Chapter 44: The Bystander is Confused

"What does my... what does my He Mountain Sect's foundation have to do with that Longhu Mountain?"

Chen Ci was half-doubting; could this fat man be trying to play him?

Though he thought this in his heart, he still handed over the last Soul Fixing Talisman: "Could Longhu Mountain possibly interfere in the affairs of our main altar? Junior Brother Ding, you might as well speak plainly."

"Of course they can't, but Longhu Mountain can ruin things. After all, the Liang Kingdom still holds Longhu Mountain in the highest regard."

Ding Jiang spread his hands: "To give a simple example, if you and I, brothers, encountered an unknown, powerful enemy, who would go up to scout the enemy first?"

"Naturally, it would be this elder brother."

Chen Ci wore a look of righteousness: "The bond between us brothers is deep; naturally, I would protect you firmly."

But whether he would protect him from the front or from behind, that was hard to say.

Uh.

This suddenly left Ding Jiang speechless; the words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, unable to come out for a long time, until finally, only one sentence remained: "Senior Brother is truly righteous."

"You are too kind, Junior Brother, it is only right."

Ding Jiang: "..." This guy... he really has no shame!

But since things had reached this point, Ding Jiang could only clear his throat and continue: "But the high-merit Daoists of Longhu Mountain won't think that way. They patrol everywhere and reorganize the local areas; all local cultivators must respond to their summons."

"Junior Brother, what do you mean?"

Chen Ci felt a sense of foreboding; this seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined.

"Exactly."

Ding Jiang nodded: "If there are strange and eerie occurrences, if they can be easily removed, then so be it. Otherwise, the high-merit Daoists of Longhu Mountain have always driven local cultivators to take the lead."

Chen Ci: "..."

"If it were just rogue cultivators, it would be fine; they could just turn around and leave, and Longhu Mountain wouldn't bother to pursue it. But for anyone with a bit of a foundation, not one can escape."

Ding Jiang also shook his head: "They don't allow anyone to stand by and watch the fun without contributing."

Chen Ci thought for a moment and said righteously: "I have urgent business and am going on a long journey; wouldn't that work?"

"They might not remember who contributed, but they will definitely remember who didn't. If you dare not respond to the summons, your entire household will be confiscated."

Ding Jiang looked at Chen Ci: "As for Senior Brother's foundation, let's put it this way: all your cultivation resources would certainly be gone. Once those high-merit Daoists report the details upward, stating that the Deacon of Changping County failed to hold his post and neglected his duties, the main altar would likely not refuse to give them face. They might just replace you with another Apprentice to take charge."

Chen Ci: "..." This, this, this—this script isn't right, is it?

Ding Jiang looked full of good intentions and said earnestly: "A foundation is a foundation; only what you can stand firm on is a foundation. However, since Senior Brother is out to clear his mind, I don't have much else here, but I do have two or three empty rooms. Given Senior Brother's deep affection just now, staying for ten or eight years would be no problem at all."

Chen Ci: "..."

"I just remembered that I have some Daoist robes hanging out to dry back at the temple that I haven't collected yet, so I won't disturb you any further, Junior Brother."

Chen Ci stood up to take his leave. After hearing what this fat man said, he had come to his senses; it was likely just as he had said—if he didn't go back now, his home might be gone.

"Why don't you stay for a simple meal before leaving, Senior Brother Chen?"

Ding Jiang politely urged him to stay, his face full of brotherly affection.

This dead fat man...

Chen Ci waved his hand and left in a hurry. Ding Jiang followed him for a few steps before stopping.

"If this Chen fellow is really dismissed, I could try to maneuver... sigh, there's still not much hope. Unless Teacher attains the Upper Grade Dao Foundation and becomes a True Inheritor of the He Mountain Sect, a second-rate Apprentice like me can't hold down the fort."

Ding Jiang rubbed his chin, and after a long while, he sighed.

His cultivation is too low, he has no value, and he can't even pull off a bluff; it's difficult.

"I was also naive. Such an obvious truth, yet I didn't think it through, still hoping I could cultivate peacefully behind the backs of Longhu Mountain's cultivators."

