Martial Cultivator

When he arrived, he was with Song Lin, but when he left, he was alone. As Chen Chao walked away, he could not help but mutter to himself that Song Lin was really someone who forgets his principles when he sees a pretty face.

However, Chen Chao sincerely blessed Song Lin for finally successfully bagging a lady. Regarding this Commander of the Left Guard, Chen Chao still more or less received favors from him. He was the kind of person who would always remember those who treated him well.

After resolving Song Lin’s marriage, Chen Chao did not become idle. In reality, he still had to make a trip to the Warden’s Office. There were two things he needed to handle with the Lord Warden Commander.

In the current Divine Capital, after the New Year and with the heavy snowfall diminishing, there were already many people on the streets. Although the big shots were constantly waiting for major changes to happen in the Divine Capital, the common people did not care about such things. They had their own joys and sorrows, which were not necessarily shared by the prominent figures.

Before long, Chen Chao arrived outside of the Warden’s Office. He presented his deputy commander badge of the Left Guard, and he was quickly welcomed in. This time, there was no guide. The entire Warden’s Office was clear about this. Therefore, there were not many inquiries. They simply mentioned that the Lord Warden Commander was currently in his study, and everyone went about their own business.

Upon reaching the door of the study, Chen Chao followed the usual protocol and called out, ”This lowly official Chen Chao, Deputy Commander of the Left Guard, requests an audience with Lord Warden Commander.”

A hearty laughter soon emanated from the room, ”Come in, kid.”

Only then, did Chen Chao push open the door and enter, coming face to face with the Lord Warden Commander seated behind his desk.

The Lord Warden Commander glanced at Chen Chao and casually remarked, ”Have a seat. Is your injury almost healed? This official heard that His Majesty himself attacked. This official originally thought you’d be bedridden for at least half a year.”

Chen Chao laughed bitterly. In the Divine Capital, if someone were to do something to him, perhaps this Lord Warden Commander could do something about it. But if it was His Majesty the Emperor himself who acted, then even the Lord Warden Commander would be powerless.

”His Majesty showed restraint,” Chen Chao glanced at the Lord Warden Commander, knowing that some things did not need to be explicitly stated, especially in the current situation.

The Lord Warden Commander nodded and did not ask too many questions. If some open secrets were to be affirmed, things would become pointless instead.

Next, the Lord Warden Commander said candidly, ”This official has never left the Divine Capital from start to end. Since your return, this official has been watching from within the Divine Capital. As for why I did not show myself and let you handle matters, I believe you can understand the reasons.”

Chen Chao did not speak. He naturally understood the Lord Warden Commander’s intentions. The Lord Warden Commander truly wanted to groom him as a successor. However, after the eventful spy-catching incident, Chen Chao would likely meet with resistance from countless court officials. Leaving aside other matters, the Grand Historian in particular, harbored no goodwill toward Chen Chao whatsoever.

However, if given the chance again, Chen Chao would probably make the same choice.

The Lord Warden Commander lamented, ”We old fellows are getting on in years after all. The future belongs to you youngsters. You’re very talented. I just hope you can grow up quickly and become the backbone of our Great Liang in the future. I believe this is also His Majesty’s wish.”

Chen Chao did not speak.

The Lord Warden Commander smiled and said, ”If you have something to say, just say it. There’s no point in holding it in.”

Hearing the Lord Warden Commander say so, Chen Chao asked bluntly, ”Is the Xia Family just the beginning? Is this purge meant to capture all the spies in the Divine Capital?”

The Lord Warden Commander frowned slightly and then asked an intriguing question, ”Do you think the Xia Family is the biggest spy in the Divine Capital?”

As one of the prominent families of the Great Liang Dynasty, there were not many great families that could be mentioned in the same breath as the Xia Family. There were only two other families, the Xie and Wei families, whose influence and power were even greater.

Chen Chao hesitated for a moment. In truth, he dared not entertain the thought. If the largest families in the Great Liang Dynasty, the Xie and Wei families, were both spies, what would that mean for the Great Liang Dynasty?

If the Great Liang Dynasty were likened to a towering giant, then the Xie and Wei families could be considered its two legs. Any trouble with either of these ’legs’ would significantly affect the entire Great Liang Dynasty.

