12dz Chapter 9 I Must Live
Chapter 9 I Must Live
"I refuse to believe I can't find a good one!"
After the clan meeting, Shen Che officially took charge of affairs, but he still entrusted most of the matters to Shen Tong, the chief steward.
As for himself, he searches for suitable investment targets three times a day without fail.
What he values more are the accumulated resources of Hidden Sword Manor over the years—its secret manuals and other assets. These are his capital; nothing else matters.
For several days in a row, Shen Che failed to find a suitable investment target.
Each time his spirit was depleted, he felt inexplicably exhausted, almost making Shen Tong think he had picked up some bad habit.
Who is this half-step Xiantian master who always looks pale and exhausted?
He used to think the young master was faking it, but now it seems he really is.
"Continue!" Gritting his teeth, Shen Che chose to continue once again.
Although it's like panning for gold in the sand, requiring patience and slow searching, this efficiency is just too poor.
Geniuses do exist, but they are either too old or have ruined themselves and have long since faded into obscurity.
Another type is the genius who has been discovered by others or is from a prominent family. The investment cost for such individuals is relatively high, but the return is not guaranteed.
Unless they are the kind of people who are not valued and are suppressed.
Of course, besides geniuses among men, Shen Che has even found other strange and unusual things several times, which has truly broadened his horizons.
I didn't expect that these could be voted on; this broken system is really playing tricks.
During this time, Shen Che even found a world of extremely high level, which should be much higher than his own.
I didn't make any investments, but I did meet a big shot who had everything.
Since Shen Che had already come all this way, he decided to give it a try and unexpectedly gained something from it.
In exchange for two swordsmanship manuals, he obtained a technique that could transform tendons and marrow and mend broken bones.
I felt that he didn't lack such swordsmanship, and the reason I agreed to the trade was purely out of curiosity about him.
Shen Che carefully examined the kung fu he had acquired in exchange. It could not only improve one's aptitude but also reconnect severed bones and tendons. Of course, limb regeneration was probably impossible.
It feels like I've unlocked a new way to use it; short-term investing is still investing, and making a small profit is still making money.
Thoughts raced through my mind, and as the system searched, countless stars flashed by.
The next moment, his consciousness was swiftly pulled into one of the starlight beams.
In the blink of an eye, a quaint little county town appeared before us.
If he still can't find one this time, Shen Che has the urge to just find someone with average qualifications to fill in.
The search revealed countless ordinary people around the world starving to death, and many others unwilling to accept their fate, with far too many willing to sell themselves.
If they were to be used as consumables, there would be plenty of them.
But what he was looking for was a genius, someone whose work in a single day could surpass that of an ordinary person by ten or a hundred times.
Moreover, he is already at the half-step innate realm, so simply increasing his power is just icing on the cake for him.
Ordinary people have limited aptitude, and the innate barriers are like an invisible chasm that can stop countless people.
However, this time, a talent who was clearly superior to the others immediately jolted Shen Che awake from his previous nonchalant state.
He quickly spotted a figure.
One, well, how should I put it, a beggar? A beggar with all four limbs crippled, far more crippled than Lu Sheng.
His limbs were broken, his tongue was cut out, and he could only crawl on the ground, barely clinging to life.
"Isn't this the talented Chen?"
In their line of sight, three people walked over from a distance, laughing and joking. When they saw the beggar lying there, they casually threw the steamed buns in their hands in front of him.
"These are steamed buns I just bought, a reward for you!"
The steamed bun rolled on the ground, covered in dust. But the beggar didn't seem to mind; he opened his mouth, took a bite, and then ate it in large mouthfuls.
"Hahaha, look at this! This is Chen Chuan, the renowned young master of our Raoshui County!"
"Poor young master Chen, not only has his family been destroyed, but his wife is still working as a prostitute at Ruyue Tower."
The person squatted down beside Chen Chuan and looked him over with great interest.
"Young Master Chen, do you still remember me? I once sought your advice. But you said my writing was too contrived and too pretentious, and you belittled me to nothing."
"But I'm the kind of person who likes to repay evil with good."
"I heard that my sister-in-law is having a very hard time at Ruyue Tower. She has to take on jobs that others are unwilling to take on, and she has to endure hardships that others cannot bear."
"Tsk tsk, such a beautiful woman, ravaged like this, how pitiful!"
"Don't worry, Young Master Chen, I'll go comfort your wife right away. I've also brought two friends with me."
"With the three of us together, your wife will definitely enjoy it!"
"Waaah..." She struggled to look up at the group of people, as if trying to memorize their faces.
"Young Master Chen, why are you looking at me like that? Is it my fault that you're like this?"
"Young Master Fang has taken a fancy to your new wife, so why don't you just give her to him? Why do you have to fight for her?"
"And what happened? Not only did it ruin your whole family, but it also caused your sister-in-law such a miserable situation."
"If you had agreed before, it would have been enough for Young Master Fang to be satisfied. But now, your wife has to satisfy so many people every day. How can her body handle that!"
"So pitiful, so incredibly pitiful!"
Upon hearing these words, Chen Chuan visibly paused. He then raised his head with even greater difficulty, his gaze fixed on the second floor of Ruyue Tower.
The window was slightly ajar, and a pair of eyes were watching with concern.
However, a moment later, a thick arm suddenly reached out and roughly pulled the familiar figure away.
This scene was heartbreaking for Chen Chuan; he understood perfectly why he was still alive.
The reason Fang Ziyan kept him alive and pulled out his tongue was to prevent him from shouting or cursing.
Throwing him here, right below Ruyue Tower, is meant to make him open his eyes and watch how his beloved is subjected to torture.
He also used his life to warn his beloved wife, to prevent her from taking her own life, and to make her willingly endure everything.
Fang Ziyan, or rather the Fang family, wanted to use this method to warn everyone what the consequences of resistance would be in Zhushui County.
No one can defy them, not even utter a word of dissent.
"Young Master Chen, we're leaving now. If we go to your wife's place too late, we'll have to wait in line for a long time!"
After a few mocking laughs, the group left, laughing loudly, and headed towards the gate of Ruyue Tower.
At this point, Shen Che knew it was time for him to step down.
"You want to save her?"
A sudden sound appeared in his mind. Chen Chuan struggled to look around, but could not find the source of the sound.
He was a scholar and understood that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
No matter where the voice came from, it wouldn't appear out of nowhere, but he had no time to care about anything else right now.
"I want to save her. I'll do anything to save her!"
"Then I'll take your life, everything you have, and you'll be willing?"
The voice suddenly appeared again, and after confirming it several times, Chen Chuan realized that the voice came from the deepest part of his mind.
Besides, he was only responding in his mind; his tongue was gone, and he couldn't speak anymore.
"I'm willing, as long as you can save her and make her forget all this. If you want my life, take it anytime!"
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Death?" With a bitter smile, Chen Chuan's weathered face was filled with despair.
"I should have died long ago. I've had enough of this torture. For so many days and nights, every single moment, I've wanted to end my own life."
"But if I die, she certainly won't live on alone."
"So I have to live, and live well!"