Chapter 47: Challenging the Left Envoy

“You’re at the third level of Qi Refining?”

“Yes.”

“Since you’re a local of Silver City, why abandon your family and livelihood to come to Zhaoge?”

Under Tao Dacheng’s questioning, the tall woman of about thirty gave a bitter smile. “It’s hard to support a family. I just wanted to come to Zhaoge to find work and improve my cultivation along the way.”

Tao Dacheng asked again, “Why improve your cultivation?”

The tall woman continued, “Naturally, to make it easier to find work.”

This was also what the vast majority of practitioners thought. Just as a poor peasant’s hope was to become a rich peasant, not an emperor, the vast majority of mortals also hoped to live better lives, not to become Immortal Masters and cultivators who could summon wind and rain.

Practitioners were the same. The higher one’s cultivation, the greater one’s strength and the stronger one’s abilities. Naturally, that meant they could enter more profitable lines of work. Even if they entered court as an official, if your learning was about the same as your opponent’s, but the other party’s cultivation was one level higher than yours, they could be promoted as a matter of course.

While asking and answering questions with the woman, Tao Dacheng kept writing with the brush in his hand. There was a screen on his desk, and as the woman sat before it, she could not see what Tao Dacheng was writing behind it at all. She would never know that every answer she had just given had been recorded on a miraculous magic artifact.

A moment later, Tao Dacheng asked her name, her age, and how many people she still had at home.

The tall woman had been rejected once three days ago. When she heard this now, her eyes brightened, and she understood that this meant she had been selected. Slightly excited, she said, “My name is Xu Chengmei. I’m thirty-one. I still have my parents at home.”

Tao Dacheng asked again, “For now, there’s no other work available. There’s only work laying city walls at the construction site. Are you willing to do it?”

Xu Chengmei hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded. In the past, she really would not have looked twice at construction-site work. It was bitter and exhausting, and the wages were low. But Zhaoge was different. Although the wages were about the same as outside, as long as she crossed the line of Zhaoge’s city gate, she could enjoy the spiritual qi of the spiritual vein. Even if she had to pay money in exchange for spiritual qi, it would still be worth it.

…

In Zhaoge’s inner valley, inside the small residence.

The once-a-week meeting began again.

Unlike before, this time there were two extra seats at the meeting table, reserved for the sisters Tie Di and Gang Qin. What was more, they had arrived earlier than everyone else, seemingly after being personally notified by the employer.

The moment Qiu Ping’an entered and saw the two sisters sitting there, he felt the blisters in his mouth hurt even more. He turned back and gave Guo Qianshan a look, but Guo Qianshan only shook his head and sat down in his usual seat as before.

After everyone was seated, Chi Yixuan came out from inside. Then came everyone’s weekly work report. According to Ma Hongxuan, this was called reporting on one’s duties.

The first to speak was naturally Zhaoge’s current chief steward, Qiu Ping’an. As usual, he reported Zhaoge’s income and expenses for the week, his tone slightly excited as he said that they had saved ten percent in expenses compared to the previous two weeks.

The main reason was that Zhaoge now had the spiritual vein to harmonize the environment. The temperature had fallen, and it was no longer as hot as before, so there was no need to buy water-generation talismans and Cold Ice Talismans anymore.

As for why they had only saved ten percent, that was because Qiu Ping’an had allocated part of the money to buying grain seeds, vegetable seeds, piglets, and lambs.

Ordinary vegetables could mature and be harvested in two months, while those that took longer would only take three or four months. But Zhaoge had a good spiritual vein. With the spiritual qi urging them along, the fast ones could be harvested in about ten days. Piglets and lambs were the same. They could be ready for slaughter in half the time compared to outside. By that calculation, perhaps Zhaoge would be able to become self-sufficient in the future.

Chi Yixuan understood Qiu Ping’an’s excitement. After all, when the livestock farm and farmland reclamation had begun, the game had given him two thousand points. He smiled and nodded at Qiu Ping’an, and only then did Qiu Ping’an sit down in satisfaction.

The order of duty reports was not fixed. After Qiu Ping’an sat down, Ren Rubi stood and reported a piece of good news to everyone.

“The seeds sown in the spiritual fields a few days ago have all sprouted!”

At this, smiles appeared on everyone’s faces, especially Guo Qianshan, Ma Hongxuan, Wan Tianyou, and the others among the original ten. They had followed the employer from the very beginning. Back then, Zhaoge had lacked everything, even food. Once, when a merchant caravan delivered a small bag of spiritual food, they had to strictly weigh every catty and calculate how many meals of rice porridge they could cook for the employer. Even with all that careful calculation, that bag of spiritual food was still eaten up very quickly.

