Chen Yuan Refuses

It is no wonder the head of the Shaolin Martial Monk Courtyard and the others were stunned.

Who was their abbot? He was a Xiantian tenth-stage grandmaster! Not only was he the head of the Shaolin Temple, but he was also one of the top ten powerhouses in the Great Feng Dynasty, yet he was actually begging this slender youth to accept him as a disciple.

Zhou Cheng looked at the old monk before him; judging by his attire, he must be from the Shaolin Temple.

"Little benefactor, I am the abbot of Shaolin, dharma name Huineng." Huineng introduced himself at this moment.

Zhou Cheng was surprised; he had not expected this old monk to be the abbot of the Shaolin Temple.

"So it is Abbot Huineng." Zhou Cheng cupped his hands.

Huineng held up a palm, his expression kind: "I wonder, little benefactor, have you considered my offer?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head: "I appreciate your kindness, Master, but I must decline."

Huineng was taken aback and asked: "Benefactor, perhaps you should reconsider."

Zhou Cheng shook his head: "Master is a man of great virtue and prestige, whom I have always admired, but I cannot abide by the rules of your temple."

The rules of the Shaolin Temple were numerous; for starters, he could never follow the prohibition against alcohol and meat, as Zhou Cheng was a meat-eater.

Moreover, he now possessed a cultivation system and would be able to break through the Xiantian realm or even higher by the end of the year, so there was no need to take Huineng as his master.

Zhou Cheng cupped his hands to Huineng and left with Qin Meng and the others.

Huineng stood frozen in place, watching Zhou Cheng's departing figure.

"Abbot, since this young man refuses, let it be." The head of the Martial Monk Courtyard stepped forward and said to Huineng.

Huineng shook his head: "The anomaly of the prayer beads just now was caused by this youth."

The head of the Martial Monk Courtyard and the others were astonished.

Subsequently, Abbot Huineng ordered someone to follow Zhou Cheng to see which family he belonged to.

A moment later, the Shaolin expert returned and reported to Abbot Huineng.

"The Grand General's Mansion." Abbot Huineng smiled upon hearing this: "So, he is Zhou Zhi's grandson."

At this time, Zhou Cheng returned to the Grand General's Mansion and headed toward the main hall, only to see his father, Zhou Wei, and mother, Luo Shui, in conversation.

"I just went to the residence of Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of War to discuss the engagement with his wife, Yu Rong." Luo Shui's voice was somewhat low: "However, Yu Rong said that Chen Yuan is not considering marriage for the time being and only wants to focus on martial arts."

Refused? Zhou Wei frowned. "Not considering marriage and only wants to focus on martial arts"—that was just a polite excuse.

Luo Shui added: "Yu Rong also said that we should stop bringing up the matter between her daughter, Chen Yuan, and our Cheng'er. Her daughter is still an unmarried young lady, and she doesn't want it to affect her reputation."

At this, Luo Shui's expression was not very pleasant.

Zhou Wei's face darkened.

It had been over a day since he was injured the night before last. Many of his former subordinates and friends had come to visit, but Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of War had never appeared, nor had he even sent anyone to deliver a gift or offer a greeting.

Back in the day, Vice Minister Chen was his subordinate; if not for his promotion, where would he be today?

Luo Shui said: "Now outsiders are saying that the Emperor will strip you of your position as General of the Nation and let the General of Cavalry take your place."

She added: "Yesterday, Vice Minister Chen went to the residence of the General of Cavalry, Song Xiu."

Hearing this, Zhou Wei let out a cold laugh.

Outside the hall, Zhou Cheng heard everything, his eyes turning cold.

Zhou Cheng did not enter the main hall but returned to his own courtyard and gathered a large pile of books on artifact refining.

Both artifact refining and alchemy could improve the grade of the Earth Cauldron, but the materials for alchemy were too expensive, while those for artifact refining were much cheaper. Therefore, Zhou Cheng planned to purchase some materials to refine artifacts first.

After consuming the Marrow-Cleansing Pill and evolving his aptitude, Zhou Cheng's memory had become exceptionally good, almost photographic.

He spent the entire afternoon reading.

Zhou Cheng gained a relatively clear and comprehensive understanding of artifact refining.

