Martial Cultivator

At dusk, a weary Erhu arrived at the courtyard gate. Instead of knocking immediately, he brushed the dust off his clothes and composed himself, hiding the fatigue on his face, before knocking on the door. ”I’m back.”

Hearing his voice, Chunyue quickly ran to open the door, her face brimming with excitement. ”Brother, Sir Chen is here.”

Erhu was taken aback, then peered inside, seeing two people sitting in the courtyard. One he recognized, but he did not know the other person

He smiled, also feeling quite happy, and quickly walked inside. Looking at Chen Chao, he said, ”When did you return to the Divine Capital, sir? You shouldn’t have come to find us, we should be the ones visiting you.”

Previously, he had inquired about Chen Chao and learned that he had not yet returned to the Divine Capital. As for the recent events in the court session, they were too far removed from his world, making it difficult for him to find out any details.

Chen Chao was indifferent and did not beat around the bus, quickly explaining his purpose for coming. Then, Chen Chao pointed to Wen Yue with a smile and said, ”Besides forging swords, your new master here might even teach you a thing or two about cultivation.”

Before, Erhu had shown interest in becoming a cultivator, but Chen Chao had not agreed. Apart from knowing that Erhu was not quite suited to be a martial artist, he also did not want to take on a disciple at such a young age since he himself was too restless, how could he have the time to teach a disciple?

Hearing about this opportunity, Erhu looked at Wen Yue with anticipation, wondering if he should immediately kneel and kowtow to him.

Wen Yue stood up, scrutinized Erhu for a moment, then walked over and patted him on the shoulder before kicking this young man’s legs.

”You’ve got a sturdy build. Follow me. You might not become a master swordsmith, but you can certainly be an ordinary craftsman. As for training in the sword, how far you get depends entirely on your own fate,” Wen Yue pulled a long face and said solemnly.

Yet, Chen Chao easily noticed a glimmer of joy in Wen Yue’s eyes.

Chen Chao smirked internally. The young man still lacked shrewdness, unable to fully conceal his feelings.

Erhu was initially thrilled, but then he looked at Chen Chao with some hesitation. Chen Chao smiled and said, ”Don’t worry. This guy is from Sword Qi Mountain. His sword-forging skills are top-notch. But as for following him to train in the sword, he might not be the best master.”

Wen Yue turned to look at Chen Chao, wanting to speak but swallowing the words back.

Chen Chao waved his hand, ”Fine, I won’t shoot you down, you’re the best in the world.”

Hearing this, Erhu felt much more at ease. After giving some instructions to Chunyue, he prepared to leave with Wen Yue.

Chen Chao followed behind the two. Just as he was about to step out the door, he turned to Chunyue and said softly, ”If you’re ever bullied in the Divine Capital, come find me. At the Left Guard’s office, just mention my name and someone will help you. Don’t feel embarrassed. The duties of both the Left and Right Guards include maintaining peace in the Divine Capital. Your safety is part of that responsibility. Don’t think you’re troubling anyone.”

Chunyue initially wanted to refuse, but after hearing Chen Chao’s words, she nodded.

Chen Chao continued with a smile. ”If you want to find me privately, go to the academy. There’s a small courtyard by South Lake where I usually stay if I’m in the Divine Capital. But I won’t be here for long; I’ll be heading North soon.”

”North?” Chunyue asked curiously. ”Is Sir going to the frontier?”

Chen Chao nodded his head.

Chunyue looked worried. ”I’ve heard there are many man-eating demons there. Sir must be careful.”

Chen Chao smiled broadly, ”There are demons, but I have my saber.”

……

……

The autumn rain was becoming increasingly heavier, falling every three to five days and often lasting for a day or two. The Divine Capital was getting noticeably colder, and more and more people were buying charcoal for the winter. The time to depart for the Northern Frontier was drawing near, and it was certain that it was already freezing cold and snowing non-stop there.

There was a banquet that day, hosted by the Second Prince in the imperial city to see off the young cultivators. Invitations had been sent to the academy well in advance, two invitations. However, Xie Nandu had no interest in attending and declined politely. Chen Chao was not keen on attending either, but a message from the Second Prince insisted that he must come to the palace as the prince wished to meet him in person.

After some deliberation, Chen Chao agreed and boarded the Left Guard’s carriage in the evening to head to the imperial city. The continuous autumn rain hitting the carriage had a unique charm.

The driver was still Weng Quan. Song Lian had always subtly hinted that he wanted his nephew to get closer to Chen Chao, with obvious intentions.

However, before this trip, he had received instructions from both his second uncle and superior, which made Weng Quan much quieter. This was somewhat unsettling for Chen Chao, as Weng Quan’s talkativeness was unmatched by anyone he had met.

Even Yu Xiyi, who was quite talkative himself, paled in comparison to Weng Quan.

Chen Chao could not help but lament, ”Weng Quan, you’ve grown up.”

Weng Quan was concentrating on driving the carriage. Hearing this, he was startled and asked in confusion, ”What grew?”

Chen Chao was speechless and did not respond.

The carriage soon arrived at the palace gates. Chen Chao stepped out of the carriage, and a palace attendant came over with an umbrella. It was not Li Heng but an unfamiliar eunuch.