Now their own home had a spiritual vein, as well as spiritual food seeds provided by the employer. They were looking forward to the day of harvest beyond measure.

When the time came, they would get some spirit beast meat too and prepare the employer a proper banquet!

The same thought emerged quite tacitly in the hearts of Ma Hongxuan and the others.

After Ren Rubi finished explaining her work, Guo Qianshan stood. He said, “The mystic armor beetles we are raising show no signs of laying eggs yet, but the shells they have shed produce armor plates no different from the original ones after being put into the Artifact Refining Workshop. They can still provide materials for the Artifact Refining Workshop.”

After he finished, he cupped his hands toward Chi Yixuan and requested permission to take a twenty-person team out of Zhaoge to a river region a hundred li away.

He said, “This subordinate has recently been reading the Record of All Things and discovered that there is a kind of yao beast there called the blue-striped turtle, which can also be used as material for armor.”

Chi Yixuan was a little concerned that capturing them in large numbers would damage the ecological balance. He had only just frowned slightly when he heard Guo Qianshan say, “These two months are the blue-striped turtles’ egg-laying season. This subordinate plans to bring back a batch of eggs and raise them.”

Chi Yixuan’s brow smoothed, and he nodded. “All right.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “It isn’t easy to spend the night outside. Bring more armor and medicinal pills before you leave. If there’s any difficulty, just go to Qiu Ping’an for approval.”

Guo Qianshan was slightly encouraged. “Yes.”

After Guo Qianshan sat, another person stood…

Watching from the side, the sisters Tie Di and Gang Qin were amazed. This was their first time attending a meeting in the small residence. They had originally thought it would only be Senior Chi’s subordinates discussing how to govern Zhaoge, while Senior Chi merely listened and watched. They had even thought that Senior Chi needed to focus on cultivation and might not care about these mundane affairs at all.

They had not expected that Senior Chi not only cared, but was very concerned. He listened attentively to every subordinate’s narration. Even if the content was extremely dull, he encouraged and even praised the accomplishments his subordinates had made, even if they were only tiny improvements…

And within this atmosphere, the two Tie Di sisters also felt that whether it was Senior Chi or these colleagues, all of them sincerely cared about Zhaoge’s future, and even sincerely cared about the antlike common people under Zhaoge’s rule.

The two sisters had never seen cultivators like this before, and for a time, they were both somewhat dazed. They had grown up in the Easternmost Continent, and since childhood, they had seen the cruelty of cultivators.

Perhaps it could not really be called cruelty. It was only that cultivators did not regard mortals as the same kind.

Just as mortals did not regard livestock as the same kind, so they ate the flesh and blood of livestock with relish. Who could blame someone as cold-blooded and cruel simply because they ate pork?

But livestock could not speak human words, could not become human, and did not have human appearances. Yet cultivators originally came from mortals. How could cultivators regard mortals as ants? Could it be that their hearts and mortal hearts were not the same color?

This realization had once left the two sisters lost and pained, as if they had sunk into a suffocating marsh. Only now, standing inside the small residence, did the two feel as if they had finally stood up from the marsh that had drowned them, able to gasp in great mouthfuls of air.

At first, they had thought Senior Chi was generous because there was a spiritual vein that had pleased him. Later, they had thought Senior Chi was generous because he treated Zhaoge as an amusing object.

But now, looking at Senior Chi seated at the head, they suddenly understood that all their past thoughts had been wrong. The reason Senior Chi treated so many mortals who were neither kin nor old friends with such kindness was because he regarded himself as a person equal to mortals.

The human heart changed easily. How many good people gradually changed their nature after rising to high positions? How many lowly people, after gaining power, turned ruthless and harmed the companions who had once shared hardship with them?

There was no need to mention cultivators. Even when mortals obtained a little power overnight, most of them became completely different people. Yet Senior Chi was already a Golden Core Perfected One, and still he remained humble and self-restrained. How transcendent must his character be?

Perhaps only a cultivator like this could be comparable to the legendary immortals and gods!

The two sisters exchanged a glance and saw the same meaning in each other’s eyes.

They had originally only treated Zhaoge as a temporary place to shelter. But after today’s assembly, a sense of belonging toward Zhaoge had unknowingly appeared in their hearts.

