul stench was practically torture to his heightened senses. Ignoring everything else, he scrambled into the washroom to scrub himself clean.

A long while later, a refreshed and spry Young Hero Song slowly walked out. While bathing, he had tested himself. His physical strength hadn't increased by much, only about 2 Horsepower. But even so, he was overjoyed because the Tesseract had fully advanced! This meant he could now continue to use its energy to strengthen himself! As long as his strength could continue to grow, all worries and doubts vanished into thin air!

Furthermore, with the Tesseract's advancement, the Storage Space had also expanded, now reaching about 10 cubic meters! This was more than enough for his needs. Seeing that it was late into the night, and feeling exhausted after the long day, he didn't feel hungry, nor did he have the interest to go out and make money. In high spirits, Grandee Song decided to go to bed early; he had to set off early tomorrow morning.... Early morning.

Mist still clung to the treetops, obscuring the distant forests and rocky mountains. A convoy of men and horses was slowly leaving Lingjiang City, crossing through Eagle's Sorrow Ravine toward Qinghe County. This was the trade route the Yun Family frequently used. Cargo ships had limited capacity and were expensive. To maintain profitability, the Yun Family had no choice but to use horse-drawn carts to haul goods across this treacherous mountain path.

On the road, Yun Shan and Song Que were positioned in the middle of the convoy. They sat leisurely on horseback, chatting happily.

"Yesterday, a spy from the Lingjiang Gang tried to investigate the identities of you two. Fortunately, our Pavilion Master managed to throw them off the scent. But Young Master Song, you must be much more careful in the future." As they laughed and talked, Yun Shan didn't forget to sell him a favor. Hearing this, Song Que's expression changed slightly. He secretly cursed Old Du for not being a good person, while his impression of the Yun Family's 'after-sales service' improved significantly.

"Please thank Pavilion Master Yun on my behalf, Chief Manager. Next time I have the chance, this junior will definitely visit to thank her in person."

"Haha, Young Master Song, you are our honored guest. Protecting our clients' privacy is only natural. There's no need to take it to heart." Although he knew this was 'playing hard to get', Song Que was perfectly susceptible to it. He cupped his hands and thanked him once again:"This junior will remember this favor from you both. I will certainly repay it properly in the future." Wasn't this exactly the goal?

By gradually accumulating favors, he knew this kid—from his understanding of him—was someone who heavily valued loyalty and relationships. He definitely wouldn't be able to escape their grasp in the future! Thinking about how he was securing a powerful assistant for his family's future, Old Yun was beaming with joy. Not feeling tired, he continued to impart his knowledge to the two of them.

"We have entered Eagle's Sorrow Ravine. Young Master Song, look at the sheer cliffs on both sides. Isn't it an easy place to defend and hard to attack? If men and horses were stationed up there, no one below could ever hope to cross peacefully." Observing the terrain through Lightning's eyes, Song Que couldn't help but sigh and deeply agree with Old Yun's words. What's more, this wasn't the only section of the road with sheer cliffs; there were several other spots like this!

The rest was mostly desolate, uninhabited wilderness. No wonder fugitives loved hiding here to become bandits! If the city guards wanted to come in here and search, it would truly be immensely difficult. A slight misstep, and they could easily be bitten back, leaving them with cracked skulls and bloody noses. Over time, with no one to manage it, the area became infested with mountain bandits. Merchant convoys passing through were constantly on edge and terrified. Naturally, they had to pay 'road tolls'.

But if you didn't have solid backing, those bandits would dare to swallow you and your goods whole, leaving nothing behind! Countless small merchants had been ruined in these parts.