14-20

Chapter 14: Identity

"Tianqing County's Xuanming Mine has already had multiple cave-ins. Many people have died."

Warden Li stared at Chen Chao and asked, "Do you know what this means?"

It was just that when he heard Warden Li, Chen Chao remembered the Lin Cheng whom he had just met and frowned. Turns out that things were not as simple as he said. He did not inform Chen Chao about the perils involved. Presumably, he did not want him to worry.

"Doesn't that mine have a Ministry of Works' official sent by the imperial court?"

Chen Chao did not answer Warden Li's question. Since he was already destined to get involved, then obtaining useful information to the best of his ability was what he should be doing.

A mine collapse was actually not an uncommon sight in quarries. There were countless large and small stone mines within the borders of the Great Liang Dynasty. Such incidences happened virtually every day. In order to prevent the deaths of conscripted miners due to mining accidents, the Great Liang Dynasty had actually done many things. The most notable thing was that each stone mine would definitely have an official from the Ministry of Works in charge of it. These officials could accurately determine the mining depth of each mine through systemic studies. Once it reached the maximum limit that the mine could bear, they would immediately ask to stop the mining.

With these officials around, it greatly reduced the death rate even though cave-in incidences would still occur.

Hence, even if the Ministry of Works' official at Tianqing County's Xuanming Mine made an error in judgment and resulted in one or two mining accidents, after one or two similar incidents occurred, they should have promptly ceased mining.

Warden Li nodded his head. He was very satisfied with Chen Chao's question at this time. Since there was going to be an investigation into that stone mine, then it needed a sensible person and not an idiot.

"After the first mine collapse, the Ministry of Works' official already took measures. But he did not find any problem after some prospecting. Plus, the imperial court's need for Xuanming Stones had always been high. So he could only make the conscripted miners start mining again. It wasn't until a few days ago that several quarries suddenly collapsed overnight. Many conscripted miners died in the mines. Only then, did the mines choose to stop mining. But, the cause of the mine collapses must be determined..." Warden Li kept passing on the information that he knew to Chen Chao.

But Chen Chao kept feeling that there were some problems.

"I have a question."

Chen Chao glanced at Warden Li. Without waiting for him to speak, he took the initiative and asked, "It goes without saying how precious the Xuanming Stones harvested from the Xuanming Stone Mine are. The imperial court takes away thousands of pounds of Xuanming Stones from this mine every year. This kind of important thing should be protected by a powerful cultivator. Even if it's not for the lives of those civilians, it should also be for the sake of safely transporting the Xuanming Stones to Wei Prefecture, or even the Divine Capital."

Compared to a warden of the same county, the selection process for the people responsible for guarding a mine was much more stringent, regardless of whether they were martial artists or cultivators. No matter whether was it numbers or ability, they were likely much stronger than the average county town warden.

Even if there were demons coveting it, they could just kill them. In other words, could the local warden deal with something that even they could not handle?

Since that was the case, why was there a need to send him to investigate now?

Warden Lu was a clever man. He naturally did not need to ask Chen Chao thoroughly about these things to know his series of doubts.

"You're right. This is an important matter, you naturally wouldn't have to worry about it normally." Warden Li felt a little melancholic, "Usually, us wardens wouldn't get involved in such matters too."

Warden Li let out a sigh, looking weighed down with worry.

"Your Excellency, please get to the point." Chen Chao gritted his teeth. He hated this kind of people who did not finish their sentences most of all.

Warden Li looked at him and smiled, before finally slowly opening his mouth, "That Xuanming Stone Mine has been mined for a long time. After the investigation by the officials of the Ministry of Works, it has long been determined that it can be mined for at most one year. So at the start of the year, it has already entered the final mining period. After the mine cave-in a few days ago, the powerhouses stationed there had already escorted the last batch of Xuanming Stones away. These days, the officials from the Ministry of Works will be withdrawing too. Even if such an incident didn't occur, that stone mine would also become an abandoned mine after this winter."

"So right now, it's when the imperial court needs us... more accurately speaking, needs you." Warden Li smiled slightly and said, "After figuring out the cause, this warden will ask the higher-ups to record your meritorious deed."

Chen Chao frowned. This matter was full of bizarreness. This man in front of him clearly did not tell the full story.

Warden Li patted Chen Chao's shoulder and said with a smile, "There shouldn't be too many people who know about this matter currently. These few days, the stone mine will bring those remaining conscripted miners over to the new mine. You don't need to hurry over, there will still be others who will go with you. You guys can go together after they arrive."

Chen Chao was silent.

After a mine collapse occurred and many miners died, the officials who should be investigating the cause of the mine collapse went straight to the new mine and left the investigation to him.

And even if it was handed over to him, he was told that there was no rush?

Was this the attitude of wanting to know the truth?

The water here was likely not shallow.

Furthermore, there were others going apart from him?

"No need to worry too much, it's just to investigate it. If there are any results, just report them. Presumably, there shouldn't be any problems." Warden Li looked at Chen Chao with a slight smile

No problems?

If there were no problems, would you have come to find me personally?

Chen Chao did not believe it.

Not even a dog would believe him!

After being silent for a moment, the emotions on Chen Chao's face gradually changed.

"Your Excellency previously said that all of Great Liang's people should be protected by us. But I just sought comfort, it's truly shameful. This lowly official has thought things through now, Your Excellency, please transfer this lowly official to the place with the most demons. Allow this lowly official to do my duty of keeping the people safe!"

Chen Chao had a sincere look. The scene from before was re-enacted again.

"... ..."

Warden Li looked at Chen Chao and felt somewhat speechless too, "It's really this warden's first time seeing someone like you that's so righteous in being shameless."

"I was trained well by Your Excellency." Chen Chao did not care how he put it. In troubled times, the most important thing was to preserve his own life. Then, it was to prevent himself from getting into those kinds of unwarranted trouble.

"Humph!"

"There's nothing to discuss about this. Do you think that you're buying vegetables at the market? Bargaining about the price?" Warden Li gave a cold laugh.

Then, he relaxed a little. A pair of eyes looked at Chen Chao and he said meaningfully, "You're a smart person. You should know what to do, right?"

Chen Chao clasped his hands and stopped struggling.

His expression was somewhat depressed; as if he had resigned himself to fate.

Warden Li was very satisfied. Suddenly, he continued, "Relax, I won't harm you."

Chen Chao opened and closed his mouth. He did not know what to say to this direct superior whom he was meeting for the first time.

Only after a long silence, did Chen Chao say softly, "Then I'll have to thank Your Excellency."

Warden Li took a look at Chen Chao and smiled without saying anything.

Finished saying that, Warden Li walked out of the county office's main hall and disappeared in the snowstorm.

Chen Chao let out a sigh and walked out of the main hall too. At the county office entrance, he saw Xie Nandu who had been waiting there all along.

The two people exchanged a glance and were just about to leave when they saw that low-ranking official who left previously. At this time, he was currently heading over to the county office while panting heavily. When he arrived at the entrance and saw Chen Chao, he was overjoyed and said, "Warden Chen, there's... someone..."

He panted heavily and could no longer say anything.

Chen Chao looked at him and said with a slight smile, "I got it."

This matter was already over, how could he not know?

...

...

Warden Li who walked out of the county office arrived before a small alley. A horse carriage was stopped here at an unknown time. The top of the carriage was piled high with snow, looking like it had already stopped here for some time. Warden Li came before the horse carriage and said rather respectfully, "Your Excellency, the matter that you tasked has been carried out."

After saying this, Warden Li did not dare to say another word. He just stood next to the carriage, quietly waiting for what followed.

"Mhm..."

Before long, a lazy voice came from inside the carriage, "How's that youngster? Can he achieve great things?"

One was actually unable to determine whether was it a male or female by hearing the voice.

"Looks to be rather level-headed. He shouldn't be a dumb person. It just seems like he's a little timid and isn't willing to get involved in disputes. When the time comes, who knows whether it will be good or bad."

When Warden Li recalled his interaction with Chen Chao previously, how that boy looked different before versus after.

He was silent for a moment before asking carefully, "Why did we have to find a low-level warden for such an important matter?"

Warden Li somewhat regretted it the moment he asked this.

Sure enough, a cold voice came from inside the carriage, "You just have to mind your own business. You don't need to ask about other things."

But before long, that person inside the carriage seemingly could not hold back and said softly, "He has his own shrewdness. Otherwise, based on his achievements over these past few years, he'll be able to sit in your position no matter how much you guys suppress him."

"There's actually barely any traces of demons in a county town with a radius of dozens of miles. Where can you find such a scene in the Great Liang Dynasty?"

