Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 14.14. All is in accordance with the will of Heaven.
The library.

Manager Tang paused for a moment, then lowered his voice, his face darkening, and said grimly, "Something's fishy."

A look of doubt flashed in Song Chen's eyes.

A hint of doubt flashed in Steward Tang's eyes.

Song Chen stared at him in astonishment.

Manager Tang coughed twice and said, "I thought my junior brother would be scared. After all, many newcomers have been scared over the years. I had a friend who was so scared that he exclaimed, 'There really is a ghost!'"

Song Chen had already seen things like the "Book of Three Lifetimes," so he wasn't alarmed by the existence of ghosts in the world.

Manager Tang composed himself and sighed, "Those four fellow disciples are all dead. It was their deaths that allowed Master Tian Kuizi to discover the existence of ghosts. The master only warned us not to go north. As for the rest, it's probably not something we can worry about."

However, junior brother, you don't need to worry.

Ghosts are terrifying to ordinary people, but for cultivators like us, they can still be slain with a single sword strike using spiritual energy.

Song Chen chatted casually and asked about the surrounding area, and Steward Tang answered all his questions.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

Song Chen was quite satisfied with this atmosphere.

After all, who wouldn't want to cultivate themselves in a kind and peaceful environment?

As the two were chatting, a man dressed in a white robe with the inscription "Immortal Guard" suddenly entered the hall from a distance and said respectfully, "Manager Tang, there is a general outside who requests an audience with Immortal Master Song. The general says he is an old friend of Immortal Master Song and calls himself Wang Xiongchuan."

Manager Tang glanced at Song Chen.

Song Chen nodded.

Manager Tang smiled and said, "Then Junior Brother, go ahead and get busy."

Song Chen stood up and left with the immortal talisman guard.

The Celestial Guards perform basic guard duties at Jinxia Mountain.

Those who can guard such a blessed land must at least be guards who can use the power of immortal talismans, and not guards with swords.

Led by him, Song Chen soon arrived at a secluded stone house at the foot of the mountain where guests could meet.

General Wang was still wearing his black soft armor, but the smell of alcohol on him was gone, and his short beard was neatly trimmed. The moment he saw Song Chen, he rushed over and then knelt down on the ground, shouting, "Brother Song, Brother Song, if you don't come out, I...I really don't know what to do."

His tiger-like eyes were actually filled with tears.

Song Chen helped him up and asked in surprise, "Spring has already arrived this year. Brother Wang will be going to the northern frontier with General Que, right? Why have you come here in the midst of your busy schedule?"

Wang Xiongchuan said, "General Que suddenly tightened discipline, forbidding anyone from returning to the capital, including me. I can't even go to the capital for drinks, so I can't even go home."

Song Chen said, "Then why didn't you make arrangements earlier, Brother Wang?"

Wang Xiongchuan pounded his head in frustration and said, "I drank too much."

Song Chen asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Wang Xiongchuan said directly, "I'm not confident I'll come back alive. I hope Brother Song can take care of my family as a way of repaying him."

He gritted his teeth, took out a token and a letter from his pocket, and respectfully handed them over.

Song Chen didn't take it, but glanced at the token. Its upper edge had a pattern of blazing furnace fire, and the words "Forging Guild" were engraved in the center.

Wang Xiongchuan said, "To be honest, Brother Song, I got this generalship by buying my position. At first, I was quite happy, but I never thought that one day I would have to lead a group of cannon fodder to their deaths."

Now, I deeply regret it.

Originally, I was the leader of the Forging Gang in the southern part of the imperial capital.

Even the most mundane things like tea, rice, oil, and salt have their own factions.

To put it simply, the Forging Gang is a gang formed by a group of people who forge weapons.

After becoming a general, I made good use of my connections to bring in a lot of business for my brothers, and they respected me a lot.

However, I don't know what will happen to the blacksmithing gang or my family after I go there.

Therefore, I hope Brother Song can take over this token.

With this token and this handwritten note, I am now the leader of the Forging Gang. I only ask that Brother Song take care of my family.

Song Chen took the token of the leader of the Forging Gang, looked at it repeatedly, and thought to himself, "If the First Madam wants to revitalize the Que family's Crane Mansion lineage, then having more people who forge weapons would be good. This thing can be considered a reward."

After thinking for a moment, Song Chen said, "I can accept the token, but I need to cultivate and cannot personally manage the Forging Gang."

Wang Xiongchuan said, "Brother Song is now a Celestial Master, so naturally cultivation is his priority. I am already satisfied that you are willing to accept the token."

After another conversation, Song Chen saw Wang Xiongchuan off.

Wang Xiongchuan left dejectedly, far less arrogant and domineering than he had been in the cannon fodder camp.

Originally, Song Chen should have been in that cannon fodder battalion as well.

Time has passed and things have changed; it was all earned through desperate struggle.

But if he could, he wouldn't want to risk his life again.

Three days later, Zhang Yi walked out of the cave and was quite surprised to learn that Song Chen had actually broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm three days ago.

Half a month later, Zhong Xu rushed to the cultivation hall, almost at the end of the fourth month. Upon asking, he learned that Song Chen and Zhang Yi had already broken through to the next realm, and he felt disheartened.

