Chapter 56: Compensation And Apology, All Happy
Yin Xiao Jian didn’t even know how he had walked from the depths of the cultivation hall to the front hall, and then to outside the hall.
He only knew that he seemed to have followed Fang Shu’s footsteps in a daze, drifting to the front courtyard.
“Brother Fang, please go slowly. Today, an old servant in the dojo caused trouble. I hope Brother Fang can be magnanimous and carefully explain to the Dojo Master to avoid damaging the harmony between our two dojos.”
“Elder Brother Ling is too serious. Fang was also momentarily agitated today. I hope Elder Brother Ling can also explain to the Shao Wei Guan Master on Fang’s behalf. Fang actually has quite a connection with your dojo.”
“Haha, exactly, exactly. Brother Fang was originally half a Shao Wei Guan person, not to mention that he has now cultivated our dojo’s Lead Skill. We are all family.”
“Farewell.”
When the sound of Fang Shu about to leave rang out, Yin Xiao Jian suddenly woke up.
He stood at the courtyard doorway, his eyes quickly looking toward Fang Shu, wanting to step forward but not daring to. Deep in his heart, there was even a bit of guilt, fearing that the matter of him snatching Fang Shu’s opportunity to join the dojo back then would be exposed.
Instead, before leaving, Fang Shu saw that this fellow had actually come out and nodded toward Yin Xiao Jian.
Being glanced at by Fang Shu, Yin Xiao Jian’s face immediately showed a bit more excitement.
Feeling inferior, he involuntarily puffed out his chest and hastily cupped his hands in return.
“Brother Fang, please go slowly…” Yin Xiao Jian squeezed out a smile and wanted to walk outside the courtyard to continue seeing him off, but Fang Shu’s footsteps had already crossed the threshold, and he left dashingly.
This made the sound in Yin Xiao Jian’s mouth stop, and he could only dejectedly withdraw his gaze.
However, his eyes quickly turned to the dojo disciple beside him—Ling Bai Quan.
So Yin Xiao Jian wore a fawning yet self-satisfied smile on his face as he cupped his hands toward the other and shamelessly struck up a conversation:
“Senior Brother Ling, this Brother Fang Shu and I are old brothers.”
Who knew that Ling Bai Quan, who had just been chatting and laughing with Fang Shu, now had an indifferent expression and glanced at Yin Xiao Jian:
“You, worthy of being brothers with an inner courtyard disciple of Du Gu Guan, and one who was squeezed out by you from our dojo?”
There was a hint of mocking smile at the corners of Ling Bai Quan’s mouth.
These words made Yin Xiao Jian’s face stiffen, and his eyes clearly showed bewilderment and panic. He didn’t understand why Ling Bai Quan knew about this.
Suddenly, Ling Bai Quan’s gaze involuntarily fell on Yin Xiao Jian’s feet.
The man’s brows furrowed even more, and he disdainfully said:
“What kind of trash are you, to wear the same shoes as me.”
The shoes on both their feet were clearly from the same tailor shop. It was what Yin Xiao Jian had bought by secretly selling his blood once to keep up with the dojo’s trend.
After buying these shoes, they had given him quite a bit of confidence and were also a common way for him to strike up conversations with people.
Now being despised by Ling Bai Quan like this, Yin Xiao Jian’s bewilderment grew heavier.
He stammered wanting to say something, but the dojo disciple didn’t bother with him at all, casually scolded him and then left on his own.
At the courtyard doorway, only Yin Xiao Jian was left standing in place, like an eggplant hit by frost, his body shrinking up.
Just like this, this fellow was dispirited all day and felt that mixing with the outer courtyard disciples who hadn’t even entered the Dao was even more boring and not up to standard at all.
Until nightfall, when the outer courtyard disciples in the dojo were eating and talking about food, women, and such.
Yin Xiao Jian mixed in among them and finally chatted freely, recovering a bit of spirit. He even began to despise the rookies in the outer courtyard.
But when the crowd dispersed, some cultivating, some washing up.