The owner of that voice was obviously curious. "He's merely a teenager, yet also not just a teenager. Truly hard to believe it."

"Oh, right, you really couldn't find any problem in his files?"

Warden Li smiled bitterly and said, "The position of warden was indeed bought. But, there are no clues as to which family paid the money. It was done very cleanly."

"That's already within expectations. Maybe even his name is fake."

Warden Li nodded his head subconsciously. Otherwise, how could they not find any clues at all?

For some time, the two did not speak. It was very quiet between heaven and earth.

A moment later, a voice came out of the carriage again, "Hope that the youngster really isn't stupid."

Chapter 15: Chitchat

When he returned home, other than the initial quarreling with the man living opposite, these few days were considered to be idle. Chen Chao was preparing spirit medicines and starting a new round of tempering his body. Hence, he was grinding the medicinal herbs all the time now and adjusting the ratio. One stalk of spirit medicine after another was placed into the mortar and pestle by him and slowly ground. When the spirit medicines were crushed, the fragrance that belonged to spirit medicines would spread out and fill the entire courtyard, making people feel refreshed just by inhaling some of the aromas.

While Chen Chao prepared those spirit medicines, he was also flipping through a booklet.

That was something issued by the warden government office along with another demon illustration booklet; a total of two books. The latter recorded various demons that were commonly seen in the Great Liang Dynasty, making it convenient for the warden to carry out investigations. The former explained each realm for martial artists as well as the spirit medicines required. The two books were both very important things to Chen Chao who was advancing along the path of martial arts.

"Are you fumbling your way like this? Aren't you scared that something will go wrong without having a real famous teacher next to you?"

Xie Nandu sometimes felt that this youth in black shirt was very cautious. But she would also often feel that this youth in black shirt was rather bold. The path of cultivation rarely had those who became talented through self-study, especially for immortal cultivators. When they start to embark on the path of cultivation, there would be teachers guiding them after they enter the sect, daoist magics summarized by countless predecessors, and even medicinal pills to supplement. Hence, under such perfect conditions, the cultivators of major sects would always reach greater heights than ordinary small sects.

Could it be that the Chen Chao in front of her had prepared ready plans for these things because he was a genius?

"You're really quite bold."

Xie Nandu sat in front of the stove, her petite face flushed. She continued muttering to herself, "I wonder what's cultivation like..."

Chen Chao carefully put the powdered medicinal herbs into a small bottle and put it away carefully. Only then, did he glance at Xie Nandu and asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you're very long-winded?"

Xie Nandu frowned, her petite face turning somewhat red. Seemingly realizing that she lost composure, she was silent for a while before asking, "Can you tell me about those cultivation realms? I really want to know."

"White Deer's Xie Clan is so stingy until they won't even tell you this?"

Chen Chao lowered his head and carefully cleaned the medicinal herb in his hands.

"Mind your own business. Are you telling or not?"

Xie Nandu stared at Chen Chao.

"There's nothing to say. After you arrive at the Divine Capital, you'll know everything." Chen Chao did not even lift his head, pondering about the medicinal herb ratio afterward.

"Ten pieces of skygold currency!" Xie Nandu shook the money bag in her hand. The sound of skygold currency colliding was very pleasant.

Chen Chao smiled faintly, "I didn't want to say it at first, but seeing that you're so eager to learn, I can't bear to refuse you either..."

He reached his hand out and raised his eyebrow.

What this meant was self-evident.

Xie Nandu took out five pieces of skygold currency expressionlessly.

"Isn't it ten pieces?"

Chen Chao furrowed his brows. He stared at the young girl in front of him with an unfriendly expression.

"It's the deposit."

Xie Nandu put away the money bag. There was a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

Chen Chao snorted coldly, but did not say anything else. He cleared his throat.

"In the world of cultivation, there are many cultivation schools of thought. But after all is said and done, they are actually just divided into three categories. The first is immortal cultivators. Next is martial artists. Lastly, it's demonic cultivators."

"To humans, there's only the distinction of immortal cultivators and martial artists. Although the two are different, the division of realms are the same; both have six realms."

"The first realm is called Spell Controlling. But immortal cultivators commonly call it Initial Realm. Cultivating daoist magics can form functional activities of qi within the body. When one is able to operate daoist magic and let it bloom between heaven and earth, like a flower blooming, they would have truly crossed the threshold of cultivation and can be called a cultivator."

"The second realm is Spirit Platform; cultivating a spirit platform within the body. The size of the platform determines how strong you are. It also determines whether your future path will be easy or not. It's said that when the average cultivator introspects their inner-world, their spirit platform is merely the size of a millstone. But for those true geniuses, the spirit platform will only be larger. As for the upper limits, I don't know."

"Then how big is your spirit platform?"

Having said that, Xie Nandu already opened her mouth to interrupt before Chen Chao could continue to speak, looking at him curiously.

The corners of Chen Chao's mouth twitched and he shook his head, "It's a secret."

It was not that he did not want to say it, but that he really could not say it. Was he going to tell her that when he stepped into Spirit Platform Realm back then, the spirit platform within his body was smaller than a millstone?

After returning to his senses, he continued, "After Spirit Platform is Divine Trove; which is the third realm. In this realm, one's divine soul will become incomparably tough and one will know all about the wonders of cultivation. One would already be a remarkable cultivator."

"Bitter Sea Realm is the most important link in cultivation. Who knows how many geniuses in the world have fallen in front of this realm. If one can't cross Bitter Sea, they wouldn't count as a genuine powerhouse."

At this point, Chen Chao paused for a bit and said softly, "After crossing the bitter sea, flowers on the opposite shore will bloom. That's the fifth realm, the Great Beyond Realm."[TL note: a Buddhism term. It means 'the other shore', or paradise.]

"After walking all the roads that should be walked and seeing all the sights that should be seen, in the end? If one can forget the suffering and worries in the world, one would no longer be able to be defeated by others. They would become a peerless powerhouse that can be recorded in the annals of history."

Chen Chao said seriously, "The final realm is Nepenthe Realm."

When cultivators in the world reached Nepenthe this realm, they would be the strongest in the entire human world. Virtually none would dare to provoke. After all, cultivators at this level could affect the overall situation in the world with a wave of their hand.

As for martial artists...

Even if they chanced upon deities in heaven, martial artists who had reached this realm would dare to fight too.

Except, it was seriously too difficult to want to reach this realm according to the cultivation difficulty for martial artists.

In the entire Great Liang Dynasty, martial artists in this realm were probably all in the northern frontier.

"What realm are you currently in?" Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao, her eyes twinkling with a curious glow.

But Chen Chao ignored her. He just shrugged and asked for the remaining five pieces of skygold currency. "You didn't say that you wanted to ask this question before. If you want to hear, you'll have to pay extra... and still get nothing out of me."

Seeing that the other party immediately took out her money bag when he opened his mouth with the intention of spending money recklessly, Chen Chao immediately changed his tune and did not want to say anymore.

Xie Nandu took out the remaining five pieces of skygold currency and placed them in Chen Chao's palm as she said rather disappointedly, "A little boring."

Chen Chao put away the money and continued to grind his spirit medicines. But, he still casually said, "You can talk about the stories that you know of. That one about Sword Qi Mountain previously was pretty good."

Chen Chao was actually still lacking a complete understanding of the whole world. But, he did not want to make it too obvious either.

"Stories are all written by bystanders. It's hard to say whether or not they are real. Just take that previous story about Sword Qi Mountain for example, there are actually many doubtful points. Sword Qi Mountain has always been harmonious and doesn't compete with others. Why would they wipe out the other party's entire sect because the price that they offered was too low? But there doesn't seem to be too many people who care about the unequivocal truth."

"The demon race lies in the north. As long as they stay in the north and stop going southward, I assume that they will think that it's a great thing."

Xie Nandu muttered, "One can see the sun if they look up, but they can never see the former capital."

Chen Chao was stunned, but he still remained silent.

"You're definitely going to become a cultivator in the future. Three Sects and Nine Schools of Thought, there are many diverse paths. Do you have any specific direction?"

Chen Chao asked this at the behest of supernatural powers.

Among cultivators, sword cultivators were famous for their killing prowess. A flying sword could decapitate someone from a thousand miles away. It was an out-and-out sword immortal ability. Qi refiners absorbed heaven and earth destiny for their own use. They had a great affinity with Heavenly Dao and their cultivation was the smoothest. Talisman cultivators shouldered the weight of cultivation with a single piece of yellow talisman. When their cultivation reached a realm that was difficult to understand, a single piece of yellow talisman could bring forth a great horror...

