Retainers, Disciples

Hundred Beasts Garden.

After Qin Jiu slaughtered three spirit beasts in succession, he ceased his movements.

His brows remained tightly furrowed.

The talents of these three spirit beasts were mostly of blue and white grade, and with eleven spirit beasts remaining in the garden, he did not intend to continue; three spirit beasts were already more than enough to entertain the people from the Divine Fist Sect.

If he were to continue killing without any imprintable talents appearing, it would be a sheer waste.

"Take this Thorn Rat and the Phoenix Tail Snake to be prepared as medicinal cuisine, and have the other one processed and placed in the ice cellar."

He instructed Xu Zheng.

Afterward, he went to a nearby courtyard to practice his martial arts.

Not long after.

The figure of Wang Yue appeared within the Hundred Beasts Garden.

Watching the flashes of the blade crisscrossing in the courtyard, his expression was one of both shock and gratification. He muttered to himself, "It seems the Young Master has tasted blood. And to have broken through to the Three Refinements in such a short time—truly, Heaven blesses the Qin Family; the heavens have eyes."

"Uncle Wang, why have you come?"

Sensing his presence, Qin Jiu sheathed his long blade and looked toward the entrance.

His brows knit slightly as he said, "Did I not tell you to rest and recover in peace?"

"This old servant has recovered well enough."

Wang Yue snapped out of his reverie, shaking his head with a smile. "I know not if it is the potency of the medicinal pills or simply my own good fortune, but although my body was previously damaged by true qi, not only have those injuries healed, but the hidden wounds left behind by the backlash of the Tyrant Blade have also vanished entirely."

"Though my days are numbered,"

"My strength has returned to its peak state, so I wished to see if there was anything I could do to share the burden for the Young Master."

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiu could not help but shake his head.

He then informed the other man of the Qin Family's plans to leave the county city. After all, although the County Magistrate had been ambushed, his life or death remained uncertain; one could tell as much from the fact that the master of the Canghai Martial Arts Hall and the head of the Four Seasons Pharmacy had yet to return to the city.

He wanted to hear what Wang Yue had to say.

"Enter the pass?"

Wang Yue was stunned at first, then pondered for a long moment before saying, "That is not a bad idea."

"However, with Demons running rampant outside the city, the risks of migrating would be immense. You must remember that the County Magistrate previously led us in an attempt to eliminate those great Demons, but the Young Master knows what happened afterward..."

"Those few Demons still survive, and now we know not where they lie in wait."

"As for those people from the Divine Fist Sect you mentioned..."

"Forgive this old servant's bluntness, but an Internal Strengthening deacon, even if hailing from a great sect, is ultimately only at the Internal Strengthening realm. As for the Demons outside the city, there is more than one great Demon among those that annihilated the Zhao Family."

"I have naturally considered this."

Qin Jiu nodded and said, "That is the reason I invited the disciples of the Divine Fist Sect today. Since they were able to reach the county city unscathed, they must possess various methods to avoid the Demons. Testing them is never a mistake."

"Do you require this old servant to go?"

"No need."

Qin Jiu shook his head, then added, "I had people searching for Ice Crystal in the city a few days ago; you could go and keep an eye on that for me. If you do not wish to, you may also go to the Old Madam's side. Recently, Demons have begun to ravage the inner city, and I am somewhat worried for her safety."

Not long after.

Noon arrived.

In the front courtyard of the Qin Mansion, a troupe had set up a stage for opera, while a table in the reception hall was laden with wine and dishes, the aroma wafting throughout the entire hall.

"The distinguished guests of the Divine Fist Sect have arrived!"

Suddenly, a resonant and powerful voice rang out.

Qin Jiu hurried out of the hall to the entrance of the Qin Mansion to welcome them.

But the moment he stepped out, he froze.

Because before the mansion gates, there were only two figures.

"Two senior brothers, why did Deacon Baili not come?"

"Deacon Baili is practicing his arts."

Ruan Chen said with displeasure, "What, is it that we cannot come if it is only the two of us?"

"Senior Brother Ruan, what are you saying?"

"Having two senior brothers visit truly makes the Qin Mansion shine; please, come in, come in."

Qin Jiu extended a hand in a gesture of invitation.

Although it was somewhat unexpected.

As long as the Divine Fist Sect sent people, it proved that the matter of joining the sect was still open for discussion.

He led the two men into the main hall.

Outside the hall, on the stage, stood not actors, but several dancers in daring attire, currently dancing gracefully.

Before the two men had even taken their seats.

A look of burning desire appeared on both their faces.

"Junior Brother Qin, where did you hire this troupe from? Not bad at all."

"Oh?"

Qin Jiu first invited them to sit.

Then, with a faint smile, he said to Qin Xuanzhou, who was standing behind him, "Let them come in and dance; standing so far away makes it quite tiring to watch."

How could he not see through their intentions?

He gave the order immediately.

This caused both Ruan Chen and Song Wenruo to be greatly pleased.

"Two senior brothers, this is wine brewed with precious herbs, and this is first-grade spirit beast meat raised in my mansion using a secret recipe. Please taste it and see if it suits your palates."

"Junior Brother Qin is too polite."

Ruan Chen regained his composure, waved his hand, and said, "Spirit beasts are not something one can eat at every meal, even within our Divine Fist Sect."

"Let us discuss the serious business first."

His expression turned serious as he said, "You invited us both here today, presumably for the matter mentioned yesterday, right? Since you are showing such sincerity today, I, Ruan, will not hold anything back."

"First, the Divine Fist Sect is about to enter the pass; if you wish to join the sect, you must follow us inside."

"Secondly, our sect has quotas for recruiting retainers."

"Retainers?"

Qin Jiu's face showed a hint of astonishment.

Seeing this, Ruan Chen nodded and said, "When the sect selects disciples, retainers are given priority. Therefore, unless one has exceptional talent, all disciples entering the Divine Fist Sect are chosen from the retainers. You can also think of retainers as chore disciples."

"Originally, the sect had no intention of recruiting retainers in Songshan."

"The reason we came is entirely because Deacon Baili proposed it to the sect, so there are actually very few spots this time. As for why Deacon Baili insisted on coming here, what we said yesterday is the reason."

"To be honest."

"In this city, if anyone can help the deacon break through, they could even be admitted directly into the sect."

"So, you should understand what I mean, right?"

Hearing this, Qin Jiu's heart sank.

He naturally knew that Baili Ce likely intended to use this trip to Songshan County to accumulate wealth, preparing to exchange it for sect contributions to break through to a realm beyond Internal Strengthening. However, becoming merely a retainer fell far short of his expectations.

Most importantly...

"Senior Brother Ruan, may I ask if, after becoming a retainer, it is possible to bring others along to return to the sect with you?"

"Others?"

Ruan Chen's eyes flickered, and he exchanged a glance with Song Wenruo.

"Junior Brother Qin, you must mean something like the Han Mansion, having an entire family follow the sect into the pass, right?"

"You might be mistaken about that."

He shook his head and said, "You must understand that the only reason the Han Mansion can leave with us is because of my status as an inner sect disciple of the Divine Fist Sect, and coincidentally, I admire Qingyue, so I made that promise to her."

"But as a retainer."

"I can only say, it is very difficult..."

"Unless you can become a core disciple of the Divine Fist Sect."