Chapter 67: Enraging the Sect Leader to Faint, Guarding the Gold Mine

"Gu Qiushui!"
"Li Qingxia!"
……

The young maidens whose names were called were thrilled and excited. Although it was only the preliminary selection, it meant they had a much greater chance of being chosen.

Those whose names were not called wore expressions of tension and eager anticipation.

Zheng Lihong's expression was as gloomy as water. When she heard the names of the ordinary handmaiden disciples, she knew she had failed to pass even the first round.

In other words, Zhou Chen had rejected her simply by glancing at her profile.

The other two inner-sect female disciples also looked somewhat embarrassed; they cupped their fists in salute to Zhou Chen and quickly turned to leave.

Zheng Lihong was unwilling to accept this, deeply resentful, and could not help speaking out:
"This disciple Zheng Lihong truly admires Senior Brother Zhou."

Staring straight at Zhou Chen and lifting her snow-white neck, she believed that once Zhou Chen saw her face to face, he would change his mind.

"So it is Junior Sister Zheng."

Zhou Chen smiled faintly and said, "Junior Sister Zheng possesses fine lineage and innate talent; it would be far too demeaning for you to serve as a maid to Chen."

"It is not demeaning at all! For the sake of Senior Brother Zhou, I am completely willing!" Zheng Lihong said excitedly.

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow. Was this woman genuinely foolish, or just pretending?
Could she not hear that he was offering a polite refusal?
By clinging on like this, wasn't she only making things more awkward for herself?

"Chen dares not wrong Junior Sister Zheng."

Zhou Chen made a slight gesture with his hand and smiled, "Junior Sister Zheng, please return."

Zheng Lihong's expression darkened, and she said coldly, "Senior Brother Zhou, farewell!"

Watching Zheng Lihong's retreating back, Zhou Chen knew that she probably held a grudge against him now. He cursed inwardly, "This woman is truly sick in the head!"

With birds of every feather in such a vast forest, all sorts existed.

However, Zhou Chen did not care. If she dared to provoke him, he would show no tender regard for jade and cherished blossoms; he would simply shoot her dead with a single arrow.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhou Chen activated his Qi-Observing Technique to look at the fifty-six disciples he had personally selected.

These fifty-six had been picked out from over a thousand candidates. Their backgrounds and profiles closely matched his intentions.

As the Qi-Observing Technique took effect, various colored halos emanated from the bodies of the young women—that was their "Qi."

This "Qi" encompassed many things, including fortune, cultivation realm, innate talent, potential, and destiny.

Although it only provided a general overview, it was more than enough.

Yet, formidable though the Qi-Observing Technique was, it was not without limitations. The higher one's cultivation realm and the more heaven-defying one's nature, the harder it was to perceive clearly.

For those who cultivated special techniques or powerful breath-concealing arts, the effectiveness of the Qi-Observing Technique would also be greatly diminished.

In short, there was no such thing as an invincible technique in this world.

The efficacy of the Qi-Observing Technique depended on the cultivation realm of the caster compared to that of the observer.

Among those present, Zhou Chen possessed the highest strength, so the technique naturally yielded excellent results.

If Zhou Chen were to use it on the Sect Master, it would likely reveal very little, and there was even a chance he might be discovered.

"Zhao Shirong, Yu Youwei, Gu Qiushui, Li Qingxia..."

At a single glance, Zhou Chen spotted the four brightest radiances and fixed his gaze upon them.

Although Zhou Chen had only read the names once, his dual cultivation in immortality and martial arts had forged a powerful soul, granting him terrifying memory.

More than fifty names were already deeply etched in his mind.

"Zhao Shirong."

Zhou Chen beckoned to her, and the latter immediately leaped lightly onto the high platform, cupping her fists in salute: "Senior Brother Zhou!"

"Given your status and cultivation, you are willingly willing to become my maid. Do you wish for me to help you exact revenge?"

"Yes."

Zhao Shirong did not conceal her intent. She knew that when a successor disciple selected maids, all their dossiers would be thoroughly reviewed by Zhou Chen.

"Senior Brother Zhou, I have already tracked down the whereabouts of the bandits who slaughtered my family back then. They have joined Black Dragon Mountain and become the third and fourth chieftains."

"Black Dragon Mountain is a bandit faction whose leader goes by the nickname Black Dragon, at the ninth layer of Body Tempering. The second chieftain is nicknamed Black Flood Dragon, at the eighth layer of Body Tempering. The two men who destroyed my family are both at the seventh layer of Body Tempering. As long as Senior Brother helps me avenge my family's blood feud, I shall be your slave and handmaiden for the rest of my life, with absolute loyalty and no second thoughts!"

