Sword Cultivators Value Promises Over Life and Death

Guo Shaoshang was merely a pawn pushed to the forefront. The one truly pulling the strings behind the scenes was Zeng Jun. Dong Hao naturally saw this clearly.

He could even guess Zeng Jun's thoughts—nothing more than using this matter to cement Dong Hao's reputation for poor judgment, severely damaging his prestige in the training grounds.

"Beyond that, he must also be thinking of using the wager to provoke me, making me spend a great deal of resources on Jiang Xuan and thereby delay my own cultivation."

Dong Hao glanced at the seemingly impartial Zeng Jun and sneered inwardly.

"He has some schemes, but unfortunately, I set all of this in motion myself."

As a merchant, Dong Hao was exceptionally skilled at reading expressions and gauging hearts. His grasp of the overall situation was even more masterful.

He could naturally sense that the common-born students in the back rows were full of jealousy and envy toward Jiang Xuan, while the Aristocratic Clan children in the front rows looked down from the bottom of their hearts on Jiang Xuan, whose Spirit Root was only Profound-middle grade.

Under such circumstances, if he had truly been thinking wholly for Jiang Xuan's sake, he could have taken his maid Nan Zhi and the food box to dine with him in a corner of the back rows. That way, Jiang Xuan would not have been pushed onto the crest of the waves, and even if Zeng Jun and the others wanted to pick a fight, they would have found no pretext.

But Dong Hao was a merchant, not some purely kind-hearted good man.

He had befriended Jiang Xuan and given him resources because he had noticed Jiang Xuan's talent and wanted to claim this fine sword for his own use.

And after considering matters just now, he realized that eating in a corner was far less beneficial to him than dragging Jiang Xuan into the spotlight.

"Once Jiang Xuan is brought into the open, everyone will know he belongs to me. Under such circumstances, others will find it difficult to win him over, and Jiang Xuan himself will have trouble switching allegiance—no Aristocratic Clan child likes someone who betrays his master."

"More importantly, only by pushing him into the eye of the storm and giving others a reason to make trouble can I rightfully step forward to protect Jiang Xuan, welding this favor shut bit by bit and making this sword give its heart to me completely."

All these calculations meant that Dong Hao was not angry at Zeng Jun and Guo Shaoshang for stepping forward. Instead, he was delighted.

Of course, he did not reveal the slightest trace of these thoughts on his face. At this moment, faced with Zeng Jun's proposal of a wager, he put on an enraged look and said directly, "Fine. I accept this wager."

He agreed readily, while Guo Shaoshang on the other side was even more impatient.

This had originally been his and Zeng Jun's scheme. Moreover, he did not believe he could lose to a common-born student with a Profound-grade Spirit Root, so he agreed just as quickly.

"I agree too!"

And in order to seek some private gain, after agreeing, he deliberately feigned indignation and said, "Not only that, I'll add another one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones as stakes! Don't you believe this mud-legged peasant can win? Do you dare take it?"

"..." Dong Hao said, "Of course I dare!"

And so, Dong Hao and Guo Shaoshang, who had gotten into a "dispute," made a wager under Zeng Jun's witness.

Aside from the condition that Jiang Xuan could join the team if he won and that no one else could object, the wager also included one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.

However, just as they were about to finalize the wager, Jiang Xuan, who had remained calm all along as if none of this concerned him, suddenly spoke.

"Forget the first wager. I have no intention of joining your team."

"Huh?!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Zeng Jun froze on the spot. He never would have imagined that Jiang Xuan would abandon without hesitation what he considered a heaven-sent opportunity to join the team.

"Was he acting on impulse, or did he know his own limits and feel he was unqualified... Whatever. In any case, because of his foolishness, he has missed the greatest opportunity of his life."

Sneering to himself, Zeng Jun could not be bothered to pay Jiang Xuan any further attention. He turned to Dong Hao and said, "In that case, the stakes are a little unfair. Then I'll add another two hundred Spirit Stones—you win, and all three hundred and eighty Spirit Stones are yours; you lose, and you need only pay Shaoshang one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones."