Apart from these, there were also many other directions of cultivation; similar to demon exorcists among qi refiners. Which was also that person who was bashed to death by Chen Chao before.

After Xie Nandu entered the Divine Capital this time, she would definitely be entering the academy barring any accidents. Then, she would be joining the Confucianism Sect. But, that was just a component of Dao teachings, it did not involve her cultivation direction in the future.

"Why don't I become a martial artist too?"

Xie Nandu's petite face had some desire to try it out.

A female martial artist, knocking dead anyone who came after that?

The moment Chen Chao imagined that scenario, he felt somewhat terrified. Hurriedly shaking his head, he stopped thinking too much.

If such a beautiful young girl were to really become a female martial artist one day, that visual would be too scary.

Xie Nandu was actually very clear about her future fate. Becoming a martial artist was just in jest. 3000 Great Daos, the least likely one that she would set foot on was the path of a martial artist.

Chen Chao who had earned ten pieces of skygold currency decided to ignore the young girl in front of him and began the final preparations. After preparing all of the medicinal powder, he stood up and left the corridor.

Xie Nandu sat in front of the stove, it was unknown what she was thinking about. It was just that as she was lost in thought, she could not help laughing out loud.

But who knew how long this kind of quiet and beautiful days could last.

Chapter 16: Choosing

If it were in the past, Chen Chao definitely would not start to temper his body when there was someone else at home. But, the present situation was different. Firstly, it was because time was indeed pressing. Currently, he had already reached the peak of Spirit Platform Realm. He just needed one step and he would be able to step foot into the higher Divine Trove Realm, becoming a Divine Trove martial artist. Secondly, it was indeed also because of the teenage girl in front of him. After spending many days together, he had lost his initial vigilance towards her.

Considered to be half a friend.

He poured those medicinal powders into a large pot one bottle after another. There was a difference in the order and also a minute difference in time. Although the youth in black shirt had long already memorized the contents of the book, he did not dare to commit any carelessness every time he brewed medicine. Martial artists boiled their bodies with spirit medicines to temper their bodies. To martial artists, apart from having special cultivation methods, boiling the body with spirit medicines was an indispensable reason why they could possess an unparalleled physique.

As the temperature in the large iron pot continued to rise, wafts of light fragrance overflowed. Chen Chao took out a bottle of special medicinal liquid and poured it into the pot. Then, he started stirring continuously. This pot of medicinal soup had to be boiled for a full 24 hours; which was also an entire day. Only then, could the maximum medicinal effect be produced.

However, cultivation sects had special medicinal cauldrons for brewing medicines. Even the medicinal cauldrons in the Great Liang Dynasty's army were much more effective than this youth's large iron pot. However, the young only had this set-up at the moment.

"If martial artists can use spirit medicines to boil their bodies and achieve the toughness of the body from there, what about other cultivators? Can't they learn that? This way, when they fight with martial artists, they wouldn't be so afraid of martial artists in close combat, right?"

Xie Nandu was worthy of being the descendant that White Deer's Xie Clan pour their efforts to groom. When she was watching Chen Chao boil the medicine, she gave birth to some ideas too.

"They won't."

Chen Chao did not even lift his head. He was currently observing the situation in the pot in seriousness and was in no mood to lift his head to look at Xie Nandu's curious face. He just muttered to himself, "Immortal cultivators cultivate far easier than martial artists, they won't choose this method."

He did not make his words clear. Using spirit medicines to boil the body was an unorthodox path in the first place. What it targeted was the martial artist lineage that insisted on cultivating despite their poor aptitudes. Immortal cultivators were endowed by heaven in the first place, why would they need to follow them?

Even if they had the intention, the vast majority of people likely could not withstand that bone-stabbing pain too.

The further to the back, the harder the cultivation for martial artists. Each time one tempered their body towards the back, they would have to suffer immense agony. It was no different from having their skin flayed and their tendons pulled out.

Martial artists were looked down upon by people and thought of as weeds in the field. A fire might burn all the crops in the field, but after a rainfall, the only thing that could still rear its head would be the weeds.

Brewing medicine was a dreary task; continuous stirring, all the way until 24 hours was up. Chen Chao had done these things more than once. Hence, he did not have any dissatisfaction. He just quietly watched the large iron pot, slowly stirring the medicinal soup in the iron pot. Xie Nandu watched for roughly an hour and found it boring in the end, so she walked out on her own. Moving that old chair over, she sat at the door and looked at the snow.

"You don't need to do this. Even if there's really some accident, what can you do?"

Chen Chao knew what that young girl was thinking without looking toward the door.

"Stop being self-sentimental, I'm scared that you'll die. Who'll protect me after?" Xie Nandu's petite face turned slightly red. It was just that the youth in black shirt inside the house was destined to not see it.

After? After what?

Chen Chao did not ask and it was naturally impossible for Xie Nandu to take the initiative to explain it as well.

This young girl just watched the seemingly endless snow in the yard and did not say anything.

The current her was quiet like a pear blossom.

...

...

"Done."

After a day and night of boiling, it had already been a full 24 hours. The medicinal soup in the large iron pot already turned into a pure black color. It was incomparably viscous and the aroma also completely dissipated. It did not look good.

Chen Chao scooped the medicinal soup out of the iron pot and poured it into a large wooden bucket. Only after that, did he take off that black shirt on his body, revealing an upper body that was full of scars.

Those were all scars left behind from his encounters with nearby demons over these few years.

Actually, Chen Chao's body did not look very strong. In fact, it even looked a little thin at a glance. But in reality, only when he took off his shirt and revealed his entire body, could one see the near-perfect lines on the body that was hidden under the black shirt. The exuberance of his blood vitality far surpassed the average martial artist of his realm.

He seemed like a human-form ferocious beast. Every inch of his body held tremendous energy.

If there was a professional present, they would know that this youth's Spirit Platform Realm was tempered almost to perfection with just a glance.

One had to know, this youth did not have any medicinal pills to assist him. Those spirit medicines that he bought were by no means the most exceptional existences too. Being able to temper it to this degree, the only possibility was that he endured immense agony and soaked in the medicinal soup for as long as possible. Only then, could he achieve the best results under the circumstances where the quality of the spirit medicines was inadequate.

When he entered the wooden bucket, Chen Chao was expressionless. But when his entire body from the neck down started to soak in the medicinal soup, countless fine sweat beads began to slowly seep out. There was no so-called gradual progress when tempering the body, it would be a heart-piercing pain right from the start.

Furthermore, each time he tempered his body, it would absolutely be more painful than before.

Even for someone like Chen Chao, his expression also could not help turning ugly after holding out for half an hour. There were currently large sweat droplets sliding down his forehead non-stop. Every inch of his entire face seemed to be exerting strength. As for the body that was soaking in the water, it was already completely straightened at this moment. Every muscle in his body was already tensed up at this time.

Time slowly trickled by.

Chen Chao's complexion already became deathly pale.

Roughly two hours later, his entire person already reached the verge of collapse.

"Just a little longer!"

Chen Chao gritted his teeth, continuously exhorting himself to persevere. If he wanted to survive in these troubled times, he could only do so by possessing powerful strength.

However, this 'little longer' that Chen Chao spoke of, was a full hour later.

After that, he opened his mouth and gasped heavily for air.

It was just that he did not stand up afterward, but started revolving the functional qi activity within his body and started flowing in a fixed direction.

When the qi activity in his body began to circulate throughout his entire body, that heart-piercing pain all over Chen Chao's body abated considerably. His brows also relaxed.

Chen Chao spat out a turbid breath.

There was the saying of functional activities of qi birthing and extinguishing among cultivators. The higher the realm, the faster the qi activity within the body would circulate. But at the same time, there would also be incidences where one's functional qi activity was depleted and yet to regenerate.

In the same realm, people actually competed in whose single breath of qi activity was longer and who used a shorter time to accumulate new qi when this breath of qi activity dissipated.

In other words, the gap length between qi activity and qi activity served as the basis for judging whether a cultivator was powerful or not.

Of course, apart from this, there were also many factors that affected victory and defeat when dueling.

For the next few hours, Chen Chao kept on circulating qi activity within his body. At the same time, he was also silently counting how many cycles of qi activity birth and death he could have before he was completely exhausted.

This was a time that belonged to youth.

It was also the time that gave youths the greatest peace of mind.

Nothing could give one greater peace of mind than making themselves become stronger.

Along with the passage of time, the medicinal soup in the wooden bucket gradually turned from black to clear. This also meant that almost all of the medicinal soup's medicinal strength was absorbed by Chen Chao.

Actually, this was also something unbelievably shocking.