…

The small residence’s assembly, held once every seven days, usually ended within two hours. Before today’s assembly ended, Chi Yixuan said, “I’ll be making another trip to the Easternmost Continent these next few days. The return date is uncertain. If there’s anything you want, tell me. If there’s an opportunity, I’ll bring it back along the way.”

The hall was silent for an instant. A moment later, Ren Rubi spoke. “Employer, I heard that the Easternmost Continent has a kind of cotton called Moonlit Cotton. Cloth woven from it seems ordinary, but can absorb moonlight to aid cultivation. There happens to be an empty plot in the spiritual fields, and I think it would be very suitable for planting.”

The life-bound artifact promptly reminded him, [Moonlit Cotton plants are expensive. I recommend buying seeds.]

Chi Yixuan did not understand Moonlit Cotton very well, but since the life-bound artifact was reminding him this way, the seeds definitely would not cost many spirit stones. Besides, the Heavenly Garment Workshop was about to open, and the silk spat out by the ice silkworms was clearly not enough on its own. Planting some cotton for greater variety was also a good thing. Thus, he nodded in agreement.

Seeing that no one else had anything to say, he waved a hand. “All right. Go back to work, everyone!”

Everyone bowed and withdrew.

After everyone left, Guo Qianshan suddenly heard an unfamiliar call from behind him. He and the people beside him turned back and saw the two Tie Di sisters walking forward with smiles. “Brother Guo, I hear you are the lord Left Envoy of Zhaoge’s Xuanyuan Guard. You must have extraordinary strength. May we sisters have the honor of exchanging a few moves with you?”

Guo Qianshan was somewhat stunned. Qiu Ping’an’s expression turned very ugly. He felt that these two were deliberately provoking them. He desperately winked at Guo Qianshan, but unexpectedly, Guo Qianshan did not see it at all and even accepted the sisters’ invitation. Qiu Ping’an was immediately frantic. He hurriedly poked Ma Hongxuan and Fan Huilan, then said in a low voice, “You’re just going to watch?”

Fan Huilan was taken aback. “What else should we do?”

Ma Hongxuan looked at him in confusion.

Wan Tianyou, on the other hand, felt the same way. After all, as the Right Envoy of the Xuanyuan Guard, his new recruits had recently been unable to hold the line, and they had to rely on the two sisters to guard the new city gate. He had lost a lot of face, and at the same time, he felt that the sisters had stolen his spotlight. He voiced a dark suspicion. “Maybe they want to seize the position of Xuanyuan Left Envoy… Wait, there are two of them…”

Wan Tianyou’s sense of crisis abruptly emerged. “It’s over. They definitely want to seize both the Left and Right Envoy positions!”

He grabbed Ma Hongxuan and Fan Huilan with both hands and, at the same time, stretched out one foot to hook the bewildered Lu Wuxing over as well. In a low voice, he said, “We’re family. All of you have to help me and Big Brother Guo! We absolutely can’t let those two sisters win!”

Ma Hongxuan felt that they were overthinking it. “It’s only exchanging a few moves. It’s nothing.”

Qiu Ping’an was so worried that sweat appeared on his forehead. “They’re both at the sixth level of Qi Refining. What if they beat Brother Guo and say Brother Guo’s virtue doesn’t match his position, and that they want to become the Xuanyuan Guard’s Left Envoy themselves?”

Fan Huilan’s expression turned cold. “They’ve only just arrived. They dare be that arrogant?”

Ma Hongxuan still felt that they were overthinking. “The Xuanyuan Guard’s work is exhausting and plentiful. They have to go out every day in the wind and sun. If they want to seize a position, why not seize Qiu Ping’an’s?”

Wan Tianyou blurted out, “Isn’t Qiu Ping’an’s job just an old nanny’s work? Not only is it tiring, it’s also worrying. They aren’t stupid.”

At these words, Qiu Ping’an’s face instantly darkened.

Ma Hongxuan helped him hit Wan Tianyou twice. His initial view could not help but be led astray by them, but a moment later, he shook his head again. “It won’t go that far. The Left and Right Envoys of the Xuanyuan Guard were personally appointed by the employer.”

“What if the employer agreed to let them issue the challenge?”

These words, which had abruptly cut in, made the few people gathered face-to-face in a circle fall silent.

Ma Hongxuan choked for a moment before saying, “Wuxing, don’t say such terrifying things.”

Wan Tianyou was very annoyed. “You’re a jinx, not a crow’s beak. Don’t talk nonsense!”

