Martial Cultivator

Daoist Yinli had been seated as the Temple Master of Infatuation Daoist Temple for some time now. However, for some unknown reason, this newly appointed Temple Master had not been overly ostentatious. Instead, he remained extremely low-key, only appearing for necessary occasions. The rest of the time, he spent in seclusion on the rear mountain.

Because of this, many disciples who had been dissatisfied with his appointment as temple master had fewer grievances. Though his way of doing things was not identical to Daoist Wuyang’s, they were at least quite similar.

Change was often difficult to accept. Maintaining things as they had been made it easier for people to adjust.

Beneath an ancient pine tree, Daoist Yinli met Yu Lu, whom the black ox had brought.

The black ox gave Yu Lu a meaningful glance before sidling up with a fawning expression and whispering, “Sage, I’ve brought him.”

Yu Lu was perceptive enough to understand. Without hesitation, he knelt down and respectfully greeted, “Disciple Yu Lu greets the Your Excellency, Temple Master.”

Daoist Yinli did not even lift his head. Instead, he turned his gaze to the black ox and asked indifferently, “What do you see in him?”

The black ox answered carefully, “This boy is meticulous and good at reading people. As for his natural talent... perhaps it’s not bad. Serving by Sage’s side shouldn’t be an issue.”

Daoist Yinli’s expression remained unchanged as he turned to Yu Lu. “Raise your head.”

Yu Lu slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with both excitement and nervousness.

“Who’s your master?”

Daoist Yinli’s voice was distant, like the wind drifting through a mountain valley; elusive and hard to grasp.

”This disciple’s master was Daoist Tianxuan. He already passed away several years ago.”

Yu Lu slowly spoke.

”Tianxuan? I do remember him. If we trace the lineage, he was indeed from my branch. Technically, he’s considered my martial nephew.” Daoist Yinli spoke indifferently.

Hearing this, the black ox immediately shouted in delight, ”What a coincidence! Sage, this is a good thing!”

Daoist Yinli cast a glance at the black ox without a word. The black ox promptly shut its mouth, not daring to say more.

A chill ran through its entire body.

”You’ve suffered quite a bit over the years? After you gain power, how will you act?”

Daoist Yinli asked calmly.

Yu Lu listened in silence for a moment before quickly replying, ”I wouldn’t dare deceive Temple Master. It’s true.” ”Once I hold authority, I’ll naturally take care of those things. But everything must be done with restraint, I’ll not make things difficult for Temple Master.”

Daoist Yinli said, ”You are quite honest. But since I’m the temple master, what difficulties could I possibly have?”

”Temple Master has only recently ascended to this position. At present, the people’s hearts are not stabilized, and many still refuse to accept temple master. Especially those who were close to Daoist Wuyang before. For example...”

Yu Lu wanted to speak but swallowed the words back.

”Such as who?”

Daoist Yinli looked at the young daoist before him, finding him rather interesting.

This time, Yu Lu answered directly, ”Yun Jianyue and the disciples under him.”

Yun Jianyue was the disciple with the highest prestige and status of his generation, as well as the junior that Daoist Wuyang valued the most.

”The temple rumors say that Daoist Wuyang originally intended to pass the position of temple master to Yun Jianyue...”

Yu Lu carefully observed Daoist Yinli before him.

Daoist Yinli looked at Yu Lu without saying much and simply motioned for him to take a step forward.

Yu Lu obediently stepped forward, coming to stand before Daoist Yinli.

Daoist Yinli extended a hand and placed it atop Yu Lu’s head, his expression indifferent. However, a brilliant radiance quickly seeped from his palm, falling upon Yu Lu’s head. Yet in the next moment, the light dissipated as though it had never existed.

”Your aptitude is decent, and you have some wit. From now on, you shall be my Dao attendant. I’ll permit you entry into the Scripture Library, and if you encounter any difficulties in cultivation, you may come and ask me.”

Daoist Yinli cast Yu Lu a glance and swiftly made his decision.

Yu Lu was overjoyed. He knelt once more and respectfully kowtowed several times. ”Disciple Yu Lu is willing to follow Temple Master unto death, never to regret!”

