Martial Cultivator

Song Lian patted Chen Chao's shoulder and smiled, "Before you leave the capital, come to my place for a meal."

Chen Chao asked, "Is Sister-in-law staying at your place now?"

Song Lian had a bitter look as he shook his head, "She said my place was too big and she wasn't used to it, so I spent money to have her courtyard renovated. Now, I also live there."

Chen Chao nodded and said seriously, "A good man indeed."

Song Lian chuckled and scolded, "If you want to make fun of Your Father, go ahead, but after you finish laughing, Your Father will spar with you. Let's see if you, a Bitter Sea Realm, can withstand a few punches from Your Father."

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow, "So confident? Doesn't Your Excellency know I just killed a Great Beyond Realm cultivator?"

"What rubbish, wasn't that with the help of your lady?" Song Lian narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "When you can truly kill a Great Beyond cultivator on your own, I'll congratulate you."

Chen Chao asked, "Buying a meal?"

"How can just buying one meal be enough?" Song Lian chuckled, "I'll have all the officials in the Left Guard's office join in."

Chen Chao snorted, feeling slightly better.

Song Lian then became serious and said, "Regardless of what His Majesty asks of you, I'll say it again: prioritize your life. If you can't accomplish it, then so be it. Don't risk your life. If you really die, when the Lord Warden Commander returns to the capital, I won't have the face to meet him."

Chen Chao said, "You're defying the imperial edict."

Song Lian lowered his voice, "Since it's a secret edict, it's not public. You could even interpret it as His Majesty's personal matter. Since it's a personal matter, it means he's asking you for help. If you have the ability, help him. If not, who can blame you?"

Chen Chao looked skeptical and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Excellency, are you really just a martial artist?"

Song Lian smirked mysteriously, "In the court, do you think being an official only involves dealing with some matters? Those who can stand firm in the Divine Capital, which one isn't a cunning old fox?"

Chen Chao said sincerely, "Then I'll have to consult Your Excellency on the ways of being an official in the future."

Song Lian laughed and scolded, "Get lost! Your Father still has many official duties to attend to. Do you think I can just wander around all day like you do and draw the imperial court's salary?"

At the mention of salary, Chen Chao suddenly froze and asked in a puzzled tone, "I've never received any salary. Where's my money?!"

Since Song Lian made him the deputy commander of the Left Guard and gave him the waist token, it had been almost a year now. But in this past year, he had not received any salary from the Left Guard. Initially, he thought it was because he held a nominal position and thus was not entitled to any salary. Now, hearing Song Lian's words, it seemed that his salary had been issued all along.

Song Lian glanced at him, his eyes suddenly showing a strange light. "While you were away from the Divine Capital, your salary was sent to the academy."

The meaning was clear even without the need for further explanation.

Chen Chao looked at Song Lian blankly.

With a smirk, Song Lian said, "According to the laws of Great Liang, monthly salaries should be given directly to officials on duty. If the official is away from the Divine Capital for official reasons, the salary should be given to their family. You're all alone by yourself, who else could I give it to?"

Before Chen Chao could respond, Song Lian teased, "It can't be that she didn't tell you, right?"

"How could that be?" Chen Chao had a serious expression. "I just forgot about it."

Song Lian gave an "oh" that was full of ridicule.

……

Walking out of the Left Guard's, Chen Chao took the oiled-paper umbrella handed to him by two underlings at the entrance, and as usual, he thanked them. The two underlings smiled as they bade Chen Chao farewell, and once again, they started discussing among themselves as they watched Chen Chao's departing figure.

Before returning to the academy, Chen Chao took a detour to his own residence that had been arranged for him by Song Lian before. He had not gone back during this period, but the courtyard remained pristine. However, on the way, Chen Chao distinctly felt many pairs of eyes watching him. Furrowing his brows slightly, Chen Chao noticed that over these days, as the white mist within him continued to circulate, he had become more perceptive. His senses were now much sharper than before, and he was very sensitive to the surrounding auras. He even felt that unless someone was a great cultivator at the Nepenthe Realm, it would be impossible for them to approach within several hundred feet of him without him knowing.

Pushing open the door, although nothing seemed to have changed compared to before, Chen Chao knew well that someone had definitely been here before. However, he had nothing valuable in the house; all his important possessions were on his person, so there was nothing important to worry about.

After wandering around the room, Chen Chao slowly walked out. However, before he could leave the courtyard, knocking on the door sounded out.

Frowning slightly, Chen Chao quickly walked to the entrance and opened the wooden door.

A familiar face, one he had seen before, appeared before Chen Chao.

Chen Chao knew him, he was the Xie Family's steward. The first time he went to the Xie Family, it was this person who came to invite him.

Without waiting for Chen Chao to say anything, the steward quickly stated the purpose of his visit, "Commander Chen, the Xie Family invites you."

Chen Chao looked at him and did not immediately speak.