Yin Xiao Jian felt like there was a cat scratching in his chest, a burst of evil fire not knowing where to vent.
“Damn it! This old man needs to vent some fire too.” Gritting his teeth, Yin Xiao Jian couldn’t hold back again.
He grabbed his deflated money pouch, left Shao Wei Guan, and headed to the depths of the marketplace.
…………………………
On the other side.
After leaving Shao Wei Guan, Fang Shu stayed vigilant on the road and quickly returned to Du Gu Guan.
Once back in the dojo, he immediately found Du Yu Er and asked where the Dojo Master was, saying he had something to report.
Not long after.
He then honestly recounted what he had done in Shao Wei Guan, even clearly explaining his grudge with that manager Xiao Hu.
After speaking, he took out the calling card fragment and the obtained Marrow Refining Chapter Lead Skill.
As Fang Shu expected.
Hearing his words, the Dojo Master continued to sip tea unhurriedly, showing no surprise or intention to reprimand. Instead, when hearing that Fang Shu had couldn’t help but taken action, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.
When hearing that Fang Shu had beaten down a Second Calamity Immortal—even if the opponent was a pampered good-for-nothing—the Dojo Master’s mouth clearly showed a smile.
After Fang Shu finished, the Dojo Master indifferently said:
“Well done. Among immortals, one must know when to advance and retreat, understand flexibility, but that pent-up resentment can’t be kept in the heart. If you can achieve clear mind, then achieve clear mind.
This is beneficial for cultivation practice, especially the refining essence stage.”
Hearing this, Fang Shu was slightly stunned.
His mind immediately stirred in his brain, summoning the Dao Talisman.
He saw that a line of text in the Dao Talisman had changed compared to before he left. It was just that after taking action, Fang Shu had been mentally excited and hadn’t paid much attention to it.
And this text was:
【Realm: First Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal（ Three tenths and seven parts）】
After fighting someone, not only did Fang Shu not leave any hidden injuries, his cultivation progress actually increased by “eight parts” in one go.
This was almost a full tenth of progress!
This also proved that what the Dojo Master said about “clear mind aiding cultivation” was not false.
Fang Shu continued to split his attention, focusing on the Dao Talisman, examining it closely.
He discovered that the reason his cultivation had made slight progress was not only because the resentment was vented and his body and mind relaxed, but also related to his qi and blood fiercely boiling in the fight, his spirit fiercely infused, and being tempered by Xiao Hu’s qi and blood suppression.
All these were not produced out of thin air.
Rather, the medicinal power, essence, and such accumulated in his body from the past were all forced out, equivalent to a “thick accumulation leading to thin emission” once.
In an instant, Fang Shu’s eyes flickered. Having tasted the sweetness, the desire in his heart to spar with someone involuntarily arose again.
But the Dojo Master, eyeing Fang Shu, suddenly instructed:
“By the way, there’s something else you need to know.”
Fang Shu snapped back and cupped his hands: “Master, please speak.”
The Dojo Master set down the teacup, but instead of placing it on the table, suddenly splashed it toward Fang Shu’s feet.
Fang Shu stared fixedly, suppressing the urge to dodge, watching the shoes get splashed wet.
He immediately heard the Dojo Master speak:
“As for what this is, stay in this hall and think about it more. If you can’t figure it out, don’t leave.”
The words fell.
The Dojo Master set down the teacup and left the assembly hall on her own, leaving Fang Shu standing in the hall as if punished.
But the Dojo Master didn’t know that her words weren’t even necessary to say to Fang Shu.
Because after beating down the manager Xiao Hu, the first thought in Fang Shu’s heart was not “nothing more than this” or “clear mind.”
What he thought was that until his own cultivation reached Second Tribulation Refining Essence, or was on the verge of Second Tribulation Refining Essence and he held a Second Tribulation Magic Tool, he could not leave the marketplace one day to go treasure hunting in Qian Shan Mine!
This was because in the fight with Xiao Hu, Fang Shu had deeply realized the gap between a First Calamity Immortal and a Second Calamity Immortal.
