Chapter 368: Inside information

Liu Jizhen stood up abruptly and grabbed An Tongchen, looking at him in utter disbelief. "Are you sure?"

An Tongchen nodded, looking downcast.

Thud. Liu Jizhen fell back into his chair, face turning pale white. "I saw that senior brother had given up, so I decided to bring this to my grave. What's the point of telling you? We can't take revenge and can only stifle our anger."

Liu Jizhen laughed bitterly and laid back in his chair.

Why would he not go crazy? From a talented genius to a useless cripple, that scene was something he wanted to forget but never could.

Of course, he did suspect that it was planned. Liu Jizhen was more sure that since he had just broken through back then, only an elite would be able to cripple him. How many elites were left in ancient china? Furthermore, the perpetrator disappeared without a trace after the incident,

When he returned, the Zhou's didn't even seem surprised about him being crippled. They just tossed him into the Green Jade Valley to perish. This made him highly suspicious of them.

But what could he do? He lost his cultivation, and his master still hadn't returned after such a long time. His senior uncles from the line of Shengyang were having a hard time, and he couldn't possibly ask Zhou Jiangui to break the rules of the willow wood line for him. After a long time, he decided to accept his fate.

He had always told himself that Heaven had eyes. It would punish those who deserved it.

~Why drag my loved ones down with me?~

For twenty-three years, Liu Jizhen never expected that he would know the truth one day.

But now, An Tongchen was telling him that the culprits were likely the Zhou's.

Back then, the Zhou's were still hostile to the line of willow woods. Grand Elder Yuan Xi and Wan Yu were both old, and Zhou Jiangui successfully broke through to the assimilation realm, the first from their generation. So, if the two Grand Elders passed on, the Nine Jade Palace would be under Zhuo Jiangui's control unless someone else broke through.

The Zhou family had a habit of forming connections, so they wouldn't disregard Zhuo Jiangui. But Zhuo Jiangui showed no interest in their games, so they changed their target to An Tongchen.

Back then, the Zhou's were keen to get him and Zhou Yinru together. Thus An Tongchen got to know their internal affairs.

After Liu Jizhen returned as nobody, An Tongchen suspected them and investigated secretly. He found out that during that period of time, the Zhou's made a huge transaction and elder miss zhou went out for errands often.

"Master?" Lu Mingshu walked over, worried.

Liu Jizhen took a deep breath and opened his eyes when he felt better. He shook his head, telling Lu Mingshu that he was okay.

"Since senior brother had already expected this, what's there to be sad about?" An Tongchen sighed, "That's how the Zhou's do things. Relations are worth nothing to them."

"You're right." Liu Jizhen whispered. "It's indeed how the Zhou's do things. Back then, Sect leader Zhou accidentally went into an obsession. He liked me, so he sent a representative down to promise rewards and discuss conditions. He wanted me to marry Zhou Miaoru and said he would make me the sect leader if I did. But I rejected as I wasn't interested."

"With senior brother not wanting to be their son-in-law and Senior brother Yu Wen watching them like a hawk, they decided to end your cultivation, so they would still control everything."

"Yeah." Liu Jizhen bit his lips. "Compared to the Zhou's, I'm closer to Junior brother Yu Wen. The Zhou's couldn't suppress or control me, so they decided to destroy me so that Yu Wen wouldn't be a threat to them. On the other hand, I remembered that when Fu Shangqing first came, he was only in the inner breath realm. He broke through within seven years thanks to the Zhou family's help."

"Yeah." An Tongchen nodded, "Once he broke through, they immediately made him sect leader."

"This is weird, though." Liu Jizhen shook his head. "Seven years, and he broke through. Yes, he is talented, but no matter how talented he was, he was past his prime. And why would the Zhou family be so sure that he would succeed? They married Zhou Miaoru to him early. What if he didn't make it? Zhou Miaoru's future would be ruined. It wasn't like the Zhou's to take such a risk. And Zhou Miaoru was extremely valuable to them. They even only took Zhou Yinru out for you. The marriage was made hastily too."

"Actually, I suspected something too. After seven years, yeah, he was a talent. But back then, he was only a normal kid. Who would expect him to be so successful? Our generation may be bad, but it wasn't hard to find anyone like him. Furthermore, it would be better for the Zhou's, since choosing someone from the Nine Jade Palace would allow them to have better control." An Tongchen snickered.

The two of them then turned to Lu Mingshu.

Being caught up in the conversation, Lu Mingshu took some time before replying. "My grandfather never mentioned that he was special."

The both of them shrugged it off. When Fu Shangqing left, Lu Mingshu was still not born, so there wasn't much she would know.

"Let's talk about this another time." Liu Jizhen waved his hand. "Mingshu, remember what I said. I don't mind if you take revenge, but don't do it impulsively. The Zhou family is not easy to deal with, as they've controlled the Nine Jade Palace for years. Just make sure you stay safe."

"Yes, master...." Lu Mingshu had already calmed down. ~ I have held back for a decade. How hard is it to endure a bit longer?~

But An Tongchen was now smiling. "Anyway, it's the deity's festival next year. You have already broken through, so you are allowed to participate. If you can rank highly, it will be a blow to the Zhou's."

"The deity's festival?" Lu Mingshu looked at him in confusion.

"Don't you know about it?"

"I've never told her about it." Liu Jizhen laughed. "I never expected her to break through this quickly."

An Tongchen nodded. He didn't expect it either.

"Now..." As Liu Jizhen was about to explain about the festival, they heard someone enter the house.

"Is Junior Niece Lu around?" A high pitched voice rang through the house. "I heard she has returned, so the sect leader sent me to visit her."