Martial Saint with Passives

Listening to her cousin and brother-in-law endlessly belittle Jiang Che, Yin Yingying grew angry and couldn’t help but retort, ”Cousin, Brother-in-law! Jiang Che isn’t the person you’re describing! I know his strength very well—he’s far beyond any ordinary Force Integration Martial Artist! We believe in him!”

Wang Xiufen shot Yin Yingying a glance, her tone a mix of worldly-wise admonishment and subtle derision:

”Yingying, my dear, you’re still so young. You can know a person’s face, but not their heart! It’s true that Jiang Che saved you, but that was then, and this is now. In this day and age, people’s hearts are treacherous. He heard your family’s cloth shop was in trouble and that you were desperate for money, so of course he agreed to everything. But when he actually runs into a real problem, what good is a lone Force Integration Realm practitioner? You mustn’t be fooled by empty promises or some old favor.”

Despite Wang Xiufen and Zhu Shichang’s repeated attempts at persuasion, their words dripping with disdain for both Jiang Che and the Cangyun Sect, Yin Rong remembered his daughter’s constant reassurances. Weighing his current predicament against the potential risks of the two ”high-priced” experts, he ultimately stuck to his decision.

Seeing that their attempts at persuasion had failed, both Wang Xiufen and Zhu Shichang looked disgruntled.

Finally, Wang Xiufen muttered under her breath, ”Well, don’t blame us for not warning you when you end up paying for this.” With that, the two shook their heads, sighed, and departed.

After seeing the couple off, Yin Yingying watched their retreating figures and gently clenched her fists.

’Hmph! With Jiang Che here, he’ll definitely take care of those gang thugs!’

...

...

...

Cangyun Sect, Inner Courtyard Disciple Dormitory Area.

Jiang Che was in the middle of his cultivation when he heard a knock on the door.

Jiang Che opened the door to see it was Steward Wang.

Steward Wang was all smiles. ”Young Master Jiang, the master has agreed! Here, these are three thousand gold notes, please take them!”

Jiang Che accepted the money pouch and saw the thick stack of gold notes inside, a surge of gratitude rising in his heart.

He would remember the Yin Family’s trust and forthrightness.

He then carefully read the Sacrificial Contract. The terms were clear and reasonable, with no hidden pitfalls, so he signed his name without hesitation.

”My thanks to you, Steward Wang. And please, extend my gratitude to Master Yin and Miss Yingying,” Jiang Che said solemnly as he put the gold notes away.

”You are too kind, Young Master Jiang. The master and young miss are both counting on you to keep the cloth shop safe.” Beaming, Steward Wang put away the contract and took his leave.

After seeing the steward off, Jiang Che felt a weight lift from his shoulders. His financial pressures had just been drastically reduced.

However, he also knew that while his status as an Inner Courtyard Disciple of the Cangyun Sect could bluff people temporarily, he was still only in the Force Integration Realm and had a completely ordinary background. Once those Local Bullies investigated his true standing, they would likely just resume their harassment!

You take the money, you solve the problem.

Since he had accepted the payment, he had to resolve the matter completely.

Jiang Che decided to go on the offensive, to beat the gangs harassing the cloth shop into submission and eliminate the problem for good!

’Besides, these gangs are always extorting people. They must be quite rich...’

The thought of the gangs’ little treasuries was tempting.

However, to deal with these gangs, he first needed to gather reliable intelligence.

Soon after, Jiang Che found Cheng Yuzhi and asked:

”Junior Brother Cheng, do you know of a place called Four Seas Tower?”

Four Seas Tower, despite sharing the ”Four Seas” name, had no connection to the Four Seas Commerce Association.

It was the secret organization from which Jiang Che had previously acquired intelligence back in Lin Yuan City.

Cangzhou Prefecture was their main base of operations, but Jiang Che didn’t know where they were located.

Cheng Yuzhi blinked, a hint of surprise in his eyes:

”Four Seas Tower? Senior Brother, you even know about them? That’s a place that sells intelligence. I hear they have powerful backing and their information network is incredible. Why, do you need something, Senior Brother?”

”Yes, I need to make some inquiries. Do you know how to contact them?”

Cheng Yuzhi lowered his voice. ”I do. It’s in Yu Lin Lane, south of the city. The courtyard at the entrance to the lane, the one with the old locust tree.”

”Got it. Thanks!” Jiang Che memorized the location.

Later, finding the right moment, he quietly left the mountain. He donned the Human Skin Mask he had obtained from the Wuxiang Alliance, changing his appearance to that of an ordinary Jianghu Traveler, and made his way to Yu Lin Lane.

Deep within the lane, there was, just as described, an inconspicuous residence.

An old man sat at the entrance, basking in the sun and looking half-asleep.

Jiang Che approached and said in a low voice, ”Heaven south, Earth north.”

The old man opened his eyes a crack and replied, ”Sea wide, Sky vast.”

The code words matched. The old man waved a hand, gesturing for Jiang Che to enter.

The courtyard was a world of its own, a veritable Grotto Heaven. After navigating a winding path, Jiang Che was led into a dimly lit secret chamber.

Just as it had been in Lin Yuan City, a figure was hidden in the shadows of the secret chamber. A hoarse voice spoke:

”What information do you wish to buy?”

Jiang Che disguised his voice, speaking in a low tone:

”I want information on all the villainous gangs near East Market Street—their strongholds, leaders, core members, and their strength and Cultivation levels. The more detailed, the better.”

He deliberately avoided mentioning anything related to Yin’s Cloth Shop to avoid revealing his identity.

After all, what he planned to do next had to remain in the shadows.

Besides, the gangs that had been harassing Yin’s Cloth Shop were all located in that area; by taking care of all of them, he was sure not to miss his targets.

The person in the shadows remained silent for a moment before replying, ”One hundred gold. Ready for pickup in ten days.”

’Ten days?’ Jiang Che frowned. That was a little long.

’If the gangs figure out my background and come to cause trouble again during that time, it’ll be a disaster.’

”Can you do it any faster?”

”For another fifty gold, I can have it compiled for you within five days.”

’Fifty gold...’

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Che nodded. ”Fine. I will come to retrieve it in five days. There’s no need for door-to-door delivery.”

The Four Seas Tower in Lin Yuan City had previously offered door-to-door delivery.

This time, however, Jiang Che didn’t want Four Seas Tower to have any information on him.