After the Great Dao died

Chapter 28 Two Months to Copper Red?

Before Princess Yunhe could finish speaking, Sun Ninghu made his move.

His movement was like a tiger leaping from its cage, without warning and as swift as lightning.

Two thick arms emerged from the sleeves, their ten fingers slightly spread like tiger claws, with large knuckles and prominent joints, like an iron clamp, reaching for Chen Lingxi's left leg.

This grab was unpretentious, yet it carried a brutal and destructive force.

The bluestone bricks beneath his feet were cracked like a spider web, and he was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, his momentum overwhelming and unstoppable.

A strong wind rushed towards her face, and Chen Lingxi's pupils contracted slightly. She lightly touched the bluestone bricks with her toes and slid back several feet, barely avoiding the grab.

Sun Ninghu's first claw missed, his brow furrowed slightly, and then his second claw arrived.

This time, he grabbed Chen Lingxi's right leg, and his movements were even faster than the first time. His five fingers brought out five sharp whistling sounds as if an iron plow was cutting through frozen soil.

As Chen Lingxi retreated, he suddenly changed direction, his body twisting to the right. Sun Ninghu's claws grazed past his trouser leg, tearing a hole in it and scattering cotton fibers.

"Um?"

Sun Ninghu let out a soft exclamation, clearly not expecting that this seemingly frail government slave could dodge his two claws.

He originally thought that this grab would break the other party's left leg and finish the job, but he never expected that the official slave's footwork was so agile that he did not look like a novice who had only been practicing martial arts for a month.

He took a deep breath, and his blood and qi in his dantian suddenly boiled.

Chen Ling remained expressionless as he washed his face. The Hidden Edge Technique quietly circulated within his dantian, tightening the spiritual energy barrier and releasing only the fluctuations of blood and qi that indicated he had just entered the Bronze Crimson Realm.

Princess Yunhe sat on the chair, one hand supporting her chin, her eyes smiling as she watched with great interest.

Lin Longyue held her teacup, but her gaze never left Chen Lingxi.

She saw that the crimson aura around Chen Lingxi was thin and his aura was not strong, just like a newborn who had just stepped into the copper-red threshold, whose copper molten aura had not yet been condensed.

Even so, she couldn't help but show the surprise on her face.

"Copper red!"

"Is this the true nature of the servants in my household?"

She glanced at Princess Yunhe subconsciously, only to see that the princess still had a smile on her face, but her eyes held a few streaks of bloodlust.

In the arena, Sun Ninghu had already closed in.

His palms moved with incredible speed and force, each claw carrying the power to tear apart gold and shatter stone.

His fighting style was extremely brutal, disregarding the finesse of his moves and only seeking speed and power. He fought like a wild beast, his claws never leaving Chen Lingxi's vital limbs.

Chen Lingxi retreated repeatedly, struggling to stay afloat, looking like a small boat tossed about in a raging storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

Although his steps were chaotic, they were orderly within the chaos. Each retreat was just enough to avoid Sun Ninghu's claws, and each sidestep was just enough to brush past the wind of the fist. It was as if someone was dancing on the tip of a knife, extremely dangerous, but he was never hurt in the slightest.

Although his vital energy was not abundant, it flowed like a river, continuous and unbroken.

Sun Ninghu, unable to break through after a prolonged attack, grew increasingly fierce in his eyes.

He let out a low growl and unleashed both claws, grabbing down at Chen Lingxi's shoulders. This time, he used all his strength, the claw wind tearing the air with a piercing shriek, and crimson energy flickering at his fingertips, like five red-hot iron hooks.

Chen Lingxi saw the countless claw shadows reflected in her pupils, and her feet suddenly stopped, halting her retreat.

The force of the collapsing mountain exploded on his fist!

He clenched his right fist, and the thin layer of crimson aura on his fist suddenly solidified.

Mountain-Swept Fist!

This punch was delivered straight out, without any fancy moves, as heavy and decisive as throwing a mountain.

Fists and claws clashed.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the shockwave parted to both sides.

Sun Ninghu paused slightly, while Chen Lingxi took three steps back, her right arm trembling slightly.

The thin layer of aura on his fist was mostly torn away by Sun Ninghu's claw wind, revealing the pale skin underneath.

But he managed to block Sun Ninghu's claw attack.

A hint of surprise flashed across Princess Yunhe's eyes, but it was quickly masked by a smile.

Lin Longyue took a deep breath.

He whispered a single "okay".

Sun Ninghu's first attack failed, so he became even more ferocious.