But in Chen Chao's eyes, it was very normal. When he tempered his body countless in the past, the approximate result was all like this.

There were actually not many martial artists in the world who could absorb all of the medicinal soup's medicinal strength every single time they tempered their bodies. How many people could bear the extreme pain?

But, Chen Chao could almost perfectly absorb the medicinal strength in the medicinal soup every time. How tough would his body become?

It went without saying.

Just as the medicinal soup was about to become completely clear, the pores on Chen Chao's body suddenly opened up. Some black medicinal soup gushed out of his body, contaminating all the clear water in the wooden bucket once more.

Chen Chao frowned, the qi activity within his body started swarming towards his spirit platform in a frenzy at this time. It surged endlessly, akin to a great river flowing into a stream; majestic and vast!

He was stunned, somewhat in a trance.

Turns out that... he was breaking through.

From Spirit Platform to Divine Trove, he knew that his breakthrough was nigh at hand. But, the optimistic estimate was that he still needed three to five temperings before it was possible. But, he did not expect to already arrive in front of the door after just once.

Since he had already arrived at the door, Chen Chao no longer hesitated. He immediately controlled that stream of qi activity that appeared out of thin air in his body and assaulted the spirit platform.

Becoming a Divine Trove martial artist was today!

...

...

Xie Nandu who had been guarding Chen Chao's front door the entire time was also napping. She had long already moved the stove in front of her and she was also wearing thick cotton clothes that belonged to Chen Chao.

A moment later, she suddenly opened her eyes and sat up straight.

At some point in time, a smiling middle-aged man appeared in the corridor. The man was wearing a white cotton robe, his expression calm.

It was just that the next sentence he said immediately made Xie Nandu furrow her brows.

"The family has already received the letter that Miss sent to the Divine Capital."

Right when Xie Nandu arrived in Tianqing County, she spent several pieces of skygold currency to mail a letter to the Divine Capital's Xie Clan. In fact, long before that, the White Deer's Xie Clan and the Divine Capital's Xie Clan had an agreement. The White Deer's Xie Clan would send Xie Nandu to Tianqing County and the Divine Capital's Xie Clan would bring Xie Nandu northward to the Divine Capital.

But the series of events that happened after that was sufficient to prove two things. Firstly, the Divine Capital's Xie Clan was considering whether or not Xie Nandu was worthy of their heavy nurturing. The other was that the Divine Capital's Xie Clan also had people who did not want Xie Nandu to come to the Divine Capital. Under the first matter, the big shots of the Divine Capital's Xie Clan maintained tacit agreement for the second matter.

That was also one of their ways to test Xie Nandu.

As for when that letter reached the Divine Capital, and whether or not it could be read by those big shots, it was actually not important.

The result of the test was the most important.

Seeing that Xie Nandu did not speak, the middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "I'm surnamed Xie, given name is Boan. I'm considered to be Miss' uncle of the same clan. The family was very satisfied with what Miss has done. Now, they specially sent me to fetch Miss. Miss, let's depart right away."

Xie Nandu frowned and just said, "Wait for a bit."

Xie Boan smiled and said, "Is Miss worried about that young martial artist in the house? It doesn't matter, in the first place, I came to kill him this time."

Hearing this, Xie Nandu was already very unhappy in her heart, but she still asked calmly, "Why?"

Xie Boan said indifferently, "What kind of identity does Miss have? How can you have any connection with such a person?"

"Is this the decision by the Divine Capital?" Xie Nandu looked at this seemingly lenient middle-aged man, her face full of coldness.

Xie Boan smiled slightly and said, "Of course. However, the Divine Capital gave Miss a choice. If you choose to let this youth off, Miss can just set off and return to White Deer. There's no need to head to the Divine Capital anymore."

The meaning of his words was that if she wanted to go to the Divine Capital, Chen Chao must be killed.

Xie Nandu asked, "What's with this logic?"

Chen Chao saved her life. Presumably, they would not be unaware of it.

The Divine Capital's Xie Clan refused to see reason?

Xie Nandu was a little disappointed.

Could it be that after so many years have passed, the Divine Capital's Xie Clan and White Deer's Xie Clan no longer had any similarities? Or was the White Deer's Xie Clan that had known for so many years wrong too? They had the same temperament and disposition as the Divine Capital's Xie Clan?

Xie Boan did not care about other things, he just asked, "How do you choose, Miss?"

Xie Nandu raised her eyebrow and was about to open her mouth.

But very soon, another voice sounded out in the corridor, "No need to choose."

The youth who had already donned a black shirt anew was currently standing in the corridor, looking over here calmly.

Chapter 17: Dilemma

After lunch, Zhou Gouqi who was bored to death sat on his own doorstep, looking at the snowstorm that might stop in a few days.

This man who was normally idle was actually not a local too. However, he came to Tianqing County much earlier than Chen Chao; over a decade ago. At that time, this man came here with some money and bought a vacant house. Then, he liked to sit at the doorstep in a daze. No one knew what he was thinking about.

Then one day, that 200+ pound wife of his came for a walk in this alleyway. No idea why, she fell in love with this man and insisted on spending her life with him. The man was unwilling at first, but he was no match for the fact that she would often come to his house to bustle around. After a few visits, the man resigned himself to his fate,

It was just that when the woman's family learned that their daughter fell in love with such a useless man and even insisted on marrying him, they refused to agree to it.

But who could have thought that the woman had her mind set on it. No matter what her family said, she insisted on marrying this man. Hence, right from the start, the man's relationship with his free father-in-law was rocky. Plus, this man had always been someone who did not want to lower his head. So these few years, the son-in-law and father-in-law really never met.

Even though it was his father-in-law's birthday a few days ago, the man did not pay a visit too.

The man was currently yawning at his doorstep when a figure appeared in the distance. A skinny man was looking around in the distance. Then, he came over with all smiles and sat down next to Zhou Gouqi, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Zhou Gouqi glanced at him and saw that he was carrying two flasks of liquor. Only then, did he smile as he reached his hand out, "As expected of my brother."

The skinny man handed over a flask of inferior wine that was destined to not cost more than a few pieces of Great Liang general currency. It was just that he immediately opened his mouth and said, "Bro, your wife seems to have gone over to the private school to look at men again."

Zhou Gouqi was totally unconcerned as he took a swig of wine, "If she's looking, then she's looking. How big a deal is it?"

The skinny man was taken aback. After hesitating for a moment, he said carefully, "I saw that sister-in-law seemed to be holding the man's hand and not letting go."

"That man must be a handsome fellow. My wife can definitely hold it in if he looks ordinary."

Zhou Gouqi drank his wine and rubbed his hands.

The skinny man took a look at Zhou Gouqi before whispering, "It's Mr. Cen."

Hearing this, Zhou Gouqi shot to his feet, a little angry.

When the skinny man saw the situation, he immediately pulled the corner of Zhou Gouqi's clothes, his face full of worry.

Although that Mr. Cen was a private school tutor, he was proficient in the Six Arts; a true-blue intellectual. If they really fought, the Zhou Gouqi in front of him might not be a match.[TL note: a perfect gentleman is said to excel in six arts; Rites, Music, Archery, Equestrianism, Calligraphy, and Mathematics. Since they hone both mind and body, they should be physically fit too.]

Zhou Gouqi snorted coldly. Sitting back down, he said in annoyance, "She could have been holding anyone else's hand, why must it be his!"

The skinny man laughed fawningly and whisper, "Bro, don't get angry, don't get angry."

In reality, the skinny man also did not know why this big brother of his seemed to be able to keep his cool with anyone, except for two exceptions. The first was the young warden who was staying opposite. Every time the two met, a quarrel could not be avoided. The other was that private school's Mr. Cen. Each time he saw him, his big brother would pull a black face.

After drinking half a flask of wine, the alcohol kicked in and the skinny man stopped paying that much attention to his words.

All kinds of random stuff came pouring out of their mouths.

"Bro, we're strapping six-foot tall men in any case. Being beaten by your wife all day, what are you thinking?"

"What am I thinking? Your Father doesn't think about it. Your Father won't die from a few beatings, what's the point of haggling over this?"

"Men shouldn't be like this. When I'm at home, if my wife does anything wrong, I'll give her a tight slap!"

"Being like you, Big Bro, don't you want face anymore? Don't you want to be the head of the household?"

The skinny man had a blurry look in his eyes, his face full of intoxication.

"Why? Can't I be naturally shameless? Scram, scram, scram! Your Father will give you a kick if you don't get lost!"

Zhou Gouqi kicked that skinny man. The latter staggered in the snow, teetering on his feet, but did not fall down.