Chen Ci was half-bitter, half-self-mocking. His Sanyin Temple only paid tribute to the He Mountain Sect's main altar; Longhu Mountain hadn't tasted a single bit of sweetness, yet he expected them to provide manpower and effort to protect his property... he had been thinking too wishfully.

If it were him, without being offered a hundred or eighty catties of Five Elements Divine Sand, he wouldn't even take a second look.

The foundation of Sanyin Temple must not be lost.

Judging by his experiences these past few days, without a stable status and property to support his cultivation, everything he did would yield half the result with twice the effort. Let alone Longevity, he would likely find it difficult even to attain a Lower Grade Dao Foundation.

The journey that took over two days, Chen Ci forced himself to complete in two days.

Once he returned to Sanyin Temple and saw his three cheap Apprentices, confirming that no major events had occurred in the past half-month and no strange cultivators had come looking for him, Chen Ci finally let out a long, slow breath.

"I read too many 'cautious' novels in my past life, always thinking about hiding, always thinking about dodging. But no one is a fool; how could there be so many easy advantages to take?"

"You think about retreating behind the crowd, but others are thinking about pushing you to the front."

Chen Ci bathed and changed his clothes, washing away his exhaustion. He looked at the Black Jade Rice seedlings in the backyard, which were already an arm's length long, and shook his head in silence.

Those with permanent property have a permanent heart; this is the same reason why sects bestow Spirit Fields and cave dwellings upon their Apprentices.

"Annoying~"

"According to this, once the high-merit Daoists of Longhu Mountain arrive in Changping County, they will definitely summon all the cultivators in the county first, and then go together to resolve the strange and eerie occurrences at Qingquan Village."

Chen Ci was somewhat uneasy, but being uneasy was useless. He simply practiced his sword techniques in the courtyard several times. Unless he truly abandoned this foundation of the He Mountain Sect to become a rogue cultivator, he would face this sooner or later.

If it wasn't a summons from Longhu Mountain, there would likely be one from the He Mountain Sect. The great immortal sects don't recruit Apprentices to let them enjoy themselves; when there is trouble, they really have to go.

Fortunately, he was not entirely without the power to protect himself.

Sanyin Qi-Eating Method: 32/100

Stone Lock Hunyuan Art: 71/100

Five Yin Evil Qi Bag: Seven-fold Prohibition/2/100

Yin Horse Pagoda Lock: Two-fold Prohibition/1/5

Basic Sword Technique: Great Success/34/100

Chen Ci held the Spirit Iron Short Sword, performed a high-difficulty sword maneuver, and then stood firmly. The muscles all over his body tightened into a mass, full of power.

To be honest, the Stone Lock Hunyuan Art and the Basic Sword Technique did not have much benefit for his True Qi cultivation. They might be somewhat helpful in duels between cultivators, but it was hard to say to what extent.

However, strong tendons, bones, and muscles, along with faster reaction times, brought about greater mobility.

It wasn't him boasting, but compared to when he first arrived, his speed had increased by more than twenty percent. If he were to run away or perform a tactical retreat, he could be even three-tenths faster.

For this point alone, the energy and sweat expended were not in vain.

Chen Ci had even designed multiple combat combinations for himself.

If he were forced to attack Qingquan Village, the skill combination he envisioned would be like this:

First, summon a layer of the Yin Horse Pagoda formation, using charge and stomp skills from a distance to clear out the cannon fodder.

While exerting effort, he could also slack off and feign weakness to the enemy.

Next is the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag.

If the enemy attacks, one strand of Five Yin Black Evil strikes the enemy, four strands of Five Yin Black Evil provide interference, and the final two strands of Five Yin Black Evil protect his own body to maintain sufficient distance.

If he still cannot win, he would summon another Yin Horse to carry him away, though if it reached that point, it would likely be hopeless.

As for sword techniques, those are the final means of a desperate struggle when someone catches up.

A counter-kill, or being killed.

His methods are too few; he has barely managed to scrape together four types of means: long-range attrition, crowd control, displacement, and melee combat. Although the combination is reasonably sound, his actual offense and defense have yet to take shape.

However, for now, this is all he can use.

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself."

Chen Ci withdrew his gaze from the Gold Finger panel and sighed; he should practice a bit more, as it might truly save his life at a critical moment.

(End of chapter)