In the Divine Capital, it was not difficult for the Xie Family to find out about certain matters. Chen Chao knew they must have learned about his plan to leave the Divine Capital. However, they suddenly invited him at this time. Furthermore, it looked like they were intentionally evading Xie Nandu, seemingly leaving him with no room for refusal.

Moreover, whether intentional or not, the Xie Family had been of considerable assistance to Chen Chao during this period. If he were to refuse now, he probably could not justify it.

Looking at that horse carriage, Chen Chao did not speak for a long time.

The steward was not in a rush either, he just said softly, "The ancestor said that if Commander Chen isn't willing, you can choose not to go as well."

Chen Chao was rather surprised, "Ancestor?"

The steward nodded his head. The Divine Capital's Xie Family only had one ancestor.

Before Chen Chao could speak, the steward smiled and continued, "Back when Commander Chen first arrived in the Divine Capital, the actions of the Xie Family were also approved by Ancestor."

Chen Chao smiled bitterly. "With that being said, can I still refuse?"

The steward smiled but did not say anything.

Boarding the carriage with the steward, they soon set off with the steward driving the carriage.

Listening to the sound of hooves, Chen Chao gradually sank into contemplation.

……

……

After what seemed like a while, the sound of hooves gradually slowed until the carriage came to a gentle stop.

Stepping out of the carriage, Chen Chao looked at the two ordinary lanterns hanging on either side of the main entrance of the Xie Family's manor. He felt a mixture of emotions. Some people, upon gaining a sudden windfall, could not wait to tell everyone around them that they had transformed completely. But in essence, such individuals remained the same as before, with no real difference. On the contrary, families like the Xie Family, despite having long become great families that were renowned, did not deliberately show off. That was the true heritage of a great family. Although the Xie Family in the Divine Capital had only a history of over two hundred years, in reality, the Xie Family had been rooted in this land for many years.

Regaining his composure, Chen Chao followed the steward through a side entrance. Naturally, he would not have any delusion that the Xie Family would welcome him through the main entrance. Even though his reputation was growing in the Divine Capital, it was wishful thinking to expect a colossal entity like the Xie Family to open their main entrance for him before he became the Lord Warden Commander of the Divine Capital. And even if he did become the Lord Warden Commander one day, there was no guarantee he would receive such an honor.

As he entered the Xie Family, the surrounding gazes suddenly dissipated. Many forces in the Divine Capital were paying attention to Chen Chao, but no one could scrutinize him within the Xie Family's premises so recklessly.

However, just a few steps later, Chen Chao sensed many eyes hiding in the shadows again. These must be members of the Xie Family, also watching him in the dark. This time, they were even closer, and the feeling of being watched by countless pairs of eyes made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

However, after walking a few steps, an old voice came from a distant place, "What's there to see?"

With the sound of this voice, all the surrounding gazes immediately retracted, except for a few that seemed reluctant, but they eventually shifted away as well.

Chen Chao let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the steward stopped in front of a long corridor and smiled, "Commander Chen, just walk to the end of the corridor. As a lowly servant, I can only escort you here."

Chen Chao nodded slowly, understanding the rules of these aristocratic families to some extent, and he did not want to trouble this steward.

The steward turned and left, leaving Chen Chao alone facing the long corridor.

Staring at the ordinary corridor, Chen Chao fell silent for a long time, not taking a step forward.

After an unknown amount of time passed, Chen Chao finally took a step forward.

As he stepped forward, there was no raging storm as he had anticipated, only tranquility, like the calm sky after the rain; serene and ordinary.

Chen Chao furrowed his brows slightly, but quickly walked forward. After passing through this corridor safely, he arrived in front of an ancestral hall. Sitting in front of the hall was an old man with closed eyes, dozing off. Beside the ancestral hall, there was an ordinary wooden house, with a tree in front of it, and an old man standing under the tree, looking at Chen Chao.

That was the ancestor of the Xie Family.

Chen Chao also looked at him, but after just one glance, he felt somewhat strange. The old man in front of him did not have a majesty like he imagined. Instead, he appeared extremely ordinary; like a farmer one would see in the countryside, smoking a pipe and looking kindly at the field in front of him.

Now, there was no countryside, no so-called land, only Chen Chao in front of him.

Chen Chao quickly returned to his senses. Clasping his hands and bowing slightly, he said softly, "Greetings, Senior."

The old man was in no hurry to speak, only sizing up Chen Chao with his weathered eyes. This ancestor of the Xie Family, one of the two titans in the Divine Capital, looked at Chen Chao as if assessing crops in a field; seeing if they could withstand the wind and rain, and whether they could yield a good harvest in autumn.

After some time passed, the old man finally spoke slowly, "Looks like Nandu that lass has pretty good eyesight."

Chen Chao had considered all the possible things this ancestor of the Xie Family might say, but the only thing he did not expect was this.

For a moment, he did not know how to respond.

However, the next sentence sent waves of shock through Chen Chao's heart.

"I rarely meet outsiders these years. The last one I saw was that Ning Ping kid."

The old man paused for a bit, then continued, "It seems that back then, that kid was about your height and about the same age as you."