Chapter 128: Chapter 100: The Compassionate Sun Qiang
“What?”
Xu Xin’s pupils constricted, and a wave of icy intent immediately coursed through his body.
The same abilities as a Mandate Chaos Master, does that mean… this guy, is either a Mandate Chaos Master or has some significant connection to one?
“What, what should I do now?”
Xu Xin’s lips trembled.
He had thought that by finding a Fate Master, he would become more important in Lord Ling’s eyes, to receive greater attention, but now he was beginning to feel afraid.
Decades ago, when the Mandate Chaos Master first appeared, they caused a commotion throughout the world, bewitched the masses, and garnered a cult following that nearly caused the Heaven Mandate Hall itself to disintegrate. That’s why the entire Source World has been cautious and careful with such individuals, ready to execute them without hesitation upon discovery.
Just a few days ago, another Mandate Chaos Master emerged within the Zhou Yi Dynasty, possessing even greater seductive power. In just a few days, they had gathered a group of followers willing to go through fire and water for them, including Fate Masters willing to follow. That’s where Lord Ling had gone, to suppress this person, which is why he was not in the capital…
He thought his visit here was just for leisure, perhaps for dalliances with women, to relax, and now it turns out… this suspected Fate Master might really be connected to the Mandate Chaos Master!
“First, establish a good relationship with him and stabilize the situation. I’ll come over to investigate thoroughly before making a decision!”
Lord Ling’s eyebrows rose, “But don’t be too nervous. This is just what you’ve heard from others. Mandate Chaos Masters are incredibly rare. Only two have appeared throughout history, and it’s impossible that another one would appear just as one has emerged… Of course, whether he is a regular Fate Master or a Mandate Chaos Master, you have made a great contribution this time!”
“Yes!” Xu Xin breathed a sigh of relief.
Lord Ling continued, “I will try to come over within three days… It would be best if you could observe him up close. If there are any problems, you can report them to me in detail.”
“I wonder… what exactly should I observe? It would be best to prepare in advance!” Xu Xin hastily asked.
After a moment of contemplation, Lord Ling said, “The Mandate Chaos Master from the Zhou Yi Dynasty was also skilled in the Master Dao and seemed to control the destiny related to the path of teaching. Didn’t you say he was a teacher? Then test his students. If, without relying on artifacts and solely through their course of study, they can make leaps and bounds in their cultivation, even if he is not a Mandate Chaos Master, he must have a deep connection to that person.”
“Yes!” Xu Xin hurriedly clasped his fists.
“Alright, be careful not to startle the snake by hitting the grass!”
Lord Ling said no more. As their conversation ended, the light and the faces on the scroll vanished, and the Heavenly Mandate Vitality that had been stirring in the room disappeared instantly.
“Test the students? Then let’s have a competition. That way, we can find out how high their cultivation is, whether their strength has improved, and by how much… But before that, I need to resolve the conflict and establish a good relationship!”
After storing away the scroll, Xu Xin pondered for a moment: “Someone, take me to Baiyan Academy!”
He would follow Lord Ling’s orders and befriend the other party first. Based on what he knew previously, Mandate Chaos Masters were proficient in beguiling the hearts of people and were not bloodthirsty, so as long as he did not show malice, there shouldn’t be any danger.
…
Seeing that Sun Qiang had entered a stable state of cultivation, Zhang Xuan left him to it and stepped out.
Having just absorbed three thousand threads of Heavenly Mandate Vitality, and now with some free time, he decided to read some books. Once he obtained more, he could directly form the Viscera Realm’s Heaven’s Path Divine Art and thereby achieve a breakthrough!
At the pinnacle of the Muscle Membrane Realm, he already possessed the strength of sixty horses. Reaching the pinnacle of the Viscera Realm, he might be able to break the shackles of a hundred horses. Even if he encountered Jade Bone Realm or Divine Soul Realm experts, he could fight them!
With such power, there would be no more danger in Baiyan City.
Not long after Zhang Xuan went to the Book Collection Vault, Liu Tianzheng came to Baiyan Academy again, not knowing that the person he was looking for was not in the courtyard, but instead paced nervously outside the door.
