Martial Cultivator

During this period, many young cultivators had flocked to the Divine Capital, mostly using it as a passage to the Northern Frontier. However, since they were passing through the Divine Capital, these young cultivators wanted to see the city, reputed to be the largest and grandest in the world. As a result, the streets were now filled with young cultivators, even more than during the Myriad Willow Convention.

This influx of cultivators had kept the Left and Right Guards busy, as they were responsible for the security of the Divine Capital. The arrival of these young cultivators became a potential source of instability, and they could not afford to be careless.

However, Song Lian and the officials from the Left Guard soon noticed something peculiar. The usually arrogant cultivators from the foreign lands had become much more restrained upon entering the Divine Capital. A bit of thought made it clear why: the recent actions of the Emperor had been incredibly intimidating. Now, under the watchful eye of this Emperor, these cultivators dared not act too presumptuously.

This realization allowed Song Lian to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, if things could be handled easily, why complicate them?

Chen Chao had not been idle either. Although his tasks with the Ministry of Works were completed, Wen Yue had come looking for him several times, insisting that before leaving the Divine Capital, Chen Chao should introduce him to the sapling he had promised. Although Chen Chao knew that the siblings had arrived in the Divine Capital, he did not know their exact address. So, he spent the past few days having the Left Guard investigate and finally obtained their precise location.

It was not that the Xie Family could not handle such matters, it would indeed be faster and could yield results in less than half a day. However, relying on them for every small issue would only increase the debt owed to the Xie Family.

Thus, Chen Chao generally preferred not to ask for their help. He even realized later that the reason the Great Liang Emperor was so quick to offer the Thousand Year Glacial Stone was likely due to similar considerations.

But even so, if Chen Chao had to choose again, he would still do the same. Without that stone, he would not have been able to reforge his broken saber.

Moreover, he did not particularly resent his uncle either.

……

……

The siblings, Erhu and Chunyue, found a place to stay in the Divine Capital with the help of that middle-aged woman. It was a small courtyard, not too remote but certainly not in a bustling area, and the rent was reasonable too. Despite this, they had underestimated the Divine Capital. They initially thought that once in the city, Erhu would find suitable work to sustain them, but he faced numerous obstacles and could not find a decent job. When the middle-aged woman found out, she suggested that Erhu help out at her trading house. However, after going there a few times, the usually resourceful young man started to feel weary.

In the small town, Erhu had been resourceful out of necessity, but now that they were in the Divine Capital, he found it exhausting to interact with people like this every day. Within half a month, he quit that job and took up a laborer position at a rice shop, though it did not pay much. Fortunately, the siblings had some savings, which prevented them from going hungry.

However, they could not live off their savings forever. Chunyue considered finding work, but Erhu vetoed the idea, which often made her worry about her brother.

One afternoon, just after finishing her meal, Chunyue heard a knock on the door. Remembering her brother's repeated warnings, she did not plan to open it. But then she heard a familiar voice. Excited, she rushed to open the door, forgetting to clean up the dishes. Standing outside were two young men.

She recognized one of them immediately, it was precisely Chen Chao who had helped them in the small town. As for the other young man with a sword at his waist, she did not know him.

Seeing Chunyue, the young man with the sword teased, "So, you really have hidden a beauty away."

This made Chunyue even more flustered.

Chen Chao frowned slightly and said softly, "Don't listen to his nonsense. I heard you two had come to the Divine Capital, so I came to check on you and return your item."

Seeing that Chunyue was still a bit scared, Chen Chao smiled and said, "My friend is here to see your brother."

Chunyue replied softly, "Big Brother went out to work. He won't be back until dusk."

Chen Chao responded with an "Oh," and then smiled, "Aren't you going to invite me in to sit for a while?"

Only then, did Chunyue realize her oversight. With an apologetic smile, she stepped aside to let them in.

Wen Yue followed Chen Chao into the small courtyard, and Chunyue quickly fetched a long bench from inside the house, along with two large bowls. But there was only plain water, there was not even any tea.

Feeling embarrassed about not having anything to offer her guests, Chunyue's face reddened, but she did not dare to say anything.

Chen Chao did not mind. He glanced at Wen Yue, who pulled a long face, "I don't like tea anyway."

Chen Chao laughed heartily, then turned to Chunyue, "Don't be afraid. This guy isn't a bad person."

Hearing this, Chunyue mustered up her courage and asked, "Why did you think to come find us, sir?"

Chen Chao did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point, "I inquired about your situation before and found that it's not going too well. Staying in the Divine Capital isn't easy, right?"

Chunyue nodded and said softly, "Things are too expensive here. I'm already thinking about going back."

Chen Chao smiled slightly, not saying much more. It was actually similar to traveling: the places you want to go are probably where others have already grown tired of staying.

"But it's okay. If this not-so-good-looking guy here takes a liking to your brother, I can help him get a job in the Ministry of Works. Then living in the Divine Capital will be manageable, but it still depends on what your brother wants."

Chen Chao patted Wen Yue's shoulder and asked with a smile, "Is that right?"

Wen Yue raised an eyebrow, "Surnamed Chen, say clearly, who's not too good-looking?"

Chen Chao laughed and asked back, "What do you think?"

In this courtyard, there were only three people. Chunyue was a genuine budding beauty, and Chen Chao was actually not bad looking either. The only one who fell short in appearance was likely Wen Yue.

Wen Yue was expressionless, "It's a good thing you don't use a sword, or I'd have to beat you up."

Chen Chao nodded and smiled, "Right, right."

Watching these two banter, Chunyue relaxed considerably.

But she could not find a way to join the conversation and could only silently observe Chen Chao. She had noticed when this Sir Chen entered that he seemed to have grown taller since the last time they met.

He also seemed to have become even more handsome.