This time, Steward Tang didn't mention "Que Tan'er" again. Instead, he pointed directly to the wooden slip in the distance and said, "Cultivation resources are limited. If you want them, have a competition." Zhang Yi looked at Song Chen, and Song Chen looked at Zhong Xu. The three of them immediately established a rule: each of them would compete in one match. The one who could defeat the two would choose first, and the remaining two would be assigned according to their wins and losses.

Of course, we'll see if everyone wins and loses once.

To maintain the bond between the fellow disciples, the competition is decided by tree branches, with the first to hit the opponent winning.

In the first match, Song Chen faced off against Zhang Yi.

Although it was just a tree branch, Zhang Yi's tree branch was far more terrifying. As soon as he used it, it spread out a sky full of tree shadows. Zhang Yi himself was like a madman. Song Chen was suppressed and almost lost the fight. He had to secretly add some strength to win by force.

On the open ground where the dueling ground was set up, Song Chen's tree branch was perched precariously around Zhang Yi's neck, while Zhang Yi's was still an inch away from his brow.

"Senior Brother Zhang is so strong."

"I've spent too much time in the martial world and have mastered a few more techniques, but I'm still no match for Junior Brother Song. I've lost."

In the second match, after resting and recovering, Song Chen faced Zhong Xu.

To his surprise, Zhong Xu actually overpowered him, even making him feel like he couldn't breathe.

Helpless, he secretly added more force and won again by brute force.

Because of the ability of the [Book of Three Lifetimes] to conceal his aura, he has now permanently imbued himself with the power of the Devouring Crane.

At this moment, Zhong Xu cupped his hands and said self-deprecatingly, "It's funny to say, but I have been studying the Zhong family since I was a child and have finally grasped the three levels of meaning. I thought I was sure to win the battle against my peers, but I didn't expect that Senior Brother Song is still one step ahead. I admire you, Junior Brother."

After winning both battles, Song Chen naturally took the supernatural power that could greatly enhance combat skills – [Golden Edge].

The remaining opponents are Zhang Yi and Zhong Xu.

To Song Chen's surprise, the winner was Zhong Xu.

However, he could also see that Zhong Xu won because of the rules.

Zhong Xu's swordsmanship is more refined, while Zhang Yi's is more ferocious and full of killing intent. If it were a life-or-death battle, the winner would most likely be Zhang Yi.

The three exchanged greetings and then returned to their respective caves to continue their cultivation.

Half a month later, Song Chen was slowly absorbing the [Golden Edge] supernatural power from the jade slip, while continuing to cultivate by circulating the "Tai Bai Golden Gang Technique" to gather qi, when he suddenly heard footsteps coming towards his cave in the distance.

He concealed the power of the marrow-devouring demon crane.

After a moment, the footsteps stopped in front of his cave, hesitating and pacing back and forth before finally knocking on the door.

A sweet voice came from behind the door.

"Is Senior Brother Song here?"

Song Chen opened the door.

Outside the door, Que Tan'er fiddled with her long hair that fell from her left shoulder while biting her lip and looking at the young man opposite her. When the door opened, she said softly, "The He family really hit the jackpot. If I had known that Senior Brother Song was so powerful, I would have told my father that I must snatch Senior Brother Song away."

Song Chen smiled and welcomed her in.

He could tell that Que Tan'er had come specifically to make her acquaintance.

Before he came to Jinxia Mountain, he only had potential.

Zhong Xu and Que Tan'er were polite to him on the surface, but they were not convinced in their hearts.

And now, he has demonstrated his strength.

He had already left Que Tan'er behind.

The two chatted for a long time before Que Tan'er took out a token from her bosom and handed it to Song Chen, saying, "I am a member of the Baitang lineage of the Que clan. The Baitang lineage is the largest lineage in the Que clan besides the main family."

This token is a VIP token; my family has only issued five in total, and this is the fifth. The person holding this token is a distinguished guest of my Bai Tang lineage.

I know Madam Pei Qianxue wants to revitalize the manor; with this token, my family can help.

Song Chen accepted the token and thanked him.

Que Tan'er smiled sweetly before turning and leaving.

Three months later.

Song Chen completely absorbed the supernatural power [Golden Edge], and at the same time, he quietly raised his cultivation level to the third stage of Qi Gathering.

He concealed the strength of the Marrow-Eating Crane Demon and the Qi Gathering Realm 3, only revealing the power of the Qi Gathering Realm 1.

He went ahead to wait in front of Zhong Xu's door, hoping to obtain his jade slip containing the [Sword Intent] technique. With the Sword Intent supernatural power, he could completely transform the intent he had comprehended into sword intent.

The mountain path was steep, but Song Chen moved like a swallow or a monkey, sometimes soaring through the air and sometimes stepping on the mountain peaks. However, since he had not practiced the sword escape technique, he could not fly on a sword.

A gentle breeze blows, spring is drawing to a close.

The lush greenery of the mountains is a delight to behold.

Song Chen's thoughts drifted slightly away.

General Que should have already led his army north.

Although this matter seemed quite distant to him, General Que was currently the most powerful figure in his life. Naturally, he hoped that General Que would win, win a great victory!

He seemed to be able to manage his own little territory with ease, but at the national level, he was still nothing more than a speck of dust.

P.S.: Today's update was unexpected; tomorrow's update will be the normal 5 PM.

(End of this chapter)