Oh, You're Too Kind

"?"

Gu Chengming was utterly bewildered.

The two chatted for a while longer, and then Gu Chengming remembered why he had come. He asked,

"By the way, Junior Brother Jiang, do you happen to have any Body Tempering Ointment like Cold Bone Paste? If it's convenient, could you spare me some? Or tell me where I can get some?"

"Cold Bone Paste?"

Jiang Lu looked a little puzzled.

It was indeed one of the more common types of First Realm Body Tempering Ointment, nothing particularly rare.

But Wenjian Sect was a sect of Sword Cultivators, and few of its disciples practiced Body Refining Techniques. As a result, the sect allocated very little of this kind of ointment.

The problem was, hadn't Gu Chengming just collected a full year's worth of cultivation resources a few days ago?

By rights, even if the quota was small, he had only just gotten it. He shouldn't be short at all.

Gu Chengming seemed to notice his confusion and explained,

"To be honest, the Body Refining Technique I'm practicing now... is a little unusual. It uses up an enormous amount of resources. And..."

He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

After all, it was hard to admit that his terrible talent had kept him from making progress, leaving him with no choice but to force his way forward by downing pills.

Jiang Lu didn't read too much into it. He said,

"Senior Brother Gu, there's no need to worry. Leave this to me. I still have some saved up, and I'll bring it over later. If that isn't enough, I'll ask around among the other senior and junior brothers."

"Then I owe you one, Junior Brother Jiang." Gu Chengming cupped his hands in thanks.

Jiang Lu didn't stay long. After chatting a little more, he took the opportunity to say goodbye.

After leaving Gu Chengming's courtyard, Jiang Lu didn't head straight back to his own place. Instead, he turned toward the Sword Repository Pavilion.

Since he'd promised Senior Brother Gu, he figured he might as well stop by and see whether he could exchange for some higher-quality Body Tempering Ointment at the Technique Pavilion.

After all, ordinary Cold Bone Paste might not be potent enough for Senior Brother Gu anymore.

However, when he entered the Sword Repository Pavilion, he saw something that made him even more certain of his guess.

The usually aloof and haughty Elder Yu, who liked to slack off but at least kept up appearances, was now sprawled over the counter without a shred of dignity, yawning and rubbing her bleary eyes.

The faint dark circles beneath her eyes and her exhausted, half-asleep expression made it clear she'd stayed up all night.

"Yaaawn..."

Yu Wenqiu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, radiating the dejected air of a thoroughly drained, lazy fish.

Jiang Lu's heart stirred.

Thinking of Gu Chengming's earlier remark that he had "already repaid part of his debt of gratitude," then looking at Elder Yu's "completely drained" appearance...

Could it be that last night, Senior Brother Gu really...

Just then, the disciple token at his waist suddenly began to buzz, interrupting his wild thoughts.

Jiang Lu picked up the token and glanced at it, his expression changing.

His master was summoning him.

With no choice, Jiang Lu had to put his search for ointment for Gu Chengming on hold.

Huiyuan Gate, Hall of the Elder of the Ministry of Works.

The hall was plainly and solemnly furnished. Shelves lined both sides, crammed with scrolls and Jade Slips.

The air carried the faint scent of ink and old paper.

Jiang Lu's master, Liu Enchuan, sat at his desk, brows furrowed as he held a freshly compiled report on the disciples' assessments. He sighed heavily.

The Elder of the Ministry of Works, as the title suggested, oversaw all the sect's core personnel matters: disciple assessments, merits, promotions, rewards, and punishments.

It was a position with real authority, but also one that could make a person lose his hair.

Especially in Huiyuan Gate's current state.

Looking at the appalling figures in his hands, Liu Enchuan felt a headache coming on.

"Sigh..."

He set down the report and rubbed his brow, his heart heavy with helplessness.

The words "Talent Drought" hardly did justice to Huiyuan Gate's current situation.

Forget competing with the other branches of Cangjian Sect. Even avoiding last place had become a pipe dream.

The reasons for this state of affairs were complicated, but ultimately, it came down to a lack of the kind of genius who could uphold the sect's reputation.

Huiyuan Gate had few resources to begin with, and the little it had was spread so thin among its disciples that there was barely enough to go around.

Mediocre swordsmanship, mediocre resources, and mediocre disciples—some of them downright poor... It had become a vicious cycle.

Talented prospects wanted nothing to do with Huiyuan Gate and went to the other branches instead. Those left behind were either of average ability or the ones the other branches had already rejected.

"Everything's in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt..."

Liu Enchuan sighed, his gaze falling on the name at the end of the report, where it stood out like a thorn in his eye—Gu Chengming.

At the very mention of that name, his brows drew tighter.

If he had to name the most representative example of the sect's poor-quality disciples, it would probably be Gu Chengming.

Three years after joining the sect, he was still stuck at First Realm Level Three.

In the other branches, he'd have been urged to leave or demoted to menial work long ago.

Huiyuan Gate had simply kept him because it was short on people.

