Chapter 67: What I Pass Down is the True Dao!

"Lord Zhang... This joke is not funny at all..."

"It is not a joke..." Zhang Rui shook his head. "It is just that I need Lady Nightingale to cooperate. If you are willing to cooperate and keep it a secret..."

Nightingale stared fixedly at him. If he were just toying with her, there would be no need to go to such lengths. But if he were not, could this possibly be true?

The reason why warlock aristocratic families had been passed down for millennia was precisely their monopoly on arcane arts. As long as one grasped the methods and slowly cultivated descendants, even if they could not become one of the capital's nine top-tier noble families, they could still become a prominent local clan. If she herself had possessed any orthodox lineage, why would she have ever had to sell her talents in a pleasure house?

The Lu family had said she possessed a natural seductive bone and was a rare material, yet they were unwilling to impart even the most basic techniques of Dantian cultivation, terrified that she might learn even a fraction of a percent of Lu family secrets. Even some of the Lu family servants mastered more than she did. While they seemingly valued her and placed her on such a dazzling pedestal, in reality, her status was the most humble of all.

Just like this time, saying she would be given to someone as a concubine meant she was given away as a concubine. Did she possess even the slightest ounce of power to resist?

In truth, she knew very well that her fate was destined to be this way, varying only in whose concubine she would ultimately become. If she were slightly luckier, she might become a concubine to Lu Yuan or Lu Sheng, the two brothers, at least marrying someone young. If her luck were worse, she would go to Lu Chengfeng or some other elder warlocks of the clan. Heh... in this lifetime, she would merely be the plaything of some disgusting old men.

Her only chance might be if she gave birth to a gifted child, after which her circumstances might improve slightly.

This was not her being pessimistic, but rather the stark reality. Even though Lu Sheng and Lu Yuan had shown such passionate obsession with her since childhood, even falling out as brothers over her, so what? Would they have ever taught her a single shred of warlock arts?

Yet the very thing she dreamed of in her dreams was spoken so effortlessly from the mouth of the man before her.

"I am willing to keep it a secret. Does my lord truly believe that?" Nightingale sneered.

"I do..."

Nightingale: "........."

"I am not joking." Zhang Rui looked at her very seriously. "Please rest assured, Lady Nightingale, you only need to say whether you are willing or not!"

Nightingale bit her lip, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. This sounded utterly absurd, and reason told her it was completely impossible—it might even be a massive trap—yet her heart was still tempted.

"What does Lord Zhang require me to give in return?"

"I already stated it just now." Zhang Rui repeated, "As long as Lady Nightingale keeps it a secret."

What kind of demand was this?

Nightingale wore an expression of sheer disbelief, stunned and not knowing how to speak.

"I will ask once more: is Lady Nightingale willing or not?"

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"This is somewhat different from the initial plan."

In another room, Murong Yunji looked at Zhang Rui, somewhat puzzled as to why he had changed his plan.

The original plan had actually been quite simple and crude: demand an initiated warlock from the Lu family, and then use coercive means to force the other party to teach the method of warlock initiation. If everything went smoothly, they would naturally silence the person. After all, Zhang Rui had stated from the beginning that this initiated warlock was requested as a permanent acquisition, not a temporary loan. It would certainly arouse subsequent suspicion from the Lu family, but in order to step into transcendence, Zhang Rui did not care about that bit of suspicion.

"There is a safer method." Zhang Rui explained. "If we use coercion, the risk is actually quite high, because we cannot determine whether the warlock sent by the other side is a loyal suicide agent, nor can we determine whether they possess secret methods of transmitting information. Once the Lu family learns that I am not actually a warlock, their methods will no longer be as mild as they are now."

"And what about this time?" Murong Yunji asked curiously. "How is it different?"

