National Hero
They led Nie Sheng inside very politely, turning back every few steps as if afraid that this distinguished guest might stumble or fall over some small stone.
Such a cautious attitude made Nie Sheng feel uncomfortable all over, and he almost got goosebumps all over his body.
Following the pebbled path, passing through the plum grove, and then climbing the steps, I entered the main hall. There, in the center of the hall, a middle-aged man sat with his legs crossed, sipping tea.
The one who could sit so casually in the position was probably Niu Youde. Nie Sheng naturally wouldn't look down on him because he looked young. In the Cultivation World, age is never judged by appearance. Besides, he had heard his senior brother Guan Zhongkai mention him before and knew that this person's cultivation was frighteningly high. He could suppress his senior brother into immobility with just the terrifying aura he exuded.
Before he arrived, his master Sikong Jue, had repeatedly instructed him to be patient if the other party was offensive and to take the other party to the World Commerce Association first.
"Nie Sheng from the World Commerce Association greets Senior Niu," Nie Sheng said respectfully.
"Huh? Nie Sheng?" Yue Qianchou looked up with slight surprise, glanced at him, and asked, "What are you doing here? Where's Guan Zhongkai?"
Nie Sheng was taken aback by his question. He then avoided the first question and answered the second, "My senior brother has been assigned by our master to handle other important matters."
Yue Qianchou realized his questioning style was flawed and chuckled, "Same here, it doesn't matter who it is." He put down his teacup, stood up, and said, "You're Guan Zhongkai's junior brother? Tsk tsk! You seem much more polite than your senior brother. That senior brother of yours! He's really got some nerve, daring to hit one of my men right in front of me. I had to punish him!"
Nie Sheng frowned and gave a perfunctory "Yes." Guan Zhongkai didn't mention the beating when he got back; he just kept saying how arrogant Niu Youde was. It turns out there was this inside story. No wonder Niu Youde stole all the Spirit Stone from his bag.
"Did your master deal with Guan Zhongkai when he got back?" Yue Qianchou suddenly asked.
"No, my master disapproved of my senior brother's incompetence and displeased the senior, so he has assigned him another task," Nie Sheng said firmly.
"Hehe! That's good." Yue Qianchou smiled meaningfully, then his expression turned serious and he said solemnly, "Getting back to the point, when are you going to give me the ten billion high-grade Spirit Stones?"
"Uh..." Nie Sheng paused for a moment and said, "Ten billion high-grade Spirit Stones is not a small amount. No one will carry it with them all the time. Naturally, we will give it to you when you arrive at the headquarters of the World Commerce Association."
"The main headquarters?" Yue Qianchou frowned. "You mean we should go to the Treasure Gathering Basin?"
"Exactly!" Nie Sheng nodded and said, "Ten billion high-grade Spirit Stones. Apart from the main branch, no other branch can raise such a huge amount of Spirit Stone."
"So, if I don't go to the headquarters of the World Commerce Association, I won't get this money?" Yue Qianchou said jokingly. "If I go and you still don't give it to me, am I powerless against you? I might even be detained at the World Commerce Association and unable to leave."
Nie Sheng replied respectfully without changing his expression, "Senior is too kind. Since you're going to the headquarters anyway after receiving the money, you might as well go directly to the headquarters to collect it, so that no one has to go through the trouble. Besides, you'll be a member of the World Commerce Association from now on, so how can you say you can or can't leave? Unless you don't want to stay in the World Commerce Association at all. If that's the case, please speak frankly, and we won't bother you any further."
Yue Qianchou was taken aback by what he said, and looked at Nie Sheng again, realizing that this guy was much more powerful than his senior brother.
"What you said isn't wrong," Yue Qianchou said with a smile. "The Zhujin City branch should have no problem mobilizing one or two hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones."
Nie Sheng's eyes flickered, not understanding what he meant by asking that question. He pondered for a moment and said, "Give me some time. If nothing unexpected happens, there shouldn't be any problems." He left himself an out, not giving a definitive answer.
"I need a deposit of two hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones, so that I won't be left with Spirit Stone if you back out later." Yue Qianchou said frankly, "Once I get the deposit, I will immediately set off for the headquarters of the World Commerce Association."
"This..." Nie Sheng hesitated and said, "I can't make the decision on this. I need to report back to my master for a decision."
"I'll give you one day. If you don't, I'll find someone else to work with." Yue Qianchou said indifferently, "Show him out!"
Fu Chun walked over and raised his hand, saying, "Please!" Nie Sheng didn't waste any words, cupped his hands and said "Farewell," then turned and strode away.
After the two walked away, Yue Qianchou slowly walked out of the hall, went down the steps, and wandered around the plum grove with his hands behind his back and his head down, seemingly looking for ants. When Fu Chun and Qin Jiaxing returned, they saw him thinking about something and didn't disturb him, quietly leaving the room.
As he wandered around, the laughter and chatter outside suddenly stopped. Yue Qianchou looked up and froze. He didn't know how he had ended up outside the plum garden; he was probably too engrossed in his thoughts.