He said this partly because he feared the bait was insufficient to hook Dong Hao. If the scheme fell through, he would lose his chance to make Dong Hao embarrass himself in public. The other reason was that he firmly believed Jiang Xuan had no chance whatsoever of winning. Thus, these Spirit Stones were merely a show of moving from the left hand to the right, so naturally he could afford to seem generous.

"Fine." Dong Hao still agreed without hesitation.

Within a few words, the wager was completely settled. Zeng Jun then pulled away Guo Shaoshang, who was still putting on a show of indignation, and left.

After they had gone, Dong Hao clasped his hands toward Jiang Xuan apologetically. "Brother Jiang, sorry for the trouble. I gave you a fright."

"It's nothing." Jiang Xuan gave Dong Hao a deep look and said calmly, "This is not your fault. Rather, I may end up making Brother Dong lose a sum of Spirit Stones for nothing."

"Hahaha..." Dong Hao laughed aloud at those words. "Brother Jiang, I told you long ago that I believe in your ability. I never thought you would lose. Perhaps this time, Brother Jiang can help me make a fortune."

"If you truly win, we'll split the Spirit Stones fifty-fifty."

"Of course, even if you lose, it does not matter. I, Dong Hao, can still afford to pay one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones."

With that, he stepped forward and lightly draped an arm around Jiang Xuan's shoulders as if they were close friends of many years, his tone earnest. "But I truly want to win this wager. The Spirit Stones are a small matter, but I do not want to see those smug, villainous faces of Zeng Jun and Guo Shaoshang. So later, I'll prepare some cultivation resources for Brother Jiang. You absolutely must not refuse again."

"Alright."

This time, Jiang Xuan agreed with exceptional decisiveness, without the slightest attempt to decline.

"Hm?!"

This crisp, straightforward acceptance instead made Dong Hao pause, several doubts rising in his heart.

"He was not polite in the slightest? Why? Did I misjudge his character, or... does he think he can win, which is why he agreed so readily?"

The two thoughts spun through Dong Hao's mind, leaving him unable to decide for the moment.

He did not believe his judgment was so poor that he could not see Jiang Xuan's true nature.

Yet he did not even have a thirty percent certainty that Jiang Xuan could win this wager.

Indeed, in his eyes, Jiang Xuan's talent in the Sword Dao was exceptional. In merely one day, he had comprehended Unity of Man and Sword.

But everyone knew that swords governed killing, their sharpness unmatched. What that increased was combat ability, not cultivation speed.

As for Guo Shaoshang, although Dong Hao somewhat looked down on him and did not consider him a threat—

Guo Shaoshang was still a Lineage child and possessed a lower earth-grade Spirit Root. By Dong Hao's estimation, Guo Shaoshang would advance faster than Jiang Xuan.

Under such unfavorable circumstances, Dong Hao was still willing to make the wager because he wanted Jiang Xuan to feel guilty toward him and thereby owe him a favor.

He was cultivating a deathsworn.

Jiang Xuan could roughly guess some of Dong Hao's thoughts. He was not angered by them. Instead, he let out a tremendous sigh of relief.

He and Dong Hao were neither related nor had any prior friendship. If the other man truly sought nothing and cared only for Jiang Xuan's benefit, that would have been what truly made him wary—something he could neither see through nor grasp.

Now that he could see the rough outline of things, Jiang Xuan instead felt at ease.

At the same time, Dong Hao had guessed one thing correctly—Jiang Xuan had accepted the resources so readily because he believed his chances of victory were extremely high.

Since he would soon help Dong Hao earn back several hundred Spirit Stones, taking some cultivation assistance in advance naturally amounted to nothing.

"Once this wager is settled, I can repay most of the favors I owed before."

Having found a way to repay his debts of gratitude, Jiang Xuan chatted with Dong Hao for a few more sentences before picking up his bowl and chopsticks again and resuming his meal of Three Origins Returning Yang Soup.

Just as Dong Hao had said, this Three Origins Returning Yang Soup was a treasure for replenishing vital energy.

It was a medicinal meal slowly simmered from three supremely yang spiritual ingredients—black-boned chicken, aged mountain ginseng, and purple lingzhi. The yang energy and pure vital essence contained within the soup were rich to the extreme.