However, when Chen Chao looked at the Lord Warden Commander with questioning eyes, the latter just shook his head slightly and smiled, ”Whether there are still spies or not, I can’t say for sure. You can see for yourself.”

Hence, this question remained unanswered.

The Lord Warden Commander then answered Chen Chao’s question, ”The Xia Family is the endpoint. Although His Majesty has the courage, he also understands the concept of moderation. With the downfall of the Xia Family, I believe the Divine Capital will enjoy peace for a long time. As for the foreign lands, they won’t make any moves either. Those foreign cultivators, they can’t stand seeing the common people living well. All they want is a puppet dynasty to do their bidding. In reality, they deserve to die.”

Chen Chao furrowed his brows slightly and asked, ”Then, why not make a trip to the foreign lands, Your Excellency?”

The Lord Warden Commander scolded laughingly, ”Are you trying to get me killed in the foreign lands? So you can immediately take my position?”

Chen Chao quickly waved his hand, saying with an innocent look, ”This lowly official absolutely doesn’t have such thoughts.”

The Lord Warden Commander laughed heartily, but then became serious again, ”His Majesty made a trip into the thirty thousand miles of desolate north. Speaking of which, it’s about time for another martial artist to make a trip to the foreign lands and pay a visit to each sect. It would be good for each sect to know that in the Great Liang Dynasty, there are martial artists who can not only dominate the desolate north but also make these foreign cultivators bow their heads.”

”If they refuse to bow their heads? Then I’ll beat them until they lower their heads!”

Chen Chao echoed, ”Your Excellency is ambitious!”

However, the Lord Warden Commander changed the subject and looked at Chen Chao, saying, ”Don’t think too much, I’m talking about you.”

Chen Chao was startled.

”The Infatuation Daoist Temple Master? That old monk in Deercry Monastery? That Sword Sect’s Sect Master?” ”Can you beat them all in the future, so they know that we martial artists are not weaker than anyone?” There was some expectation in the Lord Warden Commander’s eyes as he looked at Chen Chao, making Chen Chao feel a bit uneasy.

Chen Chao replied, ”If that day really comes, I’ll let them know that this lowly official once served under Your Excellency?”

The Lord Warden Commander burst into laughter, surprised that Chen Chao would say something like that.

After the laughter, the Lord Warden Commander returned to his senses and said, ”Now, tell me what business you have.”

Chen Chao did not beat around the bush and quickly brought up the matter of finding the half of the saber’s blade earlier, then said with hesitation, ”Although the broken saber feels comfortable in my hand, it’s ultimately missing something. If there’s nothing major happening in the city, this lowly official would like to go to Sword Qi Mountain and have them reforge the broken saber. But...”

Taking money from the Xie Family would be troublesome for Chen Chao, but if he let the Lord Warden Commander give the money, Chen Chao would not have any worries, especially since he wanted more than just money.

The Lord Warden Commander shook his head and said, ”Do you think that with enough skygold coins, you can persuade those swordsmiths to forge a sword for you? Kid, do you even know what you’re talking about? To have Sword Qi Mountain, publicly recognized as the best swordsmiths in the world, forge a saber for you, let’s not even talk about whether they would consider it an insult. In other words, even if they don’t care about such matters, if news spreads to the foreign lands, would Sword Qi Mountain not feel embarrassed?”

Chen Chao had thought about these things, but he still did not give up and asked, ”Didn’t Xie Nandu bring back several flying swords before?”

The Lord Warden Commander scoffed, ”Who’s backing that little girl? Haven’t you thought about that?”

Chen Chao immediately responded, ”She has the Dean behind her, but doesn’t this lowly official have you behind me, Your Excellency?”

If Xie Nandu were to see Chen Chao at this moment, she would probably sigh with emotion, seeing that the youth she encountered in Tianqing County back then had returned.

The Lord Warden Commander remained expressionless, completely unaffected by this flattery. He just said coldly, ”Although the Dean is in the Divine Capital and has close ties with us, the fact remains that the academy is still a lineage of the foreign cultivators. And we, both this official and you, are the ones they look down upon the most; uncouth martial artists.”