The surrounding Rogue Cultivator looked at him with awe. Yue Qianchou smiled and turned to walk back. As he turned, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a Rogue Cultivator in the corner whose face seemed familiar, and he was momentarily stunned.
When the Rogue Cultivator saw him staring at him, he respectfully bowed and said, "Senior Niu."
"Have we met somewhere before?" Yue Qianchou asked.
Upon hearing this, the Rogue Cultivator's gaze flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "I've seen you a few times at the Ghost Manor before, senior. I didn't expect you to remember me."
What's your name?
"Ye Cheng".
"Oh!" Yue Qianchou said, looked the rogue Rogue Cultivator up and down, and found that he was only at the early stage of Core Formation. He then said nothing more and returned to the plum garden.
After wandering around the depths of the plum grove several times, he gradually recalled where he had seen this Rogue Cultivator before... back when he brought Ziyi to Fu Xian Island. He had encountered a group of admirers at Myriad Fragrance Garden, and had even chatted with them, giving them Spirit Stone and Storage Bag. This Rogue Cultivator he had just spoken to was the one who had stood before him at close range back then.
"My memory isn't bad, I should be right. Strange! How did the disciples of Fu Xian Island end up here?" Yue Qianchou frowned and muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly as he decided to investigate.
Later that evening, Fu Chun and Qin Jiaxing returned. Yue Qianchou immediately gave instructions, ordering them to secretly investigate the Rogue Cultivator named "Ye Cheng" and not let anyone else discover him.
Unbeknownst to Yue Qianchou, the Yan family father and son, supported by the Huaxia Cultivation World and various nations, had fought numerous battles, large and small, until now, reaching a stalemate. He sensed something was amiss; the enemy seemed to be stalling, showing no intention of a decisive battle, as if waiting for something.
Thus, the leaders of the various sects that had participated in the Demon Ghost Domain Trial years ago, representing Righteous and Demonic paths, secretly reached an agreement. They ultimately decided that each of the six major sects would send ten disciples who had never been exposed in the Cultivation World. After swearing a solemn oath, these disciples would secretly leave the Huaxia Cultivation World to gather information in various countries.
Such a move is unprecedented in the Huaxia Cultivation World, the reason being nothing more than the fear of suffering hidden losses without even realizing it.
Sixty disciples from six sects, whose cultivation levels were not particularly high, were thus burdened with heavy responsibilities and dispersed to various countries to fulfill their missions. There was no other way; those disciples with high cultivation levels and some status within their sects were not so easy to command, and who would be willing to take this risk?
Almost all of the sixty disciples who infiltrated chose to become Rogue Cultivator in foreign lands, because they didn't have the qualifications to join a sect.
However, being unfamiliar with the area and with the status of Rogue Cultivator here being lower than in the Huaxia Cultivation World, the group of sixty people lost more than half of their number in various conflicts before long. Survival of the fittest prevailed, and in the end, less than twenty remained, stubbornly carrying out their mission.
When these people officially came into contact with this world, they were astonished. They discovered that not only were there countless experts here, but there were also legendary Spirit Transformation stage experts, and not just one or two, but almost every country had them.
Such momentous news startled the Six Great Sects when it reached them. Given the gravity of the matter, the Six Sects announced the news within the Cultivation Alliance, immediately causing a huge uproar.
Now all factions were on edge. Furthermore, to verify the truth of the Six Sects' claims, each faction, for the first time ever, dispatched spies to infiltrate various countries. In fact, this is exactly what should be done in a state of war: if others know everything about you, but you know nothing about them, how can you fight a war?
In fact, it is far easier for China to gather information about other countries than for other countries to gather information about China. This is because China's xenophobic tradition and isolationist policies have both advantages and disadvantages. It is easy for people from other countries to infiltrate China, and then they will be hunted down and expelled. People of unknown origin find it difficult to gain a foothold.
Thus, unprecedentedly, news of all kinds, big and small, about various countries began to flow back to the Huaxia Cultivation World.
What left all factions sighing with regret was that Yue Qianchou, who had been forced to withdraw from the Cultivation Alliance, had seemingly disappeared somewhere. Who knew he would actually do exactly as he had said when he left the Cultivation World Alliance:
"... The Cultivation Alliance has many misunderstandings about me. Since that's the case, why stay and invite hatred? Leaving is fine too. The world is vast, and there will always be a place for me to Yue Qianchou refuge. Whether I'm in the Cultivation Alliance or not, I will always support the Huaxia Cultivation World in secret. My heart is sincere, and the sun and moon can bear witness to it!"
Many people can still vaguely recall the words Yue Qianchou uttered in despair when he left the Cultivation Alliance. Looking back now, how desperate and heartbroken he must have been!
Even so, he still fought for the Huaxia Cultivation World, wandering alone in a foreign land, fighting all by himself!
What a fine young man! What an outstanding young man! A true National Hero! He was devoted to his country, yet he was driven to desperation by his own people. Nevertheless, he resolutely embarked on another journey, continuing to fight for the Huaxia Cultivation World.
Thousands of vicious foreign monks surrounded and pursued Yue Qianchou, only to be utterly routed by him... Recalling his words, "My heart is sincere, as clear as the sun and moon," many were moved to tears...
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