This morning, he had clashed with Zhang Xuan for the sake of his daughter, and in the afternoon, he had brought Xu Xin over, treating it like interrogating a prisoner. To be honest, he had certainly offended Zhang Xuan completely…
“No matter what, even if I get scolded or humiliated, I deserve it for my own fault!”
With gritted teeth, Liu Tianzheng knocked on the door and called out in a clear voice, “Zhang Xuan laoshi, Liu Tianzheng has come to visit. I hope to see you…”
In the room, the cultivating Sun Qiang slowly opened his eyes.
He had just come to the Source World and hadn’t seen anyone yet. With the young master absent and visitors arriving, he was in a bind.
If he didn’t meet them, there could be important matters concerning the young master that would be delayed. Yet meeting them without recognizing them, he was unsure how to interact.
“Forget it, I’ll meet them. It’s normal for someone of the young master’s status to have subordinates!”
With that thought, Sun Qiang stopped worrying, got up, walked over, and casually opened the door.
“Zhang laoshi, um? You are…” Upon seeing an unfamiliar, chubby man appear, Liu Tianzheng was full of confusion.
Sun Qiang greeted with a clasped fist and a bow, “I am Butler Sun Qiang! May I ask who you are and what brings you here for the young master?”
The guest had arrived while he was inside, so he did not know that this person was the clan head of one of the Three Premier Clans, the Liu Clan.
“Oh, it’s Butler Sun!”
Liu Tianzheng returned the greeting, “I am Liu Tianzheng. I wonder… is Zhang laoshi here?”
“I am really sorry, but the young master is not here,” Sun Qiang shook his head.
Liu Tianzheng asked, “Do you have any idea when Zhang laoshi might return?”
Sun Qiang replied, “I have no idea about that… If Mr. Liu has something urgent, you are welcome to let me know, so when the young master comes back, I can inform him accordingly.”
After hesitating for a moment, Liu Tianzheng said, “I inadvertently offended Zhang laoshi this morning, so I came here personally to apologize…”
“You offended the young master?”
The smiling expression on Sun Qiang’s face came to a sudden halt, shaking his head. “I am really sorry, but I cannot relay that message for you!”
Knowing nothing of the situation, he naturally couldn’t agree to it. If the offense to the young master was severe and he agreed to the meeting, that wouldn’t be appropriate.
“This…”
Liu Tianzheng hesitated for a moment, “Can I wait in the courtyard for his return?”
“That is definitely not possible!”
Sun Qiang shook his head, “The teacher’s residence is quite small and lacks space. Mr. Liu, please return!”
After saying that, Sun Qiang closed the courtyard door.
Watching the courtyard door close like that, Liu Tianzheng felt a little dazed, still not quite able to react.
He was the clan head of one of the Three Premier Clans, the Liu Clan. He had lowered his status to visit, and not only did he not see the person he wanted to meet, he was also blocked outside by a mere servant… He had never experienced such treatment since he was born!
His face flushed red from holding back his anger, debating whether to stay or go, he then heard the voice of that fat man inside again.
“Is that how he apologizes? Just paying lip service? There’s no sincerity at all…”
The voice wasn’t loud, sounding like he was murmuring to himself.
Liu Tianzheng was stunned.
That’s right, he came to apologize, and maintaining his pride now would only make things uncomfortable for himself, wouldn’t it?
A Fate Master… He was worth giving up everything for.
Without much hesitation, Liu Tianzheng knocked on the door once more.
After a moment, the door opened again, and Sun Qiang looked over with a frown: “Is there anything else?”
“It’s like this!”
Liu Tianzheng put on a smile, took a Destiny Plate out of his pocket, and handed it over: “I know Teacher Zhang Xuan wants to absorb Heavenly Mandate Vitality, and I have specially prepared a Destiny Plate to offer as an apology!”
“A Destiny Plate?”
Sun Qiang casually took it and closed the door again, his voice coming from beyond the courtyard wall: “All right, who makes me soft-hearted and fond of doing good deeds? I’ll accept this. When the young master comes back, I will convey your sentiments… Oh right, what did you say your name was?”
“I…”
The anger Liu Tianzheng had just managed to suppress surged up again.
