Cultivation Method

Chen Bao warily turned his head and glanced around.

He went over and shut the door as well, then lowered his voice, his expression grave. "Father received word."

"The authorities are preparing to move against Chen Village!"

"The magistrate of Changping County has already sent a letter to the local garrison, gathering a thousand elite soldiers and joining them with archers and civilian militias to surround and wipe out Chen Village!"

Chen Qianyu's pretty face instantly went deathly pale. "The authorities are going to wipe us out?"

"Th-this... what should we do?"

Of course she knew what kind of business her household's village was in.

The authorities were perfectly justified in wiping out salt smugglers!

Chen Bao nodded, his expression bitter. "We're dealing in illicit salt. We're stealing the authorities' business, so naturally they want to deal with us."

"Changping is a major county, with three thousand local troops. There might even be Immortal Dao generals among them!"

"Chen Village has fewer than three hundred able-bodied fighters. How can we possibly stand against them?"

"This time, we're doomed!"

He let out a deep sigh and lowered his voice as he urged her, "Hurry and pack your valuables. Leave this place!"

"From now on, you must never come back, and you absolutely must not avenge your father!"

Chen Qianyu was stunned for a long while, then suddenly gritted her teeth. "I'm not leaving!"

"I'll go to the county seat right now and take that damn magistrate's life!"

Chen Bao flew into a rage. "Nonsense!"

"When the soldiers come to wipe us out, at most they'll capture and kill the salt-smuggling crews."

"If you kill the magistrate, that's rebellion!"

"Do you want the thousand-plus people of Chen Village to be buried alongside you?"

"Besides, the magistrate is protected by the court's righteous aura and supported by capable, extraordinary people. How could you kill him just because you said you would?"

Chen Qianyu's lips trembled, and she could not utter a single word!

This was already the only way she could think of to save Chen Village!

Chen Bao sighed again. "Actually, it's not that there's truly no way out. We can avoid this calamity, it's just..."

Chen Qianyu grew anxious. "Father! Hurry up and tell me!"

"What exactly is the way?"

Chen Bao hesitated before finally saying, "That Su Mo—the Su Mo who captured Leper Zhou."

"Although he's a subordinate clerk, he has the heart of a chivalrous hero."

"More importantly, he's deeply valued by the magistrate of Changping County."

"If he's willing to step in and smooth things over, perhaps he can persuade the magistrate of Changping County to change his mind and spare Chen Village!"

Chen Qianyu grew even more anxious. "Then what are you waiting for, Father?"

"Hurry and ask him for help!"

Chen Bao gave a bitter laugh. "You're neither relatives nor friends. Why would he help Chen Village?"

"Besides..."

He hesitated, then added, "Father even struck him with a whip before..."

Chen Qianyu stared at him, dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Chen Bao changed tack. "Given Su Mo's temperament, he probably won't hold a grudge!"

"But it'll be even harder to ask him to intervene. Unless..."

Chen Qianyu cooperatively pressed him, "Unless what? Father, just tell me!"

Chen Bao gritted his teeth. "Unless Chen Village has someone he values greatly!"

"But... but how can I send my own daughter to win that clerk's favor for the sake of the more than a thousand women, children, and old people in Chen Village?"

"Even if he is different from the other yamen runners, and is a handsome young man at that!"

Chen Qianyu fell silent.

After a long while, she raised her head and looked straight at her father, determination shining in her lovely eyes. "I won't stand by and watch the soldiers wipe out Chen Village!"

"That Su Mo—I'll handle him!"

Chen Bao answered without the slightest hesitation, "Absolutely not!"

"I will never sacrifice your lifelong happiness!"

Chen Qianyu cut him off. "Father, you don't need to say anything. I've already decided!"

"Hmph!"

"He's only a yamen runner. With this female knight-errant personally taking action, won't he be easy pickings?"

Chen Bao wrestled with it for a long time, but in the end could only nod. "Since that's the case, I won't stop you!"

"Remember, that Su Mo has extraordinary abilities and an extremely deep background."

