12dz Chapter 67 Maid, 1-year term!
Chapter 67 Maid, 1-year term!
"So, Shangguan Fuyuan's cultivation is already very close to the fourth rank, and he can break through directly as long as he completely refines the alien true energy within his body?"
As Shen Yan recounted her story, Li Xiuyuan gained a clearer understanding of the power distribution throughout Yunzhou City.
Yunzhou is a large state in the easternmost part of the Dali Dynasty, bordering a dynasty called Dajiang.
The largest, most prosperous, and most powerful region in the Great Li Dynasty, where the most forces and experts gathered, was Zhongzhou, which was also where the royal city was located.
Yunzhou was actually just a small border prefecture in the Great Li Dynasty.
Even so, Yunzhou is a very large region!
Li Xiuyuan had some descriptions of Yunzhou in his memory, but his predecessor lived in the small Yuanguang City under the even smaller Heishui County of Yunzhou.
Hearing Shen Yan recount everything, he couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
However, as a transmigrator, Li Xiuyuan was mentally prepared and knew that this martial arts world was definitely not as insignificant as he had imagined.
The Great Li Dynasty was very large, but in fact, the Great Jiang Dynasty was definitely not the only dynasty of equal power to the Great Li Dynasty.
This is similar to how there were many countries on Earth before the time travel.
However, based on the information Li Xiuyuan has collected so far and the model he has created in his mind, there is the Great Jiang Dynasty to the east of the Great Li Dynasty, and there are many other unnamed forces in other places.
Moreover, the Great Li Dynasty alone was probably as big as half the Earth before I transmigrated.
After all, based on what Li Xiuyuan knew so far, Yunzhou's geographical area was as large as a major country before they crossed over.
However, according to Shen Yan, Yunzhou was relatively small in area among the nine states within the territory of the Great Li Dynasty.
Zhongzhou is at least seven or eight times the size of Yunzhou.
However, Li Xiuyuan did not delve into the details at the moment, but instead focused on the forces in Yunzhou City.
It is obvious that there is currently no one in Yunzhou City who has achieved the rank of Grandmaster.
However, these forces are backed by grandmasters.
For example, the Lin family, because of the genius Lin Wanqing, has seen its former patriarch, who had become a Grandmaster and joined the Falling Sword Sect in his early years, promoted to the position of Grand Elder.
The Luo family of the City Lord's Mansion is a powerful family in Zhongzhou that is no less powerful than the Shen family. Among them are many grandmasters who have reached the fourth rank.
Generally, those who achieve the status of a grandmaster are recruited by the imperial court or join various powerful forces. Only in this way can they maximize their benefits and continuously advance their careers.
Therefore, these people are basically cultivating in Zhongzhou or other places, and will not appear in Yunzhou.
After all, no matter what, Yunzhou is a remote area of the Great Li Dynasty, where cultivation resources are scarce.
As for the situation of the Shangguan family, Li Xiuyuan also made a point of learning about it.
Only then did he realize that Shangguan Fuyuan, the former patriarch of the Shangguan family, whom he should call "Grandpa" according to seniority, was actually the strongest fighter in Yunzhou City on the surface.
"Yes, according to the information we have, Shangguan Fuyuan had already reached the fifth rank more than ten years ago. Later, he encountered problems because he practiced the mysterious energy absorption technique brought back by Shangguan Xiuhong."
But his strength is rarely matched among those of the fifth rank!
Li Xiuyuan nodded.
Judging from the information Shen Yan provided about Shangguan Fuyuan, it seems that her adoptive "grandfather" is hiding his true identity very well.
However, it is enough to confirm that Shangguan Fuyuan did not become a Grandmaster!
You should know that Li Xiuyuan had just asked what the sword energy that Shen Yan used to attack him was.
The answer he received surprised Li Xiuyuan greatly.
That was actually a sword aura condensed by a grandmaster.
If it weren't for Shen Yan's serious injury, the sword energy that was unleashed when activated wouldn't have been at its full power.
Furthermore, the moment Li Xiuyuan sensed the danger, he activated the max-level Golden Bell Shield, Iron Shirt, the beginner-level Yi Jin Jing, and the max-level Absorption Technique to their fullest extent.
The moment the sword was unleashed, the Absorption Technique absorbed most of the terrifying sword energy contained within it.
After entering the body, it is quickly absorbed into the dantian and transformed rapidly.
Even so, Li Xiuyuan still felt the sword energy surging wildly within his body, and his meridians and dantian felt like they were being pricked by needles.
Fortunately, it was only one attack. If he had taken another one, Li Xiuyuan would probably have died on the spot!
I was terrified!
When you make your next move, you absolutely cannot take any chances.
Taking a deep breath, Li Xiuyuan composed himself.
Suddenly, I felt a throbbing headache.