Ren Rubi silently covered Lu Wuxing’s mouth.

“If that is the case, I will voluntarily step down.” At some point, Guo Qianshan had walked over to their side and inserted this sentence.

Everyone looked at him. Qiu Ping’an was so anxious that he almost started spinning in circles. “That isn’t the only thing we have to worry about now. Those sisters brought quite a few people with them, and several of them are at the third level of Qi Refining. After they seize Brother Guo’s and Brother Wan’s positions, next they’ll definitely start placing their own sisters and brothers into positions. All of us will be finished!”

Seeing his anxiety, Fan Huilan instead calmed down. She patted him and said, “Brother Ping’an, don’t worry over nothing. Maybe it’s just like Brother Ma said, and this is only an ordinary spar?”

Ren Rubi also said, “What kind of person is the employer? If he really wanted that pair of sisters to replace Big Brother Guo and Brother Wan, why would he have to take such a roundabout path? I think Sister Fan is right.”

Compared with these people’s worries, Guo Qianshan did not take it to heart. “Those two sisters have higher cultivation than I do. They should have been sitting in this position to begin with. Have you all forgotten? Everything we have now was given to us by the employer.”

That was right. Everything they had now was given to them by the employer. Without the employer, they would long since have become a handful of yellow earth. Now that people with greater strength had appeared, they should have supported them so they could share the employer’s burdens together. Yet now, here they were worrying that the sisters would gain more of the employer’s favor, worrying that they would steal their positions… In the future, if someone even more capable and virtuous appeared, would they suppress them and refuse to let them rise just for the sake of their own status?

For a time, some were ashamed, and some fell deep into thought… This place fell quiet once more.

Qiu Ping’an had been the most anxious one just now, and now he was so ashamed that he wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground.

The group spoke a little longer, sorted out their feelings, and only then slowly made their way to the drill ground.

When they arrived, the sisters and Guo Qianshan had already taken their stances.

A ring of people had gathered nearby. They were not valley residents watching the excitement. After all, they were all busy laying the city walls, and no one had the time to run over to the drill ground.

Those gathered there were the new recruits of the Xuanyuan Guard. They had originally been training on the drill ground, but when they heard that the Left Envoy was going to compete with the Tie Di sisters, they could not hold back and all stopped to watch.

When they saw Qiu Ping’an and the others arrive, they even greeted them one after another.

This batch of new recruits had all been selected from the first thousand people who had entered Zhaoge. Back then, Qiu Ping’an and the others had personally handled everything in Zhaoge. Many people had received their care, so naturally, they were especially close to them.

Qiu Ping’an and the others, however, could not smile. Their expressions were faintly grave.

Tie Di was the first to step onto the field. On the drill ground neatly paved with stone slabs, she took out a flute and began to play. The sound of the flute was clear and ringing, yet contained a killing air. Spiritual qi hid within the notes, like a flying arrow shooting toward Guo Qianshan. Guo Qianshan’s expression did not change. He drew the Ghost-Slaying Saber and swept it out horizontally. The saber edge was piercingly cold, as if even the wind would be cut apart by this slash.

After cutting off Tie Di’s attack with that slash, Guo Qianshan lifted his foot and stepped forward. His figure shot toward Tie Di like an arrow loosed from the string.

At first, the new recruits were only watching the excitement, but later, the more they watched, the more entranced they became. The more they watched, the more shocked they were. They had always felt that the Left Envoy was powerful, but they had not expected him to be this powerful.

Tie Di was also somewhat shocked. Although Guo Qianshan’s cultivation was two levels lower than hers, once they truly fought, she actually found him somewhat difficult to handle.

Tie Di therefore stopped holding back and used all her strength to circle around him.

Meanwhile, in the small residence not far away, Chi Yixuan was also paying attention to this match.

He knew nothing about Qiu Ping’an and the others’ worries. After all, he did not have time to pay attention to what these employees thought and said in private. But when the match began, the life-bound artifact reminded him that there was a real-life fighting match to watch, and he immediately clicked into it with impatient eagerness.

Chi Yixuan’s practical combat experience could not be considered abundant, but in the end, his realm was there. He could still very easily see the depth of the two fighters’ abilities.

After watching for a moment, he commented, “Guo Qianshan has more practical combat experience. His Ghost-Slaying Saber is of better quality, and he’s using his full strength. Tie Di has higher cultivation, but her practical combat is a little weaker, and her life-bound artifact doesn’t seem like one mainly focused on killing either. It’s hard to say who will win this match.”