That Xiao Hu, a pampered, future-ruined old guy, could actually fight back and forth with him.
If it were a normal Second Tribulation Human Immortal who could also use magic… the outcome would be far from certain!
In the assembly hall, Fang Shu stared at his shoes and let out a long breath, muttering to himself:
“Those who walk often by the riverside, how can they not get their shoes wet.”
This sentence should be the unspoken words of the Dojo Master.
Beware of arrogance and impatience, neither discouraged nor frustrated.
Fang Shu recalled the feeling of fighting in Shao Wei Guan. He immediately set up a boxing stance in the assembly hall, performing boxing over and over, driving his qi and blood, scouring his tendons and bones, subduing the restlessness in his heart.
Waves of heat surged from his body, his qi and blood essence smoke blazing and swirling, as if the hall was on fire.
In an instant, Fang Shu immersed himself in cultivation practice.
He lost track of inside and outside, of time passing, only feeling his qi and blood extremely vigorous, like river water surging.
Crackling sounds.
When he stopped, his whole body’s tendons and bones crackled like frying beans, his muscles trembling, mosquitoes unable to cling.
Coming back to his senses, Fang Shu looked up and found the hall dim and dark, night had fallen. He had actually tempered for several hours straight.
In a daze, Fang Shu felt both mentally and physically tired and hungry, his whole body sore and swollen, as if he could eat a whole cow, but also extremely comfortable, his qi and blood unprecedentedly active.
With a thought, he looked at the Dao Talisman in his mind and found the realm column had changed again:
【Realm: First Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal( Four tenths and two parts）】
His cultivation progress had actually risen another half tenth!
In just one short day, Fang Shu’s cultivation had grown a full one tenth and three parts total, his qi and blood highly climbing to over one zhang four chi!
A surge of joy and vigor filled Fang Shu’s chest, making him feel extremely refreshed!
In addition, there was another piece of good news.
Shifting his attention outward, Fang Shu’s gaze was sharp, piercing the darkness. At a glance, he discovered that on the table where the teacup was placed, two more booklets had been added.
He stepped forward to look, surprise and understanding in his eyes.
He saw that the two additional booklets were labeled respectively 《Lead and Mercury Blood Treasure Seed Tool Secret Technique Complete》 and 《Secret Mouth-Sword Technique Complete》.
Fang Shu immediately flipped through them and found that the former recorded the tribulation-crossing tempering content of Lead Skill from First to Third Tribulation, while the latter recorded the sacrifice and refine methods of Long Tongue Sword from First to Third Tribulation.
No need to think, this should be Shao Wei Guan’s apologetic compensation. Just unknown whether it was sent proactively by Shao Wei Guan or obtained for him by the Dojo Master.
Fang Shu swept the secret manuals on the table into his hands.
He respectfully bowed to the Five Poisons Diagram hanging on the wall before leaving unhurriedly.
…………………………
At the same time.
In Shao Wei Guan.
After the manager Xiao Hu fainted again in the hall, he was hastily carried by a crowd of menial laborers into the quiet room to rest.
It was said that halfway, a menial laborer accidentally bumped this fellow’s right leg hard against a pillar, yet it still didn’t wake him, only making his body twitch.
Xiao Hu this fellow just slept unconscious until night.
Ling Bai Quan accompanied his daughter guarding outside the room door for a long time, until a disciple from the dojo came to relay that the Dojo Master summoned him, before he left the quiet room.
After going out, Ling Bai Quan squinted and glanced at the room door, a few traces of mocking smile involuntarily appearing on his face.
“Old dog, you sure can sleep.”
His mouth just curved slightly before suppressing it. He quickly composed his mood and hurried to the Dojo Master’s quiet room to await questioning.
After waiting less than half a cup of tea’s time.
“Quan, come in.”
A hoarse voice came from inside the room.
It was a gaunt-faced old man, withered sitting on a bamboo couch, with an incense burner in front, incense burning in the furnace, green smoke curling.
Ling Bai Quan entered, immediately bowing low and making a bow:
“Greetings, Master.”