After a mouthful of hot soup entered his stomach, Jiang Xuan felt a warm current flow down his throat before instantly dispersing through all four limbs and every bone. The qi and blood that had been more than half depleted by the burning of heartfire were restored by nearly half in an instant.

After the second mouthful of Returning Yang Soup entered his stomach, that warm vital essence had already traveled throughout his body, soothing every damaged meridian.

By the time he drank the third mouthful, he even faintly felt a dry heat from being over-replenished.

In only a short while, relying on this bowl of Three Origins Returning Yang Soup, the losses and hidden injuries Jiang Xuan had accumulated through cultivation had recovered seven or eight parts out of ten.

The effect delighted Jiang Xuan, but it also gave rise to an intense sense of crisis.

"The effects of pills and spiritual meals are too powerful. If Aristocratic Clan children eat such delicacies every day, just how fast must their cultivation be?"

—The cultivation speed of Lineage children truly was astonishingly fast.

Yesterday, only Qin Feng and Xie Hanyan had opened thirty-six acupoints and been rated outstanding.

Today, by the noon break, that number had become eleven.

"Compared to these Aristocratic Clan children, my disadvantage truly is too obvious. But fortunately, I took up the roles of Daoist Acolyte and Clear-Heart Sword Disciple. At the very least, I now have the qualifications to compete with them."

After eating his fill and recovering physically, Jiang Xuan immediately bade Dong Hao farewell and returned to his corner in the back rows.

This time, Dong Hao did not stop him.

But after Jiang Xuan left, Dong Hao's maid Nan Zhi hesitated for a moment before speaking to Dong Hao, whom she had served day and night for more than a decade.

"Young Master, in order to recruit Jiang Xuan, you put in so much effort and even got into a dispute with Zeng Jun and Guo Shaoshang. Was it worth it?"

"It was." Dong Hao glanced at Xie Hanyan, who was not far from them, and said quietly, "Even without Jiang Xuan, Zeng Jun and I would never remain at peace."

"This dispute was not caused by Jiang Xuan coming here. Rather, he was dragged into the dispute between Zeng Jun and me."

"Secondly, Jiang Xuan's talent in the Sword Dao is outstanding. You know as well that sword cultivators have always valued righteousness and treated life and death lightly. So long as I make Jiang Xuan owe me enough, should we encounter a life-and-death crisis or some other major trouble, others might flee, but Jiang Xuan certainly will not abandon me. Using some Spirit Stones to buy a life is well worth it!"

"..." Upon hearing this, Nan Zhi realized she had no way to refute him. Sword cultivators valued promises. In this world, it had always been common to see sword cultivators draw their swords against stronger foes for their benefactors even when they knew death was certain.

She lowered her head and bowed. "This servant understands. Tomorrow, this servant will continue preparing spiritual meals for Young Master Jiang."

At the front of the training grounds, Dong Hao and his mistress-and-servant pair were having their conversation. To Jiang Xuan's helplessness, after returning to his seat, he too was denied peace.

The moment he sat down, a crowd of common-born students surged around him, every face piled high with fawning smiles.

Someone spoke first in a flattering tone. "Brother Jiang, how exactly did you catch Young Master Dong's eye? More friends mean more paths. Give us brothers a few pointers too, won't you?"

"That's right, that's right! So long as Brother Jiang is willing to offer a little guidance, I'll remember this favor for the rest of my life!"

The crowd hemming him in and their sycophantic words made Jiang Xuan's gaze turn cold at once.

But before he could speak, a cold snort suddenly came from the side, carrying undisguised contempt.

"More friends mean more paths? Remember it for a lifetime? Pah!"

"You trash, why don't you piss and look at yourselves? What use is your worthless gratitude?"

"You want to catch a white wolf with empty hands and take someone else's means of survival for free? Why don't you first see whether you deserve it?"

"In this world, what secret is not bought with Spirit Stones? If you have no money, get the hell out of the way!"

The sudden furious tirade made everyone glare in anger. Even Jiang Xuan lifted his eyes to look over.