Ever since he had truly stepped onto the path of cultivation, Chi Yixuan had understood that the novel trope of defeating stronger opponents across levels was pure nonsense.

He had merely advanced to Foundation Establishment, yet he had automatically comprehended many things he had never come into contact with before. It was easy to imagine just how rich the skills possessed by cultivators after Golden Core and Nascent Soul would be. Under these circumstances, high-realm cultivators were destined to be able to predict the abilities of low-realm cultivators. It would be strange if they lost.

But Tie Di and Guo Qianshan were both in the Qi Refining stage. The difference between the two had not crossed an entire realm, so the outcome was hard to say.

At first, Chi Yixuan had also thought that flute was Tie Di’s life-bound artifact. But as he watched, he sensed something unusual and could not help raising his brows. “So she really is guarding against something. That flute is a disguised product. Who knows what Tie Di’s true life-bound artifact is.”

He poured a cup of tea and watched slowly. Very quickly, he saw some other clues. In name, Tie Di was sparring with Guo Qianshan, but in reality, she was using the excuse of the match to give Guo Qianshan guidance. Of course, what she was guiding was not practical combat experience, but the use of spiritual power.

Guo Qianshan himself was within the match, so naturally, his feelings were even deeper. Very quickly, the sharpness between his brows lessened somewhat, while the fighting spirit in his eyes instead grew stronger and stronger. In the end, he actually broke through on the spot.

When the vortex of surging spiritual qi appeared at the center of the drill ground, the onlookers burst into cheers.

Guo Qianshan had advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining! And it had not even been two months since he had advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refining. Advancing by one level within two months! Before this, no one had dared imagine such a good thing! This was the middle stage of Qi Refining!

After their surprise, Ma Hongxuan and the others could not help feeling happy for him. One person went forward excitedly and hugged him. The new recruits of the Xuanyuan Guard thought this was some kind of ceremony and also rushed up to hug him. As they hugged him, someone even shouted loudly, “Let me through, let me through! Let me soak up a bit of that breakthrough luck too!”

At this moment, they were not the slightest bit afraid of this normally cold Lord Left Envoy. They surrounded him so tightly that not even water could pass through. Before Guo Qianshan could feel the joy of advancement, he was swallowed up by the crowd.

When he finally emerged, his expression looked even uglier than before his advancement.

The two Tie Di sisters stepped forward to congratulate him. Ma Hongxuan cupped his hands and bowed to them. “Thank you both for giving Brother Guo pointers. This time, we have also benefited greatly.”

There was still some shame on Ma Hongxuan’s face. Previously, they had indeed judged noble hearts by petty standards.

The Tie Di sisters exchanged a glance and said, “In that case, are we qualified enough to serve as instructors for the Xuanyuan Guard?”

Ma Hongxuan was slightly taken aback, and Qiu Ping’an and the others were also stunned for a moment. A moment later, everyone came back to themselves, and then there was a burst of great joy. They warmly surrounded the two sisters in the middle and invited them to eat together in celebration.

Because Fan Huilan and Ren Rubi were women as well, they even moved closer to put their arms around them and told jokes to make the young sisters happy. This was both gratitude and an apology for their earlier little thoughts.

Chi Yixuan knew nothing of these people’s earlier conflict. All he saw was the harmonious scene of his employees getting along like one loving family, and he could not help sighing with emotion. “My Zhaoge really is a place with excellent feng shui. Everyone gets along so well!”

The life-bound artifact: …

Chi Yixuan packed up his belongings and prepared to use the teleportation gate to go to the Easternmost Continent. “This trip, I’ll see if there are any business opportunities. Along the way, I’ll buy some Moonlit Cotton seeds, then see if there are any spirit beasts I can bring to Zhaoge to raise… Hmm, by the time I get back, those two brothers should have dug out the things in the sewer system, right?”

Chi Yixuan made his plans and felt doubly satisfied, but he was also worried that he might have missed something, so he asked the life-bound artifact whether it had anything to add.

The life-bound artifact was quiet for a moment, then said gently, [I have a prophecy. This time, you will also accidentally buy many spiritual food snacks.]

Chi Yixuan: …

Expressionless, he said, “Your prophecy is inaccurate.”

The life-bound artifact: ???

Chi Yixuan laughed wildly. “This time, I’m deliberately going to buy spiritual food snacks! Hahaha, didn’t expect that, did you?”

The life-bound artifact: …

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