Martial Cultivator

Just then, the little girl returned and stopped at the doorway, shouting loudly, “Dad! Grandma said, whoever dares stop her from meeting the Sword Immortal Luting, beat them all to death!”

The man grunted in acknowledgment, indicating that he understood.

Since even his mother hadn’t stopped him, the man no longer held back.

One by one, he grabbed the sword cultivators and tossed them out. Though none were gravely injured, each would be bedridden for at least a month.

Across the street, by the window of a tavern facing the inn, two young men sat drinking. They could both hear the ruckus clearly and see a bit of what was happening.

The one in black smiled. “West Alley Sect isn’t bad. Not quite top-tier, but definitely a first-rate sect. I heard they’ve got a pretty talented young sword cultivator this generation. What’s his name again?”

The young man in green replied casually, “Tian Xu.”

Seeing the man in black glance at him, he added evenly, “Met him a couple of years ago. Used half a sword move and the guy couldn’t take it. Then he tagged along behind me for half a month, begging me to give him some pointers.”

The man in black clicked his tongue. “So you took the initiative to draw your sword, why?”

“At that time, someone in the cultivation world spread a saying, who knows who started it - claiming that in the present era of sword cultivators, sword immortals stood tall above, and outside the sect gates stood two side by side, wild grass in the fields between them.”

When the young man in green said this, he was clearly displeased. What the hell did they mean by ‘two side by side’? That bastard Tian Xu, even if he cultivated for another hundred years, could he ever even glimpse my back?

The young man in black stifled a laugh and changed the subject. “Leaving that aside, can you guess who that man who threw the punch was? To dare disregard West Alley Sect and attack so boldly, he doesn’t seem like an ordinary cultivator no matter how you look at it.”

The young man in green frowned. “How should I know? But one thing’s clear, the fellow’s definitely not a sword cultivator.”

The young man in black snorted. “No shit.”

“Want to bet?”

The young man in black suddenly grinned. “Let’s bet whether I can find out everything about him within an hour.”

The young man in green asked, “And what’s the stake?”

“If I win, you’ll shout that Yu Xiyi is no match for Chen Chao. How about that?”

Chen Chao chuckled. Of course, aside from these two, there were probably few under heaven so bored as to make such a ridiculous wager.

Yu Xiyi sneered, “Fine. But if you lose, you’ll say Chen Chao falls far short of Yu Xiyi.”

Chen Chao nodded, “Deal.”

As soon as he uttered the word, Chen Chao reached his hand out the window and beckoned.

Yu Xiyi was taken aback.

Moments later, a middle-aged man appeared outside the building and came to stand beside the two, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Lord Warden Commander. Greetings, Sword Immortal Yu.”

Chen Chao nodded. “Give me that man’s particulars.”

The middle-aged man lowered his head, searched through his things, and produced a dossier, handing it to Chen Chao. Chen Chao flipped through it a few times, then waved it toward Yu Xiyi.

Yu Xiyi’s expression did not change as he spat out a few words. “You’re truly disgusting.”

Chen Chao chuckled.

Then he handed the dossier to Yu Xiyi and said casually, “The sect master of a sect in the Heavenly South, and he’s actually a Nepenthe martial artist. I thought the only Nepenthe martial artist in the foreign lands was Chen Wannian.”

Yu Xiyi had known Chen Chao long enough to see right through what he was thinking. He said bluntly, “You’re thinking about roping him in again, aren’t you?”

Chen Chao frowned. “Fellow Daoist Yu, how can you say that? I’m recruiting talent for the sake of the nation - selflessly, might I add.”

Yu Xiyi raised his middle finger. No words were needed.

The meaning was clear: drop the act, between the two of us, who doesn’t know who?

Chen Chao waved his hand, dismissing the man who had delivered the report, then narrowed his eyes. “You want Sword Immortal Luting to draw his sword to force the Sword Sect’s Sect Master out of seclusion. Have you figured out how to do that yet?”

It would’ve been fine if he hadn’t brought it up, but the moment he did, Yu Xiyi felt a headache coming on.

He’d been good at sword cultivation all his life, but aside from that, he wasn’t particularly skilled at anything else, especially when it came to dealing with people.

Chen Chao said with a grin, “If you want someone’s help, shouldn’t you first help them with something?”

Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow. “What’s your plan?”Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“That old sword immortal has wasted away for a full sixty years. Why do you think he suddenly released such a news? He must have some unfinished matter. If you help him resolve it, perhaps he won’t stay so tight-lipped.”

Chen Chao said softly, “But as for what that old sword immortal wants done, that’s hard to say.”

Yu Xiyi replied, “Other than finding a disciple, what else could there be?”

As a Great Sword Immortal in his final days, Yang Luting surely didn’t wish for the Sword Dao he had attained throughout his life to be buried with him. In truth, the best successor would be Yu Xiyi. But with Yu Xiyi having reached his current level, he was naturally unwilling to walk the same path as Sword Immortal Luting.

So this matter was truly troublesome.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes. “Aside from that, didn’t you see what was in that dossier? That old fellow’s mother once ruined her life after meeting Sword Immortal Luting. Well, it’s no wonder, back when he was young, wearing green robes and carrying a sword, he was far too dashing. It’d be strange if a few girls hadn’t liked him.” ”But then again, if girls liked him, doesn’t that mean there’s someone the old sword immortal himself might want to see too?”

Chen Chao sighed. He didn’t spell it out directly, because if he did, the man before him wouldn’t listen anyway.

Yu Xiyi asked, “You have some clues?”

Chen Chao nodded. “I’ve already sent someone to handle it. But don’t think I’m doing this just so you’ll go with me on that little suicidal affair of ours.”

“If it were anyone else, I probably wouldn’t have done a thing. Acting on it would only make people think I had ulterior motives. But with you, I’ll be frank, I do hope you break through your realm. Whether you come with me afterward or not doesn’t matter.”

Chen Chao smiled. “Because even if you don’t, I can still go alone.”

“In your dreams!”

Yu Xiyi glared at Chen Chao. “If you don’t take me along for that matter, that just means you don’t see me as a friend!”

Chen Chao smiled silently.

There were some people he genuinely enjoyed being friends with, like Yu Xiyi. With him, one could speak straight from the heart without hiding anything. It was comfortable, easy.

Yu Xiyi suddenly asked, “Didn’t that elder brother say he once had a Dao companion? Turns out there really is a woman he still can’t forget?”

Chen Chao asked curiously, “Elder brother?”

Yu Xiyi said matter-of-factly, “We’re both sword cultivators, and we’re at this age already. What’s wrong with me calling him elder brother?”

Even Chen Chao couldn’t help but admire Yu Xiyi’s way of thinking.

But he didn’t dwell on it and said instead, “People, no matter what status they hold are still just people. Having one or two women they can’t let go of for a lifetime is understandable.”

Yu Xiyi asked, “What about you then?”

Chen Chao answered firmly, “No!”

Although Yu Xiyi was someone worth speaking honestly with, there were still things that couldn’t be said. For something like this, he had to bite down and deny it completely.

Yu Xiyi simply gave an “oh” and didn’t press further.

The two continued drinking, their cups clinking nonstop.

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