Cultivation: Starting from a Fighting Cock

Chapter 137 The Great Demon's Invitation
"You think the Zhao family of Bazhou has no one to rely on? Do you think I'm joking with you?"

The middle-aged swordsman stared expressionlessly at the three Chaotian Sect cultivators before him.

Ji Cheng was moved. It turned out that the main branch of the Zhao family had sent people long ago and had been secretly protecting the Zhao family without showing themselves.

Master Zhao's mouth dropped open, and he was stunned for a moment. This middle-aged swordsman was actually a member of the main branch of the Zhao family.
The cultivators scrutinized the middle-aged swordsman. He didn't look like a master at all; there was nothing about him that was memorable. His sword was also extremely ordinary, looking like a standard sword used by ordinary people.

People couldn't help but wonder, what level of cultivation did this person possess, and was he truly from the Zhao family of Bazhou?

"Since you are from the Zhao family of Bazhou, then you shall die!"

The long-faced cultivator surnamed Su acted decisively, grabbing at the middle-aged swordsman's throat with a claw.

The two cultivators beside him, one fat and one thin, also simultaneously launched a deadly attack on the middle-aged swordsman.

Swish!
A flash of sword light appeared, and all three of them stopped their attacks and dodged away.

The middle-aged swordsman had already sheathed his sword and said, "Hurry up and find a good spot to lie down, there's still time."

People were baffled. The middle-aged swordsman's sword strike was indeed fast, but he hadn't injured the three members of the Chaotian Sect at all.

The long-faced cultivator surnamed Su was about to sneer when his expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "How is this possible?"

He rushed outside, and after running several hundred feet, his head fell to the ground without warning.

This scene was incredibly bizarre, leaving all the Foundation Establishment cultivators stunned.

The remaining two Chaotian Sect cultivators, one fat and one thin, changed their expressions repeatedly. They ran out of the Zhao residence one after another, each choosing a nearby auspicious spot, digging a hole, and lying down inside.

The two had just lain down when they immediately died, and a fine sword mark appeared on their necks.

"What kind of swordsmanship is this?"

The group of cultivators were surprised and made a soft exclamation. They were capable of cultivating to the Foundation Establishment Realm and were by no means a group of ignorant people. However, this kind of sword technique was something they had never seen before and did not understand it at all.

A sword cultivator from the One Sword Sect said with a solemn expression, "It seems that when this fellow Daoist drew his sword, the three from the Heavenly Ascension Sect had already been struck."

No one saw the middle-aged swordsman actually draw his sword. By the time people saw it, the three members of the Chaotian Sect, though seemingly dodging, had already been killed by a single sword strike.

Such a level of swordsmanship is something even the third-realm sword cultivators of the One Sword Sect would be ashamed of.

"You must have already reached the fourth level of sword cultivation. May I ask your honorable name?"

The sword cultivators from the One Sword Sect stepped forward and bowed to the middle-aged swordsman.

"Zhao Chuan of the Zhao family of Bazhou," the middle-aged swordsman said calmly. "I advise you all, if you don't have the cultivation of the late Golden Core stage, go home and rest. Don't come to the Zhao residence to cause trouble, or you will end up like those three just now."

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

The implication was that no one below the late Golden Core stage was his match. Some exclaimed in amazement, "This person is indeed a fourth-realm sword cultivator!"
Moreover, he is not a newly promoted fourth-realm sword cultivator.

"Truly a senior of the Fourth Realm! I am Gao Li of the First Sword Sect. It is an honor to witness your prowess!"

The sword cultivator from the One Sword Sect was overjoyed and told the middle-aged swordsman that their One Sword Sect had no hostility towards the Zhao family.

Afterwards, many more cultivators came forward to express their opinions, each one behaving honestly and respectfully, claiming that they would never cause trouble for the Zhao family.

"Okay, let's disperse."

The middle-aged swordsman waved his hand, signaling the crowd to disperse.

In the blink of an eye, there were no outsiders left in the Zhao residence, and the scene became somewhat awkward. The Zhao family members seemed quite restrained, unsure of how to greet this person.