But thinking about it, that made sense. Considering Li Heng’s status, it was impossible for him to come and do such menial tasks.

Chen Chao had arrived early, the other young cultivators had yet to set out at this moment. This was part of his plan. After meeting with the Second Prince, he did not intend to stay for the banquet and planned to return to the academy directly.

The young eunuch was not tall, so when he held the umbrella for Chen Chao, he had to stretch his arms up high, but it still blocked Chen Chao’s view. The eunuch did not seem to care about himself, and in the autumn rain, he quickly got soaked. Chen Chao smiled, took the oiled-paper umbrella from him, and asked with a smile, ”What should I call you, young eunuch?”

The young eunuch was about to speak, but hearing Chen Chao’s question, he became a bit flustered and said, ”Is Commander Chen going to report me? It is indeed this servant’s fault.”

Chen Chao tilted the umbrella toward the young eunuch and smiled, ”Don’t play the pity card, young eunuch. If you do, I’ll have to tell that Eunuch Li Heng.”

The young eunuch chuckled and finally said, ”I’ve long heard that Commander Chen is a good person and wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Chen Chao smiled and did not speak.

The young eunuch said, ”This servant’s name is Li Shou. Eunuch Li Heng is this servant’s master.”

His words were rather frank.

As Chen Chao walked forward, he casually asked, ”So your master arranged for you to receive me?”

Li Shou nodded and said softly, ”Master said Commander Chen is a very good person, and I should meet you. At the very least, we should get acquainted with each other.”

Chen Chao smiled. He could guess some of Li Heng’s intentions, but he could not be sure if he had it completely figured out. However, Chen Chao did not mind. Whether was it Li Heng or the Emperor, they were all shrewd individuals. Among the younger generation, only Xie Nandu could hold her own against them. As for himself, he could forget about it.

”It seems your master has passed on all his skills to you. Your future is bright. I hope you’ll take good care of me when the time comes,” Chen Chao said, indifferent to these subtle arrangements. If he really needed to understand them, he could always ask Xie Nandu later.

Li Shou muttered, ”I’m just a young eunuch. How could I help Commander Chen?”

Chen Chao did not speak. They continued walking in silence. Before long, they saw a familiar figure ahead. Well, not exactly familiar, rather, it was someone he had not seen in a long time: the Second Prince.

Li Shou halted and was about to turn back when Chen Chao handed him the oiled-paper umbrella and said with a smile, ”Go change your clothes quickly, so you don’t catch a cold.”

Then, Chen Chao stepped into the rain and walked forward. After a few steps, he reached a spot not far from the Second Prince, just outside a great hall.

”This subject pays respect to Your Highness.”

Chen Chao bowed slightly.

The Second Prince smiled warmly. ”I’ve been wanting to meet with Commander Chen since I heard you returned to the Divine Capital. But it seems that Commander Chen is quite the busy man nowadays, even a meeting is so difficult.”

Chen Chao looked up and smiled without saying anything.

The Second Prince glanced at the saber hanging from Chen Chao’s waist but quickly retracted his gaze, smiling. ”Commander Chen, your journey to the Northern Frontier will greatly enhance the power of our Great Liang. I just wanted to see you before you leave, not for any particular reason, but to wish you well.”

As he spoke, someone carried a tray of wine over.

Chen Chao took the cup of wine and said softly, ”As a subject of Great Liang, it’s my duty to serve the country. This journey north, I hope not to disappoint Your Highness’ expectations.”

The Second Prince nodded with a smile and drank the other cup of wine.

The two of them chatted about various topics for a while. Finally, the Second Prince looked at Chen Chao and asked with a smile, ”I heard that the Great General met with Commander Chen before leaving the capital?”

Chen Chao glanced at the Second Prince and replied, ”The Great General supports the younger generation, this subject is very grateful for it.”

The Second Prince nodded and smiled, ”The Great General has dedicated his life to the country and no blemish can be found on him. My imperial elder brother is quite fortunate to have such a good father-in-law.”

Chen Chao remained silent.

The Second Prince looked at Chen Chao, his gaze meaningful but he did not speak either.

The atmosphere grew a bit awkward, with only the sound of the rain continuing.

After a while, Chen Chao cupped his hands and said, ”If Your Highness has no other matters, this subject shall take my leave.”

The Second Prince neither nodded nor refused, but just smiled and looked at Chen Chao, ”Does Commander Chen truly have nothing to say to me?”

Chen Chao looked at the Second Prince and shook his head.

The Second Prince smiled faintly without saying anything and turned to leave.

Chen Chao turned around at the same time.

Although they had never walked the same path, it felt as if they were parting ways now.

Chen Chao felt no regrets. No matter how big the storms of the future were, he would bear them.

After taking just a few steps, he saw Li Heng.

This chief eunuch looked at Chen Chao and smiled, ”Making a choice is never easy. It takes a lot of courage.”

Chen Chao looked at Li Heng and smiled bitterly, ”If I could, I truly wouldn’t want to choose anything. I’m just a little tired.”

Li Heng said calmly, ”The greater the power, the greater the responsibility, and naturally, the greater the fatigue.”

Chen Chao did not speak.

Li Heng smiled and said, ”Come with me, His Majesty wants to see you.”