A light smile appeared on the old man’s face as he instructed: “In private, don’t call me Master, call me Adoptive Father.”
“Yes, Adoptive Father.” Ling Bai Quan obediently responded.
This old man was precisely the Shao Wei Guan Master. He and the Du Gu Guan Master were both marketplace-level dojo masters, from the same immortal sect, ordered down the mountain to nurture talent.
“I’ve already learned about today’s matter. You did well, steady and prudent, didn’t casually intervene, and didn’t ruin the relationship between our two dojos because of that Xiao Hu fellow.”
The Shao Wei Guan Master satisfyingly sized up Ling Bai Quan.
Then his brows furrowed again, displeased: “It seems Xiao Hu this fellow is indeed accustomed to fawning up and bullying down, not even regarding this old man’s founding disciple from back then, his senior brother.
Not accepting his nephew was one thing, but actually wanting to steal his tuition fee and take him as a menial laborer.”
At this point, the Shao Wei Guan Master’s face darkened: “If this spreads, the reputation that this old man and generations of disciples have painstakingly built will be tarnished!”
Hearing this, Ling Bai Quan cupped his hands and spoke:
“Adoptive Father, rest assured. The menial laborers in the hall that day have all been instructed by me. Du Gu Guan has always been on good terms with our dojo, and that Fang Shu, though young, is not someone who doesn’t know when to advance and retreat.”
In his words, Ling Bai Quan recounted word for word his conversation with Fang Shu when courteously seeing him off.
Hearing this, the Shao Wei Guan Master’s expression eased considerably.
The man satisfyingly looked at Ling Bai Quan and praised:
“Good, methodical and poised. It seems this old man choosing you as the face and your brother White Wolf as the inside was the right choice! With you here, all the dojo’s miscellaneous affairs will be fine, and this old man and your brother can be at ease.”
But he didn’t notice that when Ling Bai Quan heard the words “face” and “inside,” his eyes involuntarily darkened, the joy in them fading a few parts.
“Adoptive Father overpraises.” Ling Bai Quan smiled back without a change in expression.
The Shao Wei Guan Master sized him up, a smile also on his face:
“Not overpraise. Although because of that Xiao Hu, our dojo lost an ordinary inner courtyard disciple, this matter also let this old man know that our dojo can have an excellent young dojo master.”
Ling Bai Quan’s face showed emotion. He suddenly raised his head to look at the Shao Wei Guan Master: “Adoptive Father’s words?”
On the bamboo couch, the gaunt old man smiled and said:
“Xiao Hu is inhumane, unrighteous, disloyal. Raising him for ten years, and hearing he was flattered inside and outside the dojo into some ‘big manager,’ he’s gotten fat enough, which is fair to him.
It’s time for him to step down from the various positions in the dojo and hand them over to you. This also serves as an explanation to that old woman Du.”
The Shao Wei Guan Master sighed lightly: “But Xiao Hu is after all one of this old man’s founding disciples. Retain his manager title.”
Ling Bai Quan excitedly said:
“Yes, Adoptive Father!”
After this intimate talk, Ling Bai Quan received the Shao Wei Guan Master’s instruction to personally deliver two secret manuals to Du Gu Guan before withdrawing.
And only after completely leaving the Dojo Master’s quiet room, as Ling Bai Quan walked on the road, he was still extremely excited.
He hadn’t expected that Xiao Hu’s status in his Adoptive Father’s eyes was even lower than he imagined.
“Sure enough, for a dojo, inner courtyard disciples are the real family, while managers and menial laborers are just watchdogs!”
At that moment, Ling Bai Quan’s eyes flickered, and he secretly thought in his heart:
“Fang Shu, it seems I still need to thank you. You tested out that Xiao fellow’s true colors for me—a mere paper tiger.”
So when retrieving the cultivation method secret manuals, Ling Bai Quan’s gaze drifted, landing on a certain blood-colored titled cultivation method on the bookshelf.
This person’s certain yin evil thought in his heart.
Instantly shifted from Fang Shu to Xiao Hu, and intense greed and covetousness appeared on his face.
