Chapter 14: Shu Daoren

Jinque City, Chishao Town.

A running banquet is currently being held within the town.

Gongs and drums are sounding in unison on the streets, and crowds are surging.

Children are happily acting as atmosphere-builders around a large courtyard in exchange for candy.

The owner of the large courtyard, who is also a wealthy man in this town and calls himself Shu Daoren, is celebrating his seventieth birthday.

He sits upright in the main room, which has all three doors open, receiving congratulations from relatives, friends, and clansmen.

Those with close relationships or deep backgrounds can go inside the house to drink tea after offering their congratulations.

Those with ordinary relationships or ordinary backgrounds tactfully exit the courtyard after giving their gifts to eat at the running banquet.

Outside the large courtyard, over a dozen middle-aged wealthy men in luxurious and extraordinary clothing gather in the attic of a restaurant, staring at the movements in the courtyard with rather complex expressions.

"This Shu Daoren's display is getting bigger and bigger."

"He was originally just a cook for our Ma family; I don't know how much luck he accumulated from his ancestors to actually make something of himself!"

A middle-aged man with a slender build, who appears to be the leader of this group of wealthy men, says with a somewhat angry tone:

"Now he is even reaching out to touch our land and property; this is simply challenging the Order of our Chishao Town!"

"Exactly, this Shu Daoren has become more and more excessive these years, relying on those big rats."

Several people beside the middle-aged man immediately echoed: "Our Chishao Town cannot allow such a rampant person to exist!"

"Since everyone has come, you must have made up your minds regarding the proposal from last time!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was sufficient, the middle-aged man from the Ma family, who was the leader, began to get to the point.

They are all landlords and local tyrants who have operated in Chishao Town for many years.

The leading Ma family even has people serving in the official capacity of Jinque City for generations, so when everyone has matters to attend to, they often have the Ma family take the lead.

Their family, looking at the history of Water Blue Star, can already be called a family of local gentry.

It is just that this Order, which they see as stable and beautiful, was broken with the return of the elderly Shu Daoren to his hometown.

This Shu Daoren is not a Cultivator, nor does he have the status of an Immortal Sect, yet he has the skill to control rat swarms.

And those rats, while not transcendent, are far more ferocious and powerful than normal rats.

This caused these local snakes to have a significant amount of their interests snatched away by this strong dragon for a time! In recent years, Shu Daoren's clansmen have also frequently engaged in jealousy and brawls with the younger generation of other families.

It is no wonder that this gradually aroused public anger, allowing the Ma family to find an opportunity to plan to join forces to deal with this person, taking advantage of the fact that the other party's extravagant behavior once again caused dissatisfaction among the crowd.

Their method is not clever, but it is very effective.

It is for the Ma family to take the lead, have each family donate a sum of wealth, and have the Ma family find a few martial artists or even Loose Cultivators in Jinque City to challenge or ambush that Shu Daoren.

The middle-aged man of the Ma family listens as the wealthy men beside him one by one express their agreement to donate a certain amount of wealth.

The corners of his mouth cannot help but curl up, and there is even a trace of smugness in his heart.

In fact, as the largest local gentry in Chishao Town, their Ma family only needs to have their trump card—a retainer—take action to suppress Shu Daoren's arrogant aura.

No matter how capable Shu Daoren is, he is only a Side-Door Path that is not in the mainstream; ordinary people might not be able to find a way, but consulting a Cultivator would easily find a way to break it.

It is just that one's own trump card cannot be used easily; if it is used easily, what kind of trump card is it? And if it is used just like that, how can they make money?

The leader of the Ma family has already calculated the accounts in his heart.

The money put up by his own family and his confidants will be returned in full.

As for the money from other families, three-tenths will be taken to find relatives in the city to help, and the remaining seven-tenths will be his family's hard-earned fee.

Do not think that a seven-tenths hard-earned fee is too much.

Even with this, many people want to spend this money to find a way but cannot find one!