Shen Yan, having released the control of the Soul-Capturing Technique, slowly raised her head.
Her movements were somewhat slow, and it took her a long time before she collapsed to the ground with a "plop," then looked at Li Xiuyuan with a terrified expression.
In her eyes, Li Xiuyuan saw a tremor and terror from the depths of her soul.
"you……"
Li Xiuyuan took a small step forward.
"Ah...no, please, kill me, please kill me."
Shen Yan trembled all over, thinking that Li Xiuyuan would use that strange soul manipulation technique on her again. She immediately knelt on the ground, trembling, tears streaming down her face.
Li Xiuyuan reached out and slowly lifted the delicate, oval face of the woman kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with tears, her expression one of terror and illness, yet still exquisite.
"Killing you is easy for me, but I still have a use for you. From now on, you will be my little maid."
I won't absorb your power, but if you have any other thoughts and I sense them, I guarantee I'll make you suffer ten thousand times more.
After all, death is actually the easiest thing to do!
After saying that, Li Xiuyuan quickly tapped Shen Yan's body a few times.
Shen Yan's eyes widened immediately, her beautiful eyes filled with nothing but tears, despair, and terror.
"Don't even think about biting your tongue to commit suicide. If I find out you've done it again, I won't hesitate to cut it out!"
"Ahhh..."
At this moment, Shen Yan wanted to speak, but could only utter such sounds.
Because Li Xiuyuan had just struck her pressure points, making it impossible for her to bite her tongue and commit suicide!
Ignoring Shen Yan kneeling on the ground, Li Xiuyuan walked to the door and opened it.
"Shen Lin..."
As soon as the sound faded, Shen Lin, who was standing not far away, seemed to have been standing for too long and fell to the ground as soon as he took a step.
But Shen Lin endured it and crawled to Li Xiuyuan's side.
He forced a smile and said:
"Young Master Xiuyuan, what are your orders?"
"Give me some of your Shen family's healing pills, and then... go and rest. Make sure to prepare a hearty breakfast tomorrow morning!"
"Okay, I'll have someone go get it right away."
Li Xiuyuan nodded, then, as if remembering something, his tone turned cold as he said:
"Furthermore, no one is allowed to leave the Shen family residence!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Lin, who had just turned around, trembled violently and then quickly nodded.
"Yes, yes, I understand!"
Soon, various healing pills were piled up on the table in front of Li Xiuyuan.
As Li Xiuyuan waved his hand, Shen Lin, as if granted a pardon, quickly walked out the door, and soon everyone in the courtyard had disappeared into their rooms.
Li Xiuyuan looked at Shen Yan, who was still looking at him with fear and trepidation.
"Oh dear..."
It was obvious that Li Xiuyuan didn't know what Shen Yan was talking about, but that didn't matter.
At present, Li Xiuyuan actually knows very little about this world.
The information Shen Yan possesses perfectly fills the gaps in my current knowledge.
He naturally couldn't bear to kill them for the time being!
"Work for me as a maid for a year, and I'll give you your freedom after that. Nod if you agree, or I'll kill you right now!"
Shen Yan was stunned when she heard this.
"You have one hour to consider!"
After saying that, Li Xiuyuan ignored Shen Yan and sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state.
Having mastered the "Soul-Capturing Technique," and having used it twice tonight, Li Xiuyuan has already sensed the unparalleled mystery of this cultivation method focused on the soul and spirit.
However, he also gained some experience in cultivating this technique when he absorbed Shen Lin's power.
Li Xiuyuan naturally knew that controlling a martial artist was actually very difficult to truly unleash the "Soul-Capturing Technique".
Although this soul-based technique is specifically designed to attack a person's soul, it is an evil art that controls the mind and manipulates others.
But once any technique comes into contact with Li Xiuyuan, it is no longer considered an evil art.
However, after carefully studying and understanding the "Soul-Capturing Technique," Li Xiuyuan realized that this technique was extremely difficult to cultivate, requiring not only a strong will but also a powerful soul from the practitioner.
It requires a long time to cultivate, accumulate experience, and have strong comprehension to truly achieve the effect of captivating the soul and controlling the mind through eyes, words, or the use of certain objects.
Moreover, this "Soul-Capturing Technique" will be greatly reduced in power against those with strong willpower, those who have practiced martial arts techniques to stabilize their minds, or those who are stronger than themselves. In fact, it may not only have no effect, but may also backfire!
It was precisely for this reason that Li Xiuyuan suspected that Shen Lin might never have used it on a martial artist at all.
That's why he was completely terrified when he saw himself using the "Soul-Capturing Technique" to directly control Shen Yan.
Without any hesitation, Li Xiuyuan calmed his mind and began to meditate...
An hour passed quickly, and Li Xiuyuan slowly opened his eyes.