Looking into Zhao Shirong's resolute eyes and employing his Qi-Observing Technique, Zhou Chen saw that Zhao Shirong was not lying, nor was she the treacherous sort.

To wipe out a Black Dragon Mountain in exchange for a talented and promising female genius at the seventh layer of Body Tempering...

"I can help you exact revenge and wipe out the entire Black Dragon Mountain, but the timeline will be decided by me. I guarantee you, it will be done within three years!"

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment. At the rate his strength was growing, let alone three years, he could easily obliterate Black Dragon Mountain in one.

As long as he remained prudent, verified the information, and accumulated sufficient strength, destroying Black Dragon Mountain would be as easy as turning over his palm, posing no danger whatsoever.

"If you cannot wait that long, then please leave." Zhou Chen stated bluntly.

Though Zhao Shirong possessed good talent, potential, and a fine appearance and figure—fitting the exact profile of the mature imperial sister archetype he favored—if she attempted to pressure him into rushing revenge, it was utterly out of the question.

"I have already waited six periods of three years; another three years matters little. I trust Senior Brother Zhou."

Zhao Shirong bowed respectfully without any hesitation.

"Very well!"

Zhou Chen helped Zhao Shirong to her feet. Now, he could be considered to have a maid at the seventh layer of Body Tempering.

That was quite a statement of prestige.

Turning his gaze to the remaining female disciples, Zhou Chen continued, "Yu Youwei, Gu Qiushui, Li Qingxia."

"We pay our respects to Senior Brother Zhou!"

The three stepped forward with excitement written all over their faces. They had succeeded!
They had been chosen.

The remaining individuals wore looks of dejection as they departed in disappointment.

Zhou Chen led Zhao Shirong and the other four to complete their official registration. From this day onward, they were Zhou Chen's personal maids.

They still enjoyed the standard welfare benefits of Azure Cloud Sect disciples.

Zhao Shirong was an inner-sect disciple.
Yu Youwei and the other two were outer-sect disciples, all at the fifth layer of Body Tempering cultivation.

Once the registration was finalized, Zhou Chen brought the four of them back to his estate to meet Qin Hongyu.

Looking at the four tall beauties with graceful curves and extraordinary temperaments, Qin Hongyu felt a heavy wave of pressure welling up in her heart.

She had to work even harder.

After finishing lunch, Qin Hongyu went off to practice martial arts.

As for Zhou Chen, he happily immersed himself in a bath at home.

Yu Youwei stood behind him, massaging his shoulders while Zhou Chen rested his head against her magnificent bosom, feeling her soft hands gently kneading the acupoints on his head.

Zhao Shirong stood beside him, massaging his body. Medicinal baths were indispensable for martial artists, and when paired with a massage, the effects were doubled.

This was precisely why successor disciples were assigned four maids.

Not only could they handle various miscellaneous chores for the successor disciple, but they could also massage the acupoints across his entire body, relaxing his muscles, healing martial arts-induced injuries, and enhancing his cultivation power.

Furthermore, martial artists possessed immensely powerful physiques. Successor disciples were almost all above the seventh layer of Body Tempering, and currently, even the successor disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect were at the ninth layer of Body Tempering.

Zhou Chen was the weakest among them.

Yet even at the seventh layer of Body Tempering, his physical body was exceedingly robust. Ordinary people were hardly qualified to serve as masseuses, as their strength and endurance fell far short.

Only fellow martial artists could produce the desired results.

However, employing external martial artists or purchasing maids versed in martial arts to massage a successor disciple always carried the hidden risk of assassination attempts.

Though a successor disciple's strength made them difficult to kill easily, keeping one's own sect disciples close at hand was inherently safer.

This was a major reason why the Azure Cloud Sect required its successor disciples to choose four maids from among the sect's own disciples.

Warm sunlight filtered through the window, casting its glow upon everyone in the room. Zhou Chen gazed up at Zhao Shirong standing before him.

The brilliant sunlight illuminated her sheer-veiled slender back and waist, faintly revealing a body as flawless as sculpted jade and suet fat.

Her three thousand strands of dark hair cascaded downward, and her fair, delicate face bore an unhurried, graceful, and faintly peerless charm.

Zhou Chen reached out to embrace that mouth-wateringly soft waist, looking at Zhao Shirong, then turning to admire the other three beauties—Yu Youwei, Gu Qiushui, and Li Qingxia.