"Everyone, please wait a moment. I brought a bottle of good wine from Jinque City these past few days, and I will drink it with everyone now!" The middle-aged man of the Ma family is very satisfied; with a glance, he prepares to have his confidant bring out the prepared wine.

Suddenly!

The exclamations from the street caught the attention of these wealthy men.

They crowded to the window and widened their eyes to see a luxurious carriage, which one could tell at a glance they could not afford, slowly moving from the street entrance, pulled by four pure white, tall horses.

The crowds celebrating Shu Daoren's birthday along the way spontaneously parted like a tide meeting a reef, clearing the road.

Even the most ignorant villagers could tell from the decorations of the carriage and the tall horses pulling it that the noble person inside the carriage was indescribably noble!

"Hiss!"

As the carriage arrived at the gate of Shu Daoren's large courtyard and stopped.

The middle-aged man of the Ma family, who had been to Jinque City, gasped; he recognized what the decorations on the carriage meant.

"It is the Inspector of Jinque City!"

"That Cultivator who came down from the Immortal Sect to enjoy life!"

"He... how could such a noble existence come to visit this Shu Daoren!"

The middle-aged man of the Ma family muttered to himself, hoping in his heart that the other party was just passing by, or simply had a grudge against Shu Daoren! However, very quickly, as a servant following the carriage carried a gift box into the large courtyard and explained the purpose of the visit to Shu Daoren and the others who were hurriedly standing up, and had the reception protocol call out the gift list.

The middle-aged man of the Ma family and the rest of the local wealthy men who heard it clearly were all shocked, feeling their hands and feet go cold, and looks of panic appeared on their faces.

How did this Shu Daoren get involved with a real Immortal Sect Cultivator? The key is that this Cultivator... is that Inspector of Jinque City! Theoretically speaking, he is their direct superior! The middle-aged man of the Ma family's face changed wildly; he stopped drinking, turned his head, scanned the wealthy men attending the meeting fiercely, and whispered: "As for today's matter, everyone should act as if it never happened!"

"Everyone is an old acquaintance; you should know that even an Inspector can at most make our Ma family suffer some damage to our vitality."

"But if the Ma family finds out who leaked the news, I don't think any family present can withstand our anger!"

…………

Shu Daoren stood at the courtyard gate on his own initiative, completely unaware that because of Su Ping's arrival, he had invisibly been spared a man-made disaster.

He looked with some panic and unease at Su Ping, who had stepped down from the carriage, looking handsome and refined with an otherworldly aura.

He hurriedly performed a grand salute and then welcomed Su Ping into the main room.

As soon as the two entered the main room, the door was tightly closed.

Shu Daoren's servants and Su Ping's servants spontaneously guarded the door, preventing outsiders from approaching.

Inside the room.

Su Ping stated his purpose directly.

This actually left Shu Daoren somewhat stunned.

It was not that he was reluctant to part with what he had learned; his meager rat-taming skills were not fit for the standards of a Cultivator.

He was merely surprised that such a Side-Door Path could be favored by an Immortal Sect Cultivator, and felt a little flattered! Shu Daoren took out the rat-training insights he had compiled himself.

He laid everything out for Su Ping, explaining that the origin of these skills was actually a separate stroke of fortune, obtained from the records of a predecessor in a mountain cave when he was young.

He practiced according to them, then spent the better part of his life fumbling and making improvements, which led to his current abilities.

Shu Daoren then demonstrated his methods for Su Ping.

Seeing this, Shu Daoren let out a whistle, and unexpectedly, over a hundred black-furred, red-eyed giant rats crawled out from rat holes, lining up and moving under Shu Daoren's command, just like a military formation.

Su Ping marveled at this and decided on the spot to recruit Shu Daoren to become his Guest Minister.

"Come to Jinque City and help me concoct that rat-strengthening potion of yours."

"Also, as for the title 'Shu Daoren'... let's change it."

(End of this chapter)