Martial Cultivator

When Chen Chao left the Xie Family, his mood was somewhat heavy. Binding the Xie Family completely to the Great Liang Dynasty, or in other words, tying them to himself, was not difficult at all. The worst outcome he had anticipated was completely crushing the Xie Family and letting Xie Nandu take control. The result would still be the same, only the process and the consequences afterward would differ.

But he had not expected that someone like the Xie Family ancestor, an elder who had likely weathered countless storms, would in the end, act with youthful ambition once again.

This was very different from what Chen Chao had imagined, and it made him feel somewhat pressured.

Although the things he was doing now were all progressing as he had expected, the scale of everything was simply too great. He was handling everything with the utmost caution.

After all, just as the Xie Family ancestor had said, Chen Chao now bore the weight of the entire world - the countless citizens of Great Liang.

Just as he was about to board the carriage, the steward came running up, calling out with a smile, ”Lord Warden Commander, please wait.”

Chen Chao turned to look at him and stopped his motion of entering the carriage.

The steward took out a wooden plaque made of ebony from his chest and handed it to Chen Chao. Chen Chao took it and saw that it had some intricate patterns, with the character ”Xie” in the center, and on the back, there was the Xie Family’s seal.

”What is this?” Chen Chao asked, somewhat puzzled.

The steward replied, ”Ancestor said that Miss knows about this. Lord Warden Commander can keep it for yourself or give it to Miss.”

Chen Chao did not ask further. After nodding, he said, ”Please thank Minister Xie for this official.”

The steward smiled but did not say anything.

……

……

The carriage moved slowly down the long street, the sound of hooves ringing loud and clear.

Because the sound of hooves was so loud, Chen Chao felt that something was off. Passing through a long street should have meant a great deal of noise; the usual clamor of the citizens of the Divine Capital. Yet now, there was only silence, and that was what felt amiss.

Chen Chao opened his eyes, lifted the curtain, and looked toward one side of the street. There were indeed many citizens present, but at this moment, they were all standing quietly by the roadside, watching his carriage in silence.

Chen Chao found this very strange.

Even Weng Quan seemed somewhat unsettled. ”Your Excellency, what’s going on?”

Chen Chao thought for a moment and was just about to speak when, suddenly, his vision went dark. Something had been thrown toward him. Chen Chao instinctively reached out to catch it. It was a large bag of honey dates. Ŕ𝒶NОᛒÊṦ

”Lord Warden Commander, I heard you like these. From now on, if you ever want to eat honey dates in the Divine Capital, just say the word, and we’ll make sure they’re delivered straight to your residence!”

It was a young shop assistant standing in front of a honey dates shop, speaking loudly.

The honey dates shop was newly built, looking as if it had been recently constructed. In fact, this was the very same honey dates shop that Daoist Zhenye had destroyed. After Daoist Zhenye was killed, the Ministry of Revenue allocated funds, and the Ministry of Works had personally overseen its reconstruction. As a result, business had flourished.

Even the shop assistant who had died had been compensated generously by the imperial court.

Suddenly, with a heavy thud, the young shop assistant dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he shouted, ”Thank you for avenging my elder brother, Your Excellency! From now on, Zhao Gou’s life belongs to Your Excellency!”

It turned out this young man was the younger brother of the previous shop assistant.

Just as Chen Chao was about to say something, a crowd of citizens surged forward, carrying all sorts of good - eggs, vegetables, and more.

Chen Chao felt his scalp tingle. He pressed both hands against the window to block them, but even so, a good number of items still managed to slip through the gaps between his arms.

In just a moment, the carriage was overflowing with things.

Chen Chao bit the bullet and yelled out, ”Weng Quan, hurry up and go!”

He had no idea how his whereabouts had been exposed, nor did he understand how these civilians had gathered here, waiting to present him with these offerings.

The horse carriage struggled to move forward.

Voices kept drifting in through the carriage window.

”Lord Warden Commander, I have a daughter of marriageable age, and she’s very beautiful. Would you like to see her portrait?”

”Lord Warden Commander, don’t listen to him! How could his daughter be as beautiful as mine? My daughter is absolutely stunning!”

”What are you all talking about? Don’t you know that Lord Warden Commander already has a woman he fancies? She’s the genius daughter of the Xie Family, the academy Dean’s final disciple!”

As soon as this was said, the chatter outside lessened significantly.

But then, that familiar voice rang out again: ”Lord Warden Commander, my daughter can be a concubine!”

”Shameless, bah”

”Truly shameless...”

A chorus of voices rose in rebuke, rebuking the person who had just spoken.

But soon after, several more voices chimed in, ”Lord Warden Commander, my daughter can be a concubine too!”

Chen Chao could only smile bitterly.

Before he could react, a thick wave of perfume suddenly rushed in through the carriage window, assaulting his nose. He frowned, and in the next moment, countless silk handkerchiefs and letters were tossed into the carriage.

Chen Chao nearly fainted.

Fortunately, the horse carriage soon broke free from the crowd and escaped this place.

He had no idea how much time had passed when the carriage finally came to a gradual stop. Chen Chao struggled to climb out of the carriage, only to see Weng Quan standing there, arms full of various items.