"A huge difference." Zhang Rui smiled. "First of all, through our conversation just now, I deduced that while this Nightingale seems to have cost the Lu family considerable effort, she is not actually important to them. She hasn't even mastered the basic Dantian techniques. From beginning to end, she is someone whom the Lu family simultaneously wishes to control and guard against. We can deduce that her talent is actually very high, but the Lu family does not want her to become an exceptional warlock. The high probability is that they merely intend for her to be a vase or a tool to give birth to exceptional warlocks."

"Mm..." Murong Yunji nodded. "That steward earlier also hinted to you that elder warlocks from many aristocratic families want Nightingale. If it were merely out of greed for beauty, it shouldn't be to this extent. Most likely, it is Nightingale's special identity as an initiate warlock combined with her fair appearance that makes her so sought after. Since the Lu family is unwilling to nurture her to become strong, her purpose should indeed be, as you said, to bear children."

"Therefore, her heart harbors unwillingness." Zhang Rui smiled. "With an unwilling heart, there is a foundation for cooperation."

"Human hearts are unpredictable. Just because of this, you dare to cooperate with her?" Murong Yunji frowned.

"Naturally not..." Zhang Rui shook his head. "Even if she reports my entire method to the Lu family from start to finish, it is completely useless."

"You mean?"

"Using her... to test the method in my heart for stepping into transcendence!"

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"You are saying that he initially refused, but upon hearing that Nightingale was an initiated warlock, he kept her?" Lu Chengfeng frowned.

"Yes..." Lu Steward smiled bitterly. "He seemed to have no interest in Nightingale herself."

"That is rather rare." Lu Chengfeng stroked his chin. Even those old men in the clan whose marrow had hardened could not say they had no interest in Nightingale's looks. Could this fellow be made of wood?

Or perhaps...

Lu Chengfeng suddenly thought of something. That was it. If the other party could see through the Lu family's illusion arrays, there was a high probability he could also see through the illusion techniques on Nightingale. If that were the case, it seemed to make sense. No matter how beautiful a woman was, if she had that kind of filth entangled upon her, who wouldn't lose their appetite upon seeing it?

"The elders of the Wang family and his lordship the Duke of Ying both learned immediately that you sent Nightingale to the Zhang residence. They expressed extreme dissatisfaction."

"Heh, if they are dissatisfied, they can endure it!" Lu Chengfeng snorted coldly. "Does my Lu family need their permission to deal with a maidservant?"

"Young Master Lu Yuan woke up and also heard about this matter. He threw a huge temper and has not eaten or drunk anything for a whole day." The steward lowered his voice.

"Let him starve!" Lu Chengfeng amusemented. "What kind of deep affection is he putting on for my benefit? All these years, growing up together, if he had truly cared, he would have taught that girl the Dantian techniques long ago. With that girl's aptitude, once she mastered the path of the warlock, her abilities might not be inferior to his, Lu Yuan's."

"Why didn't he do it? Was he afraid I would scold him? Given how much the Lu family values him, would I have done anything to him just because he privately taught a maidservant a thing or two? What position Nightingale holds in his heart, he knows very well in his own mind!"

"My lord is wise..." Lu Steward smiled.

"Spare me the flattery." Lu Chengfeng waved a hand. "How did you make promises to Nightingale?"

"Naturally, I gave her plenty of hope." The steward smiled. "I told her to report all intelligence regarding Lord Zhang at the first opportunity, and when the timing is right, she will be welcomed back into the Lu family and will never need to return to the Breeze Tower again."

This promise was considered quite high for a maidservant who sold her talents. It was basically telling her outright that she would no longer be given away as a concubine to old men of other warlock aristocratic families. Many of those old men had eccentric personalities and perverted methods; rather than that, remaining in the Lu residence at least guaranteed security in her old age.

Lu Chengfeng nodded with satisfaction. Since the fellow surnamed Zhang could see the evil entity on Nightingale, there was a high probability he would not touch her. Doing so had both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage was that without becoming a pillow-companion, the intelligence she could extract would likely be minimal; the advantage was that upon her return, she would still be untainted.