After standing up straight, the skinny man was not angry either. He just waved his hand and shouted for his big bro to take care of himself. He would come and find him again when his wife was not home.

"Motherf*cker, Your Father almost believed what I said earlier."

Zhou Gouqi casually threw out that wine flask that he had pretty much drank finished. Then, he glanced opposite with drunken eyes. When he got up, he suddenly looked into the distance. Most of the intoxication in his eyes disappeared.

It turned out that a robust woman was currently slowly walking over from the entrance of the alley.

The man plopped his bottom back down and sighed in pain: It's over...

...

...

In the dead of winter.

Even if the heavy blizzard turned into a light snowfall now, the weather was so cold that there was actually no difference to the bottommost-level civilians. Those who could not make it through this winter still could not survive this winter.

Presently, along the streets of Tianqing County, there were many peddlers selling charcoal. They did not have any stalls either, they just laid a piece of rag on the ground and placed the charcoal on it. Then they placed another piece of rag on top to shelter it from the snow and wind.

The peddlers who were wearing cotton clothes that were not considered thick no longer had any strength to hawk their wares at this moment. They just looked at the few pedestrians on the street with hopeful faces.

There was a horse carriage that looked ordinary, but there was more than one horse pulling the carriage. There were two tall, fine steads with a robust physique, their furs like silk and satin. One look and it was clear that they were not ordinary. The horse carriage slowly drove over from the other end of the long street, landing in the eyes of the many peddlers on both sides of the street. The peddlers immediately perked up. But a moment later, their eyes dimmed.

They were very clear that wealthy families like this had long prepared the charcoal to tide over the winter. Why would they still purchase their charcoal at this time?

Except, the horse carriage stopped not far in front of the peddlers very soon. The young man driving the carriage jumped down and came over, saying that he wanted to buy all the charcoal on this street. The peddlers gave thanks one after another; agitated to the extreme.

This may seem to be a small amount of charcoal, but it might be the only possibility for them to survive this winter.

After paying, the young man packed the charcoal into a large cloth bag that was made from several pieces of rags, and carried it over to the horse carriage. It was just that when he was almost reaching the carriage, his hands already became empty.

Jumping in front of the carriage again, the young man picked up the reins before turning his head to look at the carriage and asking softly, "Mr. Lin, Xie Boan should have already arrived. Should we hurry up?"

There was only a skinny middle-aged man inside the carriage at this time. He was still wearing blue long robes in the middle of winter. Currently, he was sitting upright inside the carriage with a book in his hand.

Flipping through that old book, the middle-aged man who was called Mr. Lin said calmly, "There's no rush. Although Xie Boan's choice has no logic behind it, I want to see how White Deer's Xie Clan's most outstanding descendant in this generation will choose. This is considered our final test to her."

But the young man frowned when he heard this and said, "Xie Boan using our Xie Clan's banner is ultimately not a good thing. If that person becomes disappointed with our Divine Capital's Xie Clan and turns around to return to White Deer's ancestral shrine, what should we do?"

Mr. Lin smiled slightly and said, "Boyue, our Xie Clan isn't as good as you imagine. It's also not as lousy as you think. A large family clan needs a refreshing breeze and also needs a bright moon. But no matter how dazzling the stars are, there will always be places that can't be illuminated. People like Xie Boan are naturally scum. But before dealing with him, it's not that we can't make use of him to carry out certain deeds."

The young man called Boyue nodded his head and was deep in thought as he said, "Then, we still have to save that young warden, right?"

Mr. Lin nodded and said coolly, "That's of course. No matter how that person chooses, he's indeed not in the wrong. He saved that person's life before as well. We naturally can't passively watch him die like that."

"Understood, Sir. It's just, don't know how that person will choose." The young man was a little curious.

Mr. Lin shook his head and said, "Actually, this choice in itself is wrong, so there's no answer either. No matter how that person chooses, the impression that she'll give to those big shots in our Xie Clan won't be too good."

The young man said, "Maybe they had long seen through this, that's why there's this step to make that person fall into a dilemma. At that time, even if she goes to the Divine Capital, she won't pose as great a threat as before too."

Mr. Lin nodded his head in satisfaction. Looking at this young man, he said with gratification, "You, child, can be taught."

Chapter 18: Fierce Battle

The calm situation in the corridor did not last even for a moment longer. That youth who had just donned a black shirt took a step forward without saying a word and already crossed that several dozen feet distance in the corridor, arriving in front of Xie Boan who was opposite him. His right hand clenched into a fist and his qi activity surged. In an instant, his fist already smashed ruthlessly toward that middle-aged man who came with ill intent.

Having thrown a punch, there was a sudden gust of wind, and the snow outside the corridor scattered everywhere. Feeling the instant arrival of that vigorous qi activity, Xie Boan's expression changed slightly. But, he was in no hurry to take action. Standing with his hands behind his back, a stream of clear wind poured out from his sleeves to block this heavy punch.

This was the demeanor befitting an immortal cultivator.

Moreover, he did not believe that this young martial artist could pose a threat to him.

Seeing that the other party was so haughty, Chen Chao just lifted his head and glanced indifferently at the middle-aged man who was calm. That punch was still thrown like that. Exerting strength with his feet, the stone bricks on the ground instantly shattered. After two berserk auras collided, qi activity scattered everywhere in all four directions. The accumulated snow in the courtyard was akin to being punched heavily by someone at this moment. There were immediately countless snowflakes that flew between heaven and earth.

Crushing the light breeze with a punch, Chen Chao already closed in on Xie Boan who was in front of him. Without hesitation, his body tensed up and qi activity flowed. He lowered his shoulders and slammed into this middle-aged man who had previously said that he was going to kill him. At the same time, he bent his knees slightly and was already prepared to attack a second time after Xie Boan was knocked flying. But what happened next made the youth somewhat dazed. Despite having lowered his shoulders to accumulate power, he failed to collide with the other party. Instead, the other party had one hand pressed on his shoulder. Then, by taking advantage of the momentum of his collision, he slid several dozen feet away in an instant, and just happened to arrive in front of Xie Nandu.

Floating to a stop, fist wind passed by his two flanks, and his clothes fluttered non-stop.

It was just that without waiting for the other party to stabilize his body, Chen Chao already stamped his feet forcefully, his body shooting up. Arriving in front of Xie Boan again, he clenched his fist tightly and threw another punch down.

Xie Boan smiled slightly. Flicking his sleeves, a stream of boundless qi poured out of his sleeves, knocking away the qi here that belonged to the youngster. Then, he reached his hand out and grabbed Chen Chao's collar, while his other hand was filled with powerful qi as he slapped towards Chen Chao's head.

While he was doing these, Xie Boan was sneering incessantly. Although the youth in front of him had a decisiveness that did not fear death and he also knew the logic of striking first to gain the advantage, the gap in cultivation realm was still a natural chasm.

A Spirit Platform martial artist like yourself, even if I use 50% of my strength, what can you do to me?

It was just that when he extended that hand, the youth opposite just happened to stop his figure that was moving forward and forcibly leaned back, narrowly avoiding his grabbing.

Xie Boan narrowed his eyes slightly: a little interesting.

He failed to grab Chen Chao's collar. Naturally, his follow-up move also missed. Although that palm that swung down failed to smack on the youth's head, the powerful and majestic qi still smashed a deep hole in the ground.

It was unbelievably shocking.

That deep hole was right in front of Chen Chao.

After standing upright, this young martial artist immediately drew his saber without any hesitation.

The broken saber that was completely black was drawn by him at an incredible speed. The blade swept across the scabbard, making a sound that was incomparably melodious to Chen Chao's ears. But, Xie Boan furrowed his brows.

"A broken saber? Truly a country bumpkin without anything good!" His figure instantly dissipated. When it converged again, he already arrived in front of Chen Chao.

Immortal cultivators naturally understood that they had to keep a distance when fighting with martial artists. But, Xie Boan only regarded the Chen Chao in front of him as being of a lowly realm. Even if he was fighting him face-to-face, there would not be any problem either. Hence, he arrived in front of the other party without a care. A palm wrapped in a mighty force casually greeted the chest opposite.

You dodged the previous palm by a fluke, what about this time?

It won't be so easy.

It was just that after he confidently sent out this palm, that youth opposite did not get hit as he imagined, but narrowly dodged it again. At the same time, he swung his saber.

A moment later, the two people each took several steps back.

When Xie Boan lowered his head, he discovered to his astonishment that the hem of his clothes had been sliced apart by the saber. At this moment, it was swaying incessantly.

Xie Boan suddenly roared in anger, "Courting death!"