"Thank you for your help, senior. I never expected you to be one of us!"

Zhao Yan nudged Ji Cheng's waist, and Ji Cheng, understanding the gesture, stepped forward with a smile to break the ice.

The middle-aged swordsman glanced at everyone, then finally looked at Ji Cheng and asked, "Are you also a member of the Zhao family?"

"Yes, he is my son-in-law!"

Master Zhao made a surprising statement, vying to recognize Ji Cheng as his son-in-law, leaving Ji Cheng and Zhao Yan extremely embarrassed.

Butler Huang suppressed a laugh, thinking to himself that Second Master couldn't wait to arrange the wedding for Zhao Yan and Er Gou.

The middle-aged swordsman, Zhao Chuan, didn't say much. He simply explained his purpose and said, "I know everything that has happened here. I am here on behalf of the main branch of the Zhao family to protect you. From today onwards, I will live here. You can pretend that I don't exist."

After saying that, he asked the housekeeper, Old Huang, to arrange a room for him to stay in.

With such sword cultivators protecting them, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt a great sense of security.

"Good, good! The main branch has sent people. Let's see who dares to bully your Zhao family from now on!"

Cui Sheng was delighted for the Zhao family; this sword cultivator's strength seemed to be extraordinary.

Only then did a smile appear on Master Zhao's face. The ancestor was right; someone really has come to protect us.

Zhao Chuan also joined them at dinner that evening.

He took out a silver-haired rat, sniffed the food to make sure it wasn't poisonous, and then started eating.

He explained to the group that although his swordsmanship was highly skilled, he was still afraid of poisons, so he was always very careful when eating.

Ji Cheng guessed that this person should be a legendary pure sword cultivator. Unlike those sword cultivators who practice magic and flying swords, he could not abstain from grains. Therefore, his living habits were similar to those of ordinary people. He needed to eat, defecate, and sleep, but the frequency was much lower than that of ordinary people. For example, he could eat once every three to five days without any problems.

Such sword cultivators possess terrifying combat power; a single sword strike can break through countless techniques. However, they must be wary of being ambushed.

At the dinner table, seeing that Zhao Chuan was easy to talk to and had a rough,江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him, Second Master Zhao boldly said, "We're all family. We look to be about the same age, so I'll call you Old Chuan, okay? Old Chuan, now that so many immortal masters have come to Wuzhen, can you really protect us? What if someone even more powerful than you appears?" Zhao Chuan didn't mind and replied, "Someone more powerful than me would have to be at the late Golden Core stage. At that time, that being from Monkey Mountain will take action."

With his words, the Zhao family members were relieved. Second Master Zhao nodded with a smile, understanding the situation.

Ji Cheng was also secretly amazed. He had read in a book that the sword cultivator realm corresponds to the demon beast realm, and the four realms of sword cultivators correspond to the fourth-order demon beasts, which is equivalent to the Golden Core realm.

This middle-aged swordsman is truly remarkable for being able to kill even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

After dinner, Master Zhao called Ji Cheng and Zhao Yan to his side.

"Yan'er, look, now we have someone protecting me and your grandpa. Can you leave Wuzhen with Er Gou without worry?"

Master Zhao still hoped that Ji Cheng and Zhao Yan could leave Wuzhen as soon as possible. "Wuzhen is too dangerous. No one can say for sure what powerful figures will appear in the future. Let alone Zhao Chuan, even our Nascent Soul Ancestor is in a problem of whether he can protect himself."

Ji Cheng agreed with this statement. It was hard to say that a Nascent Soul cultivator might make a move in the future, and the aftershocks of that battle could turn Wuzhen to ashes.

Zhao Yan still refused to leave. Second Master Zhao's expression changed, and he said sternly, "Do you want to kill Er Gou?!"

"You need to understand that Er Gou has stayed in Wuzhen because of you. If you don't want to leave Wuzhen, you're just dragging Er Gou to your death with you!"

"Ergou could have completely ignored us and left Wuzhen long ago to seek refuge with his master and mistress, but he hasn't left until today. He wants to take you with him. Do you really want such a good son-in-law like me to die in Wuzhen with you?!"