Chen Chao frowned, while Weng Quan had a face full of envy. ”Your Excellency, you’re treated a little too well, right? When can this lowly official ever be treated like this by the people? I’d die happy if it happened even once.”

Chen Chao shook his head and said seriously, ”You? Not a chance.”

”Why not? Where am I lacking, Your Excellency?”

Weng Quan looked at Chen Chao in confusion, his eyes carrying a hint of grievance.

Chen Chao showed no mercy. ”Your face isn’t good-looking enough.”

Weng Quan let out a cry, then glanced at Chen Chao and muttered, ”Your Excellency, you’re not that much better looking than this lowly official.”

That was true. Chen Chao was never the type to be called handsome, but he had a pair of striking eyes, and combined with his bearing, he exuded a heroic air that happened to be the type young women liked.

Weng Quan then looked at the pile of gifts in the carriage with some difficulty and asked, ”Your Excellency, what should we do with all this?”

”Distribute it among the brothers at the office.”

Chen Chao turned to leave.

”What about the handkerchiefs and letters?”

Weng Quan asked cautiously, ”Your Excellency, are you sure you don’t want to pick a few to take a look at?”

Chen Chao’s face remained expressionless. ”Get rid of them. Make sure a third person doesn’t find out, not even your Second Uncle. If word gets out, I’ll kill you.”

Weng Quan shuddered, his whole body going stiff. Only then did he lower his head and reply, ”This lowly official understands.”

Chen Chao nodded in satisfaction and instructed, “Let’s head back.”

After saying this, Chen Chao turned and walked toward the bamboo building.

Weng Quan gathered up the items. Just as he was about to drive the carriage to the office, he saw a young woman approaching from the front.

”Miss Xie?”

Weng Quan greeted her. He was well aware that this young woman was the one His Excellency fancied. Perhaps she would become His Excellency’s wife before long.

Xie Nandu nodded, then glanced at the pile of things nearby. On a whim, she stopped and asked, “What is all this?”

Weng Quan opened his mouth but suddenly recalled His Excellency’s instructions. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell Xie Nandu. But then he quickly reconsidered, was Miss Xie not the same as His Excellency? After all, every month, it was Miss Xie who collected His Excellency’s salary from the imperial court.

How could she be considered an outsider!

Since that was the case, she certainly did not count as a third person. Weng Quan immediately spilled everything in one go, like pouring out a jar of beans.

At the end, he even made sure to remind Xie Nandu, “Miss Xie, His Excellency doesn’t want this matter spreading, so please don’t go telling others.”

……

……

By the time Chen Chao returned to the bamboo building, Yu Xiyi had already arrived. The young sword immortal had been chatting idly with two teenage boys, but when he saw Chen Chao, he walked over to sit under the eaves and said with a smile, “Your two disciples have been tempering their bodies quite well. They might achieve great things in the future.”

“Achoo...”

Chen Chao sat down and had just given the order to pour tea when, out of nowhere, he sneezed.

Rubbing his nose, Chen Chao muttered, wondering which lady was thinking about him at that moment.

Once everything was ready, Chen Chao looked at Yu Xiyi and got straight to the point. “Have you figured things out?”

Yu Xiyi’s expression turned strange as he slowly said, “The sect sent me a letter agreeing to your request. But can you really make Sword Qi Mountain relent?”

Truthfully, the Sword Sect’s immediate agreement to Chen Chao’s request had caught Yu Xiyi off guard. When he sent word back, he had not expected the sect to agree so readily. He had even prepared to return to the Sword Sect in person to persuade them.

But everything had gone too smoothly, leaving him a little puzzled.

Chen Chao saw through Yu Xiyi’s thoughts and smiled. “The hardest part is always the beginning. But since His Majesty has already paved the way, all I have to do is follow it. Naturally, it won’t be that difficult.”

Yu Xiyi said calmly, “But with Sect Master’s temperament, I once thought no one in this world could change his mind. I never expected His Majesty to succeed.”

Chen Chao chuckled. “Since the Sword Sect has already agreed, I’ll write to Sword Qi Mountain right away. I expect we’ll have an answer soon.”

Yu Xiyi frowned. “This is such an important matter. Shouldn’t you go in person?”

Chen Chao replied, “There are still other things to take care of. If the letter doesn’t work, I’ll make a trip myself. But it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yu Xiyi nodded and did not press further - he had great faith in Chen Chao’s abilities.c

Chen Chao suddenly said, “I need a favor from you.”

Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Chen Chao smiled. “To kill someone.”

”Who?”

Yu Xiyi’s interest was piqued. At Chen Chao’s cultivation realm, was there still someone in this world he wanted to kill but could not?

If there was, then it had to be an existence at the end of Nepenthe.

Chen Chao said, ”The Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple.”

Yu Xiyi was stunned, as if he had not heard clearly. He asked again in disbelief, “Who did you say you wanted to kill?”

Yu Xiyi stared intently at Chen Chao, not wanting to miss a single word.

Chen Chao looked at Yu Xiyi and teased, “Scared?”

Yu Xiyi did not speak.

Chen Chao could only repeat himself, ”The Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple.”