He lashed out with his claws in quick succession, moving so fast that only afterimages remained. His crimson claws wove a dense, impenetrable net, descending upon Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi stopped retreating and changed his stance, shifting from the "Entering the River" posture to the "Mountain-Climbing" posture. His fists opened and closed wide, each punch powerful and heavy. The "Crushing Mountain Force" exploded on his fists, tearing open the claw net.

Although his blood and qi were not as robust as Sun Ninghu's, and his strength was not as solid as his opponent's, his boxing skills were far more refined. Every punch was aimed precisely at the weak points of his opponent's claw techniques, using skill to overcome force and deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces.

By the eighth move, Chen Lingxi had gradually regained her footing.

With his tenth move, he began his counterattack.

The Bengyue Jin (a martial arts technique) circulated more and more smoothly within his body. With each punch, the force was greater than the last, like a snowball rolling bigger and heavier.

Until the eleventh move, Chen Lingxi punched Sun Ninghu in the left rib.

That punch was a variation of the "Entering the River Stance," the force of the punch like a river flowing backward, the power of the "Collapse Mountain Force" seeping into Sun Ninghu's body through the Qi Armor, causing his internal organs to churn and a trace of blood to spill from the corner of his mouth.

Sun Ninghu grunted, and his attack suddenly faltered.

Taking advantage of this moment of hesitation, Chen Lingxi's right fist had already arrived!

"break!"

The punch landed on Sun Ninghu's chest, and Sun Ninghu staggered back two steps, finally showing surprise on his face.

He stared at Chen Lingxi, unable to believe that this government slave could actually hurt him.

What alarmed him even more was that the slave's punches were getting heavier and heavier with each strike, as if he was accumulating something, becoming heavier and more ferocious with each blow, seemingly without end.

He gritted his teeth and extended his claws again.

But this time, his movements were not as swift as before.

Chen Lingxi grasped this point.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and the Collapsing Mountain Force erupted within his body. His right fist slammed out like a meteor, and the thin layer of crimson aura on his fist suddenly blazed brighter at that moment.

The thirteenth punch landed on Sun Ninghu's right shoulder.

The fourteenth punch landed on Sun Ninghu's left arm.

The fifteenth punch landed on Sun Ninghu's chest.

Punch after punch, delivered in one fluid motion, so fast it took everyone's breath away.

Sun Ninghu's defense completely collapsed, and his qi and blood were blocked!

He staggered backward, his back slamming against the vermilion pillar of the east hall with a dull thud.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but a mouthful of blood gushed from his throat, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud!

His arms were still trembling slightly.

He looked up at Chen Lingxi, his light brown eyes filled with horror and resentment.

The hall was completely silent.

It was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the charcoal fire and the gentle rustling of the spring breeze through the plum branches outside the window.

Princess Yunhe put down the pastries in her hand, her eyes widened slightly, and a rare look of genuine surprise appeared on her usually languid face.

She glanced at Sun Ninghu, who was sitting on the ground panting, and then at Chen Lingxi, who was standing upright in the hall, her breathing disordered but her posture still ramrod straight. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she remained silent.

Liu Que, the steward of the West Wing, stood by the door, his eyes wide with surprise, seemingly astonished by Chen Lingxi's domineering nature.

He had followed Lin Longyue for many years and had seen countless masters. There were martial artists in the West Courtyard who could defeat Sun Ninghu, but which of those people hadn't been immersed in martial arts for many years and eaten all kinds of delicacies and medicinal baths to reach that level?

The government slave in front of me was a servant in the back room just over a month ago, even reduced to a test subject for medicine, teetering on the brink of death. Now, he has actually defeated Sun Ninghu, who is at the Bronze Red Realm, in a head-on confrontation.

He glanced at Lin Longyue subconsciously.

Lin Longyue held her teacup, motionless.

The tea in the teacup had long since gone cold, but she was completely oblivious, staring intently at Chen Lingxi with eyes like two icicles, cold and sharp.

There was no joy, no anger, not even surprise in his eyes.

There is only one kind of extremely deep, almost tangible, examination.

A few breaths passed.

She slowly placed the teacup in her hand on the small table.

"I never imagined you would be such a talented and virtuous person."

Lin Longyue spoke, her voice as cold and clear as ever.

She paused, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she were pondering something.

"I heard from He Duan that you chose a fragment of the Seven Styles of Ceasefire."

Her gaze fell on Chen Lingxi: "Judging from your performance today, you also used the Seven Forms of Ceasefire. So, you really have reached the Bronze Crimson Realm in less than two months?"

The question was asked casually, but everyone in the room could tell that beneath that calmness lay a deep suspicion.

Princess Yunhe abandoned her earlier languidness, picked up her teacup and sipped slowly, but her gaze remained fixed on Chen Lingxi.