After meditation, the mental energy consumed by the Soul-Capturing Technique was fully restored, and it even felt faintly increased.
The hour of meditation passed very quickly; it felt as if one moment you had just closed your eyes and the next you had opened them and an hour had already gone by.
He slowly looked at Shen Yan, who was already slumped on the ground, her face pale and her eyes looking at him with a pitiful pleading expression. He immediately reached out and pointed in the air.
With his true energy surging, the beginner-level finger-flicking technique, combined with the max-level "Flowing Cloud Acupoint Finger," made acupoint striking from a distance as easy as playing a game.
"Ah...cough cough..."
There's tea on the table, please have some yourself.
Seeing that Shen Yan's tongue had been stiff for an hour, and now that the acupoints had been released, her face was covered in tears, I knew that this hour had been very difficult for her.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan stood up while holding onto the chair. She staggered and almost fell over due to leg cramps. She quickly reached out to support herself on the table to steady herself.
He then grabbed the teapot in front of him and poured the already cold tea into his mouth.
After a long while, Shen Yan finally felt better.
"What's your decision?"
"Is it better to die now or..."
Li Xiuyuan spoke calmly, but he hadn't finished speaking.
Shen Yan immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud, and then said in a somewhat hoarse voice:
"I am willing to be your maid for a year."
Li Xiuyuan nodded.
"Get up... Use any of the pills on the table as you like. I only have one request: recover your strength as soon as possible."
"Yes, Master... Master!"
Upon hearing this title, Li Xiuyuan gave a faint, noncommittal smile.
Looking at Shen Yan, who was somewhat unsteady on her feet, he slowly spoke:
"From now on, call me Young Master. Alright... You should recover as soon as possible; we can talk about everything else tomorrow!"
After speaking, Li Xiuyuan entered meditation again.
As for whether Shen Yan was truly sincere in serving him as a maid, Li Xiuyuan didn't care.
All he wanted was the information about this world that Shen Yan possessed.
If they disobey, just use the Soul-Seizing Technique. If they dare to have designs on you, just kill them with one palm!
After all, as Li Xiuyuan refined the terrifying Grandmaster Sword Qi he had previously encountered, he gained some vague understanding of swordsmanship.
That understanding of the sword seemed to be more than just sword energy; it was something higher and more mysterious.
A state of mind or atmosphere.
However, it is very vague and elusive, and Li Xiuyuan cannot grasp it for the time being.
Li Xiuyuan naturally knew that it must be because he currently lacked sufficient sword skills.
However, Li Xiuyuan was not in a hurry and took his time.
Now that he has cultivated true qi and his Absorption Technique is at its maximum level, breaking through to the next realm is only a matter of time.
It can be said that Li Xiuyuan can feel his strength improving almost anytime, anywhere!
In particular, after each use of the Absorption Technique, not only does the internal energy become abundant, but one also gains different insights into the technique being practiced.
The most direct result of these transformations is a significant increase in combat power.
Taking a deep breath, Li Xiuyuan quickly entered a meditative state.
At this moment, Shen Yan could no longer stand and took a step to sit down in the chair.
She kept staring at Li Xiuyuan, who was sitting cross-legged, with layers of true energy circulating around him, and a huge phantom figure vaguely appearing behind him.
Yes, at this moment, as Li Xiuyuan entered a meditative state, a huge phantom appeared behind him.
The features were those of Li Xiuyuan, who was also sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, as if he had entered some kind of mysterious realm.
"Just how strong is he?"
Shen Yan had already witnessed this scene during the one-hour internal struggle she had just endured.
It was much blurrier before, but now it's much clearer.
As a disciple of the main branch of the Shen family and a member of the Shadow Pavilion in Yunzhou, she had naturally seen many young prodigies.
On the Hidden Dragon List, who isn't a prodigy?
But based on the information she had gathered about these prodigies, it seemed that none of them could compare to Li Xiuyuan in front of her!
That's why she realized it would be difficult for her to get revenge in a short time.
Moreover, if I want to fulfill my heart's desire, staying by the side of someone like Li Xiuyuan might be a good choice!
More importantly, Shen Yan knows this now.
Li Xiuyuan could easily kill her. Rather than a choice, it would be more accurate to say that her only way to survive was to become Li Xiuyuan's maid.
Although in Shen Yan's view, this was extremely humiliating for someone of her status!
Fortunately, the agreement only lasted for one year.
Shen Yan only hoped that Li Xiuyuan would keep his word when the time came.
But no matter what, she has no choice right now.
Looking at the various sizes of medicine bottles in front of her, Shen Yan immediately put aside her complicated and chaotic thoughts and decided to focus on recovering first.
She reached out and picked up a few bottles of pills in front of her, uncorked them, and smelled them.
Then he poured out a few from one of them and fed them into his mouth...