Then he discovered that he did not recognize the thin youth who had shouted. He had never seen him before.

Yet when the youth met his gaze, the hostility all over him vanished instantly, replaced by a humble, ingratiating expression.

But he only fawned over Jiang Xuan. Facing everyone else's furious glares, he did not care at all. Instead, he sneered. "What, do you think I'm wrong, or are you unconvinced? Heh, if I were you, I would be begging Young Master Jiang Xuan for forgiveness right now... With Young Master Dong Hao's connection, it may be difficult for him to arrange a lucrative profession for you, but making you take the bitterest and most exhausting jobs would be a matter of a single word!"

"Crack..."

The moment those words came out, the expressions of those trying to gain something from Jiang Xuan changed at once.

"Y-Young Master Jiang, we're sorry! We meant nothing else!"

In trembling fear, they apologized, then slunk away in disgrace.

After they left, Jiang Xuan's gaze fell upon the thin youth before him.

"You did this because you want me to introduce you to Dong Hao."

Upon hearing that, the youth repeatedly shook his head and respectfully said to Jiang Xuan, "No. This one wishes to follow Young Master Jiang."

"Follow me?" The answer left Jiang Xuan somewhat startled, but he quickly said calmly, "Like you, I come from a common background. I have no resources, and my talent is merely ordinary. If you follow me, you will gain nothing."

Those words made the youth before him even more humble. "Young Master jokes. Since Young Master Dong Hao values you, Young Master Jiang Xuan, you must surely be capable."

He paused, his tone becoming increasingly earnest. "This one does not dare hope to gain anything from you. I only ask to remain by your side and serve you before and behind the saddle. Young Master, you want to cultivate in peace, but there are too many idlers in this world, and even more people who lack the sense to read the room. It is not simply because you wish for quiet that you can have it."

"With this subordinate here, I can block such troubles for you and let you focus on cultivation."

"Also, your daily chores, Young Master—fetching water, cleaning, shopping, all those trifles—can be handed to this subordinate. I will absolutely not waste a moment of your time."

Jiang Xuan looked at the water jug set to one side, then listened to the youth's words. He had to admit that having an attentive subordinate would indeed save him the time of handling trivial matters.

Thus, after pondering for a moment, Jiang Xuan no longer drove the man away, though he stated plainly, "You may stay if you wish. But I cannot promise that I can give you what you want."

"Being able to remain by your side, Young Master, is already the fulfillment of this subordinate's wish."

And so, in order to avoid being disturbed, Jiang Xuan accepted his first follower. His name was Cheng Xiu.

After that, without needing a single instruction from Jiang Xuan, Cheng Xiu picked up the water jug and went to the stream to fill it with fresh water, then swept the ground around Jiang Xuan's seat spotless.

When Jiang Xuan prepared to enter meditation and cultivate, Cheng Xiu perceptively sat some distance away. This created just the right separation—he would not disturb Jiang Xuan's cultivation, yet he could conveniently stop any idlers who came seeking favor.

However, after doing all of this, Cheng Xiu hesitated for a moment before offering Jiang Xuan some advice.

"Young Master, the next time Young Master Dong invites you over, it would be best if you do not return to the back rows... Young Master Dong values you, so you must also take the initiative to preserve that relationship."

Those words made Jiang Xuan glance at Cheng Xiu, and he understood something.

In Cheng Xiu's eyes—or rather, in the eyes of all the students in the training grounds—his status was not equal to Dong Hao's.

He was the lower party, while Dong Hao was the recruiter.

Even Dong Hao himself thought this way.

And Jiang Xuan was not surprised that such thoughts had arisen in everyone's minds.

Born common, with an unexceptional Spirit Root, someone like him would, by ordinary reasoning, be as far apart from Dong Hao as heaven and earth, both now and in the future.

Furthermore, this world did not emphasize that all people were equal. Instead, its classes were clearly divided.

In many people's eyes, Jiang Xuan, being in the lower position, ought to maintain his relationship with Dong Hao. That was the duty of one below.

Unfortunately, that was merely other people's view. After gaining the attribute panel, Jiang Xuan did not believe himself weaker than anyone.