Immortal cultivators had always looked down on martial artists. This was no longer a secret. Having his clothes sliced apart by such a martial artist whose realm was lower than his was undoubtedly a great humiliation to Xie Boan.

Hence, after this moment, not only did he already give rise to the determination to kill Chen Chao, he did not want to delay any longer.

He took a step out and instantly arrived not far in front of Chen Chao again, flicking his sleeve and smashing towards the young martial artist opposite.

Shrinking Earth to Inches, a rudimentary divine ability like this was virtually a daoist magic that all immortal cultivators knew.

But, it was beyond the reach of martial artists for all their lives.

Chen Chao did not have the energy to think about those things. It was just that when Xie Boan waved his sleeve to hit him, he also threw out a punch at the same time, smashing toward the other party's chest.

The punch that was destined to be futile reached halfway there before it was stopped by the sleeve. That punch that carried the force of a thunderbolt merely made the other party's body sway, while he himself flew out backward, falling into the courtyard.

"Little thief! Today is the day you die!"

Xie Boan gave a cold laugh and executed Shrinking Earth to Inches once more, arriving in the courtyard.

"Don't!"

Xie Nandu who did not make a sound the entire time suddenly yelled out. But sadly, Xie Boan had long become determined to kill Chen Chao. Hence, no matter who spoke up at this moment, he would not pull back.

But when he really looked in the courtyard, he did not find the youth who fell into the courtyard.

He furrowed his brows.

In the next second, alarm bells went off.

A streak of saber qi surged behind him and a black-colored saber light flashed past.

Chen Chao who had already jumped onto the roof at god knows when already leaped down and slashed his saber out! The saber momentum was swift and decisive!

Xie Boan suddenly turned around, but in the time that it took for sparks to fly off a piece of flint, he could no longer do anything else. He could only stagger back in a panic. That broken saber's edge still sliced through the front of his clothes at this moment, slicing the front of his clothes into ribbons!

That black-colored broken saber was of an unknown origin. But its actual sharpness far surpassed the average sword cultivator's flying sword.

Chen Chao gripped the saber handle tightly. When his first saber attack failed, he was not in a hurry to unleash a second move after that. Instead, he instantly shot several dozen feet back and beckoned his fingers from afar.

It was full of provocation.

Facing this young man's provocation, Xie Boan laughed from extreme fury, "Little thief, I'll definitely grind your bones to dust in a bit, never to be reincarnated!"

"Give it a try."

Only at this time, did Chen Chao who never said a word from the beginning, open his mouth to say his first sentence.

Furthermore, he was still totally unconcerned.

The young man's attitude made Xie Boan furious. Having narrowly escaped death several times, shouldn't the other party be cautious and very scared?

Xie Boan took off that tattered robe from afar, revealing the clothes on the inside. In reality, he who had not been injured from the start of the battle until now was still in an advantageous position. Victory should have been within his grasp. But several infallible attacks failed to net him the results that he wanted. How could this be acceptable to him, a Divine Trove immortal cultivator?

His heart was currently burning with a fury that was rarely seen in his lifetime.

Except, when he looked at the youth opposite of him, he actually discovered that he still had a totally unconcerned look.

Do you really think that I can't tear your corpse to shreds, you Spirit Platform martial artist?!

In the small courtyard, qi activity instantly surged.

Xie Boan took a step out, and the water vat in the courtyard that was full of mossy water suddenly shattered. However, the water inside did not scatter everywhere. Instead, it floated to midair strangely, like a river flowing!

Immortal cultivators had diverse daoist magics, their methods were of an inexhaustible variety. This was not something new.

Chen Chao who was looking at this scene was indifferent.

In the next second, the river flowed toward Chen Chao.

The broken saber in Chen Chao's hand sent out a streak of saber light, cleaving this river apart. The clear water landed on the ground and splashed in all directions!

After cleaving apart that river, Chen Chao immediately started sprinting toward Xie Boan.

This young martial artist who had always been fighting with those demons years ago displayed incomparably firm will at this moment. Even when facing an endless stream of tricks from the other party, he still remained level-headed. After dodging the other party's so-called certain-kill means one by one, he still danced around Xie Boan.

This scene made Xie Boan's expression become ugly to the extreme.

He could not care less at the moment. He just wanted to kill this youngster in front of him as quickly as possible.

But sadly, the youth in black in front of him was like the most cunning pond loach from start to end. Each time Xie Boan felt that he could definitely capture the other party and easily crush him to death, the other party would evade his killing move time after time.

Repeating this cycle several times, Xie Boan's patience was also completely squeezed dry.

After stopping, Xie Boan looked at the youth in black who was not far away with a pair of complicated eyes.

Disregarding the level of this youth's realm, just this rare level-headedness during a great battle was sufficient to widen the gap between him and his peers like a natural chasm.

He frowned slightly.

Xie Boan stood in the courtyard with both hands raised up. A majestic aura poured out of his clothes continuously. One stream of qi activity after another stirred up heaven and earth around the small courtyard, sealing off heaven and earth.

Then, the entire courtyard started shaking non-stop.

Jumping up, the youth in black who reappeared on the roof slowly gained a footing. Then, the small courtyard weirdly stopped shaking.

Heaven and earth seemed to have returned to tranquility anew.

Chen Chao just looked at Xie Boan who was standing in the courtyard and said calmly, "Are you trying to demolish my house?"

Without waiting for Xie Boan to speak, the youth continued on his own, "Since that's the case, time for you to die."

Hearing this, Xie Boan's expression turned dark and was already ugly to the extreme.

The youth jumped down once more. Xie Boan's aura surged, getting ready for everything.

But, an unbelievable thought suddenly arose in the mind of this Divine Trove immortal cultivator who had always thought that he would kill this youth opposite him in this battle.

A hint of panic suddenly appeared in his eyes, "You're not Spirit Platform Realm?!"

Chapter 19: That Girl Who Was Like a Pear Blossom

Spitting out a mouthful of turbid air, Chen Chao smiled slightly, "Stop finding excuses for yourself. If you can't beat me, just admit it."

Originally, Xie Boan was almost certain that the youth in front of him could not possibly be just at the Spirit Platform Realm. At this moment, he could not help furrowing his brows too, feeling a little dazed. Right, how old was this teenager? Merely 16 years old. A youth like this, even if it were the geniuses over at the Divine Capital, how many could step foot into Divine Trove Realm?

It was just that the other party stalemated with him for so long with Spirit Platform Realm cultivation, it made Xie Boan even more embarrassed.

A realm higher and he was so much older than the other party too. But, he still failed to suppress him with ease. If this matter was made known to his sect, his old face would be utterly lost.

Looking at the youth on top of the roof, Xie Boan's killing intent did not diminish. But in reality, his killing intent had always been there. When did the youth in front of him ever cared?

Xie Boan was unwilling to waste any more saliva. Waving both hands, the snow in the courtyard rose into the air with a howl. Then, it condensed in the air, forming one snowball after another. After a short pause, they shot fiercely towards Chen Chao one after another!

Chen Chao who was gripping the broken saber tightly swung his blade out and hacked apart the first snowball. Ignoring the snowflakes that spilled on his body, his entire person jumped down and performed a swift and fierce downward slash in the air. A black-colored saber light immediately cleaved open a path.

The snowballs that landed on the rooftop shattered countless blue tiles. The crackling made it seem like it was a hailstorm.

Xie Nandu who had been standing in the corridor this entire time took a few steps backward. But her gaze remained fixed on Chen Chao the entire time.

Previously, when she saw Chen Chao being shot down in the courtyard, she was a little worried. But, for some reason, she became less worried as time went by.

It was a little strange, but it also seemed very normal.

The youth who landed in the courtyard no longer had the concession and forbearance from before. He started taking the initiative to attack with his saber. The broken saber in his hand kept swinging out non-stop. One slash after another, the saber momentum was unbroken; virtually without any flaws.

Chen Chao practically followed no methodicalness when practicing the saber. It was all things that he honed from those demons time and again on the brink of life and death. Swinging his saber out, it only looked for the other party's greatest weakness and it only wanted to use the least amount of strength to cause the greatest damage. Actually, this sort of concept was unanimous with how the Great Liang Dynasty's army thought.

It could be seen from this that if Chen Chao were to enlist in the army, it would save him a lot of trouble.

How could an orthodox cultivator who was born in a famous household like Xie Boan have seen before such a situation? Meeting the enemy in a haste, he actually repeatedly fell back.

The situation between the two seemed to have been completely reversed.