Liu Que lowered his eyes, not daring to look too much, and only listened attentively.

Chen Lingxi lowered her head, her voice soft but steady: "Yes, Miss."

Just one word, crisp and clean, without any explanation, claiming credit, or fear.

Lin Longyue tapped her fingers lightly twice on the table.

The knocking was neither hurried nor slow, but each knock felt like a blow to the heart.

Then, she twitched her lips slightly, forcing a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"Being too monstrous makes people suspicious."

Her voice was not loud, but each word was clear and resonated throughout the hall.

"Chen Lingxi, are you aware of your exceptional talent?"

That's a rather strange question.

How could I not know that I am exceptionally gifted?

But Lin Longyue asked that question anyway, as if she were testing something, or perhaps giving some hints.

Chen Lingxi nodded and remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Miss, the official slave is not entirely without connections."

He raised his head, met Lin Longyue's gaze for a moment, and then lowered it again: "When Guan Nu's father was still alive, he once hired a traveling doctor to treat Guan Nu."

The doctor said that the servant was born with a weak constitution and frail bones, and if she was not properly cared for, she might become paralyzed when she grew up.

For the next few years, my father spent a lot of money every year to buy medicine from that doctor, taking it for baths, internal use, and external application, without interruption.

Although those medicinal herbs weren't rare treasures, they were still genuinely good things. Over time, the slave's health improved compared to ordinary people.

He paused, seemingly considering his words: "Later, the Chen family suffered misfortune, and the government slaves were taken into the Marquis's mansion, and the medicine was cut off."

Lin Longyue listened, her brows relaxing slightly.

Having met too many people, she knew immediately that what Chen Lingxi said was not unfounded.

Although the Chen family was not a prominent family, it was a scholarly family. Chen Yanzhi had only one son, so it was quite common for him to spend some money to have someone take care of his only son's health.

But the scrutiny in her eyes did not fade; instead, it deepened.

"Even with the best foundation, it's incredibly fast to reach copper-red in two months." She spoke slowly, as if talking to herself, or as if waiting for Chen Lingxi to explain.

Chen Lingxi lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, a hint of hesitation appearing on her face.

The hesitation wasn't deliberate; it was like a servant in front of his master, wanting to say something but not daring to, carefully weighing the pros and cons.

Lin Longyue naturally noticed his hesitation.

"Go ahead and say it." She picked up the teacup that Liu Que had refilled, gently blew on the floating leaves, and her tone was a little gentler than before. "You don't need to hide anything from me."

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, as if she had made a decision.

"Miss, this matter... I think it all started with the medicine that Steward Zhao had us test."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

Zhao Yong.

In the Baosu Marquis's mansion, even the servants had to lower their voices when they spoke those two words in private, for fear of being overheard.

Lin Longyue paused slightly in her teacup and glanced at Chen Lingxi.

That glance, though still cold, held a hint of interest.

Chen Lingxi continued, "Every now and then, Steward Zhao would give us, the drug slaves, a dose of medicinal powder, saying it was a tonic. But the official slaves later found out that the medicinal powder was extremely poisonous."

Zhou Hu, Zhu Luanwen, and others who took the medicine along with the servants suffered unbearable pain after each dose, gradually becoming weak and emaciated, and died one after another within a month.

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs, but beneath that calmness lay a deep sense of forbearance.

"But government slaves... are different."

He raised his head, his eyes clear: "After the government slaves took the medicine, they not only did not feel pain, but they also felt warm all over, their breathing became smoother, and even the old injuries accumulated from their labor were much better."

The official slave initially thought it was just a coincidence, but after taking it several times in a row, the same thing happened each time.

He lowered his voice a few decibels as he said this: "I was afraid of attracting attention, and even more afraid that Steward Zhao would find out and cause trouble, so every time I took the medicine I would pretend to be in unbearable pain, lying on the bed groaning, and even deliberately suppressing my breathing."

Others, seeing this, assumed I was like Zhou Hu and the others, half-dead from the effects of the medicine.

Upon hearing this, Liu Que's eyebrows twitched violently.

He naturally knew that Zhao Yong was testing medicines in the mansion, and he also knew that many people had died from the tests, but no one from above had ever asked about it.

Lin Longyue put down her teacup.

She looked at Chen Lingxi, the coldness in her eyes gradually fading.

A few breaths later, she suddenly burst into laughter.

"I never expected you to be such a talented and virtuous person."

"In that case, I will not hesitate to reward you."

She turned around and walked back to the main seat, picked up her teacup, and her gaze fell on Chen Lingxi.

"Tell me, what do you want!"