”Yu Lu, you must understand that all you have received today is bestowed by me. If you ever harbor disloyalty, all that you have gained will also vanish without a trace.”

Daoist Yinli looked at Yu Lu very calmly, yet the words that he uttered were chilling.

”This disciple understands.”

Yu Lu kowtowed very seriously, without the slightest hesitation or stray thoughts.

Daoist Yinli waved his hand and tossed a waist token to Yu Lu, signaling for him to leave on his own. Only then did he turn to look at the black ox and say indifferently, “You animal, all you do is eat and drink all day, yet this time, you actually managed to pick out a decent lad. That’s somewhat surprising.”

The black ox chuckled and said, ”Isn’t this all thanks to your careful teaching, Sage?”

Daoist Yinli did not give him any face, saying indifferently, ”Just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat.”

The black ox looked a little aggrieved but dared not say more, only looking at Daoist Yinli.

”After Yun Jianyue left the mountain, he went to the Divine Capital. The spies there reported that as soon as he arrived, he went to meet that young martial artist. But after less than a day of conversation, he left in a hurry. What do you think he learned?”

Since he had already become the temple master, Daoist Yinli naturally had his own network of informants. Besides, even before he took the position, he had already established his own influence beyond the temple.

The black ox thought for a moment and said, ”Even if he suspects something, he shouldn’t be able to find any answers.”

Daoist Yinli said indifferently, ”That young martial artist is naturally of no concern to me. However, Chen Che has always been cunning and meticulous, who knows if he has some hidden move up his sleeve.”

The black ox nodded repeatedly. ”Sage’s concerns are well-founded.”

Daoist Yinli frowned slightly, his expression darkening with worry. ”That young martial artist dared to kill that idiot Zhen Ye so casually, he must have something to rely on.”

His expression shifted unpredictably as he carefully considered the matter. Having only just taken the position of temple master, his foundation was still unstable. The last thing he needed was any unexpected trouble. And the greatest threat before him now was the possibility that someone would uncover the truth about him killing his senior brother.

The black ox said, ”Sage, if you’re really worried about this matter, why not just kill that young martial artist?”

”Such a major incident, even if he knows the truth, he wouldn’t tell a second person.”

Daoist Yinli said indifferently, ”If he stays holed up in the Divine Capital, how can he be so easy to kill? Do you expect me to go there myself?”

The black ox was stunned for a moment before nodding. ”That was my oversight.”

Daoist Yinli remained indifferent. ”But he’ll leave the Divine Capital eventually, it’s just a matter of waiting for the right moment.”

The black ox did not know what to say and fell silent.

”He’s just a kid. Playing these tricks against me, how could he possibly win?”

Daoist Yinli looked into the distance, saying no more.

……

……

With the waist token in hand, Yu Lu returned to the herb fields and saw a group of cultivators gathered in the distance. As soon as he appeared, a young daoist among them pointed at him and shouted, ”That’s him! An hour ago, he was the one guarding the herb fields!”

Yu Lu froze for a moment before forcing a smile, asking cautiously, ”Senior Brother Chen, what’s the matter?”

The young daoist sneered and said, ”Someone stole medicinal fruits from the field. Junior Brother Yu, don’t you have something to say? Did you allow someone to take them, or were you the one who stole them?”

The other daoists looked at Yu Lu, their expressions somewhat grave.

A slightly older daoist among them asked, ”Yu Lu, you were guarding the herb field. Did you see any suspicious individuals?”

Yu Lu glanced around before bowing and replying, ”Martial Uncle, which medicinal plant is missing?”

The older daoist glanced at the daoist surnamed Chen. That daoist leaped into the herb field, stopped in front of a particular herb, and pointed at a fruit hanging from it. “Martial Uncle, when I was guarding the herb field, I clearly remember that there were three medicinal fruits here. Now, only one remains. If someone didn’t steal them, then what happened?”

“Yu Lu, what do you have to say for yourself?”

The older daoist looked at Yu Lu with an indifferent expression.