Xie Boan's two hands were continuously swinging in front of him. One burst of qi activity after another gushed out in front of his body, wanting to build a barrier. Fortunately, although Chen Chao's saber momentum was swift and fierce, and virtually no problems could be nitpicked every time he swung his saber, he was after all just a Spirit Platform Realm martial artist. Hence, he still managed to construct that barrier in the end.

A barrier that was constructed with the blizzard as the base laid in front of the two of them at this moment. Xie Boan let out a sigh of relief, breathing out what little remained of his qi. Then, he started replenishing with a new mouthful of breath.

But right at this moment, Chen Chao narrowed his eyes. After waiting for so long, this was the moment that he had been waiting for.

Over in the snowstorm, Chen Chao's body surged with qi as it instantly climbed up, going from Spirit Platform Realm to Divine Trove Realm.

Gripping the broken saber in his hand tightly, Chen Chao cleaved apart the blizzard barrier with a slash and already arrived in front of Xie Boan with a leap. Glancing at the middle-aged man in front of him, this young martial artist who had been hiding his strength from start to end slashed down with his saber. Xie Boan who was right at the juncture of transitioning from the old to the new had a look of disbelief, opening his eyes wide.

When that saber swung out, it directly left a horrifying wound on Xie Boan's body.

Even if Xie Boan wanted to forcefully replenish his qi again at this time, there was no more chance. After that slash, the youth in front of him lowered his shoulder and slammed toward his chest. The qi activity in his chest collapsed at this moment. It was virtually impossible to condense it again.

Vomiting large mouthfuls of fresh blood, Xie Boan flopped onto the snow in the courtyard. Lifting his head, he looked at the youth in black in front of him with a disbelieving look. He asked something that he asked before, "You're really a Divine Trove martial artist?!"

Chen Chao laughed coldly and did not give an answer. He still did not lower his guard at all.

Ever since learning that this Xie Boan was a Divine Trove immortal cultivator, Chen Chao had been thinking about how to make the other party underestimate him from the very start. If the other party knew that he was a Divine Trove martial artist from the beginning, then the fight this time would definitely have been very fretful. He would also have to spend more time to kill the other party.

When fighting demons in the mountains, Chen Chao sought to achieve the greatest results at the lowest cost. If he tangled with the other party without thinking about anything, then even if he could kill the demon, those demons hiding in the dark would not have let him leave the mountain unscathed too.

In other words, even if he was seriously injured, he had to show that it was nothing serious.

As for this Xie Boan in front of him, making him underestimate was the first step. Making him enraged was the second step.

With these two things, even if the two people were in the same realm, the one dying would surely be Xie Boan too.

Xie Boan was currently sitting slumped in the courtyard. The qi activity of a Divine Trove immortal cultivator was continuously flowing away, his death was virtually a foregone conclusion. It would not be that easy to want to save his life. Moreover, how could Chen Chao let others save him?

It was just that until now, he could not figure something out. Why would a Tianqing County's measly little warden actually be a Divine Trove martial artist?!

If he had long known that the other party was a Divine Trove martial artist, he absolutely would not have let his guard down like that. He also would not have been conceited enough to have a showdown within inches of him.

But now, everything was too late.

Xie Boan shut his eyes in pain. In the last moments of his life, who knew what he was thinking about? Was it that he should not have taken on this matter that was destined to not have any good outcome? Or was it that he should have attacked with all his might early on and killed that young martial artist?

Chen Chao stood in the courtyard for a long time. Only after waiting for Xie Boan to really stop breathing with no chance of a comeback, did he carefully walk towards his corpse. Sheathing the broken saber he was holding into its scabbard, he started searching for treasures on this corpse.

Far away, even though it was not Xie Nandu's first time seeing such a sight, she still could not help feeling somewhat out of sorts.

In less than a month, Chen Chao who had killed two cultivators consecutively in his own small courtyard had no special thoughts. In his view, these two cultivators who had taken the initiative to seek death were no different from the demons in the mountains.

It was just that when Chen Chao stood up, the courtyard door opened without any wind.

Two figures appeared over there, one elderly and one young.

When the young man wearing cotton clothes saw the scene in the courtyard, he had an appalled look. But the skinny middle-aged man in front of him was incredibly calm.

These two people were the two who were riding the horse carriage and bought charcoal on the streets previously.

When Xie Boan came to this courtyard previously, they were already aware of it, but they did not plan to show themselves immediately. They wanted to use this opportunity to see how Xie Nandu would choose. But, they did not expect that by the time they came here, that so-called choice became a joke.

Chen Chao used his saber to help Xie Nandu resolve her dilemma.

In reality, this was somewhat unreasonable.

But who could have thought that a warden in a little county town was actually really a Divine Trove martial artist?

Hence, these so-called schemes that were crushed by a young martial artist seemed to be in accordance with expectations. But, how anyone have expected it to play out like this?

When he saw that there were two other uninvited guests, Chen Chao gripped his saber hilt right away.

The most reassuring thing in the world was this object.

Mr. Lin calmed his mind and bowed to Xie Nandu who was not far away, "Divine Capital's Xie Clan retainer, Lin Yuan, came to fetch Miss as per orders."

His voice was gentle; calm and peaceful. It had the air of a learned man.

The young man retracted his dumbfounded emotions too and clasped his hands in a bow behind his teacher.

These two were much more sincere than the two people the previous two times.

"Miss don't need to think too much. Miss probably knows a little about the reasons involved. The so-called test was truly over when Xie Boan died here. If Miss didn't pass the test, Lin Yuan wouldn't have appeared here."

Lin Yuan had his hands clasped from start to end. These words were considered to have summarized everything that happened previously. The implication was also that even if you, Xie Nandu, did not verbalize your last choice, there would not be any more problems too. The big shots in the Divine Capital's Xie Clan would not dither anymore on this issue either.

But all these were thanks to that youth.

Chen Chao glanced at Xie Nandu, the look in his eyes complicated. It was unknown what he was thinking about.

Xie Nandu smiled; sincerely full of gratitude.

Chen Chao retracted his gaze and slowly walked down the corridor. But his hand never left the hilt of his saber.

Xie Nandu asked softly, "If you couldn't beat that person? Would you have fought too?"

Chen Chao thought about it and said with a nod, "That was the right choice no matter what. Actually, I wasn't too worried. But, if say that you didn't choose correctly and wanted me dead, then I wouldn't be able to tolerate it."

"What could you have done if you couldn't beat him?"

Xie Nandu said, "You never seem to do things that you aren't confident in."

Chen Chao was silent. He did not seem to want to answer this question. Instead, he said, "I can't save you if that guy wants to do anything."

With Chen Chao's present Divine Trove martial artist realm, he could not see through the Lin Yuan who had arrived in the courtyard.

In other words, the other party's realm was at least one realm higher than his.

That would be Bitter Sea Realm.

Except, Chen Chao felt that it was not impossible for him to escape alone with his life.

Xie Nandu shook his head and said, "He won't be doing anything."

Chen Chao nodded his head. He felt more at ease when he heard this. It was just that his hand still remained on the saber hilt and he asked, "Then, pay extra for this?"

Xie Nandu nodded and did not refuse as she said, "Okay."

Then, she took several steps forward. Looking at the two who remained bowed the entire time, she asked, "Does Mr. Lin also want to know what I would choose?"

Lin Yuan was taken aback. Furrowing his brows, he naturally know that the girl in front of him was not talking about him.

He thought of something and suddenly raised his head, urging, "Miss, think twice!"

If some things were not said, who cared what you thought? But once it was uttered, could the consequences really be inconsequential?

It seemed to fall on deaf ears. Xie Nandu just enunciated each word without caring about other things, "If I really had to choose, then I'd choose him."

The voice was not loud. But, everyone could hear it clearly in the corridor.

Lin Yuan's expression changed slightly. For a moment, he could not even think clearly. In a situation where the die was already cast, why would the young girl in front of him still say this? Did she not know that once these words were uttered, it was not for him, Lin Yuan, to hear, but for the Divine Capital to hear?

But Xie Nandu did not care about these. She did not care what Lin Yuan thought and also did not care how the Divine Capital chose. She just calmly repeated her thoughts, "I'll choose the same even if I have to do it ten thousand times."

Chapter 20: Goodbye

Hearing that young girl solemnly say this and repeating it once more, Lin Yuan's expression did not look too good. Then, he looked somewhat disappointed. Why did you reclaim the dilemma that was originally already resolved by that youth in black with a slash of his saber?

Being so incapable of retaining your composure, how could you become the Xie Clan's family head?

Or was it that in your mind, you never had the idea of becoming the Xie Clan's family head?