"Are you willing to become my women? I do not force anyone against their will; if you wish to go back on your choice now, you still have the chance!"

To rapidly elevate his strength, he needed Wind and Moon points.

Therefore, Zhou Chen would not stand on ceremony.

He had no intention of acting like some hypocritical gentleman who sat untempted like Liu Xiahui; leaving beautiful maids by his side untouched was simply asking them to rust away.

"Since I have made my choice, I shall never regret it!"

Zhao Shirong smiled brightly, her captivating, beautiful eyes fixed upon Zhou Chen.

That single glance held an peerless romantic grace, radiant enough to outshine a blazing torch, radiating a charming allure that made hearts skip a beat.

"To be able to serve Senior Brother is my honor."

Li Qingxia offered a gentle, radiant smile of peerless elegance.

Yu Youwei's delicate body trembled, causing the back of Zhou Chen's head to bounce slightly, as if he had fallen onto a trampoline.

She and Gu Qiushui hurriedly chimed in, "We are willing as well!"

Zhou Chen pulled Yu Youwei and the others from behind him around to his front, looking at all four of them.

"As long as you do not betray me, I will cherish you dearly for the rest of my life!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Zhao Shirong, Li Qingxia, Yu Youwei, and Gu Qiushui smiled brilliantly. They harbored no doubts regarding Zhou Chen's words.

Aside from Zhou Chen's status as a successor disciple and his formidable talent and potential, they chose to become his maids because they knew he was a man of deep loyalty and affection.

Qin Hongyu's existence was no secret within the Azure Cloud Sect or the territories under its jurisdiction.

Even though Qin Hongyu was merely an ordinary woman with average talent and humble status, after rising to prominence, Zhou Chen had never abandoned her, treating her with unwavering devotion just as before.

"Today, I shall impart a secret technique to you. With my full backing, I guarantee your cultivation will advance in leaps and bounds!"

Zhou Chen smiled faintly, reached out to lift Zhao Shirong into his arms, and began transmitting the Secret Tome of Wind and Moon.

"Is this really a secret technique?"
"Senior Brother is so wicked!"

Initially, the girls had been pleasantly surprised and filled with anticipation, but once they witnessed what it entailed, their faces turned crimson red and burned with heat.

It was truly far too embarrassing.

Time quietly slipped away.

With Zhao Shirong and the other three maids attending to him, Zhou Chen's life grew even more tranquil and fulfilling. Every couple of days, he would still visit the Heavenly Immortal Tower to see the Fairy of Heavenly Fragrance.

Zhou Chen was deeply fond of her.

Especially since the Fairy of Heavenly Fragrance possessed a heaven-gifted constitution, which made Zhou Chen dote on her all the more.

Originally, Zhou Chen wanted to redeem her contract and bring her back to Divine Arrow Peak, but the master of the Heavenly Fragrance Tower had pleaded with him, asking for some time until a newcomer could take over, after which Zhou Chen could freely take her away.

The owner guaranteed that the Fairy of Heavenly Fragrance would not entertain any guests other than Zhou Chen, merely needing her presence to maintain the establishment's fame.

Hearing the owner put it that way, Zhou Chen found it hard to use brute force. After all, it was only a slight delay and did not affect anything.

Besides, whenever he visited the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, there were other top-tier hostesses to play with, offering a completely different flavor of amusement.

Every visit left him thoroughly entertained.

Quite satisfied with the service at the Heavenly Immortal Tower, he felt it would be unreasonable to push things too far.

Just like that, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The Heavenly Fragrance Tower remained completely peaceful; there were no cliché plotlines involving brainless, unseeing fools from other novels trying to cause trouble for the Fairy of Heavenly Fragrance.

The Azure Cloud Sect was similarly tranquil, save for the fact that Zhou Chen's reputation for being fond of beauty and indulging in sensual pleasures grew even louder.

Sect Master Qing Yuyao emerged from closed-door seclusion and caught wind of the rumors regarding Zhou Chen.

"Truly incorrigible."

Qing Yuyao was nearly fuming to the point of fainting.

Zhou Chen possessed such exceptional talent, and she had placed immense hopes upon him, yet all he knew was to spend his days dallying with women.

She had even instructed Shi Qingxuan to warn him.

Yet Zhou Chen had shown no remorse whatsoever, even escalating his behavior.

"Since you have nothing better to do, go guard the gold mine!"

"Work there for two months first!"