Cultivating in Different Professions

Chapter 165: Chapter 122: The Road Ahead

”I can have anything I want?”

Su Mu asked, pondering the offer.

A saying he’d seen in his past life popped into his head.

’A life debt is repaid in one of two ways. If her savior is handsome, she offers herself to him on the spot. If her savior is ugly, she says she can never repay such a great kindness and promises to do so in her next life as a loyal dog or horse.’

’So am I handsome, or am I ugly?’

Miss Luo wasn’t playing by the script.

’Can the rich really do whatever they want?’

”Well, not *anything*.”

Luo Anning thought for a moment before saying seriously, ”I’m just a Blood Transformation Realm practitioner with a little bit of money. If there’s something I can’t get, then there’s nothing to be done.”

”Just tell me what you want first. I’ll figure out the rest.”

’What do I want?’

Su Mu began to think seriously. Was there anything he wanted?

Of course there was.

Cultivation Techniques, martial arts, status... he wanted it all.

If it were the Hu Family making this offer, Su Mu would have shamelessly said he wanted everything.

But since it was Luo Anning asking, he felt too embarrassed to make an exorbitant demand.

Miss Luo had helped him a great deal, from the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Marrow Tempering Technique to the position of East City Bureau Captain.

Without her help, his path wouldn’t have been so smooth. He might still be stuck as a constable in the South City Bureau, and his strength would be nowhere near its current level.

’You help me, I help you.’

He hadn’t expected any reward for saving her in the first place.

”How about this? I could buy Xiang Dajia’s freedom and have her come serve you?”

Luo Anning said suddenly when she saw Su Mu remain silent.

Su Mu: ”...”

’What does that have to do with anything?’

”Don’t all you men like women who are peerless in both beauty and talent? My father is just like that.”

Luo Anning continued, ”I’ve read the poem you wrote for Xiang Dajia. Aren’t you quite fond of her?”

”How can you slander my good name out of thin air?”

Su Mu said, ”Why would you think I’m fond of her?”

”Aren’t you? You wrote a poem for her...”

Luo Anning said, her big eyes blinking innocently.

”Others might not know, but you do, don’t you?”

Su Mu said, ”You were the one who gave me the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Marrow Tempering Technique. I was just thanking her for helping me cultivate the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Marrow Tempering Technique.”

”Forget it. Why am I even explaining this to you?”

Su Mu said irritably, ”I know what I want now.”

Luo Anning said, ”Oh.” She then added, ”Actually, I think Xiang Dajia is quite nice.”

Su Mu hadn’t expected Luo Anning to have such a gossipy side. To stop her from going on, he quickly cut her off, ”I want to see the Luo Family’s Kan Water Realm Map.”

”The Kan Water Realm Map?”

Luo Anning looked at Su Mu in surprise. ”Haven’t you already comprehended the Kan Water Realm?”

A shocked expression suddenly appeared on her face, her eyes widening and her mouth forming a small ’o’.

”If you didn’t have the Kan Water Realm Map, how did you comprehend the Kan Water Realm?”

”By practicing a few more types of Kan Water Saber Momentum.”

Su Mu said nonchalantly.

Luo Anning fell silent.

’Is this the legendary genius who learns everything instantly and masters it with a single try?’

’I’ve trained bitterly for years, and I’ve only just mastered two sword momentums. It’ll probably take another year or two of hard work just to master a third.’

’Mastering a few more saber momentums... he says it as if it’s as easy as breathing. How admirable.’

”You can borrow the Kan Water Realm Map, no problem.”

Luo Anning said, ”Do you need the Xunfeng Realm Map? My family has one of those too.”

”I do!”

Su Mu said. He already had a Xunfeng Realm Map, but it was a crudely made one. The one in the Luo Family’s collection was bound to be different.

’If I can study it, I might gain some new insights. Even if it just slightly reduces the number of Points needed for an upgrade, it’ll be worth it.’

”Right, there’s one more thing.”

Su Mu said, ”Look at me. Can I get a promotion?”

”A promotion?”

A look of confusion appeared on Luo Anning’s face. She thought for a long while before she understood what Su Mu meant, and her expression turned a little strange.

She had met many people obsessed with power. After becoming officials, they would either amass wealth wantonly or form cliques for personal gain. In any case, they pursued power to satisfy their own desires.

But Su Mu was different. Although he was also obsessed with officialdom, he seemed to want to be an official for the sake of it. After becoming the East City Bureau Captain, he hadn’t taken a single day to enjoy himself, working diligently every day like a tireless ox.

Luo Anning couldn’t understand why he was so eager to be an official.

’Wouldn’t it be better to just focus on cultivation?’

”Are you really that—”

Luo Anning’s tone was hesitant. ”Eager for a ’promotion,’ as you call it.

Are you really that desperate for a promotion?”

”Yes, I’m very desperate for a promotion.”

Su Mu nodded solemnly.

”But with your current strength, you could totally become a Taiping Captain.”

Luo Anning said seriously, ”You have to make a choice: either continue to stay in the Taiping Bureau or follow the ordinary path of an official.”

”What do you mean?”

Su Mu asked, confused. ’Why do I have to choose? Can’t I have it all?’

”The Taiping Bureau White Clothes are just candidates, so the Taiping Bureau requires us to gain experience on our own. The identity they give us is merely for convenience. Strictly speaking, a Taiping Bureau White Clothes isn’t a true member of the Taiping Bureau.”

Luo Anning explained, ”At this stage, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a constable or a Sima; it’s all considered part of your training.”

”But a Taiping Captain is different. That’s an official post. Once you become a Taiping Captain, you can no longer hold any other official positions.”

Although he had long expected this day would come, Su Mu still sighed internally when he heard Luo Anning say it.

’If I can’t hold other official posts, my ways of earning Points will be reduced.’

’But if I don’t join the Taiping Bureau and just take the normal route, it will be very difficult to keep getting promoted.’

In the Taiping Bureau, as long as your strength is sufficient, you can keep rising: Taiping Captain, Taiping Captain, Governor, Commander-in-Chief, Marquis Feng...