Zhao Erye's words pierced Zhao Yan's heart.

Finally, he threatened, "If you don't leave Wuzhen with Er Gou, I will bite my tongue and kill myself!"

With tears streaming down her face, Zhao Yan knelt down before Second Master Zhao and nodded silently.

With a fourth-level sword cultivator residing at the Zhao residence, the safety of Second Master Zhao and the others was indeed not a major concern. Zhao Yan agreed to leave Wuzhen with Ji Cheng.

Hearing that Ji Cheng and Zhao Yan were finally planning to leave Wuzhen, Cui Sheng said, "I have a shipment to Jinyang City in three days. I'll give you two a ride then."

Jinyang City is about 800 li away from here, so going to Maple Leaf Market is on the way. Cui Sheng will feel much more at ease escorting them for a while.

Ji Cheng and Zhao Yan exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

The next day.

When Ji Cheng arrived at the Zhao residence, he found that there were several more servants. Some were taking care of Master Zhao, some were cooking, and others were killing fish and chickens.

The Zhao family mansion returned to its usual orderly and bustling state.

He asked the steward, Uncle Huang, and learned that these were all servants that Zhao Chuan had ordered to be found. How could such a large Zhao mansion function without a few servants to do the work?

Uncle Huang also revealed that, actually, Zhao Chuan still felt that the food Ji Cheng and Zhao Yan cooked last night was too mediocre, so he specially invited two chefs to come today.

Ji Cheng gave an awkward smile. The fact that the food he cooked last night was bad was not his fault.

With so few ingredients and seasonings, even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice, so he simply made a few dishes.

However, it's good that Zhao Chuan pays attention to these things. He seems to know how to enjoy life. With him in the Zhao family, I believe that Master Zhao and Second Master Zhao will not have a bad life in the future.

Zhao Yan was packing her bags, struggling with what to bring.

After witnessing firsthand the changes Zhao Chuan brought to the Zhao family, she finally felt at ease and began to consider what would happen after she and Ji Cheng left Wuzhen.

At night, Ji Cheng transformed into a demon.

He wanted to say goodbye to Xiaohua.

Of my old friends, only Big Yellow and Little Flower are still in Wuzhen.

Ji Cheng dared not go to the Zhao residence to find Da Huang in his demon beast form, fearing that the middle-aged swordsman would kill him without warning.

Soon, he flew to the outer edge of Monkey Mountain and did not dare to go any further.

He called out to Xiaohua, and soon Xiaohua appeared, running over while whimpering.

"Xiao Hua, A Niu and Lao Bai have already left Wuzhen, and I am about to leave as well. I came here specifically to see you one last time."

As soon as Ji Cheng finished speaking, Xiao Hua was stunned for two seconds, then rushed over with tears in her eyes and hugged him tightly, reluctant to let him leave.

Among the several demonic beasts, Xiao Hua had the lowest cultivation level, only breaking through to the first rank of demonic beast thanks to the Blood-Patterned Snake Eye Fruit.

However, it is also the most obedient and well-behaved, like an adorable child, and its intelligence is indeed lower than that of its other companions.

Compared to Da Huang and Lao Bai, Ji Cheng wasn't worried about Xiao Hua's safety, after all, Xiao Hua's background was extraordinary.

"I'm leaving now, Xiaohua. I hope we'll meet again someday."

After saying goodbye, Ji Cheng was about to leave when a red-haired figure quickly leaped to Ji Cheng's side.

Ji Cheng adopted a defensive posture, but greeted him with a smile as he called out "Brother Monkey."

The newcomer was none other than a third-tier red-haired monkey demon. It sized up Ji Cheng and clicked its tongue, saying, "I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a while, you, this pheasant, have changed so much. Even your bloodline has become noble."

Ji Cheng smiled and asked, "Brother Monkey, is there something you need?"

He was ready to take flight at any moment; this monkey mountain was a veritable den of dragons and tigers, truly dangerous.

Someone has invited you to come up into the mountains for a visit.

The monkey demon chuckled as it stared intently at Ji Cheng, eager to see if this chicken demon had the guts.

(End of this chapter)