But with the triennial Grand Examination fast approaching, if Gu Chengming still didn't improve, and Wenjian Sect threw him out, Huiyuan Gate would be a laughingstock among the other branches for years to come.

As the Elder of the Ministry of Works, Liu Enchuan couldn't afford to lose face like that.

That was why he'd specifically instructed Jiang Lu a few days ago to remind Gu Chengming to at least make an effort, so he wouldn't lose too badly when the time came.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, someone gently knocked on the hall's door.

Liu Enchuan gathered his thoughts and said gravely, "Come in."

The door opened, and Jiang Lu walked in. He bowed respectfully. "Disciple Jiang Lu greets Master."

Seeing his prized disciple, Liu Enchuan's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little.

He was quite pleased with Jiang Lu.

Steady-minded and dependable, his talent might not have been top-notch, but in Huiyuan Gate's current state, he was at least a general pulled from a crowd of dwarfs—someone worth developing.

With a little more polishing, he would surely become a mainstay of the sect.

"Mm. Rise."

Liu Enchuan asked a couple of simple questions about Jiang Lu's recent cultivation. Jiang Lu answered each one clearly and methodically.

After a little casual conversation, Liu Enchuan changed course and got to the point.

"The matter I asked you to handle... How are things with Gu Chengming?"

At those words, Jiang Lu understood.

He knew his master had most likely called him here about this very matter.

Seeing his master's worried expression, Jiang Lu smiled inwardly, though he kept his own expression relaxed.

He said with a smile,

"You're worrying too much, Master. If this is about that matter, then even without your intervention, what you're worried about won't happen."

"Oh?"

Liu Enchuan raised an eyebrow, looking at him in surprise.

That sounded... as if there were more to it than he was saying.

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Lu's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.

He sat up straight, met Liu Enchuan's eyes, and said earnestly,

"Master, I've spent a lot of time with Senior Brother Gu recently and discovered something... astonishing."

He then recounted everything that had happened over the past few days, without leaving anything out.

He started with how Gu Chengming had spotted a flaw in his swordplay at a glance and casually pointed it out, leaving him with a great deal to learn. Then came how, at the Training Ground, Gu Chengming had used his First Realm Level Three cultivation and pure swordsmanship to leave You Yuyao, the First Realm Level Nine Female Cultivator from Jingshui Pavilion, utterly unable to fight back—and even made her burst into tears on the spot...

Finally, he took a deep breath and summed up,

"So, Master, there's no need to worry about Senior Brother Gu being expelled. In my opinion, Senior Brother Gu is actually a swordsmanship prodigy, a hidden dragon waiting in the depths!"

"..."

Liu Enchuan thought the whole thing sounded utterly absurd.

Why did this sound so much like a plot from one of those lowbrow Marketplace storybooks?

Liu Enchuan stared at Jiang Lu for a long while before finally asking hesitantly,

"Lu'er... Have you been practicing your sword too hard lately? Are you feeling unwell?"

He'd clearly taken Jiang Lu's words for delirious ravings brought on by overtraining and a qi deviation.

Jiang Lu stopped speaking, seemingly aware that empty words would be hard to believe.

After all, if this had been a month ago, he probably wouldn't have believed it either.

He said helplessly, "I know this is hard to believe. But... hearing is not believing; seeing is believing."

"If you don't believe me, why not go see for yourself?"

Chapter 19: Well, I Yield

After Jiang Lu took his leave, Liu Enchuan was alone in the hall.

He sat at his desk, gently tapping his fingers against its surface.

Though Jiang Lu had spoken with complete conviction, Liu Enchuan still wasn't sure what to believe.

After all, the whole thing was simply too preposterous.

A disciple who hadn't advanced in three years and was widely regarded as a good-for-nothing had suddenly turned into an unparalleled swordsmanship genius?

The contrast was simply too extreme.

"But that boy has always been levelheaded. He doesn't seem like the sort to talk nonsense."

Liu Enchuan pondered for a moment, then finally stood up.

"Fine. Since he's so certain, I'll go and test the waters myself."

"Hearing is not believing; seeing is believing. If Gu Chengming really has some ability, that would be a blessing for Huiyuan Gate."

Still, since he was going to test Gu Chengming, he couldn't make a grand entrance.

The dignified Elder of the Ministry of Works couldn't go sparring with an Outer Sect Disciple. If word got out, what would happen to his dignity?

Besides, if Gu Chengming really was the hidden expert Jiang Lu described, he might not show his true skill if Liu Enchuan went as an elder.

So he needed a different face.

For a Third Realm Cultivator, disguising himself was child's play.

Liu Enchuan's thoughts stirred, and the Spiritual Power within him began to flow. A moment later, the stern, middle-aged elder vanished, replaced by a young Sword Cultivator with sharp brows and bright eyes, dressed in a green robe.

Looking at the dashing "himself" in the bronze mirror, Liu Enchuan nodded with satisfaction.

"Mm, this look does remind me of my younger days."