Hearing the words ”uncouth martial artists,” Chen Chao felt uneasy, but at the moment, there was nothing he could say.

After all, these words were spoken by a top three martial artist of the Great Liang Dynasty.

The Lord Warden Commander said with vicissitudes of emotion, ”Moreover, what kind of place is Sword Qi Mountain? There are countless sword cultivators who have received favors from Sword Qi Mountain all over the world. Even if this official were to go to Sword Qi Mountain, they would dare to refuse me entry. If you really anger Sword Qi Mountain, with just one call, countless sword cultivators will come after you. While your body may be resilient, how many swords can you withstand?”

Chen Chao was silent, feeling a headache coming on.

”Then is there anyone in the court who has this ability?”

Chen Chao asked for the second best. If even Sword Qi Mountain refused to do it, he really had no other options.

The Lord Warden Commander shook his head. ”Your saber is peculiar. When I found the other half, I realized that the sharpness of your saber might not be inferior to the Hundred Year Swords from Sword Qi Mountain. Such quality is probably beyond the capabilities of those few in the Ministry of Works; only Sword Qi Mountain can handle it.”

With that said, he once again brought the matter to a dead end.

Chen Chao let out a heavy sigh.

The Lord Warden Commander chuckled. ”But I think you can give it a shot. Perhaps they’ll help just because they think you’re good-looking.”

Chen Chao was silent.

What the hell kind of nonsense is this?

If it were not for the fact that the Lord Warden Commander said it, Chen Chao would have dared to smack that person right here.

The Lord Warden Commander could not be bothered to waste his breath on this matter with Chen Chao. He simply said, ”Since you’re here, this official does have something to give you.”

Chen Chao was taken aback, completely unexpected that this journey for the sutra actually yielded an unexpected surprise?

Without saying anything, the Lord Warden Commander casually grabbed a booklet from the desk and tossed it to Chen Chao before saying, ”This official has been practicing martial arts for countless years. I’ve recorded some insights in my spare time, which might be useful to you. As for the rest, they are martial arts techniques this official has cultivated over the years. You can take a look. You don’t have to learn them all, but they can serve as proof for your own martial arts techniques. If you do decide to learn them, it shouldn’t be a problem either, considering your talent.”

Chen Chao took the old booklet, unable to speak for a moment. The Lord Warden Commander’s words sounded light, but every martial artist in the world would likely feel that the booklet in their hands weighed as heavy as a thousand catties. Insights on martial arts from one of the top three martial artists of the current era would be considered a treasure for all martial artists. If this were to be placed outside, it would likely cause a storm of bloodshed and chaos.

What was this? This was the embodiment of the Lord Warden Commander’s lifelong cultivation, a truly valuable item!

Chen Chao opened his mouth but found himself unable to speak.

The fact that the Lord Warden Commander could bestow such an item could not be explained simply by saying that he ’valued’ Chen Chao. This was treating Chen Chao as the true successor of his martial arts legacy.

At this moment, Chen Chao felt that even kneeling down and kowtowing to him would not be excessive.

However, the Lord Warden Commander just glanced at Chen Chao and casually said, ”Don’t be so wishy-washy. This thing of mine isn’t that great, nor is it that bad either. I never gave it to others before because I felt they weren’t worthy. As for you, kid, it’s quite suitable. This official admires you very much. Don’t overthink it. As for calling me ’master’? I think ’Your Excellency’ sounds better.”

Chen Chao smiled bitterly, ”Your Excellency gave this item, this lowly official has no choice but to sell my life for the warden faction.”

Upon hearing this, the Lord Warden Commander did not show any triumphant smile, but instead corrected seriously, ”What do you mean by selling your life for the warden faction? We safeguard the Great Liang Dynasty, its people. Just keep that in mind, and you’ll be fine wherever you go.”

Chen Chao nodded, ”This lowly official understands. I’ll enlist into the northern army immediately.”

Even the Lord Warden Commander was also irritated at this moment, ”Aren’t you afraid this official will slap you to death?!”

Chen Chao chuckled and said softly, ”How could that be? Your Excellency won’t bear to do that.”