For some time, Lin Yuan's mind was full of doubts. Just what ideas did this teenage girl who was highly regarded by both White Deer's Xie Clan and the Divine Capital's Xie Clan have in mind? Or did countless people from both White Deer's Xie Clan and the Divine Capital's Xie Clan misjudge her?

But even if he had many doubts, Lin Yuan did not overly express them. He just said softly, "Since Miss has spoken, then I believe you can bear the consequences."

He was pointing out that what happened today would definitely transmit back to the Divine Capital.

At that time, it could not be blamed on me, Lin Yuan.

Xie Nandu nodded her head slightly without a care. Since she dared to say this, then she naturally would not be worried about the so-called consequences.

Lin Yuan straightened up and asked, "Miss, it has been delayed for a long time now. Will you be leaving this place with us right away and heading to the Divine Capital?"

Xie Nandu frowned and did not speak immediately, Instead, she looked toward Chen Chao.

Chen Chao was already sitting in front of the stove at this time. He could not say that he liked these two uninvited guests, but he naturally did not detest them either. He was not stupid, he was very clear that this one elderly and one youngster in front of him were not from the same camp as that Xie Boan whom he killed.

Xie Nandu asked, "After I leave, will the Divine Capital stop in time and not take action against him?"

Although these few tests were directed at her, the one who resolved them was all Chen Chao. Xie Nandu was also worried that after she left, there would still be people from the Divine Capital who would take cheap shots. Facing a behemoth like the Divine Capital's Xie Clan, no matter how talented Chen Chao was, he would ultimately be at a disadvantage.

"Please rest assured, Miss. Since Miss has already passed the tests, then the tricks from the Divine Capital will no longer continue too. This young man naturally won't be implicated anymore..."

Lin Yuan thought about it, but he still did not finish the remaining half of the sentence. Firstly, he felt that it was meaningless. Secondly, he also felt that based on someone as clever as Xie Nandu, she would definitely understand the latter half of the sentence whether he said it or not.

Xie Nandu nodded her head and then said, "You guys go outside and wait for me."

Lin Yuan nodded his head and did not say anything either. Turning around, he brought that young man who did not talk the entire time out. The two arrived at the doorway and just happened to see the man opposite walking out of his courtyard while carrying a big bowl of rice as he sat on his doorstep.

Lin Yuan looked at the man with some interest. Who would have expected that the man carrying a large bowl would speak rudely the moment he opened his mouth, "What the hell are you staring at?!"

The young man furrowed his brows and laughed coldly. He thought to himself, barren hills and turbulent waters indeed produced troublemakers. He was just about to open his mouth but was stopped by the Lin Yuan in front of him with a wave of his hand.

This cultivator whose realm was not low just smiled slightly as he looked at the man in front of him and asked, "Is this bowl of rice tasty?"

Although he seemed to be asking about that bowl of rice in the man's hand, the young man faintly sensed that there was some deeper meaning. But sadly, the man seemed to have a natural dislike for Chen Chao who was staying opposite of him. Even the people who walked out of his door were also snubbed by him, "If you want to eat, go home and ask your wife to cook!"

His words were still completely blunt.

The young man was already filled with rage and almost losing control of himself.

But Lin Yuan still did not get angry. He just smiled slightly and said, "May I eat a meal of yours with a piece of skygold currency?"

The man sneered and said, "Who wants your filthy money!"

Lin Yuan let out a sigh and shook his head with some regret as he stopped talking to the man opposite.

Then, he went to the horse carriage at the end of the alley.

...

...

Watching the two people leave the courtyard, Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao and was silent for a while. She wanted to say something, but it also seemed like she did not know how to start.

A moment later, she took a money pouch out of her bosom and passed it to Chen Chao as she said softly, "The money pouch isn't an ordinary item, there are only ten thousand pieces of skygold currency inside, it's all for you. After I reach the Divine Capital, I'll get more money and send it to you. Or if there are any spirit medicines that you have difficulty in purchasing, you can also write a letter to tell me..."

Chen Chao received the money pouch that had Nandu two characters engraved on it with gold thread and did not decline. He was very clear that to Xie Nandu, the ten thousand pieces of skygold currency inside were virtually insignificant. But to the present Chen Chao, it was different.

"Take care." Chen Chao smiled and could not say anything else.

Xie Nandu thought about it and asked, "Don't you have anything else that you want to say to me?"

Her face had some anticipation and she did not hide it. Although the two people merely spent a little over a month together, counting the entire sequence of events, Chen Chao was present for the three tests. The first was in the mountain god temple. Without Chen Chao, she would have died there. The second was that cultivator who was adept in rearing demons. If not for Chen Chao, she would have died too.

But this final choice, even though it was still because of Chen Chao, it still more or less lied with her in the end.

"Just who in the Divine Capital doesn't want you to go over there safe and sound?"

Chen Chao placed both hands on the stove. Then, he casually took a sweet potato and placed it by the stove.

Since they were parting, then some idle conversation would not be a problem, right?

"A bunch of cowards who ate too much and don't have courage. Those people are not who I have to be worried about. Those people who can truly be my opponents haven't taken action yet." Xie Nandu had some resolve on her petite face and she said softly, "But I'm confident that I won't lose to them."

Without waiting for Chen Chao to speak, the young girl said softly, "But, I've never thought about being the head of the Xie Clan before."

Chen Chao lifted his head to look at the young girl in front of him, aware that she had greater ambitions. She was currently heading north, but it was not to the Divine Capital. Instead, it was even further north, north of the northern frontier, north of the northern desert.

"You shouldn't stay here for the rest of your life too."

Xie Nandu's expression was full of high spirits, "Chen Chao, you should let the world know your name."

Chen Chao rubbed his hands and shook his head as he said, "There's no meaning in these things. Staying alive is the most important."

A hint of emotion flashed across Xie Nandu's eyes, no idea whether was it disappointment or something else. But, the light in her eyes could be visibly seen dimming considerably.

Chen Chao saw it, but he did not say anything.

Very soon, she recollected her emotions. Revealing a beaming face anew, the young girl reached her hand out to remove that silver hairpin that had accompanied her for many years. Then she looked at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao hesitated for a moment, but he still stretched out his palm.

Hence, the young girl placed that silver hairpin in his palm. Her petite face was slightly red as she whispered, "Carry it with you. If you encounter a problem that you can't resolve one day, find someone to give it to me. Even if I, Xie Nandu, pay with my life, I absolutely won't decline too!"

Chen Chao raised his eyebrows and asked, "This silver hairpin probably has quite the background, right?"

Xie Nandu shook her head and said softly, "It's an ordinary silver hairpin. Keep it well."

Chen Chao frowned. Thinking about it, he still kept it in his bosom.

Seeing how Chen Chao looked, the young girl seemed very satisfied. Hence, she sat in front of the stove again. Of course, it was still that old chair.

These few days, Chen Chao was already used to letting this young girl in front of him have the only chair in the house.

"How many demons have you killed these few years?"

It was actually already getting late. But, the young girl wanted to stay a little longer here, just a little longer.

She was very clear that this place was more comfortable than White Deer ancestral shrine and definitely more comfortable than the Divine Capital too.

Chen Chao flipped the sweet potato on the stove before saying, "Can't remember anymore."

Xie Nandu smiled slightly and said, "It's fine, I don't remember how many books I've read too."

Xie Nandu suddenly asked, "Do you think that studying or cultivation is more painful?"

"I don't know whether or not cultivation is painful. Either way, being a martial artist is really very painful. Presumably, no matter how hard studying is, it can't be worse than being a martial artist."

Having cultivated these few years, he really felt that there was nothing more painful in this world than being a martial artist.

Xie Nandu smiled and did not say anything. She just remembered these few years in the White Deer ancestral shrine for no reason and was somewhat absentminded. After leaving this small courtyard, it seemed like it would really be leaving home.

Seeing that it was getting late, Xie Nandu stood up. But before she could turn around, that youth who was sitting already handed out the sweet potato that had already been cooked on the stove.

Looking at the sweet potato, Xie Nandu's eyes narrowed like crescents.

After sending her out of the door, Chen Chao was silent for a while as he stood at the doorway. Suddenly, he said, "Miss Xie, actually, when we first met, I thought that you were like a flower."

A pear blossom.

Xie Nandu smiled. Holding the sweet potato in her hand, she peeled the skin seriously and took a bite before saying somewhat regretfully, "In the future, I won't be able to eat such delicious sweet potatoes."

Then, she waved her hand and just stepped across the door sill without holding an umbrella, walking forward. Soon, she was covered by wind and snow.

Chen Chao stood where he was and silently sent her off.