A plain, ancient book was presented to Chen Jie.
It was very similar to the one the black-robed man had given him before.
However, upon closer inspection, one could still discern the differences.
The ancient cultivation techniques of the Gu family were a darker hue and possessed a greater sense of age.
It was as if it had been flipped through countless times, the cover so worn it had become fuzzy.
Gu Yue watched this scene, her lips parting, wanting to say something.
Chen Jie took it and casually handed it to Gu Yue.
"Gu Yue, this is your Gu family's cultivation method. Keep it safe."
Gu Yue's lips moved, and then she said, "Thank you."
On one hand, she had received too much help from Chen Jie. If not for him, she might have lost her life today.
It was already a great concession to give her the cultivation technique, especially given the great disturbance that had occurred on Chen Jie's territory.
On the other hand, her two uncles had abandoned her and fled at a critical moment.
Her previously aloof heart felt disappointment for the first time, and she finally understood that sometimes, people close to you are not necessarily the ones you can rely on.
They were even less reliable than Chen Jie, whom she had only known for a few days.
To put it bluntly, she considered herself noble and powerful, but in the end, she was merely a pampered young lady who had experienced neither life nor the harsh realities of the world.
Ding Qing and his daughter Feifei were still trembling on the stage.
The scene they had just witnessed was far too intense.
It was completely beyond their comprehension.
Any one of the Gu family, the Wen family, or the black-robed man could have pulverized them into dust.
Today, they had truly opened their eyes.
They also fully realized that even cultivators who had ascended to the Xiantian realm using ancient cultivation techniques would find it futile to survive under the pursuit of such colossal families.
A sense of despair washed over them.
Gu Yue's subordinates, who had not fled in advance, were still present.
These were the subordinates who had first checked into Heping Villa.
They were now trembling from fear after witnessing the recent battle.
But upon seeing the ancient cultivation technique returned to Gu Yue, they regained their senses and pointed at Ding Qing and Feifei on the stage, asking, "Miss, should we kill them too?"
Ding Qing and Feifei's faces changed drastically.
They quickly said, "We are at Heping Villa now. Do you still intend to break Heping Villa's rules? Don't forget what happens to those who break the rules!"
Feifei looked at Chen Jie dreamily and said, "Chen Jie, now that we have money, we want to live in Heping Villa forever! You are a businessman, you wouldn't refuse us lodging, would you? Besides, my back door is always open for you!"
To save her life, she was desperate.
Moreover, the strength Chen Jie had displayed had truly convinced her.
If Chen Jie wanted her, she would not resist at all; on the contrary, she would be overjoyed.
Ding Qing said, "Now that we have money, we will be responsible for all the losses Heping Villa has incurred today!"
Chen Jie looked at them, then at Gu Yue, and asked for her thoughts.
Gu Yue hesitated for a moment, then said, "Never mind. Let it be. Our Gu family's ancient cultivation method is divided into an upper and lower part. They only obtained the upper part, so even if this father and daughter learn it, they won't achieve much."
"Miss, what if they spread the contents of the cultivation technique?"
"If they dare to spread it, they'd better stay in Heping Villa for the rest of their lives! Otherwise, they will surely die!" Gu Yue sneered.
Her words were a veiled acknowledgment of Heping Villa's capabilities, and the Wen family also had no intention of further disrupting Chen Jie's rules.
"Chen Jie, I should be going." Before leaving, Gu Yue cautioned Chen Jie, "Don't take the people from Qingcheng Sect lightly. I will help you cover up the deaths of Yu Zhongfu and his son today. It's best not to let those behind them know they were here."
"I will go to the capital as soon as possible to annul our engagement," Chen Jie said.
Gu Yue's lips parted.
Initially, she had leaned towards annulling the engagement with Chen Jie.
For her, finding a young man with a deep family background and strong cultivation, like Wen Qiang, was the best choice.
Chen Jie, to her, was just a stranger she barely knew.
However, everything was different now.
Chen Jie had saved her life and displayed his peerless strength before her.
Compared to a life of steady family development, she suddenly found herself yearning for the thrilling, high-stakes lifestyle of Chen Jie, who could single-handedly manage the situation.
A strange affection for Chen Jie had begun to bloom in her heart.
"We'll talk about it then. Let's go," Gu Yue said perfunctorily, and then left with her subordinates.
As soon as they left, Lin Mengjiao suddenly pointed outside the courtyard, "Master, look, what is that?"
From the place where Yu Zhongfu had self-destructed, a ball of green light suddenly rose and floated away.
"Trying to escape?"
Chen Jie's eyes turned cold. He then leaped up, cupped the ball of light in his hand, and released spiritual energy from his fingertips, obliterating it.
"Master, what is this?" Lin Mengjiao caught up, asking with confusion.
Chen Jie mused, "Cultivators have various means of self-preservation. If I'm not mistaken, Yu Zhongfu must have paid a certain price to leave a trace of his soul in his sect. This way, upon his death, a wisp of consciousness would be drawn to the sect!"
"You mean he's not dead yet?" Lin Mengjiao exclaimed.
"Their life-saving methods are not that advanced. I sensed it just now. This method is very crude and far from achieving rebirth after death. However, if Yu Zhongfu's wisp of consciousness were allowed to escape, even if Yu Zhongfu couldn't be resurrected, he would have a way to tell the Qingcheng Sect people everything that happened to him, thus letting them know who killed him."
"Fortunately, we discovered it in time, otherwise, the people behind Yu Zhongfu might not have let us off!" Lin Mengjiao breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Mengjiao had not been present when Yu Zhongfu attacked.
At this moment, she did not know who Yu Zhongfu was.
However, hearing Chen Jie say he was also a cultivator with a sect indicated that the opponent was a threat to them, and keeping this matter confidential was the best course of action.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked at Chen Jie with concern, "I saw another young man beside him, and he's already dead. So his consciousness..."
Chen Jie said calmly, "Don't worry. Firstly, Yu Zhongfu's life-saving method is very crude and cannot achieve resurrection. Secondly, such methods have certain requirements for strength and consume a large amount of spiritual energy to maintain the soul lamp in the sect. His son, Yu Feng, is incapable of doing that, let alone his consciousness separating from his body after death."
Lin Shuang also came out.
As Chen Jie finished speaking, she suddenly pointed inside the house, "Chen Jie, look!"