Martial Cultivator

On the ferry.

Situ Chang weighed a small jade talisman in his hand, his face full of smiles.

Storage artifacts were the lowest tier of magic artifacts in the foreign lands. Any cultivator who wanted to learn artifact refinement usually started with storage artifacts. As a result, apart from those with exceptionally vast space, most storage artifacts were cheap, and nearly every foreign cultivator carried one. They came in all sorts of forms, not limited to rings or bracelets. The jade talisman in front of him was a standard-issue storage artifact for nearly every member of the Green Algae Sect.

Holding the talisman, Situ Chang made his way to the ship’s cabin. He stopped before a guest room, knocked on the door, and called out, “Sect Master.”

The wooden door opened, and Situ Chang stepped inside. Inside the cabin, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged on the bed.

This was the current Sect Master of the Green Algae Sect, Gu Changsheng.[1. Changsheng also means eternal life or longevity.]

His name was very grand, but in reality, forget about achieving eternal life, he was near the limit of his lifespan before he gained enlightenment and stepped into this realm.

Despite his current middle-aged appearance, not long ago, before breaking through to this realm, this Gu Changsheng had been old and frail, hovering on the brink of death.

But at the final juncture, on the edge of life and death, he suddenly gained enlightenment, breaking through the shackles that had bound him for years. This not only extended his lifespan but also allowed him to maintain his current middle-aged appearance.

Gu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, still turbid with age, and looked at Situ Chang. This Green Algae Sect’s Sect Master asked, “100,000 skygold coins?”

Situ Chang nodded with a grin. “It’s the Lu Family from the Divine Capital. They’ve always been in business. This time, for some reason, they didn’t take their own ferry. One of them was just a fledgling, clearly traveling for the first time, so we found an excuse and got them to hand over 100,000 skygold coins.”

Gu Changsheng chuckled. “I heard you told him that if he said a certain sentence, you’d cut the price by 50,000 skygold coins, and he still refused?”

“100,000 skygold coins isn’t much. Now that we’re fortunate enough to become in-laws with the Infatuation Daoist Temple, if we can use this matter to help regain some face for the Infatuation Daoist Temple, it’ll be worth more than a million skygold coins.”

If Situ Chang were truly a fool, he would not have pulled something like this off, nor would he have been able to become the Vice Sect Master of Green Algae Sect.

Gu Changsheng nodded and said, “That makes sense. The Infatuation Daoist Temple has suffered several losses in the Divine Capital, damaging their reputation. If we can help them regain some face, even if just a little, they’ll certainly look at us more favorably. You handled this well.”

Situ Chang grinned. “It’s all thanks to Sect Master’s excellent guidance.”

“But the Lu Family isn’t exactly a soft persimmon. You should keep an eye on the situation in the Divine Capital.”

Gu Changsheng was still somewhat worried. After all, even the Infatuation Daoist Temple had suffered a major setback in the Divine Capital before. A daoist sage at the Nepenthe Realm had been killed just like that, and no one even knew how long his severed head had been hung at the city gates.

When he first heard about it, he found it incredibly strange. Before the Great Liang Emperor left, Great Liang had not been this domineering. Yet, after that peerless martial artist departed, Great Liang had only grown more unyielding.

It was truly baffling.

“The Lu Family has always been close to the Xie Family, but there’s nothing the Xie Family can really do, so there’s no need for Sect Master to worry.”

Situ Chang had a firm grasp of the situation. If they had encountered a member of the Xie Family this time, he would not have dared to act so recklessly. After all, everyone knew that the female sword cultivator of the Xie Family was that young Lord Warden Commander’s woman.

Gu Changsheng nodded and said with satisfaction. “Now that I’ve broken through, I’ve come to realize how long the path of cultivation truly is. I wasted too much time on mundane affairs before. From now on, I’ll have to rely on you more for sect matters.”

Situ Chang was taken aback before shaking his head. “Sect Master, if you don’t take charge of the overall situation, how could that possibly do?”

”You don’t need to refuse. You’ve been the vice sect master for a few years now. If I hadn’t broken through the boundary of life and death this time, I’d have passed the position to you. From now on, you’ll have to take care of these matters more. As for you, I still trust you.”

Gu Changsheng spoke seriously, and while Situ Chang had been pushing it off, he eventually accepted as the conversation progressed.

”After I broke through and emerged from seclusion, the other sects have shown our Green Algae Sect so much more respect. Only then did I realize that, in the end, it’s not the nice words or courtesies that work. The most useful thing is still strength. Whoever has the bigger fist has more say. When you handle sect matters, don’t forget your cultivation. Otherwise, when I pass away, the Green Algae Sect will probably fall back to where it was.”

Gu Changsheng sighed, speaking from the heart.

Situ Chang nodded and said sincerely. ”Sect Master, don’t worry, I know what to do. I’ll definitely cultivate diligently.”

……

……

The small boat arrived at the ferry. Chen Chao grabbed onto Lu Xin’s collar and lifted the young merchant genius of the Lu family, taking him onto the deck.

Once they landed, Lu Xin stumbled slightly, almost losing his balance. When he finally steadied himself, he looked at Chen Chao with a resentful expression. ”This is a bit too sudden, don’t you think?”

Chen Chao was unfazed, simply smiling. ”If you have a talent for cultivation, make sure to practice more. Even if nothing else, it’ll help strengthen your body.”

Lu Xin gave a bitter smile. ”I really don’t have that talent. I didn’t excel in studies at home, and I’m even worse at cultivation.”

Chen Chao laughed. ”Well, that’s fine. If you have time, come find me. Martial arts cultivation is my forte. Spend a year or so with me, and I’ll make sure you have a strong, healthy body.”

Lu Xin remained silent. He had some understanding of martial arts cultivation, and he knew he could not endure even a fraction of that kind of hardship.

Chen Chao did not press the issue further. Instead, he asked, ”Are you going to find the cultivators of the Green Algae Sect to meet me?”

Lu Xin frowned. ”If I go now, won’t I just get beaten up?”

Chen Chao responded nonchalantly, ”Probably, but after a beating, I’ll get you an extra 100,000 skygold coins. What do you think?”

”Are you serious?”

Lu Xin’s eyes lit up. As the most business-savvy young man in the Lu Family’s current generation, he had the instincts of a true merchant. A beating in exchange for 100,000 skygold coins, how many people could make a deal like that?

Chen Chao smiled and said, ”Of course I’m serious. But how you word it is up to you. If they end up killing you outright, even if I get them to give you an extra 1 million skygold coins, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

Though he said that, in reality, Chen Chao would never allow Lu Xin to die on this ferry. Since the Lu Family was highly valued by Xie Nandu, no matter what, he would not let this young man, who could very likely become the head of the Lu Family, die here.

No matter how he explained it to the Lu Family, it would be quite the embarrassment!

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