In a quiet courtyard south of the city, Daoist Wang stood by the window, troubled.
Commandant Li had left, taking his mainstay with him.
Continuing in his role as a steward no longer seemed quite appropriate.
A master in the Three Heavens Realms could employ a low-level Bridge Linking cultivator, but for a Golden Core Upper Cultivator to keep employing one was not quite right. Normally, someone in his position would maintain a cultivation level one realm below his master's; otherwise, there would be many private matters he simply lacked the strength to handle.
So he had sensibly declined the suggestion that he follow Li Chuping to the Jade Capital, sparing them both the awkwardness.
He had accumulated some savings over the years, and Li Chuping had helped him out as well. Finally, three years ago, he had successfully advanced to Profound Connection, scraping through that barrier by the narrowest of margins and happily gaining fifty years of lifespan.
To outsiders, this was a splendid cause for celebration, but only he knew the helpless compromises hidden beneath that outward glory.
He had not advanced normally. Instead, he had adopted a method popular in merchant circles-an advancement watered down and short on weight.
Reality had forced his hand. If he did not do it now, then once he grew older, even this diminished sort of advancement might be beyond his reach.
It was a choice made after weighing many considerations. Having spent so long in comfortable surroundings, with a family to support as well, it was hardly surprising.
He had originally thought that, with Commandant Li's standing behind him, this cultivation level should ensure he could spend the rest of his life free of worries in Jincheng's Commandant Prefecture. Most of the work involved paperwork at a desk and required no