Having raised her for so many years, if someone else were to pluck her crimson flower, he would feel somewhat uncomfortable in his heart. Ultimately, it had to be himself.

As for intelligence, he actually cared about only one thing: the centipede larvae residing within the man surnamed Zhang. Since the other party dared to keep them, he must possess a backup plan. Sending their initiated warlock over was likely done precisely to deal with the removal of those centipede larvae. As long as this piece of intelligence could be figured out, the purpose of sending Nightingale over would be fulfilled.

"By the way, the latest intelligence: the Empress has issued an invitation card, summoning the female members of the Zhang family into the palace."

"Oh?" Lu Chengfeng smiled upon hearing this. "That is rather interesting. Has Princess Yunyang returned to the capital?"

"She has returned!" The steward lowered his voice. "When Lord Zhang's intelligence arrived from the Northern Sea, someone immediately relayed it to Yunyin Temple. Princess Yunyang, who had been in seclusion practicing Zen for three years, rushed to the capital immediately."

"Just as expected..." Lu Chengfeng smiled. "Back then, Lady Jialin died a tragic death beneath the bridge, and that fellow surnamed Zhang drank wine on the bridge for a whole night. In the past, everyone assumed he was a mortal and paid no attention to him, but now it seems he must have known something about what happened back then. The Princess is a resolute person and will never swallow her grievances. Coupled with Hong Lie's temper, this banquet is likely to have quite a show to watch."

The steward smiled silently by the side. Hong Lie was Princess Yunyang's husband, the Grand Commander of the Ten Thousand Capital Guards, deeply trusted by His Majesty, and possessed exceptional martial arts talent. Alongside Yuchi Peng, he was the closest figure to a Grandmaster in a century!

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"They have arrived..." Murong Yunji looked toward the doorway and said.

Zhang Rui nodded, and a moment later, a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in!"

Nightingale pushed open the door and slowly walked inside, her face carrying apprehension, though a deep resolve lingered at the bottom of her eyes.

"Did my lord mean just now that as long as I keep it a secret, that is all?"

"Yes!" Zhang Rui nodded with a smile, though inwardly he thought: Actually, it doesn't matter even if you don't keep it a secret; the Lu family likely wouldn't understand what I am doing anyway.

"If my lord truly keeps his promise, Nightingale's life belongs to my lord from this day forward!"

"Spare me the polite formalities." Zhang Rui smiled. "Come, take off your clothes."

"Huh?"

"Feel free to take them off. With that filth entangled upon your body, no matter how good your appearance is, it is like a pot of porridge mixed with dung—impossible to swallow down."

Nightingale gritted her teeth. Did this fellow always have to speak so harshly?

As Nightingale shed her garments, Murong Yunji slowly stepped forward. She naturally knew quite a few Dantian operation methods as an ancient sword immortal. As a direct descendant of a major sect, coupled with her numerous triumphs over the years, she commanded at least dozens of exquisite, top-tier Dantian foundation-building techniques.

However, since heaven and earth no longer possessed spiritual qi, these inheritances were fundamentally useless. At this moment, they had to be adapted in conjunction with the current methods warlocks used to refine evil entities.

She and Zhang Rui had analyzed that the reason these warlocks could still use transcendent arcane arts was most likely because they treated evil entities as spiritual power. It was highly probable that the inheritances of current warlock families were adaptations of ancient practitioners' foundation-building methods.

Yet once bound to evil entities in this manner, oneself was essentially no different from the evil entities.

She was very curious about how Zhang Rui would handle this. After all, based on her understanding of Zhang Rui, he would never walk down this path.

Thud!

Zhang Rui produced the Myriad Mechanism Box, looked at the nervous Nightingale, and said, "The technique I am imparting to you is unlike any other family's. I suppose I can say this: what I am imparting to you is the true Dao of this world!"