"Even if things don't work out, you must never offend him!"

"And one more thing!"

"You must not casually reveal that the authorities are preparing to wipe us out, lest he think you deliberately approached him because of this!"

Chen Bao seemed extremely experienced in this regard. "A hot-blooded young man like him hates being used by others more than anything!"

"As long as you win his favor, he'll naturally go to the magistrate and plead our case, persuading him to spare Chen Village!"

Chen Qianyu nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Father. I know what to do!"

"Coincidentally, Sister Qin and I had a very pleasant conversation."

"If Sister Qin and that Su Mo really have a good relationship, I can use that to get close to him!"

"I'll handle escorting Sister Qin and the others back to the city!"

Chen Bao nodded. "That would be excellent!"

"Oh, right!"

His eyes lit up, and he suddenly offered his daughter another suggestion. "That Su Mo was just promoted to Regular Servant and can recruit subordinates!"

"If you get the chance, see if you can ask him for an Assistant Servant or a Baili Servant position!"

"That way, if the authorities make any moves in the future, Chen Village can learn of them at the first possible moment and have enough time to respond!"

At these words, Chen Qianyu was instantly dumbfounded.

She had sworn to become a chivalrous hero who upheld justice.

The people she opposed were the corrupt magistrates and subordinate clerks who preyed on the common people.

Why was she now supposed to become a subordinate clerk?

Was she supposed to oppose herself?

But her father's words made sense too!

Infiltrating the yamen would naturally make it easier to obtain information.

The lives of more than a thousand people throughout Chen Village were tied to her. How could she refuse?

After a long hesitation, the female knight-errant finally nodded and said with a thoroughly glum expression, "Fine!"

"I'll give it a try."

"But I don't know if it'll work!"

Chen Bao excitedly slapped the table. "It'll definitely work!"

"Take a congratulatory gift to that Su Mo for Father, then ask to become a yamen runner. He definitely won't refuse!"

Chen Qianyu stared at him blankly and instinctively asked, "What congratulatory gift?"

Chen Bao pulled a dust-covered brocade box out from under the bed. It was obvious that it had been left untouched for quite some time.

He brushed the dust from its surface, his expression somewhat complicated.

"The congratulatory gift is inside this brocade box!"

Chen Qianyu eyed the box suspiciously. "What's inside? Why have I never seen it before?"

Chen Bao was silent for a moment, then slowly uttered three words. "An Immortal Cultivation Method!"

Chen Qianyu's eyes instantly widened in shock, and she cried out, "What? An Immortal Cultivation Method?!"

Immortal cultivation was incredibly mysterious and unfathomable in everyone's eyes!

Everyone wanted to cultivate immortality and seek the Way to eternal life!

Or become an official!

It was just very difficult.

Obtaining an Immortal Cultivation Method alone was about as difficult as a yamen runner rising to become an official!

Moreover, even after obtaining an Immortal Cultivation Method, it was not something one could cultivate simply by wanting to!

Without anyone to guide you, you might as well wait to suffer cultivation deviation!

What was more, even with guidance from an Immortal Dao sorcerer, it still depended on whether you possessed the Root Bone and talent for cultivation!

Chen Qianyu had never imagined that her own father was actually hiding a legendary Immortal Cultivation Method!

Chen Bao nodded. "That's right!"

"What's in the brocade box is indeed an Immortal Cultivation Method!"

Chen Qianyu finally could not hold back. "Father! Since you had an Immortal Cultivation Method, why didn't you cultivate it? Why have you never told me?"

What she meant was: Even if you couldn't cultivate it, Father, you could at least have let me try!

What if I have the talent for immortal cultivation?

Chen Bao explained, "This Immortal Cultivation Method is quite special. It's called the Yang Tian Jue!"

"Your father obtained it from an extraordinary man many years ago."

"Its method is fiercely powerful and domineering beyond compare. Once mastered, it can devour the aura of the blazing sun, form a Golden Core in the abdomen, and make ghosts and gods flee in terror."

"But..."