Yu Lu slowly raised his head and looked at the young daoist surnamed Chen. “Isn’t this just Senior Brother’s word alone? Does Martial Uncle believe him so easily?”

It was true that he had stolen a medicinal fruit, but he clearly remembered that there had been two left on that herb. One of them was most likely taken by this Senior Brother Chen himself. If anyone had stolen from the field, then Senior Brother Chen was just as guilty. However, it seemed that he was afraid of being exposed and was trying to push all the blame onto Yu Lu.

After all, Yu Lu had always been an easy target for others to bully.

The older daoist looked at Yu Lu and said indifferently, “This matter will naturally be investigated, but you will come with me first.”

Though his words seemed impartial, in reality, he was siding with that Senior Brother Chen.

Yu Lu said, “Since an investigation is to be conducted, all the disciples who guarded the herb field should be gathered. Martial Uncle, if you only investigate me, wouldn’t that be unfair?”

The older daoist said furiously, “How dare you speak to me like that? Do I need you to question how I handle things?”

Hearing these words, most of the young daoists present revealed gloating expressions.

“This disciple suffered injustice, am I not allowed to defend myself?”

Yu Lu looked at the older daoist before him, his expression turning somewhat angry.

The older daoist narrowed his eyes at Yu Lu, seemingly surprised that this usually timid young daoist dared to speak such words to his face today. But he did not care. Yu Lu had never had any backing in the mountain, bullying him was as easy as anything. What was there to say about it?

“Take him down and bring him to the Disciplinary Hall. I say it was him.”

As soon as the older daoist waved his hand, two young daoists stepped forward to seize Yu Lu.

“I’s like to see who dares!”

Yu Lu suddenly shouted, his voice booming. He pulled out the waist token given to him by Daoist Yinli and coldly swept his gaze over the crowd.

“The Dao attendant of the Temple Master?!”

The young daoists who saw the waist token were instantly stunned. The two who had stepped forward to seize Yu Lu froze in place, feeling a surge of fear.

The older daoist’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Yu Lu held up the waist token and looked calmly at his fellow disciples. “The Temple Master has shown me favor and taken me in as his Dao attendant. Martial Uncle, without even investigating, you tried to seize me, are you disregarding the Temple Master?!”

The older daoist had never expected that in such a short time, Yu Lu had managed to secure the immense backing of the Temple Master. Cold sweat streamed down his back as he hurriedly forced a smile. “A misunderstanding, this must all be a misunderstanding.”

“What are you all waiting for? Seize Chen Lin immediately! I say he’s the one who stole from the herb field. Even now, he dares to slander his fellow disciples, he should have been dealt with long ago!”

The older daoist immediately spoke up, wanting to resolve the situation.

Meanwhile, that Chen Lin was already trembling uncontrollably, too terrified to utter a word.

“Hold on.”

Yu Lu looked at the older daoist and shook his head. “Martial Uncle, this matter can be major or trivial. Perhaps Senior Brother Chen simply remembered incorrectly?”

The older daoist hesitated. Although he did not know what Yu Lu was thinking, he followed his lead. “That’s not impossible. Then, according to Martial Nephew Yu, how should we handle this?”

“Let him be. Let’s pretend this never happened. How about that?”

Yu Lu met the older daoist’s gaze and smiled. “That way, I won’t have to mention today’s events to the Temple Master either.”

That older daoist nodded repeatedly.

He quickly led the other daoists who still had not reacted away.

Yu Lu then walked over to the dazed Chen Lin and, without a word, raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

The slap jolted Chen Lin back to his senses.

Just as he was about to kneel and beg for mercy, Yu Lu chuckled lightly. “I slapped you once, this matter is considered over. But from now on, Senior Brother Chen, you’d best take care of yourself.”

Chen Lin was no fool. He immediately dropped to his knees and said earnestly, “Junior Brother Yu - no, Senior Brother Yu! From now on, I’ll follow you. If you tell me to go east, I’ll go east. If you tell me to go west, I’ll go west!”

Yu Lu did not speak. He simply looked at Chen Lin, a faint smile appearing on his face.