You just muttered about lack of sincerity, and here I am offering a Destiny Plate already, yet I’m still being kept outside the door – what does this mean?
The key point is… As the patriarch of one of the Three Premier Clans of Baiyan City, isn’t there anyone who doesn’t know me? To ask intentionally, is this meant to humiliate?
His face turned a shade of green with anger, yet he also understood that the other party truly could not be offended.
This fat man might not be much, but having already offended Teacher Zhang Xuan once before, if he offended him again, there might truly be no chance for redemption.
Suppressing his anger, he was just about to state his name when that suppressed muttering voice came from the courtyard again.
“Just a Destiny Plate to apologize huh! People nowadays really know how to bluff…”
The anger in Liu Tianzheng’s heart was immediately extinguished.
Once Zhang Xuan entered the Heaven Mandate Hall and became a registered Fate Master, the power he would hold in his hands would be extremely great. By then, with just one sentence, the Liu Clan would no longer be able to obtain Destiny Plates and could even be easily removed from the Three Premier Clans.
Taking several deep breaths, he knocked on the door again, and when the door opened, he continued with a plastered smile: “Butler Sun, I am Liu Tianzheng. Here is another Destiny Plate that was also prepared for Teacher Zhang Xuan. I originally wanted to hand it over personally, but since he hasn’t arrived yet, I’ll have to trouble Butler Sun to pass it on…”
“Oh, rest assured. I’ll definitely give it to the young master and mention your name, Liu Tianzheng, right!”
Sun Qiang took the second Destiny Plate, and his attitude had clearly improved quite a bit.
Liu Tianzheng nodded.
“May I ask… exactly how did you offend the young master? If you’d like, tell me, and I’ll see if I can speak a few good words for you?”
Sun Qiang patted his chest: “Don’t worry. The young master values my words greatly. Whatever I say, he’ll definitely hear it!”
Seeing such certainty from the fat man, Liu Tianzheng hesitated for a moment before saying, “It was just this morning, because of a misunderstanding, I made a move against Teacher Zhang and had a contest with him…”
“Ah? You made a move?”
Sun Qiang’s fat face wrinkled like a bitter melon: “That’s going to be troublesome. Our young master is low-key; although he seems amiable on the surface and doesn’t want to offend anyone, he’s actually incredibly proud on the inside. The last thing he’s willing to forgive is someone who has made a move against him. To put it mildly, it was a contest, but to put it harshly, it was an attempted murder! Forget it, I can’t speak good words for you… How about… I give you these two Destiny Plates back!”
As he said that, Sun Qiang handed the two Destiny Plates back.
Hearing him speak like this, how could Liu Tianzheng dare to take them back? He waved his hands repeatedly: “Please, Butler Sun, help me out… Here are ten thousand Origin Currency as a greeting gift for you!”
As he spoke, he passed over two Origin Notes with a denomination of five thousand each.
Taking the Origin Notes, Sun Qiang still seemed conflicted, but not as resistant as before, “All right, even if I get scolded, I’ll try to speak for you! But… with only two Destiny Plates, I can’t promise to persuade him… If you have a few more, I might feel more confident…”
Liu Tianzheng shook his head: “I’ve got only this one used Destiny Plate left, nothing more…”
He would like to have more, but such items were both rare and expensive… If not for Lord Xu Xin coming over, he wouldn’t even have these three.
“Give it to me!”
Before he could finish speaking, the last Destiny Plate was snatched by the fat man in front of him, then Sun Qiang closed the door again, and his curious voice arose: “Right, when you made a move today, did you beat the young master?”
Liu Tianzheng was full of embarrassment: “No, that didn’t happen. I was the one who got beaten…”
Sun Qiang breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good then!”
“???” Liu Tianzheng.
Why don’t I like hearing that?
Wait, I gave three Destiny Plates and ten thousand Origin Currency, so why am I still locked outside?
Just as he thought to knock again, the fat man’s voice inside came through once more.
“Ah, since this guy is so sincere, when the young master comes back later, I’ll definitely put in a good word for him. I need to praise him as a rarity in the sky and unparalleled on earth…”
“Uh…”
In an instant, Liu Tianzheng felt like he might have actually gained from the exchange.