At the hour of the Rooster, past five o'clock in the afternoon, Zhou Cheng took Qin Meng and the others out to purchase materials for artifact refining.

Considering the large quantity needed to upgrade the Earth Cauldron to a mid-grade spirit artifact, Zhou Cheng spent nearly a hundred taels of silver to buy a ton of iron ore materials all at once.

After storing all the iron ore in the Earth Cauldron, Zhou Cheng passed by the Four Seasons Apothecary, thought for a moment, and walked inside.

When Chen Zhiqu, the manager of the Four Seasons Apothecary, saw it was Zhou Cheng, his eyes lit up, and he was extremely enthusiastic: "Young Master, you've finally come! I've been waiting for you for the past two days, looking forward to your arrival like the stars and the moon."

Zhou Cheng actually had a rather good impression of Chen Zhiqu, the manager of the Four Seasons Apothecary, though this "looking forward to the stars and the moon" seemed to be the man's catchphrase.

"What are you waiting for me for?" Zhou Cheng laughed: "I didn't say I was coming to buy medicinal herbs, did I?"

Chen Zhiqu suddenly pulled Zhou Cheng into a corner and lowered his voice, acting mysterious: "Young Master, do you still have that body-refining pill from last time?"

Zhou Cheng's heart skipped a beat. Could the man have recognized it as an Ancient Body Refining Pill?

Chen Zhiqu continued: "Our Fourth Miss consumed the body-refining pill you provided last time for her cultivation and said the effects were excellent."

He then added: "If you have any more, Young Master, we are willing to pay double the price of last time."

Zhou Cheng stared at him and shook his head: "I only had that one body-refining pill." He decided to keep the Ancient Body Refining Pill for his own use, and besides, who knew if they were buying it back for research purposes?

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiqu looked deeply disappointed.

Following this, Zhou Cheng spent nearly fifteen hundred taels to buy twenty sets of materials for medicinal baths and the Ancient Body Refining Pill.

He was now at the seventh level of Body Tempering, and within twenty days, he would surely break through to the Qi Refining realm; by then, he would no longer need medicinal baths or Body Tempering pills.

The Qi Refining realm required pills that could increase internal energy.

Just as Zhou Cheng and his group were rushing back to the Grand General's Mansion, a dozen uninvited guests arrived at the estate.

"What? Abbot Huineng of Shaolin is outside asking to see me?" In the main hall, Zhou Wei heard the steward's report and thought he had misheard.

"Yes, my lord. Besides Abbot Huineng, there are over a dozen high monks, including the head of the Shaolin Martial Monk Courtyard," the steward said hurriedly.

Startled, Zhou Wei stood up. "Quick, quickly go and welcome Abbot Huineng!"

Given Abbot Huineng's status, even if he were to visit the imperial palace in person, the Emperor of Great Feng, Zhu Xuan, would not dare to slight him.

After speaking, Zhou Wei took the lead and strode out of the hall, heading toward the mansion's main gate.

Upon arriving at the gate, Zhou Wei saw Huineng and the others standing outside. His heart tightened, and he quickened his pace, reaching Huineng and bowing with cupped hands. "Zhou Wei pays his respects to Abbot Huineng and the esteemed monks."

Huineng, the head of the Martial Monk Courtyard, and the others returned the gesture. Abbot Huineng was all smiles, appearing extremely courteous as he held up a palm. "Amitabha. Lord Zhou, please forgive us for our presumptuous visit."

Zhou Wei hurriedly replied, "Abbot Huineng is too kind. Your presence brings great honor to my humble abode." He then invited Huineng and the others into the main hall.

Hearing the news, Luo Shui came out to join Zhou Wei in receiving Huineng and his party.

Huineng took the tea served by a servant of the Grand General's Mansion, took a sip, and said, "I will not hide it from Lord Zhou and Lady Zhou; I have come to your estate today for the sake of your son."

Your son?

Zhou Wei and Luo Shui exchanged glances.

"Is the Abbot referring to Li'er? I wonder if Li'er has offended your temple?" Zhou Wei asked.

Clearly, both he and Luo Shui assumed Huineng had come for their eldest son, Zhou Li.

Abbot Huineng smiled, waved his hand, and chuckled, "No, no. I have come for your second son, Zhou Cheng."